Secrets of the Greek Revival by Eva Pohler

Title: Secrets of the Greek Revival (Mystery House #1)

Author: Eva Pohler

Publisher: Green Press 2015

Genre: Horror

Pages: 331

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Women Authors; Horror

Ellen and her two best friends share a mid-life crisis by hatching a plan to renovate an 1860's Greek revival in the nearby historic district of San Antonio. Although Ellen isn’t one to believe in ghosts, she comes face to face with something inexplicable in the attic. Her ghost-enthusiast friends convince her that they must help the spirit find closure, and as they dig deeper into the past, they uncover a shocking history that someone in the neighborhood doesn’t want exposed. But Ellen and her friends don't give up easily. They realize they've been called to give voice to the invisible women who suffered behind the walls of the house for decades.

This book, hmmm… It wasn’t what I was expecting. That disconnect probably caused a massive reduction in stars for me. I went in thinking this was going to be a horror book full of ghosts and long-kept secrets. And we only get long-kept secrets. Plus there needs to be some serious content warnings due to sexual assault. I was turned off my the descriptions of those. If this is the style of the series, I’m not going to continue reading these.

The Mystery House:

• #1 Secrets of the Greek Revival

• #2 The Case of the Abandoned Warehouse

• #3 French Quarter Clues

• #4 The Hidden Tunnel

Next up on the TBR pile:

Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco

Title: Escaping from Houdini (Stalking Jack the Ripper #3)

Author: Kerri Maniscalco

Publisher: Jimmy Patterson 2018

Genre: YA Horror

Pages: 448

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Finishing the Series; Alphabet Soup - M

Embarking on a week-long voyage across the Atlantic on the opulent RMS Etruria, Audrey Rose Wadsworth and her partner-in-crime-investigation, Thomas Cresswell, are delighted to discover a traveling troupe of circus performers, fortune tellers, and a certain charismatic young escape artist entertaining the first-class passengers nightly. 

But privileged young women begin to go missing without explanation, and a series of brutal slayings shocks the entire ship. The strange and disturbing influence of the Moonlight Carnival pervades the decks as the murders grow more and more bizarre. It's up to Audrey Rose and Thomas to piece together the gruesome investigation before more passengers die before reaching their destination. But with clues to the next victim pointing to someone she loves, can Audrey Rose unravel the mystery before the killer's horrifying finale?

Still really enjoying this series. I loved the setting of a carnival on a cruise ship. Perfect to create a very creepy atmosphere. And I absolutely loved the inclusion of the tarot cards and various carnival acts. And I still love Audrey Rose and Thomas’s relationship. But I would have liked to see more of a focus on their relationship. The murders were just the right amount of gruesome and disturbing to be a follow up to the Ripper murders and the Dracula murders. But I must say that the ending of this book peeved me a little. I had hoped for a better conclusion. Oh well. I’ll still read the next book.

Stalking Jack the Ripper:

• #1 Stalking Jack the Ripper

• #2 Hunting Prince Dracula

• #3 Escaping from Houdini

• #4 Capturing the Devil

Next up on the TBR pile:

Tales of Mystery and the Macabre by Elizabeth Gaskell

Title: Tales of Mystery and the Macabre

Author: Elizabeth Gaskell

Publisher: Wordsworth 2008

Genre: Classics - horror

Pages: 305

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf; Women Authors; Horror

In the great mirror opposite I saw myself, and right behind, another wicked fearful self, so like me my soul seemed to quiver within me, as though not knowing to which similitude of body it belonged... Elizabeth Gaskell is better known today for her pioneering social novels such as Mary Barton (1848) but she also wrote some fascinating tales of the supernatural and the macabre, which are collected here in this volume. The real charm of this dark anthology is its variety. Unlike so many writers of this kind of material, Gaskell allows the story to fit the style rather than the other way around and as result there is a charming freshness to each tale. This remarkable author uses different voices, tones and topics to engage her readers and as you turn from one story to the next you cannot be quite sure what to expect.

I’ve read Gaskell’s North and South and Cranford, but didn’t realize that she had also wrote gothic horror stories. Overall, this volume was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed some of the stories especially those that focused on a specific character. I wasn’t as much of a fan of some stories that just seemed to meander instead of heading to a point. I also couldn’t get behind many of the rambling sentences and asides.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

Title: Hunting Prince Dracula (Stalking Jack the Ripper #2)

Author: Kerri Maniscalco

Publisher: Jimmy Patterson 2017

Genre: YA Horror

Pages: 418

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Random TBR Pile; Finishing the Series; Horror

Following the grief and horror of her discovery of Jack the Ripper's true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no choice but to flee London and its memories. Together with the arrogant yet charming Thomas Cresswell, she journeys to the dark heart of Romania, home to one of Europe's best schools of forensic medicine...and to another notorious killer, Vlad the Impaler, whose thirst for blood became legend.

But her life's dream is soon tainted by blood-soaked discoveries in the halls of the school's forbidding castle, and Audrey Rose is compelled to investigate the strangely familiar murders. What she finds brings all her terrifying fears to life once again.

Another fun and horrifying romp through murders and anatomical pursuits. I just love the pairing of Audrey Rose and Thomas. Their back and forth flirting and figuring out clues brings me life. I just love how the dialogue is written. Such fun! And the mystery and murders in this book were sufficiently horrifying. I loved the play on Prince Dracula and Elisabeth Bathory. Great folklore and setting. And we get to see the furthering of Audrey Rose’s academic pursuits. I can’t wait see what happens as they travel to America.

Stalking Jack the Ripper:

• #1 Stalking Jack the Ripper

• #2 Hunting Prince Dracula

• #3 Escaping from Houdini

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay

Title: The Cabin at the End of the World

Author: Paul Tremblay

Publisher: William Morrow 2018

Genre: Horror

Pages: 272

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Multiple POVs; Literary Escapes - New Hampshire; Horror

Seven-year-old Wen and her parents, Eric and Andrew, are vacationing at a remote cabin on a quiet New Hampshire lake. Their closest neighbors are more than two miles in either direction along a rutted dirt road.

One afternoon, as Wen catches grasshoppers in the front yard, a stranger unexpectedly appears in the driveway. Leonard is the largest man Wen has ever seen but he is young, friendly, and he wins her over almost instantly. Leonard and Wen talk and play until Leonard abruptly apologizes and tells Wen, "None of what’s going to happen is your fault". Three more strangers then arrive at the cabin carrying unidentifiable, menacing objects. As Wen sprints inside to warn her parents, Leonard calls out: "Your dads won’t want to let us in, Wen. But they have to. We need your help to save the world."

Goodness. This book is not for the faint of heart. It is intense. The action is graphic at times. But even more, the emotions are so high in this book! I was riveted to the spot while reading. I just couldn’t wrap my brain around the actions of the four intruders and those of the family thrown into the situation. The only part that I really didn’t like was the ending. I’m all for ambiguous endings or even open-ended endings, but this one was just too blah after the actions of the book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Title: Heart-Shaped Box

Author: Joe Hill

Publisher: William Morrow 2000

Genre: Horror

Pages: 402

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Monthly Keyword - Heart; Horror

Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: a cookbook for cannibals . . . a used hangman's noose . . . a snuff film. An aging death-metal rock god, his taste for the unnatural is as widely known to his legions of fans as the notorious excesses of his youth. But nothing he possesses is as unlikely or as dreadful as his latest discovery, an item for sale on the Internet, a thing so terribly strange, Jude can't help but reach for his wallet.

For a thousand dollars, Jude will become the proud owner of a dead man's suit, said to be haunted by a restless spirit. He isn't afraid. He has spent a lifetime coping with ghosts—of an abusive father, of the lovers he callously abandoned, of the bandmates he betrayed. What's one more?

But what UPS delivers to his door in a black heart-shaped box is no imaginary or metaphorical ghost, no benign conversation piece. It's the real thing.

And suddenly the suit's previous owner is everywhere: behind the bedroom door . . . seated in Jude's restored vintage Mustang . . . standing outside his window . . . staring out from his widescreen TV. Waiting—with a gleaming razor blade on a chain dangling from one bony hand. . . .

After reading later Joe Hill, I had to go back into his back catalog. This one was thoroughly creepy. I could only read it during the day time. Night time reading gave me too many weird nightmares. Back to the story, Jude is a great character. His whole aging rock star persona is a great anti-hero. Originally I didn’t like Georgia, but she definitely grew on me. And the side characters were all great additions, especially Bon and Angus. The last 100 pages were a whirlwind.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Craven Manor by Darcy Coates

Title: Craven Manor

Author: Darcy Coates

Publisher: Black Owl Books 2017

Genre: Horror

Pages: 300

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Popsugar - Ghost Story; Horror

Daniel is desperate for a job. When someone slides a note under his door offering him the groundskeeper’s position at an old estate, it seems too good to be true.

Alarm bells start ringing when he arrives at Craven Manor. The mansion’s front door hangs open, and leaves and cobwebs coat the marble foyer. It’s clear no one has lived there in a long time.

But an envelope waits for him inside the doorway. It contains money, and promises more.

Daniel is desperate. Against his better judgement, he moves into the groundskeeper’s cottage behind the crypt. He’s determined to ignore the strange occurrences that plague the estate.

But when a candle flickers to life in the abandoned tower window, Daniel realises Craven Manor is hiding a terrible secret… one that threatens to bury him with it.

This one had a lot of promise. I loved the set-up and the initial time at the manor. Once Daniel met Bran, I felt like the suspense started to go out of the story. I wasn’t as intrigued or scared. I feel like the story lost a lot of steam at the end and the final conflict wasn’t as fraught as I would have liked. But I will say that the scene where Daniel first encounters Annaliese is amazing.

Next up on the TBR pile:

RC 2019: Horror

I ended up not finding a horror related challenge that I liked, so I’m going to do my own simple challenge. I want to read 10 horror books in 2019. Most will be pulled off of NPR’s Top 100 Horror books (on my Perpetual Challenges page), but I imagine I will pick up a few random ones from the library.