The Devil’s Woods
Gripping, chilling, shocking, and hard to put down! You said you can never go home again????? But if your home was next to The Devil’s Woods, would you want to go home again?????Whew! Brian Moreland took me on a creepy, menacing, horrific and deranged ride through the Canadian Wilderness. People have been disappearing in this wilderness for a long, long, time. The Cree First Nation warned their people to stay out of the woods until they eventually moved their reservation. The vivid descriptions, the Indian folklore, the eerie supernatural vibe, and mounting danger sucked me in and never let go!!! Kyle Elkheart, his brother Eric, and sister Shawna and their guests have been invited to spend time near the Indian reservation by family members who have remained in the area around Hagen’s Cove. Their father has gone missing, and their grandfather is elderly. Kyle has a unique gift, and it will come into play during the course of this book. The siblings hope to get answers but what they find is the stuff of nightmares! You might think twice before taking a walk in the woods after reading this book! What a wild ride! I enjoyed how dark, suspenseful, and creepy this book was from the very beginning. This played out like a movie in my mind. It is full of secrets, danger, and shocking scenes. There are some twists, some reveals, and some moments that will get your heart pounding just a tad bit faster. If you enjoy a good horror book, look no further! The Devil’s Woods delivers on the thrills, chills, and scares! Thank you to Brian Moreland, the publisher and Goodreads who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Porcelain Menagerie
Jillian Forsberg grabbed my attention with her first book, The Rhino Keeper, and she wowed me once again with her wonderfully written, intriguing characters, intricate plots, attention to detail, and vivid descriptions. I had both the book and audiobook versions of The Porcelain Menagerie and I highly recommend both. The audiobook is wonderfully narrated by Caroline Hewit. The Porcelain Menagerie is told in two timelines and is gripping, thought provoking, and interesting. This work of historical fiction is based on real life king, Augustus II the Strong who was the King of Poland. It was obvious that the author did a tremendous amount of research in the writing of this book. Her eye for detail is obvious and made this book even more fascinating. This book has many characters ranging from Fatima,aTurkish handmaiden, who has been taken from her family to replace one of King Augustus’s mistresses. She has a love of animals and has a collection of exotic animals who bring her happiness as she navigates her new life at court. There is Johann Kändler, an artist who the King wants/demands to make him a porcelain menagerie. The two timelines make up this story that highlight power, art, survival, love, lust, and porcelain. Readers should note that there are some things in this book which will be hard to read. The norms and practices of past times was not always pretty. For instance, “fox tossing” is what you imagine it might be. If you want to skip that part, don’t read Chapter 30. The author was very honest and open about that being a difficult chapter to read and let readers know it can be skipped to avoid some upsetting scenes. Plus, women did not have the rights that they have today and were viewed as property. In short, I found this book to be wonderfully written, well thought out, gripping, and thought provoking. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions, the plot, and how this book had me turning to the internet to find out more. I love when a book causes me to feel, think, and educates me. Thank you to History Through Fiction | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members’ Audiobooks and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Caller Unknown
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare! Simone and her daughter, Lucy, are as close as can be. They plan a trip which will have them traveling from the UK to Texas for some quality mother-daughter bonding before Lucy goes to university. When Simone wakes up one morning and finds Lucy missing, her heart plummets to her feet! She is naturally freaked out and while searching the place for her daughter finds a phone with a startling message from a caller unknown! Simone’s husband wants her to call the police, but Simone plans to follow the instructions she was given. There is NOTHING that she won’t do for her daughter! It’s not money that the kidnapper wants – it’s something else entirely! This book was instantly intriguing to me. I too, wanted to know what happened to Lucy! Who took her and why????? I came up with all kinds of theories and hoped that I was on the right track. WRONG! I was not even close! As I mentioned I was instantly drawn into the plot. I wondered what I would do if it were my child and I received the chilling instructions from an unknown caller. What would I be willing to do? Would there be any line that I would not cross. But then things slowed down a bit. I struggle with slow. I enjoyed the suspense, tension, and fear that was jumping off the pages to continue; but unfortunately, they slowed way down! The plot became a little stagnant for me. The in the later part of the book, things did pick up, but then things veered off into OTT territory. I found myself thinking. “Come on” and “seriously”. I tend to be able to suspend disbelief for the most part with books, but in this one, I found it difficult. What did work was the tension filled beginning of the book and how the author showed Simone’s love, her fear, her worries, and her desperate drive to get her daughter back. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Dig
Can you dig it???? Dig: A Thriller is dark, creepy, atmospheric, addictive, chilling, and horrific! To quote the author “I dug it.”Dig: A Thriller was instantly gripping and I loved the eerie vibe which flowed throughout the book! This book also has dread, a whole lot of digging, acts of violence, and an ominous feel. I was drawn to this book like bees to honey. I could not put it down! J.H. Markert did not disappoint! You can feel that something isn’t quite right, but what??? Crow Island has a dark and checkered past which involves slavery and violence. Those who live on the island come from families that have lived there for generations. The island is full of secrets tht run deep. To get to them, you might need to dig! Eight years ago, Jericho Dodd, a young and strange boy, picked up an axe and murdered a dozen people. When his father begins to dig, something is unleashed which causes those on the island to feel a compulsion to dig and acts of violence ensue… As I mentioned this book was addictive and hard to put down. I loved the creepy and supernatural elements of the book. I also loved the folklore element of Boo Hags. You will need to read for yourself to find out more. I enjoyed the characters and how fleshed out they were from the overworked stressed Sheriff, to Amy, the twin of one of the victims of Jericho Dodd, and to Nate, Jericho’s brother. I felt for all of them and rooted for them. As the book progresses all will be put to the test in one way or another. I enjoyed how this book slowly gets under the reader’s skin. I love books where you can feel the dread. You know how movies utilize music to build the suspense or to get viewers heart rates elevated? Most of us know the Jaws song that lets you know the shark is about to make an appearance, or the music in Star Wars, or the music in Halloween that lets us know Michael Myers is about, you get the picture. You might not be able to get the buzzing of bees out of your mind with this book! I thought J.H. Merkert did a great job of building the suspense and getting my heart rate elevated in Dig: A Thriller. Dark, unsettling, addictive, well thought out, perfectly paced, and hard to put down! 4.5 stars Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Christine Falls
Talk about Noir! This book played out like an old black and white movie in my mind while reading it. This book does in fact takes place 1950s Dublin. Dr. Garret Quirke is a pathologist who observes his brother-in-law tampering with medical records of a young woman’s corpse. Intrigued he begins looking into what happened to the Christine Falls, the dead young woman. This book is dark, and Quirke is consumed with finding out what happened to the dead woman. He is not willing to let it go and won’t let anyone get in his way of learning the truth. He will face several deterrents, but he is stubborn as a mule and like a dog with a bone. He is unwilling to let go of his quest for the truth. I’ll say it again – Noir, noir, noir! The mystery in this book is intriguing, and I enjoyed the ‘detective’ work that Quirke did. My biggest issue with this book is that it’s a slow burn and I struggle with slow burns. Having said that, I can also say that John Banville created a unique set of characters and an intriguing main character. I can fault his writing or his well thought out plot, I just grew impatient and wanted things to move along faster. This is the case of it’s me and not the book. Those who enjoy slow burn mysteries will most likely enjoy this book. Thank you to Henry Holt and Co. who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is Not a Test
Holy Hell in a handbasket, This Is Not a Test chewed me up and spit me out! Whew! What a bloody good book!!!! Coming in at less than 300 pages, this book packs quite the punch, especially in the last half. This Is Not a Test is a YA dystopian book about a zombie Apocalypse, but it is so much more! This book is dark, raw, emotion evoking, gritty, intense, powerful, heartbreaking, and violent. This book will put you thought the ringer quite a few times during the course of this book. Sloane wants to die at the beginning of the book. That is not a spoiler, it’s in the books’ description. Sloane is ready. She has been brutally abused all her life by her father. Her older sister, Lily has left and the world around her is falling apart. There is an outbreak of sorts and people are turning into zombies. When the barricades go down, she decides it’s time – but life and zombies have a way of changing things. Things go from bad to worse and she finds herself holed up in Cortege High School with five other students who want to live, to survive, to endure. Sloane watches them, she sees their quest to live, to fight, to make it through one more day. Their parents are gone, their other friends are gone, they don’t know when supplies will run out, or if the zombies will get inside. I could feel their desperation, their anxiety, their loneliness, and their humanness. Oh man, this book left me gutted. The author takes flawed and damaged characters and puts them through the ringer. I cared for them, I feared for them, I held my breath for them, I crossed my fingers for them. I wanted to tell them to run, to stay quiet, to be still, and to not give up. Becoming a zombie is a transformation – a change that takes place. Change takes place for Sloane as well during the course of this book. She is a broken, scared, and damaged teen at the beginning of the book and as she faces her new reality, readers see how she changes and grows as a person. This book is raw and had my heart pounding a little bit faster as the book progressed to the end. I love tension and dread in books, and this book has in and then some. This book is dripping with danger, dread, and has an underlying sense of unease on every page. This book is about Zombies, yes; but it is also about people, about humanity, about survival, about life, and pain. The dread in this book man, it’s a killer. It’s the “thud” on the door, it’s the hairs sticking up on the back of your neck, it’s the shadows, and it is the bells that go off. It’s the not seeing but knowing something is out there, but where???? That anticipatory anxiety that has one breaking out in a sweat while being hypervigilant and scanning your surroundings. Courtney Summers does an amazing job of creating a eerie and horrific vibe. By the time the book came to an end, I felt limp. Exhausted as if I had been the one trudging through the woods, having to make split second decisions, while trying to survive. Fans of “The Walking Dead”, “Night of the Living Dead” or the book The Forest of Hands and Teeth will find this book to be right up their alley. What works in all of those are the characters. They way readers or viewers become invested in the characters. As I mentioned before, Courtney summers created characters that I cared for and for that reason, I not only wanted to keep turning the pages, I had to turn the pages! Be warned, there are some graphic and violent scenes in this book. Characters will be in situations or make decisions that will be troubling for some readers. But if you can stomach it, This Is Not a Test is a fantastic book. Be sure to read the author’s note at the end of the book as well. Thank you to Bindery Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Devil’s Woods
Gripping, chilling, shocking, and hard to put down! You said you can never go home again????? But if your home was next to The Devil’s Woods, would you want to go home again?????Whew! Brian Moreland took me on a creepy, menacing, horrific and deranged ride through the Canadian Wilderness. People have been disappearing in this wilderness for a long, long, time. The Cree First Nation warned their people to stay out of the woods until they eventually moved their reservation. The vivid descriptions, the Indian folklore, the eerie supernatural vibe, and mounting danger sucked me in and never let go!!! Kyle Elkheart, his brother Eric, and sister Shawna and their guests have been invited to spend time near the Indian reservation by family members who have remained in the area around Hagen’s Cove. Their father has gone missing, and their grandfather is elderly. Kyle has a unique gift, and it will come into play during the course of this book. The siblings hope to get answers but what they find is the stuff of nightmares! You might think twice before taking a walk in the woods after reading this book! What a wild ride! I enjoyed how dark, suspenseful, and creepy this book was from the very beginning. This played out like a movie in my mind. It is full of secrets, danger, and shocking scenes. There are some twists, some reveals, and some moments that will get your heart pounding just a tad bit faster. If you enjoy a good horror book, look no further! The Devil’s Woods delivers on the thrills, chills, and scares! Thank you to Brian Moreland, the publisher and Goodreads who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Porcelain Menagerie
Jillian Forsberg grabbed my attention with her first book, The Rhino Keeper, and she wowed me once again with her wonderfully written, intriguing characters, intricate plots, attention to detail, and vivid descriptions. I had both the book and audiobook versions of The Porcelain Menagerie and I highly recommend both. The audiobook is wonderfully narrated by Caroline Hewit. The Porcelain Menagerie is told in two timelines and is gripping, thought provoking, and interesting. This work of historical fiction is based on real life king, Augustus II the Strong who was the King of Poland. It was obvious that the author did a tremendous amount of research in the writing of this book. Her eye for detail is obvious and made this book even more fascinating. This book has many characters ranging from Fatima,aTurkish handmaiden, who has been taken from her family to replace one of King Augustus’s mistresses. She has a love of animals and has a collection of exotic animals who bring her happiness as she navigates her new life at court. There is Johann Kändler, an artist who the King wants/demands to make him a porcelain menagerie. The two timelines make up this story that highlight power, art, survival, love, lust, and porcelain. Readers should note that there are some things in this book which will be hard to read. The norms and practices of past times was not always pretty. For instance, “fox tossing” is what you imagine it might be. If you want to skip that part, don’t read Chapter 30. The author was very honest and open about that being a difficult chapter to read and let readers know it can be skipped to avoid some upsetting scenes. Plus, women did not have the rights that they have today and were viewed as property. In short, I found this book to be wonderfully written, well thought out, gripping, and thought provoking. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions, the plot, and how this book had me turning to the internet to find out more. I love when a book causes me to feel, think, and educates me. Thank you to History Through Fiction | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members’ Audiobooks and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Caller Unknown
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare! Simone and her daughter, Lucy, are as close as can be. They plan a trip which will have them traveling from the UK to Texas for some quality mother-daughter bonding before Lucy goes to university. When Simone wakes up one morning and finds Lucy missing, her heart plummets to her feet! She is naturally freaked out and while searching the place for her daughter finds a phone with a startling message from a caller unknown! Simone’s husband wants her to call the police, but Simone plans to follow the instructions she was given. There is NOTHING that she won’t do for her daughter! It’s not money that the kidnapper wants – it’s something else entirely! This book was instantly intriguing to me. I too, wanted to know what happened to Lucy! Who took her and why????? I came up with all kinds of theories and hoped that I was on the right track. WRONG! I was not even close! As I mentioned I was instantly drawn into the plot. I wondered what I would do if it were my child and I received the chilling instructions from an unknown caller. What would I be willing to do? Would there be any line that I would not cross. But then things slowed down a bit. I struggle with slow. I enjoyed the suspense, tension, and fear that was jumping off the pages to continue; but unfortunately, they slowed way down! The plot became a little stagnant for me. The in the later part of the book, things did pick up, but then things veered off into OTT territory. I found myself thinking. “Come on” and “seriously”. I tend to be able to suspend disbelief for the most part with books, but in this one, I found it difficult. What did work was the tension filled beginning of the book and how the author showed Simone’s love, her fear, her worries, and her desperate drive to get her daughter back. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Dig
Can you dig it???? Dig: A Thriller is dark, creepy, atmospheric, addictive, chilling, and horrific! To quote the author “I dug it.”Dig: A Thriller was instantly gripping and I loved the eerie vibe which flowed throughout the book! This book also has dread, a whole lot of digging, acts of violence, and an ominous feel. I was drawn to this book like bees to honey. I could not put it down! J.H. Markert did not disappoint! You can feel that something isn’t quite right, but what??? Crow Island has a dark and checkered past which involves slavery and violence. Those who live on the island come from families that have lived there for generations. The island is full of secrets tht run deep. To get to them, you might need to dig! Eight years ago, Jericho Dodd, a young and strange boy, picked up an axe and murdered a dozen people. When his father begins to dig, something is unleashed which causes those on the island to feel a compulsion to dig and acts of violence ensue… As I mentioned this book was addictive and hard to put down. I loved the creepy and supernatural elements of the book. I also loved the folklore element of Boo Hags. You will need to read for yourself to find out more. I enjoyed the characters and how fleshed out they were from the overworked stressed Sheriff, to Amy, the twin of one of the victims of Jericho Dodd, and to Nate, Jericho’s brother. I felt for all of them and rooted for them. As the book progresses all will be put to the test in one way or another. I enjoyed how this book slowly gets under the reader’s skin. I love books where you can feel the dread. You know how movies utilize music to build the suspense or to get viewers heart rates elevated? Most of us know the Jaws song that lets you know the shark is about to make an appearance, or the music in Star Wars, or the music in Halloween that lets us know Michael Myers is about, you get the picture. You might not be able to get the buzzing of bees out of your mind with this book! I thought J.H. Merkert did a great job of building the suspense and getting my heart rate elevated in Dig: A Thriller. Dark, unsettling, addictive, well thought out, perfectly paced, and hard to put down! 4.5 stars Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Christine Falls
Talk about Noir! This book played out like an old black and white movie in my mind while reading it. This book does in fact takes place 1950s Dublin. Dr. Garret Quirke is a pathologist who observes his brother-in-law tampering with medical records of a young woman’s corpse. Intrigued he begins looking into what happened to the Christine Falls, the dead young woman. This book is dark, and Quirke is consumed with finding out what happened to the dead woman. He is not willing to let it go and won’t let anyone get in his way of learning the truth. He will face several deterrents, but he is stubborn as a mule and like a dog with a bone. He is unwilling to let go of his quest for the truth. I’ll say it again – Noir, noir, noir! The mystery in this book is intriguing, and I enjoyed the ‘detective’ work that Quirke did. My biggest issue with this book is that it’s a slow burn and I struggle with slow burns. Having said that, I can also say that John Banville created a unique set of characters and an intriguing main character. I can fault his writing or his well thought out plot, I just grew impatient and wanted things to move along faster. This is the case of it’s me and not the book. Those who enjoy slow burn mysteries will most likely enjoy this book. Thank you to Henry Holt and Co. who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is Not a Test
Holy Hell in a handbasket, This Is Not a Test chewed me up and spit me out! Whew! What a bloody good book!!!! Coming in at less than 300 pages, this book packs quite the punch, especially in the last half. This Is Not a Test is a YA dystopian book about a zombie Apocalypse, but it is so much more! This book is dark, raw, emotion evoking, gritty, intense, powerful, heartbreaking, and violent. This book will put you thought the ringer quite a few times during the course of this book. Sloane wants to die at the beginning of the book. That is not a spoiler, it’s in the books’ description. Sloane is ready. She has been brutally abused all her life by her father. Her older sister, Lily has left and the world around her is falling apart. There is an outbreak of sorts and people are turning into zombies. When the barricades go down, she decides it’s time – but life and zombies have a way of changing things. Things go from bad to worse and she finds herself holed up in Cortege High School with five other students who want to live, to survive, to endure. Sloane watches them, she sees their quest to live, to fight, to make it through one more day. Their parents are gone, their other friends are gone, they don’t know when supplies will run out, or if the zombies will get inside. I could feel their desperation, their anxiety, their loneliness, and their humanness. Oh man, this book left me gutted. The author takes flawed and damaged characters and puts them through the ringer. I cared for them, I feared for them, I held my breath for them, I crossed my fingers for them. I wanted to tell them to run, to stay quiet, to be still, and to not give up. Becoming a zombie is a transformation – a change that takes place. Change takes place for Sloane as well during the course of this book. She is a broken, scared, and damaged teen at the beginning of the book and as she faces her new reality, readers see how she changes and grows as a person. This book is raw and had my heart pounding a little bit faster as the book progressed to the end. I love tension and dread in books, and this book has in and then some. This book is dripping with danger, dread, and has an underlying sense of unease on every page. This book is about Zombies, yes; but it is also about people, about humanity, about survival, about life, and pain. The dread in this book man, it’s a killer. It’s the “thud” on the door, it’s the hairs sticking up on the back of your neck, it’s the shadows, and it is the bells that go off. It’s the not seeing but knowing something is out there, but where???? That anticipatory anxiety that has one breaking out in a sweat while being hypervigilant and scanning your surroundings. Courtney Summers does an amazing job of creating a eerie and horrific vibe. By the time the book came to an end, I felt limp. Exhausted as if I had been the one trudging through the woods, having to make split second decisions, while trying to survive. Fans of “The Walking Dead”, “Night of the Living Dead” or the book The Forest of Hands and Teeth will find this book to be right up their alley. What works in all of those are the characters. They way readers or viewers become invested in the characters. As I mentioned before, Courtney summers created characters that I cared for and for that reason, I not only wanted to keep turning the pages, I had to turn the pages! Be warned, there are some graphic and violent scenes in this book. Characters will be in situations or make decisions that will be troubling for some readers. But if you can stomach it, This Is Not a Test is a fantastic book. Be sure to read the author’s note at the end of the book as well. Thank you to Bindery Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
