Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
⭐⭐⭐⭐

In Ring Shout, P. Djeli Clark reimagines the history books and writes an alternative world where the Ku Klux Klan consists of more than just hateful white people. Ku Kluxes are Klan members possessed by demons who are feeding off of the hate that they spew. Maryse and her friends are resistance fighters, monster hunters, and badass women who make it their goal to eradicate every single Ku Klux in existence. With the help of a sword gifted by some unknown higher power, Maryse slashes through these evil creatures in the hopes of building a safer, brighter tomorrow. 

This book was awesome! It is an amalgamation of historical fiction, science fiction, horror, and fantasy. I loved how wild this story was, from start to end, and how effortlessly P. Djeli Clark kept the book historically accurate. This is a short book, more of a novella I guess, but somehow it was well-rounded, fully formed, and fast paced! There are no plot holes, no lags, and you get all of the backstory, character development, and details that you would expect from a much longer story. 

I was also impressed with how imaginative the creatures in the story are. They are unique and creepy, and it was so much fun to envision all of the action and gore! Each character has a distinct voice and history, and they all add something really unique to the narrative. Maryse was also an awesome main character! She's conflicted, flawed, and human, but she's also determined, focused, and her character development was one of my favorite parts of this book.

Overall, I highly recommend Ring Shout! It's fun and gory, but it's also about a really important time in our history and unfortunately, a lot of the issues raised in the story are still prevalent today. This little book packs a huge punch and I would love to see this turned into a movie. Also - strong, independent, badass female main characters - of course I loved this! If you enjoy horror, historical fiction, or fantasy, definitely give this one a try!!

This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno

This Thing Between Us 
by Gus Moreno
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thiago has just lost his wife Vera in a terrible accident. Everyone believes that it was just a random tragedy, but Thiago is of a different opinion. Before Vera's death, the couple purchased the Itza, a smart speaker, and very quickly afterward, started to experience some extremely strange and haunting things. Thiago knows deep down that the Itza is related to Vera's death - he just doesn't know how... yet.

This Thing Between Us is a meditation on grief, a horror story, a discussion on race and identity, and an interesting take on the relationship we form with the technology surrounding us. The story begins with Vera's funeral and the book actually reads like a letter that Thiago is writing to his deceased wife. 

This is honestly one of the more unique books I've read this year and I LOVED it. There are so many elements to this story, and it very easily could've felt aimless, but Gus Moreno did an exemplary job giving this story direction and purpose. I loved how honest Thiago's grief is and how strong his love for Vera is. 

This Thing Between Us is definitely a horror novel but determining what kind of horror this is - it's pretty difficult. More than anything, this story is about a haunting. The type of haunting is definitely up to interpretation, though (is it ghosts? demons? PTSD? lost love? who knows!). This is a slow build of a story, and it has proven to be pretty divisive amongst readers. I personally thought it was eerie, creepy as hell, and profoundly cathartic. It really left its mark on me!

If you are open to more experimental books, this one is really intriguing, thought-provoking, and haunting. It moved me in a million different ways. Gus Moreno is for sure an author that I will be following and I'm eager to see what else he comes up with in the future!

We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix

We Sold Our Souls
by Grady Hendrix
⭐⭐

Kris Pulaski wasn't always a failed, washed-up, wannabe rockstar in her 40s working at a motel to make the ends of her miserable life meet. She was once a badass guitar player for a band named Durt Wurk... at least she was before her bandmate Terry Hunt sold out and went solo, leaving his ex-bandmates to fall in his shadow. One day, Kris is driving home when she sees a billboard sign promoting Terry's post-retirement concert, and she instantly knows that he must be stopped. As she contacts her ex-bandmates, Kris stumbles upon a conspiracy theory that may just be true - Terry isn't who he says he is. There's also killer UPS men and demon creatures and lots of metalhead trivia. 

As a metalhead myself, I wanted to love this book. I was really appreciative of the fact that our main character is a middle-aged woman and was excited to follow her on her journey of kicking men's asses. Unfortunately, that didn't really happen. Actually... nothing really happened. The concept of the plot was strong, but it was executed poorly in my opinion. It was so loosely tied together, and the most interesting parts of the story were completely brushed aside. There was close to no characterization, and there is also barely any exploration into the relationships between Durt Wurk's members. Kris was the only female in an all-male metal band - to go deeper into that dynamic would have been interesting, especially as she was the creative force behind the music. 

There were cool aspects of this story but it mostly all fell flat. There was a total of three months in the book that were completely cut out of Kris' journey to reach Terry Hunt. This was like a story where things just happen for the hell of it, with no real explanations or storytelling whatsoever. The ending is bizarre and rushed. Between each chapter are radio show snippets and they were completely unneeded. They were mostly pointless - not adding humor or knowledge that was needed for the story. It really seemed more like an attempt to make the book look longer than it really is. 

I was honestly so disappointed in this story and I wanted a lot more from the plot and characters. This is unfortunately another example of a great idea executed poorly. I really think that with a little more time and effort, this could have been something special. With that said, this is just my personal opinion! If the story interests you, definitely give it a try!

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey
⭐⭐

Upon finishing Just Like Home, I felt really conflicted. I couldn't decide if I liked it or not. It took me a few days to gather my thoughts but I'm confident about my feelings now. 

Vera is the daughter of a notorious serial killer and has spent most of her life running from the past, her hometown, and her mother, Daphne. When Daphne calls Vera, after a very long estrangement, to tell her that she is dying and needs her daughter by her side, Vera decides to face her demons and return home - to the house her father built and where he murdered his victims. Just Like Home is the story of Vera's childhood, her family, her past, and what happens when she comes face to face with what she's been running away from for so long.

This book had amazing potential. Everything about the story was interesting and it had a Sharp Objects vibe to it that I was so excited about! I think it's safe to say that it didn't quite live up to that expectation. This is one of those books where the themes and the plot are spectacular but the writing and ending totally dropped the ball.

There are many positive aspects to Just Like Home - it's an interesting family dynamic, the prose throughout was great, and I personally really liked the deeper insights into Vera's background through the chapters taking place throughout her childhood. Where it fell short were the characters - there are only four characters in this book, and they were mostly one dimensional - no development or evolution takes place for them. The whole story, from the dialogue to Vera's thoughts to the descriptions, was extremely repetitive. I believe the author's purpose was to show how the past is constantly pressing into Vera, how she's being haunted by her father and the memories of the house. Despite that, I don't think it was successful and this book would probably be 100 pages less if we weren't constantly reminded that Vera's dad built the damn house.

You also feel like you're on the verge of something happening, but - surprise! - nothing happens. The twist at the end was a little out there, too, and not in a good way. With all of that said, however, I did really like how the past was always creeping into Vera's present, and I found the relationship between her parents super interesting. 

Overall, I really would not recommend this one. It's not atrociously terrible, but it lacks the emotional and psychological depth that really could've made this story special. The themes were strong, but unfortunately, the writing wasn't. In place of this book, I would recommend Sharp Objects instead!

Man Made Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers

Man Made Monsters
by Andrea L. Rogers
⭐⭐⭐

Man Made Monsters is a really unique short horror story collection. It follows multiple generations belonging to one Cherokee family, beginning in the 1800s and continuing into our present time and future.  Each story contains its own horror element - from vampires, to aliens, to zombies - as well as discussing real life horrors, like colonialism, school shootings, and domestic violence. 

I really wanted to love this collection more than I did. That's not to say I didn't like it, because honestly, I liked most of the stories! I found the thread of family, love, and culture at the heart of this collection really powerful, and each story was one of a kind whilst still loosely connecting to the tales that came before and after. My main criticism is that, though entertaining and thought provoking, the stories themselves were very short. For me personally, I couldn't connect emotionally with many of the characters because we only spend tiny windows of time with them. I would've enjoyed more characterization with fully fleshed out thoughts and feelings - I just felt like many of the characters lacked the kind of emotional depth that I really adore.

I was also excited by the Cherokee/Native element of these stories - I had hoped for some Native folklore and/or mythology, but most of the horror in this collection is more along the lines of classic. With that said, however, I really liked the twists that Andrea L. Rogers' put on the stories we know so well. Also, politically speaking, Man Made Monsters hit the nail on the head and did an astounding job showcasing how normalized things like cultural destruction, child abuse, and sexual abuse has become in our world.

I also loved how many strong females are in this collection, as well as how connected the beginning story and the final story is. Overall, I liked Man Made Monsters and would recommend it to anyone who likes horror but who might also like delving into topics such as generational trauma and racial politics. I wanted a bit more from these stories, but I still really enjoyed reading them!

Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
⭐⭐⭐⭐

In Nightbitch, we meet an unnamed woman whose life is thrown upside down when she awakens to discover that she is seemingly morphing into a dog. As the transformation takes place, we witness her struggle to maintain her motherhood, marriage, and beast-hood all at once.

Nightbitch is a book about dissatisfaction with life, sacrificing oneself for love, the trials of motherhood, the complexities of marriage, and the freedom that comes with transforming into a wild-ass dog. This book was brilliant. Though the subject matter is very literal, the overall metaphor of becoming a dog is an astoundingly accurate and profound metaphor for the changes that take place throughout a woman's life.

The messages in Nightbitch are powerful, feminist, comforting, and funny as hell. This book focuses on the changes, expectations, and responsibilities forced onto a woman's shoulders as she becomes a mother, but it's also about finding yourself, following your heart, and finding your purpose in life. My only criticism for this book is the animal cruelty. While I was reading, I understood why the author felt it was necessary to include it, but I read an interview where she said herself that it's an aspect of the story that she somewhat regrets. I am very sensitive to animal cruelty, so those parts of the book were not my favorite. 

Honestly, I would love to recommend this to any woman who is already a mother, or who is hoping/planning to become one in the future, but I know this book wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. So instead, I will recommend this one to any horror lovers because Nightbitch is extremely unique and though it's about turning into a dog, the story itself is a very human story and I really, really loved it. 

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

-Trigger Warnings- sexual assault, incest, infanticide 

Mexican Gothic by 
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
⭐⭐⭐

In Mexican Gothic, we first meet our socialite main character Noemi when her father receives letters in the mail from her cousin, claiming that her new husband is poisoning her, and she needs help. Noemi is sent to the estate of which her cousin's new family owns, determined to get to the truth of the situation. Noemi's journey leads her to unveil something much more sinister than she ever could have imagined upon her arrival at the estate.

My opinion might be on the more unpopular side because so many people just absolutely loved this book! It just didn't do it for me, honestly. I loved Noemi and how strong of a female lead she is, as well as her determination throughout the story, but all the characters seemed so one dimensional. They all felt more like a means to an end than real characters who have roles in the narrative.  The pacing of the book was a little off to me as well. It starts rather slowly and then by the middle of the story, everything is revealed to you. And the ending - it was rushed and fell very flat for me. 

The actual story that is at the heart of this book is super unique and creepy, but it just wasn't enough to carry the rest of the book, in my opinion. I gave Mexican Gothic three stars because I genuinely like how twisted Silvia Moreno-Garcia's mind is, and I'm very interested in reading her other works. Overall, Mexican Gothic was neither terrible nor amazing, it was honestly just decent. I wish it had left more of a mark but sometimes books just don't work for me! I definitely don't regret reading it though, so that's a good thing! 

 

The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling

The Death of Jane Lawrence
by Caitlin Starling
⭐⭐⭐

Jane Shoringfield is a strong, intelligent, business-minded woman who decides that the most reliable path forward in her life would be to choose a likeminded man to marry out of convenience. Enter Augustine Lawrence - a dashing, yet reclusive doctor who just so happens to meet every one of Jane's requirements. Very quickly, both Jane and Augustine discover a true romance igniting between them. They get married under one condition - Jane must never set foot in Augustine's family estate, Lindridge Hall. As fate would have it, Jane befalls a carriage accident and has no choice but to go to Lindridge Hall for help. Upon arriving, Jane finds her husband a paranoid shell of the man she knows. Jane makes it her mission to unveil what exactly is haunting Augustine in Lindridge Hall. 

The Death of Jane Lawrence is an amazing example of Gothic Horror. From the very beginning, I was sucked into this story and found myself falling in love with the love shared between Jane and Augustine. There were a few parts of the story that were repetitive and/or slow, but the suspense more than made up for it. I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending, but it was an unpredictable twist and I really appreciated that!

I thought the Gothic setting and mixture of magic, spirits, and mystery made this a fun horror story perfect for this time of year! I also thought that Jane was an awesome main character! Determined, strong willed, intelligent, and stubborn, Jane is a force to be reckoned with! Overall, I gave this book 3 stars! I definitely enjoyed it, and it's a very interesting ghost story! 

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

 *Trigger Warnings* rape, abortion, molestation, sexual assault, themes of death, gore

My Heart Is a Chainsaw
by Stephen Graham Jones
⭐⭐⭐

In this story, we meet Jade - a slasher-obsessed 17 year old who is almost positive that a real-life slasher has come to her small hometown. She's an outcast though, the black sheep of the town, and everyone is pretty sure she's just delusional (or a little crazy). The moral of the story? Always listen to teenage girls. My Heart Is a Chainsaw is one of the most unique books I've read this year!

First and foremost, this book defies all genres. It's a mixture of horror, slasher, and thriller all while simultaneously being a revenge AND a "coming of age" story. I found my feelings about this book constantly changing! At multiple points in this story, I had to stop and reevaluate my opinions - originally, I thought Jade was a terrible main character. I thought she was immature and that there was no way I could read an entire book with her... but I did! And I'm glad I did! Jade's character development was so worth it!

Stephen Graham Jones commented on a lot of social issues in this book - racism, misogyny, sexual assault, capitalism, colonialism, small town America, gentrification - and he did so with such ease that it blew my mind! The gore aspect of this story is also really fun, although one of my criticisms is that the slicin' and dicin' takes a very long time to begin! 

I liked this book a lot more than I thought I was going to! I liked the character development, the gore, the political awareness, and the twist at the end! I wish the story was a bit more fun though, but I can totally see why so many people love this book! I'm very eager to see what the sequel will be like! I definitely recommend My Heart Is a Chainsaw if you enjoy thrillers/slashers!

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

The Southern Book Club's
Guide to Slaying Vampires
by Grady Hendrix
⭐⭐

This was such a great concept and I had really high hopes of loving this book. Unfortunately, it just didn't work out that way.

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires follows the story of Patricia, a middle-aged house wife, as she discovers a ghastly monster living and feeding off of her quaint, suburban neighborhood. Out of pure desperation, she enlists the help of her book club - consisting of all the housewives that live in the neighborhood - to defeat this ghoul.

Most of this book consists of Patricia trying to convince her friends that she isn't crazy. There was so much wasted time in this book because it was like every chapter was the main character trying to prove that the monster and the threat he poses is real! It gets extremely repetitive and boring pretty quickly. I also felt like there would be more humor in this book, which is typical of Grady Hendrix, but it didn't really have much of that, either. The actual vampire wasn't very intimidating and I feel like this book could have been a bit darker and more gruesome. Patricia is also quite the White Savior in this story, which was totally unnecessary. 

There were some things that I did like, though, like the cast of women in the story and how diverse they were. I also thought that Grady Hendrix's portrayal of the relationships between these housewives and their husbands was a very nice touch. 

Overall, I would suggest skipping this one. It wasn't terrible, but it felt a little pointless upon completing it. Grady Hendrix is a great author though, and I'd absolutely recommend The Final Girl Support Group.

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

The Final Girl Support Group
by Grady Hendrix
⭐⭐⭐⭐

In The Final Girl Support Group, we meet Lynette - a Final Girl whose real life horror story has made her live her life in lockdown, cutting out all relationships and refusing to leave her apartment, except to attend the Final Girl Support Group (which is exactly what it sounds like). Every week, every Final Girl (women who are the sole survivors of a mass murderer) gets together to work through their past trauma in a therapy setting… until one day, one of the girls doesn’t show up, and each woman seems to be targeted by a mystery threat. 

I loved this book. Each character has a unique personality, voice, and response to trauma. It is very rare for a book to have a large cast of characters that don’t bleed into one another. Grady Hendrix did an impeccable job building these characters in a realistic and totally believable way. I also loved how funny the story was. There were no laugh out louds or punchlines, it was more of a social ineptitude that caused many snorts of mini laughter. I just loved Lynette and her inability to interact with any other human in a somewhat normal capacity. She is a pretty unreliable narrator, which also adds a fun twist to this story. Due to her trauma and PTSD, she fears and distrusts every person she comes into contact with, so you’re really as confused as Lynette is throughout this entire story. 

Generally, the story moves fast - it’s a page turner for sure. The twists are great and the effort that Grady Hendrix puts into world building and fabricating things like newspaper excerpts, movie reviews, and Final Girl interviews really adds to the story and makes it even more enjoyable. 

I would have given this book five stars but its ending was rushed and felt a bit unsatisfying. The ending wasn’t bad, it was quite good story-wise, but the climax at the end was too quickly pushed into a resolution. There was so much good about this book, so much that really stood out. I just wish the ending had been a little better. I still really enjoyed this book though and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of horror movies. This is definitely a story for you! 

Fairy Tale by Stephen King

Fairy Tale by Stephen King
⭐⭐⭐⭐

In Fairy Tale by Stephen King, we are introduced to Charlie, a seventeen year old whose mother died tragically when he was a young boy. To cope with such a monumental loss, Charlie's dad becomes a raging alcoholic. One day, Charlie asks God for a favor - if God can help his father with his sobriety, Charlie will do whatever God asks of him when the time comes. Years go by and when duty finally calls, it is in the shape of Mr. Bowditch, the neighborhood's grouchy old hermit, and his dog Radar. Meeting Mr. Bowditch triggers a domino effect in which Charlie is thrown into the adventure of a lifetime.

So Stephen King wrote his own twisted fairytale - and I loved almost every page of it! This is a portal story - almost all of Charlie's journey takes place in the "Other World," also known as Empis. The setting of Empis was pure magic; the world is filled with humans, giant bugs, royalty, and like any good fairytale - villains and monsters. Stephen King effortlessly combined horror and fantasy in this book!

As much as I loved Fairy Tale, there were a few things that brought this rating down from five stars to four. Firstly, the ending is very rushed. There's so much buildup and backstory but the ending just kind of... happens. Also, the epilogue genuinely made me mad. I don't think it should have been included at all. It totally made the rest of the story less impactful and detracted from my enjoyment of the tale overall. The story could have been even darker and a little longer as well, in my opinion.

The characters were the heart of this book and each one, even the villains, had their own charms. The characterization was amazing as per usual with Mr. King. Radar is literally the best fictional dog ever and Charlie is such a great main character.

There's so much more I could say but this review would be way too long! I absolutely adored Fairy Tale and I loved the time I spent in Empis with Charlie. I definitely recommend this book, but only if you're NOT new to Stephen King. I don't think this would be a good introduction to his body of work. Overall, this story was awesome!

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon is, in its own right, a coming of age story. We meet Vern freshly after her escape from Cainland - an all-Black cult focused on unlearning and undoing all of the colonization and violence of White Supremacy, both in the past and present. She is 15 years old and giving birth whilst hiding in a forest from a hunter known as the Fiend, whose orders are to drag her back to Cainland, dead or alive. We follow Vern’s journey from child, to mother, to refugee, and finally - to warrior. 

Sorrowland is a story unlike any I’ve ever experienced. It is brutal, romantic, violent, warm, and full of love. There is so much to unpack about this story. Sorrowland offers up so many takeaways regarding race, sexual identity, and gender norms. 

It was incredibly refreshing to read a story with these topics interwoven and spoken about with pure honesty. Rivers Solomon didn’t sugarcoat the very serious and real struggles that POC and LGBTQIA people face on a daily basis. Sorrowland sinks its teeth into these topics and it draws blood. There are so many themes of abuse in Vern’s story. Sometimes it is approached in a subtle manner and other times it’s right in your face, but what is most compelling is the influence of the violence that our systems/people in power commit daily against Black people, both metaphorically and literally. 

Vern’s story is one that left a mark on me. There are metaphysical moments scattered through this story, but it is indeed a real story that takes place in front of blind eyes every single day. This story is one of perseverance and strength. Rivers Solomon is a genius and their talent in storytelling is one I hope will continue to bless us in the future. Don’t ignore this gem of a novel! I highly recommend it!

Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives by Adam Cesare

Clown in a Cornfield 2:
Frendo Lives
by Adam Cesare
⭐⭐⭐

It is the one year anniversary of the Kettle Springs' Massacre and Quinn is finally adjusting to her new life as a trauma survivor. As is customary to most horror sequels, an anniversary is an invitation for all hell to break loose! Frendo lives - and a lot of people die.

This was a pretty successful sequel! I loved catching up with our cast of heroes - Quinn, Rust, Cole, and Quinn's father. Fast paced and a wild ride, I really enjoyed the changes that took place in this story compared to the first book. The new Frendos and their reasons to commit such murderous carnage was unique and creative! 

I definitely have a few criticisms however! The horror and slasher qualities of the first story didn't really exists in this sequel. I feel like the original story had more of a sense of humor about the dramatized gore - it knew exactly the kind of book it was. This time around, it seems like Adam Cesare took a more serious, realistic approach. This isn't a terrible thing, but I definitely missed that in this story. I also wasn't a fan of the character development throughout the story. I felt like some of the decisions made by certain characters didn't feel authentic to those characters. The ending was also rushed and predictable, although it was still enjoyable!

I adored the new characters we meet in Frendo Lives as well! Jerri in particular was one of the best parts of this book in my opinion! Overall, despite the few criticisms I have, I thought this sequel was fun and very politically aware. It was a page turner for sure and I had the best time reading it!

Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare

Clown in a Cornfield
by Adam Cesare
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Quinn is the new girl in town - a city girl who, after the death of her mother, is looking for a fresh start. She unknowingly falls into the cast of reckless, rebellious teens who are “ruining” the town of Kettle Springs. Oh. And there are clowns. And they’re murderous. Things begin going downhill very quickly. 

Clown In A Cornfield is a fantastic ride from beginning to end. I hope this is a book that gets made into a film - it would definitely be a fun one to see on the big screen! A really great aspect of this story is that practically every character is unlikeable. They are obnoxious, rude, and lack all common sense, however Adam Cesare is killer (no pun intended) at offering every character a redemption moment. Thanks to character development throughout this story, by the end, you really do begin to root for these characters. One of my favorite parts of this story is the relationship between Quinn and her father Glenn. It’s a realistic portrayal of a father/daughter relationship and I genuinely enjoyed those moments shared between them. 

I could go on and on reviewing this book but it all comes back to this: this is a great slasher. It takes place in small town America. It’s about a murderous clown. There is blood and gore. There’s not much more than that to be said! It was fun, it was suspenseful, and it was bloody! It moves very fast and is a page turner. If you enjoy horror films or slashers, please do yourself a favor and pick up this book. It’s so much fun!

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward by H.P. Lovecraft

 * TRIGGER WARNINGS * major themes of racism, misogyny, and gore

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward 
by H.P. Lovecraft
⭐⭐⭐⭐

H.P. Lovecraft is a legend but there are definitely some trigger warnings that are needed with almost all of his novels and stories (as stated above). Not only is there frequent misogyny, but Lovecraft was a well known and raging racist. Both of these themes can frequently be found throughout this book. Also, this story is about vampires, so gore is often mentioned as well. Please be aware of these warnings if ever you want to read this story!

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward was a very unique reimagining of the typical vampire story. Charles Dexter Ward is intelligent and has a very bright future, until he happens upon the story of one of his ancestors. This ancestor has an air of mystery and the rumors that surround his life are extremely disturbing - so much so, that most paperwork, letters, and any kind of files related to the existence of this ancestor have been completely destroyed. Charles falls deeply into a metaphorical pit of darkness, obsession, danger, and pure horror. 

In this story, Lovecraft weaves together a frightening and unique tale that holds your attention until the very end. Honestly, the main criticisms I have of this story is the misogyny and racism. It is so frequent in these pages and to put it simply - it was very unpleasant. 

This was a great horror novel and it was completely one of a kind, like most things that came from Lovecraft's mind. The descriptions were so vivid that I could literally almost smell this book. If you're interested in vampires or the twisted brain of Lovecraft, this is a really cool book that is worth reading!

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

 *TRIGGER WARNINGS* sexual assault, gore, death, themes of violence, child abuse, substance abuse

Her Body and Other Parties
by Carmen Maria Machado 
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Her Body and Other Parties is one of the best collections of short stories that I've ever read. Generally speaking, I'm not the biggest fan of short stories, but every so often I feel the urge to read a collection like this. To say that I enjoyed this book would be a massive understatement!

Her Body is every surrealist, horror obsessed feminist's fever dream. These stories bleed divine femme energy in the most amazing way, though there are definitely many trigger warnings that go alone with this book. 

At times cathartic, healing, powerful, disturbing, empowering, violent, subtle, loud, magical, unapologetic, and philosophical - these stories are so unique and refreshing. Not to mention the prose!! The prose in these pages was astounding and breathtaking, I annotated this book to death. 

Her Body and Other Parties is very dark and intense. It's not at all for the faint of heart. If you like fem lit, horror, or disturbing surrealism, this comes highly recommended from me! I've never read anything quite like this before and I loved every second of it!

The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry

The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry
⭐⭐

The Ghost Tree follows Lauren diMucci, a fourteen year old girl living in the small town of Smith's Hollow, as she struggles to maintain her friendships, survive her tumultuous relationship with her mother, and solve the gruesome murders of two teenage runaway girls. Oh! And her hormones - aren't they the worst?

This book is a small town horror story and it was a really fun, easy read. It was pretty fast paced and the small town vibes added to the overall suspense of Lauren's journey. I also loved the setting of the 1980s and all of the references to the decade's culture. 

The horror aspects were fun and gory - VERY gory actually. I rated this book 2 stars for a few reasons, though. There are many characters but they are somewhat generic and there's no real character development outside of Lauren and her mother. There is also magic and witches in this story but it just wasn't enough! It's referenced all throughout the book and though it plays somewhat of a role in the lore of the town, it just wasn't magical or witchy enough in my opinion. I mean, if you're going to go witchy with it, go full force! Smother me in cauldrons, bunny feet, and floating feathers please! 

There are positive aspects of this story too, though! The tension and suspense is solid throughout the book, and Lauren's relationships with the people around her are multidimensional and realistic. I feel like this should be marketed as a YA book, despite the more mature themes. It kind of toes the line in that regard but I think this would be a great introduction to horror for teenagers. 

I really enjoyed the ideas in this book, but I feel like generally, everything could have been pushed a bit further. The ending is also rushed and not entirely satisfying in my opinion. With all of that said, however, if ever there was a sequel, I would be totally down to read it. Overall, this was a fun read and I enjoyed my time in Smith's Hollow, even if I didn't give the book the highest rating!

The Institute by Stephen King

The Institute by Stephen King
⭐⭐⭐⭐

In The Institute by Stephen King, we meet Luke Ellis, a 12 year old genius already planning to begin college. Luke is special in another way as well - referred to as a TK by the Institute, Luke also has telekinetic abilities that, although minimal, puts him on the Institute's radar. One morning, Luke wakes up in a bedroom that is nearly identical to his at home. As he explores his new environment, he meets other children of varying ages who are also TKs or TPs (children with telepathic abilities). The Institute conducts awful experiments on the children, though the children don't know why - yet. Luke's life changes drastically and thus his journey of surviving the Institute begins. 

The Institute was a great read - I enjoyed it so much! The story contained a plethora of themes ranging from coming of age (a favorite of King's), institutionalism, government conspiracies, to the strength children find to endure and survive. All of these topics were explored beautifully.

By far, the children are the best part of this story. Forced into such a traumatic and violent situation, we follow these kids' character development from innocent rascals to war worn veterans, hollowed out and left to wither away in the depths of the Institute. It's painful but meaningful and sheds light on the children that our society fails when they are placed in an institution where the powers that be view them as a herd and not as individuals. 

The kids' relationships with one another in this story is one of the best parts of the book. They love and protect each other despite the horrors they are all facing, time and time again. The children are the heart of this story and I don't think I would have enjoyed it much at all if it weren't for them. 

I've been reading books with rushed endings lately and I just can't get away from them! The Institute would've been 5 stars instead of 4 if the ending wasn't so abrupt. The whole book is detailed and well paced, so the ending being so quick was disappointing. Otherwise, I was satisfied with the conclusion that takes place in the final pages. 

Overall, I love Stephen King and The Institute is another book to add to my list of favorites by him. I highly recommend it if you enjoy fantasy and horror!