ARC Review: Gallant by Victoria Schwab

Title: Gallant
Author: Victoria Schwab
Publication Date: March 1, 2022
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Pages: 384
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Olivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for girls, and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal—which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home—to Gallant. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home, it doesn’t matter if her cousin Matthew is hostile or if she sees half-formed ghouls haunting the hallways.

Olivia knows that Gallant is hiding secrets, and she is determined to uncover them. When she crosses a ruined wall at just the right moment, Olivia finds herself in a place that is Gallant—but not. The manor is crumbling, the ghouls are solid, and a mysterious figure rules over all. Now Olivia sees what has unraveled generations of her family, and where her father may have come from.

Olivia has always wanted to belong somewhere, but will she take her place as a Prior, protecting our world against the Master of the House? Or will she take her place beside him?

Victoria Schwab is an author I have always had a bit of a weird relationship with. Everyone seems to love her, but I've never been able to connect with her books. I thought A Darker Shade of Magic was fine and I gave up on The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. I WANT to love her, I just don't think I'd found the right book. Until Gallant. A friend lent me her ARC a few months back after I'd read the synopsis and been sure this was THE book that would make me a Schwab fan and I was absolutely right. 

This story follows Olivia Prior, an orphan who unexpectedly finds herself invited to Gallant, her family home, a house full of secrets and mysteries. I don't think that this book will be for everyone. It's definitely more about the *vibes* than the plot, although I absolutely fell in love with Olivia. I've seen another reviewer compare this to Crimson Peak and Coraline, and I think that description perfectly encapsulates the way Gallant feels. 

What I most loved about this story was the feeling of being pulled fully into the world of Gallant. Even months after reading it I can still imagine the world (to the best of my aphant abilities) and want to go back and experience its creepy charm again. Of course, the plot that pulled Olivia along as she unraveled the multi-generational mystery was intriguing and I was dying to find out all of the house's secrets. What kept me entranced, though, was the feeling the story gave me. And I guess that's the magic of V.E. Schwab that I've been hearing about for all these years. 

I'll absolutely be buying as many special editions of this haunting book as I can afford and recommending it to everyone. I'll also be giving Schwab's backlist another look because I desperately want more stories this beautiful. 

ARC Review: Her Soul for Revenge by Harley Laroux

Title: Her Soul for Revenge (Souls Trilogy #2)
Author: Harley Laroux
Publication Date: October 30, 2021
Publisher: Self Published
Pages: 461
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Review for book 1

//I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review//

Juniper
After a cult tried to sacrifice me to their wicked God, I went on the run, doing whatever was necessary to survive. Until a demon offered me a deal: give him my soul and he'll help me claim the vengeance I seek. Blood will be spilled, and the monsters I once ran from will soon be running from me. But damning my soul was just the beginning - it's my heart the demon wants next.

Zane
I've been hunting souls for centuries, but she's the ultimate prize - vicious and feral, with a broken soul as dark as my own. I thought claiming her would be a simple game, but Juniper is far from simple. I chose to follow her on a path drenched with the blood of her enemies, but it's our blood that may be spilled next. As an ancient God wakes from Its slumber, neither of us may survive.

Her Soul for Revenge is book 2 in the Souls Trilogy. Although all the books are interconnected, they are stand-alone and can be read in any order.

Recently I reviewed Her Soul to Take, cementing its place on my blog as a favorite of 2021. I adored Leon and Rae so much, but I was also really curious to learn more about Juniper, the sacrifice who got away, and her demon Zane. Thank goodness, I was approved for an ARC and got to jump into this story even sooner than expected!

Her Soul for Revenge is a parallel story to Her Soul To Take, showing the same events from Juniper and Zane's point of view. Although I was wondering exactly how this would work, I loved every second of it! I loved seeing bits and pieces of Leon and Rae's relationship from another perspective! Even more than that, Juniper was the protagonist I've always hoped for! She was an absolute badass who just needed a bit of help from a demon to get her revenge. 

The romance was just as good as book one, while being completely different. I loved these two extremely independent, ruthless characters going all soft and mushy for each other. And of course the spice was FIRE! Harley Laroux consistently puts out some of the best spice I've ever read.

One of my favorite parts of Her Soul for Revenge was getting more insight about Hell and the mythology surrounding the Deep One. I am here for Lovecraftian horror and the blending of the creepy, dread-inducing monsters with such a fantastic romance is everything I've ever wanted in a dark romance. The ending was perfect and I loved the brief discussion of mental health and the importance of therapy. 

I know that book three is about Everly and Callum and I absolutely cannot wait to read it! If you're a fan of dark romance and horror, you definitely need to check this series out! It's available today, so you don't even have to wait. But PLEASE check the trigger warnings! It isn't for the faint of heart. 

Book Review: Her Soul to Take by Harley Laroux

Title: Her Soul to Take (Souls Trilogy #1)
Author: Harley Laroux
Publication Date: April 10, 2021
Publisher: Self Published
Pages: 459
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Leon

I earned my reputation among magicians for a reason: one wrong move and you're dead. Killer, they called me, and killing is what I'm best at.

Except her.

The one I was supposed to take, the one I should have killed - I didn't.

The cult that once controlled me wants her, and I'm not about to lose my new toy to them.

Rae

I've always believed in the supernatural. Hunting for ghosts is my passion, but summoning a demon was never part of the plan. Monsters are roaming the woods, and something ancient - something evil - is waking up and calling my name.

I don't know who I can trust, or how deep this darkness goes.

All I know is my one shot at survival is the demon stalking me, and he doesn't just want my body - he wants my soul.

Her Soul to Take is book 1 in the Souls Trilogy. Although all the books are interconnected, they are stand-alone and can be read in any order.

Okay, I am finally reviewing this book in hopes of making everyone read it. (Okay, definitely not everyone. PLEASE check the trigger warnings on Goodreads!) To be honest, Her Soul to Take is probably not a book I ever would have picked up on my own, but when I saw it recommended by Hannah Whitten, I snatched it up immediately. 

Rae has just moved back to the tow her family is from and one of the first people she meets is Leon, who's kind of a jerk. Then she ends up accidentally summoning Leon, who happens to be a demon who's currently stalking her as his prey. Leon ends up liking Rae way much more than he should and decides he wants her soul for his own.

This isn't just romance - Leon is hunting Rae for the culty family he serves (against his will). This book is equal parts sexy and terrifying with an almost Lovecraftian mythology that I absolutely loved. These demons aren't just for the swoons, there is actual horror in Her Soul to Take and that is definitely my jam. 

I adored everything about this book! This is definitely a dark romance, though, so make sure that's your genre before picking it up. I loved the dynamic between Rae and Leon and the way their romance slowly developed throughout this very tense book. Five out of five spice, definitely not for the faint of heart!

I cannot recommend this book highly enough for dark romance readers who also like some horror in their books. Her Soul for Revenge comes out later this month and I cannot wait to get my hands on it!

ARC Review: Small Favors by Erin A. Craig

Title: Small Favors
Author: Erin A. Craig
Publication Date: July 27, 2021
Publisher: Delacorte
Pages: 480
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Ellerie Downing lives in the quiet town of Amity Falls in the Blackspire Mountain range--five narrow peaks stretching into the sky like a grasping hand, bordered by a nearly impenetrable forest from which the early townsfolk fought off the devils in the woods. To this day, visitors are few and rare. But when a supply party goes missing, some worry that the monsters that once stalked the region have returned.

As fall turns to winter, more strange activities plague the town. They point to a tribe of devilish and mystical creatures who promise to fulfill the residents' deepest desires, however grand and impossible, for just a small favor. But their true intentions are much more sinister, and Ellerie finds herself in a race against time before all of Amity Falls, her family, and the boy she loves go up in flames.

House of Salt and Sorrows remains one of my favorite retellings after it swept me away with its spooky atmosphere and amazing characters last year. As soon as I saw that Erin A. Craig was releasing a new book I preordered, no questions asked! I was even more excited to get approved for an ARC and jumped into it immediately!

Ellerie Downing lives in Amity Falls with her family and helps her dads tend their bees. Her mother is in an unfortunate accident and her parents leave the village early on to get her help and are never seen again. The dynamic between Ellerie and her siblings was probably my favorite part of this book, much like the relationships in House of Salt and Sorrows. I enjoyed watching them support each other and work together to get by once their parents had left. 

Of course, there's also romance and the love interest is a trapper named Whitaker who happens to pass by their house. While Whitaker was a fascinating character, the romance was a little strange to me. He was only in a handful of scenes and the romance felt forced even though it was spread out over a series of months. I honestly feel that this could have worked just as well if not better without the romantic relationship between the two. 

Small Favors was originally marketed as The Village meets Needful Things so I was had really high expectations for the horror going in. In reality, the only similarity between this and The Village is that they live in an actual village. This book was an extremely slow burn that unfortunately lost me halfway through.

While Small Favors starts out feeling a bit creepy, there wasn't much to it beyond a family going about life in a small village and squabbles amongst neighbors as they run low on supplies for the winter. There were some tense moments and feelings of dread throughout the book, but I honestly don't know that I would classify this as horror. The explanation given at the end was interesting and I thought there was a good idea there, but I expected more of the execution. 

I completely forgot until after I finished this that it was supposed to be a Rumpelstiltskin retelling and I just don't see it. The fairytale retelling is extremely vague and I certainly hope people aren't going into this book hoping for that! I will still give Erin A. Craig's next book a try because House was incredible, but perhaps with lower expectations. If you like survival stories that are light on horror, you will probably enjoy this one more than I did! 

ARC Review: The Lost Village by Camilla Sten

Title: The Lost Village
Author: Camilla Sten
Publication Date: March 23, 2021
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Pages: 352
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Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has been obsessed with the vanishing residents of the old mining town, dubbed “The Lost Village,” since she was a little girl. In 1959, her grandmother’s entire family disappeared in this mysterious tragedy, and ever since, the unanswered questions surrounding the only two people who were left—a woman stoned to death in the town center and an abandoned newborn—have plagued her. She’s gathered a small crew of friends in the remote village to make a film about what really happened.

But there will be no turning back.

Not long after they’ve set up camp, mysterious things begin to happen. Equipment is destroyed. People go missing. As doubt breeds fear and their very minds begin to crack, one thing becomes startlingly clear to Alice:

They are not alone.

They’re looking for the truth…
But what if it finds them first?

When I saw that this book was being compared to The Blair Witch Project and Midsommar, I knew I had to have it! I immediately preordered but was lucky enough to receive and ARC through Goodreads giveaways. I jumped right in... and then put it down. I picked this book up off and on over about a month before finally finishing it. Brief cult mentions set in Sweden does not equal a Midsommar comp. Neither does a documentary film crew equal Blair Witch Project. Those two comparisons definitely set my expectations way too high. Despite being one of my most anticipated reads of 2021, I'm disappointed to say I did not love it. 

The Lost Village is about a documentary filmmaker Alice and her crew, who venture into an abandoned mining village to scout for an upcoming film they hope to make. The village reminded me of Roanoake at first, having suddenly been abandoned without any trace of the inhabitants. I was hoping I would be kept on the edge of my seat. Instead, the first three quarters of the story follows the group moseying around the village, one person getting a sprained ankle, and Alice maybe seeing someone twice. 

The atmosphere is plenty creepy, but nothing really happens for most of the book. I did like that I was never really sure whether the creepiness was supernatural in origin until close to the end. However... 

Spoilers

The big reveal that the other presence was an 80 year old woman who managed to blow up a van, and overpower and kill multiple 30-something-year-old adults was ridiculous. And how did she survive? There was brief mention in the epilogue about the old woman surviving off food in the village homes, but someone please explain how she had enough food to last for 60 years, leaving enough for the film crew to find food to eat once their supplies were destroyed.

I wanted so much to love this book. It did pick up in the final hundred pages and I liked the alternating timelines a lot. I did like the ending explanation for what happened to the residents. I would have honestly preferred if the whole book was set in the past and focused more on the cult aspects. I would not consider this a horror novel. There were some moments of tension and the atmosphere was unsettling, but I never found myself feeling particularly frightened. 

If you're looking for a thriller with a spooky mystery and creepy atmosphere, you'll probably love The Lost Village! If you're hoping for horror reminiscent of Blair Witch, this is not it. 

Books and movies for every Spooky mood

Happy Spooky Day, bookworms! This is the time of year when I love to make extra time for all things creepy, so today I wanted to share some favorite books and movies that are perfect for Halloween! Whether you're looking for creepy laughs, creature features, or something extra weird, there are books and movies here to fit whatever spooky mood you happen to find yourself in. 

Wilder Girls | Mexican Gothic | The Year of the Witching
The Ritual | It Comes At Night | A Cure For Wellness

I love a good slow burn, atmospheric horror story. Wilder Girls got some mixed reviews, but I loved how weird and atmospherically creepy it was. The Year of the Witching is another book that instantly transported me to another place where I felt a constant sense of wrongness. A Cure For Wellness sucked me in with its feelings of dread and ended up becoming one of my slow burn favorites!

Devolution | Rules For Vanishing | Diary of a Haunting

Grave Encounters | As Above So Below | Hell House LLC

My favorite movie genre of all time, there are also some pretty decent books in found footage or documentary style! Devolution is the newest book from the author of World War Z and was super tense and dread-inducing. Grave Encounters and Hell House LLC are two of the most underrated low budget found footage movies out there, in my opinion. I've watched both several times and they always freak me out!

The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall | The Girl From the Well | The Shining

Crimson Peak | The Sixth Sense | The Ring

Ghost stories are not my favorite kind of spooky story, but I've found some amazing ones over the years anyway. No ghosty list is complete without The Shining, of course. This book is one of the few King works I've really enjoyed and it's definitely terrifying. To absolutely no one's surprise, I found a way to include Crimson Peak on this list, which is one of my all-time favorites for a variety of reasons. And if you've made it all the way to 2020 without seeing The Sixth Sense, you need to stop what you're doing right now and go watch it!

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly | You | Alone

The Purge | Don't Breathe | Midsommar

I often feel that people as the monsters are so much worse than any of the supernatural variety, because they can actually happen. You is a story that most of us know from the TV series, but the book is equally terrifying. Don't Breathe took me totally off guard and had me glued to the edge of my seat, hoping that at least someone would be okay. Midsommar is in a class all it's own, but I will never not be disturbed by the people in the film and their actions. 

Seed | The Merciless | Daughters Unto Devils

Insidious | Paranormal Activity | The Conjuring

This kind of story is a horror classic - the terrifyingly possessed house or person. The Merciless is a book I have been raving about for years! I was as shocked as anyone to find a YA horror story that was actually pretty scary. Insidious, on the other hand, I absolutely expected to be terrifying and it was. Paranormal Activity is the only movie I've ever walked out of, but I've seen it many times since then and can testify that it's super scary until the very end! I'm sure we've all seen it by now though, right? 

The Montauk Monster | The Shuddering | Bird Box

Underwater | Sweetheart | Tremors

No horror list is complete without monsters and no monster list is complete without Tremors. Seriously, the ONLY movie that absolutely needs to be on every single monster list ever. If you've never seen this masterpiece, why not? Sweetheart is definitely a hidden gem of a monster movie that's fairly new and deserves your attention. The Shuddering was one of the first books I read as a new blogger and it has lingered with me all these years. It is truly frightening! 

Hollow Places | A House at the Bottom of a Lake | Pines

Color Out of Space | The Endless | Coherence

This is 100% my jam. I am always on the hunt for weird, mind-bending horror books and movies and luckily I've found some favorites over the years. A House at the Bottom of of a Lake is slow, but super weird and amazing. Pines will always be a favorite! It has a Shyamalan twist I did not see coming! The Endless and Coherence are two mind-bending horror movies that play with the time and Color Out of Space is an amazingly strange Lovecraftian horror. 

The Last Astronaut | Bent Heavens | The Luminous Dead

Cloverfield | Pitch Black | Signs

Another kind of monster, aliens are a horror genre all their own. The Last Astronaut was panic-inducing and claustrophobic with its alien spaceship setting. Cloverfield is one of my all-time favorite alien monster movies, also on the found footage list. Of course, Pitch Black had to be on this list because it's another masterpiece of modern cinema. I think Pitch Black was my first Vin Diesel film and teenage me was HERE for it!

---

What is your favorite kind of horror story?

What will you be reading or watching tonight?
Let me know in the comments!

Book Review: The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

Title: The Year of the Witching
Author: Alexis Henderson
Publication Date: July 21, 2020
Publisher: Ace
Pages: 368
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A young woman living in a rigid, puritanical society discovers dark powers within herself in this stunning, feminist fantasy debut.

In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet’s word is law, Immanuelle Moore’s very existence is blasphemy. Her mother’s union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement.

But a mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood surrounding Bethel, where the first prophet once chased and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still lurking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the journal of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.

Fascinated by the secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches. But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realizes the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness. And she starts to understand that if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her.

Earlier this summer I read The Year of the Witching and immediately became obsessed! Imagine my dismay when I found this review sitting in my drafts! How will everyone know how incredible this book is if I don't yell about it? 

The Year of the Witching is what I'd hoped Agnes At the End of the World would be - a dark and terrifying cult fantasy with an incredible, feminist heroine and amazing world building. First of all, Immanuelle is a fascinating main character. Her backstory is heart-wrenching and she was highly relatable, but not in a Mary Sue kind of way. Simply put, I loved her. I also loved the Prophet's son, Ezra, and their unlikely relationship. The Prophet, by the way, it a truly disgusting and creepy villain. 

Speaking of creepy, the absolute best thing about this story is the atmosphere. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but this one certainly sets the mood. It's dark and tense and will keep you on the edge of your seat. The scares in this book are slow and unsettling and I could not get enough of it. The world building is so good, I felt like I was right in the middle of Bethel. 

There was truly nothing I didn't love about The Year of the Witching other than that it ended too soon. I'm really hoping for a sequel, but I can't wait to read whatever she writes next in any case. Alexis Henderson is definitely on my auto-buy list!

ARC Review: Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power

Title: Burn Our Bodies Down 
Author: Rory Power
Publication Date: July 7, 2020
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 352
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Ever since Margot was born, it’s been just her and her mother. No answers to Margot’s questions about what came before. No history to hold on to. No relative to speak of. Just the two of them, stuck in their run-down apartment, struggling to get along.

But that’s not enough for Margot. She wants family. She wants a past. And she just found the key she needs to get it: A photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. Pointing her home. Only, when Margot gets there, it’s not what she bargained for.

Margot’s mother left for a reason. But was it to hide her past? Or was it to protect Margot from what’s still there?

The only thing Margot knows for sure is there’s poison in their family tree, and their roots are dug so deeply into Phalene that now that she’s there, she might never escape.

Last year, Wilder Girls became one of my unexpected favorite books of all time. I am obsessed with weird horror books and Wilder Girls certainly fit the bill. When I saw that Rory Power was writing a new horror novel, I couldn't wait to grab a copy and dive in!

Burn Our Bodies Down follows Margot on her quest to find family outside of her mother, the only relative she's known. As luck would have it, Margot stumbles upon a clue to help her get there and follows it to Phalene, where she finds her grandmother and a town that's wary of her. At first, Margot is thrilled to have found what she's been searching for, but things gradually become more strange as she realizes there's something sinister about her grandmother and their home. 

My favorite thing about Burn Our Bodies Down, like with Wilder Girls, is the incredible world building. Rory Power knows how to craft a world that draws you in and makes you feel uneasy from the very start. Even before Margot found her way to Phalene, I was already feeling that creeping sense of dread this author is so great at creating. 

While this book did a great job at building tension and creating an incredibly atmospheric world, I couldn't help but feel like it was missing something. The horror aspect I expected took way too long to show up and things were a bit too slow for my taste. I am always here for the super weird, but the delivery of this just didn't hit the same way as Wilder Girls. I think part of my issue is that much of this book feels like your standard contemporary fiction, which isn't something I usually care for. 

Still, Burn Our Bodies Down had some wild twists at the end and I definitely enjoyed the creepy farm setting. There were lots of unique ideas here and I'm eager to see what Rory Power writes next! 

Book Review: Teeth in the Mist by Dawn Kurtagich

Title: Teeth in the Mist
Author: Dawn Kurtagich
Publication Date: June 11, 2019
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 447
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Before the birth of time, a monk uncovers the Devil's Tongue and dares to speak it. The repercussions will be felt for generations...

Sixteen-year-old photography enthusiast Zoey has been fascinated by the haunted, burnt-out ruins of Medwyn Mill House for as long as she can remember--so she and her best friend, Poulton, run away from home to explore them. But are they really alone in the house? And who will know if something goes wrong?

In 1851, seventeen-year-old Roan arrives at the Mill House as a ward--one of three, all with something to hide from their new guardian. When Roan learns that she is connected to an ancient secret, she must escape the house before she is trapped forever.

1583. Hermione, a new young bride, accompanies her husband to the wilds of North Wales where he plans to build the largest water mill and mansion in the area. But rumors of unholy rituals lead to a tragic occurrence and she will need all her strength to defeat it.

Three women, centuries apart, drawn together by one Unholy Pact. A pact made by a man who, more than a thousand years later, may still be watching... 

This is the time of year when I usually start hunting for my next favorite horror book. The first Dawn Kurtagich book I read was And the Trees Crept in and it really wasn't for me. At first I was skeptical about picking up a second book by this author, but Teeth in the Mist sounded way too spooky to skip and I'm so glad I didn't!

Although this book is told in three different time periods following three different women, Roan is the main character and most of the story follows her. After the death of her father, Roan finds herself at the Mill House as a ward of its owner, alongside two others. The three of them don't know why they've been taken in, but accept the generosity nonetheless. Roan also has a secret she can't allow anyone to find out about, but she finds it harder and harder to keep it hidden as things spin more out of control.

Roan was an amazing, badass heroine and I absolutely loved the side characters as well! There is a bit of a romance in the second half of the book but it's very minor and doesn't overshadow the plot. Zoey from the present-day timeline was also fascinating and I loved the mystery in her part of the story. I didn't care a whole lot about Hermione, but definitely appreciated what her timeline added to the overarching plot.

The best thing about this book is the atmosphere. Mill House is a massive, centuries-old house set on a mountain that's often shrouded in storms and fog and it was chilling. The story is slow to unfold and was a bit confusing at the beginning, but the house itself made uneasy from the first page that it was introduced. By the time Roan arrives half the house is cordoned off and it's completely dilapidated in Zoey's timeline and it was so creepy! The house and the mountain itself with its caves and mist were almost characters on their own.

Like I said, Teeth in the Mist has a lot of layers and it can be confusing at times. I didn't realize until deep into the book that it was actually a retelling of a German legend and I immediately had to look it up upon finishing. This story is horrifying and absolutely gave me the chills I'm looking for in a good horror book.

If you're looking for something super spooky, but a bit more involved than your typical horror novel, you will probably love Teeth in the Mist! I have a feeling this will be a seasonal re-read for me and I can't wait to pick up some of Dawn Kurtagich's other books.

Audiobook Review: Dreams Come to Life by Adrienne Kress

Title: Dreams Come to Life (Bendy & the Ink Machine #1)
Author: Adrienne Kress
Publication Date: September 3, 2019
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 304
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Seventeen-year-old Buddy has spent most of his life trying to escape the Lower East Side slums of New York City. Working as a delivery boy to support his family, Buddy wants to become an artist, a dream he's sure will never be realized. But that all changes when a delivery job puts him face-to-face with Mister Joey Drew, the eccentric owner of an animation studio.

Mister Drew takes Buddy under his wing as an apprentice, thrusting him into a world unlike anything Buddy has ever seen before. There's the colorful cast of the studio, from the cranky, yet driven composer Sammy Lawrence to Dot, the writing intern and Buddy's counterpart. Working for Mister Drew, Buddy starts to think that maybe it's really as simple as Mister Drew says: Dreams do come true. But not everything at the studio is as picture-perfect as it seems . . .

Something is going bump in the night at Joey Drew Studios, something that leaves behind trails of thick, dark ink. While the studio frantically works toward their latest deadline, Buddy and Dot team up to find out just what is tormenting the studio after-hours, even if it means tracking the trail to Mister Drew himself.

Don't miss this official, original, pulse-pounding story from award-winning author Adrienne Kress, developed with theMeatly, Mike Mood, and Bookpast!

I first saw Bendy and the Ink machine at Target. It was a Bendy doll and I had no idea what it was, but I had a hunch that he was from a video game. I googled it and ended up watching a full playthrough on YouTube, which is my preferred method of (not) gaming. I love seeing the story and gameplay, but I suck at playing the games myself. Bendy quickly became one of my favorites of all time so I couldn't wait to read this book!

Dreams Come to Life is a prequel to the game and revolves around Buddy. Buddy hates his job as a delivery boy but desperately needs the money, so when he's given the opportunity to work for Joey Drew Studios for double the salary he jumps at the chance. It doesn't take long before things start to seem a little off and continue to spiral from there.

I really enjoyed Buddy's character and experiencing the studio through his eyes before its demise. I also loved his relationship with Dot and found her to be a fun original character. Joey Drew was also a lot like how I imagined him from the video game, although a bit less sinister than I expected. Honestly, everyone in the studio made me feel just the right amount of uneasy, sometimes for no reason I could put my finger on.

Obviously, the best part of this book was seeing the studio from a different angle before it was covered in ink. I loved following Buddy around as he found each location from the game and figured out what was really happening. Dreams Come to Life definitely maintains the same creepy atmosphere you'd expect from Bendy and the Ink Machine.

Although this is a media tie in I do think it could be enjoyed by someone who's never played (or watched) the game. This is a super creepy mystery set in an animation studio that's reminiscent of Walt Disney Studios and anyone who is into horror or mystery would be able to enjoy it for those elements. It could also be a really fun introduction to the world for someone who might decide to delve deeper later. I'm not sure if more books are planned in this series but I really hope there are!

ARC Review: Rules For Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall

Title: Rules For Vanishing
Author: Kate Alice Marshall
Publication Date: September 24, 2019
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Pages: 416
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In the faux-documentary style of The Blair Witch Project comes the campfire story of a missing girl, a vengeful ghost, and the girl who is determined to find her sister--at all costs.

Once a year, the path appears in the forest and Lucy Gallows beckons. Who is brave enough to find her--and who won't make it out of the woods?

It's been exactly one year since Sara's sister, Becca, disappeared, and high school life has far from settled back to normal. With her sister gone, Sara doesn't know whether her former friends no longer like her...or are scared of her, and the days of eating alone at lunch have started to blend together. When a mysterious text message invites Sara and her estranged friends to "play the game" and find local ghost legend Lucy Gallows, Sara is sure this is the only way to find Becca--before she's lost forever. And even though she's hardly spoken with them for a year, Sara finds herself deep in the darkness of the forest, her friends--and their cameras--following her down the path. Together, they will have to draw on all of their strengths to survive. The road is rarely forgiving, and no one will be the same on the other side.

I picked up Rules For Vanishing at ALA this summer when I spotted the spooky cover. When I saw the comparison to The Blair Witch Project, all bets were off. I had to have this book! I didn't know much about Rules For Vanishing other than that several friends told me it was extremely creepy. It definitely is that!

Becca is the MC of this story set a year after her sister's disappearance. She and a group of estranged friends decide to go back to the location of the mysterious road they've all heard stories about to see if it will appear. When it does, they set off not knowing exactly what's in store but determined to find Becca's sister and bring her home. This is a more character focused horror novel and, while I did enjoy the characters, that's really not why I pick up a horror book.

Right off the bat I will say that this is one of the most terrifying YA books I've read in a long time, at least until the last little bit. I am not claustrophobic in the sense of fearing small spaces, but I have a fear of being trapped in any place with no way out. Cruise ships, as much as I love them, freak me out because there's no way off until it docks. I had the same feeling with the road in this book. Once the characters became trapped on the road I was so physically uncomfortable that I had to put the book down at times. I loved it!

I really enjoyed the writing style the author used! Rules For Vanishing is a mix of your standard narrative, interviews, and documents. It's a style that I've enjoyed in the past and would love to see more of in the future. It made this an extremely quick and tense read.

Where this story went wrong for me was the inclusion of a ton of mythology extending beyond the road. I really didn't think it needed so much backstory and explanation. Honestly, that's where horror books often go wrong for me. Without spoiling anything, there's a tonal shift towards the end and the horror changes to something altogether different. I know that a lot of people enjoyed the way this book ended, but it ruined the horror a bit for me and I really wish the story ended with the road.

Rules For Vanishing was a quick and super scary read, at least until the last several chapters. I do wish that the focus had remained on the road, but the shift definitely didn't ruin my reading experience. I highly recommend picking this one up this October if you're in the market for something spooky!

Audiobook Review: Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Title: Into the Drowning Deep
Author: Mira Grant
Publication Date: November 14, 2017
Publisher: Orbit
Pages: 440
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Seven years ago, the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a “mockumentary” bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a maritime tragedy.

Now, a new crew has been assembled. But this time they’re not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life’s work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.

Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves. But the secrets of the deep come with a price.

I picked up Into the Drowning Deep after seeing several people talk about how absolutely horrifying it was. I didn't have a great experience with my first Mira Grant book, but this one was written many years after that one and wasn't YA. The idea of a crew being trapped on a ship is also WAY up my alley, so I decided to give it a shot.

Victoria is a scientist whose sister was lost at sea under mysterious circumstances that she believes had to do with mermaids. When given the opportunity to go on a very similar mission to the same location, she takes it, for science and for her sister. Tory is not the only person on this mission, of course. The cast of this book is large and full of scientists, TV personalities, and security. They all have their own reasons for wanting to go on this excursion, but the most interesting to me was Dr. Jillian Toth, the mermaid expert. A mermaid expert in a world where mermaids aren't believed to exist.

For a book about killer mermaids coming after people stranded on a ship, I expected this book to inspire a little more fear. There's lots of action starting once they make it to their location, but getting there takes quite a while. A significant portion of this book is spent on setting up why this voyage is happening, who every single person going is, what their functions are, and even the layout of the ship. Really much more setup than I need in a horror book, but I guess that's personal preference.

The killer mermaid action happens fairly late in the book and wasn't quite as scary as people made it out to be. Tensions were not nearly as high as they could have been and the author really didn't play up the claustrophobia of being stuck and hunted on a ship. There's a revelation that's made out to be earth shattering and I just didn't care that much about it. It really didn't make much difference to the story.

I thought the idea of this book was great! The characters were fine and the romance was even cute (although I'm not sure if we needed romance in a horror at sea book, but okay). The diversity was fantastic and honestly bumped my rating up just a bit. Overall, this book was okay, but I had hoped for a lot more.

ARC Review: The Haunted by Danielle Vega

Title: The Haunted
Author: Danielle Vega
Publication Date: June 4, 2019
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 304
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From Danielle Vega, YA’s answer to Stephen King, comes a new paranormal novel about dark family secrets, deep-seated vengeance, and the horrifying truth that evil often lurks in the unlikeliest of places.

Hendricks Becker-O’Malley is new in town, and she’s bringing baggage with her. With a dark and wild past, Hendricks doesn’t think the small town her parents moved her to has much to offer her in terms of excitement. She plans on laying low, but when she’s suddenly welcomed into the popular crowd at school, things don’t go as expected.

Hendricks learns from her new friends that the fixer-upper her parents are so excited about is notorious in town. Local legend says it’s haunted. Hendricks doesn’t believe it. Until she’s forced to. Blood-curdling screams erupt from the basement, her little brother wakes up covered in scratches, and something, or someone pushes her dad down the stairs. With help from the mysterious boy next door, Hendricks makes it her mission to take down the ghosts . . . if they don’t take her first.

I am a huge fan of The Merciless series! I read them as they were released and really enjoyed every one. I was constantly impressed with Vega's ability to write truly scary horror novels for a YA audience and was excited to pick up The Haunted. I was able to trade for a copy with a friend and was eager to dive into this new, hopefully terrifying story.

This book revolves around Hendricks and her family after a move to a small town where they buy an old house with a bad reputation. The house the family chooses to renovate has a history of murder and suicide and is rumored to be haunted, so of course strange things start happening almost immediately after the family moves in. Unfortunately, that's almost the extent of the horror in this "horror" novel.

While Hendricks is okay as a character, I just got way more information about her than I ever would have needed. I don't need tons of character development, romance, or backstory in my horror novels, but this one was primarily about a girl's experience as a student at a new high school than it was about a haunted house. This book had a love triangle, high school clique drama, a crazy ex boyfriend, and a handful of creepy scenes. As much as I hate YA contemporary romance, that's really what I got with this new Vega book and I am disappointed.

The horror aspects of the book were pretty well done, but they were way too few and far between. I loved The Merciless for genuinely creeping me out, and there were a couple of creepy scenes in The Haunted, but not nearly enough to warrant the title. I did really enjoy the mystery of the house and why it was haunted, though. The ghosts had interesting stories and the resolution was satisfying.

If you're like me, looking for a super scary horror book, this isn't going to be it. If, however, you're new to YA or prefer more tame spookiness in a book that mainly focuses on the YA contemporary romance aspects of the story, you'll probably love this! It was an okay story, but ultimately wasn't what I was hoping for. I recently picked up Survive the Night by the same author and I'm really hoping that's more my speed!

Mini Audiobook Review: Alone by Cyn Balog

Title: Alone
Author: Cyn Balog
Publication Date: November 7, 2017
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 277
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When her mom inherits an old, crumbling mansion, Seda’s almost excited to spend the summer there. The grounds are beautiful and it’s fun to explore the sprawling house with its creepy rooms and secret passages. Except now her mom wants to renovate, rather than sell the estate—which means they're not going back to the city…or Seda's friends and school.

As the days grow shorter, Seda is filled with dread. They’re about to be cut off from the outside world, and she’s not sure she can handle the solitude or the darkness it brings out in her.

Then a group of teens get stranded near the mansion during a blizzard. Seda has no choice but to offer them shelter, even though she knows danger lurks in the dilapidated mansion—and in herself. And as the snow continues to fall, what Seda fears most is about to become her reality…

I've been wanting to read something by Cyn Balog for years, but never had the chance until Alone popped up on my library's Hoopla. I went into this book not knowing much about it, but seriously hoping for a really creepy horror experience, something I feel I don't get nearly enough of in YA.

Seda lives in an old mansion with her mom and siblings. It was never supposed to be a permanent residence, but her mom is seeming less and less like she's actually going to leave. There are entire wings of the house that are burned out and shut off with tarps and her mom refuses to let it go except to a very specific type of buyer. I felt for Seda and her family immediately. It's obvious that all everyone but Seda's mom wants is to go back to their normal lives.

On top of everything else, Seda is dealing with increasingly violent messages from her dead twin brother's voice in her head and doesn't know how to handle them. Seda is a delightfully unreliable narrator and her imaginary friend is extremely unnerving. I didn't love her as a character, but I did love never quite knowing what was real and what wasn't.

Everything goes completely off the rails when a group of stranded teens decides to take shelter through a storm and her mom offers to put on a murder mystery to occupy everyone and it seems like she's way too good at it. I feel like I can't say much about this book without spoiling anything, but it was definitely the horror I've been looking for!

Alone is an extremely fast-paced horror story that has a bit more to it than your standard YA horror book. There were twists and turns that I NEVER saw coming and I'm so excited that Cyn Balog was able to pull it off. I could definitely see this as a horror movie. I definitely recommend this for lovers of YA looking for a great creepy read.

Audiobook Review: The Nightmare Room by Chris Sorensen

Title: The Nightmare Room (The Messy Man #1) 
Author: Chris Sorensen
Publication Date: January 25, 2018
Publisher: Harmful Monkey Press
Pages: 276
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A boy in a basement, a man in a booth and a darkness that threatens to swallow them both...

New York audiobook narrator Peter Larson and his wife Hannah head to his hometown of Maple City to help Peter's ailing father and to put a recent tragedy behind them. Though the small, Midwestern town seems the idyllic place to start afresh, Peter and Hannah will soon learn that evil currents flow beneath its surface.

They move into an old farmhouse on the outskirts of town—a house purchased by Peter's father at auction and kept secret until now—and start to settle into their new life.

But as Peter sets up his recording studio in a small basement room, disturbing things begin to occur—mysterious voices haunt audio tracks, malevolent shadows creep about the house. And when an insidious presence emerges from the woodwork, Peter must face old demons in order to save his family and himself. 

The Nightmare Room has been on my TBR since I saw it as a group read in a horror book club. The cover is delightfully creepy and the synopsis had me hooked! I decided to pick the audiobook when I found it on Hoopla through my local library.

This story is about a man named Peter who moves to his hometown with his wife, Hannah, after a family tragedy. Peter's father's health has gone downhill and they find themselves moving closer to him for a fresh start. Although his family home is not an option, Peter's father does own a farmhouse that Peter and Hannah are able to make their own. Of course, because this is a haunted house book, things immediately begin to go awry.

The Nightmare Room was a bit more layered than a lot of horror novels. There was a lot of background. A lot. Not only Peter's but also a mysterious boy and his father who make appearances from the beginning. I quite enjoyed the different aspects of this book coming together at the end for an answer I never would have expected. The horror was both unsettling and scary at times, although it never quite got to the point of making me feel like I should check over my shoulder. There's definitely a feeling of unease from page one.

My main reason for not loving this book really had more to do with the writing and less to do with the story. While the story was enjoyable and the characters were fine, the writing felt akin to The Amityville Horror or Rosemary's Baby. Although there were modern electronics and references, this book felt like it was written in the 70s or 80s. I can't quite explain it except to say that some of the dialogue and ideas felt outdated.

Overall, The Nightmare Room was a decent horror read. Peter was a fine main character, I enjoyed the complex backstory, and the horror was creepy enough. I just couldn't completely invest because of the writing. I'll definitely be watching for what Chris Sorensen publishes next though!