The Debutantes by Olivia Worley

Published on 06/15/202403/08/2026 by Charli

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book may contain material that is disturbing to some readers. Please Google for a full list of trigger warnings. Thank you!

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

The Debutantes by Olivia Worley
Published by St. Martin's Publishing Group on 10/29/2024
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Mysteries & Detective Stories, Young Adult Fiction / Thrillers & Suspense / Crime
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
IndieBound
Goodreads

Jessica Goodman meets The Agathas in this taut, twisty YA thriller set in the glittering world of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, where secrets--and bodies--never stay buried.

For the New Orleans elite, the Les Masques Ball is sure to be the social event of the season—if they can avoid another dead Queen. When debutante Margot Landry was found dead the morning after her reign at last year’s ball, it was a tragedy, but not a shocking one. Margot was a wild child with a self-destructive streak, nothing like this year’s Queen, Lily LeBlanc. With a perfectly poised debutante on the throne, everything is going according to plan...until the ball is hijacked by a mysterious figure in a Jester costume. That night, Lily sends a text to three of the Maids on her royal court—her best friend, Vivian; her boyfriend's sister, Piper; and April, her former frenemy—asking them all to meet the next morning. But Lily never shows up.

On the surface, these three debutantes don’t have anything in common except their exclusive private school and their ties to Les Masques. But soon, they realize why Lily brought them together: something dark is lurking beneath the glamorous surface of the debutante world, and it might be the reason she disappeared. And the further the girls dig, the more they begin to suspect that Margot's death may not have been an accident—and that Lily may be next. When the Jester starts threatening to expose their own secrets, this unlikely trio must team up to uncover the monsters behind the Mardi Gras masks—before they’re left with another dead debutante.

When I chose to read The Debutantes by Olivia Worley, I did so based purely on the cover. I love the cover to this book so much, even though I can’t exactly tell you why. It just jumped out at me as something I should read. And my intuition was spot-on.

The Debutantes is what Pretty Little Liars would have been if it was set in New Orleans. Dead and missing friends, danger, secrets being exposed, mysterious masked people…. Yep, Pretty LIttle Liars in New Orleans backed by Krewe culture and, to an extent, Debutante culture. Honestly, that’s one of the reasons I loved it so much. I loved Pretty Little Liars.

Reading this book kept me on my toes. I didn’t want to put it down, and honestly, I stayed up until 6AM to finish it! It was so easy to read, so easy to follow that I just didn’t want to stop reading. That’s one of the ways in which it differs from Pretty Little Liars – you won’t need a spreadsheet to keep track of what’s going on. Also, The Debutantes won’t need sixteen books to wrap everything up – it was all wrapped up neatly at the end. Or was it?

The ending was amazing and wrapped the book up well. Does it wrap the full story up? It actually could. But could there be more books? I think there could, if Ms. Worley wants there to be more books. I’m sure there’s a way to add a sequel or two to this plot.

As for the characters, I really enjoyed Vivian and April. I wasn’t as much of a fan of Piper’s, mostly because she drove me crazy with the way she behaves. However, I didn’t like Lily at all. Granted, we don’t see a lot of her, but she just doesn’t seem to be a genuine person in this story. She isn’t sincere in anything she says or does and it just bugs me.

I gave this book five stars because it was an excellent book that made me want to keep reading – even after it was over. I hope to read more from Ms. Worley in the future!

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould

Published on 06/14/202403/08/2026 by Charli

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book may contain material that is disturbing to some readers. Please Google for a full list of trigger warnings. Thank you!

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould
Published by St. Martin's Publishing Group on 12/10/2024
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Romance / LGBTQ, Young Adult Fiction / Thrillers & Suspense / Supernatural
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
IndieBound
Goodreads

“A visceral, unflinching, and emotionally powerful horror novel...this is Gould at her most poignant and most electric.” –Ava Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning

Yellowjackets meets Girl, Interrupted when a group of troubled teens in a wilderness therapy program find themselves stranded in a forest full of monsters eager to take their place.

Devin Green wakes in the middle of the night to find two men in her bedroom. No stranger to a fight, she calls to her foster parents for help, but it soon becomes clear this is a planned abduction—one everyone but Devin signed up for. She’s shoved in a van and driven deep into the Idaho woods, where she’s dropped off with a cohort of equally confused teens. Finally, two camp counselors inform them that they've all been enrolled in an experimental therapy program. If the campers can learn to change their self-destructive ways—and survive a fifty-days hike through the wilderness—they’ll come out the other side as better versions of themselves. Or so the counselors say.

Devin is immediately determined to escape. She’s also determined to ignore Sheridan, the cruel-mouthed, lavender-haired bully who mocks every group exercise. But there’s something strange about these woods—inhuman faces appearing between the trees, visions of people who shouldn't be there flashing in the leaves—and when the campers wake up to find both counselors missing, therapy becomes the least of their problems. Stranded and left to fend for themselves, the teens quickly realize they’ll have to trust each other if they want to survive. But what lies in the woods may not be as dangerous as what the campers are hiding from each other—and if the monsters have their way, no one will leave the woods alive.

Atmospheric and sharp, What the Woods Took is a poignant story of transformation that explores the price of becoming someone—or something—new.

“Unsettling, raw, and absolutely terrifying. Gould tears open the tender, angry heart of teenage friendship and what happens when our loved ones fail us.” -Trang Thanh Tran, New York Times bestselling author of She is a Haunting

Content Warning: What the Woods Took contains:

substance abuse
mentions of suicide
death/harm of a child
mentions of sexual assault/child sexual abuse
gore/violence

I periodically receive emails from NetGalley telling me what books are “Read Now”. In the most recent email, What the Woods Took was listed among the books on offer. While I had previously seen Courtney Gould’s other books on NetGalley, I had not been lucky enough to be chosen to read them. But since this one was “Read Now” I managed to snag it. I’m so glad I was able to get it.

In this book we follow five teenagers who have been sent away to “wilderness therapy” by their parents/guardians. Our illustrious group consists of:

Devin – nearly 18 years old, has been in foster care for most of her life, resorts to violence to solve her problems.
Sheridan – a rich girl with a tragic past, she has a tendency to be quite the bitch to others
Hannah – a girl you’d think would be the last person on earth to be sent to “wilderness therapy”
Aidan – a younger teen who just wanted to be liked
Ollie – a teen relatively close in age to Devin who did something bad, but not what his dad thought

As we follow these five teens on their wilderness therapy journey, we find that things in this wilderness aren’t exactly what they seem. One of the things I loved about this book is that the enemy isn’t what you’d expect – and in some cases might actually be someone you know!

I found the writing style in What the Woods Took to be extremely easy to follow and I was very impressed with it. Ms. Gould crafted this story with the utmost care and made it so easy to read that I finished in just a few hours. It also helped that I didn’t want to put the book down!

I gave this book a four star rating – I can’t wait to pick up Ms. Gould’s other novels from the library. She has gained a fan for life.

The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall

Published on 08/01/202312/31/2024 by Charli2 Comments

Today I’m reviewing The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall, a Young Adult Horror novel. This post is part of the TBR & Beyond Tours blog tour for The Narrow.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall
Published by Penguin on 08/01/2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Ghost Stories, Young Adult Fiction / Horror
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
IndieBound
Goodreads

A ghost haunting her boarding school uncovers a teen girl’s best kept secrets in the Queen of Scream’s deliciously terrifying new novel.

Everyone has heard the story of the Narrow. The river that runs behind the Atwood School is only a few feet across and seemingly placid, but beneath the surface, the waters are deep and vicious. It’s said that no one who has fallen in has ever survived.

Eden White knows that isn’t true. Six years ago, she saw Delphine Fournier fall into the Narrow—and live.

Delphine now lives in careful isolation, sealed off from the world. Even a single drop of unpurified water could be deadly to her, and no one but Eden has any idea why. Eden has never told anyone what she saw or spoken to Delphine since, but now, unable to cover her tuition, she has to make a her expenses will be paid in return for serving as a live-in companion to Delphine.

Eden finds herself drawn to the strange and mysterious girl, and the two of them begin to unravel each other’s secrets. Then Eden discovers what happened to the last girl who lived with she was found half-drowned on dry land. Suddenly Eden is waking up to wet footprints tracking to the end of her bed, the sound of rain on the windows when the skies are clear, and a ghostly silhouette in her doorway. Something is haunting Delphine—and now it’s coming for Eden, too.

So we all know I’m a horror girlie, but I usually don’t go in much for ghost story horror. Most of them are just so cliché and boring to me that I don’t want to read them. I’m also that way with horror films – in fact, there are only a couple of ghost-based horror movies I really like. So the fact that I gave The Narrow a 5 star rating, should tell you something.

Characters

First, I love the characters. I love Delphine. I love Eden. I love the way Eden, Veronica, Zoya, and Ruth interact with each other. They’re all strong characters. We get back story for those we need (Delphine, Eden, Maeve, and Grace) and no back story for the ones that don’t matter as much (Veronica, Zoya, Ruth, and the adults).

Atmosphere

This book had a great, creepy setting. A boarding school with a history of being haunted that exists near a raging river… and it rains a lot here, or does it? A dorm that is specially outfitted for a student with an extremely rare allergy… this one just has all the pieces for a great setting.

Writing

Kate Alice Marshall’s writing style is amazing. It is easy to read, fast paced, and doesn’t overly describe things like my all-time favorite horror author tends to. Reading this takes hardly any effort – you don’t have to think too hard, you just read and relax.

Plot

This one takes a unique plot for a ghost-based horror novel. It takes possession to a different level by executing it in a different way. Add to this a love story and it becomes a great story that keeps readers interested and wanting to know more. At least it kept this reader wanting to know more.

Intrigue

If there’s one thing every thriller or horror novel needs, it is intrigue. You have to have a reason to want to know what happens next. And trust me, with The Narrow, you need to know what happens next. You can’t just leave it alone. The intrigue is amazing in this book. It just works so well.

Relationships

The relationships in this book are complicated but at the same time, not. For some relationships they seem to get more complicated as the book goes on, while others seem to get less complicated. I love the interactions between Eden and Delphine, Eden and Grace, and Eden and her friends.

Ending

The ending to this book actually made me a bit sad. I understand why it has to end the way it does, and I’m grateful that it does end the way it does. But it still made me a bit sad because the person Eden fell in love with is one person she simply cannot have. It is amazing, beautiful, and sad all at once.

I highly recommend this book to those looking for a ghost story that isn’t your typical ghost story. I also recommend this 5 star read to those looking to get started in YA Horror with something that isn’t too terribly scary.

Playlist

I don’t usually make playlists for books and while this isn’t the greatest playlist, I thought it was a decent collection of a few songs that made me think of The Narrow.

Book Cover for Whatever Remains of Us in the End

Whatever Remains of Us in the End by Brandon Baker

Published on 07/18/202312/31/2024 by Charli2 Comments

I’ve been following Brandon Baker for quite a while on social media – most notably TikTok and Instagram. So I was thrilled to find out that he’d written books, especially horror/thriller books. So of course, when I got KindleUnlimited back, I had to read them.

This book may contain material that is disturbing to some readers. Please Google for a full list of trigger warnings. Thank you!

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

Whatever Remains of Us in the End by Brandon Baker
Published by Self-Published on 03/03/2023
Genres: Horror
Pages: 132
Format: eBook
Source: KindleUnlimited
IndieBound

Lee knew of the old Maxim place, of course. Everyone in Lincolnshire had. Plagued by superstitious rumors, the woods surrounding the home were supposedly haunted, and the house itself inhabited by a witch; but he never believed the rumors. However, after a home invasion plot gone horribly wrong, Lee finds himself on a mission to uncover the secrets of the Maxim home and learns that there might be something more to the rumors after all. Whatever Remains Of Us In The End is a dark, bloody, and emotional supernatural thriller, and is the first full length novella from author Brandon Baker.

Content Warnings: graphic violence, injury detail, descriptions of gore including dismemberment and disembowelment, body horror, drug use/addiction, loss of loved ones, self harm, gun violence, suicidal ideation, bullying, homophobic and misogynistic language, brief description of an injured animal, brief allusions to white supremacist ideologies

While I will admit I didn’t feel a big connection to any of the characters in this book, that isn’t uncommon for me with horror genre novels. For some reason I just don’t tend to get attached to or connect with most horror novel characters – probably because I figure they’ll die at some point. But the characters in this book had fairly decent backstories. Obviously this being a novella the characters couldn’t have too elaborate backstories, but I think the backstories were sufficient for the needs of the story.

The plot for Whatever Remains of Us in the End is a bit convoluted, but again, it’s a horror novella. I’ve seen full-length horror novels with more convoluted plots – and they were much harder to follow that this was. I had no trouble following the plot at all. I liked the twists that came up and was pleasantly surprised at the ending – I’d almost like to see a sequel because I think it would be fun.

Just a note: this is only Brandon’s second published work. So obviously you might not find it OMG AMAZING but I truly think you can see the talent Brandon has. Most authors don’t have the greatest first few published works. It’s just the way writing is.

This is a great novella that would make a good entry point into horror – it isn’t as scary as some horror novels/novellas are, but it gives a good idea of what you can find in horror novels. I gave it 4/5 stars because there’s always room for improvement but this was a great novella for a second published work.

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

Published on 07/13/202312/31/2024 by Charli

This book may contain material that is disturbing to some readers. Please Google for a full list of trigger warnings. Thank you!

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
Also by this author: Small Favors
Series: Sisters of the Salt #1
Published by Random House Children's Books on 08/04/2020
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Adaptations, Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction / Romance / Paranormal
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover
Source: Personal Library
IndieBound
Goodreads

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Get swept away by this “haunting” (Bustle) YA novel about twelve beautiful sisters living on an isolated island estate who begin to mysteriously die one by one. This dark and atmospheric fairy tale inspired story is perfect for fans of Yellowjackets.

"Step inside a fairy tale." —Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval

In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor with her sisters and their father and stepmother. Once there were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls' lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last--the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge--and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.

Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that her sister's deaths were no accidents. The girls have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn't sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who--or what--are they really dancing with?

When Annaleigh's involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it's a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family--before it claims her next. House of Salt and Sorrows is a spellbinding novel filled with magic and the rustle of gossamer skirts down long, dark hallways. Be careful who you dance with...

And don't miss Erin Craig's Small Favors, a mesmerizing and chilling novel about dark wishes and even darker dreams.

I bought House of Salt and Sorrows when it first came out and started reading it right away. But I didn’t finish it. I started reading it again a few months later, but again, didn’t finish it. Finally, after finding out that House of Roots and Ruin, the sequel to House of Salt and Sorrows, was coming out, I got off my butt and read it.

I have no idea why on Earth it took me so long to read this book. Part of it might have been because I’m actually not familiar with the fairy tale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, of which House of Salt and Sorrows is a retelling. But whatever the reason, it absolutely shouldn’t have taken me this long to read this book!

I loved Annaleigh! She’s strong but also shows vulnerability, especially when certain events take place. I also loved most of her sisters – Camille wasn’t my favorite, but I did enjoy the triplets and the Graces. They were fun characters. Not particularly sure how I felt about their father and I really wasn’t fond of Morella, their step-mother. But I did quite enjoy Cassius.

I’m a huge fairy tale retelling lover, so it isn’t a surprise that I loved this one. Even though I wasn’t particularly familiar with the fairy tale HOSAS was based on, a quick Google search told me all I needed to know about the original tale. I loved the way Erin A. Craig wove the story around the idea of the Thaumas sisters being cursed because of the deaths of so many of them.

There were several plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that I highly doubt most readers would be able to guess. Especially the big twist at towards the end – that one was definitely not expected! It truly was a great twist!

I really love the ending – mostly because I was so sad at one of the smaller plot twists revealed towards the end of the book. It was the perfect way to end HOSAS and I am looking forward the House of Roots and Ruin.

This one got 4.5/5 stars from me and I highly recommend this book for those who love fairy tales and fairy tale retellings.

Blood Kings by Shade Owens

Published on 07/02/202312/31/2024 by Charli

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book may contain material that is disturbing to some readers. Please Google for a full list of trigger warnings. Thank you!

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

Blood Kings by Shade Owens
Series: Blood Kings #1
Published by Red Raven Publishing on 04/18/2023
Genres: Dystopian, Horror, Science Fiction, Thrillers
Pages: 343
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
IndieBound
Goodreads

Stranded. No prison guards. Kill or be killed.

After being wrongly convicted of murder, eighteen-year-old Leo Hart is sentenced to serve time in the worst place imaginable—Krimos Islands. This cluster of penal islands is said to be reserved for the most heinous of convicts. Murderers. Sociopaths. Wicked men capable of taking a life without a second thought. And Leo is anything but wicked. He’s soft—too soft, according to his brother. He’ll never survive. But when Leo discovers that part of Krimos Islands is inhabited by a society of men searching to atone for past mistakes, he knows this is his only shot at survival. The only problem is, getting there is nearly impossible. Leo will have to travel across gang territory just to reach the next island, which is said to be even more dangerous than the one he started on. Whether he reaches his destination will depend on who he trusts, and how much of his humanity he’s willing to shed.

Content Warning: Blood, Gore, Murder, Drug Use, Death

I love when a book moves through several genres and Blood Kings does that and does it well. As I read through the book, the dystopian vibes became very clear – the manner in which life-sentence prisoners are dealt with is very dystopian in nature. Then you have the horror, which is readily apparent in the way people are treating each other on these islands.

I like Leo – he’s the kind of character that you want to root for. You want him to find a way out of the predicament he’s found himself in. You want him to get away, to win. Even if you haven’t got a clue what he’s actually winning if he does win… you want him to win. I also enjoy Niles. He’s a great “best friend” for Leo. Even though it seems like Leo cares more about Niles than Niles does about Leo, I’m certain that Niles cares just as much as Leo.

The plot for this book is a more unique twist on dystopian horror. Life sentence prisoners are exiled to the Krimos Islands where they are expected to live out their days however they can. It is unclear how long these prisoners have been sent to the islands, but it is long enough that prisoners have established settlements, gangs, etc. on the islands. It’s great plot and I really enjoyed it.

The writing is easy to follow and fairly quick to read. It took me a few days to read this book, but that was more because I had other things I had to do instead of reading like I wanted to. Still, I don’t think it took more than 3 days to read.

The ending is sort of a cliffhanger. Not an “Oh crap!” cliffhanger, but more of a “darn it, the book is over but I need more” cliffhanger. It is the first book in a series though, so we’ll get to find out what happens to our favorite characters. I gave it 4/5 stars and would recommend it to anyone who likes dystopian horror thriller books.

You Won’t Believe Me by Cyn Balog

Published on 06/26/202312/31/2024 by Charli

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book may contain material that is disturbing to some readers. Please Google for a full list of trigger warnings. Thank you!

You Won't Believe Me by Cyn Balog
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on 06/27/2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Dystopian, Young Adult Fiction / Horror, Young Adult Fiction / Thrillers & Suspense / Psychological
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley

Brace yourself for the unexpected in this chilling novel that will thrill suspense and horror readers alike! Willow can't remember what landed her in captivity, but she'll do anything to survive. For fans of Natasha Preston and Stephen King.

Willow is alone, confined to a bed with restraints. She can't remember how she got there...or how long she's been there.

An old lady appears in her room to feed her twice a day. Granny doesn't talk, but Willow can hear thumping from somewhere beyond her door. It's not Granny's shuffling steps. It's too loud to be Granny's cat. Is it someone? Something?

Then Granny's cat dies in Willow's room. And Granny follows a few days later. Willow will do anything to survive. But freeing herself from her bed is only the beginning... Because there is someone else in the house. Who is this mysterious teen who calls himself Elijah? And is he the reason she's hostage or the key to her escape?

Don't miss these other gripping novels from Cyn Balog:

Alone

That Night

Unnatural Deeds

You Won’t Believe Me by Cyn Balog was a ride from beginning to end. A fast paced Young Adult novel that is part thriller, part horror, and all awesome.

You really only get to know two characters, Willow and Elijah. You get to know them, sort of. By the end of the book you won’t know what about them is real or isn’t. But that’s the beauty of the story. You just don’t know because you won’t know what to believe. Just as you think you know who these two are and what they are, a twist pops up and you’re back to square one with them. Brilliant.

This is one of the most unique plots I’ve seen in a long time. You start out thinking something is horribly wrong but don’t know exactly what, then find out there was some sort of zombie apocalypse, but then a twist blows everything you’d discovered out of the water. It’s a brilliant plot and I was entranced by it for the entirety of the book.

The writing was simply awesome. It was easy to read, easy to follow, and it didn’t drag. Sure, some might find some of the descriptive areas to be boring or unnecessary, but the fact of the matter is, the descriptive areas serve a purpose that will be revealed when it is time. I read the book in a matter of hours – I think around 4 hours, maybe 5 – because I couldn’t put it down.

The ending is absolutely amazing. You’ll never see the ending coming. I was so startled when I finished this book because I just never thought that what Elijah says is true… trust me when I say, the title is apt.

I gave this book 4.5 stars because it’s a beautifully written story that gives off dystopian and zombie apocalypse vibes with a huge twist at the end that knocks you out of your chair.

The Wicked Unseen by Gigi Griffis

Published on 06/22/202312/31/2024 by Charli

Today is my stop on the TBR & Beyond Tours blog tour for The Wicked Unseen by Gigi Griffis, and I’m bringing you a review of the book. I’d actually already requested & been approved for this book through NetGalley prior to joining the tour, but hadn’t gotten around to reading it yet. I wish I’d read it sooner.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book may contain material that is disturbing to some readers. Please Google for a full list of trigger warnings. Thank you!

The Wicked Unseen by Gigi Griffis
Published by Random House Children's Books on 06/20/2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Horror, Young Adult Fiction / Mystery
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
IndieBound
Goodreads

The new girl in town is having trouble fitting into a community that believes there’s a secret Satanic cult conducting rituals in the woods. When her crush goes missing, she starts to wonder if the town’s obsession with evil isn’t covering up something far worse. Perfect for fans of Fear Street!

To say sixteen-year-old Audre doesn’t fit in would be the understatement of the century. She’s a city kid who’s found herself in a rural town. The only girl at school who’d rather kiss a girl than a boy. Not to mention that the whole town believes there’s a secret Satanic cult conducting rituals in the nearby woods–and Audre is a born skeptic.

When the preacher’s daughter and Audre’s secret crush, Elle, goes missing on Halloween weekend, the town is quick to point fingers–in Audre’s direction. While they harass Audre’s family for being newcomers and nonbelievers, Audre realizes she might be the only person here who can find her friend.

The deeper she goes, though, the weirder it gets. What happened to Elle–and is the evil this town is hiding really what Audre thinks it is?

Content Warning: satanic cult, racism, sexism, police brutality and mistreatment, abuse from religious officials

If you have religious trauma, this may not be the book for you. If you are a believer, this book may tick you off or it could cause you to take a long look in the mirror. This book is a work of fiction, but it rings of some horrible truths – truths I’ve experienced in my own life.

There are things that happen in this book that sound fantastical, like they couldn’t be real. But there are versions of these things that are, in fact, real. In fact, the author has a note at the end of the book to give the reader insight into what is and isn’t real.

With the exception of Audre’s sexual orientation, she could be me. I don’t believe the way that others do. I listen to “devil music” and I’m sarcastic and spooky. As you can tell, I love her.

I’m also very fond of Elle. She couldn’t be more different from me, but she questions what she’s told when others say they know God’s will for her. I like that about her.

I like that David is a Christian but that he is one of the ones who knows that zealots like those in this book are a problem.

The plot for this book drew me in and kept me wanting to read. In fact, I started the book at 2pm and finished at 9:30pm the same night… I just paused to run to the grocery store and have dinner. It’s a great story, fast paced and easy to follow.

The twists that come up aren’t ones you’ll see coming. In fact a major twist that happened never once occurred to me until it happened. That’s a sign of a great horror book.

I gave this book four stars because it was a great read and a great ride from beginning to end. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a YA horror novel.

Enter the Darkness by Sarah Budd

Published on 06/20/202312/31/2024 by Charli

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book may contain material that is disturbing to some readers. Please Google for a full list of trigger warnings. Thank you!

Enter the Darkness by Sarah Budd
Published by Brigids Gate Press LLC on 11/07/2022
Genres: Horror
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
IndieBound

During the Spring Solstice, four people enter the caves underneath London.

Garth: a shy young man, who seeks to save the girl of his dreams.

Cassie: a beautiful young woman, who seeks to use the dark magic of the caves for her own purposes.

Bill: an older man with a terrible secret, who seeks to find Garth and Cassie before it’s too late.

Sienna: a con artist with a dark past, who seeks to escape her fate as a chosen sacrifice.

Four people enter. Each of them must battle their personal demons before facing the White Lady, who rises each year during the Spring Solstice with a hunger for human flesh. Only one of them will survive.

Who will it be?

Let me be clear – I love horror novels. In fact, I don’t often find horror novels that I’m not a big fan of. That being said… I wasn’t a big fan of this one.

For one thing, I felt absolutely no connection to any of the characters. I didn’t have the “Oh I hope that one doesn’t die” or “I hope that one isn’t one of the bad guys” feeling about any of them. They were there and that was that. I will give the author credit for at least giving some background for the main characters, but other than that, I just didn’t feel connected to any of them.

The writing wasn’t the best. I realize this was an “uncorrected proof” but the amount of mistakes – extra words, missing words, missing or incorrect punctuation, sentences that should have been one sentence instead of two or three – makes me think that an editor didn’t even see the book before it was put on NetGalley. That being said, I was able to make sense of the book.

The pacing was just horrible – I felt like I was just slogging through the book the entire time I was reading it. It was such a struggle for me to keep going, but I didn’t want to DNF the book for some reason. I kept hoping it would get better, but it just didn’t.

There were no appreciable plot twists and the few there were I had been easily able to predict. The ending wasn’t spectacular either. I can’t say that I’d read anything else by this author. Two stars because the story was somewhat readable, but I definitely wouldn’t go out of my way to read anything by her again.

About Sarah Budd

Sarah Budd is a horror writer from London. She has always been fascinated by anything out of the ordinary. Her work has appeared in over twenty magazines and anthologies including Slash-Her, NoSleep Podcast, Diabolica Britannica, Tales to Terrify, Aphotic Realm, Sanitarium Magazine, Dark Fire Fiction, Mystic Blue Review, Siren’s Call Publications, Deadman’s Tome, Innersins, Aphelion, Bewildering Stories and Blood Moon Rising Magazine.

Website

The Dunnie by Keith Thomas

Published on 05/21/202312/31/2024 by Charli

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Dunnie by Keith Thomas
Published by Night Platform Book Company on 10/31/2022
Genres: Fiction / Horror, Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Pages: 150
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley

Praise for Keith Thomas' work:

"Keith Thomas has a handle on the mechanisms of fear and the tradition of the terror tale that makes him a salient voice in the genre today." - Guillermo del Toro, filmmaker

"Taut, riveting... I wanted to read it all over again once I turned the last page." - James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of Kingdom of Bones

"Truly unforgettable..." - Suspense Magazine

"Thomas maintains the believability of his tightly coiled plot throughout." - Publishers Weekly
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From the writer/director of the critically acclaimed film THE VIGIL and director of the "Pickman's Model" episode of Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (now on Netflix) comes a terrifying debut novella.
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Over a long fall weekend, Asher, twelve, travels with his mother, Beth, to his beloved grandfather (Pa)'s house-a wild place stuffed with rare books, strange art, and collected curiosities. With Pa's dementia worsening, Beth and her sister, Zoe, plan to move him into a nursing home-this visit is to break the news and pack the house up.

While Asher adores his doting grandfather, Beth recalls her dad as a very different person: a belittling man with a hair-trigger temper. Though Beth had been frightened of her father her whole childhood, he changed, seemingly overnight, ten years earlier into the affable man Asher now loves spending time with.

But Pa's increasing forgetfulness masks a much more unsettling reality: his anger didn't just vanish; it was "excised" in an arcane ritual that birthed the horrifying creature he's locked away in the depths of his home-the Dunnie. And now, with Pa's memory failing, the Dunnie won't remain contained . . .

Ok, so when I go into reading an “indie” horror novel, I usually go in expecting to intensely dislike it because, honestly, that’s usually how it goes for me. I end up hating it because it’s either horribly written, makes no sense, or is just not fear-inducing whatsoever. I was pleasantly surprised by The Dunnie.

Now, I’m not going to pretend that this book was super fear-inducing, because for me it wasn’t. But I’ll be honest, I don’t scare easily when it comes to horror novels or movies. But this book was very creepy.

It took me a bit to get into it, but once I got going, I flew through the book. Granted, it’s only about 150 pages long… but still. Once I got into it, I just didn’t want to put it down. In fact, I don’t think I did except for when I absolutely had to (aka, I had to tend to certain physical and medical needs).

I loved the concept – having a creature born of the qualities that a person wants to rid themselves of, then later on them having to fight that creature off and destroy it as best they can to ensure the safety of their loved ones. It made for a very interesting story line and one that honestly, I’d read again… which is good because The Dunnie isn’t the only book Keith Thomas has written in this particular vein.

The book is extremely well written…. which I’d hope so since Keith Thomas is a screenwriter and director who wrote/directed THE VIGIL and directed the “Pickman’s Model” episode of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (on Netflix, at least in the US).

I give this a solid 4 stars because it’s a great, short horror novel. I’ll definitely be looking into reading some of the others that follow it!

The Book of Demons by Kevin Moore

Published on 05/19/202312/31/2024 by Charli

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Book of Demons by Kevin Moore
Series: Jack Kelly #2
Published by Books Fluent on 10/11/2022
Genres: Fiction / Horror
Pages: 146
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley

"Ghost-touched teen Jack Kelly returns in this polished urban fantasy/horror sequel to Moore's The Book of Souls. At times an intriguing mystery, at others a chilling thriller, The Book of Demons offers a sensational stroll through the hustle and bustle of an inventively paranormal version of 80s New York City. Jack's development throughout is an adventurous, if spooky, coming of age story that will thrill and at times scare readers of classic urban fantasy and YA series..." -Booklife Review

The Book of Demons, the much-anticipated sequel to The Book of Souls, finds Jack Kelly in the fight of his life. This time, he's not battling ghosts. His nemesis is the shapeshifting necromancer, Mr. Philips, who inhabits both the world of the living and the world of the dead.

When Mr. Philips discovers a powerful, cursed painting whose magic he can use for personal gain, he will stop at nothing to acquire it...including murder.

Before he can get his hands on it, the painting goes missing and its artist is found dead. Enraged, Mr. Philips vows to hunt it down. But someone else finds it first: Jack, a teenage mystic who understands the painting's tremendous power and would do anything to keep Mr. Philips from harnessing it.

Along with two unexpected allies-a non-verbal autistic child and the spirit of a dead nun-Jack battles to keep the painting away from Mr. Philips. But as the stakes rise along with the body count, their epic battle for possession of the painting may cost Jack everything and everyone he loves.

I’m going to admit, The Book of Demons isn’t a great book but isn’t a terrible book either. It starts out with a description of how the villain of the story came by his powers and then moved into the story proper. I found the story boring at times and exciting at others.

To be honest, I was hoping for a much bigger ending than what happened. I actually called the ending in my head as soon as the actual ending started. To be honest, the book isn’t scary or even unsettling, it’s just… there.

I gave the book 3.5 stars because as I said, it’s not great but it’s not terrible either. This one would be good for those who aren’t regular horror readers but who want to try their hand at reading horror without the full-on terrifying aspect you might find from Dean Koontz, Stephen King, or John Saul.

Inheriting Her Ghosts by S.H. Cooper

Published on 05/02/202312/31/2024 by Charli

Today I have a BBNYA 2022 Finalist Review for Inheriting Her Ghosts by S.H. Cooper. Inheriting Her Ghosts came in 4th for BBNYA 2022! Congrats!

The Book

I received an advance copy of this book from TheWriteReads/BBNYA to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Inheriting Her Ghosts by S.H. Cooper
Published by Sleepless Sanctuary Publishing on 07/09/2021
Genres: Horror
Pages: 120
Format: eBook
Source: TheWriteReads/BBNYA
Amazon // Barnes & Noble // IndieBound
Goodreads

Inheritance often comes with strings attached, but rarely are they as tangled as those hanging over High Hearth.

When Eudora Fellowes learns she's the sole heir of her estranged great-aunt's seaside manor, she believes it will be the peaceful escape she's longed for. What awaits, however, is a dark legacy shrouded in half a century of secrets, and it doesn't take long before Eudora realizes she's not the only one to call High Hearth home.

The Review

If there’s one thing we know about me, it is that I love horror novels. While I don’t review a ton of them here on Charli’s Book Box, I love to read them. So of course, I was thrilled to be selected to review Inheriting Her Ghosts by S.H. Cooper. I’ll be honest, I had no idea what to expect when I started reading this one but I’ll say this, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I’ll start this off by saying if you’re not a fan of slow-burn horror novels, this one may not be for you. But I’d still recommend giving it a chance because you never know.

Inheriting Her Ghosts focuses on Eudora Fellowes and her struggle with her newly inherited property – and the ghosts she apparently inherited along with it. I love that Eudora doesn’t conform to who and what society says she should be. She doesn’t generally care what people say about her or think about her. I admire that greatly. I also love her wolfhounds, Cerberus and Black Shuck. First, she named one after the three headed dog who guards the Underworld and second, she named the other after a ghostly dog of legend – what’s not to love?

The hauntings start off slow and get more intense as the book goes on. While it doesn’t take Eudora long to realize that yes, indeed, her new home is haunted, she does exhibit the usual skepticism about it. While the initial hauntings won’t leave you feeling like this is a horror novel, trust me, the later hauntings, especially toward the end of the book, absolutely will.

While some may not go for the traditional[mfn]Some might say campy[/mfn] horror elements, they’re definitely present in this book, especially since this book is about being haunted. The ending to this book is not to be missed as it comes with a few surprises to say the least.

I gave Inheriting Her Ghosts 4 stars because it was a darned good book. I read it in about a day, with most of that being read in couple of hours. I look forward to reading more from S.H. Cooper.

About BBYNA

This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the 55 books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 10 finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.