possession

Review: This is My Body by Lindsay King-Miller

~ megs14malloy

This Is My BodyThis Is My Body by Lindsay King-Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is My Body is a dark and emotionally-fueled Horror novel following single-mom, Brigid, and her daughter, Dylan. When we first meet them, Dylan has gotten into an altercation at school, and it quickly becomes clear that her behavior has recently changed.

Brigid has noticed that her once fun-loving daughter has become more moody, secludes herself, and suddenly has a hair-trigger temper. Is it regular teenage rebellion though, or something more?

As the days pass and Dylan’s behavior gets more combative, Brigid can’t help but think about a circumstance that played out within her very Catholic household, featuring her zealot uncle, Father Angus.

Through past and present timelines, we learn of the situation in Brigid’s past that’s similar to the one she’s living now with Dylan. Even though she feels like she has moved on, truly escaped her past, will she be forced to return to the home she left behind in order to save Dylan?

At the start, I’ll admit, Brigid rubbed me the wrong way. I found myself asking, who is the child here? This didn’t keep me from getting sucked in though.

The more I learned about Brigid and her past, the more I started to understand her. She’s on such a journey throughout the story, and for her, the stakes, her daughter’s life, could not be higher. It gives the whole story an air of desperation that kept me flying through.

In fact, I read this entire book in one-sitting, which I haven’t done in quite some time. I found the religious and occult elements both intriguing and so well done.

Brigid also begins to explore a possible relationship with a woman from her past, Zandy, and I loved the inclusion of Zandy in the story. She was such a great side character, who provided the perfect balance to Brigid’s personality.

I would also say the past perspective, where we learn a lot about what went on in Brigid’s childhood, was just as compelling as the current perspective. I loved how the two ended up sort of merging as this raced towards the heart-pounding, stomach-dropping conclusion.

Overall, this was a great Possession story, including fantastic, absolutely toe-curling, Body Horror. Tongues, eyes, all the things, nothing was safe; just how I like it.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Possession stories, or Religious Horror, as well as anyone looking for a Horror story with a Queer representation. This is the first that I’ve read from this author, and I’m looking forward to reading more from them.

Thank you, Quirk Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was such a pleasant surprise!!

View all my reviews

Review: The Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas

~ megs14malloy

The Possession of Alba DíazThe Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

I will not be cured…but neither will I be caged.

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

In 1765, a plague sweeps through Zacatecas, Mexico, forcing our MC, Alba, along with her family, to flee the city and seek refuge at a property owned by her fiance, Carlos’s, family.

The property is an active silver mine and many of Carlos’s family members are there, involved in the day-to-day operations, including a black sheep cousin, Elias, whom Alba finds quite intriguing.

Living there is a bit of shift in lifestyle for Alba, but she’s not hating it. One day on a tour, she actually gets to venture into the mine, and wanders off a little on her own to explore.

Big mistake and let this be a lesson to us all.

Alba has a disturbing first experience in the mine, including auditory hallucinations that shocked and confused her. She became disoriented and feared herself lost. It’s after this initial exploration that events start trending into negative territory for Alba.

She begins hallucinating, sleepwalking and experiencing strange convulsions. She also starts having dark thoughts that are completely out of the norm for her.

Fearing for her sanity and her life, Alba ends up befriending the last person she should, and seeking solace through his company. As the two try to figure out what’s going on with her, they boldly face enemies from all sides.

Heck, yeahhhhh! Isabel Cañas has done it again. The Possession of Alba Diaz is dripping in atmosphere, and full of an unsettling dread. How does Cañas make me love Historical Fiction?

Answer: With the atmosphere, that’s how!

Granted caves, or anything cave adjacent, such as, oh, I don’t know, silver mines, are definitely a real life fear of mine, so Cañas played right into that with this novel.

I have had great success with Cañas’s novels in the past and this one did fall more into my comfort zone, as far as content goes, than the previous two. I love a possession story, and although this is a very slow burn, I feel it paid off.

Cañas definitely has a feel, or a formula, to her work. I’d be able to tell it’s one of her novels, even if I hadn’t seen her name on the cover. Her MCs have similar vibes, but I like it. I always know what I’m getting myself into and it keeps me coming back for more.

In addition to following Alba, we also get Elias’s perspective and I adored him. I’m so glad that it was a dual narrative, because I felt like he brought so much.

His backstory was very interesting, and though he was such a sweet cupcake, he was treated terribly by his family, but that’s a whole other thing. Both he and Alba were out of their element at this place, and I liked that they were able to be there for each other through some crazy stuff.

At the end of the day, this was a very satisfying reading experience. I always appreciate how much time and care it seems Cañas takes with the settings of her stories and building a sense of uneasiness.

I also like the real history she peppers throughout, and how the land/area always feels like such an important part of the story. I would probably put this last out of her three books in overall enjoyment order, but I still really, really liked it. I’m just an Isabel Cañas stan; what can I say?!

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can’t wait to see what this author releases next. We’ve had haunted properties, vampires and possessions, what are we getting next!?

I will be on the edge of my seat until we find out. Whatever it is though, you better believe I will be first in line for a copy.

I cannot wait!

View all my reviews

Review: Spirit Hunters (Spirit Hunters #1) by Ellen Oh

~ megs14malloy

Spirit Hunters (Spirit Hunters, 1)Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Spirit Hunters is the 1st-installment in a Spooky Middle Grade series by Ellen Oh. This book follows Harper, a 7th-grader who has recently moved to a new town, along with her parents and younger brother, Michael.

As the Reader, you can tell that they’ve moved in part due to some sort of traumatizing event that’s happened in Harper’s life, but the truth behind that is slowly revealed over the course of the novel, instead of all at once.

This gives Harper a bit of mystery to her character, which captured my attention from the start. She’s a great character; one I was interested in getting to know.

There’s also mystery surrounding the new home they’ve moved into. Quickly, Michael starts acting strangely, talking about a friend no one else can see.

While his parents brush it off, children often develop imaginary friends during times of stress or upheaval, Harper is convinced something more is going on.

After making a new friend in the neighborhood, Harper then hears the stories of the house. It’s haunted. She knew it!

As Michael’s behavior continues to worsen, and living in the house becomes more disturbing, and even dangerous, Harper knows she needs to get to the bottom of the haunting and stop it, before it’s too late.

Spirit Hunters was such a fun and wild ride. This book, along with the next 2-books, have been sitting on my shelves for so long. I woke up one day in the mood for Middle Grade Horror, and decided it was finally time to give this one a go.

I’m so glad that I did. I loved all the characters and following along as Harper learned more about their new home, and about herself.

I loved how Oh created such a dark history for the house. It felt menacing, and I did feel a real intensity to the story as I began to fear for Harper and her safety. To me, sometimes MG authors may pull back, but I felt like Oh really dipped into Horror territory and I appreciated that.

The spirits in this story posed a real danger, and as the story raced towards the conclusion, I could not put it down. I had to know how it was going to turn out for Harper.

I also liked how this story explored Harper’s mental health in regard to a traumatic event that had happened in her past. It added depth to her character, and I liked how those details were included.

Overall, this exceeded my expectations, and I can’t wait to continue on with the rest of the series. I’m hoping to pick up the 2nd-book, Spirit Hunters #2: The Island of Monsters, very soon!

View all my reviews

Review: Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen

~ megs14malloy

Blood on Her Tongue: A NovelBlood on Her Tongue: A Novel by Johanna van Veen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Blood on Her Tongue is set in the late-1800s in the Netherlands. We follow Lucy after she receives word that her twin sister, Sarah, is unwell.

Lucy travels to where Sarah resides, at her husband’s large estate. A doctor, a friend of the family, has diagnosed Sarah with a temporary insanity caused by a fever of the brain. Lucy is desperate to see Sarah’s condition for herself.

Once she is on the estate, Lucy feels that something more is going on than the simple explanations the doctor, and Sarah’s husband, are putting forth. Therefore, she’s determined to solve the mystery, and figure out the cause of her sister’s rapid decline.

As Sarah’s condition worsens, she becomes violent, and hungry. Lucy considers possession, or maybe it is insanity. Either way, Lucy is willing to risk anything to keep her sister out of some miserable lunatic asylum.

I loved the set-up of this story. You could feel the Dracula inspiration in such a clever and substantial way.

There’s a piece of the story that involves the finding of a body in the bog on the estate, who they dub the bog woman. I thought that was super intriguing and provided a nice eerie backdrop right from the start.

It was also so fun when the author incorporated little pieces of mixed media into the story, as it made it feel more real, or believable. I have to think van Veen had Dracula in mind with that sort of inclusion as well.

The author did an incredible job of creating a lush gothic vibe as well. It felt like a classic story, yet more accessible to all in regards to language and pacing.

Overall, I felt this was really well done. I loved the atmosphere, paired with some phenomenal death scenes. Johanna van Veen didn’t shy away from getting dirty.

Everything that went on, it got crazy, thinking about being in Lucy’s shoes, the things she witnessed, the changes she saw in her sister, are terrifying to think about.

The Body Horror, in general, was fantastic; toe-curling and uncomfortable. My jaw was on the floor and I was squealing in delight through multiple scenes.

Please keep in mind this is coming from an experienced Horror Reader, so tread cautiously if you aren’t a fan of gory content, or are maybe trying out the genre for the first time.

I do love sister stories, and this is a memorable one. I’m really looking forward to picking up more from this author. I suspect we’re going to have a long and beautiful friendship.

Thank you to the publisher, Tantor Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. The audio production brought this story to life; very well done!

View all my reviews

Review: My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon

~ megs14malloy

My Darling GirlMy Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had the pleasure of Buddy Reading My Darling Girl, the latest from Jennifer McMahon, with my fabulous niece, Lyss.

Having both loved earlier McMahon works, we were stoked to get to this one. Happily, it didn’t disappoint. I found this to be wickedly atmospheric. McMahon sure knows how to deliver the creep-factor I desire.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I’m an Atmosphere Girlie first and foremost. That’s what I am looking for when I open the pages of a book. I want to be transported and I want to be unsettled by it.

In this novel, we mainly follow Allison, an artist and children’s author, who lives with her husband, two daughters and family dog in a cozy farmhouse in Vermont.

As Christmas approaches, Allison receives a phone call that’s about to shake things up.

Allison’s estranged mother, Mavis, also an artist, is gravely ill with cancer. Mavis is expected to live for only a few more weeks and she has requested that she spend her last days in hospice care in her daughter’s home.

Allison is surprised her mother would make this request. Their relationship has been troubled for many, many years, to say the least. Perhaps her mother wants to repair their bond prior to her death?

Allison’s husband knows about his wife’s traumatic childhood and he’s a little worried her mom’s presence could trigger her, but he also feels like it could be very important to her healing process.

After a family discussion, Allison agrees. They’re going to do it. They’re going to open up their home to Mavis, providing her a safe and loving space for her last days.

Shortly after Mavis is settled in though, mysterious things start happening. Things Allison can’t explain. Mavis is barely recognizable to Allison, her behavior is so different.

What is going on here? She’s being nice to the girls, particularly the youngest, Olivia? Is Mavis suddenly a nurturing old woman who wants to spend time with her grandchildren and daughter, or is this all a deception?

Allison feels it, she knows something is off, but what?

This story was so enjoyable to watch unfold. It begins with a little section, set 27-years in the past, that sort of provides the building blocks for Allison’s relationship with Mavis. That section took my breath away. It freaked me out.

It was so unsettling. I needed answers. That sense of unease that McMahon captured there, in those first few pages, never left me. I never got that scene out of my head and it truly set the stage for this entire story.

I feel like McMahon has a knack for setting an ominous tone. I’m frequently scared and I don’t even know of what. I absolutely LOVE that feeling!

As mentioned in the synopsis, Allison suspects demonic possession and the way McMahon played with that idea and allowed it to evolve in the story was fantastic. Possession stories are one of my favorite subgenres of Horror, so I was intrigued and elated to read that idea explored here.

There are some sections from Mavis’s perspective, reflecting back on her life and earlier relationships. The back-and-forth was interesting and definitely helped to build out the overall narrative in a pleasing way.

The events in the second-half of the book definitely accelerate in speed. Before you know it, you’re racing towards the conclusion, and what a conclusion it is.

There was a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming and it made me ridiculously giddy. I loved it. McMahon continues to slay. You know I will be picking up all future works.

I definitely recommend this one to anyone who has enjoyed McMahon’s work in the past. Also, to anyone who loves a overriding feeling of dread that lasts throughout the story. Finally, to anyone who enjoys a dark and creepy atmosphere. This one is for you!

View all my reviews

Review: Pinata by Leopoldo Gout

~ megs14malloy

Piñata: A NovelPiñata: A Novel by Leopoldo Gout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

💛🧡🖤💛🧡🖤💛🧡🖤💛

Pinata is a recently released, spooky, toe-curling and thought-provoking Possession Horror story from the mind of Leopoldo Gout.

My initial attraction was to the cover. I mean, look at it!

Then I read the synopsis and knew it was something I wanted to pick up as soon as possible. I’m so happy I did.

In this story we follow single-mom, Carmen, and her two daughters, Izel and Luna. Carmen works for a prestigious New York design firm, who have projects all over the globe. Carmen has been assigned the role of site manager for a renovation project in Tulancingo, a city in the Mexican state of Hildago.

Specifically, the project is the renovation of an ancient abbey into a modern hotel, while trying to adhere to the original beauty of the space. A project Carmen is passionate about.

Carmen is excited for the project for a number of reasons. It’s a challenging renovation and a big step-up in responsibility for Carmen. Additionally, she gets to bring her daughters, so it’s a chance for them to be exposed to the culture of their ancestors.

As they move into their little rental, Carmen is excited with the possibilities the summer holds for them. There’s trepidation too, of course, it’s a city after all and the girls will be home alone during the day while she is working.

With this in mind, Carmen does set up some ground rules for the girls. They know not to leave the house on their own, or to open the door to strangers.

We follow Carmen as she deals with the girls, the local workers and the stress of her job. We also see how the girls are adjusting to their new environment and we meet a few of the local characters with ties to the abbey and its history.

On a day that the girls visit Carmen at work an accident occurs, which ends up exposing a hidden tomb packed full of mysterious, ancient artifacts. Unfortunately, that incident changes everything for Carmen and her girls.

Although her employer doesn’t necessarily blame Carmen for the accident, they need to pull her from the project, for optics, thus cutting Carmen and the girls’ trip short.

As they return to New York, Carmen’s concerned about the future of her job. What if she does end up getting fired? How will she provide for them?

Additionally, the girls seem to be taking the change hard. Particularly, Luna, normally bright, bubbly and out-going, now is distant and morose. What’s going on there?

Things go from bad to worse for the stressed family, as violent incidents occur both at school and at home. People are getting hurt, worse even. Carmen begins to suspect that something is seriously wrong with Luna.

When Izel opens up and shares her concerns about her sister with her Mom, Carmen can no longer ignore it. They need help. They need to free Luna from whatever has taken hold of her before it’s too late for them all.

I loved the way Gout told this story. The settings were distinct and I enjoyed getting to know the characters, particularly Carmen and her girls. It’s a very family-centered story and I was definitely along for their journey.

I felt the writing was descriptive in a way that helped me to picture everything perfectly in my mind. I would love to see this adapted to film. I think it could really translate well to that format.

The tension builds rather nicely and as you get closer to the end, it starts to get quite anxiety inducing. Things definitely snowball quickly once they get back to New York and actually, for me, that did throw the pace off a little.

The initial build-up, the family’s stay in Mexico, it takes its time. The stage is set in a slow-burn fashion, but then the conclusion almost feels too rushed in comparison.

With this being said, I still feel like the concept, character work and themes explored were all really well done. I loved how Gout included the historical and cultural aspects to the story. For me, that made it stand out from other Possession stories I have read.

Overall, I feel like this is a memorable and engaging story that I am proud to have displayed on my shelves. I definitely recommend this one to anyone who enjoys a solid Possession story, or dark fiction involving heavy historical, or cultural, components.

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

View all my reviews