literary horror

Teddy Bears Never Die by Cho Yeeun

~ megs14malloy ~ Leave a comment

Teddy Bears Never DieTeddy Bears Never Die by Yeeun Cho
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Teddy Bears Never Die is a translated Horror novel that follows a girl set on revenge, who pairs up with a possessed teddy bear in order to get it. Sound intriguing? I agree.

Hwayoung is the young woman in question, and the revenge she seeks is in regards to her mother’s death.

There was a mass-poisoning attack at the Seaview Parc, a luxury high-rise apartment residence, and her mother was reportedly one of the victims.

The poison was said to have been transmitted via tainted rice cakes, but Hwayoung knows that her mother hated rice cakes. Like really, truly hated them. There’s no way she would have eaten rice cakes willingly.

Hwayoung is determined to find out the truth of what happened to her mother, and bring those responsible to justice. This type of thing takes money though. Something she doesn’t really have, but she’s been hustling hard, saving her pennies, and her determination is unwavering.

As for the teddy bear, you’ll need to read it to figure that out.

I enjoyed this. The concept is great and I feel like Cho Yeeun explored some very heavy topics with grace and care, however that’s where I sort of lost interest, for lack of a better way to describe it.

It’s hard to explain. I appreciate the topics explored, however for me, when I was picking this up, I thought it was going to be light, fast-paced, fun and gruesome.

Even though I’ve been told my whole life, never judge a book by its cover, clearly I do. Because of this, I had a sort of expectations versus reality face slap with this one.

Nevertheless, a 3.5-star rating is a good rating. It’s a great book, just my personal experience with it wasn’t as high as I expected. Now that I have a better understanding of the author’s style though, I think future works that I pick up from her will be a better experience for me.

I would recommend this. As mentioned the concept is great and the hard-hitting topics, if expected, I think could make this a memorable reading experience. I think this would be an excellent fit for Readers who enjoy more Literary Horror.

Thank you to the publisher, Run For It, for providing me a copy to read and review. I’m happy to have been introduced to Yeeun’s work. I’m looking forward to more.

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Review: House of Margins by Tlotlo Tsamaase

~ megs14malloy

House of MarginsHouse of Margins by Tlotlo Tsamaase
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

House of Margins is a story of multiple parts. We follow Ranewa, whose sister, Anaya, went missing whilst participating in a very exclusive writer’s residency program in Cape Town, South Africa. Anaya was a rising star in the literary world, and went missing just prior to the announcement of the Günter Prize.

We also get excerpts from a True Crime podcast, created and hosted by another writer who had been in the writer’s program with Anaya, as she tells the story of the events leading up to Anaya’s disappearance. It’s sensationalized, hugely popular, and ends up attracting Ranewa’s attention.

We also get Anaya’s perspective, relaying her time in the residency program and the relationships formed there. It’s mysterious, serious and tackles some heavy topics. I respect that Tsamaase didn’t shy away from the difficult things, and the way the story evolves is compelling.

I loved the incorporation of the writing residency program and the feel of Günter Huis, the colonial mansion where the writer’s stay during their residency. It had such a eerie feel and did become an entity unto itself.

Admittedly, there were aspects I found difficult to track, and I’m sure I missed some details because of that.

I feel like the audiobook could have been better served with more variation amongst the audio narrators. There were three narrators involved in this production, which was well done, but honestly, their tone was all very similar.

I’m sure that’s me, but it did make it challenging to differentiate between the podcast, Anaya’s portions and Ranewa’s portions. The podcast was the easiest to differentiate out of the three, because it did incorporate normal podcast elements, like outros and intros, likes, comments, etc.

Regardless of anything I may have missed, the author’s intent and the topics explored still make this a memorable and fascinating read. I liked the more surreal elements as well, and the way the house became involved in what was happening to Anaya.

I would recommend this. It’s a tough one to explain as far as genres. It could really be categorized as so many different things. I would say Literary Horror could be a strong fit, so if that’s the kind of thing you’re into, you should absolutely give this one a go.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Erewhon Books and RB Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. Tsamaase put a lot of heart and passion into this story and it shows. I would love to read more from her in the future!

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Review: The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts by Kim Fu

~ megs14malloy

The Valley of Vengeful GhostsThe Valley of Vengeful Ghosts by Kim Fu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts is a Contemporary Literary Fiction novel with light Grief Horror elements. We’re following Eleanor, who is feeling lost and unmoored after the death of her mother.

For years, her Mom assisted her with every aspect of her adult life. Tasks like laundry, meals and finances, were much easier to manage with her mother’s constant oversight.

Now left to survive on her own for the first time, Eleanor is struggling. She’s barely holding onto her job as an online therapist and has no real friends, or support system. In spite of that though, she’s determined to buy her own home.

It was her mom’s last directive to her, and she does have a small inheritance with which to make a down payment. The housing market is tough though, and Eleanor has no experience or knowledge in that area.

She ends up impulsively buying a model home in a valley, where the development was never completed, yet the Realtor assures her more homes, and thus people, will come. For now, Eleanor seems okay with the solitude. She’s just happy to have a place of her own.

Then the rains begin. The weather, matching her mood, is a prominent figure in this story. It exposes the issues with Eleanor’s new home, and opens up a whole range of new problems for her to try to navigate on her own.

She also learns of the shadowy history of the developer, and that knowledge is never far from her mind. As Eleanor succumbs deeper to that which haunts her, the line between what’s real and what’s not begins to blur.

Out of money and options, Eleanor needs to get hold of her emotions, and push herself through the grief process, or risk losing herself to her ghosts forever.

Saying I enjoyed this feels strange, because for me, there’s nothing particularly uplifting or enjoyable about Eleanor’s story. It gets bleak, y’all. I can’t lie about that.

However, as a Literary Fiction examination of grief, I feel like this beautifully captured the experience of a person trapped in that grief cycle, and unable to free themselves from it. Eleanor, though not overly likable, is extremely relatable I feel, in a lot of ways.

I liked her narrative voice and felt like it fit really well with the overall message Fu was trying to get across. I also felt like the audiobook narration of Eunice Wong was the perfect voice for Eleanor.

Additionally, I did like how the things haunting Eleanor were presented, and the use of the weather to set the tone of the story. I could picture it all perfectly and I did begin to really feel for Eleanor and her predicament.

The ending as well, I felt was well-constructed by Fu. You aren’t necessarily going to get a happily ever after with this kind of story, are you? That wouldn’t make sense. Life doesn’t always tie issues up with a pretty ribbon, but what you do get here I think is perhaps a little hope.

This novel is not going to be for everyone, and I get that. I do. I think if you’re the kind of Reader though, who doesn’t mind going somewhere dark emotionally and poking around in there, this could work for you.

Thank you to the publisher, Tin House, for providing me a copy to read and review. While this didn’t lift my spirits, it did capture my attention and held it. That’s quite a feat these days.

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Review: The Summer Fun Massacre by Craig DiLouie

~ megs14malloy

The Summer Fun MassacreThe Summer Fun Massacre by Craig DiLouie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars rounded up**

The Summer Fun Massacre features a unique take on the Tradition Slasher. In this book, we follow the police officer who arrives on the scene too late to prevent a tragedy.

For Tom, our MC, this kind of tragedy has struck twice in his life. Once in 1983, when the girl he was dating, Mary, ended up the final girl in a brutal Summer Camp slaying, and again in 1992, when another massacre occurs after the camp reopens. Tom is the 1st-officer responding to the scene.

That’s pretty much all the massacre you’re gonna get, the aftermath. We follow Tom in the days following as he deals with his complex emotions on both crimes and tries to solve them before they happen again.

I don’t know, y’all. I had high hopes for this one, but unfortunately, I feel like I am generously rounding up. I found it slow and boring; not a good match for my tastes, especially considering what I was expecting.

I wanted Summer Camp vibes and the massacre to be on page. Not a Summer Camp, named Summer Fun, that plays only a peripheral role in the story. I received zero ‘camp’ from this, and I’m salty about it.

I’m rounding up to 3-stars, not because I enjoyed the book, but because I believe others could. The writing is fluid, and Tom is well-developed as a character.

Even though I’m disappointed by the trajectory of the narrative overall, I do appreciate what DiLouie was doing here, switching up the perspective of a Traditional Slasher. I think that was a risk, and if he was comfortable going for it, I’m gonna support that.

I think that idea, to explore a different angle, and bring something new to the subgenre is a great idea, just for me, the content was dull as dirt.

At the end of the day, it lacked the fun and excitement I was looking for, and I feel like the title, though in a way, what the book is about, is sort of misleading. Fun was not had in my experience, and I needed more massacre as well.

With all this being said, just because this wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. I can be a picky-B, so take what I say with a grain of salt. If this sounds interesting to you, give it go. You could be finding a new favorite.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Run For It, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Even though this wasn’t a win for me, could I be convinced to read the sequel? Yeah, most likely. Yes.

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Review: Make Me Better by Sarah Gailey

~ megs14malloy

Make Me BetterMake Me Better by Sarah Gailey
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars**

Make Me Better mainly follows a woman named Celia. She’s struggling in her life. All she wants is a family, and no matter what she does, it’s not happening for her.

Seeking a way to make things better, Celia signs up for something called the Salt Festival, set on an island within the remote community of Kindred Cove. She buys their promise that healing is possible, even for her.

We follow Celia as she arrives at the island and starts to learn what the Salt Festival is all about. The individuals involved in the Festival are all provided lodgings and daily activities to help them to grow and heal.

In addition to Celia in the present timeline, we also get various other perspectives at numerous other periods in time, from months ago, to years ago, of people living at Kindred Cove. It’s a lot to wrap your head around.

At the start of the novel, I was very intrigued by the mysterious tone. I always find Gailey’s writing easy to get into and this was no exception. Unfortunately, the further I got into it, the more it lost my interest and attention.

The story has an interesting premise; Celia, traveling to an island to participate in the Salt Festival that she believes will heal all her woes. I could get behind that. I was ready to find out what her journey was going to be there.

The direction of the story does get pretty f*ed up, NGL, but not in a gruesome, or gory way, just in the truth of what it’s all about. Celia loses herself so deeply, IMO, in such a short amount of time, which honestly makes me sad. I know it’s possible, but still it’s sad to think about. This type of thing probably happens more than we’d like to imagine.

The construction of the story is what I struggled with the most. The time jumps, how random they felt, it made it hard to connect with the story.

I constantly felt like I was getting pushed out of it, and had to actively work to recenter myself in the narrative. It just wasn’t an enjoyable experience. I read for escape and relaxation, and for me, this was not relaxing.

I listened to the audiobook, which has the fabulous Xe Sands as narrator. I love their narration. They’ve done quite a few of Gailey’s novels, so that felt right. While the narration was well done, I feel like the story may have been better served had there been multiple narrators to help make the time periods and perspectives more distinct.

It was really difficult via audio to keep track of where you were in time and who you were following due to the single-person narration, IMO.

However, with all of this being said, just because it didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. I’m positive there are Readers out there who are going to be able to relate to Celia’s story, and better track the rest of what is going on, than I could.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I always look forward to Gailey’s new releases. Their creativity and confidence to take risks are things I admire.

While this one wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, I’m still glad I gave it shot. You don’t know until you try!

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Review: The Library After Dark by Ande Pliego

~ megs14malloy

The Library After DarkThe Library After Dark by Ande Pliego
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The Library After Dark starts with Aria, a bookseller, and Jasper, one of her bookstore regulars, going on a Valentine’s Day date. It seems they’re new in their relationship, but if the date that Jasper has planned is any indication, he knows Aria quite well already.

He’s gotten them tickets to an exclusive, after-dark tour of the Daedalus Library. For a Book Lover, a dream date!

The Daedalus is an imposing establishment known for more than its book collection. It’s also filled with immersive genre-based reading rooms and rumored hauntings.

Even though Jasper believed it was going to be a private tour, it’s not long before other guests end up arriving and they’ve all got tickets for the tour as well. Though initially disgruntled, apparently he needs privacy to be romantic, there’s not much to be done about it.

Meanwhile, we learn from Aria’s perspective, that she has a personal connection to the Daedalus that she’d rather keep secret from Jasper and everyone else.

This was the section of the book that stuck with me the most. The other group members were Wes, Piper, Michelle, Callum, Ruth and Saskia, but Saskia worked at the Daedalus and was their tour guide.

Not long into the tour, the automatic doors seemingly malfunction, trapping the group inside the library. From there, it’s a fight to find a way out, but when bodies start dropping, it turns into a fight to survive the night.

I was pretty invested in this at the start. Meeting Aria and Jasper, as well as learning about the Daedalus was fun and engaging. Then all the other characters start rolling in, and we’re getting ALL of their perspectives.

We’re hopping around amongst them, learning about their connections to the Daedalus and trying to keep track of all the action going on in the library. It quickly became a lot.

Around 60%, my interest was gone entirely. It should’ve kept my attention. Everyone had secrets and their own motivations for being there, but the way it was tossed together, it made it unpleasant to try to track.

After that point, it was as unenjoyable for me as the author’s first book, You Are Fatally Invited. So, unfortunately, even though it did initially have a lot of promise, I was entirely let down by the second half.

It was sooooo convoluted by the end. I think this is my last go with this author. I gave their first book 1.5-stars and this is getting a 2. I just don’t think they’re for me. Good concepts, poor execution.

Thank you to the publisher, Bantam, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m sure I’ll be in the minority opinion on this one, but I’m always honest about my experience with the books I read.

Sadly, this author isn’t for me.

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Review: What Hunger by Catherine Dang

~ megs14malloy

What HungerWhat Hunger by Catherine Dang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Impeccable. The topics explored, the characters and writing were all exceptional. This took me by surprise how connected I was to Ronny and her life.

This never felt like I was reading a book. I was completely immersed and pulled into Ronny’s thoughts and experiences. She was such an empathetic character, and as an older person, reading the perspective of this young girl, I just wanted to protect her.

She went on such a journey over the course of this story, and was so strong in the face of it all, even though at times it was confusing and maddening to her. I loved that even though the story contained truly horrific elements, Dang was still able to infuse it with such love and hope.

This story follows a teenage girl, Ronny Nyugen, the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants. She’s really close with her brother, Tommy, who is the golden child that Ronny never feels like she’s measuring up to.

There is some clashes between the parents and the kids, as their two worlds grapple. The parents are more old-school and traditional, whereas the kids don’t want to stand apart from their peers culturally. They’d rather fit in and do things a bit differently than their parents.

When tragedy unexpectedly rocks the family, Ronny’s world is turned upside down with nowhere to turn. In the midst of all of this, Ronny decides to attend her first high school party, where a boy she knows crosses the line with her, throwing her world even more into chaos.

We follow Ronny as she starts to spiral. As she tries to navigate some true daunting things without feeling like she has anyone to turn to for help.

Soon she begins to have an insatiable hunger for raw meat. This new craving could turn out to be a saving grace for Ronny, or her potential destroyer.

As mentioned above, this book is so well done. Beautifully-written, it pulls the Reader in with it’s raw emotion of this family’s life. I think Catherine Dang has a tremendous talent for channeling life into her characters. Ronny felt so real to me. Everything she was going through, and the complexity of her family, it was exceptional.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who read and enjoyed The Eyes Are the Best Part. It tackles some similar subject matter, and the examination of culture and identity is just as vividly portrayed.

I loved how frank the narrative style was for Ronny. Her thoughts are what I would imagine a teenage girl’s thoughts to be under these circumstances.

I also really appreciated the examination of the more subtle battles, or tensions, between 1st-generation and 2nd-generation immigrant peoples within the same family. For example, Ronny talking about her and Tommy’s tastes in food and how her parents would make them feel bad about the things they enjoyed.

I think Dang is just so talented, how she wove so many different topics and themes into this one incredible and gripping story, yet still made it feel so cohesive and natural.

As you can tell, I loved this a lot. I was happy to see it at least made the nominees for the Horror Category in the Goodreads Choice Awards. Though it would have been close to impossible for this to get the recognition it deserves going up against some of the juggernauts that were in the Horror category, perhaps its appearance on that list will at least bring some new attention to this book.

Dang deserves all the flowers for this one!

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