The Night Will Find Us: A Haunting Review

First of all, holy ****. What an insane premier book for author Matthew Lyons. Not only is it a unique take on the “teenagers go into the woods for a night” horror dynamic, it’s also a well-written odyssey of creepiness, a page-turner, and takes so many unexpected turns. I was intrigued by it from the moment it popped up as a suggestion on Amazon last year. It took me some time to get to it (the list of novels to read only keeps growing!), but I wasn’t disappointed.

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

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Clown in a Cornfield: A Review

I’m a little late to the party on this one, I’m afraid. I really enjoyed it nonetheless. Adam Cesare’s debut novel is a contemporary slasher, tossed with coulrophobia and dashed with teenage anguish. The story has us peering through the eyes of newcomer, Quinn, who is trying to leave the drug-related death of her mother behind in the city as she embraces the rustic, down-to-earth existence that is living in Kettle Springs. Almost immediately, she’s thrown into the company of local bad boy and rich kid, Cole, and his friends, who have a penchant for misdeeds, pranks, and sticking it to their elders. They soon find that someone is no longer going to take their adolescent high jinxes in stride anymore and that a lesson must be taught to the younger generation; one that they’ll never forget.

I was reminded fondly of Wes Craven’s Scream series while reading. This was definitely a page turner and I blazed through the majority of it in one afternoon. Cesare does a brilliant job encapsulating Gen Z kids, their reliance on cell phones, trending, followers, and social media all while being subject to a small town and it’s conservative way of life. While I wouldn’t necessarily say that I identified with any of the characters, I did particularly enjoy Janet as a character, mainly because I thought she was one of the best ones fleshed out and wasn’t your typical Queen Bee popular girl.

I will admit though: it’s not hard to guess what the twist is in Clown in a Cornfield. I made a prediction about 1/2 way through about who I thought was going to be behind everything, who a possible traitor was, and what twists I figured were in store. I was right for the most part. That could just be my own personal expectance of an ending like Scream, where I had no idea who the killer/killers were going to be in each film. Clown in a Cornfield doesn’t hide that fact from the reader, in fact it showcases it pretty openly only a couple chapters after the killing begins. It even alludes to it pretty strongly in the first chapter where a murder happens. That being said, it was still a very fun ride to get to the end to see who survives and who doesn’t.

There is an ending that leaves room for a possible sequel should Cesare ever decide to write one, though I think it’s probably better left the way it ends here.

Since I’d just finished a book fraught with teenage murder, I decided to read Matthew Lyons debut novel, The Night Will Find Us. I finished it in a matter of hours. I’ll have a review for that up next week!

Until next time,

KSilva

The Fifth Season: A Short, Sweet Review

This beast of a book took me some time to get through. That being said, the entire time was lovely. There’s a reason this book is on so many must-read lists, won the Hugo Award, and has a ton of five star reviews. It’s unapologetic in its presentation of the world and the characters, doesn’t waste time trying to explain away everything that happens, but justifiably treats its characters as though they are real, living, breathing people. I haven’t read much in the way of fantasy, but I’m 100% hooked and can’t wait to read The Oblivion Gate. You feel for Damaya, Syneite, and Essun collectively through her years of trials and tribulations and wonder and heartbreak and short-lived harmony.

Just to give you a taste, there’s magic (called orogeny), giant obelisks floating in the sky, stone eaters, pirates, a dying earth, vengeance, and so much more. Fall into Jemisin’s world of The Broken Earth trilogy and don’t look back. You’ll love it.

I’ll be picking up book 2, The Oblivion Gate, in the coming months. Until then, I’ve just started David Wellington’s vampire novel, Thirteen Bullets. I’ll be hoping to pull up a review on it this week.

Until next time,

KSilva

Dark Blood Comes From the Feet: New England Horror At Its Finest

As a writer, I’ve always found it most difficult for me to write short stories. I tend to overcomplicate the story with sub-plots and multiple characters and the entire thing gets away from me far too easily. Therefore, I’ve always had an appreciation for those that can write a compelling short work, let alone a collection of them.

Emma J. Gibbon is an author with whom I have a great appreciation for. When she isn’t writing heartrending short tales of darkness and spooky stories about monsters seen and unseen, she can be found at the Topsham library here in Maine, serving as an event coordinator and ardent lover of books. I was able to participate in two book readings there and definitely had fun doing it.

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Killing Vampires: “There’s Nothing Nice About Southern Ladies”

Funny, scary, and so heart-warming. I loved every little bit of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. The story follows the highs and lows of housewife, Patricia’s, furtive investigation into the new man in the neighborhood. He’s charming, intelligent, and seems to have everyone eating out of his hand. But is there something more to him than meets the eye? Patricia seems to think so and nothing would make her feel safer than to convince her closest friends of this, the ladies of a Mount Pleasant book club. Ladies who are all interested in reading about crime, gruesome murder, and dastardly deeds. Will her friends believe her?

Grady Hendrix has created a vivid and deep world that stretches over the span of a decade in a small Southern town. Absolutely fell in love with the characters and their friendship.

Read on: spoilers lie ahead.

The Only Good Indians: SO SO GOOD!

Unique and scary as hell. Revenge is a messy business and that’s exactly the case in “The Only Good Indians”. Four men are individually reminded of the tragedy they incited on a fateful November day ten years prior by someone…or something that holds a grudge against them. Jones’s writing is vivid and brutal and had me turning pages in anticipation of what came next.

Spoilers ahead. Read on if you dare.

Malorie: A Review of the Bird Box Sequel

I’m going to say something that probably a few of you have already been feeling. So far, the year, 2020, has felt like a dystopian horror novel. We’ve had everything from massive Australian wildfires to a global pandemic to a disappointing almost presidential impeachment, to racial protesting for equality, to murder hornets, to more shark sightings, to a wild rabbit virus to Karens. Reading about a different dystopian landscape might not be the first thing readers want to do in light of all we’ve been through. But, when it comes to dropping into the world of Josh Malerman’s Bird Box sequel, it’s a thrilling story that just about everyone can get behind.

Mexican Gothic: “Absolutely Chilling” Review

Absolutely chilling. That’s the best thing I can come up with to describe Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s latest release, Mexican Gothic. When this book popped up on my radar over a month ago, I knew it was going to be incredible. I haven’t read any of Moreno-Garcia’s other books, but I had heard a lot about Certain Dark Things when it came out and had it on my list of vampire books to check out eventually.

Mexican Gothic had a strong marketing campaign. It started appearing all over the place when I was searching for random things online. The more I read about it, the more I convinced myself it was going to be a killer read. The quintessential gothic styled novel, updated for today’s reader and presented in a location underutilized in that genre and with unsettling, brooding characters. As soon as my pre-ordered copy hit my desk, I dove in. Glorious terror and creepiness abounds in Mexican Gothic.

Beware: a few spoilers lie ahead.

This Book is Full of Spiders: A Review

Oh my god. Wow. Where to begin?

My book tastes are all over the place. Of course,  most people know that my affinity is for the weird and wonderful: horror, fantasy, suspense, humor… you name it. If it has a unique voice, a plot that I can’t anticipate, and memorable characters, I’m onboard for sure.

My boyfriend recommended that I read the first book in David Wong’s trilogy, John Dies at the End, months ago before COVID quarantine officially began. My diligence at reading books has been pretty on and off. I can race through and love a book and then start another one soon after and take months to finish it. I’d like to say that work, owning a cat, writing, house chores, and all other aspects of my life get in the way of reading, but it’s a simply not true. I love reading. I don’t do enough of it. So, I chose to sit down with John Dies at the End over a month ago and read it.

It was nothing like I’d ever read before and I loved it.

Spoilers are probably ahead. Best be warned.