The Smell of Ink/Lukten av Trykksverte

Last month I read the classic horror novel Hell House by Richard Matheson and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads For over twenty years, Belasco House has stood empty. Regarded as the Mount Everest of haunted houses, it is a venerable mansion whose shadowed walls have witnessed scenes of almost unimaginable horror and depravity. Two previous expeditions to investigate its secrets met with disaster, the participants destroyed by murder, suicide, or insanity. Now a new investigation has been mounted, bringing four strangers to the forbidding mansion, determined to probe Belasco House for the ultimate secrets of life and death. Each has his or her own reasons for daring the unknown torments and temptations of the mansion, but can any soul survive what lurks within the most haunted house on Earth? My Thoughts on the Book Hell House by Richard Matheson makes The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson seem like a fairy-tale in comparison, or Hell House i...

I've finally read the YA vampire novel The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks after it being on my TBR for years and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Think vampires are romantic, sexy, and powerful? Think again. Vampires are dead. And unless they want to end up staked, they have to give up fanging people, admit their addiction, join a support group, and reform themselves. Nina Harrison, fanged at fifteen and still living with her mother, hates the Reformed Vampire Support Group meetings every Tuesday night. Even if she does appreciate Dave, who was in a punk band when he was alive, nothing exciting ever happens. That is, until one of group members is mysteriously destroyed by a silver bullet. With Nina (determined to prove that vamps aren't useless or weak) and Dave (secretly in love with Nina) at the helm, the misfit vampires soon band together to track down the hunter, save a werewolf, and keep the world safe from the li...

I recently read the supernatural thriller The Loch by Steve Alten and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Marine biologist Zachary Wallace once suffered a near-drowning experience in legendary Loch Ness, and now, long-forgotten memories of that experience have begun haunting him. The truth surrounding these memories lies with Zachary’s estranged father, Angus Wallace, a wily Highlander on trial for murder. Together the two plunge into a world where the legend of Loch Ness shows its true face. My Thoughts on the Book The Loch is one of those book you have to take for what it is - a fast-paced and engaging supernatural thriller, and it was a lot of fun reading it. Fair enough, there were a few times when I rolled my eyes a bit, such as the whole (Black) Templars thing, death penalty in the UK (spoiler alert - the last execution in the UK was in 1964), and the overall Dan Brown-vibes at times. While the plot and the story-line was a bit over the top at t...

Earlier this month, I read the novel Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas, which combines paranormal and historical fiction, and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Vampires and vaqueros face off on the Texas-Mexico border in this supernatural western from the author of The Hacienda. As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead. Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago. Believing Nena dead, Néstor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind. When the United States attacks Mexico in 1846, the two are brought abruptly together...

Recently, I read the sapphic paranormal romance novel Pumpkin Spice & Poltergeist by Ali K. Mulford and K. Elle Morrison and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Get ready for a bewitching tale of love, laughter, and supernatural shenanigans in the heart of Maple Hollow! The last thing apothecary witch, Jordyn, had on her mind was romance, but when she got witchy-wasted, she cracked open the coffin of her love life and conjured the ghost of her ex-girlfriend. Jordyn is in for a spell of trouble now that the snarky specter is determined to haunt her until she finds someone new. Enter Harlow, the new girl in town, who just wants a job in her sister’s cafe but she discovers that the spooky town of Maple Hollow is more than just a gimmick. Real magic lives here. But after run-ins with vampires and one too many grave cafe blunders, she's ready to hop on a broomstick and fly out of town. Until she finds herself falling under the spell of the enchanti...

A couple of weeks ago, I read the vampire novel The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl and today I'm posting my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Sonia Hartl’s The Lost Girls is laced with dark humor and queer love; it’s John Tucker Must Die with a feminist girl gang of vampires. When Elton Irving turned Holly Liddell into a vampire in 1987, he promised her eternal love. But thirty-four years later, Elton has left her, her hair will be crimped for the rest of immortality, and the only job she can get as a forever-sixteen-year-old is the midnight shift at Taco Bell. Holly’s afterlife takes an interesting turn when she meets Rose McKay and Ida Ripley. Having also been turned and discarded by Elton—Rose in 1954, and Ida, his ex-fiancée, in 1921—they want to help her, and ask for her help in return. Rose and Ida are going to kill Elton before he turns another girl. Though Holly is hurt and angry with Elton for tossing her aside, she’s reluctant to kill her ex, until Holly meets Pa...

I recently read The Vengeful Dead by Darcy Coates, which is the last book in the Gravekeeper series, and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads How far will she go to save the damned? Keira is caught in a deadly battle. Her ability to help ghosts move on from the mortal world has made her a threat to Artec, a powerful corporation intent on trapping the tortured dead for profit. They've been tracking her for years and now, finally, there's nowhere left for her to run. Artec fears Keira and everything she's capable of. They will stop at nothing to eliminate her―including sending armed men after everyone she holds dear. Desperate and quickly running out of time, Keira races to hone her abilities as she searches for a way to destroy the twisted organization for good. But at least now she's no longer alone. Her friends have offered to follow wherever she leads, even if that means a direct strike deep into the heart of Artec's central base....

Recently I read Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab, which is the second book about Cassidy Blake, and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Trouble is haunting Cassidy Blake . . . even more than usual. She (plus her ghost best friend, Jacob, of course) are in Paris, where Cass's parents are filming their TV show about the world's most haunted cities. Sure, it's fun eating croissants and seeing the Eiffel Tower, but there's true ghostly danger lurking beneath Paris, in the creepy underground Catacombs. When Cass accidentally awakens a frighteningly strong spirit, she must rely on her still-growing skills as a ghosthunter -- and turn to friends both old and new to help her unravel a mystery. But time is running out, and the spirit is only growing stronger. And if Cass fails, the force she's unleashed could haunt the city forever. My Thoughts on the Book I really enjoyed reading Tunnel of Bones, and there's something nice with the d...

A little while ago, I read The Bloody Ruin Asylum & Taproom by Seana Kelly and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads I’m Sam, the werewolf book nerd owner of The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore & Bar. My husband, Master vampire Clive, has been asked to go to Budapest to interview for a position in the Guild, a council of thirteen vampires who advise the world’s Masters. The competition for the recently vacated spot is fierce. I worry about Clive, as it quickly becomes apparent that the last person to hold the position didn’t leave voluntarily. Ever the supportive wife, I’m tagging along. I researched Budapest and had a long itinerary of things to do. That is, I did. When we arrive, we find out that the Guild headquarters is in the ruins of an abandoned insane asylum. Awesome. If there’s one thing I love, it’s being hounded by mentally unstable Hungarian ghosts. Let’s just say this isn’t the romantic getaway I’d been hoping for. With Clive in top secr...

A little while ago I read The Viper's Nest Roadhouse & Café by Seana Kelly and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads I'm Sam, the werewolf book nerd owner of The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore & Bar. Clive, Fergus, and I are moving into our new home, the business is going well, and our folly is taking shape. The problem? Clive's maker Garyn is coming to San Francisco for a visit, and this reunion has been a thousand years in the making. Back then, Garyn was rather put out when Clive accepted the dark kiss and then took off to avenge his sister's murder. She was looking for a new family. He was looking for lethal skills. And so, Garyn has had plenty of time to align her forces. When her allies begin stepping out of the shadows, Clive's foundation will be shaken. Stheno and her sisters are adding to their rather impressive portfolio of businesses around the world by acquiring The Viper's Nest Roadhouse & Café. Medusa found ...

Happy Halloween/Samhain everyone. As it is finally Halloween, I figured out I would post a review of the short story collection The Last Séance: Tales of the Supernatural by Agatha Christie, which I read earlier this month. Description from Goodreads From the Queen of Suspense, an all-new collection of her spookiest and most sinister stories, including an Agatha Christie story never before published in the USA, The Wife of Kenite! For lovers of the supernatural and the macabre comes this collection of ghostly and chilling stories from legendary mystery writer Agatha Christie. Fantastic psychic visions, specters looming in the shadows, encounters with deities, a man who switches bodies with a cat—be sure to keep the light on whilst reading these tales. The Last Séance gathers twenty stories, some featuring Christie’s beloved detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, in one haunting compendium that explores all things occult and paranormal, and is an essential omnibus for Christie fans...

Quite a while ago I read the novel Payback's a Witch by Lana Harper and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Emmy Harlow is a witch in exile. She hasn't been home to the magical town of Thistle Grove in years, which has a lot to do with a complicated family history and a desire to forge her own way in the world, and only the very tiniest bit to do with Gareth Blackmoore, heir to the most powerful magical family in town, casual breaker of hearts and destroyer of dreams. But when a spellcasting tournament approaches, it turns out the pull of tradition (or the truly impressive parental guilt trip that comes with it) is strong enough to bring Emmy back. She's determined to do her familial duty; spend some quality time with her best friend, Linden Thorn; and get back to her real life in Chicago. On her first night home, Emmy runs into Talia Avramov - an all-around badass adept in the darker magical arts - who is fresh off a bad breakup . . . wit...

A little while ago I read the horror novel The Plague Stones by James Brogden and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads From the critically acclaimed author of Hekla's Children comes a dark and haunting tale of our world and the next. Fleeing from a traumatic break-in, Londoners Paul and Tricia Feenan sell up to escape to the isolated Holiwell village where Tricia has inherited a property. Scattered throughout the settlement are centuries-old stones used during the Great Plague as boundary markers. No plague-sufferer was permitted to pass them and enter the village. The plague diminished, and the village survived unscathed, but since then each year the village trustees have insisted on an ancient ceremony to renew the village boundaries, until a misguided act by the Feenans' son then reminds the village that there is a reason traditions have been rigidly stuck to, and that all acts of betrayal, even those committed centuries ago, have consequenc...

A while ago, I read the horror novel The Long Shadows of October by Kristopher Triana and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads When Joe and Danny take on the job of housesitting Snowden Manor, they fail to realize they won't be in the house alone. Inside the walls swarms a specter made of equal parts ghost, succubus and witch, and she uses the manse as a prison for souls. Now that October's supermoon is falling over the mountains, she is ready to rise and reclaim her flesh. Kayla has a crush on Joe, so when he asks her to come to a party at the manor she accepts his invitation. But no sooner do they get there than strange things start to unfold. People go missing, a mysterious dog appears, and then the boys begin to change . . . Wraiths warn Kayla to save her friends before they're devoured by the seductive witch. But she must hurry. For as Halloween approaches, the manor becomes a vessel for the black magic of the mountains, and the shadow...

Quite a while ago, I read paranormal romcom The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, writing as Erin Sterling, casts a spell with a spine-tingling romance full of wishes, witches, and hexes gone wrong. Nine years ago, Vivienne Jones nursed her broken heart like any young witch would: vodka, weepy music, bubble baths…and a curse on the horrible boyfriend. Sure, Vivi knows she shouldn’t use her magic this way, but with only an “orchard hayride” scented candle on hand, she isn’t worried it will cause him anything more than a bad hair day or two. That is until Rhys Penhallow, descendent of the town’s ancestors, breaker of hearts, and annoyingly just as gorgeous as he always was, returns to Graves Glen, Georgia. What should be a quick trip to recharge the town’s ley lines and make an appearance at the annual fall festival turns disastrously wrong. With one calamity after another s...

A good while ago I read the paranormal romcom Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Encanto meets Hocus Pocus in this perfect witchy romcom. An absolute must-read if you love Erin Sterling’s The Ex Hex and Lana Harper’s Payback’s a Witch! It’s just a bunch of hocus pocus… Essie Winterscale lives in a huge and ever-changing house in the village of Good Winter, in deepest, darkest Essex. She lives with various witches of various ages, one of whom is still a bit salty about being hanged in the 1700s, one who keeps accidentally casting fertility spells, and one who knits things that create the future. All Essie ever wanted was to have a normal life but in the end she found herself drawn back to Beldam House because she just can’t stop her witchiness (although the ability to instantly chill wine is pretty awesome, even she has to admit). Into this coven of chaos stumbles gorgeous, clueless Josh, their new landlord – and he’s ju...

Earlier this year, I read the novel SCRAVIR - While Whitby Sleeps by C. M. Vassie and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads The explosive reimagining of Whitby's darkest hour. The famous Goth Weekend is in full swing. but while a mysterious guest star's music rocks the Pavilion, emaciated corpses are appearing in the streets. Dark forces are mingling with the thrill seekers. Outsider Daniel Murray has never believed in the supernatural. Local girl Tiffany Harek is not so sure. If they are to survive the next 48 hours they must wise up. Fast. My Thoughts on the Book SCRAVIR was a fun and entertaining read, with some subtle hints to Dracula, if you know what to look for. Although it was a bit of a slow-burn at the beginning, it picked up a bit in the later half. Overall it was an enjoyable read for those who's into spooky stuff and Whitby.

Recently I read the YA paranormal novel City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads From number-one New York Times bestselling author Victoria Schwab comes a sweeping, spooky, evocative adventure, perfect for fans of Stranger Things and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Ever since Cass almost drowned (okay, she did drown, but she doesn't like to think about it), she can pull back the Veil that separates the living from the dead...and enter the world of spirits. Her best friend is even a ghost. So things are already pretty strange. But they're about to get much stranger... My Thoughts on the Book City of Ghosts was a fast paced and engaging read, and I really liked the dynamics between Cass and her ghostly best friend. An added bonus is of course that the book is set in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Recently I managed to read The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Fall under the spell of Diana and Matthew once more in the stunning climax to their epic tale, following A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES and SHADOW OF NIGHT. A world of witches, daemons and vampires. A manuscript which holds the secrets of their past and the key to their future. Diana and Matthew - the forbidden love at the heart of it. After travelling through time in SHADOW OF NIGHT, the second book in Deborah Harkness's enchanting series, historian and witch Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont return to the present to face new crises and old enemies. At Matthew's ancestral home in France they reunite with their families - with one heart-breaking exception. But the real threat to their future is yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for the elusive manuscript Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on a terrifying urgency. ...

Recently I read the paranormal fantasy novel Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night takes Diana and Matthew on a trip through time to Elizabethan London, where they are plunged into a world of spies, magic, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the School of Night. As the search for Ashmole 782 deepens and Diana seeks out a witch to tutor her in magic, the net of Matthew’s past tightens around them, and they embark on a very different—and vastly more dangerous—journey. My Thoughts on the Book Even though it's a really big book, it's still fast-paced at times, hoping that everything gets sorted out. I liked the chemistry between Diana and Matthew, and it was fun reading about Elizabethan London. There's something about the author's writing style that sucked me in and made me engaged in all the hurdles that were thrown at th...