Few books have left me as disturbed and creeped out as A Haunting in the Arctic by C.J. Cooke. This novel delves into the depths of psychological terror and trauma, weaving a narrative that is both addictive and profoundly unsettling.
The story is told in two timelines, first opening in Dundee, Scotland in 1901 with Nicky, a young woman whose father owns the whaling ship Ormen. Times have been hard for her–following a devastating loss, her husband has gone off to war, leaving her alone. After receiving some unnerving news about her father’s business, Nicky heads to the park and is suddenly attacked and abducted. When she wakes, she finds herself inexplicably aboard the Ormen, beginning its months-long voyage to Icelandic waters. As the ship carries her further away from home, Nicky realizes with horror what the crew intends for her.
Meanwhile, the second timeline unfolds in the present day. The wreck of a whaling ship, determined to be the Ormen, has washed ashore in the arctic. A young explorer named Dominique is determined to make her way to the site to document the wreck and find out what happened to it in its last days before it is scheduled to be destroyed. Initially traveling alone, her plans hit a snag when she encounters a trio of adventurers heading to Iceland to do exactly the same thing. Ultimately deciding to team up, the group makes it to the shipwreck only to find themselves stalked by an eerie presence on the ice while trapped in a storm.
Before I proceed with my review, it must first be noted that A Haunting in the Arctic is not for the faint of heart. It is one of the darkest books I’ve read in a while, unapologetic in its portrayal of human suffering. There are sensitive and distressing themes aplenty, most of them dealing with sexual assault and violence. Although these are woven into the very bones of the novel, integral to its premise and progression, the detailed depiction of such scenes may prove distressing to some. Therefore, reader discretion is strongly advised.
That said, this is my third book by C.J. Cooke, and it might be my favorite yet. The author’s strength has always been her remarkable talent for crafting immersive atmospheres, which she displayed even in her earlier novels, The Nesting and The Lighthouse Witches. In A Haunting in the Arctic, Cooke’s prose again brings the setting to life, evoking a palpable sense of isolation and dread.
For all its bleakness though, the novel also contains moments of deep and powerful emotion, exploring themes of loss and resilience. Nicky and Dominique emerge as intricately written characters, both living through their own private hells, yet the subtle connections between them, spanning across time, won’t be fully revealed until much later at the end. The mystery kept the tensions high and added an additional layer of intrigue, keeping me hooked as answers were gradually revealed.
Again, A Haunting in the Arctic was not an easy book to read, nor would it be suitable for all readers. However, I do believe horror fans brave enough to venture into its icy depths will find a haunting narrative that offers gut-wrenching and chilling resonance....more
Christina Henry’s latest novel, The House That Horror Built, is perhaps her least unconventional in recent years. In spite of this, it worked for me. The story captures the tradition and spirit of the best horror movies, making this one of her more enjoyable books.
Set in Chicago amidst the pandemic, Harry Adams is struggling to get by with her fourteen-year-old son Gabe after all the restaurants closed in the city, taking away her waitressing job. Desperate for work, she applies to be a house cleaner three days a week at Bright Horses, a sprawling estate owned by Javier Castillo, a renowned horror film director. Secretly, Harry is a huge fan of his work, but decides to keep quiet to give the man his privacy. The filmmaker’s life has been plagued with scandal after his only son Michael became the main suspect in a young woman’s murder. However, before an arrest could occur, Michael vanished along with his mother. Abandoned by his family, Castillo chose to live in the mansion in solitude, away from the prying eyes of the media.
At first, the job goes well. Castillo may be a reticent and curt man, but as far as bosses go, he is fair and relatively undemanding. Harry’s primary duties are to keep the house immaculate and to clean his vast collection of horror movie props, which quickly becomes routine. But then, strange things begin to occur, especially surrounding a particular costume piece from Castillo’s most famous film. The costume’s mask seems to watch Harry with empty eyes, and sometimes she thinks she can see it move and hear voices. Afraid to lose her job, she keeps quiet, even though she suspects an otherworldly presence in the house and that her employer may be involved. But when Castillo begins to take an unsettling interest in Gabe, Harry’s protective instinct sets off every alarm system in her brain.
Unlike Henry’s more recent novels like her fairy tale retellings and over-the-top horror, The House That Horror Built feels more down-to-earth and familiar. For one, the setting and the characters’ pandemic reality is something that most of us can relate to—social distancing, financial woes, and emotional strain. In Harry’s case, she is struggling to find a job, pay her rent, and keep her son in school. Her troubles lend the story more authenticity, and while some may find all this a bummer, the rawness appealed to me because it helped ground the novel’s supernatural premise in the everyday.
I also observed how character development here was prioritized over heavy messaging (Good Girls Don’t Die, I’m looking at you). Everything about Harry’s personality from her no-nonsense determination to her resentfulness and mistrust is a product of her past—a strict and religious upbringing—revealed through flashbacks which enrich the narrative. On the other hand, things are a lot less clear when it comes to Javier Castillo. Questions surround the enigmatic director, leading the reader to wonder if there is more to his decision to live alone in a creepy old mansion surrounded by his weird horror movie props.
Last but not least, The House That Horror Built is equal parts horror and mystery, which is what I enjoyed most about the book. But while it may not be a 24/7 fright fest, there is still enough atmospheric tension to keep readers invested, and despite the classic haunted house motif, the plot invites readers to explore the genre beyond cheap thrills and simple scares.
Bottom line, I appreciated the fine balance between setting, character, and plot that I felt was lacking in the author’s last few novels. In The House that Horror Built, Christina Henry has managed to capture the energy behind the fascination for haunted house stories and the horror genre in general, and it’s a passion that feels genuine and fun....more
It’s no secret that this was a year packed full of new horror releases, but 2023 seems to have saved me one of the best for last. J.H. Markert’s Mister Lullaby is a haunting novel that truly surprised me, delivering a seamless blend of visceral darkness and supernatural horror that left me feeling both discomfited but eager to read more.
Set against the backdrop of a creepy little town named Harrod’s Reach, the story first directs our attention to an abandoned train tunnel that locals around the area all know well. Strange things have been occurring there for as long as anyone can remember, ranging from the eerie to the gruesome. A few who have ventured inside have never returned. Severed limbs have also been mysteriously recovered from within its depths. And one year, a child named Sully Dupree suffered an unfortunate accident while inside the tunnel, leaving him in a coma. Despite calls from the frightened townsfolk to have the tunnel’s entrance walled up, authorities have been reluctant, unwilling to give into superstitions. Regardless, any attempt at sealing it would inevitably fail, as the bricks would crumble and fall apart for seemingly no reason at all. Then one day, two bodies are discovered at the tunnel, with messages with references to lullabies left upon them.
Following a long stint in the military, Sully Dupree’s older brother Gideon returns home to Harrod’s Reach, just in time for his kid brother to briefly awaken from his coma and impart a message, hinting at the existence of a twisted, unseen world beyond our own. Enlisting the help of his childhood friend Beth Gardner, now the Deputy Sheriff, Gideon seeks to uncover the mystery behind this nightmarish realm called LaLaLand, where Sully’s mind is trapped alongside those of other children whose physical bodies are also frozen in slumber. Fighting a silent war, they are working together to keep the evil from this dream world from breaking through to the other side. However, in the waking world, a troubled man starts to hear voices in his head from an entity he calls Mr. Lullaby, and following his directions, begins hunting down and killing any coma patient he can find.
Readers who enjoy sinister tales that push the boundaries will have a great time with this one, especially if you have a penchant for supernatural horror that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality. Mister Lullaby is also my first book by J.H. Markert and it certainly won’t be the last. The author’s skill lies in creating a unique and frightening mythology that shines through brightly in this novel’s plot which unfolds through multiple perspectives, forming an overall picture of fear and suspense. Both the real world and the nightmarish LaLaLand were vividly brought to life, the juxtaposition between these two different realities resulting in an added layer of complexity.
While it’s true that the narrative starts slow, it is never boring, as the momentum eventually builds to an urgency that keeps propelling us towards the climactic ending. One of the novel’s strongest aspects is the exploration of its characters—their past and present, as well as their knotty and complicated relationships forged through shared trauma. Backstories and personal struggles are revealed in tandem with revelations surrounding the old train tunnel, with the town’s grisly history serving as both a backdrop and a character in its own right. As secrets are unearthed and the stakes get higher, I found myself both captivated and appalled by the visceral horrors that unfold. All I can say about this is, Mister Lullaby is definitely not for the faint of heart.
And if the allusions of the cover aren’t immediately obvious, there are also strong echoes of Stephen King’s influence here, but also of Joe Hill’s NOS4R2, though at the end of the day, Markert’s voice is distinct. If you relish the weird, the uncanny, and the macabre, do yourself a favor and pick up Mister Lullaby, a darkly imaginative tale of horror which will burrow into your thoughts and stay there for a long time....more
On a dark and lonely road in rural Michigan, July 1995. Newlyweds April and Eddie Carter are on their way to their honeymoon destination when they make a wrong turn onto Atticus Lane. In the blackness of the night, they suddenly spot a lone hitchhiker in their headlights, stumbling and incoherent. At first, the couple think the hitchhiker, a young woman, is drunk. But when they get her into the car, April realizes the stranger is covered in blood. “I’m sorry,” the woman says. “He’s coming.” Soon, their car is pursued by a pickup truck barreling through the darkness.
Chased into the sleepy town of Coldlake Falls, they make their escape. But it is too late for the young woman, who dies at the local hospital, and the police are now making the Carters their prime suspects for her mysterious death. It seems that this is not the first time something like this has happened on Atticus Lane, where murders involving hitchhikers have been happening for years. As April and Eddie try to clear their names and find the real culprit, they uncover a haunted history in Coldlake Falls going back decades. But the two of them have secrets of their own as well—something to hide and something to fear—and the truth may yet tear them apart.
This is the premise of Murder Road, the newest thriller by Simone St. James which combines horror, mystery, and a generous helping of the supernatural. This is also the third book I’ve read by the author, and so far, it’s probably my favorite—and the creepiest. St. James has a real knack for crafting hauntingly atmospheric stories, and the suspense in this one was through the roof! Remember to proceed with caution, and whatever you do, don’t read this alone at night!
From the start, the story had me hooked with its nostalgic mid-90’s setting, and as someone who has lived through that glorious decade, I felt instantly transported back to the time of grunge rock, Princess Diana love, and when ubiquitous smartphone use was still a distant reality. The plot itself was a rollercoaster of questions and elusive answers which are revealed gradually, and the mystery comes at us from two angles—first, who has been killing hitchhikers along Atticus Line, and second, who are April and Eddie, and what aren’t they telling each other?
On that note, the characterizations of our newly married couple were excellent, drawing readers deeper into their complicated lives full of past trauma and lies of omission, and strong supporting characters mostly made up of Coldlake Falls residents rounds out the rest of the cast. From the surly local cops to the quirky owner of the bed and breakfast, their various personalities helped bring the town to life.
Speaking of which, Coldlake Falls itself could be a character in its own right, a town full of suspicious people, thick with unease from witnessing so much death and tragedy, not to mention it is also home to a legend about a vengeful spirit. In other words, the perfect setting for a ghost story.
If you are an admirer of Simone St. James, Murder Road is not one you’ll want to miss, and for fans of chilling tales that send shivers down you spin, this novel delivers in spades. Just remember to keep the lights on while you read—you never know who or what might be lurking in the shadows....more
This is my third novel by Melanie Golding, and once more I was not disappointed by the captivating storytelling and creepy vibes. The Sight follows trick rider Faith Harrington, who has the power to foresee a person’s death. It first manifested when she was just a child, wintering with her family of circus performers on a farm over a frozen lake, when a dream suddenly came to her foretelling her brother’s drowning. Ever since that day, simply looking into someone else’s eyes will bring on a vision of how they will die. Faith’s helplessness to do anything to prevent these deaths is what ultimately drove her to try and blind herself by stabbing out her left eye.
Circus folk being the superstitious bunch they are, however, at first they tried to keep Faith out of the family business, and only after a promise from Faith herself to never use her gift did her Uncle Billy eventually allow her back in the ring. Gradually though, even those closest to her began to fear her and pull away, and then one night, disaster strikes in the middle of a show, and Faith is compelled to break her promise as a favor for a dear friend. Had that been the extent of it, all might have been forgiven, but soon afterwards, Faith is caught using her gift again, this time with the entire incident caught on camera, sealing her fate. Uncle Billy is left with no choice but to cast Faith out of her beloved circus and the only life she has ever known.
This banishment ends up setting in motion a series of events that leads to more hardship for Faith, now adrift in a world without support, with a mother whose end-of-life care is racking up some serious expenses. But our protagonist is resourceful and determined, using her ability to her advantage in a truly enterprising manner, selling her gift as a service—until one day, a look into a client’s eyes revealed herself as the killer in her vision of his future murder.
Up until this point, the novel had been a slow build-up of tension and suspense, alternating between the present and flashbacks which served to fill in the gaps in our main character’s backstory. However, as Faith’s journey takes an unexpected turn with the revelation of seeing herself in a vision of a stranger’s death, that was a truly WTF! moment, injecting a fresh jolt of momentum and shifting the narrative abruptly from slow-burn into edge-of-your-seat territory.
At the heart of it, The Sight is a depressing, tragic tale as well. Faith’s life has been marred by death, death, and more death. In a bold move, the author does not shy away from the emotional burden her protagonist carries, incorporating her trauma into creating a heavy, haunting atmosphere. In turn, Faith’s portrait is a picture of a woman who has faced one trial after another, but these experiences have also sculpted her character into one of remarkable depth.
Through all the darkness though, there is some light. While it feels a bit wrong to admit this, I did find some amusement in Faith exploiting her gift by advertising herself as an “Oracle of Death,” and it says a lot about our society that I find it completely believable that some would pay huge sums of money for the services she can provide. In the end, there is also a ray of hope and optimism—that is, right before it is dashed by the parting shot of a last-minute twist.
But that is the game you play when you pick up a Melanie Golding book. You enter a world where the ordinary and the paranormal coexist, and where the line between horror and thriller blurs. The Sight was another great read, showcasing her talent for writing eerie and emotionally charged stories....more
Word of advice: Do not start this book before you go to sleep or unless you have a good chunk of time available to devote to it, because believe me, you will not want to stop. Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine has rocketed up my list of favorite thriller reads of the year, thanks to its gripping narrative and unexpected plot twists that had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.
The story follows actress Anna Alcott, who enjoyed a moderately successful career in her youth. Now in her late 30s, she is preparing to settle down with her new husband Dex to start a family, but unfortunately, infertility had other plans. After wrapping up work on her latest project, an indie film called The Auteur, Anna decides that the time has finally come to seek help at a fertility clinic, one that comes highly recommended by friends. However, during their latest round of IVF, The Auteur unexpectedly becomes a runaway hit, and suddenly, Anna is faced with the possibility of being nominated for an Oscar.
Years ago, the opportunity would have been a dream come true, but now Anna only has her sights on getting pregnant—and the obsession might even be starting to affect her senses. At first, it was the missed doctor appointments, though she could have sworn she entered the dates and times correctly into her calendar. Then came the misplaced bottles of medications crucial to her IVF cycles, almost as if someone was deliberately trying to sabotage her pregnancy journey.
Things only get worse when Anna eventually gets her positive test. One day, someone breaks into the house while she is sleeping, and creepy dolls are left on the beach where she frequently walks. As desperation mounts and the stress becomes more than she can take, Anna starts having terrible symptoms and can’t stop worrying about her baby’s safety even as she wonders if she might be losing her mind.
From the very beginning, I was seized by the uncomfortable truths of human reproduction. In my experience, most books for expectant mothers paint a halcyon, glowing picture of pregnancy (“Your baby is now the size of a sweet potato!”) while failing to depict that what happens between conception and birth is a harrowing process where so many things can go wrong. Heck, even trying to conceive can be a monumental struggle, as it was for Anna Alcott. In a true test of my squeamishness, the author does not shy away from any of the messy, painful details as she describes her protagonist’s experience with IVF and then, later, her experiences with a difficult pregnancy. For this reason, Delicate Condition has the potential to be a highly distressing read for someone who is pregnant, struggling with infertility, or has experienced miscarriage. Reader discretion is definitely advised.
Personally though, what set this book apart for me was its main character, whose every emotion came to life with depth and complexity. Even though I had relatively textbook pregnancies with my kids, as a naturally anxious person, I was paranoid and worried every day, and seeing those fears magnified a thousand times in Anna, my heart just broke for her.
The novel’s pacing was also an example of masterful balance and control, never letting up for a second while still being careful not to overwhelm the reader with too many developments. And while this book has been compared to Rosemary’s Baby, quite honestly, I feel the comparison is neither accurate nor fair. Delicate Condition certainly deserves to stand on its own since there are some elements it tackles differently, and other areas where it does things even better. Best of all, there was plenty of psychological depth to the horror and suspense, both of which increased gradually over the course of the story, building up to multiple revelations until the grand finale left me in a state of complete shock.
Finally, this isn’t actually my first book by the author, who has published YA titles under her name Danielle Vega. However, compared to the YA horror novel I’d previously read by her, which was rather run-of-the-mill and unadventurous, Delicate Condition is a whole other kind monster—a dark, vicious, and unrelenting one. At the same time, I loved the sophistication and boldness of the writing and narrative, and if this is what I can look forward to from the author’s adult fiction in the future, then sign me up for more....more
Edenville may have the distinction of being my biggest disappointment in 2023, and as it stands now, it’s also probably my lowest rated book of the year. I’m not even going to do my usual rundown of the plot because, quite honestly, I’m not even sure I knew what the hell was going on! For the sake of clarity though, here’s the gist: We have a young couple who move to Edenville because Cam, a failed author with no real job prospects, has taken job at the local college, and his girlfriend Quinn reluctantly follows along because she grew up nearby and has heard all kinds of creepy urban legends about the town. Soon after they arrive, however, Cam starts having these terrible nightmares, and Quinn realizes there may be more than a grain of truth to the horror stories she’s heard growing up.
At this point, I feel I should mention that this was also the year I started DNF’ing books, and the only reason Edenville was spared from this ignominious pile was due to my 25% rule—that is, if I’m not interested in reading any more by the time hit the quarter mark, then it’s time to throw in the towel. Somehow, this novel managed to squeak by this threshold despite being a snoozefest for the first fifty pages or so, mainly because right before 25% was when Cam and Quinn finally made it to Edenville. I thought to myself, well, at the very least, I really should give the novel a chance to win me over now that its namesake has—at long last!—entered the picture.
Which turned out to be a huge mistake. Things not only failed to improve but took a turn for the worse as the plot grew increasingly confusing and nonsensical. As I mentioned before, the opening chapters were a struggle, and most of this was due to the overly indulgent and cumbersome prose. The writing itself is pretentious to the extreme and exudes an air of someone who feels awfully clever and satisfied with themselves. This just made all the jokes unfunny, the profanity crass instead of witty, and robbed any satire of its sophistication. Unfortunately, this attitude of excessive self-satisfaction continues through the entire book. Meanwhile, more important matters like succinctness and lucidity go out the window.
Then there were the characters. Cam was an insufferable snob, but believe it or not, Quinn was the bigger disaster. Girl had no agency, no backbone, no mind of her own. Randomly, she would say, do, or think things that were so jarringly stupid or absurd, many times I found myself wondering if the author was purposely doing this for shock value, or if Quinn was really just that badly written. Evidently, there’s a belief that some male writers struggle to portray female characters realistically, and I’m thinking maybe there’s some of that happening here.
Moving on to the horror aspects. To be fair, this was perhaps the one bright spot of this entire debacle. I do love myself some cosmic horror, which I confess I did not expect from Edenville going in, and it was the singular reason I stayed riding on this trainwreck for so long even after every instinct was screaming for me to bail. In any case, I was already past the point of no return, and I wanted to see things through. There is some serious gross-out gore and body horror within these pages; I only wish the author had exhibited such lack of subtlety from the outset because maybe then the beginning wouldn’t have felt so clunky and ostentatious.
I could go on, but I think I’ve written enough to get the point across. Obviously, I don’t recommend Edenville, and while I won’t deny experiencing a certain degree of catharsis from banging out this review, in retrospect I probably should have listened to my gut and saved myself from this bloated, overly ambitious novel....more
Greta Kelly’s The Queen of Days initially held great promise for me, especially following my positive experience with her brilliant Warrior Witch duology. The prospect of a new adventure—a heist story, no less, which is like catnip for me—set in a world teeming with gods and demigods immediately piqued my interest. Ultimately though, I believe the novel would have benefited from a more in-depth exploration of the individual characters and their dynamics.
When the story begins, readers are introduced to Balthazar, a former member of the ruling class whose entire life was upended when his family fell under the attack of a vengeful political rival. Only Bal and his younger sister Miraveena survived, along with a few members of his extended family like his half-brother Malakai, cousin Zeelaya and her husband Edik, all of whom are now on the run. Forced to steal to survive, they become thieves for hire, targeting the nobility that had let them down. But now, they’ve been offered their biggest score yet. Bal’s mysterious patron has hired their crew to steal the idol of Karanis at the grand gala to celebrate the construction of the new temple to the sea god. Sure, it would be difficult in front of all those in attendance, but the pay alone would ensure all their futures. To Bal, nothing is more important than his little sister, and if they pull this off, Mira would be set for life.
There’s only one problem. For unknown reasons, their patron will only give them the job if they agree to take on a sixth member, the legendary thief known as the Queen of Days. Unwilling to let this chance of a lifetime slip through his fingers, Bal reluctantly strikes a deal with the mysterious figure, who introduces herself as Tassiel. When asked about her fee, however, she asks him to pay with thirty days off the end of his life and the same for each of his crew. Skeptical and disbelieving, Bal accepts.
This is just the beginning of what promises to be a whirlwind journey that will challenge not only our characters’ skills as thieves but also their very understanding of the rules that make up their universe. As they’ll soon discover, there is nothing traditional or even ordinary about the ceremony they’re about to crash, and the idol they’ve been tasked to steal is a magical artifact of immense significance, one that will change the fate of both mortals and gods. For Bal, this will mean fighting to maintain the fragile unity of his crew and learning to trust in Tassiel, at least long enough for them to survive this whole ordeal.
Yet while Kelly succeeds in portraying this band of thieves as a loveable found family, I felt that having an ensemble cast both strengthened and challenged the narrative. Yes, having more characters undoubtedly made the story more interesting, but because the focus was also very divided, I found it more difficult to connect to any of them. Notably, the author should have made a stronger case for Bal as the mastermind, the role traditionally filled by the crew’s leader in a heist story. There were several reasons why I found this unconvincing, the main one being his poor decision-making skills and lack of good judgment. His impulsiveness was not a good look and made it harder for me to feel sympathy for him or even root for his success.
Needless to say, I preferred Tassiel’s chapters over Bal’s, though the point-of-view shifts between the two from first-person to third-person took some adjusting. It also resulted in putting a bit of distance between the reader and her character, though in the end, it didn’t prevent me from warming to her personality as more about history was revealed (meanwhile, the more time I spent with Bal, the less I liked him).
This being a heist story, it should also come as no surprise that it stuck hard to heist crew archetypes. That said, I wish we had gotten more complex characters and that the plot moved beyond the usual predictable patterns. Granted, this was by no means a bad book, but nothing about it truly surprised or inspired me.
In other words, unlike Greta Kelly’s The Frozen Crown which I felt was a glorious debut, this one simply didn’t shine quite as bright. Don’t get me wrong, for readers who are looking for a pacy, entertaining, and action-packed heist story set in a fantasy world, I think The Queen of Days will be perfectly satisfactory. Nevertheless, those who are very familiar with the conventions of the genre and are looking for something more by way of characters and plot may find it somewhat wanting. ...more
It's no secret I’m a big fan of Kelley Armstrong’s work, but I must confess that, to date, I’ve only pretty much read her adult thrillers. Someone is Always Watching is my first venture into her YA, and I’m thinking, Hmm…maybe I’ve been spoiled.
The story here is a bit dysfunctional, and well, to tell the truth, so are all the characters. We follow a group of teenagers—our protagonist Blythe, her friends Gabrielle, Tucker, and Tanya—as they navigate high school life through several traumatic events. First, Gabrielle experiences paranoia which culminates in a mental breakdown, coming back to herself afterward with no memory of what happened or why is drenched in blood with the dead body of the school’s principal at her feet. Things are not the same between the four friends after that, as Blythe struggles to come to terms with what Gabrielle is thought to have done.
Meanwhile, brother and sister Tucker and Tanya are having problems of their own. Memory lapses and unsettling dreams plague their day-to-day, putting stress on their relationships. Formerly tight with the siblings, Blythe now begins to question all her friendships with no idea who she can trust. Then suddenly, Blythe’s sister Sydney goes missing, but the teens’ parents, supposedly adults that they can trust, all seem to know something they’re not telling.
If the above summary feels vague, that’s because I don’t want to accidentally reveal any spoilers. Also, this book was just strange and, if I’m being brutally honest, kind of a hot mess. All this makes it hard to discuss any story details. The plot was disjointed and chaotic; we jumped from scene to scene with poor transitioning, seemingly with no rhyme or rhythm. While there were twists aplenty, these didn’t seem too well thought out, and felt either too predictable or too unconvincing.
Then there were the characters. On the positive side, I liked how the story explored the psychology of mistrust and gaslighting, and enjoyed the way the author wrote about Blythe and her friends’ reactions to having their identities slowly being stripped away. After all, if you are a product of your life experiences, what does it mean when you can’t remember or start doubting the veracity of your memories? Still, I often found myself frustrated by the teens’ passive responses and lack of ability to come up with any real solutions. Round and round they went, going nowhere fast and dealing with too much trivial drama.
I suppose if you are into YA thrillers, this one is perfectly serviceable. It’s twisty, it’s fun, it’s a little edgy. It has plenty of suspense and even some romance. On the surface, it checks all the boxes, but for me, I personally wanted something more. I also think I’ve come to expect much more from Armstrong as a writer, and this book felt lacking in polish compared to the quality I’m used to from her work. The story didn’t flow as smoothly, the pacing was wonky, the themes weren’t very well realized—everything was in place but just felt a little…off.
That said, if you are a Kelley Armstrong fan, Someone is Always Watching is probably still worth reading, but I will say it’s probably my least favorite of her books that I’ve read so far. And okay, it’s also possible that I might have just hyped myself a bit too much for this one. Though I won’t say no to her future YA, next time I’ll definitely learn to adjust my expectations.
If you’re familiar with the work of Sebastien de Castell, you’d probably know his stories can be pretty dark but also hilariously funny. For this reason, his Greatcoats series still remains one of my all-time favorites, and I was excited when I learned that his latest fantasy novel The Malevolent Seven will likewise feature comedy, grit, and anti-heroes.
As the book begins, readers are introduced to protagonist Cade Ombra who seems quite adamant that we understand he is not your average wizard. He lives in a world where magic users—called “wonderists”—draw their powers from different planes of existence, and these sources would determine what kind of wizard you are. Cade, for instance, has a special connection with the demonic realm and can summon its denizens to help fuel his magic, which understandably also makes others feel very uncomfortable around him. For his part though, Cade has never claimed to be a good person and thinks it’s probably wise not to trust him. He’s a wily rogue who runs with other cutthroat mercenaries like his friend Corrigan, a Thunder Mage whose powers enable him to manipulate lightning.
After the last gig with their employer goes south, Cade somehow finds himself roped into a dangerous mission with Corrigan to travel to the most inhospitable place on the planet to confront seven deadly mages. Sure, it’s a suicide mission, but what has he got to lose? On the other hand, there’s plenty to gain, including lots of riches and perhaps even a way to reverse his bad fortunes. As the two of them embark on their journey, they also pick up companions along the way, forming a rough group of wonderist misfits who are each on the mission to advance their own goals.
The Malevolent Seven was a lot of fun, just as I expected it would be. A classic quest narrative forms the story’s backbone, introducing challenges and trials along the way. At the center of it all is also our questing party, whose interpersonal dynamics provide the conflicts and the entertainment. Each member of the group is a distinct individual, many of them outfitted with larger-than-life personalities. Most of them are criminals, who claim allegiance to nothing but their moneypurses.
Just as amusing as it was to watch the characters’ social interactions, it was also fascinating to see how their different magical abilities played off each other. The world-building was well thought out and robust, establishing a unique magic system. Beyond the fantasy elements, however, a mystical and almost metaphysical component also comes into play later on which I felt was a little strange and unexpected. So, for those who might be turned off by the weird and the abstract, there will indeed be some mind-bending fuckery going on.
But as for what really made this book special and why I think you should read it, I have to especially highlight and praise the overall tone and style of writing. If you are a fan of Sebastien de Castell, you are probably nodding along to this because you know exactly what I’m talking about. Cade is a gem of a narrator, and as insistent as he is in trying to convince you he’s a bad, bad person (providing plenty of evidence to support this too, I might add), you simply can’t help but love and root for him. But while he may be sarcastic and double-dealing on occasion, claiming to lack any morals, there is a part of him deep down that genuinely wants to right thing (like where a certain Blood Mage is concerned), and his plain-spoken and tactless honesty that sometimes comes through is admittedly quite refreshing.
Even though Sebastien de Castell’s stories sometimes toe the grimdark line, they are often still lighthearted and humorous enough to appeal to readers who would typically avoid the hopelessly bleak genre. If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading his work yet, well, you know I will never stop plugging his Greatcoats series! But if you enjoy fantasy with clever plots, witty dialogue, and characters with a keen sense of humor, you should also keep The Malevolent Seven on your radar....more
Christa, a woman haunted by both her present and a traumatic past, heads into the snowy heart of the Rocky Mountains with her boyfriend Kiernan, hoping that their vacation will take their relationship to another level and help her heal. Unexpectedly though, a bad storm sweeps into the region, forcing the couple and the other travelers on their broken-down tour bus to take shelter in an abandoned hunting cabin. But in the chaos of the blinding blizzard, Christa is separated from Kiernan. Heartbroken, she must wait until conditions are safer before they can launch a search party.
However, the discovery of their decapitated tour guide puts an end to any hope of rescue. His severed head, strategically displayed for the horrified group to see, serves as a grim warning: No one is getting out alive. In this frozen isolation, the winter landscape transforms into a grisly stage for a sadistic hunter to pick them off one by one. All communication with the outside world has been cut off, and Christa knows Kiernan is dead. Now she and her fellow survivors find themselves trapped in deadly game of terror against an elusive killer.
Darcy Coates showcases her flair for urgency and tension, offering thrills and chills in Dead of Winter, a novel that grips readers with its delectable premise. I love a good snowbound horror—and the more atmospheric the better. This being my first book by the author, and I was also impressed with the setting and how the isolated Rockies were brought to life, becoming a character in its own right. Coates turned the wide expanse of the wilderness into a claustrophobic blend of eeriness and suspense, brava.
Then we have the protagonist. The book’s main pulse is set by Christa’s journey, her worldview colored by a dark past and a guilt she cannot shake. With Kiernan, she thought she could start a new chapter in her life but losing him sends her off into a deeper spiral. Even though this novel features a large cast, we never lose sight of Christa’s main role in the story, which is to pull the whole mystery together, as the end eventually reveals. But everyone else—Simone, a stern practical woman; husband and wife team Steve and Miri; Denny and his son Grayson, traveling together in shared grief; Blake, who recently lost his job; Hutch, a young DJ; and Alexis, who become a close friend to Christa as they try to who the killer is and why they are doing this—all of them are puzzle pieces that fit into a whole. At first, I was impatient to know why all these strangers should matter, but as it turns out, every one of them holds a clue.
Yet, within this twisty narrative, Dead of Winter ultimately succumbs to the pitfalls of predictability and familiar horror tropes. From the way I looked at it as a “final girl” type slasher horror, it was rather easy to guess who the killer was, even though Coates tried to hide her tracks well, and it shouldn’t have been that easy to predict. Without revealing spoilers though, there was just enough left unsaid for me to suspect who did it, though admittedly, the whys and the hows still surprised me.
All told, Dead of Winter emerges as a promising offering for fans of horror—especially if you like your horror bloody. It successfully delivers a suspenseful and brutal escapade, the tensions heightened by the atmosphere. For me, though, the overall experience was a slightly diminished, simply because I happened to guess a big part of the ending, but even though the book may not shatter conventions or introduce anything groundbreaking, it’s a good old fun thrill ride if that’s the kind of entertainment you enjoy....more
The Lake House is Sarah Beth Durst’s YA thriller that does overtime as a survival horror. It follows three teen girls who arrive at the Maine-based Lake House camp expecting a sun-soaked summer of adventures and fun on the island but instead find themselves trapped in a terrifying nightmare.
Our protagonist is Claire, a world-class worrier. A pessimist at heart, she always thinks of the worst-case scenario in every situation, obsessing over every single detail so that she can be prepared when things inevitably go wrong. This year, she’s working on her extracurriculars in preparation for college, and her parents have signed her up for summer camp at Lake House she can add an off-the-grid experience to her application as well as make some new friends.
But when Claire arrives with Reyva and Mariana, her fellow would-be campers, all the girls discover at the site of Lake House is a burned-out husk of a building. Now that the boat that brought them here is gone and there’s no cell service, they’re also stuck. Worse, once they start exploring the surrounding woods, they also find the body of their camp director, dead by gunshot wound. Frightened and confused, the girls have no way off the island and must find a source of food and shelter before the storm arrives, not to mention the possibility of a killer on the loose.
I had mixed feelings about The Lake House. The vibe it’s going for is a bit of old-school slasher horror meets One of Us is Lying, which provides plenty of oomph to get the ball rolling. And roll it does, at least for the first half. We have three girls trapped at camp Lake House, or what’s left of it, each with their own reasons for being there, each with their own unique set of skills to bring to the table. For a while it was an awesome and suspenseful survival story, with shades of Lost. Claire’s anxiety and wariness ends up being an asset to the group as she alerts her new friends to all the potential dangers they could face out in the wilderness.
It goes on like this, with the characters sharing their stories and their strengths as they overcome the terrors thrown their way. Eventually though, we hit a peak and the intrigue high starts to wear off, leaving behind the doldrums. The horror element fades to the background as the plot trots out trope after thriller trope, even as the story’s overall pacing hits a wall. While there was no actual slowdown per se, it just felt like we were going around in circles stalling for time as we made virtually no headway on solving the greater mystery.
To be fair, if I hadn’t read any of the author’s previous work, I might have enjoyed this one a lot more. But having no less than half a dozen of Durst’s other books under my belt including her Queens of Renthia series and Bone Maker (my personal favorite), The Lake House simply felt underdeveloped and dull in comparison. Its premise was also too simplistic, the writing lacking in the deeper nuances that I know Durst is capable of, which is why I can’t see this as anything but a letdown. I suppose it’s fine if you aren’t expecting too much, but the author has written better books and I would recommend passing on this one....more
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