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Review: Turn Off the Light at Jacquie Walters

~ megs14malloy

Turn Off the Light: A NovelTurn Off the Light: A Novel by Jacquie Walters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Turn Off the Light is a Horror novel from Jacquie Walters that blends many different subgenres. It’s part Domestic, part Paranomal Mystery, part Historical, part Thiller and part Haunted House. That sounds like a lot, but I felt like Walters effortlessly put it all together.

This engrossing story is set on the Coast of Virginia, and features both a past and present perspective. I didn’t know what to expect going in, I’m not even sure I read the synopsis, but I ended up really, really enjoying it.

At the heart of the story is one of my favorite tropes, a character returning to their hometown after a long period away, and ending up embroiled in some sort of mystery.

We follow Claire, who is returning to her childhood home to assist her sister and bro-in-law with the care of their ailing father. The house itself has a lot of history, and something about it has Claire unsettled. She’s not sleeping well, hearing things and sensing things that may, or may not, be there.

Walters also brings us a past perspective, Edith, a healer with knowledge that isn’t necessarily encouraged, or appreciated, by her tight-knit, religious community.

Edith’s perspective, as a woman working with natural healing in the past, goes about as well as you would expect. She faces many discriminations against her, but she’s still driven to help all she can with her unique skills.

As a Reader, it’s clear that these two women, they’re going to be connected, but how is it even possible?

Walters succeeded in pulling me along, into both Claire and Edith’s lives, as we barrelled towards the answers held within the conclusion.

Walters did a great job of presenting both the current perspective and the historical perspective, and ultimately connecting them. I enjoyed Dearest, it was fine, but this one was definitely more to my taste as far as content.

I did feel a bit more intrigued by Claire’s perspective, but Edith’s was necessary in order to make the story work. This was reminiscent to me of things I have enjoyed from Jennifer McMahon and Simon St. James, so if you’re a fan of those authors, I would recommend checking this out.

There was quite a bit of mystery as well, and Walters did a great job at pacing the reveals. At no point did I feel like I knew all of the answers. I didn’t know what was happening until Walters was ready to show me, which was nice.

Thank you to the publisher, Little, Brown and Company, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m jazzed about my experience with this one.

I’m definitely looking forward to picking up more from Jacquie Walters. I’d love to see more from her in this lane.

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Review: Nightmare on Nightmare Street by R.L. Stine

~ megs14malloy

Nightmare on Nightmare StreetNightmare on Nightmare Street by R.L. Stine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

I found Nightmare on Nightmare Street to be such a joy to read. It’s like Stine took all of his favorite tropes from the Goosebumps series and mixed them all together into one Spooky story that’s perfect for a young audience.

Stine pulled every weapon out of his bag of tricks for this one, but instead of feeling like a big ole’ mess, it actually felt well-constructed, engaging and like a true nightmare come to life for these kid characters.

The audiobook had fabulous narration. It made the story extra engaging. Great work by Dan Bittner, and I enjoyed the Foreward by James Murray as well.

In the story, we follow two separate sibling duos, Joe and Sadie, and Sean and Addie. I had the most fun with Sean’s perspective. Some of the things he experienced, I could see how that would super freak you out as a kid.

Actually, even thinking about some of it as an Adult freaked me out a little bit, NGL.

There’s one school day in particular, that Sean had, each new event got more startling and honestly, by the time he reached home at the end of the day, I did actually have goosebumps. That was a super fun section.

Overall, this is a strong showing for Stine, IMO. It’s perfect for kids who love a bit of spookiness in their lives. I’d highly recommend this for the young readers in your life, or for yourself, if you’re like me and love staying young at heart through spooky-ooky reads!

Thank you to the publisher, Blackstone Publishing, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was cute and fun. I’m glad I picked it up!

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Review: I Am the Monster Under the Bed by Emily Zinnikas

~ megs14malloy

I Am the Monster Under the BedI Am the Monster Under the Bed by Emily Zinnikas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

I Am the Monster Under the Bed is an Adult Horror novel following an MC named Willa. When she was a child, she had an invisible entity living under her bed. She would talked to it and about it, saying a lot of creepy things that had her parents frazzled.

Through past perspective chapters, the Reader learns a bit about that time in Willa’s life, and how those experiences shaped the adult she would become.

Another formative experience for Willa occurred when she was a Senior in high school. She went into the woods with six other teens and was the only one to walk out. That’s right, the other six died in the woods that night.

This incident devastated their small town of Rapture, Maine, and Willa took the brunt of the blame, becoming a social pariah in an instant. She was always considered strange, but that night catapulted her to a new level of infamy.

The case went unsolved, with most locals thinking Willa was responsible for the deaths. They considered her a killer. Willa left town and started a career as an artist under a different name. She’s tried hard not to look back.

In the present perspective, Willa is now 32-years old. She’s been successful in her pursuits as an artist, though she lives a reclusive life. After an expose exposes her as the sole survivor of the Rapture Mystery Slayings, it seems Willa’s wall of privacy has been shattered.

In the midst of all this, she receives a call from an old classmate that her beloved art teacher has passed away. This is a woman who changed her life, and Willa feels compelled to return to Rapture to pay her respects.

With a great amount of trepidation, Willa returns to the small town she thought she’d never see again. The reception is mediocre, at best, and hostile at worst.

The narrative shifts back and forth between past and present, filling out the whole picture of Willa’s life and the truth of the goings on in Rapture. I did like this. It’s a good story, but I’ve been torn on how to rate it.

My experience with the novel could best be described as unbalanced. There were moments Zinnikas had me completely dialed in and then others when I was slightly rolling my eyes. I was also confused at times, which I attribute more to the way the story was put together than to the actual plot, or characters.

I feel the audiobook production could have done more to make the past/present perspectives more distinctive from each other. It was tough in the audio to really feel grounded within the story, but yeah, it was still good.

I’m so torn. My heart says round up to 4-stars, but my head is saying 3.5-stars is a more realistic rating based on my experience. The concluding bits also dipped a wee bit into eye-roll territory, which is never a good thing.

Overall, I did love the concept of this story, as well as the building of tension. I also really enjoyed Willa as a main character and thought that she had a compelling backstory.

What let me down was the execution of the past/present perspectives as a whole, and the concluding action scenes. I am pleased with the experience for the most part though, and will pick up any future works by Zinnikas.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. This is a great read for the Spooky Season!

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Review: A Perfect Mother by Miranda Smith

~ megs14malloy

A Perfect MotherA Perfect Mother by Miranda Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

A Perfect Mother is a fast-paced Popcorn Thriller following a Momfluencer whose daughter gets kidnapped from a hotel whilst she’s speaking at an event. Her nanny, who was with her daughter at the time, was attacked in the hotel restroom and Stella, her daughter, disappeared from there.

We follow Megan as she desperately aids in the tense and desperate search for her daughter. We also get the kidnappers perspective, and deep dive into Megan’s past.

Even though she’s marketed herself as the perfect mother, it turns out, Megan hasn’t always been so perfect.

Since we get the kidnapper’s perspective as well, it does make it less mysterious, and a bit more like a cat and mouse game between Megan and the perpetrator. I actually enjoyed that. Especially since the two are connected, and the way Smith revealed that connection was intriguing to follow.

Overall, the story is entertaining and I did have fun with the various twists and developments. While it didn’t blow me away, it didn’t do anything wrong either. It’s just a good, solid read for anyone who needs something light and quick. It’s not super memorable, but I didn’t need it to be.

Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture, for providing me with a copy to read and review!

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Review: Traps and Specters: Stories by Philip Fracassi

~ megs14malloy

Traps and Specters: StoriesTraps and Specters: Stories by Philip Fracassi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Traps and Specters: Stories is a short story collection from the brilliant mind of Philip Fracassi. I don’t have much to say on this besides the fact that it’s great. The tales are varied and I feel like there’s something within for everyone.

Even though not every story blew me away, they all felt very Fracassi. By that I mean, they were all creative, well-written and with an overriding sense of dread threaded throughout. My favorite was The Haunted Treehouse. That was so fun. It just felt like a Classic Horror story.

I highly recommend the audiobook if you’re going to pick this up and have it available to you. There are two separate narrators, Sean Patrick Hopkins and Patricia Santomasso, each getting their turn to read separate stories.

I really enjoyed how it was done that way. It helped each story to feel distinct from the ones before or after. I also felt like the quality of the narration had a very classic Horror feel to it. They felt like true storytellers, bringing Fracassi’s ideas to life. Where’s the campfire?

For me, this collection was an absolute win. I love Fracassi’s writing. He has texture and strong atmosphere. Boys in the Valley is one of my favorite Horror novels of all time, and instantly assured my position as a big ole’ Fracassi stan.

Thank you to the publisher, Tantor Media and Shortwave, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I would recommend this collection to any Horror Reader who enjoys short stories. This is a fun one!

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Review: We Are for the Dark by Gretchen McNeil

~ megs14malloy

We Are for the DarkWe Are for the Dark by Gretchen McNeil
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

We Are for the Dark is an Adult Religious Horror novel from Gretchen McNeil. I’ve never read and Adult novel from McNeil, and actually mistakenly went into this believing it was YA. You might ask, didn’t you read the synopsis?

And my answer to that would be, no, I did not. I’ve had enough success with McNeil in the past to jump on anything new she has releasing.

That assumption was quickly corrected based on the content and perspectives given at the start of the story, and I was excited to see how McNeil would deliver in this age group.

The story is set on a remote Newfoundland island and I was instantly drawn into that setting. I live on an island and love island set stories in general.

We follow two characters, Miriam Rideout, a Junior Constable from the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, and Father Shane Ryan, a FBI Agent turned Catholic Priest.

Father Ryan gets summoned to the island by His Eminence Cardinal Jacobs. Father Ryan is newly-ordained and he has no idea why this man of prominence would want to meet with him. It becomes clear that His Eminence is aware of Ryan’s past in the FBI, and he needs his help investigating the mysterious disappearance of a local priest.

Weeks prior, Constable Miriam Rideout fielded a call from the island, a frantic priest begging for help. During the call the line went dead, leaving Rideout very unsettled. No further reports or calls came in from the island and Rideout was left scratching her head.

She appeals to her higher-ups for permission to travel to the island and do a wellness check on the caller, but her appeal is denied. After which, Rideout decides to take some vacation time and books her travel to the island. She feels like something is wrong, and she’s not going let her boss deter her from helping someone in need.

Rideout and Ryan’s paths end up crossing once they’re on the island. The outsiders amongst a sea of locals. It’s clear to both that something is very off with the island, but what? And are Rideout and Ryan now in danger too?

Though they don’t trust each other at first, neither one of them is a dummy and they know their alliance is necessary. Something ancient lurks on this island, an entity to which the locals may be in service, and they have no intention of letting these newcomers leave.

This was good. I really enjoyed the setting and the atmosphere was great, but there were also aspects that I wasn’t as crazy about. Some of the action towards the end became a little muddled as the paced increased, but overall it’s a solid story.

I liked the working relationship between Rideout and Ryan, but even that went too far after a certain point. To me, it didn’t make sense, especially considering the circumstances they were facing, but what do I know. I’ve never been trapped on an island by crazy islanders before. I am in the crazy islander. ((kidding, kidding))

I would recommend this for Readers who enjoy Religious Horror, or Horror Thrillers in general. Particularly if you’ve enjoyed things like Harrow Lake and The Wicker Man. The atmosphere is where it’s at with this one, so Atmosphere Girlies, like myself, so definitely check it out.

Thank you to the publisher, Recorded Books and DAW, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m happy to see McNeil in the Adult space and am looking forward to further releases in this lane.

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Review: Pictures of You by Josh Malerman

~ megs14malloy

Pictures of YouPictures of You by Josh Malerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Most of the time that I land on Outlier Island it’s because I dislike something most other Readers are enjoying, but in this case it’s the opposite.

Almost everyone I know who has read this, has hated it. It’s with pride I say, I really enjoyed it.

Am I deluding myself thinking I’m right though, and everyone else wrong? Not at all. I understand why people aren’t having a great time with it. Further, reading is subjective. IMO, there’s no right or wrong.

This story follows a couple, Emily and Jack, who are in a fairly new relationship and they’ve taken a weekend trip to a small Michigan town for a little fun and romance. They head out on the town, bar-hopping, having drinks and that’s when their nightmare begins.

The next morning, as Emily wakes up, she finds herself in a strange room with no memory of how she got there. She may be groggy, but it’s pretty clear it’s not their hotel room and Jack is nowhere to be found.

Staring at her through an empty picture frame is a woman who claims she’s an artist, and that Emily is her latest masterpiece. Emily is trapped. For reasons I won’t go into here, she’s unable to free herself, and where is Jack?

As mentioned above, I enjoyed my time with this. I felt it was unique, and yes, macabre, a goal of the artist in the story. I was fully committed to this story once I started and man, did it make me think.

By this I mean, I was putting myself in the shoes of these characters. What would I do if I was Emily? It’s something you could actually picture ((no pun intended)) happening. The world is strange, with a lot of strange people in it and you just never know, do you?

As a Horror novel exploring a nightmare scenario, I feel like Malerman did a great job bringing this to life. Sure, there’s a lot of artsy talk in it, but I do tend to enjoy narratives following artists, so that wasn’t really a bad thing for my tastes. Even though I’m by no means an artist, the process and psychology behind art and artists does fascinate me.

I read the majority of this in a day. It’s the type of weird I enjoy, and explored topics I enjoy. I also liked Emily and Jake’s relationship. It brought me back to the early years in my own relationship, when the world was our oyster.

Overall, not everything Malerman writes may be for me, but in this case, I consider this a win; a work of art.

Thank you to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Malerman certainly took a risk with this one, and I appreciate the efforts.

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Review: Black Point by Jacqueline West

~ megs14malloy

Black PointBlack Point by Jacqueline West
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Black Point follows Lucia Sorenson, a teen living in a small Wisconsin town set on the banks of the Mississippi River. Lucia’s Mom has been pushing her hard to apply to colleges for next year and to get out of town as soon as she can, but Lucia doesn’t want to leave.

Lucia’s aging Grandfather runs a local Viking Museum that houses a record of the town’s history and Norse traditions. Lucia feels it’s important for her to remain in town and to help keep the Museum running.

There’s no doubt the town is changing, and Lucia wants to do her part to help keep the memory of where they came from alive. One significant change is the fact that the Black Point Hotel, a 150-year old landmark property, that’s been vacant for decades, has recently been purchased by an outsider (boo, hiss) and is being renovated.

Lucia meets the new owner’s teenage nephew, Max, and they have a bit of an instant attraction. As the two grow closer, chatter around town increases about these newcomers. That’s sure to happen in a small town, but Lucia finds getting to know Max a fascinating prospect. Maybe the outside world does have something to offer afterall.

Max ends up discovering some unsettling things within the hotel, but Lucia doesn’t want to believe her beloved town could be harboring sinister secrets. As the river rises though, more secrets are brought to the surface, and it’s clear the town’s dark past can no longer be denied.

Will Lucia ignore the truth, or will she finally be the one to bring it to light? And will her new friend help her, or end up being her biggest liability?

This was good. I found it entertaining and enjoyed the classic creepy town vibes that West delivered. I liked the characters and overall concept, but would have like almost everything to be a bit more well-developed. It felt a bit too surface level, especially in the later half, IMO.

I feel like West could have leaned even more into the development of the mysteries of the town, and actually even more into Lucia and Max’s new friendship. It all went very, very quickly, and then the concluding bits got slightly muddled once the action picked up.

At the end of the day though, it was an entertaining read targeted perfectly for the YA crowd. I think a lot of Young Readers will really enjoy this one, particularly those who already enjoy Horror Fiction.

I do actually think this could translate well to the big screen. I’d definitely watch this movie. I think the atmosphere alone could make a fun flick. Maybe that’ll happen someday. Great concept; not my favorite execution, but a really strong showing, nevertheless.

Thank you to the publisher, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

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Review: Thoughts Be Bloody by Auden Patrick

~ megs14malloy

Thoughts Be BloodyThoughts Be Bloody by Auden Patrick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Thoughts Be Bloody is a Queer Hamlet retelling with a lush Dark Academia atmosphere, full of magic and mischief. While greatly outside of my comfort zone, I’m not a Dark Academia girlie, the concept caught my attention, as did the title and gorgeous cover.

This novel follows Horatio Bithersea, as he navigates school, magic, complicated friendships and identity. We learn the previous year, Horatio walked in on golden boy, Carson Hamlett, cradling the dead body of his father, a professor, in the University library. The death was ruled an accident, but a lot of mystery surrounds the incident still.

When the ghost of Hamlett’s father appears to Horatio, he believes he’s been cursed. Driven to figure out what actually happened to Hamlett’s father, and the reasons for it, Horatio and Hamlett become very close. The two work together to solve the mystery and possibly get revenge for the murder.

I liked this. I really did. I was torn on how to rate it based on my personal experience. My head says it’s a 3, or a 3.5-star, but my heart says to give it less than a 4-star isn’t doing it justice. This is an ambitious novel, and though it had moments that were stronger than others IMO, overall, I do think it’s a great book.

I found the magic very interesting, how there were different types of magic, and Horatio’s was very unique. I also liked the mystery behind what happened to Hamlett’s father, and Horatio’s visions involving his ghost.

I did feel it was ofttimes confusing, however. There’s a lot to do with mind magic, and dreams, and visions, and people being trapped within their own minds, and while I think those are fascinating concepts, they’re really challenging to execute on the page in a concise and clear manner.

Particularly in the later half, as we approach the conclusion and the action picks up, it became difficult to follow. It also, just in general, did take a minute to get used to the rhythm of the narrative. It’s definitely different, but interesting.

The highlights for me were the dynamics among the characters, specifically Horatio, Hamlett and Lia, and the dark academic setting, which I feel Patrick knocked out of the park. There was just a foreboding tone throughout that I found really enjoyable.

Thank you to the publisher, DAW, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Even though this isn’t my typical read, I’m so glad to have picked it up, and to have been introduced to a new author.

I’d definitely read more from Auden Patrick!

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Review: The Hill in the Dark Grove by Liam Higginson

~ megs14malloy

The Hill in the Dark GroveThe Hill in the Dark Grove by Liam Higginson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Hill in the Dark Grove is a debut Folk Horror novel that has stuck with me long after I turned the last page. This story is deep, dark and honestly, sort of devastating.

We follow an older couple, Carwyn and Rhian, who’ve lived a quiet life as sheep farmers in the remote Welsh moutains. The land they live on, and work, is a family legacy, having been in Rhian’s family for generations.

Over the years, Carwyn and Rhian have found their social circle shrinking, as they’ve lost many friends and neighbors to old age and the pull of the city, and greater world. For the most part, they keep to themselves, grumbling about rising prices and the influx of English tourists.

Before you go thinking they’re just old people complaining about a changing world, they’re really not. For them, from their perspective, the changing world is threatening their way of life, and their land that they’ve poured blood, sweat and tears into over the decades.

Their world has become very small, but how long will they be able to maintain even that? And once they can no longer, what will become of them then?

When Carwyn finds a peculiar stone head in a little used corner of the farm, he believes he’s uncovered something remarkable. He soon realizes the artifact is just a small part of something much larger from deep history.

Even though Rhian urges him to leave it be, Carwyn becomes obsessed with uncovering the object, all while his daily farm chores go neglected. When sheep start falling ill, and an accident makes it even more challenging for the couple to survive, Carwyn insists uncovering the object and learning its original purpose could be the key to solving everything.

Something he didn’t consider though, is perhaps it’s buried and stayed that way for a reason. Perhaps the ancestors of the past have intended for it to be so. What’s gonna happen when he actually digs it up? What exactly is he unearthing?

I haven’t stopped thinking about this novel since I finished it a couple of weeks ago. There’s something very The Tommyknockers about it, whilst also being completely its own thing. I really liked it, even though I’m confident I didn’t pick up on everything the author intended.

I’m in awe. It’s not really a complicated story, but there are layers, and there were moments that I was a little unclear on where we were in time, and who exactly I was following.

One thing that never changed though was the pace and rhythm of the story. The writing is lush and beautiful. Higginson is an artist with words and The Hill in the Dark Grove does feel like a work of art.

I loved the unsettling atmosphere of the story. The uncertainty in Carwyn and Rhian’s life channels through the pages directly to the Reader. I felt for them. They were isolated and facing some real daunting challenges, and at such a time in their lives. It was difficult to read at times.

Aging, and what happens to us as we age, the way a person’s world can shrink, these are real world horrors that I think can be scary for a lot of us to think about. Though there was more going on in this story than that, I did appreciate Higginson’s exploration of those topics.

The incorporation of Welsh folklore and the mystery surrounding this object, and it’s pull on Carwyn, were also so compelling. Overall, it’s a great story.

I feel like I need to get a hard copy for my collection, so I can read it again and annotate. I would recommend it for fans of Gothic Fiction, or Folk Horror, but really I feel like it’s a story that could enjoyed by Readers of any genre.

Thank you to the publisher, Hogarth, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to more from Liam Higginson.

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