Review: The Murders of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson

Posted on October 14, 2019 by Jenn

I received this book for free from personal copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: The Murders of Molly Southbourne by Tade ThompsonThe Murders of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson
Published by Tom Doherty Associates on October 3, 2017
Genres: Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror
Pages: 128
Format: Paperback
Source: personal copy

If you see a girl who looks like you, run and fight.

Don't bleed.

If you bleed, blot, burn, and bleach.

If you find a hole, find your parents

Molly didn't grow up like other young girls. From the moment she can remember, she's been training to kill herself.  Every time she bleeds, a molly is born.  Mollys look just like her, yet they are all out to kill her.

I discovered this title (and the sequel, The Survival of Molly Southbourne) earlier this year and knew I had to include them in my Murder, Monsters & Mayhem feature.

What a completely unique and incredibly captivating premise!  I was intentional in limiting my summary of this novella for it’s one that you must experience on your own!  Though it’s a short read, it most certainly packs a punch!   Molly’s character is surprisingly sane given her situation, but I suppose having grown up in an environment like this, it’s just natural.  She learned quite early on how to kill, the importance of protect herself from harm in order to protect the mollys from attacking her.

Not understanding the origin of her “ailment” doesn’t really detract from the story; most of it is Molly’s own introspective examination of her very existence.  This is the only life she’s known; she isn’t able to experience a cut from falling, a bloody nose, or heck, menstruation, without an increased cause for alarm.  Her situation is completely terrifying yet simultaneously intriguing.  It isn’t until we’ve “accepted” her reality that we begin to learn more about the root cause.

I’m thankful that I’m able to read the sequel immediately following for I’m not sure how I couldn’t have waited to learn more! You’ll want to devour this novella in one sitting and then continue to the next for some resolution and closure.  It’s the type of book that haunts you long after you turn the final pages!   Highly, highly recommended.

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Haunting New Television Series

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Jenn

My love of horror isn’t restricted to just fiction. I’m a huge fan of spooky television series and there is a great line-up this Fall!  Here are some of my favorites:

Prodigal Son (Fox) “Malcolm Bright is a gifted criminal psychologist, using his twisted genius to help the NYPD solve crimes and stop killers, all while dealing with a manipulative mother, a serial killer father still looking to bond with his prodigal son and his own constantly evolving neuroses”

Emergence (ABC) “After Jo, a police chief, takes in a young child she finds near the site of a mysterious accident, she soon discovers the girl has no memory of what has happened or who she is. The investigation into the history that led up to the accident — and questions as to how and why it happened — draws the woman into a conspiracy larger than she ever imagined, with the child’s identity at the center of it.”

Evil (CBS) “Skeptical female psychologist Kristen Bouchard joins David Acosta, who is training to be a Catholic priest, and a blue collar contractor as they investigate the church’s backlog of unexplained mysteries, including supposed miracles, demonic possessions and other extraordinary occurrences. Their job is to assess if there’s a logical explanation or if something truly supernatural is at work, examining the origins of evil along the dividing line between science and religion”  My favorite thus far!

 

Additionally, the Travel Channel always has a great line-up of shows.  This year, they are calling their Halloween-themed line-up Ghostober.  Following are those that premiered this weekend/last week:

“Haunted Salem: Live,” a special four-hour live ghost investigation in one of the nation’s most haunted cities: Salem, Massachusetts.

MOST TERRIFYING PLACES: six episodes, each highlighting a different location.

THE HOLZER FILES: a team investigates hauntings discovered from the recently discovered case files of America’s first ghost hunter, Dr. Hans Holzer

This is just the tip of the iceberg, there are quite a few other shows scheduled to premiere the rest of this month!

Are you a fan of spooky television series? Which is your favorite?!

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Review: A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill

Posted on October 4, 2019 by Jenn

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun HamillA Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill
Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group on September 17, 2019
Genres: Dark Fantasy, Family Life, Fantasy, Fiction, General, Horror
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Source: the publisher
"I started collecting my older sister Eunice’s suicide notes when I was seven years old.”

Noah Turner grows up in the shadow of his father's death.  His father, Henry, was obsessed pulp fiction horror tales.  His obsession lead him to create a House of Horrors in the family backyard. He was so obsessed with this idea that he ignored the tumor that grew in his brain, causing his behavior to change.  The family haunted house does lead to a family business that provides for the family financially for many years following his father's death, but with it comes loss.  A daughter goes missing, another retreating emotionally, stability only gained with antidepressants.

Without a father and much of a strong family structure to support him, Noah is lonely.  Then one evening, a scratching at the window introduces him to a creature that should defy belief.  Soon, though, a friendship is forged, one that continues to adulthood and develops into something much more.  Our world is not without monsters, those that come from another existence that isn't too far from our very own.

Egads, this book! I often tell people that one of the many reasons I adore horror fiction, for it really makes you think!  This is no exception, but perhaps one of the best examples! Hamill excels at crafting a truly remarkable story-line, one that will thrill those of us who are fans of greats like Lovecraft.  Though it has similarities to Loftcraftian fiction, it is wholly unique and completely and totally mesmerizing.  You are spooked one moment and the very next you are pausing to contemplate and examine what you’ve just read.

Though the obvious chill factor comes from the monsters that Hamill has crafted, the haunting feeling continues in the relationships he’s crafted.  Noah’s relationship with his sister, Eunice (the one member of the family with whom he has a strong connection) is completely heartwarming.  This balance of family intermixed the chilling world of monsters is done so eloquently, one of the many things I enjoyed about this read.

“If John Irving ever wrote a horror novel, it would be something like this. I loved it.” —Stephen King

The great Stephen King says it best; I couldn’t come up with a better comparison.  Whether you read horror or not, this is a Fall read you don’t want to miss out on.  Highly, highly recommended.

 

Posted in Murders, Monsters, & Mayhem | 1 Comment

Review: The Remaking by Clay Chapman #murdermonstersmayhem

Posted on October 2, 2019 by Jenn

I received this book for free from the publisher (egalley) in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: The Remaking by Clay Chapman #murdermonstersmayhemThe Remaking by Clay McLeod Chapman
Also by this author: Ghost Eaters
Published by Quirk Books on October 8th 2019
Genres: Fiction, Horror, Occult & Supernatural, Supernatural, Thrillers
Pages: 304
Source: the publisher (egalley)
Ella Louise attempts to live a quiet and remote life in the woods outside of Pilot’s Creek, Virginia.  Expelled by her family, her only companion is her daughter, Jessica.  The identity of Jessica's father is unknown, but the townspeople have their own suspicions.  Residents seek Ella out secretly when they have an ailment that only she can treat.  When a prominent resident dies, Ella is accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake.  Unwilling to leave her, Jessica joins her mother at the stake and the two die together, arms wrapped one another, in the middle of the night.

The site of Ella's burial is a mystery but her daughter's cannot be missed.  The townspeople feared that Jessica may, in fact, be more dangerous than her mother, so she is interred in a steel-reinforced coffin surrounded by a fence of white crosses.

Their story becomes an urban legend, a story told at a campfire by a young man plagued by sightings of Jessica when he was a child.  That man grows up and in the ’70s produces a horror movie inspired by the Witch Girl of Pilot’s Creek. Amber Pendleton, a yet unknown young actress, is cast in the role of Jessica. What transpires on the set of that infamous film ruins her life, and she is forever typecast as young Jessica.

Twenty years later, an attempt to remake the movie brings Amber back to Pilot's Creek. This time, however, the consequences of her role are unforgettable.  Years pass, and an investigator tracks her down to interview her for his popular podcast. Will this reunion restore her lost reputation, or will this perpetual cycle horror continue?

I’ve been pining for this book since I read about it earlier this year.  I don’t need to tell you how obsessed I am with classic horror movies so this was just what I needed to read to get me in the Halloween spirit! I devoured it in one afternoon of reading, something I haven’t treated myself to in some time.

Chapman picks up the very thing about horror movies (and fiction!) that I adore; the feeling of inescapable horror, an evil that persists through time.  The horror that is told around campfires, that is kept alive through word of mouth. He didn’t do it by using an excessive amount of gore that more modern “horror” evokes, but instead focused on the very thing about horror that terrorizes us most.

Also, rather than hiding in the guise of a thriller, Chapman and his publisher (Quirk Books) embrace the very aspects of horror that we must celebrate.  He evokes a feeling of a young Stephen King (yes I did go there) and leaves me hoping that he continues on this path of horror fiction.  A true talent, one that we’ll all be pronouncing as a horror great as we follow him on that dark and haunting path.  Highly, highly recommended.

 

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Review: Before The Devil Fell by Neil Olson #murdermonstersmayhem

Posted on October 1, 2019 by Jenn

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Before The Devil Fell by Neil Olson #murdermonstersmayhemBefore the Devil Fell by Neil Olson
Published by Harlequin Enterprises, Limited on October 8, 2019
Genres: Horror, Literary, Thrillers
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Source: the publisher
Will Connor hasn't been home since high school, but his injured mother beckons for him to return.  The small village, just north of Boston, is full of horrific memories of mysterious deaths.  Will thought by removing himself from his home would put an end to it all, but it hasn't.  And when he returns, the incidents pick up in pace.

When he was young, his parents truly embraced the New Age movement.  His home was the frequent setting of spirit circles.  The one that is most horrific, the one that he has limited memories of, resulted in the death of a close friend.  He thought this loss put an end to the "meetings" and that it was all a passing fad, but they continue.

There's a reason that darkness seems to follow him.  The spirit circles his parents hosted weren't a passing fad, but something intrinsic and built in to the village's sordid history, tying back to long traditions of New England witchcraft.

He must put an end to it all, to close the doors that were left open.  Unfortunately, there are some individuals who will stop at nothing to keep those secrets buried.

I thought I’d ease in to this round of Murder, Monsters & Mayhem with some light horror.  Though the publisher has categorized t his as thriller, I’m thinking that anything that involves ritualistic deaths is automatically declared horror…but don’t get me started on that.

Overall, this title was a great start to the horror season.  It’s low on my spooky-meter, so perfect for those who just want a touch of horror.  Olson did a great job of using the small New England village setting to add to the chilling atmosphere of the book. I certainly wasn’t sure what I was going into when I started, but at the end, I found it to be an entertaining read that put me in the mood for the Halloween season.  Recommended!

There’s still time to sigh up to participate in Murder, Monsters & Mayhem!

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2019 Murder Monsters & Mayhem Kick-Off!

Posted on September 30, 2019 by Jenn

Tomorrow is  October 1st or, as I like to call it, the first day of Halloween!  We still haven’t quite reached Fall temps here yet (record highs in the 90s are predicted this week) so getting in the spirit of Fall has been a bit of a challenge!

Anyone who has followed this blog for any significant period of time understand just how much I love Halloween (and Fall in general)! To celebrate my obsession with the macabre, each year I host a month long feature in October called Murder, Monsters & Mayhem (#murdermonstersmayhem). For the entire month, I’ll be sharing some horror/thriller/mystery suspense titles that gave me the chills!

I’ll officially kick off with the first review post tomorrow, but wanted to start the link-up for others reading spooktacular books this month!

Stay tuned for more….and keep your lights on!


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Announcing 2019 Murder, Monsters & Mayhem!

Posted on September 24, 2019 by Jenn

It’s almost that time of year again! October, the most wonderful month of the year for horror-loving fans!

Anyone who has followed this blog for any significant period of time understand just how much I love Halloween (and Fall in general)! To celebrate my obsession with the macabre, each year I host a month long feature in October called Murder, Monsters & Mayhem (#murdermonstersmayhem). For the entire month, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite horror and thriller titles, both new and old.

Want to participate alongside me? Feel free to include your sign up link below or, if you don’t have a blog, just mention your interest in participating in the comments below.  Your sign-up post can be simple, just indicate you are participating, maybe mention a few books you look forward to reading!

At the start of Murder, Monsters & Mayhem (October 1) I will post a link-up post so everyone can see what spooky books other participants are reading! Also, I’ll have some giveaways for participants throughout the month!


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2019 Murder, Monsters & Mayhem: Seeking Guest Posts!

Posted on August 30, 2019 by Jenn

Kick-off for Murder, Monsters & Mayhem is just a month away!  I’m pulling together a host of great titles I’ll be reviewing in the horror or thriller categories!

Horror and thriller lovers! I need  your help! Want to submit a guest post to run in October? Simply fill out the form below or email me at jennsbookshelf@gmail with your post idea!  It can be anything horror/thriller related, and can be on not only books, but movies, podcast, television series and more. I’m pretty open to suggestions! If you’d like to host a giveaway as part of your guest post, be sure to include that detail as well!

I’ll start reviewing submissions and get back to you with a posting date in the next few weeks. If you have a preferred date, include it in your email!

Many thanks…and here’s to another year of horror-iffic reads!

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Readers Imbibing Peril (RIP) XIV!

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Jenn

RIP14It’s my favorite time of year! For me, Fall doesn’t kick off after Labor Day, but instead when Readers Imbibing Peril (affectionately known as RIP!) begins!

Here’s a little bit about this challenge:

The purpose of the R.I.P. Challenge is to enjoy books that could be classified as:

Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.
The emphasis is never on the word challenge, instead it is about coming together as a community and embracing the autumnal mood, whether the weather is cooperative where you live or not.

The goals are simple. 

1. Have fun reading.

2. Share that fun with others.

What makes this perfect is that it’s a lead-in to my very own Halloween blog feature, Murder, Monsters & Mayhem! You’ll hear more about this in the next few days!

I won’t share my list of books yet (it’s pretty insane) but will instead be sharing books here and on my Instagram. If you don’t follow there yet, do so now!

Posted in RIP | 3 Comments

Review: Middlegame by Seanan McGuire

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Jenn
Review: Middlegame by Seanan McGuireMiddlegame by Seanan McGuire
Published by Tom Doherty Associates on May 7, 2019
Genres: Action & Adventure, Contemporary, Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction
Pages: 528
Format: Audiobook
Roger is a brilliant child; sending him to his room for the rare punishment is something he looks forward to. He adores reading dictionaries and books about various languages.  He struggles to find good friends that can appreciate his brilliance, however. Until one afternoon when the voice pops in his head.

Dodger is obsessed with math. Her whole perception of the world involves math and the equations that predict things.  She, too, is a social outcast; she'd much rather spend her free time working out complex, seemingly unsolvable equations.

Roger and Dodger have never met (or so they think).  Separated at birth, they are twins brought to life in a laboratory.  They aren't average humans, yet beings so close to gods, cultivated to ascend to a higher power by an alchemist named Reed.  They are but one in a series of sets of twins created for this very purpose, but the only ones raised separately yet managing to connect mentally despite the obstacles placed in their way.

Dodger's advance mathematical skills give her the power to alter time.  Roger's obsession with language allows him to see how the power of story controls everything. Like the other twins before them, they complement one another. Combined, they are unstoppable. It is up to them to determine just how to wield this power.  There are many obstacles in their path, including the very individual who created them.  Restrained and in control of their abilities, they can change the world.  If they lose this control, they may very well destroy the world.

Strange premise, yes.  Honestly, I don’t think I’ve read anything like this, and that is what makes this book so tremendous.  McGuire consistently takes her readers on whirlwind ride in her books, forcing them to suspend disbelief and put trust in her skills, for she will undoubtedly take you places you’ve never been before.

I was completely immersed in this audiobook within a first few minutes of listening.  I was initially captivated by the cover. A hand candle? Tell me more!  McGuire crafted such complex, yet simultaneously engaging and genuine characters in Roger and Dodger.  She doesn’t throw all of this complex world developing/shifting/altering stuff at you at once, but instead allows you to become invested in the characters before doing so.  I appreciated following Roger and Dodger from adolescence into young adulthood.  What started out as a “simple” twin communication, however, developed in to so much more. McGuire was able to present this all in a way that seemed so natural, allowing it to build up and flow into the next phase of their development.  When they peaked, she let loose and everything shifted into a complete  “I can’t even comprehend what is happening but I can’t stop reading” moment.

McGuire is one of those authors who takes your mind places you never thought were possible.  That she does it so effortlessly is a true example of her superior talent.

All in all, this was a completely mesmerizing read, one that I honestly can’t stop thinking about.  Highly, highly recommended.

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