Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay

 Title: Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay

Publisher: William Morrow

Release Date: June 11, 2024

As an avid horror fan, this book sounded like it would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, that proved not to be the case.

The book was written from the point of view of someone I'll call the "Narrator" as we never learn his name. He is writing a companion to an audiobook about a 1993 movie that was partially released online and became a cult hit. There are multiple times lines which include present, recent past, 1993, and sections of the movie's script. The Narrator is the only surviving member of the cast of the original movie. Hollywood and The Narrator are trying to make a reboot of the film.

The multiple timelines can be confusing and convoluted at times which makes the book somewhat hard to read. There are also long sections without dialogue that ramble on for what feels like forever. The "horror" aspect of the book was more disturbing than scary. Most of the book was about bullying.

The ending felt rushed and added on for dramatic effect rather than neatly ending the story. It left me staring at my Kindle wondering what the heck I just read. I love a good horror story whether it be film or novel and this book didn't feel like horror at all to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.  

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

Title: Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey

Release Date: June 25, 2024

Who would have thought that a thriller told from the POV of a child would be so compelling and scary? I sure didn't. Josh Malerman perfectly captures the confusion, terror, and heartbreak that this young girl, Bela, is feeling from the very first page. It may be disconcerting to some but Bela's POV really works.

Bela's life consists of her Mommy, Daddo, and Grandma Ruth. What her family doesn't know is that Bela also relies on an entity called Other Mommy that lives in her closet. Other Mommy starts out friendly and Bela quickly becomes attached to her. As time goes on, Other Mommy starts to ask disturbing questions and doing things that scare Bela. She starts to question whether she and Other Mommy were ever really friends, or if Other Mommy has bad plans for her.

Other Mommy starts getting bolder. She starts showing herself to other people. Bela's parents are terrified and their strained relationship starts to buckle under the pressure. Bela wonders what will happen if she says yes to Other Mommy's questions? Will she be able to make Other Mommy go away? Can she save her family?

I'm glad I read this book during the day as some parts of the story were absolutely chilling. Certain parts are still stuck in my head and creeping me out. Don't worry, no spoilers, you'll have to read and be terrified for yourself to understand. The scares are masterfully written and that they are being experienced from Bela's point of view really heightens the terror.

I finished this book in five hours. I just could not put it down. It's fast paced but in such a way as to keep the tension level high. Josh Malerman is an exceptional storyteller and this book will keep you on edge until the very last line. I would love to see this made into a movie. I highly recommend reading this with the lights on and I promise you will never look at your closet the same way again. 

So many thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Del Rey for the advanced reader copy of an incredible book.

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates

Title: Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Release Date: July 11, 2023

Dead of Winter grips you in icy cold hands from the first sentence and doesn't let you go until the last. Christa, her boyfriend Kiernan, and a group of travelers are on their way to stay at a lodge in the Rocky Mountains. A storm comes along and knocks down trees as well as separates Christa and her boyfriend from each other. Her purpose becomes clear. She must fight the snow and wind to find and reunite with her boyfriend.

The weary travelers take refuge in an empty, isolated cabin. When the tour guide is murdered overnight and they find his head hanging in a tree, her purpose becomes that of survival. One of them is a killer, but who? The killer starts to pick them off one by one. Fingers get pointed at people at the slightest provocation. As their numbers dwindle, so does the list of suspects. Who will be the last person standing?

The characters are well written. Each individual has a unique personality and story. The setting of the landscape and cabin almost become characters on their own. The constant snowfall and wind become another entity that Christa must fight to survive.

The pacing of this book is fast. Once started, you definitely won't want to put it down. The tension builds in the cabin as its inhabitants start to turn on each other as the tension builds in the reader as they continue to read. There are twists to keep the reader guessing as well. It was hard to figure out "whodunit".

Dead of Winter is the first book that I've read by Darcy Coates and I'm looking forward to checking out her earlier works. She definitely has a hit with this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Book Review: Nightmares: A New Decade of Modern Horror

Book Review: Nightmares: A New Decade of Modern Horror

Publisher: Tachyon Publications

Nightmares is an anthology of 23 short horror stores. There is an offering here for everyone. Out of the 23, there was only one story I didn’t care for at all. The rest were really good. There is something for everyone here from serial killers, to zombies, to demons to shape shifters.

My favorite was Lonegan’s Luck, which stayed with me a week later and I felt was so good I held my mother hostage and told her all about it. It’s a good example of what happens when you can get caught up in a routine and get too cocky and confident.  Best story of the whole book in my opinion.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Book Review: The Many by Nathan Field

Book Review: The Many by Nathan Field

Publisher: Silvermac Publishing

                            

Online dating can be scary. This book proves it. Karl’s sister Stacey goes on a blind date she meets on an online dating site. The guy is handsome and rich and just her cup of tea until he starts putting out creepy stalker vibes. She asks him to take her home and he obliges, or does he?

The next morning she returns home to the apartment she shares with Karl a different person. It’s almost as if she had a personality transplant. She’s become mean, vulgar, and hypersexual. She attacks their mother and then goes after Karl.

Dawn’s mother Isobel is going through the same situation. Isobel meets a beautiful woman on a dating website and after a date, her personality changes as well. She becomes hateful and even abandons Dawn and only returns later to attack her daughter.

Dawn and Karl team up to find out the reasons for their loved ones sudden changes. The cops don’t believe that there is a connection in circumstances but they are determined to prove the police wrong.

There are a few twists here and a mad scientist to boot. The revealing explanations are a little hokey and predictable. The downfall of the women and what they end up doing is more interesting than the reveal of what actually happened to them. It was a little creepy at parts and those I really enjoyed.

The book was not bad overall. It’s fast paced for the most part but a little bogged down in the middle. The ending made me angry. It ended abruptly and had I been reading a paperback instead of on my tablet I would have thrown it across the room.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Haunted Bridges by Rich Newman

Book Review: Haunted Bridges by Rich Newman

Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd.

Everyone has heard a story about a haunted bridge in your hometown. A friend of a friend went over a bridge on a dark country road and encountered a ghost. This book chronicles over 300 bridges across the U.S.

It’s a non-fiction book so none of the stories are particularly scary. There are the classic tales of “Crybaby Bridge” and stories about a woman and the tragic death of her child. It seems like almost every state has a “Crybaby Bridge”.

I live in Dover, Delaware and this book listed three bridges that are semi-local to me. One of which is a road that I have traveled on before but never got to the bridge portion. Maybe a Halloween night drive is in my future. I’ll have to check it out and report back.

This is more of a reference type book so if you are looking for thrills and chills this is not the book for you. I did enjoy reading some of the more detailed stories and I will keep it around if my own writing goes into the ghost department and I need some inspiration. I wish the short stories accompanying each bridge were a little more detailed.

My only real complaint about this book is that the formatting (e-book) is not that great. Some of the chapters run together and section breaks as well. There is an index included so you can research specific states and that was helpful.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for my honest review.