One of my favorite things about Lindsay Currie's books is that she covers parts of history that are "lost" or "forgotten" and maybe you haven't heard One of my favorite things about Lindsay Currie's books is that she covers parts of history that are "lost" or "forgotten" and maybe you haven't heard of before. However, I don't want to share which part of history this covers because I feel like it would spoil the book. And I think it's better going into this one blind. I will say that this sent me into a research frenzy afterwards and am extremely interested in the topic. I have a feeling many others will be intrigued by it also. This was by far my favorite out of the 3 books I've read of hers. And although I'd recommend any of her writings, if you haven't read anything from her before, give this one a try. If Found Us was thoroughly creepy. Had I read this as a kid I would have been extremely spooked and I loved it! It has tons of spooky scenes filled with vivid imagery that genuinely sent shivers down my spine. The only issue I had with this one is that there was a minor plot hole. The ghost is described as not having eyes and his mouth sewn shut. I waited the whole book for an answer as to why he would appear that way and nothing... maybe I missed something there? And if I did, please feel free to clear that up for me because I'm a little lost with it haha. It admittedly made for some down right spine tingling imagery. But there was just no explanation for why he appears like that or how it happened and I was a little bummed out by that. Because most of the intrigue for me was fueled by that in particular. ...more
I haven't had much time for reading the last few months so it was nice to find an audio book that was easy to keep up with while I was doing other thiI haven't had much time for reading the last few months so it was nice to find an audio book that was easy to keep up with while I was doing other things. I have enjoyed all of Jennifer McMahon writings that I've read so far and this one was no different. I find possession stories (especially with a possible psychological twist) to not only be really fun but also the most likely to actually scare me. While this didn't full on scare me or give me nightmares, (that's a rarity for me) there were some parts that legitimately made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. And I think any book that can give you any reaction, but especially a strong reaction like that, means it's doing its job and its doing its job well. I will admit that I saw a few of the twists coming. There were some easily predictable things in here. At least for me. But take that with a grain of salt because I read a lot of horror and kind of knoe what tropes and twists to expect and look for. There were still a couple surprises that still got me though.:) As for the ending, I can see this ending being one that you either love or hate. I think if you're the kind of person that doesn't like endings to be wrapped up and tied with a nice bow and enjoy some what open endings, you'll like the ending to this. If you don't, you may not be as happy with it. For me, I feel torn with the ending. I'm angry with how it ended but also can't deny that it was a great ending for a horror novel. It leaves you feeling angry, defeated, sad... again, a book the brings up any strong emotion is a good thing right? Lol. So I can't be that mad about it. Just bummed about the situation. However, one last thing that I thing should be mentioned... If you have a sensitivity to animal cruelty like I do, please tread carefully if you choose to pick this one up. It wasn't as graphic as some other animal cruelty scenes that I've read, but it was still a little upsetting. So please be forewarned......more
This book wasn't the most terrifying ghost story. But the book did keep me interested and entertained throughout. It was about a 3 star book for me unThis book wasn't the most terrifying ghost story. But the book did keep me interested and entertained throughout. It was about a 3 star book for me until thr last quarter of the book when everything started wrapping up. The ending was a 4 star for me... The message in Wait Till Helen Comes is both heart wrenchingly beautiful as well as heart WARMING. A stunning little book that's perfect for young children. (Especially if they like ghost stories.) It has its spooky moments but it isn't anything terrifying, gruesome or that would keep anyone up at night. Very sweet book! I'm conflicted on the rating for this though. I think for me personally it's a 3.5/ high 3 star book :)...more
Kendra and Seth go to stay at their grandparents house while their parents are away on vacation. They're not very happy with the idea at first. But onKendra and Seth go to stay at their grandparents house while their parents are away on vacation. They're not very happy with the idea at first. But once they start exploring the property, they notice there's something very off about the premises. Why does grandpa have so many strange rules?And where is grandma? Where is she REALLY? Having always had an affinity for mythical creatures and a relation to the author, I've been interested in this book since it came out when I was in the 6th grade. And I'm kicking myself for not picking it up sooner! I can't believe it took me 17 years to finally read it. I think had I read this in middle school, I would have loved this even more than I do as an adult. And admittedly have "FOMO" because I feel like this would have been a big part of my childhood. ...more
I appreciate that although I'd recommend reading the first book first, you could technically start with this one and have an understanding of what's gI appreciate that although I'd recommend reading the first book first, you could technically start with this one and have an understanding of what's going on. Each book is set in a different location with a different plot. The main thing you'd get from starting with the first one is the understanding of the characters personalities and adding more to the mystery as to why their parents dropped them off with their aunt and are going to all these spooky locations. I didn't like this one quite as much as the first one but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe it was because I listened to it on audio. Maybe I need to go back and read it physically. Even so, I still enjoyed the writting style and the plot. And I still, of course, adore the characters! These are such cute and fun gothic, spooky books that are perfect for spooky season. Or any season really! I said in my review on Wretched Waterparks that it reminds me of Tim Burton and that still holds true in this book. I love gothic literature and Tim Burton so much that I think that adds to my love of these books. If you're a gothic lit or Tim Burton fan like I am, I think you will enjoy these books as well. Although, I really do recommend these books for everyone! I hope you decide to pick these up and give them a try. So worth the time and the read!...more
An audio- ARC copy was sent to me from Titan Books via Netgalley. So big thank you to them! All opinions are my own.
First off, I want to say what a faAn audio- ARC copy was sent to me from Titan Books via Netgalley. So big thank you to them! All opinions are my own.
First off, I want to say what a fantastic job the narrator did. Every single character had their own voices which made it so much easier to differentiate the characters. He did an especially fantastic job with Dennis! I will be looking for more audiobooks that are narrated by this narrator. About the book though... This was my first Ronald Malfi book. So I was so excited to get a copy to read and review. And although this one wasn't one for me personally, I can see why so many people are raving about it and love it so much. The comparison of IT is spot on. I could also see a little bit of Dream Catcher mixed in. I think that was mainly due to Dennis. He reminded me a lot of the main character from Dream Catcher (I can't remember his name at the moment. It's been too long) So if you're a fan of Stephen King or a fan of the "little kids fighting evil and growing up and going back to fight the evil again" trope, I HIGHLY recommend this one. And as long as we are on the topics of characters.... Wow! The characters were SO well fleshed out. They were each very personable and three dimensional. You really end up loving these morally Grey characters by the end of this book. Which was refreshing to see. Even the villain in this book was very three dimensional and so so creepy. Every scene with him made it very unsettling and uncomfortable. What a creeper! As a side note, people should note that there are a LOT of triggers in this. Including grooming, abuse, addiction, graphic and gore scenes and even animal cruelty. So please know that going in and tread lightly... On a different note though, the plot... I personally found the plot kind of unoriginal and wasn't necessarily thrilled or excited at any point through the book. Simply because I've seen it before. The only new aspect that kept things interesting for me was the Magician Villian. I really wish there were more scenes with him. Or even more scenes from his perspective. But that ending though!! That really did a lot for me and ended up saving a lot of the book for me. It both kept me at the edge of my seat and broke my heart.. well done! The writting in its entirely was well done. Ultimately, I just felt like something was missing. This is one of those books that I know there's not necessarily anything wrong with this book. It's actually objectively a good book. It was just lack luster for me. There's something about it that had something missing and I can't put my finger on it. However I know I am in the minority with this one. So please don't let this review deter you. So many people love this one. And that love is well deserved. So if this one sounds interesting to you, if you like IT, if you like the children fighting evil as adults trope, if you like STEPHEN KING! I do actually recommend giving this a try.:) I know that I personally will be giving this author another chance. In my heart this is 3 star. But objectively it's a 4. And since this is a review and not a book I was reading purely for enjoyment, I'm going to rate it at an objective 4 stars! :)...more
I have some mixed feelings on this one. So let's see if we can unpack those feelings and articulate them properly... One thing that T. Kingfisher does I have some mixed feelings on this one. So let's see if we can unpack those feelings and articulate them properly... One thing that T. Kingfisher does very well in all of her books is write great characters and good humor that always has me chuckling throughout the entirety of the book. This one was no different. The humor in this is very dry and witty. Which is right up my alley. Dry humor is speaking my language haha. As I said prior, I laughed through out the whole book and found myself highlighting a lot of quoted that made me laugh or that I found amusing. A lot of the humor plays a part in the MC personality. Which is part of why I think I enjoyed her so much. I found myself relating to her and appreciating her commentary. I appreciated her commentary and personality in a lot more than just her humor though. There was a lot of talk about what it's like being plus sized. (Which I personally feel was handled well) as well as other important topic. And although she was rather sarcastic, she is also very easy to love. I honestly wish this character was real because I feel like we would be best friends in real life. However, the MC is the main thing that kept me pushing through this book and mostly the only reason that I ended up finishing it. I probably would have DNF otherwise. I was under the impression that this was a a southern gothic haunted house story. And although it is a southern gothic novel, I wouldn't say this is a haunted house. Though there is a ghost at one point, It's less of a haunted house book and more of a witchy book. And had I known what it actually was about, I would have gone into this with a different mind set and may not have been so disappointed with the direction it took. And maybe that was my mistake? As I didn't do a whole lot of research before reading this. I wanted to go in blind. So, again, maybe that was on me... I enjoyed the beginning of this for the most part. It really dragged out the story for the first 75% of it. But I stayed patient with it because a lot of gothic and haunted house stories are that way. But then the ending of this went in more of a fantasy direction that I wasn't expecting. There was some horror elements that were included. But it was ultimately fantasy and didn't really like that it went that route. Again, I think that was just because of the mindset I had of this book going in. But knowing that I went 3/4 of the book with not much happening all for the story to go left field.... I don't know. It just bummed me out and left me a little disappointed. And to have EVERY exciting thing happen one thing after another, crammed into the last quarter of this book was a let down for me. I by no means think this is a bad book. I think if you go into this knowing full well what this is and enjoy those kinds of books, this could really work for a lot of people. And it already has! I'm definitely the minority here for not loving this book. So don't let me deter you from picking it up. This was just a case of personal preference and misunderstanding the plot of the story....more
I loved the premise for this story. We hear from writers all the time that when they're writting, it's like they're pulling it from another world or dI loved the premise for this story. We hear from writers all the time that when they're writting, it's like they're pulling it from another world or dimension and Megan Shepherd brings that idea to life in this book. She actually talks about it a little bit in her notes after the book. So if you read this, I recommend reading the notes as well. Although this is very much an adult book with adult topics, it reads very much like Young Adult. I think this would be a great book for people who enjoy YA horror but are interested in getting into adult horror. Or even just adult books in general. Because it did read younger for its target age, it was easy to read but also took me out of the book occasionally because the topics were so adult but I kept forgetting that the book and therefore the characters in this book were adult. So it would always shock me when something really traumatic happened and I had to remind myself "oh yeah, this isn't YA Neither are the characters." While this was a bit of a downfall, as I said previously, it also made it a lot easier and mindless to read. The writing was easy to get through and the plot was so intriguing that it kept me flying through the pages. The characters weren't as flushed out as they could have been. But for this reason, I think this is a good book for plot based readers. Very faced passed, very interesting and had moments that were downright creepy and gore. Speaking of gore, this does have some mild cases of body horror. So if that's something you don't like or that bothers you, I would advise you to maybe stay clear of this one. But if you think you can handle it, I think this is a really good horror book and very unique from anything I read. It's similar to a book within a book trope. But it takes that trope and flips it on its head, making it its own trope, story and idea. This was very cleverly well done! I'm excited to see future adult works by this author! This was sent to me by the publishers via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. So thank you so much to them! All opinions are my own!...more
Not a whole lot to say about this one. It was just a fun, fast paced time. I enjoyed the added media with the pictures. I think that added a lot to thNot a whole lot to say about this one. It was just a fun, fast paced time. I enjoyed the added media with the pictures. I think that added a lot to the story and gave better imagery for the story. This book would have been very different without them. The ending threw me for a loop.( though I don't read a ton of thrillers so maybe it would be easier to catch for someone who reads a lot of them) Some of the things didn't go the direction I wanted or expected it to. That said, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and read the entirety of it in two sittings. Very easy reading and a fun time. I do recommend!...more
I've been trying to find this book for so long but couldn't remember the name of it! I'm so happy to have found it! This book scared the HECK!!! out oI've been trying to find this book for so long but couldn't remember the name of it! I'm so happy to have found it! This book scared the HECK!!! out of me as a kid, resulting in a long lasting impression. And although it terrified me, it was by far my favorite scary story collection. I dont know how it would hold up if I read it now. But if it's anything like I remember, I think this would be a book that kids and adults alike would enjoy....more
This isn't quite what I thought or hoped it would be.. However it is a very unique twist on a haunted house. I don't think I've read about a haunted hThis isn't quite what I thought or hoped it would be.. However it is a very unique twist on a haunted house. I don't think I've read about a haunted house like this but it was very entertaining and fun. Although there were spooky elements, it wasn't as spooky as I expected it to be. I've read middle grade books creepier than this one. So with that being said, I think this is a great starter book for anyone interested not just in getting into spooky middle grade but horror in general. I also think my enjoyment of this book would have been a lot better had I read it physically rather than listening to the audio book. ...more
Lindsay Currie is an excellent writer! This is the second book I've read by her and I actually prefer this one to Scritch Scratch. (Though both are grLindsay Currie is an excellent writer! This is the second book I've read by her and I actually prefer this one to Scritch Scratch. (Though both are great middle grade horror.) I genuinely would have been freaked out by this as a kid. As an adult, it was pretty mild and the ending was predictable. But the characters in this are so sweet and wholesome. And the character growth is great. If you don't read this for anything else, at least read it for the characters! I also appreciated the fact that thr parents played a role in the MC life/story. I see so many books in MG and YA that the parents are non existent and the kids do what ever they want or are able to pull off very unbelievable things. This book however had very believable characters and have believable actions for a middle grader. I think if you like horror or your child likes horror (specifically ghosts) this one would be a great to read with your child during Halloween!:) ...more
If Tim Burton had an amusement park, this is what I would picture it being like. Minus Tim's iconic characters of course haha. Seriously though, this If Tim Burton had an amusement park, this is what I would picture it being like. Minus Tim's iconic characters of course haha. Seriously though, this is a very gothic middle grade book with a mystery element. This is about these two kids who are sent to their odd and mysterious aunts home (who's home seems to be frozen in the past.) Their aunt isn't very good with kids and had no idea how to care for tiny humans. So she decides to send them to a gothic themed water park. A water park that is not only weird in its own right but there is something off about it. Something not right. And it's up to the kids to figure out what that something is. I can't think of a better horror middle grade for the summer. It's so atmospheric and the characters are very personable and loveable. And the whole story is clever with some clever nods to gothic lit and jokes. These character think just like someone their age would. There were multiple time I found my self chuckling at their comments and jokes. This is just so cute and everything I want in a book. And everything I needed at the time! Just a very fun and enjoyable time. I'm so excited for the next installment. It can't come soon enough! If you like gothic horror. If you like middle grade with cute and loveable characters and a good mystery plot... this book is for you! I highly recommend this one. :) This was an ARC sent to me by Delacorte Press via Netgalley. Thank you so much to them for the opportunity to read this ARC! All opinions are my own....more
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