book reviews
Book reviews for horror fans; weather a sleepless night with literary accounts of hauntings, possessions, zombies, vampires and beyond.
Reed's Literary Horror Review 'At The Gates of Chaos' (2021) Edited by Scott Dyson.
I think the first thing that was really fetching about this anthology wasn't just the solid collection of stories, but also the fantastic collection of artwork proceeding each story. Kinda gives it the feel of a Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark, except for adults. The artwork was fascinating and I appreciate the added effort.
By Reed Alexander5 years ago in Horror
Book Review: "The Dangers of Smoking in Bed" by Mariana Enriquez
“The Dangers of Smoking in Bed” is the second anthology I am reading by Mariana Enriquez and though I would not say it was better than “The Things We Lost in the Fire” - I will have to say that some of the stories inside were somewhat better or just as good. Now, I have read a lot of the gothic in my time and honestly, I cannot remember reading very much of the Latin American Gothic apart from some of the themes within Isabel Allende novels. Mariana Enriquez is a fresh, astounding voice of the new world of the Latin American Gothic and deserves far more recognition than she is getting at the moment. With these anthologies under her belt, she is proving to be a great and grand force of literature that will make for classics of our own times come the future.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Horror
Book Review: "The Last House on Needless Street" by Catriona Ward
I love gothic novels with weird twists. In my time, I have read a lot of gothic crime novels and have managed on some occasions, to guess the twists when they come around. More often than not, I take off marks if I am able to guess the ending and so, beforehand, I always write down my predictions so that I don't change them halfway through the book. When I predicted what was going to be the twist of this book, I thought I was right when I hit about a quarter of the way through. Then I realised I was wrong and finally, by the end of the book I do not think I could have been further from the truth if I had tried. When I say I was terrified, I mean it. I did not get anything right when it came to predicting the twist - not a damn thing. And guess what? I loved it.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Horror
Book Review: "The Dominant Animal" by Kathryn Scanlan
I have read some pretty uncomfortable books in my time, including the infamous short story collection entitled "Haunted" by Chuck Palahniuk. I've read a lot of Stephen King, Peter Straub, Paul Tremblay and Shirley Jackson. Well, if you took Virginia Woolf's writing style, mixed it with the unease of Stephen King's tension narratives and then reduced the size to a short story and blended in some body horror and psychological distress a la Daphne Du Maurier, you're going to end up with this book by Kathryn Scanlan - "The Dominant Animals". A nod to the culture of the plain uncomfortable, this book is written in the most realist and ordinary of ways. Kind of like what would happen if Hemingway and Bret Easton Ellis made some kind of collaboration (but alas, Hemingway did not live that long). Here is a professional life tip for all of you: make sure you’re not eating anything whilst reading this book. You’re going to have a hard time keeping it in afterwards.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Horror
Frannie Goldsmith’s Things to Remember: ‘Femininity’ is not synonymous with ‘Weak’.
{Disclaimer: Fiction is all subjective. I am not coming from a judgmental place nor am I saying that this is the only possible reason that anyone could dislike Fran’s character. I’m just hoping to raise a few questions.}
By Jaime Burbatt5 years ago in Horror
The Unwind Series: a Critique (Caution: Spoilers)
Well, Neil Shusterman can spin a compelling yarn, and he’s certainly ... prolific. Yes, he can really string events together in chronological order. He can write down a whole lot of words, that he can do very well.
By Deborah Moran5 years ago in Horror
Review of ‘Unchosen’
Katharyn Blair crafts a fiercely feminist fantasy with a horrifying curse, swoon-worthy sea captains, and the power of one girl to choose her own fate in this contemporary standalone adventure that's perfect for fans of The Fifth Wave and Seafire, and for anyone who has ever felt unchosen. For Charlotte Holloway, the world ended twice. The first was when her childhood crush, Dean, fell in love--with her older sister. The second was when the Crimson, a curse spread through eye contact, turned the majority of humanity into flesh-eating monsters. Neither end of the world changed Charlotte. She's still in the shadows of her siblings. Her popular older sister, Harlow, now commands forces of survivors. And her talented younger sister, Vanessa, is the Chosen One--who, legend has it, can end the curse. When their settlement is raided by those seeking the Chosen One, Charlotte makes a reckless decision to save Vanessa: she takes her place as prisoner. The word spreads across the seven seas--the Chosen One has been found. But when Dean's life is threatened and a resistance looms on the horizon, the lie keeping Charlotte alive begins to unravel. She'll have to break free, forge new bonds, and choose her own destiny if she has any hope of saving her sisters, her love, and maybe even the world. Because sometimes the end is just a new beginning.
By Cyn's Workshop5 years ago in Horror
Book Review: 'Fear' by Roald Dahl
Anyone who knows me knows that I have a deep and genuine love for literature. I've always played around with the idea of writing my own book reviews. I am fully aware that I am not a professionally qualified reviewer, but I love literature and hope this helps me improve my analytical skills as a writer. All the opinions shared in this post are my own opinions and I would love to hear back from you guys if you have a different interpretation of some of the stories.
By Shinissa Kaur5 years ago in Horror
