drakaina16's reviews
2089 reviews

Freddie Mercury: An Illustrated Life by Ned Sublette, Alfonso Casas

informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

Breeding Ground by S.C. Mendes

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thank you to NetGalley and Blood Bound Books for providing a review copy. 

This is a quick, nasty novella that can be read in a single sitting. If you enjoy the body horror of David Cronenberg, this will be right up your alley. S.C. Mendes continues to impress me. 4 stars

The Haunting Of Chavez Ravine by Debra Castaneda

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

The Haunting of Chavez Ravine is a short read with a lot of story packed into it. I would have happily read a longer version of the story. I find La Llorona fascinating, and I think Castaneda's take on the legend is really interesting. She also did a great job of making me care for the characters in the short time we spent together. 4.25 stars

All Through the House by Joshua Millican

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Thank you to BookSirens and Encyclopocalypse Publications for providing a review copy. 

'Tis the season, and what better way to get in the holiday spirit than reading another awesome novelization by Joshua Millican? I will admit to never having seen the movie, but Millican is an auto-read for me and I absolutely enjoyed it despite that. I'm definitely going to check the movie out now as well. If you're in the mood for a Santa slasher, this is the one. 4.5 stars

Candy Dish by Matthew Lutton

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This collection was my introduction to Matthew Lutton - color me impressed. I absolutely understand why it made it into the finals of the Books of Horror Short Smack. This is a well-rounded collection and I greatly enjoyed every story. 4.5 stars

Be Careful Out There ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Can't Complain ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Small Town ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Gemini's Loveline ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
You Have Been Served ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
We the Clay ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
It's Just an S ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Mind Yours ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Don't Take Down Your Fence ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Caduceus ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tales from the Lake Vol. 2 by Ramsey Campbell, Richard Chizmar, Jonathan Winn, Lisa Morton, Emma Audsley, R.J. Cavender, Jack Ketchum, Rena Mason, Aaron Dries, John Whalen, Jan Edwards, Jim Goforth, Tim Lebbon, Glen Johnson, Rocky Alexander, Raven Dane, Edward Lee, Vincenzo Bilof, Hal Bodner, Ben Eads

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This anthology is really good. There's no overarching theme, just really good literary horror stories. While not completely without gore, I found myself most drawn to the quieter stories in the collection. There's also one of the most unique vampire stories I've ever read. 4 stars

Lago de Los Perdidos by Jim Goforth ⭐⭐⭐.25
Out of the Woods by Ramsey Campbell ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Winter's Dollhouse by Rena Mason ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75
The God of Rain by Tim Lebbon ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
A Grand Perversion by Ben Eads ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bone Wary by Jan Edwards ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Photograph of You by Mark West ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
St. Thomas of El Paso by Lisa Morton ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Forever Dark by Jonathan Wynn ⭐⭐⭐
Ripperscape by Vincenzo Bilof ⭐⭐⭐.25
Descending by John Whalen ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Virtuoso by Hal Bodner ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Chalk Face by Raven Dane ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Like Disneyland by Rocky Alexander ⭐⭐⭐
Prime Cuts by Glen Johnson ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Lake is Life by Richard Chizmar ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75
Damned if You Do by Jack Ketchum ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The First Header by Edward Lee ⭐⭐.5
Love Amongst the Redback Spiders by Aaron Dries ⭐⭐⭐.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Blood of My Pen: A Collection of Dark Poetry Volume 1 by Amanda Ruzsa

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 

Poetry is a deeply, deeply personal endeavor. There are pieces here that I definitely related to. High school age/young adult me would have resonated deeply with many of the poems here. 42 year old crotchety me enjoyed them less so, but definitely remembers being that woman. 3 stars

Video Nasties by Duncan Ralston

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

All in all, I had a lot of fun with Video Nasties. Other than the titular story, my favorite story was Mental. I would easily read a book expanding on the ideas in this story. There were a couple of stories I didn't care for, but the same could be said of any given collection. 4.25 stars

Cuttings ⭐⭐.5
Chompers ⭐⭐⭐.5
Mental ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
How to Kill a Celebrity ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75
Dead Men Walking ⭐⭐⭐.75
The Eye at the Door ⭐⭐
Bus Driver Man ⭐⭐⭐.25
In the Shadow of the Masters ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
My Protector ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Sanctuary ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Do Not Shake or Rattle ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Stray ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
He is Risen ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Squirm ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sharp ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Video Nasties ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Rape

Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories by Thomas Anguti Johnston, Cara Bryant, Gayle Kabloona, Ann R. Loverock, K.C. Carthew, Repo Kempt, Jay Bulckaert, Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley, Aviaq Johnston, Richard Van Camp, Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

What a cool anthology! I always love collections in which I can learn about other cultures - not only in day-to-day life, but in legends and folklore. The stories run the gamut from zombies and cryptids, to the supernatural and human monsters. 4.25 stars

Iqsinaqtutalik Piqtuq: The Haunted Blizzard by Aviaq Johnston ⭐⭐⭐.5
The Door by Ann R. Loverock ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wheetago War II: Summoners by Richard Van Camp ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Revenge by Thomas Anguti Johnston ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lounge by Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley & Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley ⭐⭐⭐
Utiqtuq by Gayle Kabloona ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
Sila by K.C. Carthew ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
The Wildest Game by Jay Bulckaert ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Strays by Repo Kempt ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Chopping Mall: The Novelization by Joshua Millican

dark funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Thank you to BookSirens and Encyclopocalypse Publications for providing a review copy. 

I love this new version of Chopping Mall by Joshua Millican! Millican's movie novelizations are so, so good. He always manages to capture the spirit of the original movie, and definitely succeeds in doing so again with Chopping Mall. It's one of my favorite crappy little movies, and the novelization did it so much justice. 5 stars