An angry woman shows up at Liss and Link's door one night demanding that Liss take her baby. The mother is never seen again and the baby, now a teen, has only ever known Liss and Link as his parents. Life is good until a car is dragged out of their pond and in it is the woman who went missing years before. Suddenly Link is a suspect as everyone in town is convinced that he is Callan's dad. So many secrets in a small town that don't stay buried. Generations of ill will , money and power all at play here in a story that moves at a fast pace gaining suspects as it goes along. 3 1/2 stars
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Cam has been living off the glory of his first horror novel without a followup in sight so when he is suddenly offered a writer in residence position at a small college he jumps on it. His girlfriend Quinn is not so eager to return near her childhood home in an area billed as "the most haunted county in America". They agree to get out if anything feels off which it does almost immediately. As Cam gets pulled into an eager and secretive group of his peers Quinn begins to research some of the local history and meets a weirdo group of women all her own. Bad things are afoot and the nightmares which helped Cam write his novel feel a little too identical to Edenville. Scary, gory with over the top cult groupies that you can't get out of your head and a demon made of old wood this is perfect for Halloween as long as you leave the lights on. 4 stars
Happy book birthday to OUT THERE SCREAMING edited by Jordan Peele
I think most will agree that Black authors have probably witnessed more than their fair share of everyday horror and generational trauma and this anthology showcases some of the best. A collection of well known and not as well known authors writing new short stories that mix the very real fear and horror of racism and fear with ghosts, old magic and the unexplained. From stories of the Freedom Riders to a gifted and frightening brother and sister team to children suffering from an addict mother to two ghosts and their game of taking out those unworthy drivers on Deadman's Curve this is an broad look at the genre told in diverse voices. You do not have to be a devoted reader of horror to appreciate the craft and talent of these authors. 4 stars A haunted house, a haunted husband trying to deal with the death of his wife and raise their two young daughters and the aunt/sister in law who is trying to help but is haunted by her own memories.
This is a classic horror tale complete with a boogyman "Black Mamba" who only the girls can see, a creepy basement where there is a door you don't want to go through and plenty of things that go bump in the night. It is also a haunting of grief and the personal nightmare of dealing with ghosts and memories. British but feels distinctly southern gothic. Readers of Shirley Jackson or Lee Mandela's SUMMER SONS will enjoy this. 3 1/2 stars Ruth has been brought up in a god fearing small community in Louisiana where her strict minister father rules home, church and town. She and her swamp rat best friend Everett have wanted to escape since high school after they made a horrible person disappear. Now years later the crime comes bubbling back to the surface. Battle lines are drawn , dark secrets are about to come to light and the holier than thou religious leaders are headed for Hell. Myths, religious zealots and small southern towns are all at play here along with a jaw dropping cliff hanger ending. There are definite ties to myths, nature and a good old swamp mystery as seen in WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING and THE GIRLS IN THE STILT HOUSE. 4 stars
Happy book birthday to AFTER THE FOREST by Kell Woods
It has been years since Greta saved her brother Hans and killed the evil witch and she has been hounded for it ever since. Their lives have not been easy with Han's gambling debts mounting and Greta's enchanted gingerbread being the only thing keeping them out of the poor house. Greta meets a mysterious man with secrets of his own and hopes that their feelings for each other is not due to her use of magic. As she learns more of her family history and her own power becomes stronger Greta begins to find her path. This original story takes in all the elements of Grimm fairy tales weaving them together in a spell more appealing than magic gingerbread, more frightening than the shape shifters in the woods and more dangerous than the villager's fears of sorcery and things they don't understand. I found myself fully immersed and enchanted by the book and the audiobook. This is for all of us grownups who still believe in fairy tales and Kell Woods is an exciting new voice in fantasy. 4 stars Happy book birthday to THE HURRICANE WARS by Thea Guanzon
Enemies sworn to destroy the other , Alaric and Talasyn seem like unlikely allies let alone candidates for a political marriage. That is exactly how this starts and they do their best to fight the attraction they have for each other pretty well. This is the first in a new Asian inspired fantasy series which takes all the elements needed for a new world - political alliances, royalty vs. rebels, magical powers, a fierce orphan who ends up being much more and of course, the enemy to lover sexual tension and sets it in a world of horrific storms and a kingdom under siege. A promising start for debut author Thea Guanzon. 4 stars Mary Shelley gave birth to a monster novel at a time where women were thought to only dabble in poetry or flowery verse let alone write something so dark. Mary along with her lover Percy and their baby are spending the summer in Switzerland with a well respected group of authors. When the free love and drug induced evenings get boring they decide to each write a ghost story. Using her summer as a teen in Scotland as inspiration she pens her masterpiece. The novel bounces between present day with Mary second guessing love, desire and her life and her first taste of love and desire at 14 with her friend Isabella. That summer seemed like all men were monsters especially the one who stole Isabella away. In language that feels like a fever dream Mary discovers that not all monsters exist in legends and stories told at the pub but exist in plain sight. Readers who love dissecting creative minds and origin stories as well as how Victorian women found ways to break free of society norms will find much of interest here.
3 1/2 stars |
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