connorjdaley's reviews
1152 reviews

Welcome to Cemetery by C.J. Daley

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Finished with my final (probably) proofread and you know what, I enjoyed my own novel! 

It was a pretty intense labor of love, filled with time away, imposter syndrome, loss, and hard work writing other things. 

I hope you’ll give it a shot, and I really hope you enjoy my debut full length, a detective horror. Thank you. 

https://books2read.com/u/b5Kn0l

Slashing Through the Snow by Jacqueline Frost

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

After listening to the first two books in this series, (both with great narration) which were included with audible, and really digging just how much Christmas was included in this ‘mystery’ and having a few other reads that didn’t click for me, yes I went ahead and purchased the third book. It was part of audible’s end of year sale though! 

Book three sees Holly White happily dating the Bostonian sheriff. Her family’s inn has officially opened, and she is working her hardest to balance her jewelry business as well as managing the site. Things in her life are going exceptionally well. Unfortunately, right around Christmas yet again, there’s another murder. And this time, it happened right outside where she works, with a nutcracker that was just gifted to her, and is covered in her best friend Cookie’s fingerprints. 

The novel gives Holly, and the reader, an unbelievable amount of reminders that investigating is NOT her job, but is her boyfriend’s. And how if she would just let him do is job, he wouldn’t have to worry about her not being safe. While again mentioning ‘amateur sleuth’ this is really just a combination of Holly’s incredible nosiness and her desire to prove her friend’s innocence and save her family’s brand new inn. And while she is nosy, it’s worth mentioning that it’s not done in a way that the trait is annoying or negative really. 

This mystery was another intriguing one. The author has offered up even more than she did in the previous book, where each gets a little bit more darkness with its violence. It makes for enjoyable reads as the majority of what’s within is sugary and sweet, and then bam, there’s a fully fledged crime here. And speaking of sugary…once again, I must applaud these people, as there is absolutely no real food in their diets. It’s all mentions of pancakes and muffins, cookies and pies, gumdrops and fudge, hot chocolate and whipped cream. Mistletoe, Maine must be the leading insulin using town in all of fictional America. 

Can’t wait for book four next holiday season. 

Jingle Hel by T. P. Theyson

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Grabbed this for one final Christmas horror. It delivers in an almost urban fantasy way. 

When Ada, Tor’s ex wife, shows up at The Black Bookmark—a novelty and collectible bookshop—with something from an estate sale, Tor has no choice but to dive right in. He begins translating a book, and right away, he can tell that this one is different. It’s retelling the tale of Hel and her battle with the dark elf for the underworld. But it’s anything but just a book, and anything but your typical Jul holiday. 

It’s hard to do much more than summarize this one without spoiling it, but this was a dark and enjoyable little read. I feel like since the inclusion of Hela in Thor: Ragnarok, things that include this mythology give me a real urban fantasy feel? Which isn’t a bad thing, this just came off as a mixture of UF and horror because of it. 

The unleashing, and subsequent retribution, was a take on going after those deemed “guilty” in a way that felt akin to Silent Night, Deadly Night or Krampus. The idea that during the holidays those deemed greedy, those unworthy, have reached the end of your allowance. Have reaped what they’ve sown. And this was a unique and dark way to show that. 

The split between husband and wife was a nice addition, for the addition tension in the beginning of the story, however it was a bit too short to really work itself out, although, maybe there’s more…?

I would suggest checking this one out! It works great as a winter read. 

Hark! the Herald Angels Scream by Christopher Golden

challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

3.5

Grabbed this on Audible’s end of year sale. With a title like that, it had been on my radar for a while. 

A collection of Christmas horrors from some of the leading names in the genre. These were certainly more along the lines of what I was looking for compared to Christmas and Other Horrors, but still had a mix of Christmas and holiday traditions in it, making it somewhat similar. 

As is usually true with me, Josh Malerman’s short was a particular standout. TENETS features a group of college friends meeting up for the holiday, but one friend brings someone with them that has a shaky past. Another standout was THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE CHRISTMAS HOTEL by Joe R. Lansdale. An old hotel, now derelict, but two friends remember the parties of old and one particular guest that stood out—a unique and creepy Christmas hunting. And lastly THE HANGMAN’S BRIDE by Sarah Pinborough was a mix of haunting and the supernatural, which to me still felt somehow A Christmas Carol-y. 

Several of the other stories I personally could have done without, but that seems to be the way I lean on these big anthologies. Still, I’m glad I picked this one up when I did. While again, not exactly what I was looking for, another Christmas read down. 

In the Spirit of Christmas: A Christmas Carol by William Beck

adventurous emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Grabbed this on kindle for another Christmas spirit read. As a big fan of A Christmas Carol, I was curious how this would hold up and be different. 

This novella is a retelling of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The start shows us Scrooge in a more modern world, his work partner, Marley, is a woman, and also his partner in life. And although he was always the more frugal of the two, after her death is when his heart really started to turn to stone. And that stony chill is even frigid towards his daughter and son in law, not even having met his grandson. There was a scene early on between Scrooge and the daughter, where internally, he remarks that he wishes it wasn’t so and shows some kind of remorse. I was a bit worried, as it makes sense because it’s family, however at this point Scrooge was not a remorseful person, but the author does a great job of taking things from there. 

The visit from Scrooge’s late wife was a nice twist, and the change to not only his behavior, but him being stuck in his grief, as reason for her (and his) chains was a well done addition. The three ghost visits that follow take on much of the same format as the original, but the continued tie in to Scrooge’s family life is the real winner here in terms of changes. His behavior has come between his daughter and her husband, as she simply cannot let him go—he’s her father, it’s a simple as that. But if Scrooge continues on the way he’s been, his family will suffer, his grandson will not receive the medical help he needs, and Scrooge will die in obscurity. 

While this is a retelling that pretty closely follows the original, I found the changes enjoyable and enough to read as refreshing. The language used felt close enough to the original, which was a good thing, but I do wish the story featured more of the modernized world. Overall though, I enjoyed this a lot! Great Christmas spirit at the end. 

The Thing in Christmas Town by Iseult Murphy

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Preordered this one, but when I saw there were illustrations, I decided to get a paperback copy too. They were a nice accompaniment!

Diane is dealing with the loss of her husband. And yes, maybe she is not handling it well, but that doesn’t mean she wants her family to force her to celebrate Christmas. Especially not a ridiculously expensive trip to Christmas Town. A town that celebrates Christmas year round—an all-inclusive tourist destination to recapture the childlike glee of old. But when do kids ever listen?

Once they arrive, Diane is forced into Christmas cheer that she is simply not ready for. The tea time, Christmas shopping, Christmas cookies and sweets, a trip to see Santa, it should all be perfect, so why does the entire thing feel genuinely forced? And underneath that twinkle light and tinsel-y veneer, why does everything look so wrong? And why is Diane the only one noticing it?

The mayhem that follows feels like a classic Christmas story smashed together with John Carpenter’s The Thing (and not just because of the name!). Is Christmas Town infecting everyone or is the town itself infested? And while that may have your mind racing to practical effects and prosthetics, this novella also features some truly bloody and evil kills. Nothing is as it seems, even Santa!

While this is a blood pounding story of survival, it was also a well done examination into grief. Not only the loss of a husband, but the impact of an accident and misguided blame. Diane’s struggle keeps her from enjoying life, and the author does a fantastic job of showcasing how that grief and fear impacts each individual in her life. 

A Christmas Journey by Anne Perry

adventurous challenging mysterious tense fast-paced

3.0

This was included with audible until the end of the year, so I grabbed it for a Christmas season read. 

This is a Christmas mystery novella. I have read one story by this author, but both were due to their relation to Christmas honestly. A group of friends are meeting for a long weekend during December. After dinner one night, a very rude comment is made to one of the women about how she’s only interested in the master of the house for his status. Without further thought, everyone goes to bed. However, the following morning, the offended woman is found dead, thrown from the bridge to the icy water below. The hitch here though, is that the bridge was designed so that no one could simply fall. Was she pushed or did she jump? 

It is proposed that the guilty party should possibly be forced into a crusade or exile instead of involving the police. If they achieve the job they accepted, all would be forgiven. It would be as if they had survived their term of exile. Naturally, Lady Vispasia, who has absolutely nothing to lose, agrees to accompany them on this journey as a friend. The journey itself is rather harrowing, as they’re going further north during the month of December, but I found the whole exile thing to be pretty odd. 

After their journey, the novella wraps up into probably one of the most confusing and infuriating endings ever. They have retrieved the mother of the deceased. The letter they brought her from her daughter detailed more of the situation than they realized, perhaps even pointing the finger at someone other than the accused. Then it just ends with—and I can’t stress this enough as the real ending—“Hell, it’s Christmas! The season of forgiving. Let’s party.”

Is it Real? The Loch Ness Monster by Candace Fleming

informative mysterious

4.0

Huge thanks to Scholastic and Scholastic Focus for the physical ARC! So cool to have one of these. 

This is really cool. It’s set up as if you are the investigator, and with the help of your Black Swan Scientific Investigations Handbook you are prepared to research the existence of a prehistoric beast! Comb through the evidence, read through the witness accounts, and try hard not to form an opinion! I can see this being such a huge hit with kids and if their imagination is good, there’ll be no end to the fun they can have. 

For me, the actual scientific research included was my favorite. From the first sighting all the way to the latest in 2024, the author has delivered an opinion free dissection of what’s been seen and recorded. Whether you’re a believer, or want to stick with the science, the information is so interesting that I think both sides can read for enjoyment. 

Is it a prehistoric plesiosaur, that not only survived the last 66 million years undetected, but also survived the fact that the loch was frozen 18,000 years ago? Or is it a new species that has evolved since the loch thawed and perhaps is unrelated? Perhaps a giant eel? Perhaps even something invertebrate that wouldn’t leave huge bones behind to be found? 

And while there is no concrete evidence to push forward as proof, there’s certainly nothing definitively proving it’s not real or possible… and if it’s not, why do people keep spotting it? 

The Walking Dead: Alien by Brian K. Vaughan, Marcos Martin

adventurous challenging tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Found this while browsing Skybound’s Black Friday sale. I didn’t know there were in-universe stories I hadn’t read yet, so I rectified that real quick. This one and the YA Clementine trilogy, which I really look forward to. 

This is a one off story featuring Jeff. Jeff is looking to find himself, do a bit of traveling while he does, and sadly finds himself quarantined inside Barcelona when the zombie apocalypse starts. He’s a good guy, which the reader finds out quickly, as he tries to save a kid from being attacked. He isn’t successful, but luckily he is saved by a Spanish armor wearing woman with a halberd. (That really got my mind racing on some museum robbing zombie stuff). Someone to ally with, and also someone with a plan to get out of Spain. 

This was awesome frankly. Not only is it a canon story, it’s the first time we see something outside of America in the Walking Dead. There a mixed rumors that foreigners both brought the illness in, as well as America having the cure figured out. Readers of the series will know that’s not true, but it was cool to see another part of the world. This seems pretty close to break out as well, as Jeff seems kind of like an amateur still. 

You’ll end up with lots of wondering about what could have been if this one off didn’t end. And what a solid reveal that I did NOT know about. 

I really enjoyed the black and white art mimicking that of the full series, and the splashes of red were just perfect at the end. 

Christmas and Other Horrors: A winter solstice anthology by Ellen Datlow

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense

3.0

Grabbed this for a seasonal read on audible’s cyber Monday sale and dove right in. 

This is an enjoyable anthology that features different holiday creatures, traditions, and locales. From the Christian Christmas, to folkloric creatures and the winter solstice. I particularly enjoyed that each story was finished with a small snippet of the author describing where they came up with the story idea. Which read like little behind the scenes inclusions. 

But with a lot of these large anthologies, I have to wonder if creating them just for a large chunk of them to go to invited authors is the best move. Especially when many of these were just okay. My wonder is if the authors are writing just to be included off the invite, rather than a desire to write the story…which I could be entirely wrong, and enjoyment is subjective. That’s also not to say that I disliked any of them outright, and I appreciated how well rounded it was with its diversity of traditions, but maybe I was just looking for more of a Christmas-centric horror collection, which would be on me! 

Stephen Graham Jones, Josh Malerman, and Gemma Files are a few standouts, with stories that I particularly enjoyed, as well as their reasonings for writing.