occult

Review: The Haunting of Moscow House by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore

~ megs14malloy

The Haunting of Moscow HouseThe Haunting of Moscow House by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

The Haunting of Moscow House is set in 1921, after the Bolshevik Revolution. In this novel we follow two sisters, Irina and Lili, whose family home, a once lush mansion in the heart of Moscow, has been taken over by a group of Boleshevik soldiers.

The remaining family members are banished to the attic living space of the home, even though many rooms in the lower levels remain vacant. Crammed in, frequently cold and hungry, it’s a huge transition for this once powerful family.

The sisters understand that the way they used to live is a thing of the past and they must adapt quickly to this new political landscape, or perish trying.

For its part though, this once stately home isn’t as adaptable and it certainly hasn’t forgotten the past.

Anxious to escape the haunted halls, the sisters end up getting jobs working for an American relief agency. This provides good pay, food, a place to escape during the day, as well as some potential love interests.

At night though, the house seems to be becoming increasingly unsettled. Unexplained things are happening, noises and apparitions. People are getting hurt.

Is the explanation supernatural, like ancestral spirits wrecking havoc, or is someone more corporeal to blame?

While this wasn’t necessarily to my tastes, I think for Historical Fiction fans who enjoy a potential Supernatural twist, this could work really, really well.

Nevertheless, I appreciated the direction the author took with this story and I’m glad I took the time to read it. I do have a lot of interest in this time period of Russian history, so having it focused around that was quite captivating.

I did feel a lot of empathy towards the remaining members of the Goliteva family, whose ages ranged from small children, who didn’t understand what was going on, to elder family members, who had lost everything they had previously cherished and enjoyed.

The situation in the city at that time, brought to life here by the author, did provide a lot to think about.

It made me think how I may have dealt with such upsetting and dire circumstances. It’s an uncomfortable thing to consider, but I appreciated how Olesya Salnikova Gilmore got my mind working.

Without giving too much away, in order to maybe spur more Horror Readers into picking this up, it does have a bit of an Occult bent to it, so if that is something that interests you, check it out.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I did enjoy the atmosphere and the character work of this quite a bit. I would be interested in reading more from this author.

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Review: Six of Sorrow by Amanda Linsmeier

~ megs14malloy

Six of SorrowSix of Sorrow by Amanda Linsmeier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up **

💕✨️💕✨️💕✨️💕✨️💕✨️💕😊💕

Six of Sorrow is a YA Dark Fantasy story from Amanda Linsmeier. This is the first novel that I’ve read from this author, but I’m excited to get to more.

This story is set in a small town, where six girls, all with the same birthday, have been thick as thieves since they were kids. More recently though, a misunderstanding has caused a fracture in their once tight group.

Our main character, Isabeau, who goes mostly by Iz, only has one friend left from the group, her best friend, Reuel, who would never abandon her.

On the night of their 16th-birthday, Iz and Reuel are hanging out at Reuel’s house, when Iz has to leave suddenly. When Iz leaves, Reuel is sitting on her front porch. The next morning Reuel is gone.

News of Reuel’s disappearance shakes the close-knit town and massive search efforts are put in place. This incident brings out the other girls from the friendship group and they begrudgingly begin talking to Iz again.

After all, one of their own is missing. It’s time to put petty differences aside in order to find her.

Three days later, Reuel reappears. She’s unable to express where she has been, or what has happened to her since she’s been gone, but it’s clear something is off.

She’s in rough shape, very sick and it’s unclear as to why. The girls are all concerned and this concern ends up bringing them even closer together. Then another one in their group disappears…

We then follow the remaining girls as they try to figure out the mystery of their town and what’s happening to them. They end up researching town history and local lore.

Soon it becomes clear that they might all have more in common than just their birthdays. They’ve been connected by something much deeper, and darker, than that since before they were even born. Now they must stop an evil force before it destroys everything they love.

I had a lot of fun with this. Linsmeier quickly drew me into the story with the development of this quirky town. It’s apparent that something is special about this group of girls as well. I mean, how can a group of six all have been born on the exact same day in the same small town?

The town was also atmospheric in an unsettling, yet intriguing way. There’s a legend of a local witch and other things that just seem a bit peculiar. It’s definitely a unique setting that added a lot of substance to the story.

There were some interesting occult elements and I loved to see how the author used those to explain everything that was going on. There’s even a Book of Shadows!

For me, the star of the show though was the friend group. They had interesting dynamics and I liked watching them band together and work towards a common goal. They had much more power together.

Overall, this was a quick, compelling read. I like how the story evolved and played out. It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely a great time. As mentioned above, I’m looking forward to more from this author.

Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. If you enjoy a Dark Fantasy story with strong friendship vibes, you should definitely pick this one up!

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Review: Against the Darkness (In Every Generation #3) by Kendare Blake

~ megs14malloy

Against the Darkness (Buffy: The Next Generation)Against the Darkness by Kendare Blake
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up **

❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️

Against the Darkness is the 3rd-and reportedly, final, installment to Kendare Blake’s In Every Generation series.

I have enjoyed this series from the very first moment, but this is my favorite of all. These audiobooks are so much fun!

I was in college when the iconic Buffy series, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, first aired. My best friend and I were obsessed with it, and her, and it became part of our routine to watch it together every week.

Understanding the level of nostalgia that I feel for the tv show, I actually entered this series with a bit of trepidation, but it was quickly apparent that the Buffyverse was in good hands. You can tell Blake is a fan.

Blake was able to channel the vibes and humor of the original series without ever coming even close to copycat territory. This is a Slayer story for a new generation and that theme is carried throughout.

I love how it felt like a true passing of the torch from one generation to the next. The new Slayer, determined in the first book and by no means a spoiler, is Frankie Rosenberg, Willow’s daughter. She’s the first ever Slayer-Witch and she knows she has big shoes to fill.

Throughout the series there are some constant character arcs, so you definitely need to start at the first book and work your way through the trilogy. They’re all so good though, it’s definitely worth a read for long-time Buffy fans, or to newer fans looking for additional content.

Many characters from the original series are included within these books. My favorite being Spike. I felt like he got a lot of page time in this one as Frankie’s Watcher. I was living for every snarky, sexy moment of it!

I mentioned the humor above, but feel it’s worth mentioning again. I was really impressed with how Blake was able to make the stakes feel high, while also channeling so many funny moments. Listen, if you can’t laugh while slaying demons and battling the darkness, when can you?

There was a very interesting aspect of this plot involving Willow that definitely brought me back a bit, say to Season 6. I had concerns. I loved how Blake wrote that whole thing. There were some nail-biter moments, for sure.

This also tugged at the heart-strings a bit, being the finale. There was this one scene, it was fairly short, but still made an impact, involving Spike and Giles. It really got me. It was just the sweetest moment.

At the end of the day, I am so sad that this is the final book, but I do think it’s a perfect conclusion to the trilogy. I actually wish it could have been longer. I am not ready to say goodbye to this new Scooby gang.

Thank you to the publisher, Disney Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. The audiobooks are fantastic. The narration by Sarah Mollo-Christensen is a great match to these stories. I definitely recommend that format as well.

Kendare Blake, if you change your mind and decide to write more of these, just know, I will be first in line for a copy!!!

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Review: That Night in the Library by Eva Jurczyk

~ megs14malloy

That Night in the LibraryThat Night in the Library by Eva Jurczyk
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars**

That Night in the Library is an Adult Literary Suspense novel. This is a recent release and I went into it, I’ll admit, with a bit of trepidation. The early reviews aren’t the highest, but in a way that piqued my interest even more.

I frequently find myself in the minority opinion, so I went in open-minded, ready to give it a nice go. I so wanted to at least give this a 3-star rating, but sadly, I just can’t.

The concept was okay, like the very basic concept, but the execution completely missed the mark.

This story basically follows a group of seven people, who make a plan to sneak into the basement of the rare books library at their University, and spend the night, performing some sort of obscure ritual while they are there.

It says in the synopsis that it is the night before graduation, but honestly, I don’t remember those kinds of details from this. It was quite difficult to parse anything out really.

I did understand they were going to perform a ritual, that I believe was said to free the participants of any fear, or something like that. IDK, really.

It’s an odd mix of characters. They weren’t all friends, or anything, they just needed seven people, so ended up inviting a girl who worked at the library, who really didn’t know any of them, someone’s drug dealer, etc.

That one part I did understand clearly about the ritual was they fasted before, and then dropped acid. Most of the rest of it was delivered to us through a drug-addled haze, so not particularly the most coherent way to convey a plot.

Once the ritual starts, they’re literally trapped in this basement space; locked in. They’re getting into it, doing their chanting, and dancing around and what not, when suddenly, one of the participants drops dead.

From there, as you would expect, they start to freak out, because that person is dead! How did they die? Were they killed? Is one of them responsible.

Since they’re tripping, suspicions run high. Things get wild. More bodies fall. Is anyone going to survive?

So, yeah, that’s a basic breakdown of this story. I feel like it’s for a very niche market. You have to be a specific type of Reader for this to work for you.

There is sort of a vibe of this being a book about books, but not to the level of like a Strange the Dreamer, or The Dark Half. It’s too hazy a theme for me to actually recommend it for that trope alone.

Without any malice, I would say this feels like one of those cases where the author is more enamored with their own writing, the words and phrases they use, than with any actual plot. It comes across a bit arrogant, in a way. I would equate it to The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring.

With this being said, this is 100% my personal opinion. Just because it didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. I would urge anyone who thinks it sounds interesting, to give it a go.

There’s a book for every Reader, and a Reader for every book. I know there is an audience for this one. Unfortunately, I’m just not a part of that audience.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press and RB Media, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I gave it a shot and even though it didn’t work out for me, I appreciate the opportunity to provide my opinion.

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Review: The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland

~ megs14malloy

The InvocationsThe Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Jude Wolf is the daughter of a billionaire. You’d think she’s a girl that has everything, but worries. Sadly, you’d be wrong. Jude has a serious issue that is literally eating her alive.

Dabbling in the occult at the age of 15, Jude cursed herself and now her soul is slowly turning necrotic. After every remedy she’s tried has failed, she’s been looking for someone to help her purge this blasted curse.

Zara Jones lost her beloved sister, Savannah, to the hands of a vicious serial killer. Savannah was the only person she trusted and now that she’s gone, Zara would do anything to bring her back, including turn to occult methods.

Zara feels if she could bring her back, Savannah could identify her killer and he could be brought to justice.

Two girls on a desperate hunt for someone with the abilities to help them, happen by chance upon one another. Instant attraction and a kinship of need follows.

The girls see a potential ally in Emer Byrne, a witch with a tragic past, who sells spells to women looking to escape desperate situations. Emer has a lot of knowledge and power, two things that Jude and Zara hopelessly seek.

They notice women being murdered at an alarming rate in their city of London and after some thought, it seems they all have one thing in common: connections to Emer.

Now Emer, Zara and Jude must team up and figure out the identity of the serial killer before any of them end up next on his list.

I didn’t have any expectations when I picked up The Invocations. Although I have House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland, and have heard incredible things about it, I haven’t picked it up yet.

I’m so impressed with how this played out. I loved the combination of the intriguing murder mystery mixed with all the vivid occult elements. The character work was fantastic and I truly hope this isn’t the last we see of these characters.

I was hooked into this story very quickly. Initially, we are just learning about Jude and Zara. I loved meeting both of them and Sutherland made their personal stories so believable and compelling.

I was interested to see how their paths were going to intersect and what would keep them together. I think they way Sutherland drew out this process and then their meeting, it was so impactful.

Once Emer comes in, I loved how they all needed to band together to work towards a common purpose. Even though they were very distinct individuals, with different end goals, it made sense for them to combine their efforts to achieve everything they wanted.

I found Sutherland’s writing to be highly readable. The setting was incredibly atmospheric. I loved how ‘our world’ it felt, with a touch of dark magic and stellar witchy vibes.

Additionally, I felt like the occult elements were amazing. The concepts were captivating and well thought out. I also feel like this will be accessible to a broad audience, easily enjoyed by Readers of all ages.

The feminist themes were also well presented and in this case, well received. I’m looking forward to reading more from Sutherland. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who thinks the synopsis sounds interesting. It delivers what is promised.

Thank you to the publisher, Nancy Paulsen Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I cannot wait to see what Sutherland creates next!

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Review: Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

~ megs14malloy

Silver NitrateSilver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

I was sold on Silver Nitrate from the moment I read the publisher’s synopsis, which claimed it to be a fabulous meld of Mexican horror movies and Nazi occultism: a dark thriller about the curse that haunts a legendary lost film–and awakens one woman’s hidden powers.

Ummm, color me intrigued. I had to get my hands on this.

Luckily, for me, this lived up to the claims. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I am going to now declare it my favorite Silvia Moreno-Garcia novel.

This story is set in the 1990s, in Mexico City, and follows two main characters, best friends, Montserrat and Tristan.

Montserrat is a talented sound editor, but as a female in a mostly male profession, she’s frequently overlooked. In fact, she feels practically invisible to everyone, but her best friend since childhood, Tristan, a charming soap opera star.

Having been close for decades, Montserrat and Tristan have a lot of history. They rely on one another for a lot of different things. It’s a comfortable relationship, though not without its complications.

As the story begins, Tristan has just moved into a new apartment building and he discovers, to his delight, that his new neighbor is cult horror director, Abel Urueta. Tristan can hardly believe it, Montserrat is such a huge fan of Urueta’s. Tristan can’t wait to tell her.

Tristan befriends the older man and before too long, Montserrat and Tristan are spending time in Urueta’s apartment, as friends. Over drinks he tells them about his career and more importantly, about its demise, which he blames on an unfinished film laced with the power of magic.

He weaves them a tale of a Nazi occultist imbuing magic into a highly volatile silver nitrate stock, never finished. He asks them to help him shoot the missing scene. Urueta claims once complete, his curse will be lifted.

After careful consideration, Montserrat and Tristan agree. What’s the worst that could happen?

Montserrat and Tristan discover quickly that messing with occult magic can get real messy. Montserrat feels haunted by an unknown presence, and Tristan is having encounters with the ghost of his dead ex-girlfriend.

Both friends are losing sleep, they’re on edge constantly and feel like they’re beginning to lose their grip on reality. Is it self-inflicted? Are they just feeling these things because of fear, or is something actually plaguing them?

As the danger grows, Montserrat and Tristan begin digging into the truth of the old film and Urueta’s stories. It’s seems they’ve unleashed something, but how can they stop it?

You better buckle up, because things get strange, things get wild, but boy, oh boy, was it fun. I thought this was fantastic. Moreno-Garcia truly brought the atmosphere, great characters, as well as captivating and original premise!

Silver Nitrate is a slow burn, with a subtle tone that builds intensity throughout. I thought this was beautifully-crafted and the rich quality of the writing can’t be denied.

The whole premise was just so interesting. I really enjoyed how it unfolded, with Tristan befriending Urueta and him sort of bringing Montserrat and Tristan in on his private struggle, the idea of the curse.

I felt Montserrat and Tristan were at the perfect place in their lives to be swept along on this journey with Urueta as well. The background work for these characters was a perfect match for the way the story progresses.

They were both sort of at a crossroads, where they needed a shake up. Urueta offered something intriguing and spurred on by each other’s interest, they both went along with it, regardless of any hesitations they may have had individually.

I also enjoyed how quickly after helping Urueta that stuff began to get spooky for them. The things happening, let’s call them the hauntings, were sort of quiet too.

It wasn’t all in your face, gory or shocking, just slightly subtle things that could have been imagination, just as easily as a true haunting, but it definitely lent a sense of dread to the narrative.

My favorite part of this book though was the character work. Both Montserrat and Tristan were so well fleshed out. I found their entire lives interesting, from their careers, to their families, to their past relationships.

I also loved watching their relationship grow and change throughout the story. The insight into how they were feeling about each other, it was complicated and it made me a bit emo. As the danger increased, they began to see each other in a new light; particularly Tristan in regards to Montserrat.

Overall, I thought this was such a well-rounded and well-written story. It’s memorable in its character work and uniqueness. I will be thinking about this one for a while.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a slow burn, historical-feeling Horror story, with equally great characters and plot. I think a lot of Readers will enjoy this one.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was a highly anticipated release for me and it did not disappoint!

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Review: Ninth House (Alex Stern #1) by Leigh Bardugo

~ megs14malloy

Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1)Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Moody, dark and secretive, just like me.

Ninth House was a delightfully intriguing start to the all-new, Alex Stern series by Leigh Bardugo.

I have been fascinated by the idea of this book for a while. What’s not to love about the Yale campus, secret societies and magic.

On a recent road trip, I finally decided to give this one a shot.

I have to say, while I really enjoyed the audiobook, particularly the two narrators, I think I may have enjoyed it even more if I had read a hard copy.

I feel like I may have been able to concentrate more on the story if I had been holding the book in my hands and there’s a lot to take in here.

A lot of details regarding the setting of the Yale campus, the magic system, the lore of the secret societies, as well as back and forth timelines, I think just got lost somewhere around mile marker 50.

I was intrigued by Alex’s character. Here was a girl who had a rough start at life, raised by a hippie Mom in California, who ends up at one of the most elite institutions in the world.

After a close call that could have ended her life, Alex instead ends up being offered a seat in the Freshman class at Yale, but why? Her academic transcript certainly wasn’t recommending her for the slot.

Regardless of any trauma experienced in her life, Alex is a survivor and a fighter. I loved that about her.

When she starts at Yale, Alex gets tapped for Lethe House; the ninth of the secret societies at Yale and the one with the closest ties to the occult.

It’s also the responsibility of Lethe House to oversee the other houses to ensure there are no bad actors.

Alex, as it turns out, is well-suited for her new house, as she has an arcane ability she has been struggling with her entire life. This allows her a close connection to the spiritual underworld surrounding her.

Essentially a murder mystery, this novel offers up a lot of darker real world topics for consideration as well.

One of these topics that I found extremely interesting, was the great amount of privilege on the Yale campus, and the way uneven power dynamics can contribute to an extremely harmful environment.

There is also quite a bit on page of drug abuse, sexual assault and rape culture in general. If you are sensitive to these topics, I would tread cautiously.

With this being said, I was impressed overall with Bardugo’s transition to the Adult space. This is definitely an Adult novel. There are some real dark scenes in here and frankly, I am glad that she went as dark as she did.

It made this seedy underbelly of a privileged world seem so incredibly real.

I think as the series progresses the stories will continue to get stronger and stronger.

I may even read this one again, my hard copy, before the second novel is released.

I would love to experience this entire story in a more controlled environment than an SUV whizzing down the highway.

Also, does anyone else want to go snoop around New Haven in the middle of the night now, or just me?

The atmosphere, as always with Bardugo, was really something to behold; loved that aspect so much. I am really looking forward to getting back into this world when the next book releases!

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