supernatural thriller

Review: What You Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris

~ megs14malloy ~ Leave a comment

What You Leave BehindWhat You Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

I am a huge Wanda M. Morris fan. I have no problem believing we would be friends IRL, because obviously we have similar tastes and likes.

I put off reading What You Leave Behind longer than I should have. The overall rating surprised me; less than a 4-star? Having read this now, I have no idea why. This novel deserves so much more hype and love.

Admittedly, this contains some of my favorite tropes and I’m a sucker for a compulsive Legal Thriller, but still, I think this could be enjoyed by so many Readers.

The set-up for this is one of my faves; an MC returning to their hometown after quite some time away, trying to figure out a mystery, or solve a cold case.

Our MC in this story is Deena Woods. Deena is an attorney, who has recently returned to her family home in Brunswick, Georgia, after a horrible divorce. She is now living with her Dad, Jimmy, and Step-Mom, Ruth.

We learn so much about Deena, and I loved getting to know her. Her Mom didn’t pass all that long ago, so she is still wracked with grief. Additionally, it didn’t take long for her Dad and Ruth to get together, so there’s a little resentment there, of this new woman living in her Mom’s house.

Nevertheless, they get along and you can tell there’s a lot of love in the house. For her part, Deena is trying to work through all her feelings, but it isn’t easy.

One of the things she sometimes does when she’s feeling overwhelmed, is goes for long drives. She looks for quiet places she can sit and be with her thoughts.

It’s on one of these occasions, on a beautiful waterfront parcel, that she has a run-in with the property owner that will fundamentally change her life.

He mistakenly identifies Deena as an agent of the company that has been trying to buy the property from him. The thing is, his family has owned that property since just after the Civil War and he has zero interest in selling.

He’s sick of them hounding him and let’s Deena know, in no uncertain terms, that he will never, ever sell that land. Even though Deena tries to explain herself, he’s not hearing it and she gets out of there as fast as she can.

The interaction leaves a lasting impression. She can’t stop thinking about the man and the things he said. When she asks her Dad and Ruth about the man and the property, they’re shady, like they know more than they’re letting on.

Shortly thereafter, when Deena returns to the property, the man is no where to be found, even his trailer is gone and there’s a For Sale sign on the property. What the heck? Something isn’t right.

It’s at that point, Deena knows if she doesn’t start looking into this, no one will. She’s determined to find out what happened to the man and what this organization, scooping up all these properties, really is.

I was drawn into the mystery of this from the start. The way Deena’s Dad and Step-Mom acted, I didn’t blame her for digging further in. It’s a very small town, one they’ve both lived in their whole life, they definitely knew something.

I loved how determined Deena was and how she wasn’t afraid to stick her neck out for others. She was doing the right thing and she knew it.

This was full of danger, intrigue, beautifully-developed characters, small town drama, as well as real life issues that are rarely discussed, or that people don’t even realize are a problem until it happens to them or their families.

The incorporation of the very real problem of Heirs’ Property, I thought was so well done here. As someone interested in both the law and real estate, I’ll admit, it did work particularly well for me.

However, this is a very real and very serious issue, so hopefully people who read this will be interested enough to learn more about it.

I also liked the idea of this shadow organization coming in scooping up valuable properties from vulnerable individuals. Think BlackRock, which is another very serious issue that doesn’t get enough recognition as to its threat in many markets throughout the U.S.

More than the issues though, I just really enjoyed how Morris told this story. I loved the character work, and even the incorporation of some slight paranormal elements.

There’s a lot of exploration of family legacy, love, forgiveness and grief. It’s a story about taking action and pushing through hardships. It’s a story of fresh starts and honoring those who came before you. It’s action-packed, full of intrigue and heart. It’s definitely my kind of story.

Overall, I thought this was brilliant. I was a Morris fan coming in, and I’m an even bigger Morris fan going out. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

Thank you to the publisher, William Morrow, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was such a fantastic read; highly recommend!

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Review: Don’t Eat the Pie by Monique Asher

~ megs14malloy

Don't Eat the PieDon’t Eat the Pie by Monique Asher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Don’t Eat the Pie is an intriguing Horror story following a mother-daughter duo, Sam and Emma.

This book features a mysterious atmosphere, creepy characters, and luckily, quite a few tropes I tend to enjoy.

I’ve read a few reviews of this novel and many mention comps to Rosemary’s Baby. I absolutely see that, but I would add that it’s Rosemary’s Baby mixed with The Skeleton Key.

Do y’all remember that movie? It released in 2005 and starred the beautiful, Kate Hudson; set in New Orleans and contained some great supernatural Folk Horror elements. This book was definitely giving me all that.

The Southern Gothic vibes, the protagonists being new to town, the locals behaving strangely, particularly on the home-front. It’s all very intriguing and definitely succeeded in pulling me in.

It’s set on Camillia Island and the island helped add to the mystery. I think it’s mentioned that like only around 40-people actually reside there, so it’s super small and feels very remote; not a lot of outside influence.

Sam and Emma move there after Sam marries Ben, and his mom, who lives on the island gets sick. Emma wasn’t thrilled about the move, but it’s padded a bit by one of her friends, as well as her Aunt and cousin, going along for a bit; at least for the Summer.

I liked the back and forth of the perspectives between Sam and Emma. It really helped to build out their relationship, as well as their current circumstances.

They were both experiencing different things on Camilia Island and it was the totality of their experiences that really created the suspense and mystery.

I felt the author did a great job of creating a sense of danger within this atmosphere. It felt unsettling, even when you weren’t sure what you were really being unsettled by and I love that sort of reading experience.

The audiobook does have dual narration, which is perfect for providing distinction between Emma and Sam. I liked that aspect as it made me feel like I was actually listening to the two women tell their story.

While some parts felt a little drawn out, and certain details towards the end got a little muddled, overall, I had a great time with this story. It kept me on my toes.

I’ve never read from this author before, but I would definitely be interested in picking up more of their work. Particularly, if they have this same dark Southern atmosphere. We love to see it.

Thank you to the publisher, Dreamscape Media, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

This book deserves more buzz, and I hope it starts getting it soon. It’s a perfect Spooky Season read!!!

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Review: Sleep Tight by J.H. Markert

~ megs14malloy

Sleep TightSleep Tight by J.H. Markert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In a nutshell, Sleep Tight is a lot to work through.


Austin Powers In A Nutshell


It’s an interesting story, but it’s also hard to track. I couldn’t even attempt to guess how many character names we learned over the course of this story. It was one of those situations where I got to the end and would hear a name and be like, who’s this?

I will not even attempt to get into the actual plot with you…

I really enjoyed the initial set-up, hearing the story of Father Silence, and meeting our MC, Tess. There were also a lot of the bits towards the end were I felt fully invested, but the middle part got muddled and my attention definitely wavered because of that.

I guess I would say I felt similar with this author’s earlier two works that I’ve read: The Nightmare Man and Mister Lullaby. Markert has exciting, ambitious concepts, but I’m not sure their execution always ends up working out for me.

To be fair though, I enjoyed this more than I didn’t.

I would recommend this to Readers who enjoy Gritty Crime Thrillers that swerve into Horror territory. This one succeeds in capturing that gritty, dangerous feel and I did feel like it progressed at a fast clip throughout.

Some of the aspects of this definitely worked better for me than others, but overall, I think it’s a good book. I would also recommend the audiobook, as that was well narrated by the always fabulous Andi Arndt.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media for providing me with copies to read and review.

J.H. Markert continues to intrigue me with his creative concepts and dark atmosphere. Though this wasn’t my favorite of his, I still felt it had a lot of strengths. I will def be picking up whatever he releases next!

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Book Review: Ghost Mother by Kelly Dwyer

~ megs14malloy

Ghost Mother: A NovelGhost Mother: A Novel by Kelly Dwyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Ghost Mother was an engaging and heart-filled story. It’s highly-readable, simply told and feels like it could be enjoyed by a wide-variety of Readers.

I would especially recommend it to Supernatural Horror (Light) Readers, who may be looking more for vibes, than anything too scary, or disturbing.

This story follows Lilly Bly, who is married and desperately wants to have a baby. She’s suffered losses in this area already and it’s a sensitive topic for her.

Her husband, Jake, has just gotten a new job and they are moving from Chicago to a small town in Wisconsin because of that. Lilly is okay with it. She’s ready for a fresh start and when she sees the decrepit mansion that could be their potential new home, she falls in love.

It’s well out of their price range, but Lilly is able to convince Jack to purchase the dilapidated property. She swears she’ll get a job to help make the payments. It’s worth it to her, she just knows she’ll finally become a mother in this house.

After they move in though, Lilly has a tough time getting herself together and motivated. Jack travels a lot for work, so she’s on her own quite a bit.

It’s not long after they move in that Lilly learns their new home was the site of a gruesome triple homicide in the 1950s. They don’t call it the Murder House for nothing…

As she experiences more unexplained phenomenon at the house, she’s led to believe it could be haunted. It would make sense, right? Terrible things have happened there.

She begins to research the house and its dark past, determined to get to the bottom of what she is experiencing.

While she is doing so though, the rest of her life is being neglected. Her husband, the household, she’s making poor choices, she’s losing time. Is the house really haunted, or are these all signs of an escalating mental breakdown?

As mentioned above, I really enjoyed my time with this story. I felt for Lilly. She wanted to be a mother so badly, and as things were spiraling, I wanted to just give her a hug, to tell her that everything was going to be okay.

At the same time, she was making choices that simultaneously made me want to shake her back into reality. I think the fact that I felt so much for this main character, who was going through something that I’ve never personally experienced, but felt so much for, is a sign of great writing.

I’ve never read from Kelly Dwyer before, but she’s found a fan in me, and I hope to get more from her.

I was impressed with how quickly I became immersed and attached to this story. There’s been a few other ‘expectant or want to be’ mother books that I’ve read in the past year or so that have driven me absolutely batty.

Full disclosure, I have no children, by choice, and have never, ever had that want. So, for me, it’s generally hard to connect with the characters who that is their sole desire.

I didn’t feel that with Lilly. Even though she was wanting to be a mother more than anything else, it was presented in such a way where she didn’t lose her identity to that want. I could connect to her and feel for her, even though our lives are vastly different.

Again, I think this is due to the quality of Dwyer’s writing; the way she created this character. Lilly wasn’t just pigeon-holed into the fact that she wanted to have a child. She had layers, which I appreciated.

Additionally, this novel has my favorite thing, atmosphere. That’s my number one. The thing I look for most in my Dark Fiction. I want atmosphere, a true sense of place, I want to feel like I’m there, to see everything in my mind’s eye and that was definitely the case here.

With this being said, and this doesn’t negate from anything the author has done here, but I do feel like this will work best for Readers who are either newer to the Horror genre, or who want the vibes, but to not actually feel scared.

I’m not saying I need Horror to be scary, because I completely recognize that there is so much more to this nuanced genre than that one parameter, however, this did feel way more about the vibes to me than anything else.

With this being said, I would recommend this to anyone who loves a Supernatural Mystery with a lush Haunted House setting. I would also recommend the audiobook format, fabulously narrated by Renata Friedman.

Thank you to the publisher, Dreamscape Media, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I had a lot of fun with this story and look forward to more from Kelly Dwyer. I hope she stays in this wheelhouse, because it was really well executed!

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Review: Murder Road by Simone St. James

~ megs14malloy

Murder RoadMurder Road by Simone St. James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Greetings from Outlier Island!!!

I want to start this off by saying that I loved The Broken Girls, The Sun Down Motel and The Book of Cold Cases. I fully expected to have the same experience with this one.

In fact, upon learning the title and reading the synopsis, I expected to enjoy it even more than those previous novels, as it sounded like this was going to be toeing over the line into my favorite genre: horror.

Unfortunately, here we are, 3-stars. My lowest rated St. James to-date; such a mixed bag for me. I’m sad about it, but feel like it is bound to be a one off.

It has to be. I find it hard to believe that it’s not. For me, this felt completely different than her other books and not in a good way. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed.

I really hadn’t read any reviews prior to picking this one up, so after I finished it, shocked by how I didn’t love it, I scurried over here and was even more shocked to discover I’m almost the only person who didn’t love it!

I fully expected to find a mix of reviews. Those who loved it and those who didn’t as much. I started to doubt everything. What did I miss? I can understand it’s objectively still a good story, but it didn’t deliver me the vibes, tension, or mystery I’m accustomed to with this author.

I felt I was being generous giving 3-stars, but apparently I am being the biggest Debbie Downer in the book community. So, apologies all around for that.

I am going to move on. I’m going to pretend it never happened. I’m looking forward to whatever Simone St. James writes next. I still love her and her work. For some reason this one just did not work for me.

I think it started off bad. I don’t want to get too far into it, but the police suspecting these two MCs right away, the way they were treating them for assisting an injured woman was bizarre, to say the least. It was like, what?

It made no sense whatsoever for them to be treated with such hostility. Even though, ultimately we get a bit of an explanation for this, I wasn’t buying it. Too little, too late. It felt so contrived on the part of the Officer involved.

I think that opening left a sour taste in my mouth that left me judging the rest of the story too harshly. I admit that. I can appreciate some of the aspects of the story, but for me, I just wish it had been told differently.

Nevertheless, I’m glad I gave it a shot and as mentioned, I look forward to more from this author. Keep in mind, this is just my opinion. Even though it didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t for you.

If it sounds interesting to you, please pick it up. You’d do well to just ignore everything I just wrote. You most likely will not find yourself on Outlier Island with me. But if you do, bring drinks!

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I love you and appreciate you.

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Review: What Grows in the Dark by Jaq Evans

~ megs14malloy

What Grows in the DarkWhat Grows in the Dark by Jaq Evans
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When I first read the synopsis for What Grows in the Dark, I was immediately intrigued. I also enjoyed the cover art and the title is compelling to me.

Then I started drowning in other new releases and sort of forgot about it for bit. Recently, as I was going through my list of unread-ARCs it piqued my interest again, so I looked it up to refresh my memory on the synopsis.

Again, it sounded interesting to me, so I was surprised to see that its rating was only around 3.01-stars. Nevertheless, I’m no stranger to being in the minority opinion on books, so I wasn’t afraid and decided to give it a go.

After I completed the first 15%, I wrote a status update to say how much I was loving it. The tone and the direction it was taking, I was really into it, really intrigued. I had a gut feeling that it was going to be at least a 4-star read for me.

Sadly, now that I’m finished, I get the overall rating. Regardless of how strong it started for me, the further I got into it, the more it started to lose steam and my attention. It got muddled and my interested definitely waxed and waned.

I think this author has great ideas and it was a fun set-up, but I feel like somewhere in translating the ideas from their head, onto the page, for the Reader to understand, something missed the mark. It’s too bad, because I do see a lot of promise here.

This is a true Supernatural Thriller/Mystery, which reads a lot like a YA story, even though it is Adult. I love YA Horror/Thriller novels, actually preferring them over Adult in a lot of instances, so that’s no shade from me, but I am guessing that does have an impact on the rating.

In my opinion, this would be a great book for Readers looking to transition more into the Adult space for the first time. For others, I would just caution this feels, at best, more New Adult, than Adult.

It also includes one of my favorite tropes, following a main character returning to their hometown, after many years away, looking to solve, or deal with, some sort of unresolved issue, mystery, or trauma. That fact alone is what initially grabbed my attention.

Unfortunately, that trope alone wasn’t enough, but just because it didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. I would urge anyone with interest to pick it up. It’s just a book. What do you have to lose?

Thank you to the publisher, MIRA, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I would absolutely give this author another try. The concepts and the writing are there, I just wanted something a little different from the execution.

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Review: Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi

~ megs14malloy

Small Town HorrorSmall Town Horror by Ronald Malfi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

🖤💛🖤💛🖤💛🖤💛🖤💛🖤💛🖤

Small Town Horror is the latest release from one of my favorite authors, Ronald Malfi. As you could probably guess, it’s also one of my most anticipated releases of 2024.

I’m please to announce, it did NOT disappoint!!

In this story, we follow Andrew Larimer, a NYC attorney, who suddenly gets called back to the hometown he fled almost two decades ago.

Kingsport, Maryland, was where Andrew grew up. The beautiful coastal town holds a lot of memories for Andrew, but one in particular, an event that happened on his 16th-birthday in 2003, made him want to never look back.

When he gets a call that his childhood friend, Dale, is in trouble though, and that he could really use Andrew’s help, Andrew begrudgingly packs his things and returns to the place he swore he’d never see again.

Once in town, Andrew is ultimately reunited with all of his old friends: Dale, Meach, Eric and Tig. It’s like getting punched in the face by the past. There’s so much unresolved between them, you can feel the tension oozing off the page.

Andrew is also staying at his childhood home, his father’s house which transferred to him upon his father’s passing a few years ago. The house is in disrepair, with a flooded basement and insects, it’s a house of horrors come to life.

Through past and present perspectives, the Reader is slowly keyed into the truth of what happened on Andrew’s 16th-birthday, which also happens to be the 4th of July.

I found both perspectives equally interesting. The past did have an added nostalgic feel to it, which I always appreciate, but the present had an intensity that I couldn’t turn away from. I felt like the connections between the past and present were also so well done.

The creepy imagery and lush atmosphere were absolutely fantastic. The coastal town, the lighthouse, the birds, the dark endless water, the mystery, the intrigue, the supernatural flourishes, it was all top notch stuff.

Malfi is an incredible writer, who never fails to draw me in. While not all his characters may be particularly likable, they’re always believable. Hell, I don’t like a lot of people in real life, so why would I expect to like all the characters I read about?

I did feel for Andrew in this one though, and maybe even Tig. They weren’t perfect, but I think the choices they made were understandable. As they transitioned into adulthood, they truly never got past the things that happened that one 4th of July night. The shadow they couldn’t shake.

The idea of hauntings, or being haunted; it’s not just places and it’s not just supernatural, people can be haunted for a variety of reasons, and I enjoyed that exploration here.

Malfi is always able to channel such emotion into his writing. It feels like he is pouring his heart into his stories. Honestly, it must be exhausting, but I feel like that extra touch makes his stories stand out against the crowd.

As an atmosphere girlie, I can’t stress enough how deeply atmospheric this story is. As I was reading it, I was swept down the coast to Maryland. I could feel it.

Unlike the standard Autumnal vibes we’re used to getting from Horror novels though, this exudes Summer Horror. If you do not have this on your Summer TBR, you need to change that immediately. This isn’t one you want to save until October. You need to read this now!

The beginning did remind me a lot of Black Mouth, but of course, Malfi brought it in its own distinct direction. I walked away from this silenced. I had to just stare off into space for a while and ponder everything I’d read.

The ending, wow. Dang! It was completely unexpected, yet somehow a perfect conclusion. It sort of broke my heart, but also made me just so excited that talent like Ronald Malfi’s exists in the world, and that I can keep picking up his books for a long, long time.

Thank you to the publisher, Titan Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I recommend this to any Horror Reader, particularly if you are looking for great Summer Horror with palpable small town vibes.

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Review: The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert

~ megs14malloy

The Bad Ones: A NovelThe Bad Ones: A Novel by Melissa Albert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

The Bad Ones is the latest from beloved YA-author, Melissa Albert. I was immediately drawn to this stunning cover.

It screams beautiful darkness and that’s definitely the mood that this story delivers. The dark atmosphere was a hit for me, as well as the moody, yet fluid and engaging prose.

In this story we mainly follow Nora, whose estranged best friend, Becca, goes missing at the very start of our tale. We also learn of some other residents of their town who all go missing on that same night.

While many adults in her life feel like Becca, who has had a tumultuous life, has most likely run away, Nora knows that isn’t the case.

It’s not just the cryptic message Becca left her on the night she disappeared, Nora can just feel in her heart that something sinister is afoot.

The Reader follows along with Nora as she steadfastly searches for the truth. As Nora begins her investigation, she receives what she believes are coded messages from Becca.

These lead her to examine a local legend, known as the goddess, whose forgotten origins, even played a roll in Nora and Becca’s own childhood games.

I really enjoyed this. I found the premise so interesting and enjoyed learning about the local lore that helped to build out the heart of this story.

I feel like Readers are going to be hit or miss on Nora’s narrative voice, but for me, I really enjoyed her. She’s blunt and a bit morose, but personally, I felt like that helped develop the overall tone of the story.

I did have the pleasure of listening to the audiobook and I feel like the narrator, Emma Galvin, did an incredible job bringing Nora to life. I truly felt like I was listening to this character relay her story. It was so well done.

Nora does end up making a new friend, James, who aids her in her search for truth. I enjoyed their relationship. Nora is the type of character who pretty much keeps to herself, but James was able to help break down some of her walls.

At first I wasn’t sure if I trusted him. He seemed too cool for school, but I liked the way his character was able to draw Nora out of her shell. Regardless of the ultimate outcome of their relationship, I feel like he played his part by giving Nora the confidence boost she needed in her search.

There were a couple of small things, in the reveal of the truth, that structurally, I may have preferred formatted differently, but who am I to judge how this author chooses to tell this story? I might not have written it this way, but then again, I’m not a writer, so what do I know?

I’ll be honest, not a lot, but I do know that I really enjoyed the reading experience. It delivered me the dark, supernatural vibes and ‘small town full of secrets’ atmosphere that I was hoping for. It kept me engaged and guessing throughout and it made me even more excited to read future works from this author.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Melissa Albert continues to impress me with her captivating concepts, interesting characters and beautiful writing. The Bad Ones is available now!!

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Review: No Child of Mine by Nichelle Giraldes

~ megs14malloy

No Child of MineNo Child of Mine by Nichelle Giraldes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

No Child of Mine follows Essie Kaur, an ambitious young woman who has recently found out that she is pregnant for the first time.

Essie is in a very loving marriage with her husband, Sanjay, whom she adores, but in spite of that, Essie is less than stoked about the news.

In fact, privately, she’s pretty upset about it. Essie is currently in law school, almost through, ready to take the bar exam early the following year, how is she going to make that work now? The baby will be three months old when she is supposed to sit for the bar?

Essie keeps a lot of her feelings to herself; well, most of them honestly. She’s afraid people will judge her for not having the ecstatic, happy reaction society teaches us we are supposed to always have.

She wants to be happy. She loves the little being growing inside her, she really does, but that love is being shadowed by a lot of other darker emotions right now.

As the Reader, we sit inside Essie’s head as she struggles with these emotions, her changing body, her changing relationship and her ever changing reality.

While some of it borders on repetitive, I feel like as a person who frequently suffers from repetitive thoughts, it still made sense to me. I could imagine being Essie and having these same exact thoughts over and over.

In addition to Essie’s perspective, we also get a historical perspective following two women, Isabelle and Anna.

It’s unclear initially how these women are connected to Essie and her story, but as their narrative evolves it becomes clear where it is going. This aspect adds the impetus behind some of the darker elements in the present perspective.

Particularly, what’s going on with Sanjay.

As a soon to be 45-year old woman, who made a conscious decision at a very young age to never have children, these types of stories revolving around pregnancy and early motherhood either drive me crazy, or I end up connecting to them in a powerful way.

Regardless of the final outcome, I do enjoy picking up stories that involve these themes, because I like to see what sort of new elements, or perspectives, various authors will bring.

I think Giraldes did a great job of writing Essie’s perspective.

To me, Essie’s concerns and emotional struggle was 100% believable. She was a woman who had a plan for her future, who had sacrificed to reach her goals, and so close to the finish line had everything up-ended while her husband still got to live his dream.

I was nodding along in many parts, even yelling words of support for her. The only issue I had with this story really, and it’s a minor one, was the connection between the historic perspective and Essie’s present perspective.

For me, there were times, when it felt a little too disjointed. By this I mean, the transition between the two sometimes seemed jarring; like it wasn’t as fluid as I would hope.

Essie’s sections felt so straight forward, but for Isabelle and Anna, my brain was working overtime trying to figure out why it was even included. Because of this, for at least the first half, every time it switched perspectives, it kicked me out of the story.

At times, I felt a bit like I was reading two separate books.

With this being said, there is a certain reveal that happens, where after that, it started making sense. Plus, additional things were happening in the current perspective, where you could feel that distinct influence from the past.

Giraldes brought it around. It was eventually cleared up and tied together by the end. Although, one final nit-pick is the ending was too abrupt for my tastes.

Overall though, this is a very solid story. I think it provides a lot of food for thought, as far as a women’s role in the modern world, as well as interesting commentary on women’s issues spanning generations.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press and Dreamscape Media, for providing me copies to read and review. I found this quite absorbing and am looking forward to picking up more from this author.

Also, I would definitely recommend the audio format. The narrator did an incredible job bringing it to life and making it compelling. I feel like it’s a great way to take in this story.

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Review: Burn the Negative by Josh Winning

~ megs14malloy

Burn the NegativeBurn the Negative by Josh Winning
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars rounded up**

Even though it had a promising start, sadly, Burn the Negative really let me down in the latter half of the story. I’m bummed about it, y’all. I wanted to love this.

Let’s discuss that initial set-up, shall we?

In the beginning we meet our MC, Laura, an entertainment journalist living in London. We are introduced to Laura as she is making her way to L.A. for a new assignment. She’ll be covering a modern remake of a 1990s Horror-Cult Classic movie called The Guest House.

It quickly becomes clear that there is a lot of mystery and dark lore revolving around the original movie and that Laura has first hand knowledge of that film.

As it turns out, Laura was a child actress who actually had the starring role in The Guest House. Since that time and the tragedies that struck many involved in the film-making, Laura has changed her identity and never let on to anyone who she truly is.

This includes her boss who sent her on this assignment.

Obviously, she’s concerned about returning to L.A. Having anything to do with this new remake, even in the slightest way, makes her nervous. It seems Laura’s doubts are for a reason too, as almost as soon as she is on the ground in L.A., strange things begin happening around her.

So far, so good. I’m a sucker for stories revolving around the filming of Horror movies, series or documentaries too. It also had a strong is it supernatural, is it not supernatural-feel to it that I tend to enjoy.

I was getting major Poltergeist vibes because of all the lore surrounding the making of that movie and the aftermath; the Poltergeist Curse, if you will.

Laura, as a character, was quite mysterious herself. I was interested in learning more about her, as she slowly unveiled the truth of her time with the film, the reasons her family left L.A., and her life since. She has a rather dry personality, but I wasn’t put off by it. She was fine.

There was a certain point though where I stopped enjoying the ride. More specifically, when I stopped feeling as much that it was inspired and started to feel more like it was falling into cliche territory.

I can name the point where the switch-flipped too. Without giving too much away, I will just say it had to do with a road trip, a gas station and the police.

After that point, I started to be more annoyed with the story than pleased by it. Particularly, the dialogue towards the end bordered on cringe and I’ll admit, I was happy when it wrapped up.

Overall, while there were aspects of this I enjoyed, it was too much of a mixed bag for me to give it a higher rating. The concept was fun, but the execution throughout didn’t stay consistent in my opinion.

With this being said, I know a ton of Readers are going to love this. If the synopsis sounds interesting to you, please give it a go. You could end up finding a new favorite!

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I would be interested in checking out more of this author’s work.

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