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I bite at myself, tear my skin off, but I never quite die: Reviewing The Deep by Nick Cutter

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. I’m getting ready to wrap up some books so I can get to my summer reading. I’ve had good luck at some local second-hand bookstores. I’m sure you can all relate to lacking impulse control when it comes to books. At least, I hope it is not just a “me problem.” I think that is enough rambling for now. Let’s talk about The Deep.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Disturbing Imagery, Animal Death and Mistreatment, Domestic Abuse, Child Abuse, Body Horror, Claustrophobia, Thalassaphobia

The apocalypse started quietly. People began forgetting small things, then big things, they simply forgot how to function. Scientists discovered a strange disease, dubbed the ‘Gets, was causing the slow demise of humankind. The only hope for a cure is a strange substance called “ambrosia” that can only be found eight miles below the Pacific Ocean. The underwater lab goes quiet after sending out a strange message meant for one man and one man only. Luke Nelson’s brother, Clayton, is one of the scientists tasked with unlocking the secrets of this mysterious substance. Desperate to find out what happened to his brother, Lucas ventures deep below and encounters a darkness that no human mind can fathom.

I have to give Nick Cutter kudos for writing one of the most uncomfortable horror novels I have read in a long time. The layers of different fears make for a rather suffocating and tense reading experience. There’s body horror, aquatic horror, cosmic horror, and psychological horror all rolled into one relentless book. I am not terribly squeamish but I regretted eating dinner before finishing this book. The last 20% of The Deep had me squirming at the exquisite detail that Cutter includes throughout the climax of this book. It was a tough read but in a good way. This book will be especially difficult to read if you have a soft spot for animals. I appreciated that Cutter took the time to explore the characters’ emotions and go out of the way to endear me as a reader to them, and not just create characters who are meant to die. My only gripe about this book is that there were some discussions about sex that I felt were entirely unnecessary. With all of that being said, The Deep is definitely a book for the horror aficionado.

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This world, my love, I give it all to you: Reviewing The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland

Hi again everyone! I’m sure you all missed me after being away for one whole day. I’m not going to ramble too much because I got that all out of my system already. I’m just going to launch into the review. Let’s talk about The God of Endings.

Content Warning: Disturbing Imagery, Violence and Gore, Attempted Assault, Self-Harm, Child Death, Animal Death

Two hundred years ago, a girl named Anna fell ill when a plague swept through her small town. After her father and brother passed away, her eccentric grandfather took her under his care. Instead of nursing Anna back, though, he granted her the gift of immortality and bloodlust. After decades of struggling with her “condition,” Anna finally found a home for herself. She took the name Collette LaSange and established a fine arts school for young children. Everything was going fine until Collette met a talented young boy with a mother who seemed to be hiding something. Finding herself inexplicably drawn to this child, Collette finds herself struggling with an overwhelming lust for blood. Now, she must come to terms with the past or present lest she let it consume her whole.

As you all know, I am a sucker (pun intended) for a good vampire book. I rarely find a book that breaks away from the classic Gothic tropes that come with vampires. Jacqueline Holland’s novel is a standout in the genre. Her prose is poetic, vivid, poignant, and dark. Seeing the world through Anna/Collette’s eyes invites many existential questions about purpose and love. It is a bit of a slow burn, but that benefits the rich narrative and dark themes that Holland explores throughout the book. Unlike other vampire books, this one doesn’t dwell as much on the supernatural elements which is rather refreshing in this instance. It is just abstract enough to leave to your interpretation, while just solid enough to understand Holland’s purpose in her writing. Maybe I am just biased and/or projecting, but I saw elements of Frankenstein and Interview with the Vampire here and there. I don’t toss around the word “extraordinary” very often, but this instance felt appropriate. Needless to say, you should go read The God of Endings.

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We were monsters once…: Reviewing And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin

Hi everyone! I got lucky and had an unexpected day off today. Obviously, that means I’m going to do some serious catching up on my TBR pile. It hasn’t been this out of control in a while. I’m not going to be out of material for a while. Now that I have finished a book, let’s talk about And Then I Woke Up.

Content Warning: Violence, Disturbing Imagery, Strong Language

The world ended when diseased monsters ran rampant and killed innocent people. At least, that’s what they were told. A disease spread across the world, but what it did was affect how people perceive reality. Spence is one of the “cured,” living in Ironside, a massive rehab facility that is essentially a prison. He decides that he belongs here, away from the guilt and shame. A mysterious new inmate named Leila asks him to help her escape so she can find her crew of survivors. Spence agrees, drawn by her enigmatic past. Now, outside of his carefully designed world, Spence must reconcile with the past and confront the reality of the horrors he faced and caused.

Someone can rarely take a genre as straightforward as zombie survival and make it new. Malcolm Devlin, though, does just that. And Then I Woke Up serves as more of an allegory about propaganda and perspective, rather than a gory zombie tale. This book is about one unreliable narrator talking to another unreliable narrator, who is also relying on other unreliable narrators for their survival. It’s a quick, punchy read with plenty of dizzying moments of uncertainty and emotional whiplash. That is what made this book so effective in its message. There are still gory details here and there, along with dramatic scenes of fighting hoards of infected monsters, Those scenes, though, are not what makes this book so interesting. It really is a character study that examines the horrors of not being able to rely on one’s own mind. With this being a shorter one, it would definitely be a great book if you need to get out of a reading slump. It’s safe for me to recommend And Then I Woke Up if you want a unique horror read.

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The amount of pain we can endure is spectacular: Reviewing Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter

Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well. Thank you so much for your likes for my last couple of posts. I love to see that you are all still enjoying my little hobby after all this time. It makes me happy. Don’t worry because I still have plenty of books to review. I’m also going to be starting a couple of series in the near future, so I’m looking forward to seeing if I like any of those. I have plenty of standalone books if that is something you are interested in. With that being said, let’s talk about Ripe.

Content Warning: Substance Abuse, Sexual Content, Disturbing Imagery, Self-harm, Abortion, Emotional Abuse

After spending years at a prominent tech company in San Francisco, Cassie has had enough. She is exhausted, lonely, and frightened but does her best to mask her feelings. Cassie’s life takes a turn when she suspects she might be pregnant. On top of that, her boss asks her to take part in a sketchy plan to take down a rival company. With the pressure growing, Cassie must make a choice that will change her life forever.

I haven’t read any “messy girl literature” in a while and Ripe sits comfortably in that category. I do not label something as “messy girl literature” dismissively. Ripe uses a combination of magical realism and eloquent prose to highlight Cassie’s struggles that most peope relate to. Sarah Rose Etter tackles heavy topics like the endless and torturous cycle of capitalism, depression, emotional abuse from a parent, and substance abuse with brutal honesty and sympathy. The novel was just ambiguous enough and just specific enough to keep me locked in. It is uncomfortable to read at times but those uncomfortable truths are worth confronting. If you want something provocative and harsh, then Ripe is exactly the book for you.

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Day or night, dead was dead: Reviewing Brother by Ania Ahlborn

Hey everyone! I’m back again! I’m on a bit of a roll with finishing books and I intend to keep the momentum. I’ll get to my longer books sooner than later, but I have a couple of shorter ones I want to finish. Ania Ahlborn is an author I have been wanting to read for a while now. I have a soft spot for female horror authors so I want to discover as many as I can so I can then pass along recommendations to all of you. With that being said, it’s time to talk about Brother.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Strong Language (including slurs), Sexual Assault, Child Abuse, Incest, Distrubing Imagery

The Morrows live deep in the Applachian mountains, tucked away from civilization where they can carry out their crimes. Girls go missing and no one thinks to look where the Morrows live. While the rest of the family takes sick joy in hunting these girls, Michael wants nothing more than to live a normal life. He fantasizes about seeing the rest of the world, far away from the suffocating landscape of West Virginia. One day, Michael meets Alice who also has hopes of seeing the world. Just as Michael dares to hope that his dreams might come true, his old brother plots to show Michael where he truly belongs.

This was one of the nastier books I have read in a bit, and I have read plenty of gross books in my life. That statement, though, is a compliment in this case. Ania Ahlborn creates a violent and hauting tale of a twisted family of serial killers in the 1970s. Every character felt more human than I expected, but they all still creeped me out in every sense. Ahlborn does an excellent job balancing the humanity of the characters and gruesome, stomach-churning violence. There was a bit of a twist towards the end that, while a tiny bit predictable, made this all the more tragic. I am glad that this was my first foray into Ania Ahlborn’s novels. Once I recover from this one, I will definitely check out another book by her. If you are a fan of gruesome family dramas, then this certainly the novel for you.

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Fun Is Guaranteed!: Reviewing FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven

Hi everyone! I’m back yet again with yet another review! I know, I know; hold the applause and surprise. I’m glad, though, that you are all still enjoying these and engaging with my posts. Thank you all to my new followers and my long-time followers! I appreciate every single one of you and am happy to keep you entertained. Now, let me entertain you with my review of FantasticLand.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Strong Language, Disturbing Imagery, Discussions of Sexual Assault

In September 2017, FantasticLand, a beloved theme park, was struck by the enormous power of Hurricane Sadie. The hurricane laid waste to the Florida coast and left about 200 employees stranded in the park for five weeks. During that time, chaos reigned and once-civil theme park workers turned to murder. When they were rescued, the media circus that followed left a gruesome imprint on America’s imagination. Now, nearly ten years later, reporter Adam Jakes is determined to find out what really happened by asking the survivors. What he finds out is more horrifying than anything than he had imagined.

FantasticLand spends most of its narrative dancing between semi-believable and pretty unbelievable. The overall setup is interesting and I like how the novel is told through different testimonials. Each character’s voice is unique and there were a lot of interesting connections made throughout the novel. Where it sort of lost me was close to the end where the book has some weirdly convenient plot points, like the park having a stockpile of guns or a real working cannon. There were some other unnecessarily gruesome points that kind of took away from the initial premise of people stuck in a theme park trying to survive. That alone would have been interesting, but the book veered too much into “creepypasta” territory for me and took me out of the interesting parts that dealt with survival and bonding. With all of that being said, I am not going to not recommend FantasticLand. It had enough thrills to keep me entertained. I will say that this book is the most ideal for any fans of survival horror.

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So I should compose my own history, should I? Or it will be lost forever: Reviewing The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. I have some exciting life changes coming up soon. I also have a never-ending TBR pile to finish so that is my fault. Before I begin this review, I encourage you to read my other reviews of Natalie Haynes’ books. She has quickly become one of my favorites in the Greek myth – retelling genre. With that being said, let’s talk about The Children of Jocasta.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Self-Harm and Suicide, Disturbing Imagery, Death of a Child/Stillbirth

When Jocasta was fifteen, her parents forced her to marry the king of Thebes. She spent years praying that she might outlive her largely absent husband. When a handsome young man named Oedipus appears at her palace with news of her husband’s death, Jocasta is relieved. She, however, realizes she has a much greater challenge to face. Fifteen years later, Jocasta’s youngest daughter Ismene is nearly killed in the palace. She thought that she had finally found peace after her parents’ deaths, but now she must deal with a conspiracy against her family. Despite decades apart, mother and daughter must face the inevitable tragic fall of the house of Oedipus.

Natalie Haynes continues to impress me with her clever re-telling of myths that most people know by heart at this point. While she doesn’t entirely dismiss the classic tragedy of Oedipus, she puts a twist on it that has more logic but is nonetheless a sad story of a family torn apart by rumors. Haynes does not just take on Oedipus’ story, but Antigone’s as well. These two stories told from different perspectives provide a unique and engaging experience. While the novel embraces the classic tropes that surround Greek tragedies, it offers just a bit of hope that most of the stories sorely lack. Natalie Haynes has delivered yet another compelling narrative and I cannot recommend her novels enough to anyone interested in Greek mythology.

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Don’t look back. Don’t ever look back: Reviewing Near the Bone by Christina Henry

Hi everyone! I am back much sooner than I thought I would be. I have a couple of shorter books that I want to finish before I tackle my longer ones. I also wanted to read this book while it was still cold out. It has been snowing like crazy where I live. If it’s the same for you then I hope you are staying warm. If you want, you can check out my reviews for the other Christina Henry books I have read. Now, let’s talk about Near the Bone.

Content Warning: Domestic Violence, Sexual Assualt, Infant Loss/Miscarriages, Animal Death, Gore, Discussions and Depictions of Grooming

Mattie lives an isolated life with her abusive husband, William. She lives in fear of the violence he inflicts upon her and does her best to avoid angering him. Their isolated lives are disrupted by the presence of a strange creature that is on the hunt. William sets out to kill this creature, but he is not the only one looking for this mysterious monster. A group of strangers claiming to be cryptozoologists appear on the mountaintop. Mattie realizes that she might have a chance to escape. To do that, she will need to face two monsters.

Near the Bone was a solid horror novel with plenty of intrigue and gore. This book made my stomach churn for more than one reason. Between the scenes depicting abuse and gory monster kills, there are plenty of scares in this book. With that being said, it is a little on the predictable side but that didn’t detract from the overall impact of the novel. I am always down for a story where the main character finds their inner strength and breaks free from unfortunate circumstances. Near the Bone delivers plenty of chills and thrills. If you like horror in an isolated setting or a monster-centric horror novel, then this is the book for you.

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We accomplish great things by reaching toward who we could become: Reviewing Rhythm of War (Book 4 of the Stormlight Archives) by Brandon Sanderson

Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well and staying warm during this winter snap. I don’t want to ramble on for too long because I am so excited to talk about this book. Go ahead and check out my review for the first three books in this series. I also started Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy so I will be reviewing that soon. I just love fantasy books. With that being said, let’s talk about Rhythm of War.

Content Warning: Intense Battle Sequences, Discussions and Depictions of Depression, Character Death

The war of gods has started. Secrets will come to light and lives will be changed forever. Shallan Davar decides that she must finally face her past, but discovers a much more difficult task at hand. Kaladin Stormblessed struggles with the darkness in his mind as it eats away from him. Venli must decide where her loyalties lie. Navani Kholin finds herself on the brink of a discovery that could change the world forever, for gods and man alike. No one is ready for what the future holds.

Every single book in this series has been an absolute delight. I don’t like to be hyperbolic in my reviews so when I say something is wonderful, I say it with my whole chest. What I really appreciated about this particular entry in this series is its depiction of struggles with mental illness and feeling as though you are unworthy. It was as honest as it was heartfelt. I love how Sanderson allows the characters to be relatable, regardless of their powers. It makes the story feel more grounded. It is also a testament to Sanderson’s incredible attention to detail. I was genuinely touched at certain points in the book. On the flip side, the battle scenes were incredible and I am so excited to read the next book. Please read this series. Trust me, you won’t regret it.