The Firsts of 2024 Book Tag

 Hello!

This is the first time I have done the 'Firsts of 2024 book tag' but it sounds really fun and is a good way to round up the first 3 months of the year! It was originally started by Tanya @girlxoxo.

Here are my firsts of 2024:

First Book Read This Year

My first book of 2024 was Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang and what a start to the year this was! This is a book about the harsh realities in the world of publishing, and covers topics such as racism, plagiarism, cancel culture and much more. I devoured this and it will definitely be up there as one of my favourite books of the year.

The Afterlife Experiment - Black Tide Book Tours Review

Hello! Today I am on the Black Tide Book Tour for The Afterlife Experiment by Sam Weiss.

Book Title: The Afterlife Experiment: The Altered Planes Book One

Author: Sam Weiss

My Rating: 5*

Publisher: Wise Cat Press

Genre: Dark Science Fantasy

Format Read: E-book

Blurb: Atra Hart has spent the last seven years locked away in Vanishing Plains Psychiatric Hospital. In that time, her shadow has transformed into its own entity and is growing stronger by the day, threatening to devour her mind. She calls that shadow Dread, and only her missing father knows what it is.

When a fire breaks out at the asylum, Atra makes her way to freedom just in time to see an electric-purple rift under the sky. Like Dread, the rift is only visible to her.

Atra’s already loose grip on reality unravels when she learns the rift is a gateway to the world of the dead. And the Queen, an ancient evil lurking on its fringes, wants Dread for her own.

Even worse, Atra can’t tell if any of this is really happening. She might have escaped one asylum, but the closer she gets to unearthing answers about Dread, why her father knows it’s there, and its role in the Queen’s plans, the more she risks getting trapped inside her own mind forever.

Maybe some truths are meant to stay buried.

Trigger warning: The content of this book includes violence, death, gore, mental health, abandonment, and abuse.

My Review

I had no idea what to expect when I first sat down to read The Afterlife Experiment but it immediately sucked me in and I loved it! From the very first page to the last, I was fully absorbed in the story and I did not want to put it down.

The Horror Zine's Book of Monster Stories - Black Tide Book Tours Review

 

Hello!

Today I am a part of the Black Tide Book Tour for a selection of short monster stories that will surely keep you up at night!

Book Title: The Horror Zine's Book of Monster Stories

Authors: Many including Terry Grimwood, Christopher Beck, Simon Bleaken and Sumiko Saulson

My rating: 4*

Publisher: HellBound Books Publishing

Genre: Horror

Format read: E-book

Blurb: With an Introduction by Shirley Jackson Award-winner Gemma Files, this outstanding anthology of all things monstrous includes spine-chilling stories from Bentley Little, Simon Clark, Elizabeth Massie, Tim Waggoner, Sumiko Saulson, plus some of the best emerging horror writers working today.

“This anthology gives us a chilling glimpse at the dark and dangerous things prowling in the minds of some of today’s best horror writers.” – JG Faherty, author of Ragman and Songs in the Key of Death,

“Throughout the pages are creepy tales by up-and-comers who you may have read, plus writers brand new to a horror reader’s discerning eye. Embark on a journey to the realm where monsters—familiar or unique—dwell. Highly recommended to horror aficionados obsessed with eldritch fiction—this one’s for you!” – Nancy Kilpatrick, author of Thrones of Blood Series and the Darker Passions series.

My Review

I love horror stories and this anthology by HellBound Publishing is full of crazy and weird stories I would probably have never picked up otherwise. There are 31 short stories to enjoy in this collection which range from the disturbing to the gross and the downright scary!