YA Thriller/Horror

Review: No Place Left to Hide by Megan Lally

~ megs14malloy

No Place Left to HideNo Place Left to Hide by Megan Lally
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

After reading Megan Lally’s debut, That’s Not My Name, as my first book of 2024 and giving it a strong 5-star rating, I knew she was an author I wanted more from.

No Place Left to Hide is her upcoming 2025-release, with an expected publication date of January 7th, but I couldn’t wait that long. Once I had my ARC, graciously received from Sourcebooks Fire, I knew I would be getting to it soon.

Unsurprisingly, this was so gripping and absolutely overflowing with twists and turns. It took me no time to read at all, and now I must wait for more Lally. It really was a double-edged sword reading this so early.

This felt a little inspired by the true life Murdaugh murders in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. I don’t know if that was intentional by the author, but I was definitely picking up details and connections that made me think of that case.

It also brought to mind Holly Jackson’s Five Survive. If you had fun with that, you should check this out too.

You may be wondering what it’s all about, and I’m going to tell you as briefly I can; trying not to gush on about it.

So, we’re following MC, Brooke, and to her, image is everything. She comes from a very successful family. Her father has been involved in law in their county for decades and is well respected. Her Mom is the principal of their prestigious school.

There was an incident with a classmate a year ago that almost ruined it all for Brooke. Luckily, she was able to move on from it and has just been accepted into her dream school.

She’s been laying low, but with the Yale acceptance, is finally convinced by her best friend, Jena, to attend an Ivy Party, to celebrate along with the rest of their classmates.

It’s been a while since Brooke attended a party, and even though she’s hesitant, she’s looking forward to letting loose for a bit. At the party though, she is confronted by the brother of the classmate she had the incident with last year.

He blames her for what happened to his sister, and from there, everything begins to go downhill quickly.

There are screaming matches, accusations, threats, car chases, police involvement; it’s pretty edge of your seat until the very BITTER end.

I love teen drama. I love rich people behaving badly. I love having a front seat to it all and that’s exactly what Lally delivered me in this one.

Once I started, I could not put this down. Don’t get me wrong, none of the characters are likable and I wasn’t rooting for anyone, but boy, did I want to know all the tea!

While this is very different plot-wise to That’s Not My Name, Lally’s intriguing storytelling style was still on full display.

I didn’t give this a full 5-stars, because there were some minor things that didn’t quite work for me, but overall, it was a very successful, fun reading experience.

I would recommend this to any fan of YA Thrillers. Particularly, if you love really twisted stories.

Thank you to the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can’t wait to see what more Readers think of this one, and more importantly, I can’t wait for more from Megan Lally!

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Review: Come Out, Come Out by Natalie C. Parker

~ megs14malloy

Come Out, Come OutCome Out, Come Out by Natalie C. Parker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

This book has so much to offer, including great rep and an unsettling atmosphere. I really enjoyed meeting these characters and going along on this journey with them.

It was always easy, actually it mostly wasn’t easy, but I appreciated how Fern and Jaq both grew over the course of the story. There was some great messaging involved with both of their stories.

I also felt it was a nice balance between the Horror elements and the Contemporary elements. For me, certain issues, mainly the Horror bits, were wrapped up a little too easily, but overall, a strong Queer YA Horror novel!!

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Review: How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine

~ megs14malloy

How to Survive Your MurderHow to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

🧡🖤🧡🖤🧡🖤🧡🖤🧡🖤🧡🖤🧡

Alice is the sole witness in her sister’s murder trial. It’s been a year since her older sister, Claire, was killed in a corn maze on Halloween night.

Since Claire’s death, Alice’s life has fallen apart. Their parents divorced in the aftermath, and Alice has given up on her plans for the future. She wishes more than anything that that night never happened; that Claire was still with them.

On the first day of the trial, while taking a moment for herself in the courthouse bathroom, Alice is knocked unconscious by a Sidney Prescott look-alike.

When she wakes up, it’s Halloween night exactly one year earlier, the day of Claire’s murder. Alice has until midnight to find her sister and save her, possibly changing the course of events forever.

How to Survive Your Murder was a super-engaging YA Horror-Thriller that kept me on my toes the entire time. It was way more Speculative than I anticipated, bringing to mind comparisons to Neverworld Wake and Summer’s Edge. Both of which, I loved.

I didn’t know that this story is centered around murderous events on Halloween night, so it’s the perfect time of year to read it. That was definitely a bonus.

I also really enjoyed Alice as a main character. She’s a huge fan of Slasher movies and True Crime. I felt like we had a lot in common, so it was easy for me to understand the events through her perspective.

Overall, I found this whole story fun and creative. I walked away thinking, be careful what you wish for. I feel like this author did a great job of bringing a true love for the Slasher genre to the page.

This is the fourth novel I have read by this author and I enjoy their style of Horror. Most recently I read, Two Sides to Every Murder, which I felt very similarly about as this one. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next. This is absolutely their sweet spot.

Give me all the Slasher Goodness!!

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Rereading Rage by Stephen King, Writing as Richard Bachman

~ megs14malloy

RageRage by Richard Bachman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rage is the first short novel that King published under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman. After the Carneal incident in December of 1997, King allowed Rage to go out of print in the United States.

You can mainly find this now in rare original copies, or in old versions of The Bachman Books, which released in 1985 and was comprised of a bind-up of Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, and The Running Man.

I am lucky enough to have a 1st-edition hardback copy of The Bachman Books, which is how I read this story. It’s been in my family since it was published and is one of my most treasured books.

This was a reread for me, but I haven’t read it since the 6th, or 7th grade, many years before 1997. I didn’t remember too much about it except for the setting and the basic premise.

This is a well-written story. It contains wonderful character work and succeeded in pulling me in. The entire scene is set in Mrs. Underwood’s Algebra classroom, after our MC, Charlie Decker goes berserk ((his words)), kills the teacher and takes the rest of the students hostage.

We follow, fly on the wall style, all that goes down inside that classroom after Charlie takes control. I loved the dynamics and conversations amongst the students.

It’s very dialogue heavy, but in such a way that keeps you engrossed as you see an evolution of the character’s opinions within that space. By the end, it gets very Lord of the Flies as the teens develop their own system of self-reflection, judgement and even, punishment.

I really enjoyed the themes explored, especially those involving the experience of teens, or kids, and the various pressures they can feel from those in authority positions, as well as their lack of autonomy, and how that can backfire if pushed too far.

King has always showed an interest in the mind, and psychology, but that was most evident to me in his earlier works. You clearly see that interest within this story, and I loved the way he incorporated that into Charlie’s character and these events.

I understand and respect King’s opinion on this story. I do. In a way though, I think it’s a shame this story isn’t more readily available, as it does offer up a lot of important food for thought and discussion.

There are mentions of the violence children are exposed to and how that effects them over time. I think this would make an incredible Book Club pick. It would be so interesting to see how various Readers interpret this story.

I’m glad that I took the time to reread this one. I obviously have way more grounds to appreciate it as an adult reflecting back on my youth, than I did as a child picking it up.

I would recommend this if you can get it!

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Review: The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power, edited by Terry J. Benton-Walker

~ megs14malloy

The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and PowerThe White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power by Terry J. Benton-Walker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

💀💖💀💖💀💖💀💖💀💖💀💖💀

From the publisher:
13 SCARY STORIES. 13 AUTHORS OF COLOR.
13 TIMES WE SURVIVED THE FIRST KILL.

The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power is a YA Horror Anthology with something for every Reader.

Spoiler Alert: I loved it!

Everything from the set-up preceding the stories, to the diversity of topics, the subgenres of horror displayed, to the narration was fantastic. I def recommend the audiobook.

The stories included are as follows:

1.) All Eyes On Me by Faridah Abike-Iyimide. Buzzwords: Circus setting, clowns, ‘good for her’ Horror, Queer.
2.) Hedge by Kalynn Bayron. Buzzwords: Sibling relationship (brothers), grief, argumentative teens, hedge maze, Eco-Horror.
3.) The Golden Dragon by Kendare Blake. Buzzwords: Korean-American MC, sibling relationship (sisters), rich kids behaving badly, revenge ghost.
4.) Best Served Cold by H.E. Edgmon. Buzzwords: Indigenous MC, LGBTQIA+, Body Horror, (view spoiler).
5.) The Protege by Lamar Giles. Buzzwords: Absent parents/kids fend for themselves, sibling relationship (brothers), magician ((the showman kind, not the magic school kind)), Secret Society.
6.) Docile Girls by Chloe Gong. Buzzwords: Asian-American MC, High School drama, Teen Scream, Slasher, Revenge Thriller.
7.) Grey Grove by Alexis Henderson. Buzzwords: Southern Gothic, paranormal, podcast element, cold case investigation, seance.
8.) Everything’s Coming Up Roses by Tiffany D. Jackson. Buzzwords: Mixed media, obsession, disturbing behavior, hiding in plain sight.
9.) Heaven by Adiba Jaigirdar. Buzzwords: Futuristic, post-apocalyptic, Eco-Horror, creature feature, isolation.
10.) Break Through Our Skin by Naseem Jamnia. Buzzwords: Iranian-American MC, non-binary MC, Persian culture, archeology, gender identity, ancient entity.
11.) Wasps by Mark Oshiro. Buzzwords: Latinx MC, gentrification, generational story/responsibility/lore.
12.) Hell is Other Demons by Karen Strong. Buzzwords: Demons, possession, religion, Queer.
13.) The Road to Hell by Terry J. Benton-walker. Buzzwords: Southern Gothic, Queer, haunted house, sense of place, unique perspective.

I really appreciated the diversity of topics which these authors brought to the page, and also, the arrangement of the stories within the collection.

I was always excited to see what was coming next. There were no two stories, even remotely similar, close to one another. It kept me fully-engaged and on my toes.

As someone who loves many Horror subgenres, I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite, but some standouts for me were from Edgmon, Giles, Gong, Jackson and Strong. With this being said, I would be happy to pick up more work from each and every one of these talented authors!

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

‘Tis this season for this type of collection and I absolutely recommend it for your Autumnal TBR!
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Review: Old Wounds by Logan-Ashley Kisner

~ megs14malloy

Old WoundsOld Wounds by Logan-Ashley Kisner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was really strong. I enjoyed the set-up, character work and action. I liked how the Social Horror elements were more frightful than the Monster bits…

Old Wounds is an intense and engaging YA Horror story featuring two Trans-MCs, who while on a road trip across country, end up getting stuck in a small town where they must fight for their survival.

Max and Erin are estranged friends who used to date. Max wants to go to California and ends up convincing Erin to go with him. Erin is a little confused by this, considering Max broke up with her abruptly 2-years ago.

We follow the kids from the start of the trip through to the bitter end. It was a little awkward at first. They both have a lot of thoughts swirling through their heads, but are getting comfortable communicating with one another again.

I was hooked into this from the start. I felt like the character work, from the first moments, was so well executed.

I loved getting to know both Max and Erin. They’re very different, but have a lot of history and are connected by many experiences.

As I learned their reasoning for making the trip to California, it made me sad, but I could definitely appreciate their reasoning. I think for Erin, she was more concerned for Max than herself. I liked that dedication to a friend.

It doesn’t take long before they get to the small town where they get stuck. This is where the main action will play out. I loved the Horror vibes of that. The creepy small town feel, it was like you could feel the walls closing in on them.

That’s one of my favorite Horror tropes; protagonists ending up in strange town where the locals aren’t behaving normally. You just know that some scary stuff is about to go down. That the MCs are in serious danger.

Kisner nailed that set-up. It was very cinematic.

The kids meet a few locals, after having some car troubles, and they’re told a legend about the town involving a monster. To me, it sounded like a story of sacrifice, but Erin and Max didn’t see it that way. At least not initially.

You follow Max and Erin as things get weirder and weirder, and as their circumstances get increasingly more dangerous.

This is all you need to know about the plot. It gets wild and crazy. It had me glued to the pages. There’s a ton of social commentary and I need to doff my cap to the author for the way it was all presented.

The social elements were seamless with the rest of the narrative. Everything flowed smoothly after the incredible character development and plot set-up. It was easy, as the Reader, to interpret what I believe the author was trying to get across, without it feeling forced.

I’m NGL, this is a heavy read and I would recommend being sure that you are in the right headspace when you read it.

Overall though, I think it was beautifully done. I could have done with a little more towards the end, but that could’ve been because I was attached Erin and Max by that point.

I was impressed by this. I went in with zero expectations and Logan-Ashley Kisner has captured my attention. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.

Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I really hope this book gets the attention it deserves. Well done!

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Review: Under the Surface by Diana Urban

~ megs14malloy

Under the SurfaceUnder the Surface by Diana Urban
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Under the Surface is the latest Thriller from one of my go-to YA authors, Diana Urban. I have been soooooo freaking excited about this one. I love Urban’s stories and synopsis for this sounded hella fun.

Teens trapped in the Paris Catacombs, yes, please!

This story follows Ruby and Sean, two teens enjoying Paris on a class trip. Ruby and Sean are good friends, but lately their feelings for each other have started to lean in a more romantic direction.

They’re both excited to escape from their regular lives for a bit and experience the City of Light together. It doesn’t get any more romantic than that.

Their romantic aspirations are derailed, however, when Ruby’s best friend, Val, sneaks away on the first night to meet up with a French boy she had met earlier in the day.

Not wanting Val to get in trouble, Ruby goes after her, hoping to bring her back before getting caught. In an unfortunate set of events, Ruby ends up reining other classmates, Selena and Olivia, into her endeavor.

When they find Val, she’s with the mystery boy and he has an enticing offer; the chance to attend an exclusive party underground in the infamous catacombs of Paris.

This intricate maze of galleries and tunnels were once used by the city as a way to house their dead, due to serious health concerns regarding overflowing cemeteries. It’s believed that over 6-million bodies were stored there.

As you can imagine, these catacombs are fascinating to many people. The girls weren’t immune. They were dying to explore this underground tunnel system.

Unable to find the party and feeling like they are being watched, and worse, possibly chased, the crew of teens end up hopelessly lost under the surface.

Up above, Sean is the first to suspect that something may be seriously wrong. It’s not like Ruby to disappear without telling anyone. Certainly not overnight. He won’t rest until the adults start to him seriously and begin a search.

And if they won’t, he’ll find her himself.

This book sucked me in pretty quickly. I loved the idea of these teens being in Paris on a Senior Trip and then having the ultimate misadventure. I had no idea how stressful it would become though.

Originally, I rated this 3.5-stars and rounded up to 4, mainly because it did slow down a bit for me in the 2nd-half; that being my only critique, that it’s a tiny bit too long.

With this being said, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, so decided a straight 4-star rating was more true to my experience.

I feel like Urban did a sensational job building the tension in this story. The level of claustrophobia and panic I started to feel, it was real.

Even considering being in the place of Ruby, Val, Olivia, or Selena, OMG, I can’t even imagine how horrifying it would be. Sometimes when I was reading, I had to get up and walk around, to stretch and take a break. It got that stressful, all whilst remaining entertaining.

The interpersonal drama is very YA, but it is a book for Teens, so what else would we expect. It fits the target audience. Also, that never bothers me. If it did, I wouldn’t gravitate towards YA books so often.

I do feel Urban did a great job making these characters relatable as well. They’re all going through different struggles common to the Teen experience. If anything, that should only help to connect Readers more with this story and the nail-biting events contained herein.

The things that happened in the catacombs, it got wild. Urban took it in a direction I wasn’t expecting. For me, I wouldn’t say I disliked the direction it took, but once certain things were revealed, I was slightly disappointed.

In saying this, I am not really critiquing the book, it’s not my story to tell and it’s 100% personal taste, but I just wish it hadn’t gone down certain paths, if you will.

Because of this, the first half was stronger for me than the second, however, I do think overall this is still an exciting YA Thriller, toeing the line into Horror. It succeeded in making me feel claustrophobic almost the whole way through!

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for YR, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I feel like this is Urban’s most adventurous work to date. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next!!

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Review: Seasick by Kristin Cast & Pintip Dunn

~ megs14malloy

SeasickSeasick by Kristin Cast
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

I’ll be honest, I think the trick with Seasick is going into it with the right mindset.

If you are expecting deep prose and super compelling character interactions, you may want to look elsewhere.

If however, you’re like me, and you’re just here for a good time, this could be a lot of fun for you.

To me, one of the things I appreciated about Seasick was that it didn’t seem to take itself too seriously. This is like B-Horror, which I am a huge fan of. It feels campy, and in spite of the mega-yacht setting, it feels low budget.

The plot and characters were outrageous, nevertheless, it was a wicked good time. I loved seeing that body count pile up, as I tried to figure out who was behind it.

This story follows a group of recent high school graduates, who after being inducted into a prestigious society in their small Oklahoma town, set out on a celebratory yacht trip to Bermuda. For some, a trip of a lifetime.

As the Reader, you’re clued in from the start that it’s going to end up being a total bloodbath, but it was fun watching that whole drama play out.

Estranged best friends, Yana and Naya, team up to figure out who the killer aboard is, before they fall victim themselves.

I mean, that’s it. It’s pretty simple, but it was a blast, NGL. This is like a made-for-tv movie with a ton of hot actors trying to survive a Slasher. It def gives those vibes.

The yacht setting was fun, because it feels claustrophobic. There’s literally no means of escape. These kids are trapped, and one way or another, they need to fight in order to survive, whether they like it or not.

I did enjoy a lot of the teen drama, but that’s sort of what I’m into. So, boys and girls behaving badly is like candy for me. I was eating it up.

Will this go down in history as one of my favorite YA Horror/Thrillers ever? No. However, can I walk away happy I read it and feeling like I had a really great time? Absolutely!

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Campy Teen Screams and books set on boats. This is filled with catty drama and ridiculously fun kills. There’s a whole bunch of Readers for this out there, and you know who you are!

Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was a wild voyage!

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Review: One House Left by Vincent Ralph

~ megs14malloy

One House LeftOne House Left by Vincent Ralph
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed One House Left. It deserves its comp to R.L. Stine, though this is better written…

I sort of totally kid. I love R.L. Stine and appreciate all of his work and his contribution to the Horror space. I still read his books today and will continue to do so, well, forever.

Anytime I see a new release compared to Stine’s stories, I am going to check it out. It’s the Publishers doing their work. They sold me. Sometimes it pays off, other times not so much. Happy to report it def paid off here.

This story follows 16-year old, Nate Campbell, who grew up on a cursed street, dubbed Murder Road, haunted by a vengeful spirit known only as The Hiding Boy.

Every few years a different house on the street is plagued by some sort of violent tragedy. Nate and his family, trying to outrun the curse, move to a new town at the start of this story and that is where we pick up with Nate.

We follow him as he navigates being the new kid, while also trying to outrun his past. Will he be able to do so? Is it even possible to escape from the clutches of Murder Road?

I was hooked into this one from the start. It was giving me total Fear Street vibes with the narration style and the way the MC, Nate, presented his story.

He was pulled into a clique of friends at his new school, led by the strong-willed, Max, who love learning about and exploring urban legends. Little did they know that Nate was actually living one.

Max seemed like such a cool girl to me. I loved her. Everything about the way she was described and the confidence with which she carried herself, she was def my fave in this one!

There’s all sorts of mystery throughout this story as well. I had so many questions. I didn’t really know what was going on half the time, purposefully on the author’s part, and it kept me hella intrigued.

People were acting strangely, Nate was receiving mysterious threatening messages, it wasn’t quite clear the circumstances under which Nate’s family left their old home; there was so much I wanted to know.

That’s one way to keep you furiously flipping pages!

There was a huge twist around the 70%-point, that legit left my jaw on the floor. I couldn’t believe what was happening and it totally changed my perspective on everything. I felt that was so well played by the author.

As far as reveals go, it was definitely one I did NOT expect!

I also loved the escalation of this story. It was like a snowball rolling down hill. The pacing was very well done.

There’s a lot that I appreciated about this story, but I won’t risk saying more because I don’t want to spoil anything. Just know, I was impressed.

Overall, I loved how the concept of Urban Legends was used by the author to tell this story. I found the characters so compelling, especially my girl, Max. As YA Horror novels go, this is at towards the top of the class!

Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. This is the 2nd-book I have read from Vincent Ralph and I’m definitely seeing a progression in his work.

I look forward to reading more from him!

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Review: 49 Miles Alone by Natalie D. Richards

~ megs14malloy

49 Miles Alone49 Miles Alone by Natalie D. Richards
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

In 49 Miles Alone we follow cousins, Katie and Aster, as they embark on a 4-day, 49-mile hike through the Utah desert.

We can tell early on that Katie and Aster are incredibly close, however, something has happened within the past year that has caused a fracture in their relationship.

As hiking is an activity they’ve been doing together since they were kids, it seems they’re intending to use this trip, in one way or another, to repair their relationship.

They’re both experienced backpackers, but as everyone knows, the world is a dangerous place, due both to nature itself and other humans.

As the trip starts off, the girls are both fairly quiet. There’s a lot of thinking going on, but unfortunately not a lot of communicating. Eventually, though circumstances require them to begin to open up and work together.

There’s limited supplies, an illness, a freak storm and an injury, but the most unsettling may be the people they encounter on the trail.

They meet a couple, Riley and Finn, and end up tenting near them for a night. Something about them seems off to Katie and Aster when they share a meal with them.

That night, the cousins hear the couple fighting and witness Riley fleeing their campsite with Finn in hot pursuit. Unable to assist Riley in the dark, Katie and Aster hunker down until morning, at which time the find the couple’s campsite abandoned with no sign of either one of them.

How are Katie and Aster going to be able to help this other girl, when it’s becoming increasingly difficult for them to even help themselves? Will they make it to mile-49?

I adored my time with this YA Survival Thriller for people who enjoy being out on the trails. The topics explored were great, the character arcs were fantastic, and the intriguing bits so well plotted.

Honestly, this is my favorite Natalie D. Richards to-date!

I read this so quickly. I found the cousins both interesting and I enjoyed learning about their relationship, including all they’d been through together.

In addition to getting both Katie and Asters perspectives, we also get a mystery perspective from an individual who has obviously been severely injured on the trail.

This perspective was peppered in and I loved the mystery of who that was, and how it was going to connect to the story of our cousins.

When they meet the couple, there were many red flags, and that situation def upped the stakes for our girls. It was completely gripping. I had to know the ultimate outcome.

I love hiking and being out in nature in general, exploring new places. This is a proper Survival Thriller and it never got too OTT-for me. I thought it was very well done and well plotted. The drama felt real and I loved the character arcs for both Katie and Aster.

I love how Richards kept it intriguing throughout. There was always something to question and wonder about. I also really enjoyed the emotional journey for both girls. They grew so much by the end and I loved the ending. It’s so satisfying.

Thank you to the publisher, SOURCEBOOKS Fire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I cannot wait to read more from this author!

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