Synopsis

Struggling with the pressures of being a new father and the weight of regrets, Jamie Fletcher travels to Hawaii hoping to connect with his estranged brother, Eric. After a shocking act of violence that ends with corpses in an alley, the brothers end up on a fishing boat, along with the captain and his troubled son, in the middle of the ocean, where they encounter an uncanny and terrifying phenomenon that will signal a shift in the evolution of the world.

Review

This starts out as an almost familial drama. Jamie travels to Hawaii to reconnect with his brother Eric. He’s also running from his mistakes and the pressure of fatherhood. But after hardly any relaxation time, the story turns the violence up to a whole new level. The author takes no time at all to crack on into this one. 

A drug deal gone wrong, a fist fight gone too far. Now Jamie, Eric, and Eric’s boss and his son, are out on the open ocean, hoping to dispose of a problem before it starts. What follows this time—and I did go into this entirely blind—is another tonal shift as the author brings on almost-Lovecraftian cosmic horrors. There were twists I did not expect, and the under-ocean world shift made me think of Pirates of the Caribbean when they flipped the boat in Davy Jones’ Locker. Although this shift felt much more like a science fiction twist. 

I’ll be honest, I haven’t quite gotten along with cosmic horror. And while I did enjoy this, I was much more a fan of the parts that were about the brothers. And I believe a little length might have helped me to connect with them and their struggles. I honestly thought at first it would be a crime/murder novella. That, and I expected more of the ocean to come into play, although the creepy ‘being’ taking over deep sea creatures was definitely a highlight. The infected water, as well as the ‘being’ itself, felt like a mix of The Sundowner’s Dance by Todd Keisling with the more scientific infection from Symbiote by Michael Nayak. Both those if they were meshed with the scifi ending of The Sound of Suffering by Mark Towse. All of which definitely published after this one, so if you’ve liked anything I’ve said, or if you are a fan of cosmic horror—this is definitely unique!—this could be a hit for you!

Synopsis

A haunting and seductive tale of a young career woman who slides quickly into the role of stepmother, in a life that may still belong to someone else. “Vivid, addictive, and crackling with life (yes, even the ghost), House of Beth asks us to consider how and why we make the lives we make” (Lynn Steger Strong).

After a heart-wrenching breakup with her girlfriend and a shocking incident at her job, Cassie flees her life as an overworked assistant in New York for her hometown in New Jersey, along the Delaware. There, she reconnects with her high school best friend, Eli, now a widowed father of two. Their bond reignites, and within a few short months, Cassie is married to Eli, living in his house in the woods, homeschooling the kids, and getting to know her reserved neighbor, Joan.

But Cassie’s fresh start is less idyllic than she’d hoped. She grapples with harm OCD, her mind haunted by gory, graphic images. And she’s afraid that she’ll never measure up to Eli’s late spouse, who was a committed homemaker and traditional wife. No matter what Cassie does, Beth’s shadow still permeates every corner of their home.

Soon, Cassie starts hearing a voice narrating the house’s secrets. As she listens, the voice grows stronger, guiding Cassie down a path to uncover the truth about Beth’s untimely death.

Review

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for this physical ARC! I was intrigued by the cover, and I can’t resist new takes on the haunted house story. 

This was pitched in the galley email as “A ghost story unlike any other.” I honestly can’t sum it up any better than that. This was the most unique take on the haunted house story I’ve ever read. For the first time ever, I felt as if I read something true, real, possible, and yet it was paranormal. Of course there are notes of horror and thriller, but this really exists as its own thing. It’s not trying to chill or scare, it’s not blood pounding or jump scaring. Yet there is a sort of creeping eeriness to it, but that for me, came from the mundanity of her everyday tasks. 

Cassie retreats from a shocking breakup and incident at work to her hometown. She’s crashing at her father’s old place while figuring it out when she runs into her ex best friend. Things reignite, things that had previously led to their falling out, however this time, there’s no significant other in the way. This struck me as odd, because frankly, his wife had died and I thought it was quite recent. The first 50-70 pages shocked me in that way, all the things taking place seemed to come at you far too fast, too easily. But I think their familiarity, as well as her dire straits, are what led to it reading as almost effortless. And that’s why I carried on…well that, and the fact that I was waiting for the ghostly shoe to drop. 

The chapters from Beth’s somewhat-ethereal perspective gripped me the further I got into this read and I felt myself genuinely craving to know more. Cassie was interesting and dealing with a lot, but what had happened with Beth? I had to know. And honestly, who was involved—because at that point in the story, I wasn’t trusting anybody. What surprised me the most though, was how unassuming and almost laidback Beth was. It was a side to ghosts and death that I don’t feel is often portrayed. In a way it reminded me of The Ghosts of Thorwald Place by Helen Power as Beth becomes more cognizant. 

I really ended up enjoying this one as it made the mundane daily tasks of a stepparent seem much more alarming than your home or person being possessed by a ghost. That, and the calming nature of her presence against that of Cassie’s harm OCD, flooding the reader with random depictions of extreme blood and bodily harm. 

Mildly spoilery beneath…

I don’t know if this was an actual plot point of the author’s, but it continues to hold worth that you NEVER trust your partner’s “don’t worry about them” person. It just never seems to end well. 

Also a modern book finally mentioned pop punk? Might be the first time I’ve seen it, and I respect it.

Synopsis

Mystery and murder swirl around a dangerous doctor. One detective vows to unravel the truth.

A supernatural thriller blending history, mystery, and the unexplainable.

Liverpool, 1920. Detective Amelia Dei uncovers a string of unexplained comas in Liverpool’s most notorious workhouse infirmary. As she digs deeper, she faces a sinister psychiatrist and a truth darker than anything she’s imagined.

“‘Stranger in the Mind’ quickly draws you in and does not let you go till the last word.” Reader Views – ★★★★★ 5 stars

Review

First saw this in the Library section of the SFF Insiders Discord and really liked the cover. A huge thanks to James for the audible code! Liz May Brice did a great job with the narration. 

1920s Liverpool delivers a setting both familiar and different. Det. Amelia Dei must fight through gender roles, misogyny, and the supernatural in this murder mystery that feels both historical and fantastical. In a way it reminded me of Shadowseer: London by Morgan Rice in that it feels like a classic mystery meshed with an almost urban fantasy twist. Or Out on a Limb by Luis Paredes with its hints at a supernatural world beyond kind of a la Men in Black (although not alien). 

Amelia will stop at nothing to upend Dr. Knight and his string of mysterious coma patient deaths. Her superiors don’t believe in her, and are finding it hard to believe her when she says something suspect is going on, but she refuses to relent. Her partner, Det. Reed, is the only one to have her back as the mystery unfolds into swirling darkness. 

This is written well and feels cohesive. I found myself wondering where the two authors blended, becoming this unique voice. The two POVs (Amelia and Dr. Knight) worked well for me as I enjoy a glimpse into the dark and madness. The only hang up I had were the flashback memory scenes with young Knight. I understood their need, as it shows his coming into his power and experiencing his dark reality—the Umbra Mentis, but they also felt like attempting to humanize. As the story opens with him committing SA and reveling in it, I didn’t find him redeemable. 

This tackles themes of sexism, gender roles, mental illness, poverty, and sexual orientation rather well. Even in a reality that turns out to have an entirely exterior nightmarish world just beyond it, these things are still present and touched on throughout. The Umbra was creepy, intriguing in what the authors held back, and I wished to know more. The inspector finally backing Amelia, as well as hinting at his awareness of the supernatural, makes me feel like there could be an expansive series even beyond the Umbra!

I really liked the last names of Dei and Knight facing off against each other. I have to imagine it was purposeful, as they even chose spellings that were not so on the nose. As the Umbra is this kind of swirling mass of black and darkness, it really felt like Amelia was the day facing off against the night.

Synopsis

From the author of the emotionally devastating epic fantasy series The Spellbinders and the Gunslingerscomes…well, the complete opposite of that.

“Cheeky, sharp, humorous, Pratchett-esque. A bit silly, but in the best way possible.” -Andy Peloquin, bestselling author of the Darkblade series

“Delightful and fun.” -K.E. Andrews, SPFBO 9 finalist and author of Hills of Heather and Bone______________________

It begins and ends, as things do, with a girl throwing a birthday party for a dragon. Or it would, if things were ever that simple.

Generations ago, the Inquisition of the Priory of the Thrice-Dead Prophet decided that dragons were a great evil and it was their duty to banish them from the land of Nóra. The dragons weren’t (they just grew tired of the bother and migrated north), and the Inquisition didn’t (they just pretended otherwise), but that’s beside the point.

Though evidence of dragons still existed, it remained within the realm of smugglers, ne’er-do-wells, and people with too much time and money on their hands…until a hatching egg finds its way into the hands of a young girl named Ailís.

Now, with the first newborn dragon seen in generations in her company, Ailís finds herself beset by merchants, brigands, Inquisitors, and a greedy governor, and all she wants to do is throw a birthday party for her dragon.

And you thought planning a party for your kids was tough.

Review

I had the chance to read this for the Indie Ink Awards, which is awesome because it was already on my mountainous TBR and I had a kindle version bought. It’s sequel, Dragon Along, just dropped btw! 

A somewhat cozy fantasy, this book is filled to the gills with wit, and I found it to be quite laugh out loud funny to be honest. Which is no small feat for me as reading just does not translate that way usually. There’s humor for all ages and even the supporting cast is rich with callback jokes and witty jabs. Check out my highlights on goodreads/kindle if you want an idea…

Ailis and her brother get sent to the market for eggs, and while they do technically meet the requirement for their assignment, it isn’t exactly what their mother had in mind. You see, the inquisition has outlawed dragons, dragon paraphernalia, even dragon talk (unless you’re talking about how terrible and nasty they were). The kids never really understood why, especially with their uncle saying it was nonsense, but it didn’t matter all that much to them. That is until they brought home Pilib. Who you ask? Oh, just a dragon egg that naturally hatches almost immediately. Their mother is furious, curious, and scared out of her depths as the children don’t seem to understand the severity of the situation. Naturally, as one does, Ailis decides to throw him a birthday party. 

The world the reader is presented with is rich and layered in history. I found there to be enough given away while also hinting at how much more there was. It struck me as a talent, as the author has made it accessible to children, while the extra depth can appeal to adults. The characters feel like they inhabit this world, like they’re ingrained in it, and although it’s about a little girl who has a dance recital, it feels like the world couldn’t exist without them. And although it’s unlike any fantasy I’ve ever read, I’m sure she will carve her name in its history in the stories to come all the same. 

Also wow, baking? Did this story make me want sweet treats? Yes! (Except for maybe the first pie?). The bread described in the beginning was mouth watering. I could almost imagine the smells like I had stepped into a bakery. The smorgasbord of pies at their uncles, featuring sweet and savory concoctions, made me wonder why we use any other vessel to deliver food other than the pie? I’d yet to read a fantasy that made me want to bake a pie and also pet a baby dragon, but here this is. I can’t wait to get the sequel.

Synopsis

Grahme has wanted to be a druid for as long as he can remember. Talented but headstrong, he runs afoul of a despotic, mind-controlling mage during his initiation quest. The price of failure is death. Intrigue and distrust has turns his order against him. Haggard, hunted and without his magic, Grahme must make impossible sacrifices or lose everything, or worse, be banished.

Review

The author very kindly sent me an audible code for this one, and my last year being what it was, it took me longer than I expected. I’m so glad I got to it though. “God this was fantastic,” was my mini review as I clicked 5 stars and that pretty much sums up how I felt the entire read. 

In this novel we follow Grahme on his journey to become a druid. Through personality clashes, disagreements and deceptions, as well as some outright tampering, he finds himself filtering through multiple mentors. These clashes get so severe that he is appointed leader of his own quest to prove himself just so the option isn’t taken away from him. He must return with a ghost orchid, a little know flower with heavy implications. Family issues, the druid council on his heels, and a mind-controlling mage in play, this is a multi-layered, coming-of-age, sprawling epic fantasy. 

The main character of Grahme was absolutely stellar. His personality feels spot on, and even with all his flaws and mistakes, he still has enough hero built in to carry a story. He shapes up to be a pretty awesome reluctant hero, and as you experience his growth, his power even surprises you. The author gives the reader heavy emotional scenes, tasking revelations and payoffs, and still enough wit and humor to keep the reader grounded. The narration by James Meunier was fantastic, and his portrayal of Grahme gripped me from the jump.

The way the druid magic works felt reminiscent of the Animorphs series, but in a way that tickled nostalgia but also felt like its own thing. It also felt much more adult, and although it’s a fantasy, it felt almost real in its explanation. Grahme and the other druids can take the shape of various animals. All they have to do is know the animal’s shape as well as allowing themselves to truly become them. That’s not to say there aren’t some shocking limitations, but I loved reading through all of their differing choices. 

The action sequences are spaced well, with gripping descriptions, and I found that I cared for everyone as I felt for them through Grahme. The scene of the druids holding off the approaching attack until they could escape under the cover of night was so tensely plotted that I had to finish it even though I had made it home…just sat and listened in the parked car. You have to give this one a go

Synopsis

Malcolm Turner has suffered from what he thought was tinnitus all his life. Of late, the episodes make him feel like his brain is bleeding, depriving him of sleep and working away at his already faltering marriage and stale career. Little hope remains.

Desperation leads him to a chatroom and a group of similar folks who call themselves ‘The Undertones.’ After a series of shared experiences, the group contemplate that this bane of their lives may not be a curse but a gift—free-thinking radicals picking up on something other than the grind of the machine. As sinister events begin to unfold around the world, ‘The Undertones’ become convinced that this noise in their ears might hold the key to these horrors. Malcolm has already tasted grief, but the stakes are as high as they come this time. Will he get answers before his world comes tumbling down?

Review

Although I own more by the author than I’ve read (can anyone really keep up with him) I naturally had to buy his latest as well. 

So this book deals with ringing ears and not much to explain them. Honestly it gave me a lot of anxiety at the start (and I didn’t feel any safer after finishing) as I too have a ringing ear that I went through a bunch of testing for as a teen. Doctors said hearing loss or tinnitus but nothing ever stuck. So, I was the perfect candidate for this to be super eerie. 

The beginning of this novel shows multiple peoples perspectives as they all succumb to some kind of natural, or unnatural event. These events continue throughout, and honestly they were pretty rough to get through. Firsthand accounts of terrorist attacks and losing loved ones was not what I expected. But I feel it is a testament to Towse’s writing that as a reader I almost felt like I was there, suffering.

Then there’s Malcolm Turner, a bereaved parent and my ear ringing counterpart, that features as the main character. He’s always felt the ringing, more than just hearing it, almost like it’s alive, but lately it’s gotten worse. These episodes are keeping him from sleep, forcing him further away from coping with the loss and causing his performance at work and as a husband to suffer. If only he could get some rest he’d be better, but the ringing has other plans for him. Now, at the risk of losing both his wife and job, he’s forced to seek help from elsewhere, desperate for someone to understand. A little internet search finds an entire group of people suffering from the same condition, and more, they even claim it’s getting worse for them too. 

What follows is perhaps some of Towse’s best yet. A meditation on grief, human nature, and the impact of lack of sleep on the human brain. I especially appreciated how the husband and wife were such polar opposites on grieving. Malcom needs to talk about their daughter, to feel her still there, and his wife can’t handle it, can’t treat it as real. It really goes to show how much of a journey it is and how it takes a lot of forgiveness. I can only imagine the depths the author went to to give us such a visceral and real examination. And such real dialogue during their arguments…

The ending left a lot to the imagination. Not it a bad way, but I did find myself wishing for more. Whether that be more writing or more explanation, I’m not sure. But as it stands this was a very well paced and well developed novel!

Synopsis

Having just graduated from college, Jason and Eddie are ready to let loose and embark on a cross-country road trip. After some killer partying at a rock music festival in Nevada, they head out into the desert with girls and adventure on their minds. Their situation takes a dark turn, however, when they lose direction and find themselves at the entrance of a ghost town in the bowels of the sprawling desert. The residents turn out to be . . . a little off.

Meanwhile, Carrie has just found herself in the depths of a murky lair. Quick reflexes aid in her concealment, but she soon discovers the utter horrors that lurk within the dark recesses. Survival ultimately depends on her strength and cunning.

Tensions escalate as Jason, Eddie, and Carrie come to grips with their new chilling realities. All the while, a dark evil begins to reveal itself. For within this stretch of desolate landscape exists a cannibal death cult, and they have an insatiable lust for blood.

It’s kill or be killed—and as the bloodshed intensifies, so does the fierce will to live.

Death Cult is splatterpunk: There are graphic scenes of gore and violence.

Review

Been meaning to read something from the author for a bit, so I grabbed a paperback to give it a go. 

Two new friends are taking a cross-country road trip. They foresee booze, laughs, and some time with the ladies. Unfortunately, they get lost and end up in a small town, one with a bit of a sinister twist. It seems as if everyone is trying to lure them somewhere, and the eerie atmosphere builds. When they try to help someone in need, things take a turn. The chaos that ensues is exactly what you’d expect, oh, except for those things you don’t see coming. And it’s nothing short of your favorite horror classics and horror tropes. 

To me this was like an epic amalgamation of horrors. The road trip, getting lost, the fateful warning that goes ignored, the car trouble. It’s The Descent meets Saw meets The Devil’s Rejects meets The Hills Have Eyes meets (very specifically) The Walking Dead S11E6 ‘On the Inside’ where there are feral humans living in the walls. Oh and on top of all that, it’s bringing you right into the heart of the good old 80s satanic panic. This was gruesome and gory, with some killer contraptions and traps, more cannibalism and ritualism. It also features a strong female fighting for survival, and two male best friends that give emotional beats to the piece. And although you hope for all three of them to escape together, they certainly end up having a devil of a time. 

This felt like coming home and popping a tape in the old VCR. Like catching an old favorite on cable—I could see myself watching the screen with all its low budget grainy goodness. Like the kind of thing that would be getting its own legacy sequel in theaters right now.

Synopsis

Spring Break, 1997. A group of college friends sets out for an unforgettable trip to Mexico, but their adventure takes a horrific turn when they are abducted by a satanic cult in the Tucson desert. Their captor? Zeena Graves—a strikingly beautiful yet merciless cult leader who commands her followers from the darkness of an abandoned church.

As midnight strikes on Easter night, she prepares to enact a ritual drenched in blood and terror that can only be completed After the Pink Moon. Bound by fear, surrounded by zealots, and with time slipping away, the captives must find a way to escape before they become unwilling participants in a nightmare beyond comprehension.

A relentless and unsettling descent into the horrors of the Satanic Panic era, After the Pink Moon is a gripping tale of faith corrupted, innocence shattered, and the terrifying price of belief.

Review

I’m pretty much on auto-buy here, so naturally had to get a physical copy of this new one. As I did cover reveals for some things that didn’t end up happening in 2024, I’m glad for a new story any which way…

This is a short satanic panic novel. It takes place kind on the tail-end/after the end of it in the nineties, but it has all the goodies you’d want. As always, Reyes really knows his horror, and that often bleeds and creeps into everything he gives us. In classic summer slasher style, a group of teens are planning a getaway to Mexico. Looking for nothing more than relaxation and alcohol in a hot place, is that so much to ask for? But when Zeena Graves’ perfect plan goes sideways, she needs to quickly switch lanes. Oh, and she just so happens to be the figurehead of a satanic cult, known for ritualistic murders all around Tuscan under the moniker of the Catalina Satanists. The accompanying news reports the author shared really made it feel not only real, but very on brand for Devil Terror. 

The house the cultists lived in felt very much so like the book’s references of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Which was fitting, but I was a little confused by the squalor, when Zeena had some high class donors. Maybe she was just using those donations elsewhere? (The author has since posted, stating that she was trying to be smart, hiding in plain sight! I think that makes sense.) The scenes of captivity felt real and weighted, and the violence was brutal and heavy handed. Zeena’s sycophants ran the whole gamut from following blindly to the naively deceived. The mixture of which, as well as some of the finale’s plot points, reminded me of the show Evil, but with less religion and much more murder. 

A release that stands well next to Reyes’ others.

Justice for Mary, who suffered her third-act final girl moment 100 pages too soon.

Synopsis

The New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians, Stephen Graham Jones, brings readers a spine-tingling journey through a young boy’s haunted home. Winner of the 2017 Bram Stoker Award for Long Fiction!

“A triumph. So emotionally raw, disturbing, creepy, and brilliant.”
—Paul Tremblay, New York Times bestselling author of Horror Movie

Walking through his own house at night, a young boy thinks he sees another person stepping through a doorway. The figure reminds him of his long-dead father, who drowned mysteriously before his family left the reservation. When he follows, it he discovers his house is bigger and deeper than he ever knew. 

The house is the kind of wrong place where you can lose yourself and find things you’d rather not have. Over the course of a few nights, the boy tries to map out his house in an effort that puts his younger brother in the worst danger, and puts him in the position to save them . . . at a terrible cost.

“Brilliant.” —The New York Times

Review

Thanks to Tor Nightfire for a physical arc of this beautiful rerelease! 

And FYI, B&N is running some kind of $5 add-on for this right now!

A unique haunted house story unlike anything else I’ve read. Someone (or something) passing a doorway. A reflection caught out of the corner of the eye. A shadow where there shouldn’t be. We’ve all heard or seen or read stories like these. But what Stephen Graham Jones is offering isn’t a boy haunted by the ghost he thinks he’s seen, but a boy encouraging the ghost it could have been. 

After the death of his father, his mother moved him and his brother away from the reservation. But if his father died elsewhere, how could he find them here? Is his father returning to save him? His brother? To make his mother less lonely? To make them whole again? He certainly thinks so, and will waste away the nights just praying for another glimpse of his hero. 

As much as this story is gut wrenching, it’s also about the boy’s hope, and regardless of whether or not that can be perceived as naive, that’s what hit me so strongly in this one. A novelette length examination on the lengths in which hope can bind us to the past, to the need of a father, to the almost vampiric nature of holding on.

Synopsis

Combat Monsters brings together twenty award-winning and bestselling speculative fiction authors who each bring their own spin on an alternate history of World War II.

New research has uncovered deeply buried military secrets—both the Allied and Axis special operations during World War II included monsters. Did the Soviets use a dragon to win the Battle of Kursk? Did a vampire fight for the Canadians in Holland? Did the US drop the second atomic bomb on a kaiju?

This collection takes real events from World War II and injects them with fantastical creatures that mirror the “unreality” of war itself. Each story—and two poems—feature mythical, mystical, and otherwise unexplainable beings that change the course of history. Dragons rise and fall, witches cast deadly spells, mermaids reroute torpedoes, and all manner of “monsters” intervene for better or worse in the global turmoil of World War II.

Together, Combat Monsters challenge the very definition of monstrous, with the brutality of war as a sobering backdrop.

Review

Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this audio arc. 

A concise set of stories meshing monsters with the atrocities of WWII. Vampires, witches, werewolves, dragons, krakens, genetically modified humans and animals, and DNA-altered bears, oh my. I particularly appreciated the generous take on “monster” as well as the shaping of war being the true evil. I don’t tend to enjoy war stuff that alters historical events in any big way as I feel it takes away from the people that paid for the outcome with their lives, and I’m glad to say this one skirted that exceptionally. The editor asked each contributor to ground their story in fact, within real events, but the outcomes were the same and the supernatural elements were simply helping or layered within. 

I enjoyed how each story took readers to a new place, a new perspective, a new country even. Including countries I wasn’t even aware took part in the war. We traveled the world and learned of the supernatural just under the surface. We read stories from the beginning of the war, and we read stories from the very bombing that ended the war. The variety within is really what makes this collection so special. 

Particular stand outs included a story that acted as almost an unauthorized sequel to Dracula and the Demeter, a werewolf that’s helped by something else, a crazy croctopus taking out strike teams, and the farming bears. I apologize because as I did the audio, which I typically do while driving, I didn’t think to note the names/authors!