Last Case at a Baggage Auction by Eric J. Guignard My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you NetGalley and Harper Day Books for providing me with an ARC of Last Case at a Baggage Auction in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I have been on a quest throughout the month of October to find good Halloween books and movies. On the movie end I had some great help from friends giving me their suggestions and recommendations. So, my evenings are spent watching spooky movies to my heart’s content. But what about the rest of my day? I can only train Muay Thai…
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The Orphan of Cemetery Hill
The Orphan of Cemetery Hill by Hester Fox My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Graydon House, for providing me with an ARC of The Orphan of Cemetery Hill in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I had Fox’s first novel, The Witch of Willow Hall, on my to-read list ever since it came out in 2018. Being the hopeful optimist that I am, I kept making plans to read it any day now. Well, the road to hell is usually paved with good intentions. So, sadly, I hadn’t been introduced to her writing until the publisher was so kind…
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Hell School, Tome 1: Rituels
Hell school, Tome 1 : Rituels by Dugomier My rating: 5 of 5 stars I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I really liked this comic. The artwork reminded me a bit of the style used in The Adventures of Tintin. I saw it listed on NetGalley and I just had to read it. At first, I thought this was a story involving perhaps zombies or some sort of monster, but I liked the direction it ultimately took. The story just hit the spot perfectly: we got some creepy school with a whole bunch of weird traditions located on an…
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The Trickster
The Trickster by Amy Miles My rating: 5 of 5 stars I received this ARC from Red Coat Publishing and the author in exchange for an honest review.This was a delightful conclusion to the Trickster series. It was filled with action, lots of gory zombies and nail-biting situations and a little twist or two to keep up the suspense.It was a quick read and kept me hooked until the last page and even caused me to have some very interesting dreams about the Trickster the following night.Overall, I very much enjoyed the entire trilogy and would recommend it to anyone looking for a young adult, paranormal, horror infused trilogy.
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Ligeia
Ligeia by Edgar Allan Poe My rating: 5 of 5 stars Another required reading for my zombie/vampire course, this short story had me on the fence until the very end.I am not really a fan of long-winded descriptions and overly prolonged suspense until the reader doesn’t even remember what the suspense was supposed to be for, but it absolutely work with this story. I was sitting at my desk, reading on my computer with my arms crossed defensively in front of me and leaning back, wondering when the “good” will start. By the end I was leaning into my computer, mere inches from the screen, clutching the edge of my…
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Christabel
Christabel by Samuel Taylor Coleridge My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was good. I mean this was really good. It was a great blend of horror, medieval, Gothic and the classic.Part of my required reading list for my zombie/vampire course, Christabel was an intriguing story to read. Written in verse, it took a few stanzas to get used to the style, but it was worth it in the end.A story filled with eerie descriptions, a spooky atmosphere, a seductress and an outcome I would not have suspected. In my accompanying course notes and commentaries, I read that the version we have now wasn’t even the complete narration and Coleridge…
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Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge My rating: 4 of 5 stars A required reading for my zombie/vampire seminar, this was my second time reading this poem; however, I can’t remember when or where I had first come across it. I can vaguely remember someone in a class-setting talking about the mariner and facilitating some sort of discussion, but the details elude me, which really bothers me.Anyway, I think I have always preferred Coleridge to Shelley or Byron. I appreciate his skill for creating an eerie mood in his poems that is just perfect for what he is trying to accomplish.The poem itself isn’t my favourite, but…
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The Death of Halpin Frayser
The Death of Halpin Frayser by Ambrose Bierce My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another required reading for my zombie/vampire seminar.For some reason this story reminded me of the movie “The Labyrinth” with David Bowie. It could be because I had recently watched it and it was still fresh in my memory, but I assume it had something to do with the dream like sequence in the story. It’s that almost fantastic and otherworldly always reminds me a bit of classic 80’s fantasy movies. Although, this story had quite a bit of blood in it, so I would suggest not reading it whilst eating.The writing was quite nonchalant with a…
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It
It by Stephen King My rating: 3 of 5 stars ***********Warning: Contains Spoilers************** I feel like I have accomplished a rite of passage by finishing Stephen King’s It. I did it! It took me over a year to do so, with long breaks in between reading it, but I can honestly say that I have read it from beginning to end. I must apologize for this unusual review, which will contain spoilers. Normally, I refrain from discussing a book and strictly stick to only providing an opinion on it, but I pretty much spent a year of my life reading it, so much happens in it and it is so…
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The Castle of Otranto
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was my first assigned reading for my Zombie/Vampire in literature graduate seminar and half the time I was chuckling and the other half I could feel goosebumps rising up my arms.The prince reminded me of the Queen of Hearts from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, constantly shouting “off with their heads”, while the other characters only took him half seriously and dealt with the conflicts in the story.The story in itself was rather spooky with perfectly placed eerie details, including the general feel of knights and chivalry and the Gothic atmosphere.Overall, widely considered the first English Gothic…
