The Smell of Ink/Lukten av Trykksverte

A few months ago, I read the dark academia/horror novel The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette's by Hanna Alkaf and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads An all-girls private school is struck with mysterious cases of screaming hysteria in this chilling dark academia thriller haunted by a deeply buried history clawing to the light. For over a hundred years, girls have fought to attend St. Bernadette’s, with its reputation for shaping only the best and brightest young women. Unfortunately, there is also the screaming. When a student begins to scream in the middle of class, a chain reaction starts that impacts the entire school. By the end of the day, seventeen girls are affected—along with St. Bernadette’s stellar reputation. Khadijah’s got her own scars to tend to, and watching her friends succumb to hysteria only rips apart wounds she’d rather keep closed. But when her sister falls to the screams, Khad knows she’s the only one who can save her. Rache...

Recently, I read the Korean vampire mystery novel The Midnight Shift by Cheon Seon-ran and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads A bestseller in Korea, a biting, fast-paced vampire murder mystery exploring queer love and the consequences of loneliness. When four isolated elderly people commit suicide back-to-back at the same hospital by jumping out of the sixth-floor window, Su-Yeon doesn’t understand why she’s the only one at her precinct that seems to care. Dismissing the case as a series of unfortunate events due to the patients’ loneliness, the police force doesn't engage. But Su-Yeon doesn’t have the privilege of looking away. Her dearest friend, Grandma Eun-Shim, lives on the sixth floor, and Su-Yeon is terrified that something will happen to her next. As Su-Yeon begins her investigation alone, she runs into a mysterious woman named Wanda at the crime scene. Wanda, hot on the trail of her ex-lover, Lily, gives Su-Yeon the answer: a vampire did...

Earlier this year, I read the novel Emma and the Vampires by Wayne Johnson and Jane Austen, and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads What better place than pale England to hide a secret society of gentlemen vampires? In this hilarious retelling of Jane Austen's Emma , screenwriter Wayne Josephson casts Mr. Knightley as one of the most handsome and noble of the gentlemen village vampires. Blithely unaware of their presence, Emma, who imagines she has a special gift for matchmaking, attempts to arrange the affairs of her social circle with delightfully disastrous results. But when her dear friend Harriet Smith declares her love for Mr. Knightley, Emma realizes she's the one who wants to stay up all night with him. Fortunately, Mr. Knightley has been hiding a secret deep within his unbeating heart-his (literal) undying love for her... A brilliant mash-up of Jane Austen and the undead. My Thoughts on the Book While I love both classics and vampires...

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...

Recently, I read the classic cosmic horror novella At the Mountains of Madnes by H. P. Lovecraft and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Long acknowledged as a master of nightmarish vision, H.P. Lovecraft established the genuineness and dignity of his own pioneering fiction in 1931 with his quintessential work of supernatural horror, At the Mountains of Madness. The deliberately told and increasingly chilling recollection of an Antarctic expedition's uncanny discoveries --and their encounter with an untold menace in the ruins of a lost civilization--is a milestone of macabre literature. My Thoughts on the Book For me, it was an okay read, but nothing more than that. Fair enough, it does have a bit of an atmosphere, especially as the narrator is part of an expedition to Antarctica, and there's lots of descriptions and observations because of that. Some might find it a bit dry because of that, but in a way, it makes it a bit more fun for me, as ...

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...

A little while ago, I read the cosmic horror novel The Fisherman by John Langan and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads In upstate New York, in the woods around Woodstock, Dutchman's Creek flows out of the Ashokan Reservoir. Steep-banked, fast-moving, it offers the promise of fine fishing, and of something more, a possibility too fantastic to be true. When Abe and Dan, two widowers who have found solace in each other's company and a shared passion for fishing, hear rumors of the Creek, and what might be found there, the remedy to both their losses, they dismiss it as just another fish story. Soon, though, the men find themselves drawn into a tale as deep and old as the Reservoir. It's a tale of dark pacts, of long-buried secrets, and of a mysterious figure known as Der Fisher: the Fisherman. It will bring Abe and Dan face to face with all that they have lost, and with the price they must pay to regain it. My Thoughts on the Book The Fisher...

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...

Last month, I read Tender Is The Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica, but I wanted to post my review now as August is Women In Translation Month . Description from Goodreads Working at the local processing plant, Marcos is in the business of slaughtering humans—though no one calls them that anymore. His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the “Transition.” Now, eating human meat—“special meat”—is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing. Then one day he’s given a gift: a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he’s aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost—and what might still be saved...

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 ...

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...

At long last I've read psychological thriller/horror novel Brother by Ania Ahlborn and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Brother follows a teenager determined to break from his family’s unconventional—and deeply disturbing—traditions. Deep in the heart of Appalachia stands a crooked farmhouse miles from any road. The Morrows keep to themselves, and it’s served them well so far. When girls go missing off the side of the highway, the cops don’t knock on their door. Which is a good thing, seeing as to what’s buried in the Morrows’ backyard. But nineteen-year-old Michael Morrow isn’t like the rest of his family. He doesn’t take pleasure in the screams that echo through the trees. Michael pines for normalcy, and he’s sure that someday he’ll see the world beyond West Virginia. When he meets Alice, a pretty girl working at a record shop in the small nearby town of Dahlia, he’s immediately smitten. For a moment, he nearly forgets about the monster he’s ...

A little while ago, I read the gothic novel Bluebeard's Castle by Anna Biller and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads A subversive take on the famous French fairy tale from the acclaimed director of The Love Witch, and for fans of Jane Eyre When the successful British mystery writer Judith meets Gavin, a handsome and charming baron, at a birthday party on the Cornish coast, his love transforms her from a bitter, lonely young woman into a romance heroine overnight. After a whirlwind honeymoon in Paris, he whisks her away to a secluded Gothic castle. But soon she finds herself trapped in a nightmare, as her husband’s mysterious nature, and his alternation between charm and violence, become increasingly frightening. As Judith battles both internal and external demons, including sexual ambivalence, psychological self-torture, gaslighting, family neglect, alcoholism, and domestic abuse, she becomes increasingly addicted to her wild beast of a husband. ...

As I've heard so much about The Secret History by Donna Tartt, I couldn't resist reading it and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and for ever. Truly deserving of the accolade Modern Classic, Donna Tartt's cult bestseller The Secret History is a remarkable achievement - both compelling and elegant, dramatic and playful. My Thoughts on the Book I really enjoyed reading The Secret History and it's one of those books that sucks you in. It's a sort of reverse-mystery, as we know from the start that a group of college students murdered one of their fellow students, a bloke nicknamed Bunny. The author's ...