C. J. Daley

Revived my book club this month, and luckily enough my suggestion got picked!

This one was suggested for my Intro to Indie Horror + Representation post that I did in April under trans rep, and it has been on my radar since posting. Naturally I’m stoked it got to jump up my TBR with the book club selecting it.

With that being said, I actually didn’t read the blurb, just went straight in. I was pleasantly surprised to head right into a supernatural mystery. Emberly and Conner are tasked with investigating a rather atypical circumstance that befell their boss’ son. And I absolutely loved the fact that they kind of were forced to become their own type of detectives. When a trip to Cranberry Cove turns up more questions than answers, Emberly is sent on a journey to unravel what’s inside.

There’s something about the 2’s, and like room 217 at The Overlook, Cranberry Cove’s 2A is the latest haunted hotel room that will keep you up at night waiting for a knock. Why are only men attacked or disappearing? Where is the person or entity even coming from?

I really enjoyed how the author made a point to spell out how their boss had gone out of his way to take care of Emberly’s needs, and to ensure that everyone treated her as the woman she was. Meanwhile the novella itself is tackling themes of toxic masculinity and gender ideas. Conner feels a need to ensure Emberly’s safety, however he doesn’t seem to understand that that feeling can come from caring, and not because he’s the man. And clearly Emberly is prepared to care for herself!

A quick, spooky, and unique read. Worth checking out.

Thanks again to the authors for the audible code! The narration by Jennifer Pratt, who took over with book 2, really sells the story and her voice work is great.

This is the third and final book in The Prophecies of Ragnarok trilogy. The first, Hotel Fen, is almost like a fantasy/romance mixed with hotel horror. The second, Monster Ridge, amps up the fantasy content, really bringing out the Norse Mythology, and getting more into the characters’ pasts. And this third one, really takes off from there. The consequences of book two have started The Great Winter, bringing all of earth to survival basics, and Ragnarok has begun.

Our star-crossed and forever-(ill)fated lovers, Victor and Silje, are still just trying to make it work. Why does that always seem to involve someone chasing them, attacking or kidnapping them, or them having to try to save the world/universe?

There is character growth in this one even though it’s pretty all-out action. Their past-selves bleed more and more into their present-selves, bringing with it strengths and abilities long forgotten. Angers too.

I was pleasantly surprised by the action in this one. While molded by Norse Mythology, the authors clearly weren’t afraid to write this as their own. I think it’s probably because of the recent Thor movies (naturally) but this feels like almost ‘superhero level’ action—and I mean that in a good way. And with that, there is of course sacrifice…to save everything, something or someone is gonna have to give. It felt worth it, it felt earned, and yes it hurt like hell (Hel). And I’m still so happy that it wrapped up with just a dash of hope.

These two authors have cooked up a well done trilogy, and I would love to see more people talking about it!

I received an audible code to judge for the Indie Ink Awards, so thanks to the author and organizers. Richard Pendragon’s narration was great and added to the overall enjoyment for me.

The novel is a modern vampire urban fantasy. It starts with Ezra’s final boxing match before he’s ready to skip town again. Enter Killian, his last opponent, and so much more. From there, the novel spirals out of control, with estrangement and loss, deception and deceit. Oh, and vampires of course.

Through no fault of Ezra’s, naturally, some awful things happen to him, and therefore little choice is left when an injury threatens his life. Waking up a vampire certainly changes things, but I loved how grounded the novel read. The author does a great job of keeping the story going as it already was, only amping things up and adding in more supernatural elements over time. It made it read as a very personal story.

I also enjoyed the various bits that the author changed about what people think of vampires, especially as they were all done very underhandedly, which made them feel real to the story itself. Stakes to the heart, bullets, blood, this is a world of its own. I did like that there was a concert scene, as well as some later on werewolves, both of which felt like an Underworld club scene-esque nod.

The ending had stakes, the emotional connect was well made, and the somewhat supernatural explosion at the end read as warranted. This is not a typical read for me, but boy did I enjoy it. It was refreshing and different.

This is a prequel novella to Zodak: The Last Shielder, however it may be best referred to as a precursor, as it’s entirely its own story.

Although I read these almost back to back, I found there to be little connection to Zodak at all, unless I just entirely missed it (totally might have). That’s not a bad thing at all, I was just keeping my eyes and ears peeled for those little threads to start seeding their way in. Set two hundred years before Zodak, I expected maybe something more direct in the prequel area to the shielders, but I’m still not mad at all with a more separate story.

Where Zodak follows a young character’s journey through finding out he may be more than just a farm boy, Throne Born is a story of splintering peace, political intrigue in multiple courts, deceptions, and betrayals. This difference might also be why it felt so totally different and unrelated to me as well. This novella is also on less of a grand scale. There are stakes, and things are very real, however it never quite gets off the ground to the level in which Zodak felt, which was awfully epic. With that being said, it’s also a simplified, more personal story as well, which absolutely worked in the novella format. Love, jealousy, and pride collide in a natural fashion, but still in a big enough way.

Enjoyable and worth checking out! I read Zodak first, and would probably suggest it in that order. While this does not follow the recent format of prequel being released after the novel, there was just more of what I loved in the full release that hooked me and made me want to go back. The Epilogue, the King’s Coda, read almost like something you’d find in Tolkien’s Appendices, and for that, I really enjoyed its addition.

The author sent me a very nicely signed paperback, and I’m lucky to have received it! This is a novel set within the author’s A Relics of War world, but it is a standalone story.

The novel opens up to Owen, a knight of the five kingdoms, on the eve of battle. He is alone, with just the city guard to rally the defenses. The way this started made it compulsively readable, as I just had to know what was going to happen. The fact that the author then practically subverts the expectation with there being little to no opening action, was what I thought was a strange choice at first, but ended up being a hit. It leaves the reader on the edge of their seat for the remainder of the novel…a “when is the action finally happening” that was never far from the front of my mind.

The Murkor, the race that was attacking, then turned saviors, add a dynamic to the novel I wasn’t expecting. The author makes you like them several times, through Owen and Aj’ana’s relationship for one example, to just keep reeling us back in with reminders of the humans’ captivity. I thought it was a unique display of Stockholm syndrome and how back and forth the process can be. The Murkor are not so free themselves, yet they are often complicit, while at other times they stick their necks out for the humans. It’s just the right blend to make you wonder the entire time.

After a very unexpected left turn, that gives the novel its name of Serpentus, we finally have our fully built climax. The mental, physical, and emotional ties are all set perfectly, with Owen at the forefront of bearing them all. It adds a layer of humanity onto what may be considered a loss of it. And the action that follows certainly pays off as well. Gods, several races, and the righteousness of fighting for freedom, explode into a terrifying and personalized description of battle.

I recommend everyone check this one out. Whether you are already a fan of the Relics of War trilogy, or a newbie like me, this one is well written and well done.

I grabbed this in paperback in my quest to buy all indie novellas.

The author does a very good job of painting the picture of a loving family in a small number of pages. A working father, a dutiful wife and learning daughter, and a son that wants to prove himself while making his father proud. Time period appropriate, while still allowing the daughter and son their playtime. They eat dinner as a family and both children are tucked in each night lovingly…with maybe a couple visits from the tickle monster.

Teddy is soon to be a man, so his father is letting him know more and handle more responsibility. Carrying the water in from the well, attempting to swing the woodcutting axe on his own, and hearing all about his father’s traumatic childhood experience in the woods by their house. Of course a story like that would stick in a young boy’s mind, and of course it’s only a matter of time before something forces them back into those woods. Forces the past and the present to collide.

SOME SPOILER-Y THINGS

The first instance involving the entity is creepy, ambiguous enough to let your mind wonder, and of course fast enough to leave you asking, “what just happened?” And with that being said, the second does much the same for the reader while being entirely different. A house in the woods, the dog trapped, a woman in all black. But when Teddy’s sister wakes him up, was any of it real?

Much like the visits in the night that follow, as well as the echoes of what happened to his father’s best friend, Teddy’s decent into madness comes at a loss of sleep and a few bumps in the night. The descent might be quick, but the creepiness is awfully high.

I really love horrors that take childhood fears/monsters and turn them into real, flesh and blood nightmares. My main gripe with this one (while small) is that it didn’t actually do that, not entirely. The Tickle Monster is a manifestation of fear and anxiety for Teddy, and I suppose I was more so expecting a creature feature. Still very worth a read! Personally 3.5/5*.

A big thanks to the author for sending over an audio code. Dallin Bradford absolutely knocks it out of the park, this is some of the best narration I’ve heard in quite a long time.

This is a classic (in this case, farm boy) origin story, pulling from those of before like Frodo, Rand al’Thor, Eragon, even Jon Snow. So regardless of the genre tags you’d add to this, the one thing that stood out to me the entire time was “classic”. And I could definitely see this series going down as one. It feels so over the top professional, the author has whittled down the prose to the point where there is not a single unnecessary word throughout the entire novel.

Zodak lives with his aunt and uncle. Their two children, as well as his aunt, find him at best to be a nuisance, and at worst a complete mistake. And of course they can’t stand the fact that Ardon, his uncle, is so fond of him. It makes for one tinderbox of a household.

The impetus that sets Zodak in motion again feels very classic, very Luke Skywalker even, but it’s done so well and flows so brilliantly that I was 100% along for the ride. And while he does meet some help along the way, as well as a ranger-type that made me super happy, he does offer up an experience that's all his own, and his path isn't decided by those that came before him.

I really had to think over what to write here, as otherwise it would have been tons of ramblings and spoilers. And because of that I'd like to stress just how much I loved this! I love that Zodak appears to be the easy chosen one, just to have his newfound dreams crushed…but just maybe? This needs to be added to every TBR. Immediately.

Many thanks to Cemetery Gates Media for the physical arc!

Not that this proclaims itself as a short story collection, as it does just say ‘stories’, but I would be willing to bet that most of these are actually around novelette length at the very least. There is not that many stories, only featuring ten, and yet this is actually rather long. Not that that is a bad thing!

This is a solid mix of horror, comedy, sexual deviance, the disturbing, and wit from the author. With things like aliens, gods, ghosts, and even more creepy crawlies to haunt your imagination. And of course, my all time favorite there is, Christmas (in Antarctica).

One I particularly enjoyed was ‘Let Sleeping Gods Lie’. It read kind of like a precursor, or even its own take on those old school monster movies…The Mummy in particular. It’s atmospheric, with just the right amount of building, written in just the perfect style, to make it slowly creep up your neck. Told entirely through journal entries and letters to a beloved, it features the lead of a dig site in Egypt as his team slowly loses their nerve to knocking deep within the tomb. And I’d honestly read an entire novel.

My favorite of the bunch though, was ‘The Ancient Ram Inn’. Featuring a group of friends taking a Halloween night tour through a very haunted Inn. Their guide, a real creepy lookalike, deadpans the history of the place as they get further and further inside…and things get weirder and weirder. For such a short story, this one packed on hell of a twist that I really enjoyed. I’ve found that since writing BestGhost, I just really love different takes on the paranormal and haunted places.

This just released, and regardless of what you’re looking for, there’s something here for everyone. Will you let me know your favorite??

A big thanks to the author for the e-ARC. So glad I got to read it.

The Generation Games is perhaps Towse’s darkest elderly horror yet. The decision has been made to no longer allow people to grow old and die on their own. In an all-too close future, a mandate has been made due to earth’s depleted resources, that no one can live over 70. That is, unless they are incredibly successful, rich, or influential. Since most people aren’t, one television station decided to capitalize on this, seeing the death of millions as an opportunity. Those selected for this program have the opportunity to win millions, and to afford the age passport they so desperately need. What do they have to do, you ask? When you remember that the outcome for them is death either way because of their age, you can get an idea of just how unhinged the things they’re forced into really are. Horrific, gruesome, bloody, gory, and unbelievably wicked.

My Name Is Brian is the second of the novellas collected and it features a new student that’s just a bit strange. Brian is heavyset, a book worm, and unerringly calm, even when the school bullies want a rise out of him. The problem with bullies, is that they are forced to up the ante, rather than lose face value. When humiliation, name calling, and dumping Brian’s own food onto him don’t work, they’re forced to even greater heights…or in this case greater depravity. The main issue I had with this one, is although anyone of any size eating their dumped food off of their own head or lunchroom table would be disgusting, it’s often only ever used when describing fat people, and therefore can read as fat phobic. This is ultimately completely erased though by the novella’s climax, it just kind of rubbed me the wrong way while reading. But there is more to Brian, his size and shape, than you may have previously thought.

The Naughty Corner, the novella collection’s namesake, as well as its third entry, is a madhouse of desire, neglect, infatuation, and control. Set in what appears to be an Idyllic town, it may not take long for them to remember that looks can be deceiving. Sheila, Frank, and Charlie move into a new house, in a new neighborhood. What appears to be a good deal, comes with a set of ‘guidelines’ for their behavior. With the list in the dozens, they may have gotten more than they bargained for. This novella, which could be argued to also include some terrible elderly horror, mixes some of the more unusual with its doses of horror. In this case, it does that by mixing, and thus distorting, pleasure.

Personally a 4/5*, the first was definitely a favorite. But this is a great showcase of the author’s skills, as there are three very different stories on display.

A huge thanks to Shortwave for the physical ARC! Such a good cover too, I’m so glad I own one.

This novelette is short, a little sweet, and kind of a lotta dark. A tale of abuse, both from a husband and grandfather, this story showcases some of the horror stories women face daily. Yet it’s also mixed with a bit of hope and sapphic desire.

Now, you may know from some other reviews of mine that I really struggle with any form of cheating/adultery, but this is more so about having the ability, the autonomy, to want and decide for yourself. When all you’re shown is abuse, that ability to decide, to feel, to want, is part of that ability to claw yourself back from it. And that’s what this felt like.

Then there is of course, the more horrific elements. Deceit, deception, avoidance, perhaps a little murder? But isn’t all of that just another angle at being free, at fighting against the structured injustice being showcased in this rural community?

My favorite thing though, perhaps, is how Libby goes from one kind of prison to another. And as the bodies start to pile up, June’s hold over her is just another type of chokehold.

Grabbed this on audible during a 2-for-1 sale, and Victoria Villarreal brought an authentic feel to the characters, and overall the narration was a lot of fun.

First and foremost, I am a Peter Parker Spider-Man fan. The OG animated series from when I as a kid, as well as the Tobey McGuire movies. Unless you’re counting the PS4 game and Sony-verse, I know next to nothing about Miles Morales, and my knowledge of Spider-Man 2099 (other than random things) mostly starts with Oscar Isaac. So I gave this a shot simply because it was Marvel and Spidey adjacent, I actually didn’t even know who Araña was at all.

Anya, who takes on the spider-identity of Araña, has a familiar, tough upbringing through her abilities. She must juggle school, a secret identity while living with her father, and the loss of a mentor, all right before a short tussle with an artifact called El Obelisco sends her crashing into the future. Don’t let my condensed version fool you though, because I actually felt like all that set up went on a little longer than I expected, at least for me, who did not read the blurb before jumping in!

In this far-flung future, Anya finds out that there was a Spider-Man in the year 2099, and having only arrived a few years later than that, she figures he must still be active. A lot can change in only a few years though, and the Miguel O’Hara she finds is as far from the tights-wearing hero he was can be. He’s not only jaded, but thinks the world is better off without his costumed help.

Personally, I can always get behind the reluctant mentor trope, and I really liked that it was a retired Spider-Man too, so that she was getting the help from the actual source. But what lacked for me, was the world he came from. Miguel is a rich, business runner with a virtual assistant that arguably does more than her fair share of the work. He even comes from the future where NYC has been renamed Nueva York, and yet I found that the author really didn’t describe it or any differences. As someone unfamiliar, this would have been a huge opportunity to sell me.

Then throw in another dimension’s Ghost Spider out of left field in the third act and you’re really cooking with fire. It seemed like a lot of work to simply not include Peter, who is “off planet”, so I’m curious if he just wasn’t on the table. Regardless, the heroes hero, and this was another interesting and fun spider-people adventure. It had all the necessary touch points, a newbie, great responsibility, middle-story self doubts, emotional pulls, and self sacrifices. All things that make superheroes what they are. Personally a 4/5*.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the e-ARC! Malerman has been an auto-buy author for me since reading Bird Box and he does not disappoint!

Incidents Around the House is written entirely in the perspective of Bela, an eight-year-old that has frequent nightly visits from the Other Mommy in her closet. Unsettling, creepy, and often nauseating, the prose is somehow simplistic—as a child’s writing demands—yet surprisingly elegant and powerful. I was so impressed by the balance the author struck between the two, and it heightened my enjoyment throughout. I really found it hard to put this down (while sadly training at the new job).

Focusing heavily on what goes bump in the night, Malerman takes childhood fears and turns them into adulthood traumas. There was a single line about how Other Mommy was hiding in the dark corner, but her eyes were up near the ceiling that truly gave me chills. And that’s where this story excels, within its endless possibilities, within what it leaves unsaid. It’s childhood stories, it’s Goosebumps and Fear Street and Are You Afraid of the Dark, yet it’s deconstructed, enhanced, and rewound into an entirely unique and adult novel.

Bela’s Mommy and Daddo are great characters in their own right, but they’re also great characterizations of polar opposites in parenting. One feels trapped, ungrateful, and the bearer of bad news. The other is the optimistic, uplifting one, and Bela’s best friend. The light and the dark to their daughter. But what I enjoyed about this dynamic the most, was Malerman’s ability to showcase them so well that I stopped believing that I knew which parent was the “good” one. The rock-bottom feel of their desperation and disparity is something I would say is wholly unique and integral to the experience. And Bela is constantly drawn to the two for different reasons. And to Other Mommy too.

I also really enjoyed that the author gives us a mixture of modern things thrown in. A modern “hippie” exorcism that goes a bit wonky, a slew of cameras and alarms that could make my crew in BestGhost’s heads spin, two well behaved guard dogs that never seem to take a break, running away from home, both short and long trips, and of course, an occult specialist that’s absolutely not a sham. It kind of felt like taking absolutely everything you could do to save yourself, and finding out that all of it wasn’t the right thing.

I happened to be reading this at the same time as Baptiste Pinson Wu’s historical fantasy, Undead Samurai. The juxtaposition of zombies, swords, and action against Malerman’s slowed down, slithering, creepy-crawly horror, just really sold the experiences. And it really sold Malerman’s ability to sell an incredible story with a slower burn.

Can Other Mommy be trusted? Can she be let into Bela’s heart? Why is she named that? The absolutely unhinged act of twisting the dynamic of mother and daughter into something OTHER is truly brilliant. And gross, so gross.

Malerman is at his best, delivering readers with something to think about for years to come, especially before we turn out the lights. I genuinely feel for any reader that has a young daughter.

A huge thanks to the author for the physical ARC. So glad to have this for my shelf.

A mixture of historical Japan and the undead? From the very beginning, the cover reveal even, I knew this was for me. And right from the prologue I was hooked! I’ve been working my way back through TWD universe, so zombies are a hit for me at the moment. And U.S gives a unique and thrilling take on the bloody genre.

I loved Wu’s obvious research and dedication to historical accuracy. Several of the characters even being real themselves. It gives this lush, believable, real backdrop to the craziness that follows. A last ditch effort to save Japan itself, a chance for several warriors to regain their honor, prove themselves for the first time, or prove they’ve still got it. The multiple kinds of fighters/warriors was just enough to make each action bit feel different and enjoyable. Of course they are incredibly fast, bloody, and nuts, too.

I happened to be reading this at the same time as Josh Malerman’s Incidents Around the House. The juxtaposition of the slowed down, slithering, creepy-crawly horror, to the zombies, swords, and action, just really sold the experiences. And it really sold Wu’s ability to write a highly tense action adventure.

My favorite bit, that has impressed me greatly (as this is a first read for me with this author) was his ability to convey so much emotion. This is not just a zombie novel, it is the story of an incredible journey between friends, partners, mentors. The author made me not only like, but care about, characters that started out as unlikable. Not only showcasing how dynamic they are, multilayered, but such incredible growth too. And in an action filled, only 320 page book too. Wow!

Decided to give this one a go to get in another short read for the month, and it was already on my TBR. A tiny review for a tiny read.

This is a 26 page short story, and somehow it packed in a solid and unique plot! Although this isn’t for children, it did have kind of Goosebumps vibes to it! That could be because of its bite-sized format though, making it feel like a TV episode.

Jace is taking over and cleaning up his father’s farm after his passing. He wants to get his affairs in order and perhaps give the country life a try. The solitude is working for him, but one night when he finds a runaway in his barn, he ends up feeling like he’s living someone else’s horror story.

I absolutely love when authors drop their story’s name in the writing. I personally think I’ve done this for everything I’ve ever written. Sometimes it’s even where I pull the names from. It feels like a little wink from the author whenever I read them.

Well written and concise, this short packed a punch with its unique plot and fleshed out atmosphere. Honestly until the author mentioned phones and laptops, I wasn’t even sure what the time period was. It really lended itself to the atmosphere building.

Grabbed this one to get in another short read before month’s end! A short review for a short read.

This is a weird little tale about a village near the marsh that has a string of children disappearing. Although often left alone, these disappearances have drawn attention to the old witch in the marsh. Through a growing need, an obsession, a love, the spirit of the marsh takes its first steps to be near the old witch. Together they seek to uncover the horrors haunting these young children.

This novelette is like a visual smorgasbord, with rich descriptions and heavily described characters and set pieces. One that stuck out to me the most was the witches favorite mug, something so simple, yet so effective. The marsh spirit, through drawing in beings of the marsh, alive, dead, even rotten, has become something both monstrous and horrifying, but regardless how you feel, it’s so easy to picture.

I will gladly read more from this author and even this one again!

I received this novella to judge as an SFINCS finalist. Opinion is my own, and does not represent that made by the team. I did also happen to purchase this in paperback, as I prefer to read physical, and I liked the cover a lot.

To me, this hit very similarly to Ryan Cahill’s The Fall. From the jump there is tension, action, emotion. The author sets up a battle that is already not going well, therefore the reader knows the stakes are high, and that there’s bound to be a near bottomless fall. There are multiple POVs and the author manages to make the reader care individually for all of them in the very short time you spend with each.

The Essence and the Deceiver are locked in an endless battle. Their chosen avatars destined to duke it out for eternity. This selection, and the transference of powers felt very similar to Marvel’s Moon Knight to me. They are imbued with power, can speak to their masters, become ageless, and live to serve. Too bad they also happen to be brothers.

In just 100 pages, the author makes you care for the characters, the world, the crumbling city, and feel each loss as they pile high. It’s well written, fast paced, and certainly an enticing sampler of what’s to come in the series itself. I’m intrigued by his different demonic creatures, as well as the different fighters the king has at his beck and call. Particularly the battle sisters and Smoke Riders.

Please check this one out!

Read this one as a finalist in SFINCS, opinion is my own and doesn’t reflect that of the team!

This is a slow burn, small town horror. Iris, who already escaped her dysfunctional family once, has been brought back to town by the death of her nephew. This novella spends a lot of time building into that dysfunction. Her mother’s attitude, her father’s over-accepting responses, and her sister’s seeming lack of grief. For me it didn’t exactly reach a level of atmospheric creepiness, but the author does keep it interesting enough to keep it slow.

At just about the 60% mark the novella starts to take off. The mystery that has been building is finally answered, and to be honest, it felt a lot more “left field” than I was expecting. This is definitely more horror than mystery, and while it worked for me, I guess I was just surprised.

This novella also features an old ex with LGBtQ rep, and I thought it was used well that them meeting back up was one of the reveals for the mystery early on. The photo being forgotten in the library one of the only clues throughout the story.

I enjoyed the explanation and ending, as well as the fact that the small town horror might have been spreading its monstrous fingers out to the surrounding areas.

Continuing with audio for these, as R.C. Bray is fantastic for these.

Book three takes off right where two ended, with more and more of X’s hellish background revealed as he survived on post apocalyptic earth for years. Now I had meant to go back and read the new ‘prequel’ novella that features X on the surface, but I haven’t gotten to it yet, so this background was nice to have sprinkled in.

Michael ‘Tin’ Everhart and his crew are still aboard Deliverance in their whiplash-quick race to meet up with X. Captain Jordan, in his ever-growing paranoia and recklessness, pushing the lower deckers even further towards rebellion—all in the name of ensuring humanity survives. When every single character and situation is at the boiling point, something (more like everything) is bound to pop off!

These are just outrageously fast paced scifi/horror thrillers. Nonstop action, suspense, and violence. And I for one, can’t get enough of them. I’ve been spacing out when I move through them, having read book one in 2022, but I might honestly have to aggressively accelerate that…even at the detriment of my audible credits. The author still manages to show readers even more devastation, with new mutated trees, writhing limbs, animals, hand-sized cockroaches, and even cannibal survivors. In this post apocalyptic nuclear hellscape both and flora and fauna are out to get the hell divers.

Read this one as a finalist in SFINCS, however I already owned the kindle version! Read it in a single sitting while having some trouble focusing, so this was a real good one.

While this one was rather short, I was surprised how long into the story it felt when it finally took a turn into the sci-fi direction. Beforehand I wasn’t sure if the story was just going to remain about a dysfunctional relationship or not. While it still is, the twist definitely elevated it to another level for me.

Joy lives her life anticipating her husbands every desire. And it comes naturally. Breakfast and coffee, quiet mornings, cleaning the house, grocery shopping, and gardening. All for the man she loved. But there’s something big that Joy doesn’t know.

As the story unfolds, Joy looks to capture a new sense of self. What makes her happy? How does she create that sense of self? And do the things that always made her feel whole actually do anything for her now? The author writes in such a way that every reader will be faced with asking themselves the same questions that Joy is faced with. And what makes any of us happy?

Now, I’ve said it before, and I’ll most definitely say it again, Sarah Chorn is the Queen of writing emotion. Every word she creates, every sentence, character, scene, is absolutely crushing. Not just beautiful prose, but truly deep and thoughtful writing.

I received this to review for the Indie Ink Awards and decided to get the audiobook on audible as I’ve been behind and having trouble focusing on reading. Scott Fleming did a fantastic job that I really enjoyed.

Every review I’ve ever seen for this book has talked about how unique it is. So let’s get the obvious out of the way. This is one of the most unique novels and genre blends I’ve ever read. It mixes science fiction aspects with a fantasy world, dialogue that feels more modern, and horror elements too.

The characters use gas masks while outside of the major cities to save themselves from becoming gaunt. Aka breathing in ghost-like vapor and having their bodies taken over. Think kind of zombies, or evil entities a la the Shinigami in Never Die. The masks felt very scifi, while the nature of their need was wholly fantasy. Just one of the great blendings.

The main character Petre, has a mental processing disorder, which leads him to need to get these implant injections. This kind of disability rep was something I’ve never read before, and the ‘cure’ (however temporary) was just another thing that felt so incredibly sci-fi in this fantasy world. He’s also a great example of bisexual rep as well, having desires for both men and women in a way that feels genuine.

Another aspect of this novel that really knocked it out of the park was the way the author wrote the main characters. Not only are they siblings, they are quadruplets, so not everything is always good, but the bond is still unbreakable. Even if they wish it were. So when their father, the King, dies, naturally they can’t keep it together and behave amicably. The way in which the author writes their scenes together is so good, so believable, it’s almost as if the reader is experiencing the family arguments from the inside. As one of them. Or maybe it’s just because I am one of four kids myself.

While I really enjoyed this, I was a bit surprised how the story didn’t really progress. That’s not the say that steps weren’t taken, or that there isn’t action, the plot itself just didn’t reach any kind of resolution. It almost kind of ends on the climax. Which instead of ruining it, definitely made me feel like I needed more immediately. I guess I just didn’t realize it wasn’t a standalone!

These are short stories told as if transcribed from answering machines and voicemails. Some are micro fiction, and some run a bit longer at several pages each.

Personally, with what I got going on right now, 4. 3:15 A.M., Tuesday, August 20, 2019 was one of my favorites. Featuring a message left by an ex about letting go.

I found the format in which this was done to be incredibly unique, unlike anything I’ve read before. With so much of it together, the transcribing kind of read like a play written out, especially the few bits where more than one person would speak. It wasn’t really the kind of thing I would have gone out of my way for usually, and I’ve probably only read like five plays in my entire life too, but I found that I really enjoyed this.

The author mixes comedy, drama, dysfunction, emotion, loss, and some beats from the time in which each were written. He does so in a way that still reads like things you would hear in actual messages, they were all believable. The funny ones especially, are ones I would love to actually hear on my phone for real.

Check this out for something different and quick! Personally a 5/5*

Gave this a go on audible, and the narration by Tom Jordan was pretty solid.

I could tell within the first few chapters of this one that the writing felt a notch up. It read professional, with a clear voice, and wicked fast direction. The POVs and twirling timeframes keep you on the edge of your seat, and I was hooked to it in a way that I haven’t felt lately. While I’ve finished some other reads in between/since, I think this one started pulling me up out of the kind of slump I was forming. The Goosebumps-esque (but adult) cliffhanger chapter endings certainly helped.

A successful podcaster is looking into a mysterious past with sparse notes found in his uncle’s journal. Strangely, the story unravels itself, and other than him being a clever character and the vessel for some of the backstory, he wasn’t really a necessary character. But on the few occasions the story slows down, he gets the ball moving again, so it works out fine.

A story of mistrust, mistreatment, jealousy, and deceit, Head Like a Hole, is a powerhouse of revenge and regret. Not without its supernatural elements, the novel morphs more than once on what the reader can expect. Kind of like mixing the murder mystery side of a slasher with something tainted like the Ring or the Grudge. The novel has more than its far share of characters, but there are a few that have pretty flat desires/actions. The author does a pretty solid job of reigning it in to close it all up though. And I will definitely check out more by the author.

I got this one from NetGalley and was so excited as I was a big fan of Dead Silence. I unfortunately started reading it at a rough time for me, so it took me so long to get through that I actually switched to the audio. Zura Johnson did a good job, and there were several accents, which always impresses me.

This novel mixes a lot of what you’ve already seen out of other sci-fi horrors. Not that I’m in any way the expert, having only seen/watched some of them (Event Horizon, Alien, Life+). Not necessarily that something needs to be original for me to enjoy it, however, if I’m being honest, there was unfortunately nothing exciting about this. This one followed along the same path as Dead Silence, where there is an incredible amount of set up, but it did not work on me twice. Where the first hit me at the right time, and the long opening added to the cabin-fever feel of the narration, this one didn’t work.

The main character has a haunted, hidden past. And although it is continuously mentioned as a major secret, when it is eventually revealed, it does virtually nothing to the plot or climax. While it was supposed to show the lead overcoming expectations, it just read as flat to me. The stakes feel too low with them being on another planet—one which does not have a breathable atmosphere.

There is one point where I felt the novel was shifting toward a big change. They wanted to leave but were stuck in the station during a snow storm. It was still quite late for a climax to start, but I thought it might have been shifting towards a more classic, claustrophobic-isolation horror (just in space). Instead it just kind of continued off the rails. Really wanted to love this one, but it fumbled most of the landing for me. 2.5/5*

I received this to review for the Indie Ink Awards for best narration. Aure Nash did a fantastic job that I really enjoyed. In particular, the voices she did for the gods had these larger than life almost ethereal edits on them.

This one features great representation as well. Black fantasy with lush character designs and cultures. Dreads and braids as well as great descriptors on the variety of skin tones really sells the world as diverse and rich.

I did listen through this one while going through some personal changes, so I am afraid I was a bit distracted. So let me just point that out. However, I found myself slipping in and out of the story throughout. In the beginning I was locked in, but the kind of meandering pace and continued scenes of intervention from the gods kind of made this one lack stakes. For me, the characters read pretty much the same as when they started, they may have come to some realizations, but I didn’t feel as if they actually grew. And the intervention of the gods kind of made what little action there was fall a little flat. I didn’t feel like I had to worry about the characters not surviving, and the action was cool when it happened, so I wish there was more.

Personally a 3/5* for me.

Read this one as a finalist in SFINCS, however I already owned the kindle version!

This is a mixture of eldritch horror with a fantasy backdrop. A mix of gods and what felt like industrial style weaponry made for what comes across as a sort of gaslamp fantasy horror. I would kind of liken it to Of Honey and Wild Fires by Sarah Chorn in its fantasy world feel, but instead of crippling grief, it’s actual horrors coming for the characters.

A bomb blast that rips souls from bodies and causes those that witness it to go insane, creates these shrieking husks of people that used to be. These apparition-like beings create a creepy atmosphere that has the reader as amped up as the main character.

Corrie Ecksley, an adjunct professor, is thrust into the middle of all of this and just trying to survive. I liked that besides her excavation experience giving her some background information, she was just a normal person trapped in an impossible situation. And of course, sometimes literally trapped.

I will say that some of the world building bits and character explanation beats kind of took away from that creepy atmosphere, so in the end I don’t think this really comes across as horror. Not necessarily a negative, but I felt like it was on the fence of blending the two genres well, and I would have liked to see it go all the way. I am still kind of going through it though, so my attention span is a little off and reading has been difficult.

Regardless, this was an enjoyable novella. The big beats were there, the pace is good, as the character faces more than one issue that’s very time sensitive, and there’s definitely enough that I could have kept reading longer.