Review - Brother by Ania Ahlborn

Brother by Ania Ahlborn
Published: September 2015 by Gallery Books
Source: eARC
Rating: 5+ Stars

Deep in the heart of Appalachia stands a crooked farmhouse miles from any road. The Morrows keep to themselves, and it’s served them well so far. When girls go missing off the side of the highway, the cops don’t knock on their door. Which is a good thing, seeing as to what’s buried in the Morrows’ backyard.

But nineteen-year-old Michael Morrow isn’t like the rest of his family. He doesn’t take pleasure in the screams that echo through the trees. Michael pines for normalcy, and he’s sure that someday he’ll see the world beyond West Virginia. When he meets Alice, a pretty girl working at a record shop in the small nearby town of Dahlia, he’s immediately smitten. For a moment, he nearly forgets about the monster he’s become. But his brother, Rebel, is all too eager to remind Michael of his place...

It comes as no surprise that I'm a die hard Ahlborn fan, but REALLY?!? She did it again. She has written another relentlessly appalling, yet magnetic book that I adored. 

The Morrow family is the stuff of an old school horror family - all the sadistic tendencies included. One day the baby boy of the family, Rebel, decided he wanted something... kind of like when a kid wants a pet. Except Rebel saw a boy outside. Michael was taken from his front yard at a young age and was raised as a Morrow.

The inner dynamics of the Morrow family are soul-crushing. I'm not talking about Lifetime movie qualities here - more like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre family or one of those messed up stories you glanced at on your social media feed and you thought, "Wow. These things really happen?" That's how this book sucks you in. Just like reading that one sentence news line that catches your eye so you'll click on the link to read the full article. If this book had links, I'd have arthritis from so much clicking. 

This book has a story to tell and I  promise it is one you'll want to hear.

Review - The Suffering by Rin Chupeco

The Suffering by Rin Chupeco
Published: September 2015 by Sourcebooks
Source: eARC
Rating: 3 Stars

"Over the last year I've gone against faceless women, disfigured spirits, and grotesque revenants. Some people keep dangerous hobbies; skydiving and driving at monster truck rallies and glacier surfing. Me? I cast my soul into the churning waters of potential damnation and wait for a bite."

It’s been two years since Tark Halloway’s nightmare ended. Free from the evil spirit that haunted him all his life, he now aids the ghostly Okiku and avenges the souls of innocent children by hunting down their murderers. But when Okiku becomes responsible for a death at his high school, Tark begins to wonder if they’re no better than the killers they seek out.

When an old friend disappears in Aokigahara, Japan’s infamous ‘suicide forest’, both must resolve their differences and return to that country of secrets to find her. Because there is a strange village inside Aokigahara, a village people claim does not exist. A village where strange things lie waiting. A village with old ghosts and an ancient evil – one that may be stronger than even Okiku…

In this sequel, the author takes us back into Tark's world, which is more than just different from the reality we know.

Tark and Okiku are now a team of well... ghost hunters. Tark is trying to get through high school while also trying to be Okiku's right hand man. Okiku still avenges the deaths of children. She has an unquenchable thirst to kill anyone who has harmed or killed children. Ever since Okiku helped exorcise Tark of his old ghost, Okiku has up residence where the old ghost once plagued Tark. For Tark, this is a blessing. He lived so long with evil and now Okiku is always near, but now Tark has to not only endure Okiku's bloodlust, but he has to help her. He learned the rituals from his aunt and can successfully push evil spirits into vessels that come in the form of dolls. This is a very dangerous matter to involve himself in, but Tark sees it as his duty to dispose of all the evil spirits he can.

After catching up on Tark and Okiku's new way of life, we learn that Tark's aunt agreed to take a ghost hunting reality TV show crew to the infamous Aokigahara, or what the local Japenese call the "suicide forest". The legend says anyone who goes in, never comes out. So, some people go there to simply die. Days pass and there is no sign of the TV show's crew or Tark's aunt. Armed with his own spirit-dispelling knowledge and Okiku's power, Tark flies to Japan to track down his aunt. Tark and Okiku get lost in the Aokigahara and of course... they find evil spirits everywhere. Then they stumble upon a village that has quiet the history. Without giving away any spoilers, I will say the village's inhabitants are creepy as hell. This book immersed me into a reality that I feel only the gifted could see and damn I'm glad I'm not gifted.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the first book in the series, but also for anyone looking for a good horror story that isn't really gory and has just the right amount of creepiness.

Review - Harrowgate by Kate Murayama

Harrowgate by Kate Murayama 
Published: September 2013 by 47North
Source: Gift from Author
Rating: 4 Stars

Michael should be overjoyed by the birth of his son, but his wife, Sarah, won't let him touch the baby or allow anyone to visit. Greta, an intrusive, sinister doula has wormed her way into their lives, driving a wedge between Michael and his family. Every time he leaves the Harrowgate, he returns to find his beloved wife and baby altered. He feels his family slipping away, and as a malevolent force begins to creep in, Michael does what any new father would do?he fights to keep his family together. Kate Maruyama's debut novel, Harrowgate, is a chilling, richly detailed story of love, loss, and the haunted place that lies between.




Holy shit. This was one creepy book. There were several times I thought I had everything figured out, and I was wrong. And then it just gets creepier... 

Michael often travels for work. He gets a message that his wife, Sarah, has gone into labor while he is out of town. He immediately packs and goes home as quickly as possible. He finally reaches the Harrowgate, his apartment complex, and Sarah is there... with his newborn, Tim. In the very beginning, Sarah acted weird... paranoid. Sarah wouldn't even let Michael hold Tim at first. Then Sarah wouldn't allow anyone in the apartment or let Michael leave. Every time he would leave, when he came back, Sarah and Tim were older, different. 

Then here comes Greta... the sinister/hippie/loving mother looking type. Michael immediately dislikes her (as do I), but Sarah is enamored with her. Greta even gives Sarah a special tea to drink that makes Sarah feel a little better, but then Greta gives some to Sarah to secretly give to Michael. What's up with that?! Greta always says, "Everything I do and help you with is so that you can be with your baby and Michael." It's awfully rhetorical... Michael and the baby, Michael and the baby... I was to the point of thinking bad thoughts about Greta by the middle of this book. 

As the story progresses, Sarah's physical condition worsens, Tim just keeps growing, and Michael realizes there is evil in his home. Something that he has to fight. He wants to keep his beautiful family and NOTHING will change that. 

It was particularly hard to review this book without unintentionally including spoilers. Its one of those books like The Exorcist... you want to experience every moment as if it was the first time you're reading it. I recommend this book to anyone who likes creepy mystery/thrillers. I'd have a giveaway for my copy, but my goober wiener dog knocked a glass of water on it so... go buy it for your nook or kindle. 

Review - Sweet by Emmy Laybourne

Sweet by Emmy Laybourne
Published: June 2015 by Macmillan
Source: Bought
Rating: 4 Stars

People would kill to be thin. Solu’s luxurious celebrity-filled “Cruise to Lose” is billed as “the biggest cruise since the Titanic,” and if the new diet sweetener works as promised - dropping five percent of a person’s body weight in just days - it really could be the answer to the world’s obesity problem. But Laurel is starting to regret accepting her friend Viv’s invitation. She’s already completely embarrassed herself in front of celebrity host, Tom Forelli (otherwise known as the hottest guy ever!) and she’s too seasick to even try the sweetener. And that’s before Viv and all the other passengers start acting really strange.

But will they die for it, too? Tom Forelli knows that he should be grateful for this job and the opportunity to shed his childhood “Baby Tom-Tom” image. His publicists have even set up a ‘romance’ with a sexy reality star. But as things on the ship start to get a bit wild, he finds himself drawn to a different girl. And when his celebrity hosting gig turns into an expose on the shocking side effects of Solu, it’s Laurel that he’s determined to save.

I honestly didn't think I'd like this book when I picked it up. I thought I was getting into a story about rich kids on a cruise boat trying the latest fad diet (a sweetener in this case), and just acting like idiots. 

But... I was pleasantly surprised. Not everyone was a kid, or an idiot. Laurel is a normal young adult just trailing along with her friend, Viv, on the cruise ship for Solu's launch of it's sweetener that makes you drop the pounds. Fortunately, Laurel gets seasick immediately and doesn't eat anything with the sweetener. Now let's throw in Tom, an adult that is still seen as a child actor. He's on the cruise ship to turn his professional image around and get back in the acting game. Tom is a fitness fanatic and watches what he eats so of course, he doesn't try the sweetener either.

Everyone on the cruise ship starts dropping weight. They're happy and stuffing their faces with pastries, desserts... anything that Solu puts the sweetener in. A few days later, and the shit hits the fan. People are losing too much weight, are showing clear signs of addiction, and are starting to become violent. Solu ends up giving a set amount of sweetener packets to each passenger. One passenger during an act of defiance, grabs a few sweetener packets and pops them in her mouth.. eating the paper container and all. 

Eventually Laurel and Tom realize something weird is going on and they try to get help while all hell breaks loose on the cruise ship. Passengers aren't just acting like strung-out addicts, they are extremely violent and completely insane. Laurel and Tom have nothing less than an impossible task of getting help while staying alive. 

I won't spoil anything for you, but the ending was what really made me enjoy the book. Many authors sugar-coat (pun intended) their endings, and this author did not. It was refreshing and honestly... I felt trapped and a little claustrophobic while reading this book. Which only upped the creep factor, which is exactly what I need from a horror book. 

Review - Insylum by Z. Rider

Insylum by Z. Rider
Published: June 2015 by Dark Ride Publishing
Source: eARC
Rating: 3 Stars

The Last Ones In... Never Come Out

A.J. changed in boot camp, coming out all straight-backed and short-haired. His best friend Nate hardly recognizes him anymore, especially when it comes to the way he acts. His priorities. Now he’s about to ship out to Afghanistan, and despite the rift growing between them, the two decide to have one last hurrah—at Insylum, the extreme traveling funhouse they’ve been waiting for a chance at for years.

They're last in line on the last night of the show. They are the last two to go in. And they may never come back out. Warning: Some tentacular activity. (Also body horror. And maggots.)

A.J. and Nate are out for their last hurrah before A.J. is deployed to Afghanistan. To celebrate, they go to a new scare funhouse that they've waited years to attend. The online reviews say they can do anything to you in there and that the last people in don't come back out. They are, of course, the last two people to go in. My immediate reaction..

They have to change their clothes in get in well worn hospital shirts, pants, and paper slippers. Then the fun begins. There are some crazy real looking asylum rooms with crazy real looking people in them. The guys are semi scared, but mask it by acting tough and laughing. They truly panic when they are soon separated and each suffer their own fates. 

This novel is very fast-paced and takes place in one night. I read the first chapter and set it aside. Tonight, I picked it up and read the rest in one sitting. I was on the edge of my seat and I annoyed the hell out of the boyfriend during several scenes when I haphazardly tossed my glasses off. 

This novel is NOT for anyone squeamish. And I don't mean there's a little violence and gore. I mean one part literally made me nervous and I dealt with some lingering anxiety after putting the novel down. Remember that I warned you.

Review - The Deep by Nick Cutter

The Deep by Nick Cutter
Published: January 2015 by Gallery Books
Source: Purchased
Rating: 5+ Stars

From the acclaimed author of The Troop—which Stephen King raved “scared the hell out of me and I couldn’t put it down.…old-school horror at its best”—comes this utterly terrifying novel where The Abyss meets The Shining.

A strange plague called the ’Gets is decimating humanity on a global scale. It causes people to forget—small things at first, like where they left their keys…then the not-so-small things like how to drive, or the letters of the alphabet. Then their bodies forget how to function involuntarily…and there is no cure. But now, far below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, deep in the Marianas Trench, an heretofore unknown substance hailed as “ambrosia” has been discovered—a universal healer, from initial reports. It may just be the key to a universal cure. In order to study this phenomenon, a special research lab, the Trieste, has been built eight miles under the sea’s surface. But now the station is incommunicado, and it’s up to a brave few to descend through the lightless fathoms in hopes of unraveling the mysteries lurking at those crushing depths…and perhaps to encounter an evil blacker than anything one could possibly imagine. 

This book reminded me of the movie Sphere with Dustin Hoffman, except this book actually was terrifying. I couldn't tell if things were real or not, and if/when I did.. it was too late for the character. I was sucked into the mind of the narrator and his worst nightmares (some of which were real turned out to be real) come to life and just scare the hell out of you. The world-building aspect of this novel was on par for me. Not too much detail, not too little. We get a sneak peek of the world slowly being consumed by the 'Gets, which was terrifying in itself, but we also got to go eight miles under the sea to cramped labs and living quarters. 

As for the scare factor... an example, (and I don't think this qualifies as a spoiler), but millipedes. MILLIPEDES. They freaked the narrator out his whole life and then he would imagine them (or were they real?) and the detail of them... the scratching noises their legs make, the squishy noise of their bodies sliding and curving to push forward. The imagery Nick Cutter created seriously made my skin crawl.

Besides the scare factor and world-building, the plot kept me fixated completely. I was rooting for the narrator the entire time and there never was a dull moment. The narrator honestly want to help his brother, who would in turn help the world by curing the 'Gets. But still.. the creep factor is what held this novel together for me. 

I mostly read at night in bed and I literally got up a few times and flipped my sheets up because my legs itched. I really enjoyed this book, but I'll be honest and tell you now it was a complete mind-bender. I'm still waiting for nightmares from reading this. I'm sure it'll happen soon enough and I'll update you all with the juicy details!

Review - The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco

The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco
Published: August 2014 by Sourcebooks Fire
Source: eARC
Rating: 4 Stars

You may think me biased, being murdered myself. But my state of being has nothing to do with the curiosity toward my own species, if we can be called such. We do not go gentle, as your poet encourages, into that good night.  A dead girl walks the streets. She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago. And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan. Because the boy has a terrifying secret - one that would just kill to get out.  The Girl from the Well is A YA Horror novel pitched as "Dexter" meets "The Grudge", based on a well-loved Japanese ghost story. 

A scary ghost wearing a white dress with long, black stringy hair will haunt you and kill you. If you deserve it. Her name is Okiku, and yes, she is the fabled Japanese ghost girl that crawls up from the well that the movie, The Ring, is loosely based from.

Okiku kills child killers, much like the man who killed her 300 years ago. She is a specific type of ghost from Japanese folklore that can actually harm the living. Though she only kills those who she believes deserve death, she first tortures them with scare tactics that drive them insane and then her victims die from drowning. They aren't ever by water and the victims' faces appear as if they have been underwater for days, even if it has only been hours.

Okiku moves from place to place, revenging dead children when she stumbles upon Tark, a young man with otherworldly tattoos. She follows him out of pure curiosity and then finds that a very dark and powerful ghost has possessed him. Tark's cousin, Callie, is soon drawn into the fray when both her and Tark can see Okiku. 

The author gave just the right amount of details for me to understand Okiku's particular ghost story and enough to follow the rituals that were completed in the novel. I found out there are so many different spirits and how some traditions will forever go on. The violence in this book was tame for me, but I love a good horror book. It was a little too much like watching the move The Ring, but other than that draw back, it was a decent thriller/horror novel. I will definitely be reading the sequel.