Trad Wife

Trad Wife

by Saratoga Schaefer

Blurb:

Every #tradwife needs a baby. She’ll get one at any cost.

When Camille Deming isn’t cooking, cleaning, or homesteading in her picture-perfect country farmhouse, she’s posting about her tradwife lifestyle for her online followers. She takes inspiration from other tradwives on social media, aspiring to be like them, but Camille’s missing a key component: a baby. And contrary to what she posts online, things with her husband Graham have been strained. Pressured by her eager followers, Camille fears that without a baby, her relationship will suffer and her social media will never grow out of its infancy.

When Camille discovers a mysterious, decrepit well in the wheatfield behind her house, she makes a wish for a baby. Afterwards, she has unsettling experiences that she convinces herself are angelic in nature, and when she’s visited one night by a strange creature, her wish comes true. 

Camille’s pregnancy announcement gets more engagement than anything she’s ever posted—so what if Graham’s reaction is lukewarm? Camille’s life is finally falling into place. Never mind that her pregnancy is developing freakishly rapidly and she’s suddenly craving raw meat. Being a traditional wife is worth it.

Rosemary’s Baby for the digital age, this disturbing horror novel is one you’ll want to devour in just one bite.

My Reaction:

I saw this recommended on YouTube, heard the comparison to Rosemary's Baby, and didn't really bother looking into it any further before starting. 

I have no desire to go through all the reasons this didn't hold a candle to Rosemary's Baby, but you can browse other negative reviews on Goodreads to get the gist, if you care. To put it briefly, it can't seem to decide what kind of book it wants to be—the body horror is just gross and often unnecessary (though I accept that some people enjoy body horror, so... whatever... but this is my review, and I don't like it at this level)—it's far too repetitive and dragged-out, which makes it boring at many times (and I don't think it was intentionally so)—the "message" is muddled and contradictory—the husband character is lacking any hint of subtlety, a caricaturized selfish "tradhusband"—the main-character wife supposedly has a bright, scientific mind, yet she somehow didn't know about male infertility and is stunningly slow on the up-take at times—and to top it all off, the course of the plot is completely predictable, once it gets rolling.  (Well, I guess I went into my reasons for disliking this, after all...)

If I had only seen the "acknowledgements" section before starting the book—or, heck, even the "they/them" pronouns for the author in the Goodreads bio (and the back of the book)—I may have understood that this wouldn't be a book for me.  To be fair, finding the term "pregnant people" (as opposed to, you know, "women", who are the only type of people who can get pregnant) was a pretty strong clue, earlier in the book. 

Here, let me just share the opening of the "Acknowledgements":  "The rise of tradwives is a symptom of society's larger, more persistent issues. Capitalism, racism, sexism, etc., have created a culture that can twist things as simple as aesthetics and farm living into something far more insidious.  Zen Buddhists say the only way out is through. I believe the only way out is to devour. Let's consume, transform, and in that way, resist."  

...Okay, then.  

I don't really know enough about it to have much of an opinion on the whole "tradwife" thing. If some women want to live a more traditional life, I don't see an issue with that, though for the ones obsessed with posting it all online, it does feel... performative, to put it mildly.  I doubt many women honestly consider themselves part of the movement (is it a movement?), and if anything, I suspect it's fading in popularity. Just another passing trend.  Some women will stick with the more traditional lifestyle, as some women always have. The ones who were in it for the clicks will drift back to something more mainstream (or chase whatever new fad catches their eye). The author obviously despises the tradwife lifestyle.  Alright, fair enough—but I'm not really clear on how she's linking it to capitalism and racism... Whatever.  I don't even care!

Bottom line: I just didn't enjoy it.

We Used to Live Here

We Used to Live Here

by Marcus Kliewer

Blurb:

As a young, queer couple who flip houses, Charlie and Eve can’t believe the killer deal they’ve just gotten on an old house in a picturesque neighborhood. As they’re working in the house one day, there’s a knock on the door. A man stands there with his family, claiming to have lived there years before and asking if it would be alright if he showed his kids around. People pleaser to a fault, Eve lets them in.

As soon as the strangers enter their home, inexplicable things start happening, including the family’s youngest child going missing and a ghostly presence materializing in the basement. Even more weird, the family can’t seem to take the hint that their visit should be over. And when Charlie suddenly vanishes, Eve slowly loses her grip on reality. Something is terribly wrong with the house and with the visiting family—or is Eve just imagining things?

My Reaction:

This is yet another horror book I've seen highly recommended, so I thought I'd give it a try.  So many other readers apparently found it terrifying and loved it, but for me it was just "okay".  The premise is great, but once you start to figure out what's going on (well, figure it out as much as anyone can, given that there are no definite answers), I found it a little disappointing.  That particular trope or style of horror has never been my favorite, and I can't reveal what it is without spoilers, so I'll leave it for now.  

The frequency of "oh no, religion" had me rolling my eyes, and apart from a few genuinely scary moments, I just wasn't feeling the terror.  Definitely not the scariest book I've ever read.  I think this might be one of those stories that works better as a movie than a novel—though I did enjoy the idea of the documents and the "hidden messages" doled out through the book.  (More about them in the spoilers section.) 

All in all, I enjoyed this novel well enough, but I also don't think it's as amazing as many others evidently do. I simply have too many unanswered questions. 

I struggle with rating this one, so I'm going straight down the middle of the road with 3 stars.

SPOILERS:

Okay, are the anti-spoilerites gone? 

Good.  

There are so many terrifying possibilities available, when the book starts with a family of strangers at the door—possibilities both paranormal in nature and completely within the realm of brutal reality.  What I wasn't expecting was a tale of "the old gods" toying with and mentally torturing hapless humans for no apparent reason except possibly their entertainment.  (Well, either that or Eve has lost her mind, and I don't think that's the conclusion we're supposed to settle on.)  

I think the paranormal can be incredibly frightening, when done right, but Lovecraftian horror generally isn't as effective for me as it seems to be for many other readers.  Maybe I just haven't found the right book, yet.  Yes, there are moments of this book that are scary, and the uncertainty is unsettling—but nothing in here kept me up at night or made me hesitate to walk down the hallway at night without switching on the light (as has been known to happen on occasion, with other books). 

Regarding the "hidden messages":  Maybe it's not exactly a hidden message when it's in the form of Morse code clearly visible at the end of chapters and random capitalized letters, but I'm not sure how else to describe them. I missed the wingdings messages completely and only read about them in another review.

The Babysitter Lives

The Babysitter Lives

by Stephen Graham Jones

Blurb:

When high school senior Charlotte agrees to babysit the Wilbanks twins, she plans to put the six-year-olds to bed early and spend a quiet night studying: the SATs are tomorrow, and checking the Native American/Alaskan Native box on all the forms won’t help if she chokes on test day. But tomorrow is also Halloween, and the twins are eager to show off their costumes.

Charlotte’s last babysitting gig almost ended in tragedy when her young charge sleepwalked unnoticed into the middle of the street, only to be found unharmed by Charlotte’s mother. Charlotte vows to be extra careful this time. But the house is filled with mysterious noises and secrets that only the twins understand, echoes of horrors that Charlotte gradually realizes took place in the house eleven years ago. Soon Charlotte has to admit that every babysitter’s worst nightmare has come true: they’re not alone in the house.

My Reaction:

I tried to keep an open mind, but this turned out to be another DNF.  The thought of picking it up to read was making me unhappy, and life is just too short to persist with books that you hate reading!  I read a few reviews to confirm that it wasn't just me, and after learning a couple of the things that came after I stopped, I'm glad I quit when I did.  This was not for me.  

I read the first part of the acknowledgements, and this phrase leapt out at me:  "I never have much idea where my stories are going..."  Yeah. I have to say, that doesn't come as a surprise, after this reading experience.

Incidents Around the House

Incidents Around the House

by Josh Malerman

Blurb:

To eight-year-old Bela, her family is her world. There’s Mommy, Daddo, and Grandma Ruth. But there is also Other Mommy, a malevolent entity who asks her every day: “Can I go inside your heart?”  

 

When horrifying incidents around the house signal that Other Mommy is growing tired of asking Bela the same question, over and over . . . Bela understands that unless she says yes, soon her family must pay. 

 

Other Mommy is getting restless, stronger, bolder. Only the bonds of family can keep Bela safe but other incidents show cracks in her parents' marriage. The safety Bela relies on is on the brink of unraveling.  

 

But Other Mommy needs an answer. 

 

My Reaction:

I guess I'm just an extremely picky reader.  Either that or I'm bad at selecting books—because it feels like it's nearly impossible to find a book that satisfies me, these days.  This is another one that was recommended by a horror booktuber.  After reading a couple of duds (or at least not roaring successes) suggested in her videos, I was skeptical of this one, from the start.  However, the beginning was actually intriguing, so I thought maybe I'd finally found one that I could agree was a good read.  

Alright, I wasn't crazy about the choice to leave out quotation marks.  I get that it's told from a child's perspective, but... so?  Why does that mean you don't need quotation marks?  Especially given that all the other punctuation is there.  Seems like laziness or a misguided attempt to be fresh and different.  But as I say, I got past that and was hopeful.  But then... It just got worse and worse.  By the end, I was very disappointed.  In between some genuinely creepy moments, it was a combination of the boring, the annoying, and the outright ridiculous—with a little confusion thrown in to make it even more irritating to read.  I would not recommend this to anyone I know.

Now I see that they're making a movie adaptation of this book.  Maybe they can improve upon it, or maybe it's better suited for the screen.  If I get the chance to see it streaming, I'll probably give it a try, but I wouldn't go to see it in a theater—not based on this reading experience.

I don't even feel like putting in the effort to list the reasons this book annoyed me.  Just read some other negative reviews; they probably cover most of it.  

Well, it may have been an underwhelming conclusion, but at least I no longer have to read more obnoxious psychobabble crap from "Mommy", "Daddo" (ow, another strain from extreme eye-rolling), Bela's grandmother, and every other adult in the book.  Phew!

The Silent Companions

The Silent Companions

by Laura Purcell

Blurb:

When newly widowed Elsie is sent to see out her pregnancy at her late husband's crumbling country estate, The Bridge, what greets her is far from the life of wealth and privilege she was expecting . . .

When Elsie married handsome young heir Rupert Bainbridge, she believed she was destined for a life of luxury. But with her husband dead just weeks after their marriage, her new servants resentful, and the local villagers actively hostile, Elsie has only her husband's awkward cousin for company. Or so she thinks. Inside her new home lies a locked door, beyond which is a painted wooden figure —a silent companion —-that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself. The residents of The Bridge are terrified of the figure, but Elsie tries to shrug this off as simple superstition--that is, until she notices the figure's eyes following her.

A Victorian ghost story that evokes a most unsettling kind of fear, this is a tale that creeps its way through the consciousness in ways you least expect--much like the silent companions themselves.

My Reaction:

Hm.  Unfortunately, I didn't like this one as much as I hoped I would.  (I'm beginning to think my horror tastes don't align sufficiently with the "booktuber" who recommended this.  I keep feeling let down by their suggestions.)

There were a few creepy moments, but I didn't find it all that scary, actually.  I was more frustrated than frightened, which is never a good thing in horror.  I could see most major plot-points coming from far away, so there was no element of surprise, either—and now that I sit here thinking about it, there are several things that weren't explained, unless I missed it.  (I'll get into that in the spoiler section below.) 

I think I had difficulty getting into the story because it didn't feel authentic.  (I know, I know: It's paranormal horror!)  Some of it just felt too modern for the time periods represented.  For instance, there's a multi-volume journal penned by a female character who lived in the 1600s.  I don't think that was likely, to begin with, but to make it worse, it's one of those "only exist in fiction" diaries that go into far more detail (including transcriptions of conversations) than any real diary ever does. Unfortunately, things like that gave the book an amateurish feeling, in my opinion.

It's okay, but I don't get all the enthusiasm for this one. 

SPOILERS

to

follow...

So, the plot holes, unexplained parts of the story, or whatever you want to call them... I guess you can just wiggle your fingers and whisper "Magic!" to explain away some of these things, but they annoy me.  

First, why does the companion that is known as "Hetta" so closely resemble Elsie?  They are not connected by blood.  Maybe they don't look that much alike? I can't recall if it's only Elsie who observes a resemblance... 

Second, the way the original silent companions are introduced into the story is strange.  We are given the impression that the mysterious shopkeeper knows there's something odd about them and seems to almost trick Anne into buying them.  Then when she tries to return them, the whole building is gone.  ...Huh?  What's the sinister history of the companions?  Are the companions the source of the evil that later contaminates Hetta—and if not, what are the odds that Anne would have such crappy luck (evil kid and evil home decor, totally unrelated)? 

It definitely feels like there was something wrong with the shopkeeper, and by extension the companions, even though they apparently never killed anyone until after Hetta's blood seeps into them and she possesses them, or whatever else is meant to have happened to make them evil and capable of murder.  And then there's the fact that Elsie seems to think that the companion version of Rupert (her deceased husband) is holding his soul captive and tormenting him.  (It seems like there was another character who may have been trapped inside a companion, but I can't recall for certain...) What's going on with that?!  It's never really fleshed out to my satisfaction. 

Third, are we supposed to think that Hetta was actually born evil, or... what?  She seems like she's just a bit fey and misunderstood (and poorly treated by her father) until she's forbidden to perform for the King and Queen, at which point she promptly turns evil in an extreme overreaction that makes no sense whatsoever.  

What's up with the splinters?  I'm not clear about how people would be getting splinters from contact with painted, clothed wooden figures that don't seem to be particularly roughly textured.  And how in the world does Elsie's unborn baby end up covered in splinters?!  (Yeah, it's one of the creepiest parts of the book, but it makes no logical sense whatsoever, as far as I can see.) 

Are we supposed to doubt Elsie?  Is she an unreliable narrator?  I never really doubt anything she says, so if that's the intention, maybe that's another part of what's missing.  

Are we supposed to like Jolyon?  Blurgh.  Couldn't stand the guy.  I get it that Elsie loves him (and that he's actually her son conceived through incestuous abuse, reading between the lines), but... I think he's kind of a jerk, if I'm honest. Not that I liked Elsie much, either.  None of the characters are especially relatable. 

Quiet Houses

Quiet Houses

by Simon Kurt Unsworth

Blurb:

Simon Kurt Unsworth reinvents the classic English ghost story with a portmanteau collection that takes the haunted house genre and makes it scream...quietly. Because the most terrifying screams are the silent ones.

My Reaction:  
DNF.  I just couldn't get into this one.  I read four or five of the stories, I think, but I gave up in the one about the team camping in and documenting the contents of the hotel.  It wasn't for me, unfortunately.  

Into the Uncanny

Into the Uncanny

by Danny Robins

Blurb:

Into the Uncanny is the story of ordinary people who have experienced extraordinary things and want to make sense of them. Each one is a brand-new case never shared before; modern day, real-life ghost stories that will make your blood run cold. It is also a journey of self-discovery, as Danny explores what the paranormal means to us and the exciting and terrifying prospect that we are not alone.

From poltergeists and apparitions, to UFOs and messages from beyond the grave, Into The Uncanny is a thrilling, adrenaline-filled supernatural adventure. Whether you're Team Believer or Team Sceptic, all you need is an open mind and a bit of courage. So, are you ready to investigate?

My Reaction:

After enjoying the Uncanny podcast, and then gobbling down the host's earlier, similarly themed podcast, Haunted, I figured chances were good that I'd like his book, too—and I did.  There's something endlessly engrossing about ghost stories and tales of the paranormal, and both the podcasts and the book left me wishing for more!  

I listened to the audiobook version, which is read by Danny Robins himself, so it has much the same feeling as listening to the podcast (with the caveat that it's one person talking the whole time).  If you're a fan of one, you'll probably at least like the other. 

Horrorstör

Horrorstör

by Grady Hendrix

Blurb:

Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.

To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.

A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, Horrorstör is designed to retain its luster and natural appearance for a lifetime of use. Pleasingly proportioned with generous French flaps and a softcover binding, Horrorstör delivers the psychological terror you need in the elegant package you deserve.

My Reaction:

This was my first time reading anything by this author, and it was a shared read-aloud with Donald.  I happened across it on Goodreads; the idea of a horror story set in an IKEA was too intriguing to pass up.  Since Donald is Swedish, I thought he might be interested, too.  

I didn't know exactly what to expect, but I guess I was picturing very mild, even goofy horror.  Something like a slightly more adult version of Scooby-Doo, maybe.  It started out kind of like that, but then it turned into more traditional horror.  Unfortunately, that part of the novel wasn't really to my taste. 

There is one genuinely creepy scene where people are trying to navigate the empty store and simply can't find their way around.  That's my kind of horror.  After that, when the scary stuff is actually there in the flesh and starts inflicting torture and blathering on and on, I basically lost interest and just wanted it to be over.  On a positive note, it did get a tiny bit better again at the very end.   

The catalog format is clever, and I did like the humorous IKEA references.  I've never worked retail, but I can see how the book is tailored for those who have or do.  Still, I think suggesting (even in jest) that working retail is akin to being imprisoned and tormented is extremely silly, to put it mildly.  

I feel the novel as a whole lacked polish.  There are major plot points that are never fully explained (such as why the police couldn't find the store for so long), and it lagged a lot in the middle (again, the horror-heavy part).  Still, I'm intrigued by the blurbs/titles of some of the author's other books, so I'll probably try another.  

The Lost Village

The Lost Village

by Camilla Sten

translated by Alexandra Fleming

Blurb:

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?

My Reaction:

This started off promisingly, with a creepy and interesting premise—abandoned village, about 900 people disappearing without a trace, evidence that something went terribly wrong—but at some point the plot began to run out of steam, and the ending didn't win me back, unfortunately.  I can't get into my issues with the book without spoiling it, so keep reading past the spoiler alert, if you're interested in why this is only a 3-star read for me...

SPOILER 
ALERT!!

Spoilers follow.

So, where to start?  As I mentioned above, the premise is intriguing and creepy.  I love the idea of a whole village vanishing without a trace—shades of Roanoke—and the fact that the book has it happen in the relatively recent past (1959), gives an interesting twist.  The prospect of a Swedish ghost town, preserved untouched, like a time capsule?  That's fascinating, too.  Then there's the evidence of a brutal crime, the mystery baby, etc.—all very good.  

Our modern-day ("Now") characters are a bit of a mystery, themselves, at first.  Some of them are connected and have obvious history, but what are their different backstories?  What's the source of the tension?  What are the secrets they're keeping from one another?  Some of it is precisely what you'll probably guess, but that's fine. 

As for the "Then" characters (those living in the mining town in the 1950s)... Eh.  That was a bit mixed.  The dual timeline thing is sometimes effective, but at other times I groaned when we switched perspectives yet again.  I think it interrupted the flow, at times.  

Maybe this is just me.  So many of the books I've read lately do this, splitting the story into multiple perspectives or different timelines, then flashing from one to the other throughout the novel.  It can work, but it doesn't always work, and it almost feels like a crutch.  I think it's overdone at the moment, and I'm ready for some thrillers that don't do this!

The set-up—getting to the village, starting their exploration—I loved it.  

But then things started to unravel for me.  I didn't know whether to expect something supernatural or not, but either way, it could have worked.  Except it just didn't, really.  It's not exactly surprising when "all is revealed", because by then you've pretty much worked it out on your own, but it's simply unbelievable.  

So here are the things that annoyed me or didn't work for me:

First, I loathe the whole cult angle of the book.  It's such a terribly boring explanation for what happened—so disappointing!!—and also not very believable here, in my opinion. 

Yes, cults exist, but as I understand it, unless the members are raised in the cult (groomed from an early age, with no idea that there's any other way of living), they're targeted and gathered together from a wider area.  It's not like a wannabe cult-leader can go somewhere and expect to recruit everyone in a five-mile radius into his madness, no matter how charismatic he may be.  I find it doubtful that it's this easy to "convert" almost everyone in a whole, single village.  

These characters are people who were raised in a normal, mainstream society (isolated, but definitely normal for the time).  Surely there should have been more people who would be steadfast in their faith—strong enough in their personal convictions to resist the pressure to succumb to the mass hysteria.  I guess the mine shutting down is supposed to be the disruption or catalyst that makes something like this possible, but... I strongly dislike that plot element, too, which brings me to the next point:  What were these people thinking, staying in the village so long after the mine closed down?    

I suppose I can accept that Elsa can't bring herself to abandon Birgitta, though what miracle she was waiting for to save the day, I can't say... As for everyone else in this town, why wouldn't they accept the inevitable and get out while they still had some savings?!  It's not easy to leave behind your home, I know, but if you have no way of earning a living there and no prospect for improvement, you have to leave and start over!  No-one was stopping them from leaving; they simply didn't want to, I guess.  It's just... Well, it's just stupid that so many of these characters were just watching their savings dwindle away and refusing to take action.  I don't believe that is likely, either.  (Maybe I'm overestimating the level of common sense in the average human.)  

But okay, you have a community of mostly good, Christian Swedes in the late 1950s.  Times are tough (because they're too darned stubborn to take the plunge and get out of their dying town to start a new life somewhere else).  Men have no work, and some of them turn to drink for escape (since apparently they lack the gumption to plan a literal escape for themselves and their families).  Then this new, androgynous-faced pastor comes to town, and before you know it, he's converted everyone to his twisted cult religion.  

(Ugh, I hate that plot point.)

And then he gets them riled up against one mentally ill (or challenged?) woman who can barely communicate and stays shut away in her own little hut, bothering no-one. ...Why do they go along with him on this?  We're all familiar with the concept of a witch hunt, but this is modern times and all targeted at one single, solitary woman who doesn't have anything of value to covet and doesn't even venture out her own door!  I find it difficult to believe that a whole village in 1959 Sweden could be so easily and quickly brainwashed to believe that she was any kind of threat to them, purely because some newbie preacher-man told them so.  

Oh, good grief!  I just can't bring myself to get into most of the rest of the nit-picking, because the basic premise annoys me so much, but I can't go without commenting on the king of all "um, what?" aspects of this novel:

Aina has survived for 60 years in complete isolation, with no human companionship, no medical attention, no technology, no nothing.  All she has is what the other villagers had in their homes, for her clothes, shelter, and food.  She's been living for 60 years on the old canned food left by people who were already starting to struggle for money.  ...No, I don't believe that, either.  No mention at all of her having a vegetable garden, hunting, or fishing, so I'm assuming she didn't.  She just lived off a very limited supply of slowly disintegrating canned food for SIXTY YEARS.  

And after a lifetime of this meager diet and no medical care, now in her 70s, she manages to overpower healthy young people who are fresh from civilization, with all the benefits of a consistent diet and modern medicine.  Yes, in at least one case there are circumstances that work in her favor, but in general, I'm not convinced that this is at all likely.  

Before wrapping up, I'm annoyed that the book tries to have it both ways:  We have the physical threat of the Amazing Aina, 70-something-year-old miracle who doesn't need no stinkin' nutrition or medical care to take down those young whippersnappers—and yet we also have some supernatural elements that I don't think can be explained rationally.  

Anything that Aina thinks she hears, sees, or knows can be discounted, because she's obviously cuckoo, but the others see and hear spooky, supernatural things, as well—things that I don't believe can be explained away by the existence of Aina.  And then there's the odd case of Tone, who seems to have been temporarily possessed by the spirit of her grandmother, only to immediately return to her usual self as soon as the crisis has passed.  

This probably shouldn't irritate me as much as it does, but there you have it.  It was a disappointing ending.  I didn't even get into how annoying the present-day characters are, but plenty of other reviewers covered that.  

A Head Full of Ghosts

A Head Full of Ghosts

by Paul Tremblay

Blurb:

The lives of the Barretts, a normal suburban New England family, are torn apart when fourteen-year-old Marjorie begins to display signs of acute schizophrenia.

To her parents’ despair, the doctors are unable to stop Marjorie’s descent into madness. As their stable home devolves into a house of horrors, they reluctantly turn to a local Catholic priest for help. Father Wanderly suggests an exorcism; he believes the vulnerable teenager is the victim of demonic possession. He also contacts a production company that is eager to document the Barretts’ plight. With John, Marjorie’s father, out of work for more than a year and the medical bills looming, the family agrees to be filmed, and soon find themselves the unwitting stars of The Possession, a hit reality television show. When events in the Barrett household explode in tragedy, the show and the shocking incidents it captures become the stuff of urban legend.

Fifteen years later, a bestselling writer interviews Marjorie’s younger sister, Merry. As she recalls those long ago events that took place when she was just eight years old, long-buried secrets and painful memories that clash with what was broadcast on television begin to surface—and a mind-bending tale of psychological horror is unleashed, raising vexing questions about memory and reality, science and religion, and the very nature of evil.

My Reaction:

Hm.  I'm feeling ambivalent about this book.  

First things first:  I listened to the audiobook version, and while this is the first book of this author's that I've "read"/listened to, I did watch Knock at the Cabin, the film adaptation of The Cabin at the End of the World, then went and skimmed a synopsis of the novel (after reading that the movie went in a different direction from the original story).  Based on that experience (both the movie and reading the synopsis), I wasn't feeling confident I'd love A Head Full of Ghosts—but I'd already put it on my list a long time back after seeing it recommended highly, so when the opportunity presented itself, I gave it a try, anyway.  

It's not bad, but it's also not a favorite.  There are a few good, chilling moments, but in my view it doesn't live up to the hype.  Maybe I missed something, but... Eh, I wanted more answers rather than questions and hints and suggestions that, more often than not, seem self-contradictory.

Specifics:

—I've never watched The Exorcist and have no desire to do so.  It's one of those "classic" horror movies that holds no allure for me.  The whole "exorcism genre" has never appealed to me, and any time a movie includes an exorcism, I wish it would finish quickly so we can get on with the interesting parts of the story.  I just don't get the appeal.  The idea of actually being possessed (or being around someone who is or believes they are) is, of course, horrifying, but the actual exorcism itself?  No, not interested in that.  Since so much of the book revolves around that plot point, that's a strike against the book right away.  

—I see that I'm not alone in finding the blogger character's writing style frustrating to read.  I believe I understand why the author did it this way, but it's still deeply irritating to read, after a while.  

—Didn't care for how the narrator voiced male characters... And her way of pronouncing "always", shortening the second half of the word so it sounds like "alwys", makes me shudder, for some reason.  Funnily enough, I catch myself saying it that way sometimes, too—but not alwys.  (Ha ha.)  Oh, and the "yeah?" that the two sisters kept tacking onto the ends of sentences drove me up the wall, too.  (Okay, maybe I'm a bit too easy to irritate.)

—Marjorie really annoyed me.  "Mom" annoyed me. "Dad"?  Also annoying.  Young Merry is mostly relatable, though even she is occasionally annoying.  The whole cast kind of rubbed me the wrong way, at one point or another.  (Let's just get it all out there... Grump, grump, grump!)

—This novel is also being made into a movie, evidently.  I'd be interested in seeing it, at some point, to see how they adapt it.  It might work better on the screen, though I'm not sure how they'll handle the blog element...

Home Before Dark

Home Before Dark

by Riley Sager

Blurb:

What was it like? Living in that house.

Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism.

Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father's book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father's death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks to Maggie’s father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself—a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction.

My Reaction:

I believe this is my second time "reading" (listening to an audiobook version) anything written by this author.  The previous one, The House Across the Lake, was more to my liking, though the major plot twist comes out of the blue and feels odd and out of place.  Home Before Dark, on the other hand, had essentially the opposite twist—a comparison that will make no sense unless you've read both books...

I found it more entertaining before it became obvious that... Well, without going into spoilers, before that twist I referred to before.  

The atmosphere through much of the book reminded me of the recent(ish) miniseries adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House.  But unfortunately, part of that similarity was a pervasive feeling of sadness.  It feels less frightening than depressing.  So much wasted potential, in so many lives!  

Another problem was that I couldn't warm to the main character, or feel much of anything for her, one way or the other.  Her father, who speaks through his "book within a book", is more engaging, but there are issues with him, as well.  (For one thing, you never know—until the end—how much of what he's saying is true.)  

Ultimately, it's fine, but not something I'll revisit.  I'd happily read or listen to more by the author, though.  This type of book doesn't need to be amazing and unforgettable to be a perfectly decent read, in my opinion.  I'm just looking for something fictional to think about while I quilt, and this did the trick!

Nitpicky Specifics:

• The title doesn't make much sense.  I like it as a title, but it doesn't fit with the story.  
• I really don't understand the need for a father to discuss any aspect of his sex life with his daughter.  Gross.  Should have been left out, as it was completely unnecessary. 
• The regional accents adopted by the two narrators are strange and distracting.  Every time the male narrator voiced the teenage girl I cringed, and all the "locals" voiced by the female narrator sound like a version of Rhoda Morgenstern from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which I very much doubt was intentional.  
• The female protagonist keeps making unforced errors, putting herself into stupid situations for no apparent reason.  Not uncommon in fiction, but always annoying!

3.5 stars, but not rounding up this time. 

The Victorian Chaise-Longue

The Victorian Chaise-Longue

by Marghanita Laski

Blurb:

A young married woman lies down on a chaise-longue and wakes to find herself imprisoned in the body of her alter ego ninety years before.

My Reaction:

I've had this one on my list for years, but now that I've finally read it, I never want to read it again—and that's not because it's so horrifying that I couldn't bear to revisit it.  Though this work of psychological horror certainly is unsettling—and it also happens to feature the type of horror that probably bothers me most, body horror, health horror, medical horror—it's not calculated to leave me sleepless or anxious.  

Sadly, I wouldn't care to read it again because I didn't find it a satisfying reading experience.  Though it's already short, as a novella, it felt in need of yet more pruning.  It could easily have been cut even shorter, and I believe it would have been more effective if it had been.  As it was, it felt repetitive in a way that numbed and stupefied rather than heightening the tension.  (On the other hand, it could have been fleshed out into a more engaging full-length novel, but the repetitiveness still would have needed to be addressed.)

There were some interesting ideas to explore here, especially the way that a culture's standards of morality and acceptable behavior shift over time.  What would be an unpardonable sin during one period of time might be almost a mere foible a hundred years later.  When (not to mention where) we are born can be the difference between life and death, joy and misery.  

As for the ending, maybe it's just a matter of taste... I know some people like open-ended stories, but I'm not one of them.  A little ambiguity can be okay, but this felt disappointing.  At least it was short!

The Writing Retreat

The Writing Retreat

by Julia Bartz

Blurb:

Alex has all but given up on her dreams of becoming a published author when she receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: attend an exclusive, month-long writing retreat at the estate of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo. Even the knowledge that Wren, her former best friend and current rival, is attending doesn’t dampen her excitement.

But when the attendees arrive, Roza drops a bombshell—they must all complete an entire novel from scratch during the next month, and the author of the best one will receive a life-changing seven-figure publishing deal. Determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, Alex buckles down and tries to ignore the strange happenings at the estate, including Roza’s erratic behavior, Wren’s cruel mind games, and the alleged haunting of the mansion itself. But when one of the writers vanishes during a snowstorm, Alex realizes that something very sinister is afoot. With the clock running out, she’s desperate to discover the truth and save herself.

My Reaction:

Hm... Not what I was expecting.  This wasn't quite my cup of tea.  (I wasn't expecting it to verge into erotica, for one thing!)

A few thoughts:

—This would have been better without the "book-within-a-book" snippets.  They didn't add much, in my opinion, and ended up being a distraction from the real story.  

—When you have characters speaking about how well-written the "book-within-the-book" is and then include some of said fictional book, there's always the danger of readers thinking, "Eh, this isn't quite the work of genius we've been led to expect."  That's certainly what happened here for me.  Didn't care for it!

—Actually, the entire secondary story about the tragic and/or creepy history of the house feels completely unnecessary.  You may think it's going to be important, but no, it could easily have been left out.  It's supposed to be relevant to the conclusion, helping Alex make realizations and breakthroughs, but... I'm not buying it.  There were other ways to develop the character without dragging in paranormal red herrings and making us read Alex's boring book. 

—I listened to the audiobook, and it took a while for me to get used to the narrator for this one. 

—Had to roll my eyes at a few things, including the scene where the women share their pronouns.  Yes, that felt completely natural and unforced.  No agendas on display here!

—There are a few plot points that may leave you scratching your head, such as a character who looks much younger than she actually is and Alex's mother's bizarre timeline.  (How old is she?!)

—The ending was strange and unsatisfying.  All this build-up to how horrific and crazy a certain character is, then it all just ends with a puff a smoke.  Yes, there are "stakes".  Yes, there are bad things happening, but... 

Ok, I can't write about this without going into spoilers, so...

SPOILER

 ALERT

After all the build-up of danger, even though some characters do die, it feels like the ones you're supposed to really care about are all okay.  And the Bad Guy just agrees to... leave.  It's abrupt, odd, and anticlimactic.  And then when it turns out that Roza is alive (obviously), Alex's reaction is strange and difficult to understand.  She has this bizarre crush on Roza, even after all she's done.  It's gross.  

Since I've already put up the spoiler warning, did Roza really think she'd get away with murder and stealing yet more books?  I mean, I guess it's nothing she hasn't already done, but this feels more visible—more likely to draw the scrutiny of the authorities and possibly raise some eyebrows.  And why?  She's apparently very wealthy, already, and she's established her legacy as a famous literary author, so again, why?  

Hidden Pictures

Hidden Pictures

by Jason Rekulak

Blurb:

Mallory Quinn is fresh out of rehab when she takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.

Mallory immediately loves it. She has her own living space, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body.

Then, Teddy’s artwork becomes increasingly sinister, and his stick figures quickly evolve into lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to wonder if these are glimpses of a long-unsolved murder, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force.

Knowing just how crazy it all sounds, Mallory nevertheless sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy before it’s too late.

My Reaction:

I found this an enjoyable paranormal thriller.  It made a change to get a Christian main character.  It's been a long time since I've read anything (written in the recent past) that didn't portray Christians as either boring simpletons or evil hypocrites, so this was a nice surprise.  

Judging by some of the reviews I skimmed after finishing the book, this novel has struck a nerve with some readers, to an amusing degree.  I guess a book has to be 100% "woke af" to pass the smell test.  (Purity spirals are so much fun.)  

I, on the other hand, thought the author did a decent job of not being totally skewed in one direction or the other, politically.  I'm bemused that people read this and thought it was "right-wing propaganda" full of "conservative dog whistles", because that's not at all how it came across to me.  I didn't agree with or like everything in it, but on the other hand, it didn't slap me across the face with so many obnoxious political opinions that it was impossible to enjoy the story.  It walked the line better than many other recently published books I've read.

I wouldn't say this was amazing, unbelievably good, or mind-blowing.  On the contrary, some of the twists are predictable, and at times I found the writing style a bit odd, almost as though it were written for a slightly younger audience—but it was an entertaining read, all the same.  The drawings add an interesting element, too.  

This would probably ordinarily be a 3 or 3.5 for me, but I'll bump it up to 4 just because I appreciate reading about a Christian character presented as a normal person.  

The Talisman

The Talisman

by Jonathan Aycliffe

Blurb:

A statue, unearthed in ancient Babylon during the course of an archaeological dig, is transported to London. Once there, it quickly exerts an evil influence over those with whom it comes into contact; an influence which threatens to spread throughout London and beyond, and which pits the living against the dead in a battle for all mankind.

My Reaction:

This was a three-star read for me.  I've enjoyed some of this author's horror in the past, but it doesn't always land.  This one was right in the middle—effective in spots, but not quite there.  

There are elements of classic horror here, such as Rosemary's Baby, which is a good thing (in my opinion, at least), but ultimately it's just too flat and meandering.  It's like a less interesting and less compelling version of those old classics.  For much of the story, we're getting the second- or third-hand version of events, and while epistolatory writing can be very effective for spooky or creepy tales, somehow it just doesn't work as well here, for me.  

Perhaps part of the problem is that an element of horror will be introduced, but then it just doesn't ever quite "climax".  It's just... lingering there.  In the background.  Which is becoming progressively more cluttered with "horror stuff".  The story is being pulled in too many different directions, and it doesn't know where it wants to go!  

I also found that this book lacked the proper sense of urgency, especially toward the end.  Something dramatic will happen—something shocking will be hinted at or even discovered—and then in the next scene, the characters act like they've forgotten all about it or can't be bothered to get a hustle on and do something about any of it.  The fate of the world is hanging in the balance (not to mention their own loved ones, friends, and allies), and they decide to have a leisurely (boring) conversation.  Frustrating and unrealistic behavior.  

It wasn't all bad, though, and I actually thought the epilogue was okay.  

(I listened to an audio version of this book, by the way.  Entertainment while piecing a quilt!)

Daisy Darker

Daisy Darker

by Alice Feeney

(Edited) Blurb:

After years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in Nana’s crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. Finally back together one last time, when the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours.  

Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets, before the tide comes in and all is revealed.

My Reaction:

I listened to the audiobook version of this novel while quilting, and found it entertaining... Until I didn't.  

—I loved the setting and the quirky details of the house.  Islands cut off by the tide are always a favorite!

—I loved the fact that it was obviously inspired by And Then There Were None.  

—I was intrigued by the mystery, and unlike some, I didn't mind alternating between the "then" and "now" timelines.  (Though to be honest, I've seen so much of that lately!  Maybe it's time for authors of thrillers to try something different, if only to set themselves apart from the rest.)

So yes, I was enjoying it, to begin with, but gradually a few things diminished that enjoyment.  

First:  
These characters!  Almost everyone is awful.  I know, I know!  You need conflict, and awful characters provide that.  The quality of a book isn't dependent on the likeability of the characters, etc., etc.  Yes, but the fact remains that if too many of your characters are just horrid, reading the book becomes an unpleasant experience.  And yes, I did say that I was happy that it was inspired by And Then There Were None, which is also full of awful characters... Look, I don't know what to say, except that while listening to this, I eventually had had enough of ALL of these people!

Second: 

The writing style was quaint and entertaining, in the beginning, but at some point I started to feel slightly annoyed by the "clever sayings" and "deep thoughts" generously sprinkled throughout the novel, both in dialogue and interior monologue.  Some of them are interesting or thought-provoking, but after a while they felt repetitive and irritating.

Third:

Predictable twists that kind of annoyed me.  I saw some of the twists coming, and I didn't love them.  The main twist in particular is just... Eh.  Maybe it didn't help that there was a similar(ish) twist in the last audiobook I listened to.  Maybe I didn't like it simply because it's so sad. 

Fourth:

Some of the motivations didn't make much sense to me.  To be fair, people's motivations in real life don't always make sense, either, so maybe it's not exactly unrealistic!  Still, it dragged down the end of the story, for me.  I spent too much time thinking, "Really?  Well, okay then!"

However—over all, yes, I liked it.  Despite my misgivings about certain aspects of this one, I think I'll round it up to four stars.  

A few SPOILERY final thoughts:

S
P
O
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L
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I do have a question, though, about what happened to all those bodies at the end of the book!  What's going to happen when someone starts looking for one of these people?  Some of them were employed and would have people expecting them back at work within a few days!

END

OF

SPOILERS

The House Across the Lake

The House Across the Lake

by Riley Sager

narrated by Bernadette Dunne

Blurb:

Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed actress trying to escape a streak of bad press, has retreated to the peace and quiet of her family’s lake house in Vermont. Armed with a pair of binoculars and several bottles of liquor, she passes the time watching Tom and Katherine Royce, the glamorous couple who live in the house across the lake. They make for good viewing—a tech innovator, Tom is rich; and a former model, Katherine is gorgeous.

One day on the lake, Casey saves Katherine from drowning, and the two strike up a budding friendship. But the more they get to know each other—and the longer Casey watches—it becomes clear that Katherine and Tom’s marriage is not as perfect and placid as it appears. When Katherine suddenly vanishes, Casey becomes consumed with finding out what happened to her. In the process, she uncovers eerie, darker truths that turn a tale of voyeurism and suspicion into a story of guilt, obsession and how looks can be very deceiving.

My Reaction:

I listened to this audiobook while doing some patchwork quilting.  This was perfect for that—interesting to listen to, but not too complicated to follow while cutting, sewing, and pressing.  

I suspect that the format (audiobook vs. text version) may affect how I rate a book.  It takes less of a commitment in time and effort to simply listen to a book while I'm doing something else, so I might tend to rate an audiobook less harshly.  Also, I'm swept along with the flow of the story and am less likely to stop, think, and poke holes in the plot.  Or become annoyed by something.  And even if I am annoyed, it's not easy to highlight that section and to remember for my review.  

Anyway!  I did enjoy the book, mostly.  I wasn't thrilled when it turned out that the main character is an actress (just... meh), but later on I suppose it turned out to be important to the plot... In any case, I was mildly amused by the fact that the main character and her mother were clearly inspired by Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, even more so because the narrator sounded a lot like Carrie Fisher.  

However, that posed a bit of a problem, as well, because the narrator, while very talented at narration and probably a big part of why I enjoyed the book, sounds much older than the character is supposed to be.  Even after learning that the character is in her 30s, it's hard to picture a woman that age when you're hearing her thoughts and words in the voice of an obviously older woman.  Just not a good fit in that way, unfortunately.  (After searching other reviews, I see that I wasn't the only one to make this observation.  Not just me—though, is it ever?)

As for the plot... I don't think there's much I can say without getting into spoiler territory.  It starts off as you'd expect, especially if you've read the blurb.  It's very Rear Window-ish, which is never a bad thing, as far as I'm concerned.  I see a lot of reviewers didn't like the main character's excessive drinking/alcoholism, and I agree.  It's been used too often in too many popular books over the past several years, and it wasn't particularly fun to read, even on the first time around.  However, I don't mind travelling over familiar ground in terms of the "spying on your neighbors and deciding there's a crime in the offing" trope.  That's pretty much what I expected and signed up for, with this book.  

What I didn't expect was a very odd twist that came in the final quarter (or so?) of the book.  Again, I can't tell you much without spoiling the whole book, so I guess I'll just say that it's extremely unexpected and strange, and it comes completely out of the blue.  To be honest, I didn't like that twist.  It's just too weird for me.  I would've preferred something else, but oh well!  

This is the kind of thing that would prevent me from recommending the book to many people, because it just feels too outlandish and out of place in a book of this kind (or a book of the kind that I mistakenly thought this was).  Some people will love it, but others will find it incredibly annoying and stupid.  I think it was pretty stupid, to tell the truth, but I just kept listening, and by the end... Eh, it's fine.  Because it still gave me something to think about while I worked on my quilt, so it did its job.  And a month from now, I'll have forgotten all about it!

Last Days

Last Days

by Adam Nevill

Blurb:

When guerrilla documentary maker, Kyle Freeman, is asked to shoot a film on the notorious cult known as the Temple of the Last Days, it appears his prayers have been answered. The cult became a worldwide phenomenon in 1975 when there was a massacre including the death of its infamous leader, Sister Katherine. Kyle's brief is to explore the paranormal myths surrounding an organization that became a testament to paranoia, murderous rage, and occult rituals. The shoot's locations take him to the cult's first temple in London, an abandoned farm in France, and a derelict copper mine in the Arizonan desert where The Temple of the Last Days met its bloody end. But when he interviews those involved in the case, those who haven't broken silence in decades, a series of uncanny events plague the shoots. Troubling out-of-body experiences, nocturnal visitations, the sudden demise of their interviewees and the discovery of ghastly artifacts in their room make Kyle question what exactly it is the cult managed to awaken – and what is its interest in him?

My Reaction:

I listened to the audiobook version of this novel while piecing quilts.  At the start, it made a nice alternative to talk radio and podcasts, but at some point my interest began to wane... 

Early in the book, the story was pleasantly creepy, and I was interested in seeing where it was going.  (I even had a little theory, early on, about how the story would develop, which I'll return to in a moment.)  

Unfortunately, aspects of the novel began to feel repetitive, and after Kyle returns from the USA, it felt like it landed in a quagmire and just sort of stalled out.  Then we get the loooooong info-dump / exposition / history lesson with one character, followed by another history lesson from a different character...  This type of writing just doesn't hold my interest.  It starts to feel bloated and in need of the editor's pen.  

A few nitpicks:

—I didn't like the way the American characters' dialect was written.  Maybe it was worse to listen to than it would've been to read on the page, because of the nasal interpretation of the American accent.  However, the persistently poor grammar also annoyed me, as an American who doesn't use "ain't" in every other sentence.  It's especially jarring when the character with the over-the-top dialect refers to a flashlight as a "torch".  Somehow, I begin to wonder if the author has ever known or met an actual American person...  

—I felt like we never really get to understand Sister Katherine at all, beyond the summary of "evil cult-leader".  Maybe that's intentional, to maintain an air of mystery, but it felt disappointing.  

—This book does that annoying thing where a character who has encountered paranormal entities still can't bring himself to accept that another, different paranormal occurrence could be possible.  (Something like, "Yeah, okay, so vampires are real.  I acknowledge that.  But werewolves?!  C'mon, man!  Do I look crazy to you?")  That might be how people would tend to react in reality—simply unable to absorb any more blows to their concept of how the world works, in such a short space of time—but it always irritates me!

—It also does that other annoying thing where a totally new character is just dumped on you in the last quarter or less of the book, with no satisfactory explanation for why you're just hearing about him when another character has clearly been working with him for months, if not longer.  The new guy is an irritating, painfully clichéd character, too, which makes the whole situation even worse.  At this point in the book, we're just waiting to see how it all wraps up, though, so... whatever.

—If you dislike open endings, you might be disappointed here.  I'm choosing to just believe that it ended the way I want it to have ended, but I would have appreciated a little more indication of what happens next.  

As for my theory, it involves spoilers, so... 

SPOILER

WARNING

Ok, if you're still reading now, prepare to be spoiled!

I wondered if one of the children who survived (and then specifically the "Clean Child", once he was mentioned) would turn out to be Kyle.  I thought perhaps Max knew or had discovered Kyle's origin, while Kyle himself had no memory of this early trauma.  That would have explained why Max insisted on involving Kyle, because he was already involved in the cult's history—and was perhaps crucial to its future, in one way or another, either for its destruction or revival.  The documentary would've been just a ruse to get Kyle on-board to visit the locations and slowly remember or realize his connection to the case.  

Of course, as it turns out, none of that was true!  Instead, it's basically a more convoluted version of the move titled The Skeleton Key.  (I liked my idea better!)

END

OF

SPOILERS

On the whole, it was fine.  I didn't lose any sleep from the creep factor, but it was entertaining, apart from the times when too much exposition slowed the pace.  I was glad for it to be over when it was, though, which is a bit sad.  The beginning was much stronger than the end, and the supposedly scary stuff gets less and less frightening, the more it's described.  

This was my first experience with this author, incidentally, and I'm not sure whether to go back for more... What was good was good, but it didn't land quite right for me.  

Anna Dressed in Blood

Anna Dressed in Blood
by Kendare Blake

Blurb:

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. They follow legends and local lore, destroy the murderous dead, and keep pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

Searching for a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas expects the usual: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

Yet she spares Cas's life.

My Reaction:
I had reservations about this one, because I knew it was YA fiction, and that's not my usual fare these days.  I should've listened to my doubts, because this wasn't for me.  It's not terrible, but I wasn't enthused by it.  I didn't care for the characters-- or about them, really-- and... Well, almost everything that makes me hesitant to read more modern YA fiction at this point in my life?  It's here.  This book has demonstrated that my instinct to avoid was correct.  I might have liked this somewhat better when I was quite a bit younger, though I would've found the coarse language off-putting at that age.  Now, in my forties?  The language isn't a problem for me, but it's just not an enjoyable reading experience.  There may be exceptions, but I suspect that most modern YA fiction won't be to my liking, now.

The romance was inexplicable.  I guess it was based solely on looks, because they barely interacted, and what interaction there was didn't seem sufficient.  Then there's the horror aspect.  This version of horror is heavily reliant on gross descriptions-- enough to make me skip a few lines, because I'm not a fan of the disgusting, but probably a yawn for fans of body horror.  It's severely lacking in suspense and psychological horror, which I much prefer to the gross-out stuff.  

This book kinda-sorta stands on its own (if you're okay with major plot holes and abrupt, unsatisfying endings), but there's a sequel, and the ending makes that very clear.  I won't be reading it.  I can't see what could happen that would make it "worth it".  I'll just imagine my own sequel.  ...There.  I probably whipped up an ending I'd find more satisfying than whatever is in the actual book, anyway!

Near the Bone

Near the Bone

by Christina Henry

Blurb:

Mattie can't remember a time before she and William lived alone on a mountain together. She must never make him upset. But when Mattie discovers the mutilated body of a fox in the woods, she realizes that they're not alone after all.

There's something in the woods that wasn't there before, something that makes strange cries in the night, something with sharp teeth and claws.

When three strangers appear on the mountaintop looking for the creature in the woods, Mattie knows their presence will anger William. Terrible things happen when William is angry.

My Reaction:

SPOILERS FOLLOW!

Hm, not great.  The first half of the book lacked definite direction, which tried my patience.  There are too many detailed descriptions of what Mattie's doing, and none of it seems to matter (not to mention that I know what "doing X" entails, so don't really need to read a description of it).  Repeatedly, it would feel like something was finally going to happen-- someone was going to do something to set the story into motion-- and then it would all come to nothing, and we were instead meandering off on another tangent.  

The characters don't feel like real people to me.  The worst example of this is the disgustingly abusive William, who is nothing more than a hateful, one-dimensional caricature of a Bad Man with absolutely no nuance or depth to the character.  He doesn't seem to behave like even an evil person would.  He's just all over the place!  (Oh, and Mr. Evil is "Christian".  Of course.  Fits right in with everything he does, including kidnapping, murder, rape, shocking physical violence, and drug-dealing.  Here, author, have an eye-roll.)  

I also found it difficult to believe that Mattie would remember so little of her life before the kidnapping (or that she would recover so amazingly quickly from repeated brutal beatings).  I'm not sure how much of Mattie's story is supposed to be a mystery, but it's pretty obvious from very early on.  I understand that she's been brainwashed and literally beaten into submission, but I spent most of the first half of the book just sitting there willing Mattie to do something.  Maybe that was intentional, but it's so frustrating-- miserable to read.  

Then there's the creature... It's an interesting, rather bold choice to combine two such different types of survival stories-- one about a woman fighting to survive daily life with an abusive kidnapper, another about people trying to escape from an otherworldly creature-- but unfortunately, I don't think it works.  I see the intention, the parallels between the two very different "monsters", but it doesn't fall together as intended.  Instead, it feels like a jumbled mess with little in the way of satisfying conclusion.  (The final confrontation between William and Samantha was predictable and more amusing than emotional.  It felt very "written for the screen", in a cliché type of way.)

What bothered me most was the stupidity of the "three strangers" and the dialogue among those characters, once they come into the story.  It's just... completely wrong.  Surely real people don't act or speak this way, in these situations!  It doesn't ring true, and it makes the characters seem impossibly dumb and immature.  Was that the intention?  Who knows?!  

At about 52% I began skimming, but I read enough to follow the story until to the end.  It didn't redeem itself for me.  Too much of it makes no sense.  For instance, where did the creature come from?  Mattie and William have lived on the mountain for 12 years and the creature just appeared out of the blue in the past year, and yet Mattie says she thinks it's not an alien.  Okay... How would she know that?  And why not, since it just showed up one day?  Also, why was Mattie so shocked by the idea that there might be two of the creatures?  I mean, that's how these things usually work, isn't it?  Unless it was an alien just landed from another planet-- or the last of a species that lives for an exceptionally long time-- or a scout from another area (where, pray tell!)-- there must be more than one.  Right?  Animals, people, and "creatures" don't just pop into existence.  "A man needs sons"?  Well, a cryptid needs cryptlets-- cryptkits?  Whatever you'd call a baby cryptid.  

Meh.  Not a good read, in my opinion.