Parasyte Vol. 1 by Iwaaki Hitoshi

Title: Parasyte Vol. 1

Author: Iwaaki Hitoshi

Publisher: Del Rey 1990

Genre: Comics

Pages: 288

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

SILENT INVASION: They arrive in silence and darkness. They descend from the skies. They have a hunger for human flesh. They are everywhere. They are parasites, alien creatures who must invade-and take control of-a human host to survive. And once they have infected their victims, they can assume any deadly form they choose: monsters with giant teeth, winged demons, creatures with blades for hands. But most have chosen to conceal their lethal purpose behind ordinary human faces. So no one knows their secret-except an ordinary high school student. Shin is battling for control of his own body against an alien parasite, but can he find a way to warn humanity of the horrors to come?

Another fun manga series that’s been on my radar for awhile and I finally started. I was intrigued by the alien horror premise and dove in without knowing much more than that. Overall, I really enjoy this first volume where we meet Shin and his new “friend.” We see the duo attempt to navigate life but then others come into play. I loved seeing how the “friend” and Shin interacted. The horror aspects were light and yet a whole lot of fun. I’m excited to see how the next volume moves the story and the horror forward.

Parasyte

Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6
Volume 7
Volume 8

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Way is Up is Death by Dan Hanks

Title: The Way Up is Death

Author: Dan Hanks

Publisher: Angry Robot 2025

Genre: Horror

Pages: 368

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Cover Lover - Spooky Scene; I Read Horror - Cosmic Horror

Where I Got It: Library

When a mysterious tower appears in the skies over England, thirteen strangers are pulled from their lives to stand before it as a countdown begins. Above the doorway is one word: ASCEND.

As they try to understand why they’ve been chosen and what the tower is, it soon becomes clear the only way out of this for everyone is… up.

And so begins a race to the top with the group fighting to hold on to its humanity, through sinking ships, haunted houses and other waking nightmares. Can they each overcome their differences and learn to work together or does the winner take it all? What does the tower want of them and what is the price to escape?

I am not quite sure how to review this book, but I do know that I absolutely loved it. There’s a lot of plot in here, from the characters to the tower levels. But at its core, this book is attempting to answer some philosophical questions. What is the meaning of life? How should we, as humans, grow and change throughout our lives? What is our individual purpose? How should we operate within a community or society? We get to see 13 strangers wrestle with this questions while attempting to survive the horror within the tower. I know that I will be thinking about this book for awhile…

Next up on the TBR pile:

Horseman by Christina Henry

Title: Horseman

Author: Christina Henry

Publisher: Berkley 2021

Genre: Horror

Pages: 302

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Books to Movies

Where I Got It: HPB December 2024

Everyone in Sleepy Hollow knows about the Horseman, but no one really believes in him. Not even Ben Van Brunt's grandfather, Brom Bones, who was there when it was said the Horseman chased the upstart Crane out of town. Brom says that's just legend, the village gossips talking.

More than thirty years after those storied events, the village is a quiet place. Fourteen-year-old Ben loves to play "Sleepy Hollow boys," reenacting the events Brom once lived through. But then Ben and a friend stumble across the headless body of a child in the woods near the village, and the discovery makes Ben question everything the adults in Sleepy Hollow have ever said. Could the Horseman be real after all? Or does something even more sinister stalk the woods?

Somehow I missed that Christina Henry published a book based on Sleepy Hollow. I got very excited seeing this in the used book store and immediately bought it. The book did not disappoint. We get a story set about 30 after the events in Washington Irving’s story. We are thrown back into the town of Sleepy Hollow and have to parse out what is real and what is legend. In the course of the book, we see the world through Ben’s eyes, a young man who does not fit into society’s conventions. There was a timeless quality to the book that really sucked me in and creeped me out at the same time. As the story slowly unfolds, I was eager to the turn the pages and learn more. I could not put this one down at all.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

Title: The Hacienda

Author: Isabel Cañas

Publisher: Berkley 2022

Genre: Horror

Pages: 352

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; I Read Horror - Ghosts

Where I Got It: Book of the Month May 2022

During the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father was executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security that his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost.

But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.

When Rodolfo returns to work in the capital, visions and voices invade Beatriz’s sleep. The weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Rodolfo’s sister, Juana, scoffs at Beatriz’s fears—but why does she refuse to enter the house at night? Why does the cook burn copal incense at the edge of the kitchen and mark the doorway with strange symbols? What really happened to the first Doña Solórzano?

Beatriz only knows two things for certain: Something is wrong with the hacienda. And no one there will save her.

Desperate for help, she clings to the young priest, Padre Andrés, as an ally. No ordinary priest, Andrés will have to rely on his skills as a witch to fight off the malevolent presence haunting the hacienda and protect the woman for whom he feels a powerful, forbidden attraction. But even he might not be enough to battle the darkness.

Far from a refuge, San Isidro may be Beatriz’s doom.

A perfect ghost story for this week! I can’t believe I let this book sit on my floor for this long before reading it. This was the perfect blend of atmospheric ghost story featuring a (potentially) unreliable narrator and a beautifully remote setting. I love these types of books and this is no exception. I couldn’t help rooting for Beatriz immediately after meeting her. This entire story including the characters really reminded me of the movie Crimson Peak. Beatriz is swept away to a house that is supposed to be her safe harbor, but quickly becomes something else. I loved the chapters we get from Andrés’s point of view as we learn more about the house and its inhabitants. The last third of this book is really a nonstop ride the I loved. And we get a great conclusion with a fun ambiguous last paragraph. Loved it!

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Gathering by CJ Tudor

Title: The Gathering

Author: CJ Tudor

Publisher: Ballantine Books 2024

Genre: Mystery, Horror

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: I Read Horror - Vampires; Read Around the USA - Alaska

Where I Got It: Library

In a small Alaska town, a boy is found with his throat ripped out and all the blood drained from his body. The inhabitants of Deadhart haven’t seen a killing like this in twenty-five years. But they know who’s responsible: a member of the Colony, an ostracized community of vampyrs living in an old mine settlement deep in the woods.

Detective Barbara Atkins, a specialist in vampyr killings, is called in to officially determine if this is a Colony killing—and authorize a cull. Old suspicions die hard in a town like Deadhart, but Barbara isn’t so sure. Determined to find the truth, she enlists the help of a former Deadhart sheriff, Jenson Tucker, whose investigation into the previous murder almost cost him his life. Since then, Tucker has become a recluse. But he knows the Colony better than almost anyone.

As the pair delve into the town’s history, they uncover secrets darker than they could have imagined. And then another body is found. While the snow thickens and the nights grow longer, a killer stalks Deadhart, and two disparate communities circle each other for blood. Time is running out for Atkins and Tucker to find the truth: Are they hunting a bloodthirsty monster . . . or a twisted psychopath? And which is more dangerous?

It’s become a tradition to read a snow setting book in January. This was a great choice to dive into on these cold days. I’m not always a fan of thrillers, but this one hit the spot. Right away, we understand that vampires are real is this world and they live on the fringes of society in the cold and the dark, i.e. Alaska. A detective is sent to solve the mystery of a gruesome murder of a teenage boy. As she investigates, all the town’s secrets start to get revealed and the case becomes more and more complicated. I loved following the twists and turns of the case, making my own conclusions along the way. My biggest complaint about the book has to do with a part of the storyline dealing with sexual assault. I really could have done without that section. And while it explains part of the motivations of the Colony and Athelinda specifically, I think that the plot could have been reworked to delete that aspect. Overall, it was a very propulsive thriller full of gore and suspense.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Kringle Down by Shane Lacy Hensley

Title: Kringle Down (Kringle Down #1)

Author: Shane Lacy Hensley

Publisher: 2020

Genre: Horror

Pages: 41

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads; COYER

Where I Got It: Kindle

1990, Red Onion Mountain, Southwest Virginia. A bright flash of light slashes through the night sky. Something crashes on the mountain near the infamous "pot mine," where two tired ATF Agents and their cleaning ladies have just finished scrubbing up a gruesome crime scene. What they find on that snowy Christmas Eve is more murder, mayhem, and mystery than you can shake a bloody candy cane at.

J picked up this collection for me thinking it might be a fun read for my trip. And I sped through the first one in no time at all. This is an action-packed horror take on Santa and his elves. I loved this slim story as an alternative to the sweet holiday romances I have read this year.

Title: The Revenge (Kringle Down #2)

Author: Shane Lacy Hensley

Publisher: 2021

Genre: Horror

Pages: 34

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads; COYER

Where I Got It: Kindle

ATF Agent Max Harkins survived a bizarre encounter in Kringle Down. Now cartel czar Ernesto Cabeza wants to make him pay. But Max has a plan. If he can just get "Santa" to go along with it.

Not quite as successful as the first story, but a strong action horror story to further the adventures of Max Harkins. We finally get to the meet the drug cartel boss and see hime deal with Santa and the elves. We also get to see a new Santa emerge from the chaos.

Title: Krampus (Kringle Down #3)

Author: Shane Lacy Hensley

Publisher: 2022

Genre: Horror

Pages: 43

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads; COYER

Where I Got It: Kindle

Little Jose Salazar is a monster. Now he’s missing, and his father, the new head of the Gulf Cartel, thinks a certain evil spirit of Christmas is behind it. To get his son back, Hector needs an army, a plan, and the help of a very reluctant Agent Maxwell Harkins.

Another episode in the unusual adventures of ATF Agent Max Harkins. This time, we get a very spooky appearance by some old friends, a new mission, and some glorious creepy fun. I really enjoyed this fun story to bookend the adventures. And the big reveal of the elves was just the absolute best. Overall, I really enjoyed this short series of gory fun.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Loneliest Place by Lora Senf

Title: The Clackity (Blight Harbor #3)

Author: Lora Senf

Publisher: Atheneum 2024

Genre: MG Horror

Pages: 368

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Where I Got It: Library

As summer comes to an end, Evie Von Rathe is determined to begin the search for her parents in earnest. Armed with her knowledge of the otherworldly, her mom’s violet glasses, and a pendant full of doors, Evie begins to piece together clues. When she realizes her mother’s bedtime story might be a roadmap to finding them, Evie follows it back to the Dark Sun Side.

But stories are funny things, and they change from one teller to the next.

The black nothing of the Radix is waiting, and it knows more than it’s ever let on. Evie will need every bit of courage she has for what’s coming. With Bird at her side, and maybe even a reluctant Lark as well, Evie has what she hopes is her last adventure under a purple sky.

A beautiful end to this trilogy. We get another great quest, along with appearances by all our favorite previous characters. I especially loved the scenes with the Story Thief, such an interesting character. Evie is on a mission to defeat The Clackity and rescue her parents. Will she make it? I bet you can guess the ending, but thankfully it’s the journey that’s the interesting part. Weaving the quest around the storybook added a fun element to the book. I really loved this entire trilogy. Apparently I dig middle grade horror.

Blight Harbor

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Next up on the TBR pile:

A Soul to Keep by Opal Reyne

Title: A Soul to Keep (Dustwalker Brides #1)

Author: Opal Reyne

Publisher: Opal Reyne 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 534

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 8

All Reia ever wanted was freedom.

Known as a harbinger of bad omens and blamed for Demons eating her family, Reia is shunned by her entire village. When the next offering is due and the monstrous Duskwalker is seen heading their way, her village offers her an impossible choice – be thrown into the prison cells or allow herself to be sacrificed to a faceless monster.

However, he is not what he seems. His skull face and glowing eyes are ethereal, and she finds herself unwittingly enchanted by him.

All Orpheus ever wanted was a companion.

Each decade, in exchange for a protection ward from the Demons that terrorise the world, Orpheus takes a human offering to the Veil – the place he lives and the home of Demons. The brief companionship does little to ease his loneliness, and their lives were always, unfortunately, cut short.

He'd thought it was a hopeless endeavour, until he met her. She’s not afraid of him, and his insatiable desire deepens
within every moment of her presence.

But will Orpheus be able to convince Reia to stay before she’s lost to him forever?

CW: Death, explicit sex with tentacles

This is another super explicit romance book that I stumbled upon and ultimately enjoyed. At the core, this series is clearly exploring trauma and its affects. Reia has been neglected her entire life after surviving a horrific event. Orpheus is suffering from confusion and fighting against his nature to find a companion. These two unlikely creatures are forced together and begin to peal back the layers. The book itself moves pretty slowly for the first 200 pages. We get a lot of inner monologue from Reia and a lot of world building. I do wish that some of the monologue was trimmed as it become very repetitive later on in the book. The chapters from Orpheus’s perspective were much more interesting. And then we get to the sex scenes. They are not for the faint of heart, nor are they for people who are not open to the weird. Those scenes are extremely explicit earning my highest spice meter rating of 8. Be forewarned. The ending was very rushed and somewhat confusing. There’s a lot of exposition and information dump towards the end that I don’t think I completely understood all. But, I’m willing to keep learning and keep reading this series.

Duskwalker Brides

#1 A Soul to Keep
#2 A Soul to Heal
#3 A Soul to Touch
#4 A Soul to Guide
#5 A Soul to Revive
#6 A Soul to Steal
#7 A Soul to Protect
#8 A Soul to Embrace

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Nighthouse Keeper by Lora Senf

Title: The Nighthouse Keeper (Blight Harbor #2)

Author: Lora Senf

Publisher: Atheneum Books 2023

Genre: MG Horror

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season RC

Where I Got It: Library

Evie Von Rathe has been home for only a few weeks from her adventure in the strange world of seven houses when Blight Harbor’s beloved ghosts begin to disappear. Did they leave without saying goodbye, or has something gone horribly wrong? Soon Evie is invited to a mysterious council meeting, where she learns about the Dark Sun Side and a terrible secret.

Yes, the ghosts have gone missing. And that means serious trouble.

Another fun and creepy adventure story featuring the other side and the dead and living residents of Blight Harbor. I loved seeing the addition of a new companion for Evie with Lark. But, the overall adventure wasn’t as creepy as I would have liked. The bit on the train with the ghouls was delicious, but otherwise, I wanted more creepy. Hopefully, The Clackity actually makes an appearance in the third book. I need to have more dealings with an actually interesting villain.

Blight Harbor

#1 The Clackity
#2 The Nighthouse Keeper
#3 The Loneliest Place

Next up on the TBR pile:

We Kept Her in the Cellar by W.R. Gorman

Title: We Kept Her in the Cellar

Author: W.R. Gorman

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books 2024

Genre: Horror

Pages: 304

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairy Tale Retellings

Where I Got It: Library

Eunice lives her life by three simple rules: One, always refer to Cinderella as family. Two, never let Cinderella gain access to rats or mice. Three, never look upon Cinderella between the hours of twelve and three a.m.

Cinderella has dark and terrifying powers. As her stepsister, Eunice is expected to care for her and keep the family’s secret. For years, Eunice has faithfully done so. Her childhood flew by in a blur of nightmares, tears, and near-misses with the monster living in the cellar. But when she befriends the handsome Prince Credence and secures an invitation to the ball, Eunice is determined to break free.

When her younger sister, Hortense, steps up to care for Cinderella, Eunice grabs her chance to dance the night away—until Cinderella escapes. With her eldritch powers, Cinderella attends the ball and sweeps Prince Credence off his feet, leaving behind a trail of carnage and destruction as well as a single green glass slipper.

With Cinderella unleashed, Eunice must determine how much of herself she is willing to sacrifice in order to stop Cinderella. Unsettling and macabre at every turn, this page-turning horror will bewitch horror fans and leave its readers anxiously checking the locks on their cellar doors.

Oh yes! This was exactly the kind of horror I was hoping to read this season. We get a fairy tale turned on its Lovecraftian head. Everything starts normal, but then as soon as Cinderella arrives. we now that things are just a little off. Very quickly things go from bad to worst. I absolutely reveled in Cinderella’s creepy nature and the ways in which she tried to mess with Eunice. And then the second half of the book really kicked into high gear. I was dreading where the story was going, but in for the ride. This boo is not for those that get squeamish easily. There are some horrifying scenes throughout. I was in it until the very last page.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Clackity by Lora Senf

Title: The Clackity (Blight Harbor #1)

Author: Lora Senf

Publisher: Atheneum 2022

Genre: MG Horror

Pages: 288

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Library

Evie Von Rathe lives in Blight Harbor—the seventh-most haunted town in America—with her Aunt Desdemona, the local paranormal expert. Des doesn’t have many rules except one: Stay out of the abandoned slaughterhouse at the edge of town. But when her aunt disappears into the building, Evie goes searching for her.

There she meets The Clackity, a creature who lives in the shadows and seams of the slaughterhouse. The Clackity makes a deal with Evie to help get Des back in exchange for the ghost of John Jeffrey Pope, a serial killer who stalked Blight Harbor a hundred years earlier. Evie reluctantly embarks on a journey into a strange otherworld filled with hungry witches, penny-eyed ghosts, and a memory-thief, all while being pursued by a dead man whose only goal is to add Evie to his collection of lost souls. Will she ever find Des, or is The Clackity planning something far more sinister?

I have no idea where I heard about this series, but I’ve found that I really enjoy Middle Grade horror. So I dove into this series and fell in love with it. We get a fascinating setting filled with fascinating characters. I would have been perfectly content to stay in Blight Harbor. But even better, we get to travel to a fantasy world and a journey through a proper horrifying fairy tale. I loved seeing how each house presented Evie with a new challenge and horrifying aspect. I sped through this one hoping to see Evie succeed in her quest. I definitely need to read the next book in the series and read the further adventures of Evie.

Blight Harbor

#1 The Clackity
#2 The Nighthouse Keeper
#3 The Loneliest Place

Next up on the TBR pile:

Year Zero Vol. 2

Title: Year Zero Vol. 2

Author: Benjamin Percy, Kaare Andrews, Juan Jose Ryp, Frank Martin

Publisher: Artists, Writers, and Artisans 2020

Genre: Graphic Novel Horror

Pages: 144

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Reading Season

Where I Got It: Library

Upshot's hit series Year Zero returns with four new harrowing tales of survival from around a post apocalyptic world, set several months after the events on Volume One: A grizzled Norwegian sea captain and her two young grandchildren navigate an ocean teeming with undead while eluding the relentless pirates on their trail. A Colombian cartel boss indulges all of his most sadistic whims unaware that a threat far greater than zombies is headed toward his jungle fortress. A Rwandan doctor must overcome the crippling fear that has plagued him all his life as he stumbles through the African bush. And a pregnant woman barricaded in an American big box store discovers that the greatest threat to her life – and her unborn child's – might not be undead. Benjamin Percy (Wolverine, X-Force) once again pens this global look at the zombie apocalypse, now joined by artist Juan Jose Ryp (Britannia) and colorist Frank Martin (Infinity Wars).

Another great collection of stories. I really enjoyed the Norwegian sea captain story. We get to see children added into the mix and a fun setting. I also really enjoyed the art style of that story. It was bleak and yet fun of emotion and action. Another great collection of stories from the zombie apocalypse.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Year Zero Vol. 1

Title: Year Zero Vol. 1

Author: Benjamin Percy, Ramon Rosanas, Kaare Andrews, Lee Loughridge

Publisher: Artists, Writers, and Artisans 2020

Genre: Graphic Novel Horror

Pages: 144

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Reading Season

Where I Got It: Library

Ben Percy (Wolverine) and Ramon Rosanas (Star Wars: Age of Resistance) team up to present an epic tale that offers a global look at the Zombie Apocalypse. A Japanese hitman, a Mexican street urchin, an Afghan military aide, a Polar research scientist, a midwestern American survivalist – five survivors of a horrific global epidemic who must draw upon their unique skills and deepest instincts to navigate a world of shambling dead. Year Zero wrestles with the weighty moral and theological questions posed by the pandemic and investigates its cause and possible cure.

I cycled back around to the actual beginning of this series. Love the multiple storylines as we watch the zombie apocalypse unfold. My favorite was definitely the Afghan military aide story. I found her story to be very compelling even within such a short amount of time. I sped through this collection as I could not put it down. Love this spooky story for spooky reading season.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates

Title: Ghost Camera

Author: Darcy Coates

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press 2024

Genre: Horror

Pages: 352

Rating: /5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Library

When Jenine finds an abandoned polaroid camera, she playfully snaps a photo without a second thought. But there's something wrong with the image: a ghostly figure stands in the background, watching her.

Fixated on her.

Moving one step closer with every picture she takes.

Desperate, Jenine shares her secret with her best friend, Bree. Together they realize the camera captures unsettling impressions of the dead. But now the ghosts seem to be following the two friends. And with each new photo taken, a terrible danger grows ever clearer…

This is actually a reimagined version of one of Coates’ first stories. Ghost Camera is the novella included in this otherwise collection of short stories. Short story collections are not usually my favorite as they tend to be very uneven. This one isn’t an exception, but I still did enjoy most of the stories included. Ghost Camera is the stand out featuring a few very creepy scenes. I loved using the camera as a device to explore the creepy otherworld. Loved it.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Year Zero Vol. 0

Title: Year Zero Vol. 0

Author: Daniel Kraus, Goran Sudžuka

Publisher: Artists, Writers, and Artisans 2023

Genre: Graphic Novel Horror

Pages: 128

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Library

In this action-packed prelude to the hit series, acclaimed horror writer Daniel Kraus (George Romero's The Living Dead, The Autumnal) unveils four globe-spanning tales from the earliest days of the zombie apocalypse when even the wildest rumors couldn't measure up to the horror to come. A streetwise Russian cop patrols the back alleys of the opportunistic black market that emerges in response to the crisis...a North Korean soldier observes strange happenings on the DMZ...An E.R. nurse in the rural South fights to protect her hospital from threats without and within...A transgender flight attendant who has observed disturbing clues as she crisscrosses the globe keeps a wary eye on the passenger in seat 23C.

I somehow completely missed this series. I absolutely love zombie stories so I definitely needed to grab this one. I didn’t even realize that this is prequel, but it was still a fun ride to see the beginnings of a zombie apocalypse. We follow a few characters as they slowly get the sense that something terrible is happening. The Korean storyline was my favorite. We get a few very introspective conversations and monologues by those characters. I really loved the reveals as the stories progressed. I most definitely need to keep reading this series.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Behind the Horror by Lee Mellor

Title: Behind the Horror: True Stories that Inspired Horror Movies

Author: Lee Mellor

Publisher: DK 2020

Genre: Nonfiction - True Crime

Pages: 288

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library

Where I Got It: Library

Which case of demonic possession inspired The Exorcist? What horrifying front-page story generated the idea for A Nightmare on Elm Street? Which film was based on the infamous skin-wearing murderer Ed Gein?

Unearth the terrifying and true tales behind some of the scariest Horror movies to ever haunt our screens, including the Enfield poltergeist case that was retold in The Conjuring 2 and the serial killers who inspired Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs.

Behind the Horror dissects these and other bizarre tales to reveal haunting real-life stories of abduction, disappearance, murder, and exorcism.

Overall, the stories behind the horror movies are pretty uneven. A few were very detailed and sufficiently creepy. I loved the chapters that detailed the background of the The Exorcist and Poltergeist. I found some of the chapters very detailed and informative. But then many of the chapters were too plodding. I found myself getting bogged down in some of the details. And a few times even I found the details to be too gross.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dead Lake by Darcy Coates

Title: Dead Lake

Author: Darcy Coates

Publisher: Black Owl Books 2020

Genre: Horror

Pages: 158

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; In Case You Missed It - 2020

Where I Got It: Library

A week's visit to the remote Harob Lake cabin couldn't have come at a better time for Sam.

She's battling artist's block ahead of a major gallery exhibition. Staying at the lake house is her final, desperate attempt to paint the collection that could save her floundering career. It seems perfect: no neighbors, no phone, no distractions.

But the dream retreat disintegrates into a nightmare when Sam sees a stranger by the lake.

A tall, mysterious man stands on the edge of her dock, staring intently into the swirling waters below. He starts to follow her. He disables her car. He destroys her only way to communicate with the outside world. And something about the man seems… unnatural.

Soon Sam suspects he's responsible for the series of disappearances from a nearby hiking trail.

Completely stranded, Sam realizes she's become the prey in the hunter's deadliest game…

Another fun creepy Darcy Coates book for my Spooky Season. I didn’t realize that this was actual a novella and a few short stories. But I still really enjoyed each story. The novella was a fun take on the isolated cabin and a killer in the woods with a supernatural bend. As always, Coates excels at the creepy imagery that gets me every time. The second story featuring a monster in the woods was my favorite of the collection. I was truly horrified by that one.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lost Boy by Christina Henry

Title: Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook

Author: Christina Henry

Publisher: Titan Books 2017

Genre: Horror; Fantasy

Pages: 292

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairytale Retellings; Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Library

There is one version of my story that everyone knows. And then there is the truth. This is how it happened. How I went from being Peter Pan’s first—and favorite—lost boy to his greatest enemy.

Peter brought me to his island because there were no rules and no grownups to make us mind. He brought boys from the Other Place to join in the fun, but Peter's idea of fun is sharper than a pirate’s sword. Because it’s never been all fun and games on the island. Our neighbors are pirates and monsters. Our toys are knife and stick and rock—the kinds of playthings that bite.

Peter promised we would all be young and happy forever. Peter lies.

This book has been on my TBR list for years now. I had previously enjoyed Henry’s brand of mixing horror and fairy tales and this one definitely hit the spot. Right away, we know that we are going dive deep into how Jamie become Captain Hook. I was hoping for a villainous portrayal of Peter Pan and I got exactly what I was hoping for. In fact, he was much more horrendous than even I imagined. (I have always very much disliked the Peter Pan character from literature and the movie/tv versions.) We quickly learn how demented Peter is and attempt to navigate his impossible situations alongside Jamie and the other Lost Boys. In a short amount of time, I really came to care for those kids. But I knew that this story was not going to end well. Overall, this one is not for squeamish people and especially not for anyone who cannot handle violence involved children.

Next up on the TBR pile:

From Below by Darcy Coates

Title: From Below

Author: Darcy Coates

Publisher: Poisoned Press 2022

Genre: Horror

Pages: 469

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season RC

Where I Got It: Library

Years ago, the SS Arcadia vanished without a trace during a routine voyage. Though a strange, garbled emergency message was broadcast, neither the ship nor any of its crew could be found. Sixty years later, its wreck has finally been discovered more than three hundred miles from its intended course...a silent graveyard deep beneath the ocean's surface, eagerly waiting for the first sign of life.

Cove and her dive team have been granted permission to explore the Arcadia's rusting hull. Their purpose is straightforward: examine the wreck, film everything, and, if possible, uncover how and why the supposedly unsinkable ship vanished.

But the Arcadia has not yet had its fill of death, and something dark and hungry watches from below. With limited oxygen and the ship slowly closing in around them, Cove and her team will have to fight their way free of the unspeakable horror now desperate to claim them.

I also enjoy a Darcy Coates book for some spooky fun. This one involves a sunken ship and lots of creepy creepy scenes. I will say that every Coates book is a wild ride. I never know exactly where we are going and I really enjoy the journey. We dive in (haha) to this story featuring a cast of unreliable characters on a mission. I suspected every single one these characters of having nefarious intentions on the mission. With every chapter, the tension and creep factor increased. I ended up speeding through the book dreading what they were going to find inside the ship. Once the horror begin to be revealed, I was thoroughly horrified. Lovely!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Never Whistle at Night

Title: Never Whistle at Night

Author: Various

Publisher: Vintage 2023

Genre: Short Story Horror

Pages: 400

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Indigenous Culture; Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Library

Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms: for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai’po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause evil spirits to appear—and even follow you home.

These wholly original and shiver-inducing tales introduce readers to ghosts, curses, hauntings, monstrous creatures, complex family legacies, desperate deeds, and chilling acts of revenge. Introduced and contextualized by bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones, these stories are a celebration of Indigenous peoples’ survival and imagination, and a glorious reveling in all the things an ill-advised whistle might summon.

Randomly found this collection of horror filled stories at the library and knew that I needed to read it. Like every short story collection, some stories are outstanding, while some are not-so-great. Thankfully this collection erred on the better side. I found myself actually a bit creeped out by many of the stories included. I especially loved the ones that incoprotated folklore and mythology into the horror. The ones that were much more based on the horror of current life didn’t work as well for me. I’m not as much of a real-life horror fan. I like the weird, the strange, and the supernatural. Overall, this was a good collection and shared a lot about indigenous life.

Next up on the TBR pile: