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Dark Waters by Katherine Arden

Title: Dark Waters (Small Spaces #3)

Author: Katherine Arden

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2021

Genre: MG Horror

Pages: 256

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

Until next time. That was chilling promise made to Ollie, Coco and Brian after they outsmarted the smiling man at Mount Hemlock Resort. And as the trio knows, the smiling man always keeps his promises. So when the lights flicker on and off at Brian's family's inn and a boom sounds at the door, there's just one visitor it could be. Only, there's no one there, just a cryptic note left outside signed simply as —S.

The smiling man loves his games and it seems a new one is afoot. But first, the three friends will have to survive a group trip to Lake Champlain where it's said Vermont's very own Loch Ness monster lives. When they’re left shipwrecked on an island haunted by a monster on both land and sea, Brian's survival instincts kick in and it's up to him to help everyone work together and find a way to escape.

One thing is for sure, the smiling man is back and he wants a rematch. And this time Brian is ready to play.

The third book in this fun middle grade horror series and I am still very intrigued. In this one, we get a fun shipwreck adventure featuring a sea monster and more ghosts. We get some more information about what happened back in the fall and the reintroduction of a previous character. I loved seeing Brian take a more central role in solving this particular mystery. And of course, we get one heck of a cliffhanger. I completely predicted what was going to happen, but it was still a great ride. And now, I just need to finish this series.

Small Spaces

  • #1 Small Spaces

  • #2 Dead Voices

  • #3 Dark Waters

  • #4 Empty Smiles

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Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Katherine Arden, middle grade, horror, 4 stars, Library Love
categories: Book Reviews
Wednesday 03.27.24
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

Title: The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co. #1)

Author: Jonathan Stroud

Publisher: Doubleday 2013

Genre:YA Horror

Pages: 440

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf;

A sinister Problem has occurred in London: all nature of ghosts, haunts, spirits, and specters are appearing throughout the city, and they aren't exactly friendly. Only young people have the psychic abilities required to see and eradicate these supernatural foes. Many different Psychic Detection Agencies have cropped up to handle the dangerous work, and they are in fierce competition for business.

In The Screaming Staircase, the plucky and talented Lucy Carlyle teams up with Anthony Lockwood, the charismatic leader of Lockwood & Co, a small agency that runs independent of any adult supervision. After an assignment leads to both a grisly discovery and a disastrous end, Lucy, Anthony, and their sarcastic colleague, George, are forced to take part in the perilous investigation of Combe Carey Hall, one of the most haunted houses in England. Will Lockwood & Co. survive the Hall's legendary Screaming Staircase and Red Room to see another day?

My mother had me watch the one and only season of the television over Christmas. I realized that I had the first book just sitting on my Unread Shelf. So I decided to read it. The television show covers this first book in the first few episodes. And while it speeds up the timeline, most of it is accurately depicted. Turning to the book itself, I wasn’t that enamored with the characters of the story. Anthony is a bright spot among the characters. Unfortunately Lucy is a little too naive and occasionally annoying. And George is just too prickly and occasionally very mean to the other characters. The three of them do not work well together, keeping way too many secrets from each other, while also stumbling about doing their jobs. The larger mystery is interesting, It’s what really kept me reading and ultimately gave this book 4 stars. I loved seeing how the clues fell into places and pointed to the murderer. I doubt that I’m going to continue reading this series, but I did enjoy this first book.

Lockwood & Co.

  • #1 The Screaming Staircase

  • #1.5 The Dagger in the Desk

  • #2 The Whispering Skull

  • #3 The Hollow Boy

  • #4 The Creeping Shadow

  • #4.5 A Portland Row Christmas

  • #5 The Empty Grave

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Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Jonathan Stroud, horror, Unread Shelf Project, young adult
categories: Book Reviews
Thursday 03.14.24
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

What Stalks Among Us by Sarah Hollowell

Title: What Stalks Among Us

Author: Sarah Hollowell

Publisher: Clarion Books 2023

Genre: YA Horror

Pages: 400

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Neurodivergent Author; Library Love

Best friends and high school seniors Sadie and Logan make their first mistake when they ditch their end-of-year field trip to the amusement park in favor of exploring some old, forgotten backroads. The last thing they expect to come across is a giant, abandoned corn maze.

But with a whole day of playing hooking unspooling before them, they make their second mistake. Or perhaps their third? Maybe even their fourth. Because Sadie and Logan have definitely entered this maze before. And again before that.

When they stumble on the corpses in the maze, identical to them in every way (if you can ignore the stab and gunshot wounds)--from their clothes to their hidden scars to their dyed hair, to that one missing tooth--they quickly realize they’ve not only entered this maze before, they’ve died in it too. A lot. And no matter what they try, they can’t figure out what—or who—is hunting them.

I cannot remember exactly who recommended this book to me, but I was immediately intrigued but he premise. I fell into this book just like Sadie and Logan fall into the corn maze. The entire premise really spoke to my horror loving heart. But then the novel started to evolve and grew more and more complex. This is not just a simple horror novel. This is a book focused on two people finding the courage to become their true authentic selves. We see Sadie and Logan slowly open up to each other and expose their insecurities and fears. So many times I really felt for Sadie and Logan. I don’t possess many of their insecurities and fears, but I can completely related to a few of them. At the end of the book, there was a hopeful feeling that I absolutely loved.

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Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: horror, young adult, Sarah Hollowell, Library Love, 5 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Wednesday 03.13.24
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Love Everlasting Vol. 1 and Vol. 2

Title: Love Everlasting Vol. 1

Author: Tom King, Elsa Charretier

Publisher: Image Comics 2023

Genre: Comics

Pages: 136

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

From multiple Eisner Award winning writer Tom King and up-and-coming artist Elsa Charretier comes the first volume of a thrilling, genre-bending romance/horror mashup. Joan Peterson discovers that she is trapped in an endless, terrifying cycle of “romance”—a problem to be solved, a man to marry—and every time she falls in love she’s torn from her world and thrust into another tear-soaked tale. Her bloody, time-looping journey to freedom and revelation begins in this breathtaking, groundbreaking debut volume. Collects Love Everlasting #1-5. 

Absolutely trippy. It took me multiple pages to get a handle on what exactly was happening in this story. The reader is thrust into confusion just like Joan as she begins to live multiple realities. This volume is weird and trippy and exactly what I want in my horror comics.

Title: Love Everlasting Vol. 2

Author: Tom King, Elsa Charretier

Publisher: Image Comics

Genre: Comics

Pages: 136

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges

The mind-bending story of Joan Peterson's journey through love and horror continues in the second epic and heartbreaking arc of this critically acclaimed, Harvey-nominated series. After traveling from romance to romance, Joan finds herself trapped inside just one story, growing older with the love of her life instead of escaping again and again. And as she becomes a wife, a mother, a grandmother, she is on a bloody quest to discover if everyone in this new world is insane, or if she alone is broken.

Collects Love Everlasting #6 - #10

And we get to the conclusion of this story. It ended up not being my favorite, but I did enjoy the story. There was a bit too much meandering in the storyline.

Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: graphic novel, Tom King, Elsa Charretier, horror, 4 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Tuesday 03.05.24
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Mimi's Tales of Terror by Junji Ito

Title: Mimi’s Tales of Terror

Author: Junji Ito

Publisher: VIZ Media 2023

Genre:  Horror Manga

Pages: 224

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

University student Mimi and her boyfriend Naoto encounter one chilling mystery after another. There’s the enigmatic neighbor woman dressed in black from head to toe—but if she’s so odd, why does it seems like there are many others like her? Then, whose eyes track Mimi’s movements from the cemetery next door? And why does a bizarre red circle drawn on a basement wall change with each passing day?

Nine scary stories that really happened, drawn from the famed collecton of urban legends Shin Mimibukuro (New Earmuffs), and adapted into manga by horror genius Junji Ito!
 

I randomly found this horror comic collection on a list from my local library. I dove int and it was exactly what I wanted. We get some truly horrifying stories that mostly have no ends or explanations. I really loved the shorts; they were just long enough to hold my attention with a big punchline! Loved them. The black and while drawings added to the horror. Do not pick this one up if you at all squeamish.

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Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Junji Ito, manga, horror, 4 stars, Library Love
categories: Book Reviews
Tuesday 02.27.24
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Title: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Dawn of the Dreadfuls #1)

Author: Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Publisher: Quirk Books 2009

Genre: Classics; Horror

Pages: 359

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf

Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is an audacious retelling of English literature's most enduring novel. This expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem begins when a mysterious plague falls upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield. It's the perfect read for literature lovers, zombie fans, and anyone who loves a reanimated Austen.

Technically this is a reread for me, but it was chosen as a Nerdy Bookish Friends selection. After we picked it, we realized that there are two different versions: the original and a reissue with 30% more zombies. Apparently I read the original, but own the new deluxe edition. So this was basically a new read for me. To be clear, this is not high literature. Sure it’s Jane Austen’s writing for 90%. But then we thrown in random zombie phrases and scenes. It create a mishmash of genres. But I enjoyed every page of it. I love Austen and zombies, and this was the perfect read for me. I suspect that this won’t be a favorite amongst my Nerdy Bookish Friends, but I still really loved it.

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Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Jane Austen, classics, horror, zombies, Seth Grahame-Smith, Nerdy Bookish Friends, UnRead Shelf Project RC, 5 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Saturday 02.17.24
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Malamander by Thomas Taylor

Title: Malamander (Legends of Eerie-on-Sea #1)

Author: Thomas Taylor

Publisher: Walker Books 2019

Genre: MG Horror

Pages: 304

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; 52 Book Club - Features an Ocean

It’s winter in the town of Eerie-on-Sea, where the mist is thick and the salt spray is rattling the windows of the Grand Nautilus Hotel. Inside, young Herbert Lemon, Lost and Founder for the hotel, has an unexpected visitor. It seems that Violet Parma, a fearless girl around his age, lost her parents at the hotel when she was a baby, and she’s sure that the nervous Herbert is the only person who can help her find them. The trouble is, Violet is being pursued at that moment by a strange hook-handed man. And the town legend of the Malamander — a part-fish, part-human monster whose egg is said to make dreams come true — is rearing its scaly head. As various townspeople, some good-hearted, some nefarious, reveal themselves to be monster hunters on the sly, can Herbert and Violet elude them and discover what happened to Violet’s kin? This lighthearted, fantastical mystery, featuring black-and-white spot illustrations, kicks off a trilogy of fantasies set in the seaside town.

Oh this was utterly delightful! I love a good setting and this series set in Eerie-on-the-Sea is perfect. We get some fun spooky town in winter full of wonderfully quirky characters. From there we are flung into a mystery of the Malamander and Violet’s parentage. Herbert is the perfect narrator for the story. We get to see the town through his encounters and rambles. I especially loved Mrs. Fossil and her shop of oddities. Once the action begins, it truly doesn’t stop until the end. It was perfect and so much fun. I will have to read the rest of the series.

Legends of Eerie-on-Sea

  • #1 Malamander

  • #2 Gargantis

  • #3 Shadowghast

  • #4 Festergrimm

  • #5 Mermedusa

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Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Unread Shelf Project, 52 Book Club, 5 stars, Thomas Taylor, middle grade, horror
categories: Book Reviews
Tuesday 02.13.24
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas

Title: The Paleontologist

Author: Luke Dumas

Publisher: Atria Books 2023

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 356

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; 52 Book Club - Grieving Character

Curator of paleontology Dr. Simon Nealy never expected to return to his Pennsylvania hometown, let alone the Hawthorne Museum of Natural History. He was just a boy when his six-year-old sister, Morgan, was abducted from the museum under his watch, and the guilt has haunted Simon ever since. After a recent breakup and the death of the aunt who raised him, Simon feels drawn back to the place where Morgan vanished, in search of the bones they never found.

But from the moment he arrives, things aren’t what he expected. The Hawthorne is a crumbling ruin, still closed amid the ongoing pandemic, and plummeting toward financial catastrophe. Worse, Simon begins seeing and hearing things he can’t explain. Strange animal sounds. Bloody footprints that no living creature could have left. A prehistoric killer looming in the shadows of the museum. Terrified he’s losing his grasp on reality, Simon turns to the handwritten research diaries of his predecessor and uncovers a blood-soaked mystery 150 million years in the making that could be the answer to everything.

A complete impulse buy around Christmastime. I thought it might be a fun thriller with a focus on dinosaurs. And it mostly is. We get a potentially unreliable narrator who decides that his next step in life is to revisit a place that holds the beginning of his trauma. Seems like a bad idea to me, but Simon does it. From there, the paranormal elements start to occur and we are left to piece out the mystery of just what is happening the museum. My biggest complaints are focused on the side characters. The various employees of the museum are pretty terrible. The board members are extra terrible. Every time I picked up the book, I really did it pretty begrudgingly. By the end of the book I really as pretty tired of every one and the story. A bit of a disappointment, but it was fine.

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Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Unread Shelf Project, 52 Book Club, Luke Dumas, 3 stars, horror, thriller
categories: Book Reviews
Sunday 02.11.24
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Dead Voices by Katherine Arden

Title: Dead Voices (Small Spaces #2)

Author: Katherine Arden

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2019

Genre: MG Horror

Pages: 256

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; 52 Book Club - Timeframe of a Week or Less

Having survived sinister scarecrows and the malevolent smiling man in Small Spaces, newly minted best friends Ollie, Coco, and Brian are ready to spend a relaxing winter break skiing together with their parents at Mount Hemlock Resort. But when a snowstorm sets in, causing the power to flicker out and the cold to creep closer and closer, the three are forced to settle for hot chocolate and board games by the fire.

Ollie, Coco, and Brian are determined to make the best of being snowed in, but odd things keep happening. Coco is convinced she has seen a ghost, and Ollie is having nightmares about frostbitten girls pleading for help. Then Mr. Voland, a mysterious ghost hunter, arrives in the midst of the storm to investigate the hauntings at Hemlock Lodge. Ollie, Coco, and Brian want to trust him, but Ollie's watch, which once saved them from the smiling man, has a new cautionary message: BEWARE.

With Mr. Voland's help, Ollie, Coco, and Brian reach out to the dead voices at Mount Hemlock. Maybe the ghosts need their help--or maybe not all ghosts can or should be trusted.

After reading the first book in this series, I was completely hooked. I love a good spooky series and this one has a great premise. This one picks up soon after the first book. I loved the change of scenery and new situation that our kids find themselves in. The hotel in the middle of the snowstorm gave awesome Overlook Hotel in The Shining vibes. From there, we very quickly dive into the main conflict. I love how the mystery unravels. The scary parts are truly terrifying and I loved very single page of it. I’ll definitely be continuing this series soon.

Small Spaces

  • #1 Small Spaces

  • #2 Dead Voices

  • #3 Dark Waters

  • #4 Empty Smiles

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Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Katherine Arden, middle grade, 5 stars, horror, Library Love, 52 Book Club
categories: Book Reviews
Saturday 02.10.24
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Haunted Holiday by Kiersten White

Title: Haunted Holiday (The Sinister Summer #5)

Author: Kiersten White

Publisher: Delacorte Press 2024

Genre: Middle Grade Horror

Pages: 272

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Revenge Story; Lifetime - Child Protagonist

Trapped in Aunt Saffronia’s spectral house, Theo and Alexander must work together to escape, stop their newfound nemesis Essa and her henchman Edgaren’t, save Wil and their friends, find their parents, and maybe, just maybe, get things back to normal.

Following the clues left behind, the twins find themselves at Siren’s Song Seaside Amusement Park. Old faces and new surprises await them in a park that was built to lure in visitors…and their secrets.

As they get closer to answers, the twins are left with the biggest question of all: Who is Essa really, and why is she so determined to find their parents?

And we come to the end of the Sinister Summer series! And it was utterly delightful! I loved this play on A Series of Unfortunate Events with references to classic horror stories. In this volume, everything and everybody finally comes together for a happy ending. We get to see the family reunited as they solve the last mystery of the summer. I especially loved the setting of the amusement park in this one. The kraken and robot battle at the end was the cherry on top of the sundae. Definitely a recommendation for most of my friends.

The Sinister Summer

  • #1 Wretched Waterpark

  • #2 Vampiric Vacation

  • #3 Camp Creepy

  • #4 Menacing Manor

  • #5 Haunted Holiday

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Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: fantasy, middle grade, horror, Kiersten White, 5 stars, 52 Book Club, Lifetime
categories: Book Reviews
Friday 02.09.24
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe by Kij Johnson

Title: The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe

Author: Kij Johnson

Publisher: Tor Dot Com 2016

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 166

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Professor Vellitt Boe teaches at the prestigious Ulthar Women’s College. When one of her most gifted students elopes with a dreamer from the waking world, Vellitt must retrieve her.

Such a strange retelling of a Lovecraft story. Another great read for my Nerdy Bookish Friends book club. I took this book very slow, savoring each section as I followed Boe into the unknown in pursuit of her student. The story unfolds like a dream itself, challenging the reader to determine what is real and what is fiction. Slowly, we meet more horrors in the dreaming world until Boe reaches the gate to the waking world. I’m excited to talk with all my book club friends about this book on Sunday.

Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Nerdy Bookish Friends, Kij Johnson, 4 stars, horror, fantasy
categories: Book Reviews
Saturday 12.16.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Whalefall by Daniel Kraus

Title: Whalefall

Author: Daniel Kraus

Publisher: MTV Books 2023

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 327

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Jay Gardiner has given himself a fool’s errand—to find the remains of his deceased father in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Monastery Beach. He knows it’s a long shot, but Jay feels it’s the only way for him to lift the weight of guilt he has carried since his dad’s death by suicide the previous year.

The dive begins well enough, but the sudden appearance of a giant squid puts Jay in very real jeopardy, made infinitely worse by the arrival of a sperm whale looking to feed. Suddenly, Jay is caught in the squid’s tentacles and drawn into the whale’s mouth where he is pulled into the first of its four stomachs. He quickly realizes he has only one hour before his oxygen tanks run out—one hour to defeat his demons and escape the belly of a whale.

Another mediocre read for me this week. I picked this up on th suggestion of a couple of lists with new horror style books for 2023. Ultimately, I wasn’t a huge fan. This read more like a thriller with long chapters of flashbacks and introspection. We didn’t get a sense of building dread that I really love in my horror novels. Instead, the whale swallows Jay pretty quickly and then we slowly have to follow his stream of consciousness and struggle to survive. There are a few parts that turned extremely gory, like even I was a bit grossed out. Overall, I just don’t think I really connected to this story and ended up with a “Meh” reaction at the end.

Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Daniel Kraus, thriller, 3 stars, horror
categories: Book Reviews
Wednesday 12.06.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Find Him Where You Left Him Dead by Kristen Simmons

Title: Find Him Where You Left Him Dead (Death Games #1)

Author: Kristen Simmons

Publisher: Tor Teen 2023

Genre: YA Horror

Pages: 272

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Four years ago, five kids started a game. Not all of them survived.

Now, at the end of their senior year of high school, the survivors—Owen, Madeline, Emerson, and Dax—have reunited for one strange and terrible reason: they’ve been summoned by the ghost of Ian, the friend they left for dead.

Together they return to the place where their friendship ended with one goal: find Ian and bring him home. So they restart the deadly game they never finished—an innocent card-matching challenge called Meido. A game without instructions.

As soon as they begin, they're dragged out of their reality and into an eerie hellscape of Japanese underworlds, more horrifying than even the darkest folktales that Owen's grandmother told him. There, they meet Shinigami, an old wise woman who explains the rules:

They have one night to complete seven challenges or they'll all be stuck in this world forever.

Once inseparable, the survivors now can’t stand each other, but the challenges demand they work together, think quickly, and make sacrifices—blood, clothes, secrets, memories, and worse.

And once again, not everyone will make it out alive.

This was strange and weird and gory. Usually I would love those adjectives when describing a horror book, but ultimately this one wasn’t really for me. We’re thrown right into this story with little set-up. I had a little trouble connecting to the four main characters and getting their backstories straight to understand their current situation. From there, the game starts. I didn’t mind not knowing the rules. What I minded was the fact that I could never really get a sense of the setting and action. The writing was really unclear at times. I never could really see the story in my head. From that, I was annoyed. And the characters themselves. Too whiny, too closed off, not enough growth for anyone over the course of the novel. Plus there was a big subplot about the Empress character that just never went anywhere. Not my cup of tea.

Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: horror, young adult, Kristen Simmons, 3 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Wednesday 11.08.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

The September House by Carissa Orlando

Title: The September House

Author: Carissa Orlando

Publisher: Barley 2023

Genre: Horror

Pages: 344

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street—for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price—they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee. 

Margaret is not most people. 

Margaret is staying. It’s
her house. But after four years Hal can’t take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he’s not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine—who knows nothing about the hauntings—arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September has just begun, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.

Another new random book from the library. I had to sneak in a few more spooky books even if it is November now. This one did not disappoint. I was creeped out by the first chapter. We’re told about this house in snippets and flashbacks injected with Margaret’s very detached narration. The events that she recounts are certainly creepy, but are they real? I was desperate to find to the answer to that question. And the book does not disappoint. We get an answer by the end, and it’s a good one. This is very horror filled and not for the feint of heart.

Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Carissa Orlando, horror, 5 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Tuesday 11.07.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Goblin by Josh Malerman

Title: Goblin

Author: Josh Malerman

Publisher: Del Rey 2021

Genre: Horror

Pages: 416

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Goblin seems like any other ordinary small town. But with the master storyteller Josh Malerman as your tour guide, you’ll discover the secrets that hide behind its closed doors. These six novellas tell the story of a place where the rain is always falling, nighttime is always near, and your darkest fears and desires await. Welcome to Goblin:

A Man in Slices: A man proves his “legendary love” to his girlfriend with a sacrifice even more daring than Vincent van Gogh’s—and sends her more than his heart.

Kamp: Walter Kamp is afraid of everything, but most afraid of being scared to death. As he sets traps around his home to catch the ghosts that haunt him, he learns that nothing is more terrifying than fear itself.

Happy Birthday, Hunter!: A famed big-game hunter is determined to capture—and kill—the ultimate prey: the mythic Great Owl who lives in Goblin’s dark forests. But this mysterious creature is not the only secret the woods are keeping.

Presto: All Peter wants is to be like his hero, Roman Emperor, the greatest magician in the world. When the famous magician comes to Goblin, Peter discovers that not all magic is just an illusion.

A Mix-Up at the Zoo: The new zookeeper feels a mysterious kinship with the animals in his care . . . and finds that his work is freeing dark forces inside him.

The Hedges: When his wife dies, a man builds a hedge maze so elaborate no one ever solves it—until a little girl resolves to be the first to find the mysteries that wait at its heart.

A collection of loosely collected short stories that wasn’t my favorite. I have really enjoyed a few of Malerman’s longer novels, but this one just do it for me. The stories were too much without a point and full of terrible people. I was intrigued b the prologue and the beginnings of a few of the stories, but most o the time, I wanted more. Short stories are never really my thing…

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Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: short stories, horror, Josh Malerman, 3 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Saturday 10.28.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Those We Drown by Amy Goldsmith

Title: Those We Drown

Author: Amy Goldsmith

Publisher: Delacorte Press 2023

Genre: YA Horror

Pages: 416

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

It should have been the trip of a lifetime.

When Liv lands an all-expenses-paid opportunity to study aboard the luxury cruise ship
The Eosfor a semester, she can’t believe her luck. Especially since it will offer her the chance to spend time with Will, her ex–best friend, who’s barely spoken to her since the night their relationship changed forever.  

But as soon as she steps on board, Liv realizes just how out of her depth she is. With Will, with the rest of the Seamester students—including the brittle and beautiful Constantine, who may be hiding his own ties to the
Eos—and most of all, with the Sirens, three glamorous and mysterious influencers who seem to have the run of the ship.

Liv quickly discovers that the only reason she was invited to join the trip is because another girl disappeared shortly after enrolling—and no one seems to know what happened to her. When further disappearances rock the ship and strange creatures begin haunting Liv’s dreams, she wonders: Is the
Eos hiding a dark secret within its shadowy decks?

The truth will come at a price . . . only, how much is Liv willing to pay?

Another five star read for spooky month! This one gives us a big mystery with a great setting and lots of references to Greek mythology. I was totally into the mystery as soon as we set foot on the ship. Thankfully, the book doesn’t take long to really get going and give us brief glimpses of horror. Liv wasn’t my favorite character, but I really did feel for her as she tries to navigate the ship and relationships all while wondering if she is completely hallucinating things. I figured out the main mystery of the cruise, but still enjoyed how everything was revealed. The ending is super open-ended, but after reflecting upon it, I really enjoyed it. A fun horror at sea for this month.

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Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: young adult, horror, Amy Goldsmith, 5 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Wednesday 10.25.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

Title: Starling House

Author: Alix E. Harrow

Publisher: Tor Books 2023

Genre: Horror

Pages: 320

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: BOTM Cleanout; Unread Shelf

I dream sometimes about a house I’ve never seen….

Opal is a lot of things—orphan, high school dropout, full-time cynic and part-time cashier—but above all, she's determined to find a better life for her younger brother Jasper. One that gets them out of Eden, Kentucky, a town remarkable for only two things: bad luck and E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth century author of The Underland, who disappeared over a hundred years ago.

All she left behind were dark rumors—and her home. Everyone agrees that it’s best to ignore the uncanny mansion and its misanthropic heir, Arthur. Almost everyone, anyway.

I should be scared, but in the dream I don’t hesitate.

Opal has been obsessed with The Underland since she was a child. When she gets the chance to step inside Starling House—and make some extra cash for her brother's escape fund—she can't resist.

But sinister forces are digging deeper into the buried secrets of Starling House, and Arthur’s own nightmares have become far too real. As Eden itself seems to be drowning in its own ghosts, Opal realizes that she might finally have found a reason to stick around.

In my dream, I’m home.

And now she’ll have to fight.

The absolute perfect book for spooky season! I love a super atmospheric horror tale with an interesting location. This book delivered on all fronts. Right away, we know that there’s something special about Starling House. We get to follow Opal as she is invited into the house and is given a task of sorts. Opal is an extremely rough-around-the-edges character but I found myself rooting for her from page one. I was hoping to see Opal really grow into her own and lower some of her walls for anyone. And so enters Arthur Starling, Warden of Starling House. We only get glimpses of him throughout the first half of the book, but I loved him immediately. As the mystery unfolds, we learn more about the house and the history of the town. We get some super creepy beings and a ton of good spooky scenes. I took my time reading this book, not speeding through it, but really savoring the pages and the beautiful illustrations throughout. This may just go on my Top 10 of the year list.

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Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: BOTM Cleanout, Book of the Month, UnRead Shelf Project RC, Alix E. Harrow, 5 stars, horror
categories: Book Reviews
Tuesday 10.24.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Preacher Vol. 1

Title: Preacher Vol. 1: Gone to Texas

Author: Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon

Publisher: Vertigo 1996

Genre: Horror

Pages: 336

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR

Jesse Custer was just a small-town preacher in Texas... until his congregation was flattened by powers beyond his control and the Preacher became imbued with abilities beyond anyone's understanding.
 
Now possessed by Genesis—the unholy coupling of an angel and demon—Jesse holds Word of God, an ability to command anyone or anything with a mere utterance. And he’ll use this power to hold the Lord accountable for the people He has forsaken.
 
From the ashes of a small-town church to the bright lights of New York City to the backwoods of Louisiana, Jesse Custer cuts a righteous path across the soul of America in his quest for the divine—an effort that will be met by every evil that Heaven and Earth can assemble. Joined by his gun-toting girlfriend, Tulip, and the hard-drinking Irish vampire, Cassidy, Jesse will stop at nothing to fulfill his quest to find God.

The creative powerhouse team of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon bring readers on a violent and riotous journey across the country in this award-winning Vertigo series, beginning with Preacher Book One. Collects issues #1-12.

We started watching the television series, so I wanted to go back and read the comic series. The two are very different stories. I can’t quite seem to really love this volume. The stories have a choppy quality that I’m not a huge fan of. The casual racism and misogyny, while probably accurate to the time and place, is very grating. Tulip is kinda a terrible character and I really wish she grows and develops throughout the rest of the series, but I don’t hold out a lot of hope. Truly, my favorite character of the bunch is Cassidy. He’s at least very interesting in both the comic and the television show. I imagine that I will continue reading this series, albeit at a slow pace.

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Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Fall TBR List, horror, graphic novel, Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon, 3 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Sunday 10.22.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

Title: Nothing But Blackened Teeth

Author: Cassandra Khaw

Publisher: Tor Nightfire 2021

Genre: Horror

Pages: 128

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR

A Heian-era mansion stands abandoned, its foundations resting on the bones of a bride and its walls packed with the remains of the girls sacrificed to keep her company. It’s the perfect venue for a group of thrill-seeking friends, brought back together to celebrate a wedding. A night of food, drinks, and games quickly spirals into a nightmare as secrets get dragged out and relationships are tested. But the house has secrets too. Lurking in the shadows is the ghost bride with a black smile and a hungry heart. And she gets lonely down there in the dirt. Effortlessly turning the classic haunted house story on its head, Nothing but Blackened Teeth is a sharp and devastating exploration of grief, the parasitic nature of relationships, and the consequences of our actions.

What the heck did a I just read? That was incredibly short and incredibly weird. I love a good haunted house and was promised some creepy goings-on with this story. That part of the story delivers. It was the characters that I very much disliked. They are terrible and clearly all hate each other. I wanted to root for at least one of them, but found myself rooting for the ghosts and demons. Not the best foundation for a story. And then I was confused in parts as to what exactly I was supposed to be seeing in this house. I loved the premise, but didn’t quite get the execution.

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Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Cassandra Khaw, 3 stars, horror, Fall TBR List
categories: Book Reviews
Saturday 10.21.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry

Title: The Ghost Tree

Author: Christina Henry

Publisher: Berkley 2020

Genre: Horror

Pages: 415

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR

When the bodies of two girls are found torn apart in the town of Smiths Hollow, Lauren is surprised, but she also expects that the police won't find the killer. After all, the year before her father's body was found with his heart missing, and since then everyone has moved on. Even her best friend, Miranda, has become more interested in boys than in spending time at the old ghost tree, the way they used to when they were kids.

So when Lauren has a vision of a monster dragging the remains of the girls through the woods, she knows she can't just do nothing. Not like the rest of her town. But as she draws closer to answers, she realizes that the foundation of her seemingly normal town might be rotten at the center. And that if nobody else stands for the missing, she will.

A very fun monster book full of small town secrets, coming of age, and conflict between the insiders and outsiders. I’ve enjoyed other Christina Henry works, and this was a return to the slightly grotesque fast-moving story that I love from her. We dive right in with a very gory murder of two girls and then speed through the book trying to figure out the mystery before anyone else gets killed. Lauren felt like a very typical almost 15 year old with her insecurities and internal identity struggles. I wasn’t annoyed by the whining or immaturity as Henry doesn’t overdo it. We aren’t reminded every page about Lauren’s feeling. Instead, we get a bit of a range of focus on different characters from the town. My favorite were the interactions between David and anyone else. I guessed who the monster had inhabited, but relished the big reveal at the end. I really loved this spooky monster book.

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Next up on the TBR pile:

seoulmates.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg kill creatures.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: Christina Henry, horror, Fall TBR List, 4 stars
categories: Book Reviews
Friday 10.20.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 
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