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grimdreadful's reviews
206 reviews
Dead Girls Walking by Sami Ellis
3.0
overall I had a good time with this book. This is a YA (cozy)horror slasher that takes place at a summer camp for queer teen girls that are horror obsessed.
I really enjoyed the action/slasher portions of the book, the representation in this book was incredible with BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ characters, and the cover is beautiful. This also had some mixed media with emails, transcripts etc and if you know me, you know I love mixed media in books!!
It did have a bit of a slow start for me and things didn't progress enough for my personal taste until almost half way. I thought the concept of the book was really interesting, I wish some of the teen bickering scenes that just felt a little to long each time were shortened and there was more explanation into Temples family instead. I also felt like this was a little bit of a coming of age for Temple, from who she is at the start of the book to how she ends things.
Read this if you enjoy: YA horror, mixed media, family secrets, slashers, supernatural, creepy woods, isolation, serial killers, summer camp.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Amulet Books for sharing a digital copy. As always, opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed the action/slasher portions of the book, the representation in this book was incredible with BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ characters, and the cover is beautiful. This also had some mixed media with emails, transcripts etc and if you know me, you know I love mixed media in books!!
It did have a bit of a slow start for me and things didn't progress enough for my personal taste until almost half way. I thought the concept of the book was really interesting, I wish some of the teen bickering scenes that just felt a little to long each time were shortened and there was more explanation into Temples family instead. I also felt like this was a little bit of a coming of age for Temple, from who she is at the start of the book to how she ends things.
Read this if you enjoy: YA horror, mixed media, family secrets, slashers, supernatural, creepy woods, isolation, serial killers, summer camp.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Amulet Books for sharing a digital copy. As always, opinions are my own.
Diavola by Jennifer Thorne
4.0
I really enjoyed this book and Jennifer's writing, this being my first by this author I am glad to have her on my radar and I have to check out some of her other books soon.
I thought this was a unique and intresting take on a haunted house. The pace was great, and I loved the ending. I wish the backstory of the villa was explored more though, it was fascinating and creepy and I just wanted more of it. I was not expecting as much wit, sarcasm, and dry humour but it was a fun addition to the story all the while also being angered by this completely unhinged and pretty toxic family dynamics and STILL maintaining the spooky atmosphere.
And how great is the cover? I'm obsessed with it.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group | Tor Nightfire for sharing a digital copy. As always, opinions are my own.
Read this if you enjoy: horror, thrillers, vacation from hell, dysfunctional families, haunted houses, gothic, supernatural, drama, sibling rivalry.
I thought this was a unique and intresting take on a haunted house. The pace was great, and I loved the ending. I wish the backstory of the villa was explored more though, it was fascinating and creepy and I just wanted more of it. I was not expecting as much wit, sarcasm, and dry humour but it was a fun addition to the story all the while also being angered by this completely unhinged and pretty toxic family dynamics and STILL maintaining the spooky atmosphere.
And how great is the cover? I'm obsessed with it.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group | Tor Nightfire for sharing a digital copy. As always, opinions are my own.
Read this if you enjoy: horror, thrillers, vacation from hell, dysfunctional families, haunted houses, gothic, supernatural, drama, sibling rivalry.
A Small Apocalypse by Laura Chow Reeve
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
unfortunately this was a DNF for me.
The writing itself was good, There is no doubt that Laura Chow Reeve is a good writer but I just couldn't get into the stories. I am a plot girlie and I tend to struggle with short stories more often than not because they do not feel complete but I saw this book and the cover and I thought it looked and sounded good so I decided to give it a go. I read the 1st 3 stories and they felt incomplete, I think I might be missing the point/message in them which to me I don't think there is one? Anyway, I put the book down one day and just didn't feel the urge to pick it up again for weeks so I had to call it quits. This is just my personal preference.
many thanks to Netgalley and Northwestern University Press, TriQuarterly for providing a digital copy to read, as always opinions are my own.
The writing itself was good, There is no doubt that Laura Chow Reeve is a good writer but I just couldn't get into the stories. I am a plot girlie and I tend to struggle with short stories more often than not because they do not feel complete but I saw this book and the cover and I thought it looked and sounded good so I decided to give it a go. I read the 1st 3 stories and they felt incomplete, I think I might be missing the point/message in them which to me I don't think there is one? Anyway, I put the book down one day and just didn't feel the urge to pick it up again for weeks so I had to call it quits. This is just my personal preference.
many thanks to Netgalley and Northwestern University Press, TriQuarterly for providing a digital copy to read, as always opinions are my own.
Foe by Iain Reid
5.0
This is the 3rd book I've read by Iain Reid and I gave each one of them 5 stars. He is hands down my favourite author at this point. I wish he had more fiction books released so I can keep reading.
I think FOE is my favourite out of his books. I think it's fair to say that Iain reveals the twists but doesn't spell them out for you and I love that. It leaves you staring at a wall and thinking about everything you've just read.
Ever get an earworm stuck in your head? A catchy song that you can't stop thinking about or singing for weeks? Well, Iain Reids books are basically that, brainworms. You can't stop thinking about them, piecing theories together, reading and rereading to see if you've missed any easter eggs throughout the books.
Read this if you enjoy: psychological thrillers, horror, scifi, dystopia, isolation, books that will blow your mind.
I think FOE is my favourite out of his books. I think it's fair to say that Iain reveals the twists but doesn't spell them out for you and I love that. It leaves you staring at a wall and thinking about everything you've just read.
Ever get an earworm stuck in your head? A catchy song that you can't stop thinking about or singing for weeks? Well, Iain Reids books are basically that, brainworms. You can't stop thinking about them, piecing theories together, reading and rereading to see if you've missed any easter eggs throughout the books.
Read this if you enjoy: psychological thrillers, horror, scifi, dystopia, isolation, books that will blow your mind.
The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
3.5 stars
The story follows 16 year old Odile being vetted for a seat on the conseil, if she gets the position she will decide who can cross the towns borders, on either side is the same valley and the same town. Except to the east the town is 20 years ahead in time and to the west its 20 years behind. The towns repeat endlessly. One Day Odile recognizes 2 visitors she wasn't meant to see, she realizes they are her friend Edmes parents from the future visiting on a mourning tour to view their son while he's still alive. This means Edme is about to die and Odile is faced with difficult decisions. preserve the timeline because she is sworn to secrecy as a conseil candidate or save her friend.
This was such a unique premise, I'm coming to realize that I really enjoy books that play with time. I think this would make for an awesome movie.
I enjoyed part one of the book, in part two I got a little bit of whiplash with a time jump like that and was a little bit confused but after a little bit of reading things fell into place. This is where things began to get more dystopian and where I really got invested in the story. it was though provoking and mysterious.
Overall I enjoyed it and think this is a great debut book. Although I wish it was a little more fast paced at times because a few parts just seemed to drag and felt unnecessarily long which made me pull back from the story. Also, there are no quotation marks within the book, it's not a total deal breaker for me but it did make for difficult reading at times so I wish it included them.
Read this if you enjoy: character driven stories, coming of age, speculative fiction, slow burns, play with timelines/time travel, Canadian authors.
Many thanks to Simon Schuster Canada and Atria Books for sending me a copy to read. As always opinions are my own.
The story follows 16 year old Odile being vetted for a seat on the conseil, if she gets the position she will decide who can cross the towns borders, on either side is the same valley and the same town. Except to the east the town is 20 years ahead in time and to the west its 20 years behind. The towns repeat endlessly. One Day Odile recognizes 2 visitors she wasn't meant to see, she realizes they are her friend Edmes parents from the future visiting on a mourning tour to view their son while he's still alive. This means Edme is about to die and Odile is faced with difficult decisions. preserve the timeline because she is sworn to secrecy as a conseil candidate or save her friend.
This was such a unique premise, I'm coming to realize that I really enjoy books that play with time. I think this would make for an awesome movie.
I enjoyed part one of the book, in part two I got a little bit of whiplash with a time jump like that and was a little bit confused but after a little bit of reading things fell into place. This is where things began to get more dystopian and where I really got invested in the story. it was though provoking and mysterious.
Overall I enjoyed it and think this is a great debut book. Although I wish it was a little more fast paced at times because a few parts just seemed to drag and felt unnecessarily long which made me pull back from the story. Also, there are no quotation marks within the book, it's not a total deal breaker for me but it did make for difficult reading at times so I wish it included them.
Read this if you enjoy: character driven stories, coming of age, speculative fiction, slow burns, play with timelines/time travel, Canadian authors.
Many thanks to Simon Schuster Canada and Atria Books for sending me a copy to read. As always opinions are my own.
Eynhallow by Tim McGregor
5.0
5 stars, but I wish I could give it even more.
Wow, Tim McGregor does it again. This is my 2nd book by him, and I can't wait to read more, I think he's definitely a favourite author for me now.
This is a historical gothic horror with a new twist on a classic story. It started of slow, but the pacing picked up quickly, I think I knew early on that this was going to be a book I love. I really enjoyed the atmosphere, which is bleak and dreary. The writing was phenomenal. It was as if I was there alongside Agnes looking out into the water, experiencing the strong bitter winds, and watching the darkness that looms in her home. Usually, I'm able to guess/predict where a story is going to some degree, but this totally took me by surprise.
And the ending. Oof. McGregor took my heart and squeezed it tight. I had to sit there for a while just thinking about it. Haunting.
Read this if you love: Frankenstein, historical horror, gothic horror, retellings, isolation, remote settings, island settings, and monsters.
Many thanks to Netgalley for sharing a digital copy for me to read and also to Raw Dog Screaming Press for sending me an ARC. As always, opinions are my own π€π»ππ€π»
Wow, Tim McGregor does it again. This is my 2nd book by him, and I can't wait to read more, I think he's definitely a favourite author for me now.
This is a historical gothic horror with a new twist on a classic story. It started of slow, but the pacing picked up quickly, I think I knew early on that this was going to be a book I love. I really enjoyed the atmosphere, which is bleak and dreary. The writing was phenomenal. It was as if I was there alongside Agnes looking out into the water, experiencing the strong bitter winds, and watching the darkness that looms in her home. Usually, I'm able to guess/predict where a story is going to some degree, but this totally took me by surprise.
And the ending. Oof. McGregor took my heart and squeezed it tight. I had to sit there for a while just thinking about it. Haunting.
Read this if you love: Frankenstein, historical horror, gothic horror, retellings, isolation, remote settings, island settings, and monsters.
Many thanks to Netgalley for sharing a digital copy for me to read and also to Raw Dog Screaming Press for sending me an ARC. As always, opinions are my own π€π»ππ€π»
Lies That Bind by April Yates, Rae Knowles
3.0
3 stars - a sapphic, dark, erotic/smut horror.
This is not a sub genre I read often but when I saw Rae Knowles was involved I HAD to read it. Lies That Bind at its core is a very dark romance with hints of the supernatural, that follows two women in a relationship Adele and Lorelei, who run a sham sΓ©ance business and hold some dark secrets from one another. With the sudden arrival of Viola their relationship is tested in more ways than one.
This was an intense read, definitely be sure to check the content warnings before going in. I enjoyed the book for the most part, but as someone who reads primarily horror I wish there was more on Adele and her condition, I loved this part of the story and wish the plot on that went deeper. I also didn't love Chesters character being in the story, him being that young. I don't think his character truly added anything unique or note worthy so he could have been older or just excluded. That's just my personal thought and to just clarify, he wasn't in any inappropriate scenes but going from reading smutty scenes to parts of the story with him just felt a little weird and uncomfortable.
Overall, am I going to go seek out other smut novels now? probably not. Will I read more smut should Rae Knowles release more in the future? most likely. LOL
I also really appreciated that the authors included content warnings in the back for those that may need them.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Brigids Gate Press for providing a digital copy to read, as always opinions are my own.
This is not a sub genre I read often but when I saw Rae Knowles was involved I HAD to read it. Lies That Bind at its core is a very dark romance with hints of the supernatural, that follows two women in a relationship Adele and Lorelei, who run a sham sΓ©ance business and hold some dark secrets from one another. With the sudden arrival of Viola their relationship is tested in more ways than one.
This was an intense read, definitely be sure to check the content warnings before going in. I enjoyed the book for the most part, but as someone who reads primarily horror I wish there was more on Adele and her condition, I loved this part of the story and wish the plot on that went deeper. I also didn't love Chesters character being in the story, him being that young. I don't think his character truly added anything unique or note worthy so he could have been older or just excluded. That's just my personal thought and to just clarify, he wasn't in any inappropriate scenes but going from reading smutty scenes to parts of the story with him just felt a little weird and uncomfortable.
Overall, am I going to go seek out other smut novels now? probably not. Will I read more smut should Rae Knowles release more in the future? most likely. LOL
I also really appreciated that the authors included content warnings in the back for those that may need them.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Brigids Gate Press for providing a digital copy to read, as always opinions are my own.
The Hollow Dead by Darcy Coates
4.5
In The Hollow Dead the story starts off close to where book three ended and centers around Keira, her past, and her forgotten memories and we finally get some answers (yay) I'm not going to give any details but I think this 4th book is my favourite out of all so far, I really enjoy all the characters. Zoe is hilarious, but Harry is my favourite. We definitely need more Harry (fingers crossed for book 5 and that hell have an even bigger part within the group.)
With all the reveals that happened in this book I really like where the story is going, it's unique and has me on the edge of my seat to see where Darcy Coates will take it in the future books. There was one or two things that had me gasp out loud. I need book 5 immediately LOL!
Read this if you enjoy: cozy horror, supernatural, ghosts, mysteries. I'd call it a fun mashup of ghost whisperer and Scooby-Doo (but with a cat named Daisy)
Many thanks to raincoastbooks for sending me a copy to read, as always opinions are my own
With all the reveals that happened in this book I really like where the story is going, it's unique and has me on the edge of my seat to see where Darcy Coates will take it in the future books. There was one or two things that had me gasp out loud. I need book 5 immediately LOL!
Read this if you enjoy: cozy horror, supernatural, ghosts, mysteries. I'd call it a fun mashup of ghost whisperer and Scooby-Doo (but with a cat named Daisy)
Many thanks to raincoastbooks for sending me a copy to read, as always opinions are my own
Hard Girls by J. Robert Lennon
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
DNF @ 20%
""Harry was desperately attracted to her immediately; she had an arboreal air, furtive yet self-assured, like an extremely sexy deer."
sometimes you just read a line or paragraph in a book that gives you the ick, and that was this line for me LOL. this was at 13% in the book so I decided to keep on reading and give it a bit more of a shot but I was just not feeling it.
The description sounded great and the cover was very eye catching but ultimately I wasn't into the writing and didn't begin to care for any of the characters. This wasn't bad, it just wasn't for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and Mulholland books for sharing a digital copy for me to read, as always opinions are my own.
""Harry was desperately attracted to her immediately; she had an arboreal air, furtive yet self-assured, like an extremely sexy deer."
sometimes you just read a line or paragraph in a book that gives you the ick, and that was this line for me LOL. this was at 13% in the book so I decided to keep on reading and give it a bit more of a shot but I was just not feeling it.
The description sounded great and the cover was very eye catching but ultimately I wasn't into the writing and didn't begin to care for any of the characters. This wasn't bad, it just wasn't for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and Mulholland books for sharing a digital copy for me to read, as always opinions are my own.
What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher
4.5
4.5 stars
(For reference, I gave the first book, What Moves The Dead 5βοΈ)
I love this series. So. Much. That shouldn't come as a surprise because Kingfisher is one of my favorite authors!
What Feasts at Night is a "follow up" to What Moves The Dead. However, in my opinion, they can be read as stand alones, even though the books are connected they stories are individual..BUT I do recommend reading both because they are so good.
What Feasts At Night almost hit the 5βοΈ mark for me, but it was missing that ominous vibe that What Moves The Dead delivered but still a really fantastic read. It's more lighthearted, funny and sarcastic which I really enjoyed and it's lighter on the horror. I think this is a fantastic, cozy horror.
I hope that there is more coming in this series (T. Kingfisher, if you're reading this ππ») we need a book 3, 4, and 5, and so on of Alex just going on spooky adventures. π
Many thanks to Netgalley for providing a digital copy to read, and raincoast books for sending me a paperback. as always opinions are my own.
(For reference, I gave the first book, What Moves The Dead 5βοΈ)
I love this series. So. Much. That shouldn't come as a surprise because Kingfisher is one of my favorite authors!
What Feasts at Night is a "follow up" to What Moves The Dead. However, in my opinion, they can be read as stand alones, even though the books are connected they stories are individual..BUT I do recommend reading both because they are so good.
What Feasts At Night almost hit the 5βοΈ mark for me, but it was missing that ominous vibe that What Moves The Dead delivered but still a really fantastic read. It's more lighthearted, funny and sarcastic which I really enjoyed and it's lighter on the horror. I think this is a fantastic, cozy horror.
I hope that there is more coming in this series (T. Kingfisher, if you're reading this ππ») we need a book 3, 4, and 5, and so on of Alex just going on spooky adventures. π
Many thanks to Netgalley for providing a digital copy to read, and raincoast books for sending me a paperback. as always opinions are my own.