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chukg's review
3.0
Not bad, neat setting that seems like a regular modern day police thriller but then someone has to call in an expert on actual demons and magic. A lot of cliched characters and writing but definitely some tense action and horror scenes and good descriptive writing. Might be better to read on a hot day.
acknud's review
4.0
A little wordy at times but overall a good quick read.
Opening doorways to other worlds and summoning Gods can be a little dicey and can leave you "cold". I'll never look at a snowstorm the same way, esp if it occurs outside of winter!
Opening doorways to other worlds and summoning Gods can be a little dicey and can leave you "cold". I'll never look at a snowstorm the same way, esp if it occurs outside of winter!
ania_star's review against another edition
5.0
Last year I've read quite a few short stories and started to appreciate them. It's not just long stories made short (as I believed before...), it's a different kind of storytelling altogether and I'm all for it. :)
What is very unique about Chill and Creeps is that I loved each and every story. They are all very different and very unique. But they have one thing in common- excellent writing. It's very different from what I'm usually reading. It's very simplistic and elegant. The scariness isn't obvious from the start, instead, the story slowly builds it, until you are sitting on your chair, totally petrified at what you just read, too afraid to move.:) I got a bit of Stephen King/ X - files vibe, not in the stories itself, but the way they were told and I'm all for it. :)
received from Author
What is very unique about Chill and Creeps is that I loved each and every story. They are all very different and very unique. But they have one thing in common- excellent writing. It's very different from what I'm usually reading. It's very simplistic and elegant. The scariness isn't obvious from the start, instead, the story slowly builds it, until you are sitting on your chair, totally petrified at what you just read, too afraid to move.:) I got a bit of Stephen King/ X - files vibe, not in the stories itself, but the way they were told and I'm all for it. :)
received from Author
wellwortharead's review
3.0
A storm is coming, and there is an unimaginable evil in it. This is no ordinary storm, and starting with the discovery of a ritualistic murder victim we are given just a taste of what's ahead. Jack Glazier had worked homicide for 9 years, but he had never seen anything like this. Kathy Ryan is brought in on the investigation, Kathy is an expert on ritual and occult type murders and bears the scar of her first brush with the Hand of the Black Stars cult.....and then the snow starts.. and people are unprepared for what it brings.
This book started off so strong, and I loved Kathy Ryan and her back story. Other than Kathy I just didn't have a lot of interest in the other main characters, though I did like quite a few of the expendable characters brought in for the sake of doing away with them in truly chilling ways. After a very strong start it seemed to just lag a bit in the middle, though the action did pick up again towards the end. All in all well worth a read.
I received an advance copy for review
This book started off so strong, and I loved Kathy Ryan and her back story. Other than Kathy I just didn't have a lot of interest in the other main characters, though I did like quite a few of the expendable characters brought in for the sake of doing away with them in truly chilling ways. After a very strong start it seemed to just lag a bit in the middle, though the action did pick up again towards the end. All in all well worth a read.
I received an advance copy for review
bluekaren's review
3.0
I was riveted when I started reading this book. Not only were the characters dealing with some terrifying things, but they are in small town Colby, Connecticut. It was not hard for me to imagine a town like Colby in Connecticut. Small towns abound in this state where snow storms are common and the people are self sufficient.
This story starts with a ritualistic murder. Kathy, occult expert is brought in to help with case. In the meantime it is May and snow is falling at an alarming rate. The town is used to snow, but not this late in the season. When other bodies with similar markings are discovered the cops know that they are dealing with something they can’t handle. Cut off from the rest of the world due to the storm, monsters start to make their presence known in this small town. Now it is up to Kathy and the cops in this small town to figure out how to stop the evil that has been unleashed.
This story starts off at a breakneck pace and doesn’t let up. I have to admit I was surprised to see the author lead us right there to face off with terrifying creatures at a time when most stories are still laying out the back story.I loved the horror of the snow storm. This isn’t just a bit of snow, it is snowing sideways and freezing roads faster then anyone can clear them. It is scary in itself to be stuck somewhere during a storm, having creatures out there eating people takes this fear to a whole new level.
I loved the paranormal aspect to this story. Imagine devil worshipers that are actually able to conjure up demons that bite and kill. Scary! The creatures aren’t too well defined, but I found their descriptions enough for my imagination to fill in the blanks. My imagination, paired with the details supplied by the author, is terrifying! The creatures don’t care who they kill as long as they are dead.
I loved a lot about this story, but that’s not to say that this writing style isn’t without faults. I found it a bit difficult to get invested in the characters. Kathy is well described but her actions don’t really go with her experience, or so I thought. The other main character, Jack, was a bit one-dimensional. Teagan, (the love interest), would have been a nice touch, but the author doesn’t give us any information about him. That’s frustrating. All of the characters were a bit cliché, but for a horror it worked. I did like how well played the ending wrapped was. All in all I would recommend this to horror fans only. As a horror story it does it’s job.
laurasmash's review
1.0
Going by Goodreads' rating scale, I just didn't like this book, which is why it's a 1-star for me. I actually forced my way through this and hooooo boy. It was tough. I was procrastinating the heck out of it. It's a really short read, and yet it took me 12 days to finish it because I really wanted to do anything else than read this.
I felt at times that maybe I was nit-picking too much, but that was because I was getting so frustrated with the story telling, plot, characters, and everything. So why did I keep reading? Because I'm trying to follow through with things I start, starting with books.
The first thing that really bugged me were the names of the characters. We have Jack Glazier (and c'mon, I know Glazier is a legit surname for glass-makers, but it's too close to "glacier" and this is a book about snow), he also has a son Jack. There's also Kathy, Katie, Carly, Charlene, and Sherry. Oh and Morris, Moreno, and a Murphy. Let's not forget Julianne and Jillian. Some of these people are just bit characters, but seriously? The names are too close.
You know how you're watching a made-for-tv movie, or a bad tv show and they're like, let's research this super obscure topic, and there just happens to be an expert on that super obscure topic in town? Yep, that happens. You know how they're trying to find something in a book and they just happen to find it right away, magically, while talking to another character? Yep, that happens too. Oh yeah, and let's not forget about the odds that the only language that even comes close to the language of the old gods just happens to be Irish Gaelic, and of course there's a character that just happens to speak it fluently because he's a random Irish ex-pat that decided to be a cop in Connecticut. Oh and he's supposedly familiar with pubs in Cork, and an IRA sympathizer and yet calls himself a Brit. Uh, what?? I don't know if you know about the IRA, but they're the Irish Republican Army that, y'know, fought against the Brits. And that's simplifying things, so you know an Irishman from around South Ireland is most definitely not calling himself a Brit. Is that too nit-picky?
Let's also not forget that Jack gets his happy ending becausehe can't stand his ex-wife, and she of course gets eaten by the tentacled old god coming through the crack in the earth .
The writing was awkward. The characters were awkward. The only one that seemed like SanGiovanni even cared about was Kathy Ryan.
Some reviewers have likened this to a SyFy TV movie, and yep, that's how it feels, the problem is, those movies only take away two hours of my time, but this took way more than that (I'm not the fastest reader, especially when I'm not interested). The whole book just left me rolling my eyes and counting down the pages until the end.
I felt at times that maybe I was nit-picking too much, but that was because I was getting so frustrated with the story telling, plot, characters, and everything. So why did I keep reading? Because I'm trying to follow through with things I start, starting with books.
The first thing that really bugged me were the names of the characters. We have Jack Glazier (and c'mon, I know Glazier is a legit surname for glass-makers, but it's too close to "glacier" and this is a book about snow), he also has a son Jack. There's also Kathy, Katie, Carly, Charlene, and Sherry. Oh and Morris, Moreno, and a Murphy. Let's not forget Julianne and Jillian. Some of these people are just bit characters, but seriously? The names are too close.
You know how you're watching a made-for-tv movie, or a bad tv show and they're like, let's research this super obscure topic, and there just happens to be an expert on that super obscure topic in town? Yep, that happens. You know how they're trying to find something in a book and they just happen to find it right away, magically, while talking to another character? Yep, that happens too. Oh yeah, and let's not forget about the odds that the only language that even comes close to the language of the old gods just happens to be Irish Gaelic, and of course there's a character that just happens to speak it fluently because he's a random Irish ex-pat that decided to be a cop in Connecticut. Oh and he's supposedly familiar with pubs in Cork, and an IRA sympathizer and yet calls himself a Brit. Uh, what?? I don't know if you know about the IRA, but they're the Irish Republican Army that, y'know, fought against the Brits. And that's simplifying things, so you know an Irishman from around South Ireland is most definitely not calling himself a Brit. Is that too nit-picky?
Let's also not forget that Jack gets his happy ending because
The writing was awkward. The characters were awkward. The only one that seemed like SanGiovanni even cared about was Kathy Ryan.
Some reviewers have likened this to a SyFy TV movie, and yep, that's how it feels, the problem is, those movies only take away two hours of my time, but this took way more than that (I'm not the fastest reader, especially when I'm not interested). The whole book just left me rolling my eyes and counting down the pages until the end.
ericarobyn's review against another edition
5.0
If you haven’t read any of Nick Clausen’s work yet, you gotta check this one out! Chills & Creeps Vol 1 contains eight amazingly horrific tales. Each is so unique and they will totally suck you in.
While labeled as YA, these tales will really spook you and they will definitely get under your skin!
Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my review in any way.
Each story in this collection was amazing. I was totally immersed in each and couldn’t stop reading them until I had hit the end of the tale. I also loved that the author added a little authors note to the end of each story to share where the idea from the story came.
Here are my quick reviews for each tale in the collection:
Under the Skin – 5/5
Eek! I wanted to scream at this kid to get out of there! Follow your gut instincts, kids! Phew, what a terrifying story with such a gross and creepy premise! And such a great ending!! I will forever think of this tale when someone compliments my skin, and boy am I glad I have tattoos and scars!
I loved the authors note on this one that came with a recommendation for other reading.
Snapper the Fish – 4/5
Oh my goodness! What a terrifying creature! Right from the start, you knew something bad was going to happen. After all, how many tales of dads throwing their money at someone to appease their child actually have happy endings? This ending was brutal!
Deadly Dreams – 5/5
Oh my gosh!! Getting sucked into a video game is always such a terrifying premise. This story is centered upon the curiosity we all have when someone tells us not to do something. I loved that the two boys in this story worked together, but the poor kid that was just trying to help his friend…
All birds hate me – 5/5
Holy! I watched The Birds for the first time when I was far too young… and this one certainly makes me think of that movie! Being bombarded by birds is such a terrifying thought! This one really spooked me! I’m very happy that this isn’t an actual condition!
Ghost Tennis – 4/5
Woah! Talk about a major red flag at the beginning! I both loved and hated this main character. But phew, what a crazy situation! And yet again, that ending!! I’m so glad I don’t live near a tennis court!
Drip-Drip-Drip – 5/5
Oh my gosh! This is definitely a nightmare!! The plot of this one is such a crazy thought, but one I’ve actually also had before. This one made me super anxious! The suspense was great, but I definitely felt claustrophobic quite a bit while reading this one!
When I Snap My Fingers… – 5/5
Woah! Horrifying. I equally love and hate this one because of how dark this got! Phew. Hypnosis freaks me out so much. And what a crazy thought to mix it with a seance-like session, to call forth a past life.
Lights Out – 5/5
Woah! Having a super power of turning lights on and off? What an awesome idea! But of course, with great power… comes great responsibility. This kid certainly learned a lesson.
My Final Thoughts
This collection was so much fun to read! I loved each of the stories so much. The two that I gave 4/5 were simply ones with slightly unlikable characters, which aren’t my personal favorites.
Each and every story was creepy and dark! I highly recommend this collection if you’re looking for a handful of short stories that you can really get lost in. But make sure that you’re prepared to be spooked!
While labeled as YA, these tales will really spook you and they will definitely get under your skin!
Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my review in any way.
Each story in this collection was amazing. I was totally immersed in each and couldn’t stop reading them until I had hit the end of the tale. I also loved that the author added a little authors note to the end of each story to share where the idea from the story came.
Here are my quick reviews for each tale in the collection:
Under the Skin – 5/5
Eek! I wanted to scream at this kid to get out of there! Follow your gut instincts, kids! Phew, what a terrifying story with such a gross and creepy premise! And such a great ending!! I will forever think of this tale when someone compliments my skin, and boy am I glad I have tattoos and scars!
I loved the authors note on this one that came with a recommendation for other reading.
Snapper the Fish – 4/5
Oh my goodness! What a terrifying creature! Right from the start, you knew something bad was going to happen. After all, how many tales of dads throwing their money at someone to appease their child actually have happy endings? This ending was brutal!
Deadly Dreams – 5/5
Oh my gosh!! Getting sucked into a video game is always such a terrifying premise. This story is centered upon the curiosity we all have when someone tells us not to do something. I loved that the two boys in this story worked together, but the poor kid that was just trying to help his friend…
All birds hate me – 5/5
Holy! I watched The Birds for the first time when I was far too young… and this one certainly makes me think of that movie! Being bombarded by birds is such a terrifying thought! This one really spooked me! I’m very happy that this isn’t an actual condition!
Ghost Tennis – 4/5
Woah! Talk about a major red flag at the beginning! I both loved and hated this main character. But phew, what a crazy situation! And yet again, that ending!! I’m so glad I don’t live near a tennis court!
Drip-Drip-Drip – 5/5
Oh my gosh! This is definitely a nightmare!! The plot of this one is such a crazy thought, but one I’ve actually also had before. This one made me super anxious! The suspense was great, but I definitely felt claustrophobic quite a bit while reading this one!
When I Snap My Fingers… – 5/5
Woah! Horrifying. I equally love and hate this one because of how dark this got! Phew. Hypnosis freaks me out so much. And what a crazy thought to mix it with a seance-like session, to call forth a past life.
Lights Out – 5/5
Woah! Having a super power of turning lights on and off? What an awesome idea! But of course, with great power… comes great responsibility. This kid certainly learned a lesson.
My Final Thoughts
This collection was so much fun to read! I loved each of the stories so much. The two that I gave 4/5 were simply ones with slightly unlikable characters, which aren’t my personal favorites.
Each and every story was creepy and dark! I highly recommend this collection if you’re looking for a handful of short stories that you can really get lost in. But make sure that you’re prepared to be spooked!
lilyn_g's review against another edition
3.0
I received a copy of this book from the author as part of Rosie's Book Review Team for review consideration.
This is a tough collection to review. Some of the ideas were really fun, but the writing in present tense only worked well once for me. I also felt like the author may not be a native English speaker (I believe his bio says he's from Denmark) and this caused some awkwardness with the wording that kept me from getting as engaged as I could have in some of the stories.
Under the Skin - The story was okay, with a nod to a well-known horror movie that made me grin.3*
Snapper the Fish -The main character was a ridiculous little snot. Glad she got what was coming to her, though. 3*
Deadly Dreams - Interesting idea. Reality and fiction blending together is always fun. 3*
All Birds Hate Me - This one was just not very good. The idea was fun but the execution was very poor. 2*
Ghost Tennis - This one was pretty good. The end with the tennis ball was a good mental image if you've seen the film Jawbreaker 3*
Drip-Drip-Drop - Probably the best one of the lot so far. Drowning is a fear I think almost everyone can connect with and the present tense worked better here than it has in the other stories.4*
When I Snap My Fingers - This was okay. Pretty run of the mill, but the author obviously enjoyed himself. 3*
Lights Out - Well, the idea is a fascinating one, and it would be very scary, but the writing itself is almost painful. 2*
Overall, there's definitely potential, but I feel like the stories need another round of editing. The writing is just too simple and comes off very stilted. I believe the stories are written for 8-13 years of age but read like they're written more for 6-8 (with the exception of a few f-bombs here and there that always took me by surprise.)
This is a tough collection to review. Some of the ideas were really fun, but the writing in present tense only worked well once for me. I also felt like the author may not be a native English speaker (I believe his bio says he's from Denmark) and this caused some awkwardness with the wording that kept me from getting as engaged as I could have in some of the stories.
Under the Skin - The story was okay, with a nod to a well-known horror movie that made me grin.3*
Snapper the Fish -The main character was a ridiculous little snot. Glad she got what was coming to her, though. 3*
Deadly Dreams - Interesting idea. Reality and fiction blending together is always fun. 3*
All Birds Hate Me - This one was just not very good. The idea was fun but the execution was very poor. 2*
Ghost Tennis - This one was pretty good. The end with the tennis ball was a good mental image if you've seen the film Jawbreaker 3*
Drip-Drip-Drop - Probably the best one of the lot so far. Drowning is a fear I think almost everyone can connect with and the present tense worked better here than it has in the other stories.4*
When I Snap My Fingers - This was okay. Pretty run of the mill, but the author obviously enjoyed himself. 3*
Lights Out - Well, the idea is a fascinating one, and it would be very scary, but the writing itself is almost painful. 2*
Overall, there's definitely potential, but I feel like the stories need another round of editing. The writing is just too simple and comes off very stilted. I believe the stories are written for 8-13 years of age but read like they're written more for 6-8 (with the exception of a few f-bombs here and there that always took me by surprise.)
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