Posted on by bookreviews628

What was found cannot be forgotten, cannot be unseen, cannot be undone: Reviewing Found: A Anthology of Found Footage Horror Stories, Edited by Gabino Iglesias and Andrew Cull

Hi everyone! I’m back with more chills and thrills for anyone partaking in the Halloween season. It’s also been a while since I have read a short story collection. I wanted to mix things up and introduce myself to new authors. I am also a fan of analog horror and found footage, so I had to pick up this book. Now, let’s talk about Found.

General Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Disturbing Imagery, Strong Language, Discussions and Depictions of Severe Mental Health Issues, Religious Trauma, Animal Death, Domestic Violence, Harm Toward Children, Stalking and Harassment (Content Varies Per Story, Reader Discretion is Advised)

From a group of online sleuths trying to solve a series of disappearances in a small town to a house that might be eating its residents to a fan discovering a cursed book, Found pulls together some of the creepiest tales revolving around things that were never meant to be found.

I particularly enjoyed this collection of short stories because of how varied and unique each tale was. I also enjoyed that the authors weren’t afraid to experiment with formatting. There is one story told almost entirely through texts and emails. Two of them are meant to look like online forums. Some incorporate diary entries as part of their narratives. All of them were equally as interesting and hard to put down. They definitely gave me so “creepypasta” vibes, if that is what you are looking for. Overall, Found is a perfectly haunting series of stories if you are looking for a fresh, interesting take on your classic haunted video story.

Posted on by bookreviews628

For freedom, for salvation, for retribution: Reviewing When The Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen

Hey everyone! It’s good to be back with a new review. I am still working through my TBR list and I am re-reading some of my old favorites. I recently got a hold of The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson. It’s one of my all-time favorite classics. I won’t do a review of that one but I still highly recommend it. We are, however, getting back into the horror genre. I will try to save some of my horror novels for fall, but I firmly believe some are more fitting for summer. This is one of them, in my opinion. Now, it is time to talk about When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Discussions and Depictions of Slavery, Discussions and Depictions of Racism (Including Slurs), Sexual Violence, Violence Towards Children, Disturbing Imagery.

Mira fled her small hometown of Kipsen after a traumatic experience cost her two of her dearest friendships. Now an adult, Mira decides to return to Kipsen after her childhood friend Celine invites her to her wedding, along with their other childhood friend Jesse. Mira is shocked, though, to find out Celine’s wedding is being held at the infamous Woodsman Plantation, where many slaves suffered and died horrific deaths. Reunited once more, Mira, Jesse, and Celine must confront their own past as well as the horrific past that lies within Woodsman Plantation.

When the Reckoning Comes is a haunting debut novel that highlights the horrors of the past, particularly revolving around slavery in the American South. LaTanya McQueen confronts the disturbing reality of racism head-on. McQueen shows how history has been revised and sanitized over the years, even being made into tourist destinations for the sake of those who choose to ignore the horrific truth of America’s past. I like how the three main characters function as a microcosm of the larger themes being confronted in this novel. It is uncomfortable, but that discomfort is completely necessary for the purpose of this book. The details made my stomach churn. It is nearly unfathomable to me that these things happened but they did and the least I can do is face the disturbing reality of the past head-on, even in a fictional setting. All in all, When the Reckoning Comes accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do and I would highly recommend it if you want a horror novel that is also reflective and truthful in its narrative.

Posted on by bookreviews628

How do you know the moment when you cease to be human?: Reviewing Last Days by Brian Evenson

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. I don’t have many updates for you all. I just want to say thank you for your support. I just reached 580 subscribers, which is absolutely incredible. This blog is just something I do for fun in my spare time and I can’t believe so many of you are interested in my thoughts on everything related to books. I will show my gratitude by continuing to post reviews as regularly as I can. With that being said, it’s time to review Last Days.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Self-Harm, Sexual Content, Disturbing Imagery, Religious Trauma, Some Harsh Language

Ex-detective Kline leads a quiet life after losing his arm during a case. One day, two men show up at his door and kidnap him. They belong to a cult that believes in worship through self-amputation. Their leader has been killed and they think that only Kline can solve the mystery. Kline must navigate the strange and twisted world of this bizarre cult. The deeper he goes, the more of himself he loses. Kline must decide how far he is willing to go to find out the goal of this cult, and potentially destroy them.

I say this as a compliment: Last Days does an excellent job of being deliberately confusing. There were plenty of “wait, what” moments that made me want to keep reading more. I think I could safely call this book an American Gothic novel because of the atmosphere and landscape of the novel. This book never slows down and delivers plenty of shocking twists. The violence is not terribly gratuitous but it is certainly shocking. I was thoroughly grossed out but that only benefited the reading experience. I would say this leans more towards psychological thriller with horror elements if you want something that is more plot-focused. Last Days was a fast-paced, shocking novel with plenty of twists and turns for any readers seeking some gruesome thrills.

Posted on by bookreviews628

For every man, there exists bait he cannot resist swallowing: Reviewing Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Hi everyone! I’m back! Thank you for bearing with me during my brief absence. I still have plenty of books to talk about. My summer reading pile is pretty exciting and eclectic this time around. I like to branch out and buy books on a whim. Variety is the spice of life, you know? I’ve been waiting to talk about this particular book for a while, though. It’s time to talk about Night Film by Marisha Pessl.

Content Warning: Violence, Disturbing Imagery, Substance Abuse, Harsh Language, Self – Harm

Scott McGrath has spent most of his career chasing down Stanislas Cordova, a mysterious and controversial film director who had seemingly disappeared. McGrath gives up on the search for Cordova after the investigation nearly ends his career. He’s pulled back into his investigation when Cordova’s daughter, Ashley, is found dead. Her death is ruled a suicide but McGrath thinks that there is more to her death than meets the eye. With the help of unlikely friends, Scott McGrath is dives back into the twisted and bizarre world of Stanislas Cordova, where he might finally come face to face with the man who ruined his life.

Night Film is a fantastic mystery-thriller that was unputdownable. My favorite aspect of the book was that is used mixed media, like articles and websites, as part of the story. It helped heighten the mystery and I looked forward to those sections of the book because they were so creative. This is a longer book but it’s pretty fast-paced. Night Film hits the most important story beats that any good mystery should have. It didn’t rely heavily on gore or shock but there was enough there to make you keep guessing what was actually happening. Since this is a mystery novel, I am not going to spoil this for you. Go experience the fun thrills of Night Film for yourself.

Posted on by bookreviews628

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.

Posted on by bookreviews628

I’m willing to march into hell if I’m following you: Reviewing Out by Natsuo Kirino, Translated by Stephen Snyder

Hi everyone! I’m back and I hope you are all doing well. Summer is just around the corner and I have plenty of books to review for you all. I will be branching out from some of my usual genres, so I look forward to that. Before I begin this review, I just want to say thank you all for your continual support for this blog. I see a lot of you who stay up to date with my reviews and I am so grateful that you take the time out of your day to read my posts. It means the world to me. Now, without further ado, let’s talk about Out by Natsuo Kirino.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Harsh Language, Discussions and Depictions of Misogyny, Gambling, Disturbing Imagery, Murder

At a local boxed lunch factory, a group of women form a bond as they struggle to make ends meet. One of the women, Yayoi, has a break and kills her abusive husband. Desperate for help, she calls her co-workers to help her dispose of the body. Masako steps forward to orchestrate the disposal of the body and ensure that her friends are not caught. The women all learn that the murder was only the tip of the iceberg and are caught in a tangled web of violence and crime. Their secret is far from safe. It is only a matter of time before they get caught.

Out is a fascinating and unputdownable crime thriller that offers fascinating insight into the lives of women who have reached their breaking point. The first thing I love about this novel is how realistic the characters are. They weren’t necessarily likable or even good but it was easy to sympathize with the main group of women. I liked the way that this book shifted perspectives seamlessly. I will note that this book does touch on disturbing subject matter in a rather in-depth way. At certain points, you get perspectives from the male characters and those gave me the chills because of how disturbing and hateful they were. It did highlight Kirino’s commentary on the depths of misogyny and how driven by hatred people (particularly men) can be when it comes to women. The best part of this book was the commentary that Kirino blends into this intense crime thriller. The only downside of this book is that is does drag just a bit at times but when it’s intense, it’s very intense. Out should absolutely be the next crime thriller you add to your TBR pile this summer.

Posted on by bookreviews628

The only real escape from hell is to conquer it: Reviewing The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well. I also hope you all have been reading lots of good books lately. I have wanted to read this particular book for a while now. I plan on reading some popular authors I have never read before so that will be fun. You may be asking, at this point, if I do anything other than read? I do sleep. (I’m joking……but not really lol). Anyways, it’s finally time to talk about The Library at Mount Char.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Harsh Language, Self-harm, Animal Death, Child Abuse, Sexual Assault, Substance Abuse, Disturbing Imagery

Carolyn’s life is certainly unusual. Living in an infinite Library of infinite knowledge and being raised by a man who calls himself God can be considered unusual by most. On the other hand, Steve is a reformed criminal trying his best to practice Buddhism. One day, Carolyn finds Steve and promises him exactly $327,000 in exchange for using his skills as a former burglar. Steve takes the deal and soon finds himself lost in a world of impossibilities. A war is on the horizon and a battle wages over who controls the Library. Whoever controls the Library, controls the universe itself.

This was such a fun, surreal book with plenty of disturbing and fascinating imagery. I couldn’t help but compare this a bit to Neil Gaiman’s body of work, as Scott Hawkins utilizes the bizarre and the macabre to create his novel. I also liked the truly creative elements of world-building throughout this novel. It wasn’t just weird for the sake of weird, though, as everything came together in such interesting twists. I realize that I am being vague in this review because I don’t want to give away too much. The Library at Mount Char is definitely worth experiencing for yourself and is the perfect book to add to your summer reading list.

Posted on by bookreviews628 · 3 Comments

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.

Posted on by bookreviews628

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.

Posted on by bookreviews628

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.