religious horror

Review: American Rapture by C.J. Leede

~ megs14malloy

American RaptureAmerican Rapture by C.J. Leede
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

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Oofhhh. American Rapture hit me like a punch to the gut. The Author’s Note made me cry legitimate grown-lady tears.

This is such a well-executed Apocalypse story; completely successful, IMO, with the topics Leede chose to explore. This is going to stick in my mind for a very long time.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, shall we? Maeve Fly. When I read Maeve Fly last year, I found it to be shocking, yes, but also smart and visceral.

That story was presented in a biting stream of consciousness narrative style from the perspective of the MC. That type of narrative choice isn’t my favorite and I often find myself struggling to determine what exactly the author is hoping for me to get out of it.

American Rapture is nothing like Maeve Fly.

I mean, I guess I shouldn’t say that, because in some ways it is. It’s also smart and visceral, as well as certainly memorable, but the tone throughout, and the way the story is presented, is vastly different.

This is a truly realistic Apocalypse story. We follow a teen girl named, Sophie, who was raised in an extremely zealous Catholic household.

Sophie has been very sheltered from the world, and as you get to know her, she feels emotionally stunted; certainly more naive than she should be at her age.

We discover that she has a twin brother, Noah, who has been removed from the household and sent away for unknown reasons. On the brink of the societal collapse, Sophie sets out to try to find him. On her own for the first time, Sophie is quickly schooled in the ways of the world.

The synopsis alludes to sexual elements and sex, as well as sexuality, are def amongst the topics explored here.

The virus in question has many symptoms, but one of the most shocking is that infected individuals act out in sexual ways, often attacking in violent, lust-filled rages. Sophie is witness to these on more than a few occasions.

For Sophie, having been completely sexually repressed, this is beyond incomprehensible. She was on the verge of her own sexual awakening when this all started, which further complicates her confusion, guilt and shame.

In a lot of ways, Sophie made me think of Carrie White. This is what would have happened if an Apocalypse had hit just prior to Carrie going to the prom.

I did love going on this journey with Sophie though. I had such empathy for her. I wished I could have been there to help guide her and reassure her through many of her most difficult moments; clearly, her parents were useless.

I will be honest, I did skip Chapter 44. I had been warned ahead of time of some content contained therein, that because of circumstances going on in my life, I wouldn’t have handled well at the moment.

Even skipping that chapter though, I still feel like I easily understood everything that was happening in the story directly thereafter.

I did listen to the audiobook and loved the narration by Moniqua Plante. They did a great job bringing Sophie to life. I felt like I was listening to her recount these events first hand. It drew me in and held me.

I do feel like even though disaster struck numerous times over the course of this story, the world was literally falling apart, it nevertheless left me with a sense of hope and light.

An understanding that no matter what you are going through, no matter what your losses, as long as you are breathing, you can push through. You can come out the other side, maybe not the same, not undamaged, but alive and with the chance to be happy again.

If you pick this up, and I recommend you do, please be sure to read the Author’s Note at the end. I appreciate the novel even more after learning a bit about Leede’s own journey and the struggles that she had recently been going through.

I feel she put a lot of heart into this story. It’s thoughtful, impactful and gripping throughout. I was really impressed, and more importantly, moved by it.

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

It’s clear that C.J. Leede is an incredible talent with a lot of versatility in her writing. I cannot wait for more!!!

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Review: No Road Home by John Fram

~ megs14malloy

No Road HomeNo Road Home by John Fram
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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In No Road Home we meet Toby Tucker, who along with his young son, Luca, is traveling to Texas to meet his new wife, Alyssa’s, family for the first time.

The Wright family is well known. Alyssa’s Grandfather is a famous televangelist whose powerful Old Testament sermons have made the family millions. Toby has no idea what to expect from the visit, but he is concerned that his Queer son Luca may become a target for their religious zeal.

The family compound is lavish, and packed full of questionable characters. Even Alyssa begins acting shady once they are at the property. What’s she all about?

The more Toby interacts with the Wrights, the more unsettleded he becomes. Something is off here. Luca is seeing things and saying things that cause Toby further concern; like the man in the suit lurking in the shadows that only Luca can see. That’s abnormal, right?

After inclement weather strands the family at the property, essentially cutting them off from the outside world, the elder Wright is found murdered on the roof. Who would dare to take him out, and why?

Suspicions immediately fall on Toby, but he knows he had nothing to do with it, so who did?

He needs to figure it out before the authorities arrive, or he could be the one to take the fall. It’s a race against the clock as Toby tries to unravel the truth of the Wright family.

With his mind focused on protecting Luca, Toby knows there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to save his son from the vicious den of vipers they find themselves in.

No Road Home is the first novel I’ve read from John Fram, an author I have heard great things about.

This story successfully sucked me in and even though it took me a minute to get used to the writing style, it took me no time at all to be hella intrigued with everything happening.

There was a period of time in the later half where I felt things started to get a little muddled, there were a lot of Wrights to keep track of, but Fram definitely pulled it off in the end.

I really enjoyed Toby as a main character. I feel like I haven’t read too many stories following single-fathers and I feel like it’s a unique and compelling perspective to get.

Toby’s own family history, and his relationship with Luca, were quite nuanced and I loved how Fram revealed the truth of all that over the course of the story. It wasn’t as I initially expected, and I feel like it will be memorable for me.

I also just really appreciated the overall tone Fram set within this story. The setting of the Wright family compound was well done. It felt sinister and eerie, even if you didn’t quite understand why.

It’s a bit of a slow burn, but the intensity and stakes do steadily climb throughout. By the end, I was completely immersed. It was definitely a story I needed the conclusion too ASAP, which is why I read it in a day.

I would recommend this to fans of Social Horror, or novels such as Mister Magic. It’s thoughtful, sinister and cerebral; very well developed by Fram.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author!

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Review: Bitter Is the Heart by Mina Hardy

~ megs14malloy

Bitter Is the HeartBitter Is the Heart by Mina Hardy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

Bitter is the Heart took me by surprise. This story grabbed hold of me from the first chapter and never let go.

It was shocking, upsetting, disgusting, disturbing, toe-curling and eye-opening all at once.

In this novel we follow Tamar Glass, a woman haunted by childhood trauma who suddenly finds herself stuck caring for her abusive elderly mother, Ruth.

Tamar as a main character had my heart from the start. When I say she is haunted by her childhood, I mean it. There’s so much to unpack as far as her past relationship with her mother, as well as her father’s death, and even her relationship with her sister, Lovey.

Tamar is also starting to feel the effects of menopause and she has been through a divorce and is now on her own for the first time as an adult. Then mother arrives.

Ruth, Tamar’s mother, is reintroduced to her life in a disturbing way. Tamar wakes one night to find her Mom looming in the dark of her bedroom.

Ruth had been living in an Assisted Living facility 15-miles away and she had never been to Tamar’s house. How the heck did she end up there?

That scene set the tone for the entire novel. Hardy built out this story so well. She built the drama continuously. It’s brutal at times, but I was with Tamar all the way. I think some interactions between Tamar and Ruth could be shocking to some, but I feel like they felt natural and made perfect sense to me.

I feel like this book could have hit especially hard for me because I am close to the same point in my life that Tamar is, and while I can’t say I’ve been through the family struggles that she has, I can relate to a lot of the other aspects of her experiences.

I love that after her divorce she had returned to her hometown after a long period of time away. This did allow her to reconnect with people from her past, including her high school boyfriend, Miguel, who plays an important role in this story.

Incidentally, I also had a hs-boyfriend named Miguel…

There were so many scenes in this that left me with absolute chills, jaw on the floor, completely disturbed and needing more information. Once Ruth gets kicked out of her Assisted Living facility and moves in with Tamar, there was no turning back. It was high speed ahead.

Additionally, I loved the religious elements of this. Tamara is Jewish, and the Jewish faith was incorporated into this story in a big way. I had never read anything where it was done to this extent, and with this many impactful conversations. I feel like this will stand out in my memory because of that representation.

The only negative I can think of was there was a scene involving a puppy that I had to skip through. You’ll see it coming, Readers sensitive to animal content beware. Besides that, I was completely enamored with this story.

I noticed the synopsis recommends this for fans of Cassandra Khaw and T. Kingfisher. The Khaw comp I don’t get at all. I do see Kingfisher, for sure. While Hardy doesn’t include as much dark humor as Kingfisher does, the Domestic Horror elements and Tamar’s dry delivery of her thoughts do line up with things such as A House with Good Bones, The Hollow Places and The Twisted Ones.

When I was reading this I kept thinking of Ainslie Hogarth’s Motherthing, which I really enjoyed a couple years ago. I ended up connecting with this one more though because I feel like this has a more cohesive and traditional narrative style, which was easier for me to follow.

I also saw my friend, Crystal, compare this to My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon and I completely agree with that. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that myself while reading it.

If you enjoyed any of the books or authors listed above, you need to check this out. If you enjoy Domestic Horror, or Horror that incorporates Religious elements, you need to pick this up. If you just love Horror and always enjoy diving into a fun, disturbing story, you need to pick this up.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. The audiobook was so well done. I loved this and can’t wait for more from Mina Hardy!

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Review: The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden

~ megs14malloy

The House of Last ResortThe House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m just out here chilling on minority opinion island…

…trying to figure out how best to write my review of The House of Last Resort.

Even though this was the latest release from Christopher Golden, an author I have really enjoyed in the past, I was a little hesitant going into this one. While I hadn’t read any reviews, that overall rating of 3.3 was glaring me in the face.

I was concerned. Did Golden have a flop?

I still haven’t read a lot of the reviews, so I am not exactly sure what the issue is, but I have read this one and I really, really enjoyed it!

This went into a surprising Religious Horror direction, which I love. It felt Literary in it’s build-up and I loved the culturally-rich setting. I feel like this would make an incredible movie. It was so vibrant.

In this novel, we’re following American couple, Tommy and Kate Puglisi, who move to the small hilltop town of Becchina, in Italy.

Becchina is dwindling, with the population aging out and young people moving away. In an effort to revitalize the area, the mayor starts a program to sell abandoned homes to anyone for a single Euro, as long as the buyer promises to live there for at least five years.

Tommy and Kate jump at the chance. Tommy has family there and they’re excited about the change in lifestyle and ability to get to spend more time with his family.

Upon arrival, the house isn’t quite giving them the warm, romantic vibes they expected though. It’s giving a more haunted, demonic feel than they would have signed up for.

And why do all the locals whisper about this place?

We follow Tommy and Kate as they attempt to settle in, make their new house a home and become involved with the local community.

Strange things are happening at the house though that they can’t explain. They’ve discovered rooms they didn’t know were there and the more they dig into the history of the house, the more nervous they become.

They ultimately learn that their home was owned by the church for generations and there are dark, dangerous secrets hiding behind every corner, and perhaps even under their feet. With a history like that, will this place ever be able to become a comfortable family home?

As mentioned above, I really enjoyed this. I have always vibed with Golden’s writing. It’s engaging.

Granted, not every moment is smash-bang in your face, it has a lot of quiet, more subtle moments, but all the more for the build, I say. I love a slow burn, as long as the payoff is worth it and IMO, this one is.

Once I started this book, I was definitely consumed by the story. I read 43% in my first sitting. I barely came up for air. I ended up finishing it in a day.

I loved the atmosphere and the feeling of the historic town and property. I was intrigued by the mystery of the house and as a lover of Religious Horror, I was happy to see it take a turn in that direction. The whole feeling of that place was beautifully depicted by Golden.

I would recommend this to Horror fans, or people who enjoy a slow burn set amongst a creepy, mysterious atmosphere. Also, haunted house fans, this is a unique take in the subgenre, so you should definitely check it out.

Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for providing me a copy to read and review. I always look forward to picking up Golden’s latest work.

This one was definitely a win for me!

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