The Smell of Ink/Lukten av Trykksverte

Earlier this year, I read Halloween - A Collection of Short Stories by Matt Shaw and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads October 31st. Halloween. A group of teenagers meet up in the woods, ready to tell camp-stories to a fellow (new) classmate. By the end of the night, the listening classmate has to decide which of the stories she has heard is "real", as opposed to just made up to try and scare her. The problem is, in this cruel world we live in, the "real" story really could be any of them... Is she prepared for the truth? Halloween is A collection of short stories, tied together with a central storyline. My Thoughts on the Book Halloween was a short and really fun read, especially if you've ever read other books by Matt Shaw (spoiler - the stories told in this book can be found in Shaw's other books). If you like gory, twisted, and dark tales, feel free to pick up this one,

Recently, I read the novella Romancing the Inventor by Gail Carriger and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Imogene Hale is a lowly parlourmaid with a soul-crushing secret. Seeking solace, she takes work at a local hive, only to fall desperately in love with the amazing lady inventor the vampires are keeping in the potting shed. Genevieve Lefoux is heartsick, lonely, and French. With culture, class, and the lady herself set against the match, can Imogene and her duster overcome all odds and win Genevieve's heart, or will the vampires suck both of them dry? This is a stand-alone LBGTQ sweet romance set in Gail Carriger's Parasolverse, full of class prejudice, elusive equations, and paranormal creatures taking tea. Delicate Sensibilities? This story contains women pleasing women and ladies who know what they want and pursue it, sometimes in exquisite detail. My Thoughts on the Book Personally I found this an okay read, but nothing more than tha...

As I've got a weak spot for cryptid fiction, horror, and Scotland, I couldn't resist the horror novella Loch Ness by Matt Shaw and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads For decades the Loch Ness monster has been a creature of legend. Seen by only a few but doubted by many, is there really something lurking beneath the waters of Loch Ness? According to scientists who have studied the waters for years, the chances of Nessie being anything other than a giant eel are slim to none. Even so, that doesn't stop millions of people travelling to the loch on a yearly basis in the hope of seeing the creature for themselves. Today, Reece Walker - an author in desperate need of a best-selling book after his recent ones haven't quite hit the market where they needed to be - is one such visitor. Staying next to the loch, he hopes to use the beautiful scenery - and legend itself - as inspiration for his own Nessie-based book. And, as if luck would have i...

As I was eager to figure out what happened next after finishing The Cabin by Matt Shaw, I had to read The Cabin 2: Asylum. Today I'll post my review of the latter. Description from Goodreads The hugely anticipated follow-up to Matt Shaw's best-selling horror story 'The Cabin'. "I sat up and rested my back against the soft padded wall. I wonder whether the padding on the wall is to stop me from hurting myself, as they had explained when I first got here, or to drown the sounds of my banging and screaming as I beg for them to let me out; not that they ever will." Deemed unfit to stand trial after murdering his family, Craig was sent to the very Asylum (centred around the ghost stories) which led to his downfall. Here he hoped for nothing more than peace and quiet, as he struggled to get to grips with what he'd done, but the vengeful spirits had other ideas as they set about revealing their secrets to him. My Thoughts on the Book The Cabin 2: Asylum is one o...

Recently I read the supernatural horror novella The Cabin by Matt Shaw and today I'll post my review of this book. Description from Goodreads “You’d never see the ghosts, not properly. You’d only catch a glimpse of their shapes out of the corner of your eye and you’d hear their stolen, vengeful scream; an ear-piercing shriek to steal the lives of anyone who heard it.” * * * * * For Craig, the trip to the cabin was supposed to be a quiet retreat from his hectic city life where he could concentrate on writing his latest novel. For his wife, Susan, and his two kids, Jamie and Ava, it was supposed to be a weekend vacation. For all of them, it became a nightmare. My Thoughts on the Book As The Cabin is more of the psychological horror rather than "blood, guts, and gore"-type of horror, it can certainly creep you out a little bit. Even though it's a quick read, it's also slow-paced, which I found a bit neat and the ending made me pick up the sequel rather quickly as I ...

A little while ago I read the cryptid horror novella Below by Laurel Hightower and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO TO HELP A STRANGER? While driving through the mountains of West Virginia during a late-night snowstorm, a recently divorced woman experiences bizarre electrical problems, leaving her with little choice but to place her trust with a charismatic truck driver. But when an unexplainable creature with haunting red eyes gets between them, she is forced to make one of the toughest decisions of her life. Will she abandon the stranger who kept her safe-or will she climb down below, where reality has shapeshifted into a living nightmare? My Thoughts on the Book Below was certainly a fun and engaging read. It's a a short read with a fast pace where shit hits the fan quickly and a few added bonuses such as cryptids, in this case the mothman, and feminist themes (dealing with mysogyny, among other things). Below is certain...

A little while ago I read the novella Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Mapping the Interior is a horrifying, inward-looking novella from Stephen Graham Jones that Paul Tremblay calls "emotionally raw, disturbing, creepy, and brilliant." Walking through his own house at night, a fifteen-year-old thinks he sees another person stepping through a doorway. Instead of the people who could be there, his mother or his brother, the figure reminds him of his long-gone father, who died mysteriously before his family left the reservation. When he follows it he discovers his house is bigger and deeper than he knew. The house is the kind of wrong place where you can lose yourself and find things you'd rather not have. Over the course of a few nights, the boy tries to map out his house in an effort that puts his little brother in the worst danger, and puts him in the position to save them . . . at terrible cost. ...

As I love creature feature horror and Hunter Shea, I couldn't resist reading Savage Jungle and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads They are called the Orang Pendek, masters of the steamy Sumatran rain forest. Henrik Kooper watched his father die at the brutal hands of the orange-haired ape men. Having barely survived helping twins Natalie and Austin McQueen discover and destroy the beasts lurking in Loch Ness, it’s now his turn for vengeance. Within the treacherous jungles of Sumatra lies the fabled lost city of Gadang Ur. Its secrets are guarded by a savage band of Orang Pendek who lord over the strange and deadly creatures of the hidden land. Utter madness is the lifeblood of Gadang Ur. Henrik’s journey into darkness will take them to the ragged edge of hell on Earth. Some places were never meant to be discovered. My Thoughts on the Book Savage Jungle is one of those fast-paced and action packed horror books that's fun and entertaining to re...

Earlier this year, I read the paranormal novella La Petite Mort by Olivia Blake and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads After the death of her estranged grandmother, Marisa Marrero finds herself bequeathed a surprising inheritance: a house in the New Orleans French Quarter, left to her with a variety of bizarre conditions attached. Among the surprising consequences of Marisa's acceptance is a friendship with a man called Jack St. Germaine, an alleged alchemist who may or may not be hiding a questionable history, and a series of encounters with Elisabeth Clavier, a vampire known for hunting mortals for sport. As Marisa struggles with who to trust, she leans towards Jack, especially after a demon arrives at her doorstep claiming Elisabeth was the one who sent him. But when Marisa's power grows and Jack can no longer provide her answers, a night with Elisabeth leaves Marisa wondering if she made the right choice. This novella was originally publi...

Earlier this year, I read the novella Away! Away! by Jana Beňová, which allows me to cross off Slovakia on my World Literature Project, and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Sometimes running away is the bravest option. Or, so believes Rosa, who ditches her husband and home and takes off on the road. Along the way, she encounters the owner of a puppet theater who’s on a mission to conquer the world with his performance of The Snow Queen. Which character from this old fairy tale will Rosa identify with? With Gerda, searching fruitlessly for her lost love? With Kai, who flees home and his beloved one day without a word? Or with the Snow Queen, who seems to stand aloof above it all? With magnetic, sparkling prose, Beňová delivers a lively mosaic that ruminates on human relationships, our greatest fears and desires. My Thoughts on the Book This is a book about escaping. Not only relationship(s), but also rules and societal expectations among other things. The prose...

Recently, I read the cosy mystery Cat's Paws and Curses by Nancy Warren and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads When Lucy organizes a holiday knitting circle, it's good fun, Until someone's murdered... And the culprit must be one of the knitters... Knitting an ugly Christmas jumper at Cardinal Woolsey’s knitting shop in Oxford, is supposed to be relaxing. Until a knitter keels over. it’s soon clear to amateur sleuth Lucy that murder's in the air and the culprit is one of the knitters. This is a fun take on a classic closed room mystery. Of course, no room is every closed when vampires live downstairs. But are the undead knitters to blame? Or is there more to this Oxford knitting circle than lumpy Santas and light-up reindeer? This is a shorter holiday whodunnit. It was previously published in the collection: Six Merry Little Murders. More fun than an ugly Christmas jumper, this story is part of the Vampire Knitting Club series, though it can be re...

A while ago I read the horror novella Cirque Berserk by Jessica Guess and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads The summer of 1989 brought terror to the town of Shadows Creek, Florida in the form of a massacre at the local carnival, Cirque Berserk. One fateful night, a group of teens killed a dozen people then disappeared into thin air. No one knows why they did it, where they went, or even how many of them there were, but legend has it they still roam the abandoned carnival, looking for blood to spill. Thirty years later, best friends, Sam and Rochelle, are in the midst of a boring senior trip when they learn about the infamous Cirque Berserk. Seeking one last adventure, they and their friends journey to the nearby Shadows Creek to see if the urban legends about Cirque Berserk are true. But waiting for them beyond the carnival gates is a night of brutality, bloodshed, and betrayal. Will they make they make it out alive, or will the carnival’s past demons extinguis...

A while back I read the horror novella The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads People move to New York looking for magic and nothing will convince them it isn't there. Charles Thomas Tester hustles to put food on the table, keep the roof over his father's head, from Harlem to Flushing Meadows to Red Hook. He knows what magic a suit can cast, the invisibility a guitar case can provide, and the curse written on his skin that attracts the eye of wealthy white folks and their cops. But when he delivers an occult tome to a reclusive sorceress in the heart of Queens, Tom opens a door to a deeper realm of magic, and earns the attention of things best left sleeping. A storm that might swallow the world is building in Brooklyn. Will Black Tom live to see it break? My Thoughts on the Book The Ballad of Black Tom is a fast-paced and engaging retelling of The Horror at Red Hook by H. P. Lovecraft and in general a fun read. Th...

As I've read a few other of Bryce Gibson's books, I couldn't resist The Resort and today I'll post my review of this thriller novella. Description from Goodreads A fun and fast paced teen thriller… Imagine The Island of Dr. Moreau and The Ruins meets The In Crowd. With an island full of teenagers and no internet access, there is the overwhelming sense that all hell is about to break loose. Living on a tropical island is a paradise that most people dream of, but seventeen-year-old Mackenzie Walker is torn between staying there and the idea of having a normal life on the mainland. Spring Break is when boatloads of thrill-seeking high school and college students flood the resort, but it’s not an endless party for Mackenzie. He’s stuck working. When a frat guy winds up dead, the blame is placed on a dangerous hazing ritual, but Mackenzie’s eccentric father is convinced that it was murder. Mackenzie and his friend, Kristen, set off to discover the truth, but what the two of...

It's Christmas Day and what more fitting, than posting a review of a Christmas themed horror novella? I recently read The Lights by Carrie Pack and today I'll share my review. Description from Goodreads It's winter break and Molly Monroe is content to enjoy her town's annual Festival of Lights with her girlfriend Chelsea at her side. But almost immediately after the lights go up, the town's children begin to act strangely, especially Molly's own brother, Roger. When their next-door neighbors are killed in a grisly double homicide, Molly begins to suspect the incidents are linked. Now she must convince her parents and the rest of the town to take down the Christmas lights before everyone gets killed. My Thoughts on the Book The Lights is a fast paced and quick read, which easily can be read in one sitting. The plot is a bit terrifying, because of the possessed murderous kids (it's not your cutesey and fluffy Christmas romance novel, all right). While I liked...