book reviews
Book reviews for horror fans; weather a sleepless night with literary accounts of hauntings, possessions, zombies, vampires and beyond.
Book Review: "The Dominant Animal" by Kathryn Scanlan
I have read some pretty uncomfortable books in my time, including the infamous short story collection entitled "Haunted" by Chuck Palahniuk. I've read a lot of Stephen King, Peter Straub, Paul Tremblay and Shirley Jackson. Well, if you took Virginia Woolf's writing style, mixed it with the unease of Stephen King's tension narratives and then reduced the size to a short story and blended in some body horror and psychological distress a la Daphne Du Maurier, you're going to end up with this book by Kathryn Scanlan - "The Dominant Animals". A nod to the culture of the plain uncomfortable, this book is written in the most realist and ordinary of ways. Kind of like what would happen if Hemingway and Bret Easton Ellis made some kind of collaboration (but alas, Hemingway did not live that long). Here is a professional life tip for all of you: make sure you’re not eating anything whilst reading this book. You’re going to have a hard time keeping it in afterwards.
Annie KapurPublished a day ago in HorrorThe Queen of Gothic Horror
Going to second-hand stores and finding battered and dusty novels is something I had been doing since childhood - well, before the global pandemic. I can talk about the many unusual finds that I have in the library that is my room - but one author in particular kept me going into those stores, hunting for their books. V.C. Andrews or better known as Virginia Andrews in the UK.
Call Me Mummy by Tina Baker - BOOK REVIEW
Glamorous, beautiful Mummy has everything a woman could want... except for a daughter of her very own. So when she sees Kim—heavily pregnant, glued to her phone and ignoring her eldest child in a busy shop—she does what anyone would do. She takes her. But little foul-mouthed Tonya is not the daughter that Mummy was hoping for.
Frannie Goldsmith’s Things to Remember: ‘Femininity’ is not synonymous with ‘Weak’.
{Disclaimer: Fiction is all subjective. I am not coming from a judgmental place nor am I saying that this is the only possible reason that anyone could dislike Fran’s character. I’m just hoping to raise a few questions.}
Jaime BurbattPublished 8 days ago in Horror
Ruby by V.C. Andrews - BOOK REVIEW
The only family Ruby Landry has ever known are her loving grandparents. Although her mother is dead and she has never met her mysterious father, Ruby is grateful for all she has, especially when her attraction for handsome Paul Tate blossoms into a wonderful love.
Put Some Fang in Your Fiction
There is a sub-genre of fiction that has captivated readers for more than a century (and terrified villagers for a lot longer than that). Lately, however, it hasn’t been getting the respect or attention it deserves, and that’s a shame. I’m talking, of course, about vampire fiction.
Paul CombsPublished 15 days ago in Horror
NEWS: The Woman Beyond The Attic - V.C. Andrews Biography
In my interview with Ghostwriter Andrew Neiderman, he hinted at an upcoming announcement on a long-anticipated biography of the Flowers in the Attic author. Now it has been officially announced, even with a title confirmed - there has been whispers of a summer release, but no date has been confirmed. The confirmation came from Publisher's Weekly yesterday:
The Unwind Series: a Critique (Caution: Spoilers)
Well, Neil Shusterman can spin a compelling yarn, and he’s certainly ... prolific. Yes, he can really string events together in chronological order. He can write down a whole lot of words, that he can do very well.
Deborah MoranPublished about a month ago in Horror
Review of ‘Unchosen’
Katharyn Blair crafts a fiercely feminist fantasy with a horrifying curse, swoon-worthy sea captains, and the power of one girl to choose her own fate in this contemporary standalone adventure that's perfect for fans of The Fifth Wave and Seafire, and for anyone who has ever felt unchosen. For Charlotte Holloway, the world ended twice. The first was when her childhood crush, Dean, fell in love--with her older sister. The second was when the Crimson, a curse spread through eye contact, turned the majority of humanity into flesh-eating monsters. Neither end of the world changed Charlotte. She's still in the shadows of her siblings. Her popular older sister, Harlow, now commands forces of survivors. And her talented younger sister, Vanessa, is the Chosen One--who, legend has it, can end the curse. When their settlement is raided by those seeking the Chosen One, Charlotte makes a reckless decision to save Vanessa: she takes her place as prisoner. The word spreads across the seven seas--the Chosen One has been found. But when Dean's life is threatened and a resistance looms on the horizon, the lie keeping Charlotte alive begins to unravel. She'll have to break free, forge new bonds, and choose her own destiny if she has any hope of saving her sisters, her love, and maybe even the world. Because sometimes the end is just a new beginning.
Cyn's WorkshopPublished about a month ago in Horror
Book Review: 'Fear' by Roald Dahl
Anyone who knows me knows that I have a deep and genuine love for literature. I've always played around with the idea of writing my own book reviews. I am fully aware that I am not a professionally qualified reviewer, but I love literature and hope this helps me improve my analytical skills as a writer. All the opinions shared in this post are my own opinions and I would love to hear back from you guys if you have a different interpretation of some of the stories.
Shinissa KaurPublished 2 months ago in Horror
Book Review: "The House of a Hundred Whispers" by Graham Masterton
You have probably heard of the haunted house stories - we have got everything from the book that scared yours truly as a child, "The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James all the way to the subversively chilling "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson. We have all read the stories of children being gone in the night with a kidnapper somewhere far away. But then you take the crux of these two stories and you combine them to get Graham Masterton's "The House of a Hundred Whispers". A chilling and eerie masterpiece filled with descriptions of old, creaking staircases that throw you back into classic horror until you realise that the child that has gone missing never left the house. He went missing inside the house.
Annie KapurPublished 2 months ago in Horror
The Umbrella Lady by V.C. Andrews - BOOK REVIEW
A young girl who has lost her father finds herself at the mercy of a mysterious woman who is not quite what she seems. Left on a train platform in an unfamiliar village, little Saffron Faith Anders is certain her father will return shortly, just like he promised. She holds out hope even as the hours pass and the station grows dark. When a strange old woman with a large umbrella approaches and inquiries about her situation, Saffron doesn’t immediately trust the imposing do-gooder, but with the chances of her father returning growing ever slimmer, she agrees to rest at the old woman’s house.
