drakaina16's reviews
2135 reviews

The Little Coffee Shop of Horrors Anthology by Joseph Carro, Paul Carro

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.25

Thank you to the authors for providing a review copy. 

Coffee is one of my favorite simple pleasures in life, so an anthology inspired by different coffee shops sounded right up my alley. With a variety of stories from the supernatural and demonic to creature features, there should be something here for everyone. 4.25 stars

The Handoff ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Popsicle Kids ⭐⭐⭐.75
Shirts & Skins ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Ankou ⭐⭐⭐.5
Strange ⭐⭐
Kopk Darah ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Salem ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cul-de-Sac ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Outbreak ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Old Bones ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
You Can't Get There From Here ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Candy House ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Hunt by Alexandra Nisneru
Did not finish book. Stopped at 60%.

A story that has been done to death and stilted dialogue

Ushers by Joe Hill

dark mysterious fast-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

5.0

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy. 

To me, the mark of a great short story is: does it leave you wanting more? Would you read a novella or novel length version of this story? In the case of Ushers, the answer is a resounding yes. 5 stars

The Final Winter by Iain Rob Wright

dark mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

3.5

I enjoy a good biblical apocalypse story now and again, and The Final Winter is a really fun one. The premise is a bit formulaic, but Wright takes things in some pretty cool directions and kept it interesting and tense. I will say that I've read enough of the author's books now to know that he tends to stick to character archetypes. I found myself wondering if I'd already read the book because the characters seemed so familiar, but nah. They were just kind of similar to other books of his. The book is a lot of fun, though. 3.5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

SLOE by Marc Ruvolo

dark mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.5

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy. 

I had previously read Pieties by the same author, and while I enjoyed it, this book really gripped me. The first half of the book is interesting, but the last half becomes more and more unhinged, and I loved it. It is part of the Rewind or Die series, so it does have that cult classic movie feel that I love. 4.5 stars

What Protects Our Heritage and Other Aberrations by Villimey Mist

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? It's complicated

4.0

Thank you to BookSirens and Brigids Gate Press for providing a review copy. 

The fantastic cover is what really drew me to this book. When I saw many of the stories are based on Icelandic legends, I was all the way in. The stories not based on myth are excellent as well, with a couple posing questions I had never really thought about. This was my first experience with Villimey Mist, and I am highly impressed. I definitely plan on checking out her other books. 

The Girl with the Hooves ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Survival of the Fittest ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
They Came from the Rocks ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tupperware Party ⭐⭐⭐.5
Hell of a Ride ⭐⭐⭐.75
All-You-Can-Drink Buffet ⭐⭐⭐.5
The Hag’s Gift ⭐⭐⭐
The Yule Lads Are Coming ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Perfect Time ⭐⭐⭐⭐
What Protects Our Heritage: An Icelandic Cryptid Story ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, and Child death

The Despicable Fantasies of Quentin Sergenov by Preston Fassel

dark medium-paced

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

3.0

I Believe in Mister Bones by Max Booth III

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? Yes

4.75

Thank you to BookSirens and Apocalypse Party for providing a review copy. 

What an absolutely wild ride this book is! Max Booth III is very, very good at making outlandish situations  believable. I found the premise to be a very unique one, but I hesitate to say too much because learning about Mister Bones is half the fun. I enjoyed the first half, but the last half had me riveted. 4.75 stars

Session 9: The Official Novelization by Christian Francis

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.25

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy. 

I remember watching Session 9 in the early 2000s. I couldn't remember the exact story, but I remembered the fantastically creepy atmosphere of the abandoned asylum. The book, while written well, doesn't quite manage to capture what made the movie so good. I don't think this is a failing of the writer at all. The story itself without the visuals is kind of lackluster. All in all, a good effort and I enjoyed it enough to give it 3.25 stars

Defeating the Moose by Laura Bilodeau

dark fast-paced

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

2.0

While the book had potential, I found it in bad need of an editor and copy editor. I was not a fan of the ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Drug use