dylanhenning's reviews
131 reviews

Sir Henry's Haunted Tales by Brad Acevedo, Amanda Rosenblatt

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

2.5

Disclaimer: I’ve never been to Sir Henry’s Haunted Trail so I have no connection to the characters presented in this story.

Let’s start off with some positives. This book was interesting. It’s inspired by characters created for a haunt in Plant City, Florida. The chapters are really more of a collection of short stories that retell stories from the Bible through a horror lens. While I personally don’t subscribe to any particular religious belief I don’t think the stories within this book come off as overly preachy which I do appreciate.

Now for the negatives. This book reads like a rough draft that was published with little to no editing. There were parts that felt really unnecessary and other parts that felt like they needed more detail and explanation. The dialogue often felt simple and clunky. It didn’t flow the way a normal conversation between people would be and it takes you out of the scene. 

I will say It’s very apparent that the authors have a love and appreciation for the characters created for this haunt. I know they wrote other books in this series and I wouldn’t be opposed to reading them if the authors took some time to get proper editing and maybe let some folks read some drafts and provide feedback to improve the writing and presentation.

Night Shift by Stephen King

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

It’s hard to give a short story collection like this a proper numerical score because in my opinion the quality of these stories vary from dull all the way to fantastic and among King’s best in my opinion.

Stories I think are great include: “Jerusalem’s Lot”, “Night Surf”, “I Am The Doorway”, “Trucks”, “Quitters Inc.”, “Children Of The Corn”, “The Last Rung On The Ladder”, and “One For The Road”. 

Stories I didn’t really care for include “Graveyard Shift”, “The Boogeyman” (the 2023 movie did it better), and “The Woman In The Room”.

The others I think fall in between those two categories. Although shoutout to “The Lawnmower Man” for being truly bizarre and unsettling even by King’s standards.

If you’re looking for a collection of short stories, many of which lean into the horror genre, I think Night Shift will have plenty here to satisfy and entertain you.

Tarkin by James Luceno

4.0

A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller

3.5

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

3.5

For nearly 25 years Britney Spears has been a beloved global pop icon and for 13+ years she has been controlled and silenced by family and an entertainment company that saw her as profits rather than as a person.

This memoir is Britney’s first time speaking out without anyone controlling what she can say or what questions are asked. She controls the narrative. She covers a range of stories and memories from her youth in Louisiana all the way to today with the termination of the conservatorship and how she’s living her life now.

You get a full picture of Britney Spears beyond the tabloid headlines and rumors. In this memoir Britney shared her soul and some of her deepest traumas that have followed her throughout her life. At the end of the book you’re left with a woman who has seemingly found her power, her grace, and her optimism despite the hell she’s been through.

My one critique as a fan of hers is I wish she divulged a bit more information on the early part of her career. Thoughts and ideas when recording albums or creating tours and iconic performances. We get a bit of that here but it all felt like she was just scratching the surface.

Aftermath by Chuck Wendig

4.0

What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton

5.0

Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton

emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

This book chronicles the life of Hillary Rodham Clinton from her youth all the way through the end of her husbands second term as President of the United States and her swearing in to the United States Senate.

Hillary has a way with her words of painting a vivid and incredibly descriptive picture that makes you feel like you are in the room for all the moments in her life and career. It does run a little long at times and she could’ve certainly condensed a few events that didn’t that much extra detail but I only felt that way a couple of times. Certainly not enough to detract from the book.

Reading this book twenty years after it was published is a bit of a weird experience. There’s a lot in Washington that has changed in the last 20-30 years but much of it hasn’t changed at all which is both comforting to know our system is still chugging along but also concerning that we haven’t made enough forward progress.

The Walking Dead, Vol. 3: Safety Behind Bars by Robert Kirkman

dark tense fast-paced

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

3.5

The story really progresses and ramps up in this volume that I was ready and willing to give it 4 stars. Each issue really keeps you invested in what’s going to happen next. What kept this from being a 4 star book for me was that the women in this book are not written well at all. They’re written as annoying or as sexual outlets for the men and in one case a catalyst for a murderous rampage. None of this served as character development for the women in this story and that’s the biggest issue. 

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

dark funny 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

3.5

This book is what would happen if The Office met The Shining. You’ve got a big box retail store with a cast of quirky characters and as the night progresses things get more and more unhinged and graphic.

The bad news here is that the first half of the book is slow. Almost painfully so. Where Stephen King built tension in The Shining with his exceptional skills at character work and world building Grady Hendrix is not quite there. The first half of the book plods along and had a few “fakeouts” that eventually had me wondering if that’s all the book would amount to.

Luckily the last half of the book picks up speed and has some genuinely creepy moments. I won’t spoil the ending but it left me wanting to not only read more from Mr Hendrix, but read more from this world specifically.