book reviews
Book reviews for horror fans; weather a sleepless night with literary accounts of hauntings, possessions, zombies, vampires and beyond.
ROSE
ROSE is a fantasy-horror novel by Rami Ungar that tells the story of Rose Taggert, a 21-year old sociology graduate, specializing in criminology who awakens in a greenhouse with no clear memory of the past two years of her life and discovers that her body is in the process of transforming into a human/plant hybrid. Root-like tentacles are emerging from her neck; a crown of rose-buds is growing out of her head and her skin has turned green.
By Eric B. Ruark5 years ago in Horror
Reed's Literary Horror Review of 'Through The Deep Forest' by Russell C. Connor (2021)
Yeah, this is a pretty good dark fantasy. It's not my favorite read coming out of 2020, but then this is my first for 2021 and had its hooks in pretty deep. Already I'm giving this one my ADHD seal of approval. I found it easier to consume than most of the books I read in 2020 which is an impressive feat, in of itself. Seriously, getting me to throw back 100 pages in a single sitting just never happens. Due to my severe ADHD, it can take me a good week to read a whole book, this one I took down in three days.
By Reed Alexander5 years ago in Horror
The Psychology of The Haunting of Hill House
It's rare for a novel to genuinely earn the term “psychological horror.” Haunted house stories, along many others in the horror genre, tend to rely on our more primal responses to make an impression. Vampires, serial killers, and demonic spirits can be used effectively to disturb us, but rarely do creatures like these confront a person's identity, persona, and insecurities so palpably. With Shirley Jackson's novel, however, these are the essential elements at play. Through the delicate language used to express her characters' thoughts and feelings, built up with layers of personal experiences exacerbated by inexplicable forces, we're given a story that turns out the psyches of those characters for us to feel, empathize with, and above all, to share in their terror.
By Sanya Walma5 years ago in Horror
The Worm and His Kings
A friend of mine gave me this book knowing what a fan I am of all things Gothic, Horror and Fantasy. And from the get-go, let me just say that I wasn’t disappointed. Hailey Piper’s novella transcends the LGBTQ niche in which it is usually placed. It is truly a magnificent story.
By Eric B. Ruark5 years ago in Horror
Reed's Literary Horror Review of 'While The Witch Whispered a Prayer' by Alan L. Perkins (2020)
Is Historical Urban Fantasy a thing? That's what this comes down to; a Historical Fiction that is also a Dark Fantasy. While it definitely has a hard horror edge, I wouldn't classify it as horror. It's more of an action-adventure which is why I consider it Dark Fantasy. But GOOD LORD the historical accuracy of this Dark Fantasy is engrossing.
By Reed Alexander5 years ago in Horror
Reed's Literary Horror Review of 'Blood of the Sun' by Lee Murray and Dan Rabarts (2020)
I'm impressed by the way this writer duo created vivid scenes using very subtle descriptions. The best way to captivate your audience is to let the reader construct their own experience between what's described and what's not. Getting too bogged down in the details can be a slog. For readers like me, with severe ADHD, too much detail is sure to stymie the imagination and make the read boring. So, when a writer casually works the details in with the flow of the stories and characters, It makes for better immersion and a far more enjoyable read... for me anyway.
By Reed Alexander5 years ago in Horror
Things I'm Passionate About Part 12
Part 12 of my passionate series of planned writing! 1. Publishing Books One of the angles I’ve tried to experiment with as a side hustle since becoming crippled was creating books. Print on demand stuff through Amazon’s KDP service. It’s fun, it’s free, and anyone can do it. Do some research, make some books, (custom journals, puzzle books, game books, notebooks, logs for different subjects etc.), do some advertising and build a following, and let the passive money roll in through your own promotion and Amazon’s organic traffic ranking. It has worked really well for me so far and I encourage other people to learn about it and try it if you want to have some new ways to monetize your passions or businesses and side hustles. I’ve started a whole publishing company with its own site and everything and have been growing it from there. It’s still a work in progress but you can check it out here: http://nightbladepress.com
By Brent Salmon5 years ago in Horror
Rules for Vanishing - Kate Alice Marshall - Book Review
Plot Summary: Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall is that supernatural road trip with your high school friends that you never had. Students at Sara’s school receive a mass phone text asking them to play Lucy’s game - to go down the legendary road which opens up one night a year and search for the ghost of Lucy Gallows. No one knows if the road even exists or if the journey down the road is safe. Sara is going to go down the road to look for her sister Becca, who everyone says ran away from home, but Sara knows she’s somewhere on the road. Her friends join her on her journey as well - some because they care about Sara and Becca and some because it sounds like a good lark. Will they find Becca and more importantly, will they survive the road?
By Eta George5 years ago in Horror
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires - Book Review
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires is the latest book offering by author Grady Hendrix. It’s Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula a Southern-flavored supernatural thriller set in the ‘90s about a women’s book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious and handsome stranger who turns out to be a blood-sucking fiend.
By Eta George5 years ago in Horror
