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!

The Red Trilogy by Paul Kane - Blog Tour Book Review

 Hello!

Today I am part of the Black Tide book tour for The Red Trilogy by Paul Kane.

Book Title: Red, Blood Red & Deep Red

Author: Paul Kane

My Rating: 4*

Publisher: HellBound Books Publishing

Genre: Horror

Format Read: E-book

Blurb: Evil takes on many forms – something Rachael Daniels, an innocent care worker, is about to find out… personally.

Something is roaming the streets of the city where she lives, something monstrous with a taste for sweet, red, human blood.

Something that can be anything it wants to be.

Soon, Rachael learns the hard way that not even the friendliest faces can be trusted.

As she makes her way across that city one night on an errand of mercy, she quickly discovers the terrifying creature will definitely have no such consideration for her…

Together in one book for the very first time ever, the RED trilogy is a modern, urban reworking of a classic fairy tale, which puts the horror spin on an old favourite.

Blood RED picks up straight away after the events of RED, the first installment, while Deep RED throws you into a nightmarish future scenario. If you dare to open these pages, you’ll face a terrifying journey into the unknown – courtesy of award-winning and #1 bestselling author, Paul Kane (the sellout Hooded Man, Monsters, Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell, & Before).

Most Anticipated Books on my TBR!

 Hello!

Do you ever buy a book that you have heard lots about and know it's going to be amazing so you just leave it on your shelf for a long time never being read?? Or you buy a book for the hype but then don't want to pick it up in case it disappoints you? This is me! For this post I am going to go through some of my most anticipated reads (new and old) that are on my bookshelf that will probably take me a very long time to pick up!

1. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Obviously The Hunger Games are a very big franchise that many people loved, me included, and once I heard about this prequel that focuses on Snow as a young mentor for someone in the games, I was concerned but also curious. I have no idea when I will eventually get around to this but I'm pretty sure it won't be for a while!

The Rumour by Lesley Kara Book Review

Book Title: The Rumour

Author: Lesley Kara

My Rating: 4*

Publisher: Corgi

Publication Date: 25/07/19

Genre(s): Thriller, Mystery

Pages: 416

Format Read: Paperback

Goodreads: When single mum Joanna shares a rumour at the school gates – desperate to ingratiate herself with the clique of mothers at her son’s new school – there is no going back...

Rumour has it that a notorious child killer is living under a new identity, in their sleepy little town of Flinstead-on-Sea.

Sally McGowan was just ten when she stabbed little Robbie Harris to death over 47 years ago – no photos of her exist since her release as a young woman.

So who is the supposedly reformed killer who now lives amongst them? How dangerous can one rumour become? And how far will Jane go to protect her loved ones from harm, when she realizes what it is she’s unleashed?

Joanna is going to rue the day she ever said a word...

Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed Book Review

Book Title: Yes No Maybe So

Author: Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed

My Rating: 5*

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 04/02/20

Genre(s): Young adult, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: 436

Format Read: Paperback

Goodreads: Jamie Goldberg is cool with volunteering for his local state candidate - as long as he’s behind the scenes. There’s no way he’d ever knock on doors to ask people for their votes…until he meets Maya.
Maya Rehman’s having the worst Ramadan ever. Her best friend is too busy to hang out, her summer trip is cancelled, her parents are separating and now her mother thinks the solution to her problems is political canvassing - with some awkward guy she hardly knows...
Going door to door isn’t exactly glamorous, but maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world. After all, the polls are getting closer - and so are Maya and Jamie. Mastering local activism is one thing. Navigating the cross-cultural crush of the century is another thing entirely.

All the Rage by Cara Hunter Book Review

Book Title: All the Rage

Author: Cara Hunter

My Rating: 3.5*

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: 23/01/20

Genre(s): Mystery, Crime, Thriller

Pages: 416

Format Read: Ebook

Goodreads: A teenage girl is found wandering the outskirts of Oxford, dazed and distressed. The story she tells is terrifying. Grabbed off the street, a plastic bag pulled over her face, then driven to an isolated location where she was subjected to what sounds like an assault. Yet she refuses to press charges.

DI Fawley investigates, but there's little he can do without the girl's co-operation. Is she hiding something, and if so, what? And why does Fawley keep getting the feeling he's seen a case like this before?

And then another girl disappears, and Adam no longer has a choice: he has to face up to his past. Because unless he does, this victim may not be coming back...

Mini Reviews of Susan Hill's Dolly and The Small Hand

As part of my October Horror Month I have been reading scary stories and Susan Hill has made her name in the horror genre with well known stories such as The Woman in Black and The Man in the Picture. I have read two of her horror short stories and here are the reviews.

Book Title: Dolly

Author: Susan Hill

My Rating: 3*

Publisher: Profile Books

Publication Date: 05/10/12

Genre(s): Horror

Pages: 153

Format Read: Paperback

Goodreads: The remoter parts of the English Fens are forlorn, lost and damp even in the height of summer. At Iyot Lock, a large decaying house, two young cousins, Leonora and Edward are parked for the summer with their ageing spinster aunt and her cruel housekeeper. At first the unpleasantness and petty meannesses appear simply spiteful, calculated to destroy Edward's equanimity. But when spoilt Leonora is not given the birthday present of a specific dolly that she wants, affairs inexorably take a much darker turn with terrifying, life destroying, consequences for everyone.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson Book Review

Book Title: The Haunting of Hill House

Author: Shirley Jackson

My Rating: 4*

Publisher: Penguin Classics

Publication Date: Originally 1959

Genre(s): Horror, Classic, Gothic, Paranormal

Pages: 246

Format Read: Paperback

Goodreads: It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a "haunting"; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers--and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.