book reviews

Book reviews for horror fans; weather a sleepless night with literary accounts of hauntings, possessions, zombies, vampires and beyond.

The Queen of Gothic Horror
Going to second-hand stores and finding battered and dusty novels is something I had been doing since childhood - well, before the global pandemic. I can talk about the many unusual finds that I have in the library that is my room - but one author in particular kept me going into those stores, hunting for their books. V.C. Andrews or better known as Virginia Andrews in the UK.
By Ted Ryan5 years ago in Horror
Call Me Mummy by Tina Baker - BOOK REVIEW
Glamorous, beautiful Mummy has everything a woman could want... except for a daughter of her very own. So when she sees Kim—heavily pregnant, glued to her phone and ignoring her eldest child in a busy shop—she does what anyone would do. She takes her. But little foul-mouthed Tonya is not the daughter that Mummy was hoping for.
By Ted Ryan5 years ago in Horror
Frannie Goldsmith’s Things to Remember: ‘Femininity’ is not synonymous with ‘Weak’.
{Disclaimer: Fiction is all subjective. I am not coming from a judgmental place nor am I saying that this is the only possible reason that anyone could dislike Fran’s character. I’m just hoping to raise a few questions.}
By Jaime Burbatt5 years ago in Horror
Ruby by V.C. Andrews - BOOK REVIEW
The only family Ruby Landry has ever known are her loving grandparents. Although her mother is dead and she has never met her mysterious father, Ruby is grateful for all she has, especially when her attraction for handsome Paul Tate blossoms into a wonderful love.
By Ted Ryan5 years ago in Horror
NEWS: The Woman Beyond The Attic - V.C. Andrews Biography
In my interview with Ghostwriter Andrew Neiderman, he hinted at an upcoming announcement on a long-anticipated biography of the Flowers in the Attic author. Now it has been officially announced, even with a title confirmed - there has been whispers of a summer release, but no date has been confirmed. The confirmation came from Publisher's Weekly yesterday:
By Ted Ryan5 years ago in Horror
The Unwind Series: a Critique (Caution: Spoilers)
Well, Neil Shusterman can spin a compelling yarn, and he’s certainly ... prolific. Yes, he can really string events together in chronological order. He can write down a whole lot of words, that he can do very well.
By Deborah Moran5 years ago in Horror
Review of ‘Unchosen’
Katharyn Blair crafts a fiercely feminist fantasy with a horrifying curse, swoon-worthy sea captains, and the power of one girl to choose her own fate in this contemporary standalone adventure that's perfect for fans of The Fifth Wave and Seafire, and for anyone who has ever felt unchosen. For Charlotte Holloway, the world ended twice. The first was when her childhood crush, Dean, fell in love--with her older sister. The second was when the Crimson, a curse spread through eye contact, turned the majority of humanity into flesh-eating monsters. Neither end of the world changed Charlotte. She's still in the shadows of her siblings. Her popular older sister, Harlow, now commands forces of survivors. And her talented younger sister, Vanessa, is the Chosen One--who, legend has it, can end the curse. When their settlement is raided by those seeking the Chosen One, Charlotte makes a reckless decision to save Vanessa: she takes her place as prisoner. The word spreads across the seven seas--the Chosen One has been found. But when Dean's life is threatened and a resistance looms on the horizon, the lie keeping Charlotte alive begins to unravel. She'll have to break free, forge new bonds, and choose her own destiny if she has any hope of saving her sisters, her love, and maybe even the world. Because sometimes the end is just a new beginning.
By Cyn's Workshop5 years ago in Horror
Book Review: 'Fear' by Roald Dahl
Anyone who knows me knows that I have a deep and genuine love for literature. I've always played around with the idea of writing my own book reviews. I am fully aware that I am not a professionally qualified reviewer, but I love literature and hope this helps me improve my analytical skills as a writer. All the opinions shared in this post are my own opinions and I would love to hear back from you guys if you have a different interpretation of some of the stories.
By Shinissa Kaur5 years ago in Horror
Book Review: "The House of a Hundred Whispers" by Graham Masterton
You have probably heard of the haunted house stories - we have got everything from the book that scared yours truly as a child, "The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James all the way to the subversively chilling "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson. We have all read the stories of children being gone in the night with a kidnapper somewhere far away. But then you take the crux of these two stories and you combine them to get Graham Masterton's "The House of a Hundred Whispers". A chilling and eerie masterpiece filled with descriptions of old, creaking staircases that throw you back into classic horror until you realise that the child that has gone missing never left the house. He went missing inside the house.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Horror
The Umbrella Lady by V.C. Andrews - BOOK REVIEW
A young girl who has lost her father finds herself at the mercy of a mysterious woman who is not quite what she seems. Left on a train platform in an unfamiliar village, little Saffron Faith Anders is certain her father will return shortly, just like he promised. She holds out hope even as the hours pass and the station grows dark. When a strange old woman with a large umbrella approaches and inquiries about her situation, Saffron doesn’t immediately trust the imposing do-gooder, but with the chances of her father returning growing ever slimmer, she agrees to rest at the old woman’s house.
By Ted Ryan5 years ago in Horror
The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall
Where should I start? This book takes you on a wild adventure. From horror, to ghostly, to immaculately written. This book was one of the best books I have ever read, and I grew an emotional attachment to the ghostly character. It takes a lot for me to grow an attachment with any book I read, seeing how I give away my books after I've read them. I don't find that I enjoy rereading any books, but this specific book I could read for the rest of my life and still love it, even if I can guess what's going to happen before it happens.
By Michelle White5 years ago in Horror
Shapeshifting Night Owl
Eeringly hooting, silently gazing, & territorially possessing, Malor is waiting in bone penetrating darkness for his prey. His focus and will are without flexibility in this moment. His readiness of action is still and immaculate. Malor has been waiting to devour his prey with joyable ruthlessness. How could Malor feel any mercy for a man that abused his mother, privately molested him, and cowardly got rid of his dog that his mother and father bought him for his fifth birthday?
By I AM5 years ago in Horror