Book Review: Clown in a Cornfield

 Rating: 5/5

From Goodreads: Quinn Maybrook just wants to make it until graduation. She might not make it to morning.

Quinn and her father moved to tiny, boring Kettle Springs to find a fresh start. But ever since the Baypen Corn Syrup Factory shut down, Kettle Springs has cracked in half. On one side are the adults, who are desperate to make Kettle Springs great again, and on the other are the kids, who want to have fun, make prank videos, and get out of Kettle Springs as quick as they can.

Kettle Springs is caught in a battle between old and new, tradition and progress. It’s a fight that looks like it will destroy the town. Until Frendo, the Baypen mascot, a creepy clown in a pork-pie hat, goes homicidal and decides that the only way for Kettle Springs to grow back is to cull the rotten crop of kids who live there now.

This review is spoiler free!

So, I have to admit, I basically knew I was going to freaking love this book going in.  I mean, creepy clowns, middle of nowhere town, a group of Youtubing pranksters - essentially the perfect ingredients for a fabulous teen slasher novel.

However, rather than just being a violent, bloody good time (which heck yes this by all accounts still was!), there's also some well plotted political and social commentary throughout.  It gave me Scream vibes in literally the best way possible (which, that comparison alone should tell you how much I loved this because Scream is just the best).  

Like cinematic, fast paced, horror?  Adam Cesare is basically the master at it.  This book was a one sitting read.  I couldn't have put it down if I wanted to.  

This is a smart, self aware slasher that, while in the young adult section of the bookstore, would be a new favorite for grizzled horror readers and teens alike.  Cannot wait for the sequel.  Hurry up August, I freaking mean it.  

~ Charlotte

Book Review: What Moves the Dead

 

Rating: 4.5/5

From Goodreads: From the award-winning author of The Twisted Ones comes a gripping and atmospheric retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's classic "The Fall of the House of Usher."

When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania.

What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.

Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.

When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives a letter from their childhood friend Madeline Usher informing them that she is dying, Alex travels to her home.  However, what they find is a crumbling manor covered in fungus, Madeline in a worse state than previously thought, and many, many strange hares.

I was honestly so pleasantly surprised by this oddly charming yet still horrifying tale.  This book truly falls into the "CottageGore" category - super dark, yet also incredibly atmospheric.  T. Kingfisher created a chilling yet strangely adorable read.  I highly recommend this one!

Oh, and Beatrix Potter's aunt is a character so....

*I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and views in this review are my own.

~ Charlotte

Book Review: Night of the Mannequins

 Rating: 4/5

From Goodreads: Stephen Graham Jones returns with Night of the Mannequins, a contemporary horror story where a teen prank goes very wrong and all hell breaks loose: is there a supernatural cause, a psychopath on the loose, or both?

This Review is Spoiler Free!

I absolutely loved this chilling little novella! For such a small book, it truly packs a punch! Stephen Graham Jones has a phenomenal way with words, and truly is masterful as he unpacks this horrific story of a teenage prank gone wrong.

This is a truly wonderful example of the psychological horror/unreliable narrator genre done right. I cannot recommend this one enough!

~Charlotte

Book Review: Dark Stars

Rating: 3.5/5

From Goodreads: Dark Stars, edited by John F.D. Taff, is a tribute to horror’s longstanding short fiction legacy, featuring 12 terrifying original stories from today's most noteworthy authors, with an introduction by bestselling author Josh Malerman and an afterword by Ramsey Campbell.

Created as an homage to the 1980 classic horror anthology, Dark Forces, edited by Kirby McCauley, this collection contains 12 original novelettes showcasing today’s top horror talent. Dark Stars features all-new stories from award-winning authors and up-and-coming voices like Stephen Graham Jones, Priya Sharma, Usman T. Malik, Caroline Kepnes, and Alma Katsu, with seasoned author John F.D. Taff at the helm. An afterword from original Dark Forces contributor Ramsey Campbell is a poignant finale to this bone-chilling collection.

Within these pages you’ll find tales of dead men walking, an insidious secret summer fling, an island harboring unspeakable power, and a dark hallway that beckons. You’ll encounter terrible monsters—both human and supernatural—and be forever changed. The stories in Dark Stars run the gamut from traditional to modern, from dark fantasy to neo-noir, from explorations of beloved horror tropes to the unknown—possibly unknowable—threats.

It’s all in here because it’s all out there, now, in horror.
 

This Review is Spoiler Free! 

Dark Stars is a wonderful showcase of works from a broad range of some the horror genre's most iconic authors.  This collection is a great survey of several different subgenres, and there truly is a story here for everyone.  That being said, I think the best way to review this collection is to individually address and rate each story.

The Attentionist by Caroline Kepnes

4/5 Stars.  I really enjoyed this look at suburban horror through the lens of a young girl.  Chilling and well done.

A Life in Nightmares, by Ramsey Campbell

2/5 Stars.  This one felt very stream of consciousness to me, not my cup of tea

Papa Eye, by Priya Sharma

3/5 stars.  Really loved the unique setting of this one.  

Volcano, by Livia Llewellyn

3/5 Stars.  The creepy basement of a college dorm was a fun setting to read, however the cosmic horror in this one felt a little bit vague.  I think that was the intention, but not my favorite.

All the Things He Called Memories, by Stephen Graham Jones

4/5 Stars.   I really liked this one!  A husband and wife trapped in their house during Covid find themselves talking about her latest scientific experiment put on hold by the pandemic.  The conversations awaken old demons.

Trinity River's Blues, by Chesya Burke

4/5 Stars.  This one was also really great, and I want to seek out more by this author!

The Familiar's Assistant, by Alma Katsu

4/5 Stars.  This one was super creepy and well done!  Great worldbuilding while still feeling "complete" as a short story.

Swim in the Blood of a Curious Dream, by John F.D. Taff

5/5 Stars.  This one was my favorite!  Which is surprising because I'm absolutely emetephobic.  However this fell into one of my favorite types of horror - expansion upon the already horrific.  

The Sanguintalist, by Gemma Files

2/5 Stars.  This one felt really rushed and more high concept than the short fiction lens allowed for.  While well written, I found myself really wanting more from this one.

Mrs. Addison's Nest, by Josh Malerman

2/5 Stars.  I really thought I'd like this one more, and there was some truly chilling imagery here.  Just, not for me.

Challawa, by Usman T. Malik

4/5 Stars.  While very different from the Taff story, this one also ended up blending in real world horror and expanding upon it.  Lots of great imagery and that ending was amazing.

Enough for Hunger and Enough for Hate, by John Langan

4.5/5 Stars.  This one was super creepy.  Clarice and Hannibal Lecter vibes with Creature Feature elements.  

Overall, Dark Stars was a fun read.  While there are certain stories I really liked and others that just weren't my thing, that always tends to happen with survey anthologies.  Definitely hoping to check out other works by many of these authors as well!

*I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and views in this review are my own.

~ Charlotte

Book Review: Believe Me Not

Rating: 3/5

From Goodreads: What if everyone you love is lying to you?

When Megan wakes up in a hospital bed, her first question is: where's my baby?

But her husband, her sister, and her doctor said he doesn't exist.

Megan's not in a maternity ward, she's in a psychiatric unit.

Convinced that they're lying to her, Megan is determined to find out the truth.

But how can you prove your baby exists when you can't trust your own memories?

An utterly chilling psychological thriller with a heart-stopping twist. You'll love this if you enjoyed THE PERFECT FATHER, THE RECOVERY OF ROSE GOLD, or PLAYING NICE.

This review is spoiler free!

When Megan wakes up in a hospital bed, she realizes she's missing something.  Her baby.  The baby that everyone around her tells her never existed.  As she's treated for psychosis, Megan can't escape the feeling that her husband, sister, and her psychiatrist Dr. Mac, are all keeping something from her.

Believe Me Not was a ton of fun to read.  Fast paced and filled with endless twists and turns, I read this nearly in one sitting and truly enjoyed it.  

I wish there had been a bit more punch to the ending, as the whole thing felt like it was building to the biggest betrayal/reveal of all. However, compared to some of the other twists and reveals throughout, it was a tad lackluster.  

The whole thing felt a lot like a Lifetime movie in the best way with how over the top it got at parts, it was truly a fun thriller!

*I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and views in this review are my own.

Book Review: Dead Silence

 

Rating: 4/5

From Goodreads: Titanic meets The Shining in S.A. Barnes’ Dead Silence, a SF horror novel in which a woman and her crew board a decades-lost luxury cruiser and find the wreckage of a nightmare that hasn't yet ended.

A GHOST SHIP.
A SALVAGE CREW.
UNSPEAKABLE HORRORS.

Claire Kovalik is days away from being unemployed—made obsolete—when her beacon repair crew picks up a strange distress signal. With nothing to lose and no desire to return to Earth, Claire and her team decide to investigate.

What they find at the other end of the signal is a shock: the Aurora, a famous luxury space-liner that vanished on its maiden tour of the solar system more than twenty years ago. A salvage claim like this could set Claire and her crew up for life. But a quick trip through the Aurora reveals something isn’t right.

Whispers in the dark. Flickers of movement. Words scrawled in blood. Claire must fight to hold onto her sanity and find out what really happened on the Aurora, before she and her crew meet the same ghastly fate. 

This review is spoiler free!

When Claire Kovalik and her crew are finishing up their final mission together at the outer corners of charted space, they pick up a strange distress signal.  After investigating it, they realize it's a signal coming from the Aurora luxury space liner, which had been lost in space for over 20 years.  When they head aboard to investigate, they are met with scenes of frozen carnage, and can only guess as to what happened all those years ago and why.  

Dead Silence was a fast paced horror sci-fi novel.  While a standalone, it still created a developed world with an expansive, space opera feel.  As a huge fan of space opera and horror, it was a blast to see the two combined in this book.  S. A. Barnes creates an all too real hellscape of sinister mega corporations (one of my favorite sci-fi tropes!). 

This novel will have you second guessing yourself, and it's fast pacing will have you turning pages to find the answers!  I highly recommend this one!

~ Charlotte

Book Review: Paperbacks from Hell

 

Rating: 5/5

From Goodreads: Written in dead letters... and covered in blood!

Demonic possession! Haunted condominiums! Murderous babies! Man-eating moths! No plot was too ludicrous, no cover art too appalling, no evil too despicable for the Paperbacks From Hell.

Where did they come from? Where did they go? Horror author Grady Hendrix risks his soul and sanity (not to mention yours) to relate the true, untold story of the Paperbacks From Hell.

Shocking story summaries! Incredible cover art! And true tales of writers, artists, and publishers who violated every literary law but one: never be boring. All this awaits, if you dare experience the Paperbacks From Hell.

I'm not usually a big reader of nonfiction, but the fact that I'm an Autistic woman with a special interest in horror made picking this book up a no brainer for me. Add the fact that this isn't just any nonfiction, it's nonfiction by Grady Hendrix, and I was hooked instantly. I read this book in one sitting. Similarly to many of Hendrix's other books, the attention to detail was absolutely delightful. This truly feels like a love letter to the genre as a whole, and every chapter was fascinating.   Covering the history of the pulp horror novel boom itself, as well as describing the historical origins of many of the subgenres readers now are familiar with, Paperbacks from Hell is an essential book for any horror fan. If you are the type of person who finds themselves happy just strolling through vintage bookstores looking at some of the crazy looking older horror books(hi hello it's me) , then do yourself a favor and pick this one up!