C. J. Daley

I received this novella to judge for SFINCS. 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.

As a prequel, I was surprised how character focused this was, especially because it came out after the series first book (something that seems quite popular in current fantasy series). It opens right into a very morally grey set of characters, and as with all wars, they are on both sides. I enjoyed all of the perspectives and the ways in which they were different. And the author definitely has a deft hand with written intrigue.

The world seems to have a system where whenever someone dies, everything they’ve ever handwritten disappears. It’s intriguing for sure, though just barely touched upon. I don’t know if this is because you are supposed to be teased into reading the first book, or because it was originally explained at length in the novel, but as a standalone for SFINCS, it didn’t really work for me, feeling more like a possible companion to book one in that sense, rather than a standalone prequel.

The action sequences, though rather short, are intense, written well, and definitely make you feel like you’re thrust right into the thick of it. Because it’s character focused though, I do feel like it fell a bit short on delivering against its title of “The Revenge of Thousands.”

Personally a 3.5/5*. I am trying to judge it as a standalone for the competition, but my own thoughts are that I would very gladly continue right into the first book!

I received this novella to judge for SFINCS. Opinion is my own, and does not represent that made by the team. I did also happen to purchase the audiobook, as I am super busy, and the narration was a nice plus.

This was an interesting mix of kind of slice-of-life styled mundane work and then urban fantasy-ish blended cosmic horror and action. A car park. Creepy lights and darkness. The car park workers. Discovering a cistern that’s slowly churning out multi-dimensional monsters. Oh and the monsters turn to sludge when they die, so no one will believe it.

The main character, Sam, is enjoyable and believable. Her experiences are so real and frustrating that I didn’t mind sitting in the booth with her while she worked. As a retail worker, I have experienced and heard some of these things myself, so it was spot on (sadly!).

I liked the idea of her recruiting the other car park employees to protect the place and stake out the cistern, however I did find the ending to come up a bit short. Both in the literal scale, and excitement. It wasn’t outright flat, it just felt as if it came and went, the action happening in one single little burst. It made the built up stakes not read as quite real.

Personally a 3.5/5*, I’d still recommend as I’m sure book 2 adds even more to it.

Gave this a go when I saw that all except for 2 are currently included with audible. Just in time to head into October spooky reads, and I love some scifi shark horror. Each one’s been a little less science and a bit more fiction, but parts have remained fun.

Let me just say, this dude waited SIX full length novels using the identical formula, to then hit us with a CLIFFHANGER? I’m maddddd. I had read that this was supposed to be the last one, and maybe it had just gotten too long and he had to split it, or maybe he just likes torture. Especially because he apparently hasn’t even started to write the 7th entry, and this one released in 2018…

This one reined in the story a bit, a lot of my complaints about the last one going off the rails were missing from this plot thankfully. It’s still virtually the same story for 6 books in a row, but it’s action packed with an addictive pace. There is something about the way he writes to lends itself to an enjoyable creature feature.

On a serious note, if the objectification and sexualization of every single female character wasn’t enough, the stuff the author puts Terry Taylor through has got to be pretty on the nose about how he feels about women as a whole. She nearly dies over and over, giving Jonas the opportunity to be the hero. She gets an extreme anxiety disorder, more than likely PTSD too. Then she gets Parkinson’s. This one it’s cancer then a coma. Prime example being that Terry is the main reason that Jonas agrees to the mission in this one, and Terry doesn’t even get a mention in the blurb.

If you can get past that, these are still a lot of fun. Personally a 4/5* for me, and definitely my favorite cover. Meg is not the main character anymore sadly.

I received this novella to judge for SFINCS. 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.

Kilo is a Shadow. Sworn to protect the people without killing. But when he is faced with the decision to let his friend die, or take a life, he makes the only choice he could.

The story follows along with the consequences of Kilo’s life after taking a life, much of which are self inflicted. I will say, it does suffer for me because it doesn’t actually pan out within the novella. He doesn’t have a set plan for retribution, and because of that he just kind of goes back to living life while simultaneously carrying the guilt for his actions. It does end on a note of hope, but it loses the ‘why’ for me during the novella itself.

Personally a 3/5*, featuring a unique world that meshing Japan with some of its own things. The descriptions are strong and the action was fluid.

Grabbed this as a last minute read for spooky season.

This collection features a take on the vampire by each author listed above. Some are straight forward, while some of the others sought a new approach to the horror favorite. Perhaps it’s my fault, not only because of the cover, but the vampire genre at large, but I was expecting gothic. So where my mind went was more urban fantasy-ish/alternative world. Two of the first stories could have fit this, but then like 2/3rds through they just mentioned the characters in jeans and I was so thrown off.

Regardless of that, which may have been my own perception, this collection definitely went from worst to best for me. The first few stories were quite shaky, but as the collection progressed, I really liked the final few. Chizmar and Roberts both offered up some great ones.

Personally a 3.5/5*. Worth checking out!

I received this novella to judge for SFINCS. 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.

This book takes place in the future. It is a science fiction based novella, and as it’s the future, there have been many shifts in the countries of the world and the major powers. This leads to an incredible amount of new names, as well as many abbreviations. This felt authentic for SF, but I was also definitely confused and flipping back and forth a bit.

The story follows the likable character of Kep, a guide to the new arrivals at the Sol system. I thought the idea of her shifting her appearance, personality, as well as her style to lighten the blow of arriving at a new place was very unique. And probably something that would genuinely happen as well. Some of these travelers have left home, never to return again, so waking up from stasis to something semi-familiar would definitely be a blessing.

The story takes on a kind of thriller vibe to it when a delegate from the (thought) long-lost Dacic has arrived. The powers of the Sol System covet their technology, so even though they intended to share them freely, no one in Sol wants to share.

This was an interesting and enjoyable novella, I do just wish the ending was a bit more definite. Personally a 3.5/5*

Started listening to this one on a ride up to Buffalo with my fiancée. There’s nothing like a long drive and a new book.

I will preface another Sager review by saying that I absolutely loved Home Before Dark. It creeped me out while reading alone at night, and that’s all it took. He’s been an auto-buy BOTM choice for me since.

This book—aside from my selecting the wrong title and updating it multiple times—doesn’t really have that many locked doors. For someone so scared, she locks the apartment door…then sleeps on the couch when she could have presumably slept in the bedroom…and also locked that door. Maybe locked the bedroom door, then slept in the tub? Locking the bathroom door too?

Joking aside, this one felt pretty meh right up until the climax for me. It wasn’t that I wasn’t enjoying it, it just felt very basic for the majority of it. Sager has a way of shaking things up though, and I did find the ending to be both a good set of twists, and satisfying.

Personally a 4/5* for me. My third Sager read.

Gave this a go when I saw that all except for 2 are currently included with audible. Just in time to head into October spooky reads, and I love some scifi shark horror. Each one's been a little less science and a bit more fiction, but parts have remained fun. 

So I should have been expecting the curve ball. I mean, coming from the guy that has apparently edited/rereleased books post publishing, getting his own characters ages wrong, entirely stepping away from his somewhat ‘plausible' science behind the survival of megalodon, his continued harping on them being gigantic great white sharks—years after they were removed from the same scientific family, the fact that every plot is virtually 100% the same, but I honestly didn't. Didn't see it coming. 

This book mixes Alten's Jonas Taylor with Zachary Wallace, the biologist from his Loch series. I really typically like when authors add snippets of their other books into the same world. Whether it be names, locations, or characters. However, out of absolutely nowhere, he has completely meshed the two, so that with next to no explanation, their worlds are the same. Oh, and did I mention time travel? Well...not exactly, but ‘multiple futures' make an appearance in this one. Not only are they after one of the largest sea creature to ever live, a Liopleurodon, but guess what, Wallace is saying that they've already done this before. 

The rails are right here where I'm writing...







...and here's where Alten's plot has fallen. Absolutely insane. Unhinged. Completely irrelevant to the series. How do you write five books about megalodon? By making them about anything but. 

Somehow, unbelievably, perhaps even insanely, personally still a 3/5*. He does write thrilling ocean action.

I received this novella to judge for SFINCS. 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. 
This is a middle grade horror that is a homage to the author's favorites like Goosebumps. While it doesn't quite hit that level of suspense, I do see how the author took them and made something of their own. Also like GB this novella does push the limits of ‘children's' and ‘horror', With some dark imagery and description. 
The 1st person POV of Jo is very authentic, reading as real in both age and personality. I loved the issues with making friends, having a mean brother, and reading as an escape. All things that we've dealt with on some level. 
I love the German setting as well as the German folklore. I love that the author kept certain German words/phrases, as although they may have been self explanatory, they added depth. The Rye fields monster, as well as the world under the roots was super unique and I loved the idea of such a small, quaint town. Sadly the idea of walking around alone as a kid is kind of ruined by the nature of the story, but I liked it at the start!
Personally a 4/5* for me. Well written, enjoyable throughout. 

I met this author through a Goosebumps Book Club discord, and really loved the cover design, so I grabbed a paperback to check out. 
This is well written, and precise in its word choices. There is not a single piece of unnecessary content in this novella. It starts off quickly, setting the stage where the main character is in a good place. The kind of vibe that is just immediately eerie to me, because you know with a genre tag like ‘horror' something is bound to go wrong. 
There are dark themes and traumas described in this, so I'm sure it won't be for everyone. Somehow the author takes things that are already dark, and elevates them to all new horrors. And I really liked that he did so without getting gory, overly bloody, or heavy in his descriptions. If you've ever wondered how horrifying Dexter would be if the audience wasn't designed to like him? Or if he wasn't targeting bad guys? Vivisection is not out of play here. 
Personally a 5/5*, a quick and enjoyable horror. The twist weirdly made me think of ‘Stalked by my Doctor.'

If you've seen my review for No Heart for a Thief, than you know this sequel was up against some strong competition. 
The author has yet again managed to set up an incredible ending—where not only are threads being tied, questions being fulfilled, and harrowing escapes taking place, but also we receive another gut-wrenching kick of emotional damage. The author ups the trauma, for Kaylo and Tayen, and especially us readers. 
As I did with the first, I'd again liken this to The Last of Us. Tayen is bereaved of all those in her life, she's jaded, and she wants revenge. So when she finally lets someone in, Kaylo, she has such a hard time accepting his mistakes. Much like older Ellie and Joel. That is where the similarities end of course, as Dulin has offered us a rich world with lore, magic, culture. And of course the darker enthocentlrism, war, colonialism, and racism. I love the deep message of the story, and I really appreciate that you can also just read and enjoy it as a fantasy, too. It's powerful stuff. 
The characters remain the stars for me. Kaylo, Tayen, and even the smorgasbord of side characters. They have dimension, they're fleshed out, and they read as real with personality that jumps off the page. The action is brutal as if you're really there, and it makes you see the characters in the moment even more. 
Personally a 5/5*, I literally cannot wait for more. Also I think I found an author that says the F word more than me... 

I love the cover for this one, and I really enjoyed The Ghosts of Thorwald Place, so I wanted to get into this one ASAP. 
I was interested in this novel right off the bat. The blurb sounds much more like a scifi thriller than a horror, but I figured we'd still get elements of darkness. Would you sell your hand for a million dollars? I have to be honest, I thought “it wouldn't be that bad” more than once. You'd still have a hand to use! And you'd have $1,000,000! What could go wrong? 
Let me tell you, it wouldn't be all sunshines and daisies. Regan thought like me and then she started suffering from intense pains. Pains in her hand...that was no longer there. While that phenomenon is real, the author takes it and gives it a more scifi spin. It's dark and eerie, and has so many what-ifs attached to it that it will make you sick. 
I really enjoyed the doubled meaning of phantom, as the novel also features a serial killer on the loose known as the Phantom Strangler. Now I did guess the twist VERY early on, but that didn't suck the fun out of it for me, because even as someone that reads (and even writes) mysteries, I am seldom right somehow. So the verification kept it going for me. 
Personally a 4/5*! Well written and a very enjoyable unlikable liked main character, in a kind of Jessica Jones-y way. 

Gave this a go when I saw that all except for 2 are currently included with audible. Just in time to head into October spooky reads, and I love some scifi shark horror. Each one's been a little less science and a bit more fiction, but parts have remained fun. 
Firstly, I'm pretty positive the last book said that Jonas was 63 or 64, the book said he was about to turn one or the other, and that's why I'm not entirely sure. His daughter in it, is 17, a point that is harped on because she is underage. Yet this one says it's been 4 (?) years and somehow Jonas is only 66, meanwhile his daughter is 24? I've heard the author has edited or altered his stories before, but not knowing your characters ages seems pretty crazy to me. Or I'm missing something. 
This book also continued the trend of referring to megalodons as gigantic great whites, which was never true, but is even further contested now. This cover does seem like the first one that is mildly edited though. And although it's clearly a great white, it does look pale as if it could possibly be albino (it's supposed to be). 
This book focuses more on prehistoric times and different prehistoric animals, all surviving in the ancient, hidden remains of the Phantalassa ocean. Ocean and marine reptiles that did not live in the same eras, mind you, but why am I still splitting hairs at this point? The Tanaka institute is having issues housing the offspring of Angel, so they sell two pups to Dubai for a new attraction. Jonas' son agrees to help with the transfer, and is of course enticed back to the sea by them after. David is virtually a carbon copy of Jonas, as the author needed someone young enough. 
You know what, I could complain about these books all day, and hell, I probably will. Yet somehow, they're still super fun. Personally a 4/5*, the megalodon is still supreme. (And weird how many plot points were stolen from this book for The Meg 2: The Trench movie.)

This is story 6 of Amazon's short story collection Creature Feature. I love that these releases include the kindle and the audible version for each.
The title had me thinking werewolves right off the bat and I wasn't wrong. But once again, this is a very different take on the usually heavily overdone creature. There's some back and forth where you won't know which character is the big bad. You'll wonder if the cover is a giveaway or a hering, and honestly it was handled pretty well. I liked that the marriage dynamic had some tension, so although there was the introduction of a stranger, you didn't feel any safer at home either. 
The characters seemed realistic and the action/horror was pretty gruesome. I enjoyed it. Personally a 4/5*. 

This is story 5 of Amazon's short story collection Creature Feature. I love that these releases include the kindle and the audible version for each.
This one was unique in its imagining of the “creature” for a creature feature. It is both imagery for human greed and excess, as well as something ageless and dark. And human need, as well as WANT, is a huge point in this story. The “need” for more, the desire, the want, to do everything possible for your own. It was unique and interesting. 
As this is virtually one single conversation, it was a bit straightforward and I did nail the ‘twist' the second it started. Still enjoyable though! Personally a 3/5*. 

Grabbed the paperback to give a go, as this is perfect for Spooky Season. I love the author's shared universe of Devil's Hill, so I always come out and support, as I am doing (trying) similar with ‘Cemetery.' 
This novelette has some heavy content material and is deserving of a contents warning, although the dedication is a clear indicator of what's the come. Domestic disputes, trafficking, and assault against women. Due to the loss of a loved one, Jack Forest takes the law into his own hands, both for retribution, as well as his own sanity. This choice leads him to work for Satan. He dishes out judgment to those that seek to cause harm, and brands them for judgment. 
Even with this being a heavy read, it's also fun, at times even funny. As the afterward states, Reyes has created this Deadpool/vigilante/red dead redemption looking/acting-esque character. There are some laugh out loud, almost cartoonish comments made by the soul collector. 
Personally a 4/5*, I will read more when it comes out, and I wish this one was longer. 

This is story 4 of Amazon's short story collection Creature Feature. I love that these releases include the kindle and the audible version for each. 
Unfortunately, much like the many reviews I've already seen on it, I don't have much to say about this one. And what I do, is not really good. This short story is ultimately a flop for me. Characters are flimsy, the story boring. When I finished it, it actually thought, wait do I need to listen to that one again? But no, it's really just kind of that dull. 
I do like that this creature feature leans into more scifi, as I really enjoyed the short he did for the Forward Collection, but it just didn't amount to what I needed it too. Personally a 2.5/5*

This is story 3 of Amazon's short story collection Creature Feature. I love that these releases include the kindle and the audible version for each. 
Malerman has been an auto buy author for me since Bird Box, but man does his mind work in mysterious ways. In this story, the main character is obsessed with film making, and much like with basketball in Daphne, that obsession and the description of it can often overpower the other things that are going on. I personally think he uses this technique to ground his characters in a very personal trait, but it's hit or miss, and this one was borderline. 
Brenda was supposed to be paying attention to her sister, but she wasn't. So when she disappears, her parents blame her. Three years later, old campfire stories don't sound so crazy anymore. Brenda has to know. She has to make sure. A bridge in the woods that moves? Why not. 
Personally a 4/5* for me. 

Grabbed the paperback to give a go, as this is perfect for Spooky Season. 
Reyes delivers exactly what his blurb promises. UFOs, a monsoon-style rain, and zombies covered in mutated eyes. The zombies seem to have been created by the UFOs, but they still act, eat, and spread like a normal apocalypse zombie. The story centers around Jeff, a drug dealer, which may speak to some of his zombie-fighting mettle, but I did find his concern for others to be a bit surprising given his dangerous profession. 
The story is short, easy to read, gruesome, but a lot of fun. The eye covered zombies adds an additional layer of creepy as well as some incredibly gross descriptions. I like that the story features the backyard hopping, house ransacking tropes even though the outbreak is so fresh. Plus a quick soda break. Personally a 3.5/5*

This is story 2 of Amazon's short story collection Creature Feature. I love that these releases include the kindle and the audible version for each. 
I thought this was a very interesting way to open up a story and give out someone's traumatic past. Because it's a short story, that launches the story into action immediately, making the horrific pace breakneck. I really thought this was a great take on the boogeyman, and as creepy as it was, I would have read a full novel of this. The ending was losing me a bit with its almost boogeyman-hunters take, but the description of the creature itself was too good. 
This one again mentions COVID without going into it, so I'm guessing they wrote these during the pandemic? 
Personally a 5/5*, I'd love to nail some creepy descriptors this well. 

The sequel to A King's Radiance, I'm lucky to have gotten an ARC!
Lumindal has been defeated, new kings have been crowned, alliances honored, and new horrors are arising. Just because they defeated the King-Radiant and his Eagles, doesn't mean that everything is okay. If Zur's power is fading, the Sun Prince may be their savior. 
This is an absolute banger of a sequel. The author has improved on every single aspect from the first book and delivered us a near perfect second. The characters we know and love are back, and there's even more new faces to learn and love. The author has broadened the scope of just about everything, and he's sticking the landing. 
The Sun Prince, while virtually functioning as the novel's villain, is also dynamic and strong on his own. It's as if the author has the ability to pick apart every single aspect of his characters, dissecting, then reassembling them until they can each function perfectly. Even as lead characters. 
The climax is huge, the combat is written clearly and beautifully. Yet it's gritty and horrifying as blood and guts tend to be. The illustrations peppered throughout give life to the words in the page, and each one is uniquely wonderful. 
Again, this is an author that must be read. Personally a 5/5*. “Go back to the shadows”...we see what you did there. 

This is story 1 of Amazon's short story collection Creature Feature. I love that these releases include the kindle and the audible version for each. 
As this is the first story, I figured Hill had to have written a pretty stellar jumping off point for the collection, and I wasn't wrong. This is a strong short story, and although undoubtedly horror, it really focuses much more on grief and loss than anything else for most of it, turning to terrifying horrors only at the end. The main character is grasping at straws in his denial. 
It's interesting that the story mentions COVID, but doesn't go into it. The character simply had it, losing his sense of smell, and therefore he cannot smell the festering pram. 
Very atmospheric and psychological, the ability to take readers through a journey in such a short amount of time is something I'd love to learn. Personally a 4/5*.  

I'm about a year late to finishing this one, but I'm so glad I finally got to it. And it's a thicc one. 

This one takes off right where Rebirth left off. The empire has struck, and Darmatia has fallen. The cadets must find the remnants of the army, and reenlist to help the rebel movements. 

To reference my comments from my review of book one, this book definitely delivers on character development. It does still take about another 400ish pages to get there, but it delivers in spades. Lots of it. The characters grow and groan in believable and rewarding changes. 

This continues to deliver on being perhaps the best scifi-fantasy blend I've ever read. It has spaceships and technology, that can lead you to thinking like Star Wars, but with magic and a world that feels far more grounded in fantasy. The weaponry reads like a mix of flintlock-, civil war-, WWII-era with its mixture of pistols, rifles, bayonets and tanks. And yet when the magic wielders use handheld weapons, it just makes sense. 

The climax of this one launches and launches and launches. The warfare is dark, gritty, bloody, heartbreaking and terrible. Honestly, while reading the descriptors more than once throughout I was like...no wait, this is totally horror. And I feel like that horrid reality can often be lost in fantasy, so that was refreshing. 

Personally a 5/5*. Triumphantly a SEQUEL. 

I received this novella to judge for SFINCS. Opinion is my own, and does not represent that made by the team. I did also happen to purchase this on audible, as I am busy, and audiobooks are helping me keep up. The narration is very solid. 
Right off the bat, this novella hits us with a group of clone soldiers. They're used to wage someone else's war, never given a choice. And while there are many of them, it's obvious that they come from only a couple of original sets of genes, only changing certain aspects based off desired jobs in the military. John, seemingly just another clone, gives us unique thoughts and personality. It makes me think of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and how it humanized and personalized the clones. 
When wanting more is a death sentence, John might just find out that there really is more to life than what he's been offered, but will he live to get it?
I just felt like it was lacking a little bit in lore, building and description of what the world is. This partially works because as a clone, John would not be privy to everything, but I do think there are ways that more could have been included. 
Personally 3.5/5*, an enjoyable quick read! 

Grabbed this during the latest audible 2-for-a sale, and gave it a go on a long drive for Spooky Season. 
Let me say that I know today's traditional publishing is all about likening books to others (some agents even ask for it when querying), but this one says Bad Moms meets My Best Friend's Exorcism and unfortunately it's so spot on that it feels almost as if this book exists simply to be those two things blended. It does not read at all unique. 
A set of best friend soccer moms unearth a demonic entity when breaking ground on their to-be she-shed. Throughout the summer, their boxed-wine nights become less frequent as their possessed friend slowly marks each of them for doom and gloom. When some of them think moving away might be the only decision left to them, Amy, the lead, decides she has to bring them back together to free their friend for good. 
There are some very annoying (to me) stereotypes of husbands not helping, not listening, not being involved. I apologize that women still deal with things that should be from generations past, and it's certainly not a fault of the author's for including it, but it felt like a lot. (Men stop being tone dead and lazy)
I still had a decent amount of fun with this on though. The main character and author's voice were enjoyable and realistic. Personally a 3/5*.