Skinwrapper Review

Skinwrapper by Stephen Kozeniewski

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Skinwrapper, the latest from Stephen Kozeniewski, is a short novella serving as a prequel to his novel Hematophages. What first struck my interest in this book was the awesome cover. I haven’t read Hematophages yet, but after finishing Skinwrapper, it’s certainly coming off my shelf and onto my TBR pile.

Skinwrapper follows a young girl as she makes her way through the spaceship she lives on. Due to certain events, she may be the only person left aboard.

This book is fast-paced, tense, and atmospheric. The main character is slowly making her way through the ship, trying to avoid the Skinwrappers at all costs. It reads like a game of hide and seek, where the cost of losing is your life. It’s hard to say much about the book without giving it away, due to the length. What I can say is that I really dig the Sci-fi and horror blend, though short in length, Kozeniewski does an excellent job of using the pages to create a constant sense of tension and danger. No need to worry if you aren’t a fan of sci-fi, this book is an excellent fit for anyone looking for a gripping read.

4/5

The Fearing Book 4

The Fearing: Earth and Ember by John F.D. Taff

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The last piece of the epic serial Novel, The Fearing, has arrived. Does John F.D. Taff stick the landing? All you had to do was read book one to know that Taff was going to nail this.

With each of the first 3 installments, I’ve praised how well written The Fearing is. Book 4 is no different, and why would it be? Taff’s prose is excellent. Book 4 begins right where book 3 leaves off. Our heroes must deal with Tim Jacoby, a crazy who fancies himself the only man capable of saving humanity from the encroaching darkness, while making their way to the final showdown with Adam.

Book Four: Earth and Ember answers the final questions readers had. We had suspected a connection between Monday and Adam, but here we learn the truth behind these two. I’ve got to say, I had legitimately no clue about what the reveal for Monday would be. I knew there had to be something, and maybe readers smarter than me figured it out, but I was clueless. Taff puts his characters through the ringer once again. We spend a good portion of the book dealing with Tim Jacoby and the trouble he brings before finally making our way to THE END. As with any novel, it’s always possible that the conclusion could muck things up and end in an unsatisfying way; I’m happy to say that after months of following this serialization, Taff wraps things up perfectly.

Book 4: Earth and Ember is a fitting conclusion to John F.D Taff’s apocalyptic The Fearing. It picks up right where book 3 leaves off, racing to the finish without stopping for a breather. I can’t think of a better way to cap off this truly epic journey.

The Reddening Review

The Reddening by Adam Nevill

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Reddening served as my introduction to the work of Adam Nevill. That being said, I hadn’t even finished the book before buying 3 more of his novels, it’s that good.

An ancient cave network dating back to prehistoric times is discovered. Within the network of caves, evidence of cannibalism and barbaric sacrifices occurring throughout history are uncovered. While covering the dig site for a local magazine, Kat meets up with a woman named Helene who has not come to grips with her brother’s suicide. Cave recordings taken by Helene's brother draw her to one of the last places he visited before killing himself. What is discovered turns out to be deeper and more horrible than anyone imagined.

The Reddening is a wonderfully written horror novel. Nevill does an immaculate job of describing the environments within these pages. It was easy for me to close my eyes and envision the cliffs, the paths, the caves of a country that I’ve never been to. The descriptions do a wonderful job of setting the atmosphere and tone while Nevill keeps the tension high for the duration of the book. Barbaric rituals and brutal violence live within these pages, as those who serve the red will go to great lengths to do so. There are enough twists in here to keep the reader intrigued, and the conclusion of the book was well done.

As I mentioned before, The Reddening is the type of book that compels you to buy more from the author. I suspect this is a feeling Nevill fans are already familiar with, and for those who aren’t, prepare to read your new favorite author.

5/5

Ghoster Review

Ghoster by Jason Arnopp

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Just in time for Halloween, Jason Arnold blesses us with his latest supernatural thriller, Ghoster.

Kate Collins is an addict. Looking to fill a void in her, Kate becomes obsessed with social media and her phone. Twitter, Facebook, dating apps. It isn’t until a horrible accident that Kate realizes she has an issue. Fast forward through time, and Kate moves into her boyfriends apartment only to find that the entire flat is cleared out, nothing remaining but his smartphone. Kate clings to the phone like an addict looking for a fix and it’s not long until the dead show up.

I had a blast reading Ghoster. This is my first book by Jason Arnopp, and I was pleasantly surprised by what I read. I absolutely loved how the book deals with societies addiction to technology and social media. Kate Collins was a great character. She is a woman who has issues and knows it. Her self knowledge leads to a lot of funny dialogue within the book, and make for an interesting narrative. I really enjoyed the supernatural aspect of this book, and don’t want to give too much away about it, but I will say that it is another perfect piece of the puzzle that Arnopp has woven into this tale. Where is Kate’s boyfriend? Who are these odd calls coming from? Why are gouges being taken out of the door frame from within the house? These questions and more kept the pages turning. This is a book that i picked up and the next thing I know, a few hundred pages were gone. The ending of the book wasn’t what I expected, I genuinely had no idea what was going on, and for that I loved it even more.

Ghoster is a supernatural thriller for the social media obsessed society we find ourselves in today. It’s a funny, intriguing read filled with spookiness, sarcasm, an an ability to make you question your own technological addictions.

5/5

The Fearing Book 3

The Fearing: Air and Dust by John F.D. Taff

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Book 3 of The Epic Serial Novel by John F.D. Taff is here, and it should not come as a surprise that it’s another excellent piece of work.

If you’re reading this review, I can only assume that you’ve read the first two books, or maybe you’ve been reading each review to see if the whole thing comes together. Book 3 continues our journey through the fear ridden apocalypse. One might think that having the bigger fears out of the way, the smaller fears might be more manageable. One would be sadly mistaken, as Taff shows us these individual fears can do some really damage. With WMD attacks and natural disasters out of the way, the road ahead is paved with the blood shed by ferocious creatures, beasts, and crazies. In addition to this, Taff takes his time to maneuver the key players towards what seems like will be an epic final showdown. If you’ve read the previous two books, the third is written just as wonderfully, Taff has a way with words that keeps the pages flowing.

With book 3, Taff keeps the fear level ratcheted up to high, while simultaneously setting up for a finale that promises to be epic. Please give me book 4 yesterday.

5/5

A place for sinners review

A Place For Sinners by Aaron Dries

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


With A Place for Sinners, Aaron Dries has crafted an exceptionally well written novel that defies being placed into a horror sub-genre. There are a lot of elements of horror on display here, and instead of becoming a dumpster fire, Dries manages to craft a masterpiece.

A Place for Sinners follows Amity and Caleb, two siblings who decide to break the chains holding them back in their Australian hometown. What better way to to do this than go to Thailand. An awesome adventure turns into the vacation from hell. The writing in this book is phenomenal. Dries has written a book that is equal parts beautiful, atmospheric, brutal, and disgusting. This book starts of simple enough, but the further in the book you go, the more complex it gets. Dries writes with a voice that weaves together all of these elements to the story, different sub-genres within horror, and multiple plot threads in such an immaculate fashion that he makes it look easy, yet a lesser writer could have easily botched this. There are plenty of gross out moments here, more gore than you could ask for, and savagely violent scenes that will leave your jaw hanging. After reading this novel, I’m not sure that I want to travel to other countries ever again.

Another slam-dunk for Dries are the characters. All of the characters in this book are well developed. They have layers upon layers of depth and feel like real people, whether you love them or hate them. The characters here have real flaws and deal with emotions the way you’d expect people to. Susan Sycamore may be one of the most terrifying characters I’ve read in a long time.

What Aaron Dries has done with A Place for Sinners is written a masterpiece. This book has some of the best written prose I’ve ever seen in the genre. There are times when the story gets complex, and instead of losing the story Dries weaves an intricate tapestry of horror excellence. A Place for Sinners has made Dries a must buy author for me.

5/5 Stars

Zero Lives Remaining Review

Zero Lives Remaining: A Haunted Arcade Story by Adam Cesare

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As a kid, I have memories of a place called DG’s arcade. I was born in the late 80’s, so I didn’t have much time with the arcade scene before the bells tolled upon it; Zero Lives remaining is a horrifying homage to those wonderful establishments.

I picked up Zero Lives Remaining in hopes of a nostalgia filled experience, and thankfully, that’s exactly what Adam Cesare delivered. ZLR differs from Cesare’s previous nostalgia fest in that it’s not set in the past, rather it’s set in a modern place designed to feel like a blast from the past.

ZLR starts off quick, following the untimely demise of Funcave employee Robby Asaro. Asaro never moves on from his death, remaining ever watchful of The Funcave. Fast forward to present times, where the well intentioned ghost of Asaro sets forth a series of events which turn him from a friendly ghost to a power hungry, mean spirited entity of death.

What’s written here is an incredibly fun play on the haunted house sub-genre. None of the characters were especially memorable, however they serve their purpose of being cattle for the slaughter well. The deaths come quick, are imaginative, and fun to read. They are gory, but they fit the tone of the book well. Cesare is an expert at mingling nostalgia, pop culture references from multiple time periods, and horror. He proved it with Video Night, and it’s on display here again, although on a smaller scale. The story ends on a high note, wrapping up before it becomes drawn out.

With Zero Lives Remaining, Adam Cesare has written another nostalgia fueled horror romp. The story within is a lean, blood-soaked affair meant for fans of the arcade scene. I don’t think it’s necessary to have been on the ground floor of the arcade scene to enjoy this book, but i do believe it will enhance your experience

4/5 stars