horror

Review: 80s Ghosts by V.S. Lawrence

~ megs14malloy

80s Ghosts80s Ghosts by V.S. Lawrence
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Chrissy is determined to make her ghost hunting show a success. Even though her vlog-style show has been developing, she’s literally one failed investigation away from financial ruin.

Her back is against the wall, that’s why her latest investigation has to be a success and she’s willing to do anything, risk anything, to make that happen.

When she receives an invitation to investigate Merlin High School, the location of a fire in the 1980s where many lives were lost, she jumps at the opportunity.

The high school is prime grounds for haunting. They could actually find something good this time. Evidence that will boost her show to the next level.

As she and her team settle in and begin their formal investigation of the school, Chrissy notices everyone seems to be acting strangely, including herself. As past and present begin to blur, the investigation starts to go off the rails.

Before, Chrissy just wanted her show to be a success. Now, she’d be happy for them all to just get out alive. What’s going on at the old Merlin High, and how will Chrissy and her team be able to help and move past it all?

Unfortunately, after an engaging start, 80s Ghosts took a nosedive into eye roll territory about 3/4 of the way through for me. There’s just a certain level of silliness I can get behind, and this was not it.

Let it be known, I love campy, I do not love cheesy.

With this being said, I did enjoy and appreciate the ideas behind this story. The initial set-up was great. I just wanted more intensity and dark horror imagery, which I don’t really feel like I got.

I would be interested in picking up more from this author though. Even though this one didn’t go in the direction I had hoped, I still see a lot of promise with this writing.

I think for Readers who are newer to the Horror genre, or maybe making the transition from YA to Adult, this could be a good fit. Also, if you are really into Ghost Hunting content in whatever medium, this could be a fun one for you.

The audiobook was also well done and I would recommend that format if you’re going to pick this one up. It was a great listening experience.

Thank you to the publisher, Tantor Media, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I’m glad I had the chance to read this one, and will definitely pick up future work from V.S. Lawrence!

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Review: My Ex, the Antichrist by Craig DiLouie

~ megs14malloy

My Ex, the AntichristMy Ex, the Antichrist by Craig DiLouie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

My Ex, the Antichrist is quite literally a dream book for me. Putting it simply, I would describe this one as Daisy Jones and the Six for Horror Readers.

If you’re like me, and love the Horror genre above all others, and you possibly read Daisy Jones and the Six, and loved it too, but thought, ‘where’s the murder? Where’s the chaos?‘

This book is for you!

In this book, we follow the rise and fall of a fictional punk band called The Shivers. Lily and her boyfriend, Drake, are the founding members of the group, then pulling in Ramona, Eric and Malcolm.

The entire novel reads like a Behind the Music episode on steroids, and much like Daisy Jones, I highly recommend the audiobook format for maximum impact.

We know that at the end of their run, Lily had confessed to murder. All was steeped in mystery, as the band refused to talk to anyone about what had happened, leading up to Lily taking such drastic action.

A decade later, Lily has agreed to an interview, and the rest of the band members follow suit. This book is comprised of those interviews, perfectly placed to allow the whole history of the band to play out.

This was such a great time. As mentioned above, 1,000,000% recommend the audiobook format if you’re going to pick this one up. I can’t stress this enough, because of how well the audio production is done. I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it half as much if I had just read a physical copy.

More than just the story of the band, I also loved the themes explored, and tend to enjoy epistolary format anyway, so this was a complete treat. I had no idea that’s how this story was going to be told.

It did feel a little stretched out in certain areas, but overall, it was a hella entertaining read. It reads super quickly, and is my favorite Craig DiLouie to date.

It may have you walking away thinking, maybe your ex isn’t so terrible after all…

Thank you to the publisher, Orbit Books and Hachette Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. This was a complete surprise! So good!

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Review: How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold

~ megs14malloy

How to Survive a Horror StoryHow to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

How to Survive a Horror Story features a classic Locked-Room set-up, but does actually still manage to bring something new to the trope-filled table.

After the death of legendary Horror author, Mortimer Queen, seven writers are invited to his mysterious manor home for the reading of his last will and testament. It’s believed that each one of them may be bequeathed a part of his estate.

Our characters are Melanie, Crystal, Winnie, Felix (Winnie’s uninvited +1), Scott, Petey, Buck and Chester. In addition, we also have Gia, working on behalf of Mr. Queen’s estate.

This story bounces between the perspectives and follows them over the course of their wild time within the manor.

Kicking off with a very classic Clue-like set-up, our characters individually make their way to the manor full of questions. Each wonders why exactly they’ve been included, and what they can possibly get out of it.

After everyone is settled, they’re told they need to attend dinner together and that’s when the rules of their stay are explained, and yes, it involves a dangerous game.

From here it proceeds into uncharted territory. The way the story was structured, the game itself and all that happened was fairly original. I wasn’t expecting the direction it went in, particularly in regards to the manor house itself.

And while I appreciate the author taking it in a new direction, it also felt like it was trying to do too much. For me, I wanted it to pick a lane. Was it going to be a gruesome, supernatural infused game for survival, or was it going to be a slow burn character driven literary horror story?

Nevertheless, I always love when an author takes risks and reaches to bring something new to their Readers. While the execution of this one wasn’t a perfect fit for me, that doesn’t mean it won’t be for you.

If you love this kind of classic set-up, but want something a little different, I highly recommend you check this one out. You could find a new favorite.

It also features a book-within-a-book aspect, so if that’s something you love, again, give it a shot. For me, it won’t go down in history as a new favorite, but I am definitely planning to pick up future releases from Mallory Arnold.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m excited to see what other Readers think of this one. Maybe they’ll change my mind on it…

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Review: Smile for the Cameras by Miranda Smith

~ megs14malloy

Smile for the CamerasSmile for the Cameras by Miranda Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Smile for the Cameras is a fast-paced and entertaining Slasher ((Lite)). IMO, Smith brought the right amount of Camp to it to get me in the mood for Summer Screams season.

This book is told in three ways: a present perspective, a past perspective and through the screen play of a decades old cult-classic Slasher Film, Grad Night.

Our protagonist is Ella Winters, who was a young, inexperienced actress, just trying to make her way in the industry, when she got tapped to play the Final Girl role in Grad Night. It certainly changed her life.

20-years later, Ella’s star has burned out. She retreated from the spotlight after filming, as she had great difficulty putting behind her some traumatic events that happened during the shooting of that iconic film.

She used the excuse of her ailing mother as her reason to retreat from the Hollywood life, but now that her mother has passed, Ella is thinking of making a comeback.

When her agent offers her the opportunity to participate in a Grad Night reunion documentary, she’s quite hesitant at first, but as her agent points out, it could be the perfect way for her to reemerge onto the scene.

Ella eventually agrees, and makes her way to the original filming location, a cabin in the woods in rural Tennessee, for the reunion weekend.

When the people on site begin being murdered in gruesome ways similar to the film, and the original cast suddenly finds themselves stalked by the Grad Night killer, it becomes clear this reunion was a trap. Perhaps as payback for something they did all those years ago.

Ella would happily give up Hollywood forever if she could just make it through the weekend. Who will survive?

This was fun. I enjoyed how the original script of the film, and the past perspective, which followed Ella during that original filming, boosted up the action in the present.

For me, all three of the aspects played off each other very well and contributed to a well-rounded Slasher story. I felt Smith did a great job keeping it all distinct and easy for the Reader to engage with.

It is quite dramatic, the characters each seeming to add fuel to the fire in their own ways. I felt for Ella the whole way through. She was quite young during the filming of Grad Night, and was definitely influenced by her fellow cast members. She was a bit deer in the headlights.

The ending was somewhat meh for me, but I never guessed it, so good on Smith for keeping me on my toes. My head was spinning as I tried to figure out who was killing everyone. That was hidden quite well, I thought.

Overall, this an entertaining Horror story, with a classic Slasher vibe. It’s a great read for Summer and if you love Horror that brings Camp, you’ll def find that here.

Thank you to the publisher, Bantam, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This gave me exactly what I was looking for!

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Review: Night Shift by Stephen King

~ megs14malloy

Night ShiftNight Shift by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Night Shift was Stephen King’s 1st-published short story collection. It was originally published in 1978. Most of the stories had been previously released in various magazines, but a few had never been seen before, including the 1st-story in the collection, Jerusalem’s Lot.

I read this collection as a kid, but I’m not sure how much I really understood of the nuance of it all. Thinking back on it, I really only remembered one story well, The Lawnmower Man, which I think had more to do with the fact that it contained a naked man than anything else.

As a kid, that seems to be memorable content. Reading it now, 30+years later, it’s one of the least impactful stories of the bunch, but still memorable.

Let’s get into the stories, shall we? While reading, I made brief comments after each one. I don’t feel any contain spoilers, but will more give you a general idea about what sorts of topics you’ll find explored within this collection.

#1: Jerusalem’s Lot — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love that King chose to make this story epistolary. It feels a perfect nod to Dracula. I also love the historical vibes and history of the place. Certain scenes gave me chills. I would love to see him dive deeper into exploring this time period in the Lot.

#2: Graveyard Shift — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 King brought out the rats early and often. They remaining a staple in his work. This has such a good ending. Terrifying 🐀

#3: Night Surf — ((unrated)) Very short, Maine Coast, The Stand connection. Brutal start, pensive ending. Didn’t leave much of an impact.

#4: I Am the Doorway — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Holy shit, I loved this. I need a full length novel for this idea. It gave clarification to the cover of my favorite edition Signet paperback, as well. Light Duma Key vibes, I believe because of the location.

#5: The Mangler — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved it!!! It’s the perfect example of how in the right hands, anything, person, place or thing, can be made terrifying, horrifying and ghastly. 😳😲🙌

#6: The Boogeyman — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Unsettling! Fun ending! Left off with a chill – loved it!

#7: Grey Matter — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ OMG! I loved that! That’s good ole’ fashioned Horror right there!! 😲

#8: Battleground — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a fun one. It’s straight out of a child’s worst imaginings. Bro needs to pick better weapons though, for real. 😝🤣

#9: Trucks — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ As the daughter of a truck driver, I can recognize how horrifying this story is. Having one of these beasts parked in your driveway, is admittedly a little intimidating if you let your imagination run wild!

#10: Sometimes They Come Back — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was an absolute nightmare of a story. I’d say it’s not over for Jim either, but just the beginning…

#11: Strawberry Spring — ((unrated) Hahaha, fantastic conclusion 👏 wow! Got me in the end!!

#12: The Ledge — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ As someone with a fear of heights, this definitely got my pulse racing!! I can’t even imagine being the protagonist in this story. No way!!

#13: The Lawnmower Man — ((unrated)) The one I have been waiting for… This is the only story I remember from when I read this collection as a kid. Reading it now, I’m not quite sure why it had such an impact? It’s the shortest of the stories so far. Maybe the indecent exposure? LOL

#14: Quitter’s, Inc. — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Ahh, this was so good. I could picture being in this guy’s shoes, how terrifying that would be, to live in fear like that. He def handed over the power in his life to a new entity. And that ending!? That was so fun 😁

#15: I Know What You Need — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 I loved this. It’s so eerie, so creepy and it completely immersed me in Elizabeth’s story. Also, it has a touch of early ‘Good For Her’ Horror, which I love!

#16: Children of the Corn — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This could explain my almost life-long fear of cornfields and men named Malachi.

#17: The Last Rung on the Ladder — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ So that’s what it feels like to have your heartbroken in under 30-pages. 😢

#18: The Man Who Loved Flowers — ((unrated)) There’s no beating around the bush with this story. It strikes quickly, and hard! This one probably petrified me as a kid…

#19: One For the Road – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Unsurprisingly, King made the 19th-story connected. IYKYK. It’s a tale of the Lot, and a helluva good one!

#20: The Woman in the Room — ((unrated)) 😢 This one makes me so sad to think about. I get it, I definitely do, but yeah, sort of sucks the wind of of my sails a bit by how sadly realistic it is.

Overall, this is a STUNNING collection. There is so much fantastic Horror and Speculative content in this. An absolute icon, and so ahead of his time. King was breaking ground. No matter what you may think of King’s work, you have to be able to doff your cap to what he did for the genre.

No doubt about it, I’ll definitely be revisiting this collection someday. I highly recommend this to any Horror Reader who enjoys short stories.

What King was able to accomplish with these tales is truly incredible. Proving, fewer pages doesn’t necessarily equate to lesser impact.

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Review: Pam Kowolski is a Monster! by Sarah Langan

~ megs14malloy

Sarah Langan. What a talent.

💙♥️💛💙♥️💛💙♥️💛💙♥️💛💙

I’m sort of at a loss for what to say about Pam Kowolski Is a Monster! This Horror Novella is a unique glimpse into one woman’s life as she works through her complicated feelings in regards to her high school nemesis, Pam Kowolski.

Our MC is Janet, who at one point felt she was going places. Unfortunately, life hasn’t panned out the way Janet expected.

Her journalism career is in the toilet, she has nobody to come home to at night, she’s a lone wolf. How did her life turn out this way?

While she’s not exactly sure, she can’t help but feel like darn Pam Kowloski had something to do with it. That girl. Grrrrrrrrrr, even thinking of her gets Janet’s hackles up.

Surfing mindless media one day, Janet comes across a super popular psychic predicting the end of the world. Sure, this could be a disturbing predication, but the predication itself isn’t what has Janet’s jaw on the floor.

This incredibly popular psychic is none other than Pam Kowolski!

Janet sees right through her. This predication is not even close to true, and Pam Kowolski is an absolute fraud. Janet will not rest until she can bring her down off her perfect pedestal.

But in order to reveal Pam as the con artist she is, Janet will have to dig deep into their past, uncovering things she may have conveniently forgotten.

This was an odd little story, but it was super compelling. I read this in a day, because I couldn’t put it down. There was no way really to predict where it was going.

I’ve read two novels from Langan before, and really enjoyed both of them. Her writing is wild and wicked, but also quite subtle. It’s not throwing a lot of body horror, or things of that nature in your face.

I feel like Langan is very smart with her choices of how she builds out characters, and naturally reveals what’s going on in their minds; their intentions and neuroses.

The vibes of this are unsettling, but it’s really difficult to explain why. I think maybe they came most from the uncomfortable position of being in Janet’s mind. I loved how the truth was revealed.

There were moments that gave me chills, just from learning new insights and seeing how the puzzle fit together. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a bit of Weird Fiction, that you walk away from a little unsure how to classify it.

It’s surprising to me how much Langan was able to do in this with so few pages. Sometimes with a novella, I feel slightly unsatisfied, like I want more, but I didn’t feel that way here. I thought this was the length it needed to be in order to be effective.

Thank you to the publisher, Raw Dog Screaming Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Sarah Langan was already an auto-read author for me, and this only solidifies status more.

Review: The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig

~ megs14malloy

The Staircase in the WoodsThe Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Normally, I would try to write a bit of a punchy synopsis of this book in order to entice other Readers to pick it up, but I’m at a loss here. I’ve literally got nothing.

While so many of my friends are loving this one, I’m finding myself yet again on Outlier Island, but not in a fun way.

I suppose it’s at this point where I should add in the obligatory, this is purely my personal opinion, statement. If you enjoyed this book, I am really, really happy that you did.

I’m not casting aspersions on this author, or their work. This story just absolutely, in no way, worked for me. There wasn’t one single, solitary moment, where I was enjoying my time reading this.

I struggled the whole way through. I didn’t like the writing, the characters, the action; none of it.

I pushed through because so many others were enjoying it, and I thought, it will turn around, it could get better. Sadly, for me, it never did.

I walk away, happy that it’s over and that I can move on with the rest of my life. Honestly, I have nothing further to say. Let’s all just forget this ever happened.

Thank you, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m sorry this is the shortest, most blunt review I’ve ever written.

Perhaps, I should have taken a min before writing it…

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Review: The Long Walk by Stephen King, (pseudonym) Richard Bachman

~ megs14malloy

The Long WalkThe Long Walk by Richard Bachman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Long Walk is a Dystopian novel by Stephen King, originally published in December of 1978, under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman.

Eventually, it was included in the bind-up of The Bachman Books, along with Rage, Roadwork and The Running Man.

I read this book as a Tween, but have not visited it since. Recently, I have begun reading King’s works from the beginning, in the order they were originally published according to his website.

This project will mostly be rereads for me, but I NEVER get tired of revisiting King’s stories. I feel like each time I read them, depending on where I am in my life, it becomes a whole new experience. Also, the more versed you are in the Kingverse, the more connections you begin to see.

In this story we are following 16-year old, Maine native, Ray Garraty, who has been chosen to participate in the annual Long Walk, along with 99-other teen boys.

The boys start the Walk in Northern Maine, and must maintain a steady pace of 4-mph, or risk being eliminated, not just from the Walk, but from life. They are walking straight through, no rest stops, no pee breaks, no sleep, until only one remains; the winner.

The winner is awarded the big prize, said to be anything he wants for the rest of his life. In this dystopian world, that’s a hell of a good offer, one these boys are willing to risk their lives to attain.

This quick little story sure manages to pack a punch. The commentary and character work are a masterclass in how to pull your audience in and make them feel invested. Even though it was only Garraty’s perspective that we were given, I felt such empathy for so many of these characters.

The Long Walk feels like a precursor to more recent stories, such as The Hunger Games, inspiring many other works of fiction. I actually discovered after I started my reread there’s going to be an adaptation released later this year.

I’m very excited, though nervous, to check that out.

I loved how this slowly developed and the psychological depths it went into. These waters run dark and deep. I was eating it up. I’m so glad I finally reread this one.

I would recommend this to anyone who hasn’t read it yet, or to anyone who enjoys a Dystopian story. This is gripping and powerful; a timeless tale of human endurance.

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Review: Horror for Weenies: Everything You Need to Know About the Movies You’re Too Scared to Watch by Emily C. Hughes

~ megs14malloy

Horror for Weenies: Everything You Need to Know about the Films You're Too Scared to WatchHorror for Weenies: Everything You Need to Know about the Films You’re Too Scared to Watch by Emily C. Hughes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a ton of fun. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the Horror genre. Whether you’re a long-time fan, or someone just dipping your toes into the Horror pool, there’s so much to learn and enjoy here.

It does spoil every movie it discusses by telling you exactly what happens, but that’s the point. The premise behind the book is that it’s written for people who are too scared to watch Horror movies, but don’t want to miss out on all the great cultural significance happening in those works.

I had watched all the movies discussed, so it wasn’t an issue for me, but I felt it was worth mentioning. Also, I feel like it’s formatted in such a way that if it gets to a movie you don’t want spoiled for you, you can easily skip that chapter and return to it after you’ve watched.

Horror is my favorite genre and I do enjoy checking out nonfiction on the topic of its creation, history and nuances. I appreciated the humor the author had with this. It made it so engaging and quick to get through.

I also loved how each chapter covered an influential movie, and at the end of that chapter, the author would give a few book recs for people who either enjoyed the movie, or enjoy the types of themes and tropes explored within the movie.

Overall, this is a great reference guide and resource for people who want to know more about the complex and oft misunderstood genre of Horror.

Thank you to the publisher, Tantor Audio, for providing me a copy to read and review. The audio narration was fantastic and made me feel like I was sitting with narrator having a chat. A fun way to pass the weekend for Horror junkies!

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Review: Nestlings by Nat Cassidy

~ megs14malloy

NestlingsNestlings by Nat Cassidy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Recently, life hasn’t been easy on Ana and Reid. A complicated birth with their first child, a daughter, Charlie, left Ana paralyzed, bitter and struggling to adjust.

When their number gets pulled in a housing lottery, and they have the opportunity to move into the Deptford, a prestigious, historic NYC-apartment building, they can hardly believe their luck. This could be their fresh start.

A chance to start anew, and with a fabulous address to boot.

Despite some reservations, they decide to accept the apartment and put their best efforts into their new beginning. Soon after they move in though, we all know where this is going, strange things start happening.

They notice peculiar behavior with some residents and staff, as well as some mysterious little bite marks on Charlie. Well, I say they, but it truth, it’s mostly Ana picking up on all the oddities. She’s housebound after all, while Reid still gets to go to work and leave the building regularly.

Ana’s unease grows as the days go by, and the tension in their marriage increases. Is Ana just being paranoid, or is something really go on there?

Reid has his own relationship with the building and its residents, and he’s not sure he’s buying what Ana is selling. Will the building be the downfall of their relationship? And who is paying attention to Charlie?

Though I didn’t connect with this one quite in the same way that I did When the Wolf Comes Home, I was still invested and curious to see how far Cassidy was going to take the unsettling apartment building trope.

Spoiler Alert: All the way!

I loved that part of the story. The creepy atmosphere was on point. I also like the claustrophobic feel of being in Ana’s perspective, though that was the only thing I enjoyed about her perspective. Sorry.

Personally, for almost the entire story, I wished we were just getting Reid’s perspective, along with the various Interludes, because I found Ana to be so incredibly grating. Every time I was in her perspective, I just wanted to be out of it.

With this being said, in the Author’s Note at the end, Cassidy did provide an explanation for the purpose behind some personality choices. I’m glad he covered that, and I respect his decision to write it that way, though not gonna lie, it did sort of deplete my enjoyment level a bit.

Overall, small nit-picks aside, this is another GREAT story from Cassidy. The Publisher’s comp to Rosemary’s Baby meets Salem’s Lot is apt, though the Rosemary’s Baby inspiration felt the heavier of the two for me. Highly recommend for fans of that story, or stories like that.

Also, I definitely recommend the audiobook, which was fabulously narrated and succeeded in pulling me in and engaging me with the story from the start.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

Even though it’s taken me years to get to it, it was worth the wait. I’m excited to continue reading Cassidy’s work. He’s incredibly-talented, never failing to create well-developed characters, unsettling atmosphere and a compelling, fast-moving plot.

This novel is a great example of all of those things!

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