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She has all the confidence a deadly thing should: Reviewing Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy

Hello everyone! I’m back much sooner than I thought I would be. I try to pace myself when I read, but I get excited and speed through books. That means more content for you all, though! This book has also been on my TBR for a long time, so I’m happy to have finally gotten around to it. I’m going to go on for too much longer. Let’s talk about Mary: An Awakening of Terror.

Content Warning: Violence, Gore, Disturbing Imagery, Child Death, Animal Death, Discussions and Depictions of Misogyny, Discussions and Depictions of Ageism, Sexual Assault

Mary has been feeling miserable lately. She’s starting to go through menopause, she’s lost her job, and she is incredibly lonely. That isn’t the only thing wrong with her, though. Every time Mary looks in a mirror, she sees the ghosts of dead women looking back at her and hears voices telling her to do awful things. An opportunity for a new chance at life arises when her estranged aunt calls, asking for her to be a caretaker. Mary packs up her little collection of porcelain figures and heads to her hometown. Everything gets worse. Soon, Mary is plagued by nightmares and begins auto-writing the same bizarre phrases that echo those of an infamous serial killer who died in her hometown. When a spate of murders happens soon after she arrives, Mary must find out how she is tied to these deaths and uncover some deadly, long-buried secrets.

Mary: An Awakening of Terror is a rare combination of insightful commentary and a full-blown splatterpunk gore fest. (If you are sensitive to gore, this is not the book for you.) This book ticks off so many horror sub-genres that it almost feels like it completely shifts from slasher horror to cult horror to existential horror. I appreciated the messages revolving around self-worth and self-doubt (even if it is in a warped and twisted way). It is a fast-paced read with plenty of gruesome action. What I appreciated the most about this novel was how the protagonist was a middle-aged woman just trying to cope with a part of life that most people don’t really address or think about. Women, in particular, have a particularly tricky relationship with aging and I liked how Nat Cassidy (who is a man) approached the particular topic without making any assumptions or playing into any stereotypes. Mary: An Awakening of Terror is unlike any horror novel I have read and I definitely recommend that you experience this one for yourself.

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Death is just another door: Reviewing Rouge by Mona Awad

Hi everyone! If you are reading this today, then happy Eclipse day! I got very lucky and was in the path of totality. It was a genuinely awesome experience. I hope that maybe some of you got to experience it or will experience it in the near future. Back on the topic of books, though, this is my third Mona Awad book. If you want, you can check out my reviews for her other books, Bunny and All’s Well. I think it’s safe to say I am a bit of a fan now. Let’s talk about her most recent novel, Rouge.

Content Warning: Discussions and Depictions of Grief, Some Depictions of Self – Harm, Some Harsh Language

From a young age, Belle had been obsessed with beauty and has spent her adult life maintaining a regimented skincare routine to preserve her skin. Her obsession began with her mother, who was always the most glamorous person to ever live in Belle’s eyes. One day, Belle receives a call that her mother has died in a strange accident. Now, she is stuck dealing with her mother’s California apartment and her many debts. At a memorial service, Belle meets a strange woman in a red dress who claims she can tell her how her mother died. This woman leads her to a strange, cult-like spa that promises to make Belle her “most magnificent self.” The more time Belle spends in the spa, the more she begins to lose herself. In order to regain her sense of self, Belle must face secrets that she has buried for far too long.

In my previous reviews for Mona Awad’s books, it used words like “dream like” and “surreal.” Rouge, however, is easily the most dream-like and surreal. The narrative feels as though you are moving through those dream-like movements where you are doing something due to whatever strange logic you experience in your dream. (I hope that makes sense.) Underneath all of the strangeness of the novel is narrative about grief, beauty standards, and mother/daughter relationships. All of this is tied together with some interesting fairy tale motifs that I thought helped add to the strangeness that Mona Awad is so good at crafting in these novels. This is probably my favorite of the three novels by Mona Awad that I read and I am going to give you my recommendation for Rouge.

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When stories don’t make sense, they scare us: Reviewing The Boatman’s Daughter by Andy Davidson

Hi everyone! I hope you are doing well. I’ve been re-reading some of my previous favorite books lately so my unread TBR might go untouched for just a bit. I have some books on my TBR, though, that are mixed media and I am so excited for those. Mixed media books are an underused genre, in my opinion, so I want to read more of them. I hope I am giving you all a pretty good range of books regarding genre, author, length, etc. I truly hope I have introduced you to some new favorite books through these reviews. Now, let’s talk about The Boatman’s Daughter.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Harsh Language, Substance Use, Abuse Towards Children, Disturbing Imagery, Discussions and Depictions of Sexual Abuse

Miranda Crabtree witnessed her father’s death when she was a child. On that same night, she saved the life of a strange child by taking him to an old witch to hide him away. Since then, Miranda has spent her running drugs for a zealous preacher and his small group of followers. Her semblance of safety, though, is in jeopardy when the preacher asks her to do something unthinkable. Now, with supernatural and human forces working against her, Miranda must take drastic measures to save her life and the lives of those she loves.

I was initially drawn to The Boatman’s Daughter because it is a Southern Gothic novel with supernatural elements. I’ve mentioned before that I love the Southern Gothic genre and want to read more. I’ll start with the positives I found in this book. The prose was strong with plenty of rich descriptions. Some of the supernatural elements were compelling and I like how the author used elements of Russian folklore alongside folklore of the American South. I also enjoyed the “found family” element that lies at the heart of this novel. I have a hard time, though, saying I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a bit rambling at times. Some of the violence felt so unnecessary. I understood the point of it but the human violence felt kind of gratuitous compared to the supernatural threat in this book. This book felt like it was right on the tipping point of being too “edgy.” It also had the tone of feeling more like it wanted to be a screenplay as opposed to being a novel. In conclusion, I am going to say that The Boatman’s Daughter is not going to be for everyone so this is my tentative recommendation to you all.

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Why must you keep sending me innocent monsters?: Reviewing What Feasts at Night (The Sequel to What Moves the Dead) by T. Kingfisher

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. Spring is finally around the corner and I am very excited for any new opportunities that await. Before you check out this review, I would recommend you check out my review of this novella’s predecessor, What Moves the Dead. You can also check out my other views of T. Kingfisher’s books: Nettle and Bone, A House with Good Bones, and The Hollow Places. (Needless to say, I have a new favorite author.) Now, let’s talk about the latest novella, What Feasts at Night.

Content Warning: Disturbing Imagery, Violence Related to War, Death of an Animal

After escaping from the horrors of the Usher house, Alex Easton is finally ready to be done fighting for their life. Alex wants nothing more but to go back to Paris but, instead, they find themself returning to their home country of Gallacia. They decide to make the best of the situation by sprucing up their family hunting lodge but find that the caretaker is dead and the lodge is in disrepair. At first, Alex assumes the caretaker died of old age but rumors begin to swirl around the village of a monster who steals people’s breath in their sleep. At first, Alex ignores these old superstitions but soon they begin having strange dreams that quickly turn into something far more deadly.

What Feasts at Night is an atmospheric, folk horror-inspired novella that delivers plenty of chills and thrills. While it is not a direct follow-up to What Moves the Dead, it does make some direct references and continues on the tradition of “eco-centric horror” (as I like to call it). I love how Kingfisher incorporates nature and folklore into this particular novella. It didn’t get really creepy until the end but I enjoyed the build-up before that. What Feasts at Night is yet another great read by T. Kingfisher. I have been really enjoying all of her books and will definitely continue to read the rest of her novels.

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There is nothing wrong with being a monster: Reviewing The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

Hi everyone! I’m back again with another review. Before you read this review, you can check out my review of Cassandra Khaw’s other novella Nothing but Blackened Teeth. I still have mixed feelings about that particular book. I didn’t realize how many people really disliked the first novella, though. Rarely, I don’t give authors a second chance. Some authors just need some time to improve. I have a small handful of authors who I won’t ever read or won’t read again. I don’t focus too heavily on that aspect and typically just go off of the books themselves. Maybe some of you are the exact opposite, though. It is fine either way. Now, let’s talk about The Salt Grows Heavy.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Body Horror, Depictions of Harm Towards Children, Non-consensual Medical Experimentation, Discussions and Depictions of Abuse

A prince found a mermaid and brought her to shore. He foolishly thought he could make her a “proper wife.” He was wrong and now her daughters have devoured the kingdom. Now, the mermaid wanders the land with a mysterious plague doctor by her side. The two unlikely companions discover a village of immortal children who are ruled by three cruel beings they call “the saints.” The mermaid and the plague doctor must embrace their darker natures to survive.

I must say that I enjoyed this book more than I enjoyed Nothing but Blackened Teeth. I liked the unique take that this book had on mermaid-centric fairytales and embraces the myths in which mermaids (or sirens) are terrifying monsters. I also like the relationship between the mermaid and the plague doctor. The biggest problem with this book is that is a novella. There are some interesting ideas in this book that I would have loved to see explore more. The book seemed so focused on these long descriptions and excessive use of words that I had to stop to look up. While I did indeed learn new words, I also learned you don’t need long words to make your story compelling. That being said, Cassandra Khaw’s writing is strong and the descriptions were both beautiful and visceral. It was one of the more gory books I have read so far this year. Overall, I’m not going to say that you should definitely read The Salt Grows Heavy but I don’t think it would hurt to check this one out if you are interested in super dark and violent retellings of fairy tales.

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Maybe I never stopped screaming: Reviewing Intercepts by T.J. Payne

Hi all! I hope you are all doing well. The weather is finally getting nice and I am ready to read in places that are not indoors. I typically do include indoor reading, though. It’s my dream to make myself a little reading nook one day with a comfy chair and all kinds of cozy things to surround myself with while I read some of the most stressful books I decide to buy. Speaking of stressful books, I am very excited to talk to you all about this one. I have seen Intercepts come up on a lot of recommendation lists so I took that as a sign I needed to check this book out. Now, it’s time to talk about Intercepts by T.J. Payne.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Graphic Descriptions of Injuries, Non-Consensual Medical Extermination, Discussions and Depictions of Self-Harm, Harsh Language, Disturbing Imagery, Discussions and Depictions of Severe Mental Illness

Joe Gerhard is good at his job. He works at the Facility, which houses top-secret experiments done on human prisoners. These prisoners are known as “Antennas” and can be used to “intercept” someone’s mind. The way to do this, though, is by putting the prisoners in extreme sensory deprivation that drives them to madness. Joe has accepted this as part of his job, though, because they use the “antennas” to catch terrorists and criminals. His life is interrupted by tragedy when his ex-wife takes her own life. Riley, his teenage daughter, comes to live with Joe in the aftermath. Soon after, she starts having terrifying hallucinations of a woman who tears herself apart. Joe comes to the horrifying realization that his daughter has been “intercepted” and must figure out how to save her.

Intercepts was a gruesome and thrilling read that was a mix of sci-fi and horror. This gave me similar vibes to the SCP Foundation if you are familiar. (If you aren’t familiar with the SCP Foundation, it is a fictional government facility that houses all kinds of scary and bizarre creatures. Go look it up.) The novel comes out swinging with the gory horror from chapter one but leaves plenty of room for suspense. There were a couple of times when my jaw dropped because of just how gory the book was. The twists also made me want to get to the end so I could have some kind of answer. Intercepts was an unputdownable sci-fi horror I would recommend for all of you horror fans.

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When you are real, you don’t mind being hurt: Reviewing How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well. Before I introduce you to this book, I suggest you check out my review of Horrorstor, also by Grady Hendrix. Recently, I created an account on StoryGraph, which is an app that allows you to keep track of what you’re reading. If you want, you can follow me (N0vel_Ideas) and you can see what reviews I have coming up or we can even buddy read if you want. Now, back to the matter at hand. I was a bit nervous to read this book because it seemed like everyone either had this in their top ten or bottom ten when it came to reviewing it. I try not to be influenced by too many reviews but it is hard to ignore a book that it seems like everyone is talking about. I don’t necessarily consider this part of the content warning but if you are freaked out by puppets and/or dolls then this is probably not the book for you. Anyways, let’s talk about How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix.

Content Warning: Disturbing Imagery, Violence, Graphic Descriptions of Injuries, Harsh Language, Harm Towards Children, Discussions About Grief and Mourning

Louise is shocked when her estranged brother calls her one day to tell her that their parents died in a car accident. As upset as she is, Louise is reluctant to leave her young daughter with her ex and return to her childhood home in South Carolina. What she especially doesn’t want to deal with is her parents’ home, which contains all of the remnants of her mom’s lifelong passion: puppets and dolls. On top of that, Louise’s brother Mark wants to fight over their inheritance. As they continue to fight over the house, they begin to realize that there is something else in the house that will stop at nothing to make sure they don’t sell it…..

I’m pleased to say that I was pleasantly surprised by Grady Hendrix’s most recent novel. Hendrix has an interesting way of writing (what I am going to dub) “quirky horror.” The whole puppet/doll aspect of the novel was certainly unique. I thought that this novel elevated that particular subgenre of horror. I got similar vibes to Chucky at times. The novel does balance some more gratuitous moments of horror, suspense, and rather heartfelt themes of grief and mourning. I will say that this book does get a little slow towards the middle and is a bit predictable, but honestly, I was fine with that. It was a solid, enjoyable horror novel. I am going to go ahead and recommend How to Sell a Haunted House if you want to dive a little deeper into the horror genre.

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The living are often anchors for the dead: Reviewing The Deep by Alma Katsu

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. I’m doing my best to keep my reviews coming at a steady pace. I’m also realizing that I might have to rearrange my bookshelves yet again. Every year or so, I like to switch up how my bookshelves look. They aren’t super cute or aesthetic by any means but they are set up just the way I like them for now. I might organize by color next time for my standalone books but we will see how much effort I feel like putting into re-organizing everything. Now, enough of that. Let’s talk about The Deep by Alma Katsu.

Content Warning: Death of a Child, Distressing Imagery, Some Violence, Sexual Content

In 1912, a young Irish woman named Annie Hebbley was hired as a stewardess aboard the HMHS Titanic. Despite the glamor of the remarkable ship, something sinister is attacking the guests. Annie and a few others try to investigate what’s happening but tragedy strikes. Annie manages to survive the sinking of the Titanic and retreats to an asylum. Four years later, Annie’s friend and fellow survivor, Violet Jessop, offers her a position as a nurse on board the Titanic‘s sister ship, the Britannic, which has been converted to a hospital ship in the wake of World War One. While on the ship, Annie crosses paths with Mark Fletcher whom she had met on the Titanic. The two are forced to relive the tragedy they had survived and confront the demons that have come back to haunt them from their pasts.

Maybe some of you reading this review have or had some sort of fascination with the sinking of the Titanic and, if so, then this book is for you. The Deep is a rich mixture of drama, suspense, mystery, and horror. This is a bit of a slow burn but even the parts that don’t really touch on the supernatural elements are still interesting. Once the novel picks up pace, it becomes difficult to put down. Every character is well fleshed-out and the subplots blend seamlessly. This novel utilizes a mix of real-life figures and characters created for this book. I did some light research because I was curious and it seems Alma Katsu did keep true to history. This was a very fun and compelling read. I am absolutely going to recommend this, especially if you want a unique historical fiction novel.

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The world was scary. Worse, I was scary in it: Reviewing Monstrilio by Gerardo Samano Cordova

Hello everyone! I’m back to my regularly scheduled reviews! I’m very excited about this one too. I always have a few books on my TBR pile that I look forward to more than others. Monstrilio has been circling around my little corner of the internet and I was immediately intrigued by the premise. Now, let’s not ramble on any longer and talk about Monstrilio.

Content Warning: Death of a Child, Grief and Mourning, Explicit Sexual Content, Some Harsh Language, Depictions Of Drug and Alcohol Use, Animal Death, Graphic Depictions of Injuries

Magos is shattered after the death of her young son, Santiago. In her grief, she cuts out a piece of his lung as a morbid keepsake. She believes she can bring Santiago back by feeding and nurturing the piece of the lung. Shockingly, it worked but not in the way that Magos had thought. The lung slowly turns into a grotesque little creature that she dubs Monstrilio. Magos does her best to contain this new creature but Monstrilio grows and evolves rapidly. His appetite poses a danger to Magos and those around her. Magos is forced to confront her grief and decide what to do with the creature who may or may not be her son.

I am so glad when the hype for a book pays off. Monstrilio is a beautiful yet terrifying novel about the complexity of grief. This book is so tender and so fierce in its depiction of love and what love can drive someone to do, for better or worse. What I wasn’t anticipating about this book (but absolutely loved) is its depiction of queer love and sexuality. We have these characters who have so much to hide because of what they have done but don’t ever hide from those aspects of themselves. While this novel is classified as a horror, it wasn’t truly “scary,” but it was gruesome at times. You have been warned if you are a little squeamish. It did give me the chills here and there. I did not want to put this book down at all. I know it’s early in the year but Monstrilio is already one of my all-time favorites so far. Put this one on the top of your TBR immediately. You won’t regret reading this truly amazing novel.

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Everything can be made from her hands: Reviewing Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval, Translated by Marjam Idriss

Hi everyone! I’m back again with another novella review. I have one other novella in my TBR pile but I might save that one for a later date. Be ready for some weird and depressing books, though. I hope the content warnings I give you in these reviews are helpful. Trigger warnings and/or content warnings are necessary, and I will continue to use them from now on. Now, let’s talk about Paradise Rot.

Content Warning: Explicit Sexual Content, Some Disturbing Imagery, Some Harsh Language

Jo is traveling from Norway to start university in England. She’s alone and struggling to adapt to her new setting. She meets a strange woman named Carral and moves into her equally strange apartment. It has no walls and seems to have a life of its own. Jo finds herself inexplicably drawn to Carral. The thin boundaries between them begin to break down and Jo finds herself struggling to navigate a world where she can’t separate herself from Carral.

This novella was certainly a bizarre read in a captivating, dream-like way. Jenny Hval’s use of atmospheric writing and vivid (albeit gross) descriptions pull you in as a reader and force you to face the more minutely uncomfortable aspects of life. There is also a sense of catharsis in the way Hval explores sapphic relationships. I am a sucker for the “cannibalism as a metaphor for love” trope and Paradise Rot certainly fits the bill. There were a lot of discussions revolving a bodily fluids so if you are a bit squeamish about that, then you should look for a different book. If you do, however, want an atmospheric and weird book then I would definitely recommend Paradise Rot.