C. J. Daley
Grabbed this one as my Most Wanted read for my Goosebumps July. Technically one of the special editions (a MW miniseries), but I'm counting it for both.
I have read that Stine usually comes up with the title or tagline first and then artwork gets commissioned, often even before the book's written. Wow though, because this one is just so entirely unrelated to the content. I think I'd care less if I hadn't also gotten burned by the cover of Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls too. I'm just looking for some zombies here. Still a great cover though.
The creepy old house in the neighborhood seems like the perfect spot to get back at the bullies. No one would expect the class scaredy cats to plot some scares of their own in there. Too bad there's already a haunting going on...
This one also features a haunted mask that they find in a wooden box. It just kind of read like Stine smushing several of his other ideas into one and that's the only reason why it's a bit longer. Fun regardless though, personally a 3/5*.
This was included with audible, so my fiancée and I gave it a go on a long drive.
With influences taken from the same Japanese folklore as the Ring, I was interested in this one from the start. I was nervous with it being YA, but the start was rather gruesome, so I thought it might work.
As a vengeful spirit, she only attacks those that get away with harming children. Her judgment and execution is swift and gruesome. So why is she hanging, or haunting, around a teenage boy?
I did not dislike this, but I did find myself feeling like there was simply too much going on. It focused on the boy and his cousin, partially on his mother and father, as well as a having a large part take place in Japan, dealing with a group of women that gave their lives to exorcising demons. Yet somehow, the book was actually about the spirit Okiku. It just read as very clunky.
One thing that definitely did not work for me was dialogue. The boy is fifteen and his cousin is an eighteen year old teacher's assistant (which I was always under the impression you needed college classes done to do...) but they talk like they are thirty years old.
Personally a 3/5* but I don't think I'll pick up the second.
This is the first Goosebumps Series 2000 book I grabbed for my Goosebumps July and it was honestly just the luck of the draw, although I am a big fan of this cover art.
From the cover though, I was definitely thinking zombies, and it's more like actually ghosts. The description is definitely pretty gruesome though, which is always nice to see when Stine pushes that middle grade envelope a bit. This one starts out cool with the main character reading his school paper which is about the lore of the town's cemetery. This opens the story up for the ghouls to be real, and for him to get infected, when his teacher likes his story so much she makes them take a trip to the cemetery for class.
Fun and definitely silly with some dancing elements involved. Personally a 3/5*.
I won an audible code prelaunch of the book via a giveaway done by the author. The narration by Kyle Snyder is fantastic and brings the characters to life.
This is my first read from this author, but it certainly won't be the last. This is a scifi fantasy novel that heavily features found family and friends. It really is at its core about choosing your people and making the best of things. Everyone knows loss and hardship, certainly so does Levort Aatra. Perhaps even more than others. As a prospector, he has to forage and search for every little bit he can call his own, which makes sense, as that is his actual arc throughout the novel itself too.
My favorite thing about the mixture of scifi/fantasy is that it doesn't feature hard science. The author is creating languages, races, planets. I don't need to have heavily believable science backing it, I can allow being told what is, is just what it is. And the novel itself progresses at such a pace that you won't even have time to dive too deep.
I really loved the villain role being kind of ambiguously filled by Levort's best friend Bayfo. It exists as this really incredible way of showing two sides of the same coin as each of them just want to make a better life for themselves. I love the utilization of the ‘villain' thinking his friend is so misled that he has to save him no matter what, therefore becoming blinded himself.
Personally a 5/5* for me. I need a physical copy and so do you.
It definitely still reads like R. L., but apparently these were written by others! They get talked about as ghostwritten, but all of them are credited to the other people, so I don't think that's how GW works.
This is part of the series that novelizes the TV episodes. They are all 40-60 pages and include full page photos, so very generous on the novel part. This one was enjoyable and made me want to turn the TV on for sure, so they were successful in their aim. It's quick, fun, and nicely descriptive...lights and mirrors found in hidden rooms in the attic should most definitely be left alone!
Also I know it was the 90s and word usage changes, but I feel very weird about them all being labeled a ‘Hot TV series' meant for children.
Personally a 4/5*, really did a great job of doing what they set out to do with these.
10 spooky stories as the cover boasts, I picked book 1 for my Goosebumps July just because it's my favorite cover of the 6.
As I am doing an entire month of GB reads, obviously I am a fan either way, but I have to say, a short format really works well for this series. Especially with Stine's classic twist endings. These are short and snappy, and they all end with a fun surprise. If they all stay at this calibre, the 6 books in this series would be a phenomenal collection of stories under Stine's belt.
The House of No Return and Mr. Teddy were definitely my favorite shorts. Personally a 5/5*
Book 1 in The Sabre's Noctem series. I won an audible code in a giveaway, and it was great luck that I did!
This novella is a lot of fun. It's quick with wit, humor, and a handful a really great characters. At first I went into this blind, so I was surprised by the blurb because the most notorious prison break is actually just the opening sequel, and quite short. The blurb itself makes it seem like the plot would hinge upon that, like maybe even as the climax.
This is a fantasy world, but it only gives hints of magic at first, so to me it felt kind of grounded with the characters at a tavern drinking beers, gambling, and smoking cigarettes. So the appearance of monsters was another surprise to me for sure, but again with the blurb that makes sense.
A whole lot to like and I'm certainly left wanting more, I just wish this had been a little chunkier to give us more of the building I felt was necessary. Felt very monster of the week a la Sapkowski's The Last Wish, with the characters willing to take coin for contract. Personally a 3.5/5 for me.
This is graphic novelizations of The Horror at Camp Jellyjam, The Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes, and Ghost Beach. I felt that Dean Haspiel, Kyle Baker, and Ted Naifeh all did a good job, but Ghost Beach definitely had my favorite art style.
As always with graphic novels/comics, these get right to the point. If you could imagine goosebumps with even less exposition and explanation, these are it. Taking the already fast paced books into 30-40 page comics. It's breakneck from the go. Kind like a picture book for goosebumps. Image spark notes...
All of these are fun, and of course I had to pick the summer inspired one for my #GoosebumpsJuly this time. The only one that stuck out to me was The Horror at Camp Jellyjam looked a lot more like newspaper art than actual comic work, style just wasn't for me! Personally a 3/5*.
Got this one from NetGalley and there couldn't have been a more timely approval. Just in time to fit in nicely to my Goosebumps July. And I wanted to read something from every series too!
When Billy and Betty are dropped off at their uncle's, they find it hard to believe their parents would leave before he even opened the door. The reader should too, as not everything is as it appears! So when he tells them that he is the owner and protector of the scariest book ever, a book that if opened could unleash unbelievable horrors into the world, they don't really know what to believe. To be honest, I was a little nervous this would be too similar to the book plot line used in the first Goosebumps movie, but luckily it's completely different.
One of my favorite twists ever, especially in the fact that it was the same twist over and over. Super funny and still worked each time.
This one was fun, inventive, silly, and spooky. And more importantly, still shows us that Stine's still got it. Personally a 4/5* for me. Scholastic and NetGalley, feel free to keep delivering these to my kindle.
Read this one for Thriller book club, and I decided to do the audio that is done by Taryn Ryan. I thought the narration was done well FYI!
This is a domestic thriller and mystery. It features multiple first person perspectives and I felt like the POVs were pretty well done. They all switch over with chapter changes, which is really the only way to successfully do it.
This one is pretty hard to review without spoiling, but I'll try. The book features a nosey neighbor, a domestic hostage situation, and an ex-con delivery driver with a bad gut feeling. The author layers further on top of that to make the mystery and twists more hard hitting.
Someone in the book clubs group chat put out an early prediction that ended up being right, and I'm not sure if it's due to me reading that first or not, but I found the twist to be pretty solidly on the nose. It isn't handle poorly or anything, I just thought it was obvious.
Other than that I did feel like the book was still kind of lacking something. That and the fact that it was released in 2021, but the ex-con is more so just described as being profiled because of his tattoos, drove me nuts. I'm not sure if maybe it's just because it's Australian and not American, but yes it is much much harder for ex-cons to find solid work, but I found the use of his tattoos as being the reasoning for most of it to be incredibly weak. Tattoos are now most definitely the norm. The guy was described as wanting to be a mechanic, not some crazy CEO or something, and the author still made that seem incredibly out of reach...it pulled some credibility out for me personally and read a bit like personal opinion.
Still enjoyable, and a lot to like. Personally a 4/5* for me.
This is a special edition hardcover that was released in tandem with the 30th anniversary of Goosebumps passing. It is also technically the 16th book in the “Living Dummy” saga of Slappy.
This is part prequel origin story of Slappy, as well as a modern day horror. It features 4 parts, with only the first being in the past. I did realize ventriloquist dummies dated back so far (the 1800s) but also I didn't realize evil sorcerers created them either...
What didn't make sense for me was that part 2 kind of ends on a climax, with the family becoming aware of Slappy's being alive (as usually happens), but the reader gets no resolution, it just...ends. Then part 3 starts with Slappy getting an entirely new family. Almost starting over for some reason.
Regardless, this is still a fun and quick read. Never count on Slappy being gone... personally a 3/5*
Got the audio for this one with a $10 credit I got from audible for the beta rewards (yes again, I hit several tier goals). Read it for my Goosebumps July!
This is another fast one. I feel like all of the HorrorLand ones have been quite quick. This one features monsters that are more like aliens actually. I guess that doesn't mean they aren't monstrous though. I kind of pictured little raptor like aliens.
Misbehaving in school, laying eggs, angry teachers, and gross scrambled eggs...this one has it all. Definitely grossed out my eggs now though. Of course has your typically GB Stine twist ending too.
Personally a 3/5*, quick and fun. This one also includes another section of ‘Enter HorrorLand' but I'll have to come back to them in order...
Got the audio for this one with a $10 credit I got from audible for the beta rewards. Read it for my Goosebumps July!
This is book 6 of the HorrorLand spin-off. I did not realize that each of the series finishes with a continuation of the ‘Enter HorrorLand' short from book one, so sadly I skipped it for now and will have to go back to them all. It kind of would have been cool for all of the shorts to be released into its own book, but it doesn't appear that they did so sadly.
Abby and Peter get sent off to their uncle's while their grandmother recovers. But deceit is at every corner, things aren't as they seem, and perhaps people aren't either. No spoilers thought, so MUMs the word.
Personally a fun read, but not as good as others. 3/5*
Got the audio for this one with the $10 credit I got from audible for the beta rewards. Read it for my Goosebumps July!
This is book 1 of Goosebumps HorrorLand, which is another spinoff series. It was cool because the novel itself is a complete story featuring Slappy, but then it also included the short story ‘Enter Horrorland' which sets up the creepy, spooky, and genuinely horrific horror park. I will admit to being confused though, because I definitely missed the cue for the short story in the audio.
Britney doesn't like spending time with her rude, troublemaker cousin Ethan, but she'll definitely dislike spending time with Slappy even more.
Personally a 3.5/5*, I'm always down to read more of Slappy.
Got the audio for this one with the $10 credit I got from audible for the beta rewards. Read it for my Goosebumps July!
This is Slappyworld book 15, which is one of the much more recent GB books so I wasn't sure what to expect. Honestly, they are at the same caliber pretty much across the board in my opinion—with of course some favorites and some less so.
This one really caught me off guard because I was thinking it was going to be a funny, spooky beauty and the beast riff. And in a sense it is, we've got a castle and wintery-ness and a beast (that's all BatB is right?) but it's not what you'd expect. And I guess that makes sense, as no one would want a middle grade romance...
Tons of little cliffhanger twists and turns as Stine is known for. Personally a 4/5* I had fun.
Got the audio for this one with the $10 credit I got from audible for the beta rewards. Read it for my Goosebumps July!
A little harder to get into as I felt it was rather silly the entire time. I read this at the same time as WtDH and maybe it was just the audio that was messing me up as I was getting into the mindset for the middle grade stuff. Still, glad to be done with another classic GB.
Hidden passageway, vampire in the basement, time traveling, bottles filled with breath that keeps the vampire mentally and physically strong? What could possibly go wrong?
Personally a 3.5/5* for me. Fun.
The author is possibly best known as WitchKingReads for great reviews, and I was so excited when I saw she was writing! This is book 1 of The Breaths and Depths and there's definitely more to come. Not sure how they can top this cover though!
The world was interesting and the characters come alive. The magic is super important but comes across as more of an undertone than an actual moving piece of the plot. But that in itself is actually part of the plot, which I won't mention because spoilers. Iona's Breath is harnessed by those able and it's kind of like being an airbender or wind controller.
The thing that stuck out to me—as it took me a full month to read this which is not usual for me—is that part one builds into such a climax, with so much happening and it's so brutal, that afterwards it just feels like starting over. I of course applaud any style attempt that isn't the exact norm, but usually with a journey based fantasy you start on the bottom knowing you're going uphill the entire time to the climax. It certainly doesn't go into slog territory at all, but it was harder for me to adjust. Especially coming off of so much loss in part one, I just didn't feel like I had long enough with the characters. Of course the ending climax is awesome and actiony, it just didn't feel as big as part one.
I enjoyed the world, and people, and the possibilities. I believe the things left undone or unsaid in this one will built to an absolutely explosive second novel. I look forward to it. Personally a 3/5* thank you for the arc, I preordered one too!
I got this audio from NetGalley for review. I figured I'd give the author another shot. If you check out my review of The Twisted Ones, you see that I haven't had the best luck so far.
This story is pretty short. However instead of feeling concise, I thought it was very rushed. While there are some nice tidbits dropped through the story that pay off in the end, the end is super abrupt and has far too much going on.
The author has a very distinct voice. Which is good for an author to have, as it becomes their brand, however it does not agree with me. The witty, banter-y first person shtick comes off as very forced and also dry to me. Personally I just think it isn't for me. It made the two separate novels bleed through as very similar to me. I did however really like the use of an overweight main character. Their weight is in no way the main focus, so it's nice to see.
I just personally found this falling very short as an attempt to recreate the gothic haunted house feel. I am thankful for the opportunity to give the author another shot, but it's not for me. Personally a 2/5*
Most often tagged as “a true story”, this is more likely ‘inspired by' as the countless lawsuits have tried to prove. Anyway, this was included with audible, so I gave it a go as I haven't read it or seen any of the movies about it.
This is the story of the haunting that took place during the 28 days the Lutz family stayed in the house they purchased at 112 Ocean Avenue. The previous owner had been sent to jail for killing his entire family within the house, but the Lutz family did not mind at the time.
Part of this really comes down to whether or not you believe in paranormal activity and ghosts. That seems to be the biggest deciding factor between the reviews I've seen. If you're a nonbeliever and you take the ‘true story' to heart, then yes, this sounds insane. If you're a believer, this is probably a horrifying example of possession, obsession, demonic presence, and haunting.
For me, this was just super cool to see how influenced horror is by it. Not only general things, but actual huge plot points as well as how they actually happened. I am not a believer, but I enjoyed this a lot. Not scary, because it's written kind of documentary style, with fact after fact (scene after scene) happening without much separating them. It makes it quick and snappy, but you lose what the people were feeling and thinking, for me that's normally where the creepiness comes from...
Personally 4/5* I wouldn't want to stay there regardless.
Quite a bit of time off between book 1 and 2 for me, having finished the first in November, but this one doesn't miss a beat.
Went with the audio for this as well, and R.C. Bray does a fantastic job again. There's just something about listening to something so fast paced at a fast speed that gets the blood going. I actually listened to this on a long drive while my fiancée slept, and when she woke up, she got completely sucked in too.
Hell Diver X is gone, and outside of a small prologue that takes place 2 years after book one, this novel is entirely 10 years after the fact. Michael, aka Tin, is now a young adult himself. He's also a rising Hell Diver. Captain Ash has officially been replaced by Jordan, however his paranoia and mistrust of those around him may lead him into issues. The Sirens aren't the only thing on the surface, and the action is nonstop.
I was thinking about how you could possibly write more than one book (there's currently 10) with so many similar things needing to happen, but honestly, everything is happening so fast and relentlessly that you don't even notice.
This is a crazy paced military / dystopian scifi. I will definitely have to continue my way through the series now. Personally a 5/5* again.
This is another ocean horror, and my second in a row from the author.
This novel uses a bigeye thresher specifically, and I was really interested as to what the author was going to do, as they are not considered a threat to humans like whatsoever. They do however, get their name from their thresher (or scythe) like caudal fin, which they use to literally whack and stun prey, so I figured there was definitely room to make it scary. Oh and as the synopsis boasts...the author also decided to make it 40ft long which is about double its full size!
The author did a good job with tackling the issue I posed above. There is not only a reason why it's so large, but there is also a reason why it's attacking and being so territorial. I won't say more to avoid spoilers, but this horror is definitely dipping its toes in the realm of science fiction.
This one is also kind of heavy on the cop stuff like Megalodon: Bloodbath (and others like it, like Jaws), but it takes a bit of a different approach this time. A renowned cop takes the job at a coastal precinct after some unfortunate downturns at his previous employer. His new partner, and the person he's training, takes on this kind of found family/friendship trope but it's done well.
Personally a 4/5* for me.
I received the audio from NetGalley for review. This was one that I grabbed solely for the cover. After I was approved, I started seeing a lot of reviews, which definitely bumped it for me.
This novel is about Maeve Fly, a not-so specific “ice princess” at a not-so specific “amusement park” in California. She absolutely loves her job, but probably not for the reasons you'd imagine.
I enjoyed the literary voice in this as it's almost poised as a good-for-her / finding yourself / meets Dexter-y esque inner-monologue type projection. I also liked how as the character becomes more unhinged, so does her crimes, and so does her public projection of herself. Sometimes literally going in public covered in real blood. Some might find that unbelievable, but I thought it nicely highlighted how people's general perception is just I accept what they see and rationalize it. The police in the story included.
Other than that though, the character is incredibly narcissistic, completely misunderstanding themselves and the perception they present the world with. It's arrogance in a not enjoyable way. Though the biggest flop for me, the stake in the heart, is the novels incredibly over-sexualized nature. This is something I've mentioned in reviews before, but it seems like such a large chunk of modern horror just uses sex and obscure kinks for whatever propellant it can get as shock value. And while again, I certainly find it “horrific” as it is a ‘horror', that doesn't mean I think it's good or find it enjoyable.
The novel is still on the edge of enjoyability for me though for sure, and Sosie Bacon's narration was fantastic. It's quick, and that keeps it readable. Personally a 3/5* for me.
I received the audio from NetGalley for review. I've heard nothing but good things about The Murderbot Diaries, so I was excited to get into this.
First, I would just like to say that I technically gave this book 1.27x chances. I tweeted about having no idea what was going on at 27% and how I was afraid it was just me or how fast I was listening. I completely restarted, with a slower speed, and it did not help.
Second, I have written several rave reviews about books that drop you right into the deep end from the jump, but this one just never recovers. It more so drops you right off a cliff...into a bottomless pit. I had problems remembering and deciphering between characters, locations, lore. The names never stuck, and remember, I listened to the opening twice! There are different beings called witches and demons and other things, but our main character seems to be referred to them all by the end as if they are interchangeable. To be honest, I'm still really not sure what this is about or even what happened during it, and let me tell you that is such a strange feeling because I WAS paying attention.
Third, and maybe this is just me and the style really didn't work for me or something, but there is not really any climax? We're just going going going, end. The action scene towards the end didn't feel impactful, I didn't feel the build, and maybe that's why it didn't read as climactic to me? Also afterward it literally launches like directly back into dialogue and travel and then END.
Personally, and sadly a 2/5* for me. Not a fan. The snippets of lore that struck me as great were just too few and far between.
I read this one for thriller book club's indie monthly pick. The author joined in the chat, but I was sadly behind!
This novella is one of those that took me by surprise. It features a family, their struggles, their ups and downs. And it's one of those so deftly handled in its mundanity that the horror of life is so much worse than the actual horror. It's that kind of slice-of-life turned horror that has been gripping me lately as something different. Something more. Like how are you making me sit on the edge of my seat because this man is going back to work?
Franklin just wants to do right by his family. So why does his wife hate him, and why is she turning their son against him? This is where feeling inadequate, feeling stuck and lost, is truly maximized to the point of nausea.
Well written, and well executed, and also not without real horrors too. This is a quick read that is worth checking out and supporting.
Personally a 5/5*, I will definitely watch this author now.
