#BookReview The Shining by Stephen King

To say Stephen King is a genius and a legend in the horror world is an understatement.

I had been meaning to read The Shining for a very long time – I became determined to read the book before the movie, and I’ve been dying to watch the movie for the past two years! While I have heard the comments over and over that the book and the movie aren’t the same, I’ll stil wanted to stick to my word and read the book well before I found the movie again.

This book didn’t strike me as hard as It and Carrie did, but I still found it incredibly fascinating. The work is legendary and sits on many top shelves of readers I know and look up too. So, of course, I had to dive right in and tear this book apart.

This book was slow starting, but Stephen King’s descriptions and writing style kept me hooked. I didn’t enjoy the slow pace, but it did pick up about halfway through the novel. Then I was hooked and needed to finish this book, and yearned to know what would happen to these characters.

I read someone, a long time ago, that this book was based on cabin fever. It definitely seems possible, but there were lots of ghosts or mystical beings mashed up within this book as well. After watching Ready Player One and seeing references I didn’t understand, reading this book and seeing those figures helped me grasped a better understanding of what was happening in that movie. The creepy descriptions of the lady in the bathtub and all of the other weird creatures really made me feel like I was in this story. At times, I totally understood how this book got turned into a movie (and how has there not been twenty remakes by now? The story is so cool!). If you’re looking for a frightful read with descriptions that will blow your mind, Stephen King is absolutely for you!

While I don’t find myself to be a crazy horror fan (since I don’t get scared from these books, but I am always in awe), I have to say I really like this book. I like how Stephen King writes and I like that it’s such a different story. Just comparing this book to It and Carrie (the only two Stephen King books I have read), these books are always well thought out, absolutely insane and full of scenes you’d never imagine! It’s A+ horror and one of the best thrillers.

To me, this book wasn’t scary – I don’t find books scary because of the lack of noise and background sounds, but it was an epic thriller with scary scenes. I could see readers easily finding this scary, and I would not recommend reading this to children. It’s R rated, but a really great R rated ride! Jack, Wendy and Danny are also really interesting characters that develop in crazy ways. Slowly you can see their minds unwinding and going into dark terroritories. Although, I’m really curious as to how Stephen King got into the mind of Danny. Is that how little six year olds think? Or is he mature because of the Shine?

The shine seems to pop up in many books from this point on, which makes me excited to throw myself into Mr. King’s collection and have these books intertwine with each other like a horror-filled Pixar theory.

I might never read this book again, mainly because I need to catch up with all of Stephen’s other books. Is it worth a second read? Heck yes. I’m sure there are lots of scenes and easter eggs I missed throughout! Would I recommend this book? Oh my gosh, yes! It’s a great book, and if you’re only going to pick one horror book it might as well be by the King of Horror.

Five out of five stars!

 

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#BookReview The Vampire’s Assistant by Darren Shan

 

The Vampire’s Assistant was an excellent young adult novel that is full of thrills and chills!

I watched the movie adaption of this series YEARS ago, and I had been dying to pick up this series. Unfortunately for me, the bookstore is big and full of millions of books so I’d forget what I was looking for the minute I walked in. Luckily for me, I walked into a bargain bookstore and found an old, extremely damaged version of this book for clearance – so of course I bought it! A little water never hurt anybody!

I hadn’t read the first book in this series, but jumping right in was super easy! This book was fun, full of silly frights and awesome character development, and made me remember why I loved vampire novels in my youth!

This book is quick – it moves fast and keeps you interested at every turn. There’s some really creepy bad guys, Evra (the snake boy), a wolf man, and some awesome parental-yet-not-so-parental adults hanging around. It’s definitely the type of horror book I would read as a kid (but it doesn’t scare me at all now – adult me has worse things to be afraid of…like politics and bills…ick).

I highly recommend this book to anyone considering introducing their children to YA books with horror or vampires in it. It’s fun and creepy in all good ways! It’ll keep the adults interested too!

Four out of five stars!

 

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@DarrenShan

 

Photo from Goodreads.

#BookReview The Cuckoo House by Andre Harden

 

The Cuckoo House is a thrilling horror novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

This book has everything you’d expect out of a creepy novel – an old house, a murder in that house, creepy old man, spiders, animals going missing, old wive’s tales, sex, objects moving, silence, a frustrated wife, bones, hot summer days, more murder, and a lot of suspense.

Andre’s writing made me feel Jane’s frustration. As a reader, I couldn’t help but develop strong feelings for this woman and want her to succeed in her goal. While it seems like a simple thing to do, connect reader’s with your characters, often time it isn’t. Good job on Andre’s part for being able to draw the reader in to his characters! That’s a feat all on it’s own!

Additionally, I could feel the suspense in certain chapters. As an avid reader of thrillers and horror, I knew something bad was coming. Andre was able to keep me hooked and anxiously waiting, then would surprise me with the lack of scares or abundance of them. That’s another bonus of this novel – Andre was able to play with my emotions in a way other horror novels haven’t been able too.

The reference to The Shining (“REDRUM”) is a nice touch, especially since I just finished the book and can actually understand the reference. I won’t lie, when I read the shining I was confused at first as to why RED RUM was a problem, but when you realize that’s MURDER spelled backwards, it makes a lot more sense!

The title relating to a comment in the book was another nice touch – it’s a fantastic reference that some readers wouldn’t understand. Having the title has a metaphor for the novel is a really nice touch, in my opinion. It always impresses me when the title has something to do with the novel instead of just be randomly generated.

Now for the ending….. it’s insanity! I want another book chronicling what happens after, but at the same time it was perfectly horrifying.

Side note: The old creepy man’s name is Jasper, which personally makes me giggle. There’s a poodle that lives down the street from me named Jasper, so all I could imagine was the poodle.

This book has one con for me, but it doesn’t take much away from the story. I would have liked more description – I’m a sucker for description, and when I do my own creative writing I tend to explain a LOT. I think if there would have been just a little bit more description instead of talking (or have the communication between characters have a bit more depth in word choice), this book would hit it out of the park and be up their with the best! That being said, Andre Harden’s writing style is excellent for this genre. Just because my reading style and his writing style aren’t perfectly matched, doesn’t mean that he isn’t fantastic. I think he’s extremely talented and the more he writes, the better he’ll get (just like with every other author). And this book is off to an incredibly strong start!

The book is definitely rated R for the horror. The sex isn’t erotic, there isn’t any scenes full of excessive gore, but the horror mixed with the sex might be a little too much for some readers. So, I’ll settle on the R rating, but just barely an R rating.

Overall, this book is an intense read! It’s packed full of horror and insanity, and it’s worth every page! Short but sweet!

Four out of five stars!

I received a free copy of this book from the author Andre Harden in exchange for an honest review.

 

About The Cuckoo House:

After the violent death of its owners, a small house sits empty and forlorn until it is bought by a young couple looking for a new start.

Jane has had a series of miscarriages and wants only to concieve and start a family. Steve, a budding author, hopes to research the deaths of the previous inhabitants and write a thriller inspired by the events.

As the hot summer stretches out, their goals collide and Steve begins to suspect that an evil presence lurks in the house, turning their dreams toward its own dark purpose.

 

Check out this book on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36429551-the-cuckoo-house

Purchase this book on:

Amazon.com – Amazon.com – The Cuckoo House

Amazon.ca – Amazon.ca – The Cuckoo House

Find out more about Andre Harden on:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17242642.Andre_Harden

His Website: andreharden.com

 

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And comment below! What are you reading this week?

 

Photo from Goodreads.

#BookReview Celebrity Chef Zombie Apocalypse by Jack Strange

 

Jack Strange is, yet again, the master of the comedic horror genre.

“Having a dead chef as a front man would be a television first…” – a quote that perfectly summarizes this entire book in a nutshell.

I’m always impressed by Jack Strange – he is a unique writer that is easily able to attract an audience’s attention. His mixture of horror and comedy somehow works and draws me back to his work each and every time.

Some of the humor in this book really killed me – a pair of marigolds to get rid of the smell of rotting, human flesh? I always plant marigolds in my garden, and I know they are VERY strong smelling, so this made me chuckle. Even some of the comments said by the characters come off in a hilarious manner – most seem to be said with a hint of sarcasm (or pure stupidity on the character’s part), but it’s so good! It’s my type of dry yet dark humor, and I love it!

I also loved that Henderson is one of our main characters. He’s a cat. An undead cat, but still a cat! It’s something I don’t see very often (animals being main characters or having a personality that isn’t some weird talking/animated animal plotline), which adds some points to this read.

The insanity of this plot is exceptional and outstanding! It’s unique, strange and oddly satisfying. I would have never come up with like this! Zombies, celebrity chefs, a zombie cat, and R rated mischief? It’s a must read for those readers who are looking for something different that they have never come across before! That’s one of the best parts about Jack Strange’s writing – he’s so incredibly creative!

If I had to put this book in specific genres, it fits in many. Horror, comedy, satire, political satire, and fantasy are all shelves I could put this book on. There’s sex, gore, and sarcasm galore ridden throughout this novel. Even when the action is at it’s highest point, there’s a few fantastic one liners that will have you laughing and cringing all at the same time.

My cons are as followed:
1. My own personal con is the font was small in the version I received. Does that affect my scoring? Heck no! Was I slightly annoyed? Yeah. Is this a reason to not read the book? Nope! But I’m gonna include it as a way for Jack Strange to “improve” in his future writing endeavors!

Overall, this book is a true masterpiece! It’s clever, ingenious and seriously funny. I highly recommend this book to fans of horror, comedy and satire. You’re not going to be able to find another book like this unless it’s from Jack Strange’s catalogue.

Four out of five stars.

I received a free copy of this book from the author Jack Strange in exchange for an honest review.

 

Purchase this book on Amazon:

Amazon.com – CCZA

Amazon.ca – CCZA

 

Find out more about this book on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30120566-celebrity-chef-zombie-apocalypse

Or find out more about Jack Strange on his website: http://www.jack-strange.co.uk/

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Comment below with your favourite horror novel!!

#BookReview The Twisted Ones by Scott Cawthon

Ah, another day of FNAF lore is another casual day for me. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that I’d read this book (I’m overly obsessed with FNAF theories. Too obsessed…in all honesty). While it took me a while to get to it, the book was definitely worth the wait.

The Twisted Ones is the second book in the FNAF book series. The lore is different from the video games (same animatronics, different back story, but some similar names of characters…) but you could easily try to eave it into the video games if you tried (or if you trust Scott and his sneaky ways).

While this appears to be a YA novel, some of the gore is definitely closer to R rated. If you’re a fan of FNAF, it probably wouldn’t come as big of a surprise to know some of the gore is REALLY GORY, but keep that in mind if you choose to read it.

Plot wise, the story continued with a smooth transition. There is a time jump between the first and second book, but it worked in it’s favour. Slowly plot details are revealed and old characters appear, and eventually Scott and Kira build and add to this spectacular take on the lore. I really did enjoy it – more animatronics, more craziness!

The book is relatively fast paced – I didn’t get bored once. I really hope the next book is the last book in this series to finish it up. This book was the perfect sequel, so I’d like to see an explosive ending (by the way, MAJOR CLIFFHANGER ALERT).

Now, time for some lore discussion – this book will raise questions. Don’t try to tie it to the book, and you’ll be feeling mighty fine! If you start trying to make a wild, crazy theory you’ll get fed up and quit. This book is supposed to be fun and increase circulation of this series (from my perspective) and it is increasing the fan base. Look at how many people are frustrated with the fact that this book doesn’t fit in with the FNAF video games and are talking about it constantly… It’s a lot of people. More conversations, more circulation, more participation, more people reading… It’s marketing genius. Is this book kinda silly? Yes. Were half of my questions answered in regard to lore for this book series? No. But it’s fun! I think this is a fun read that didn’t require my brain to explode to understand it.

Side note: Can we get a FNAF graphic novel or something? This book would be EPIC in picture form…just saying.

Four out of five stars.

 

Have you played FNAF? What is your favourite animatronic? Comment below!
Did you enjoy this review? Check out another you might enjoy! Book Review: FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S: THE SILVER EYES by SCOTT CAWTHON & KIRA BREED-WRISLEY

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#BookReview The Erotic Muse by Rajeev Singh

 

Erotic horror is not a type of book I see often, but man did Rajeev create one interesting story within that genre!

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this book. The synopsis sounded awesome, and a mix of erotica and horror (two genres I like to read) could have gone very sour if not done right. I think this book is definitely a niche market and isn’t suitable for all readers. That being said, it is really well written!

K, our main character, follows an interesting yet dark story line full of porn and sex, into rape and fantasy, and ending on a higher note than where he begins. It’s a unique take on a hero’s journey to recognizing more about themselves and growing as a character. The theme (yes, somehow there is a theme in an erotic horror novel!) also was intriguing – do you stay motionless or fight your demons? How can one rise above the negatives?

This book felt like Alice in Wonderland meets Black Swan meets Fifty Shades of Grey on steroids. The twists and turns will leave you breathless (and slightly confused at times, but that’s a good thing) and will keep you on edge. I think Rajeev is one talented author, because this book boggled my mind! I didn’t know what would happen next (which I love, I hate guessing the endings) and I had to think a lot to grasp what this novel was portraying. If you don’t read into it, yeah… it seems kind of weird… but you can take a lot out of it.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. I definitely think you need to research this book before jumping into it, because it’s not for the lighthearted by any means. It’s R rated and brutal at times. But, it was still a great novel! I love the fact that it was so different from my typical read and opened me up to a new genre. Essentially, I want to read more by Rajeev Singh – he’s creative!

Four out of five stars!

I received a free copy of this book from the author Rajeev Singh in exchange of an honest review.

 

Info about this book:

The Erotic Muse

Genre: Dark fantasy, horror, coming of age, erotica.

Brief summary: ‘The Erotic Muse’ is the story of K, a young porn-addicted college-dropout who shies away from relationships and harbors dreams of becoming a writer. Full of anguish, he is given to self-abuse. One evening, while masturbating to his favorite erotic muse, Fanny Leone, sprawled on the cover of an underground porn magazine, K finds himself magically transported to a parallel world where all sexual desires and perversions are fulfilled, although with the price that he might remain trapped in this unique pleasure-hell all his life – unless he can find a way out. This ‘way out’ is his redemption, a journey studded with heart-stopping adventure, life-threatening danger, nerve-wracking horror, and a brush with true love.

Goodreads link: Goodreads – The Erotic Muse

Amazon link (only 0.99$):

Amazon.ca – The Erotic Muse

Amazon.com – The Erotic Muse

Books2Read : Books2Read – The Erotic Muse

 

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#BookReview Saint’s Vigil by Bryan Phoenix

Saint’s Vigil by Bryan Phoenix

This horror/thriller was a read that was on my bookshelf for quite a long time. I tried picking it up a few times but it wasn’t doing it for me. Finally, I forced myself to sit down and finish it – and it was quite the treat. It just took a little bit to get starter.

This book is brutal (in a good way, I guess? It’s meant to be). It’s not lighthearted, and I dare say it deserved an NC17 or R rating if it was rating through the MPAA. There’s lots of pain and loss within the story, but I wouldn’t say this horror lives up to a Stephen King kind of horror. This kind of horror was very brutal, bloody and cruel. It’s not a scare you psychologically, it’s more of a realistic, disgusting kind of horror. Some people like that, I personally don’t. And don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a good horror novel that scares me, but this one seemed more wrong than scary. There’s corpses and mutilation and things you don’t typically see in books (or I’m reading all the wrong ones…or right ones? I guess…)

The style of this book flows smoothly, and it keeps moving at a relatively medium-pace the entire novel. I thought it could have moved a bit faster (due to how large this book is) but it was okay.

I found the characters kind of dull. I didn’t connect with them like I do other characters (villainous and heroes/antiheroes alike). Within this story, these characters could have been real winners – the brutal nature of this story leaves so much room for characters with real motives and crazy storylines, but it didn’t hit it out of the park for me.

Overall, this book has good themes but wasn’t my top novel of the year. It’s a good read for someone who wants something brutal and “disgusting” (in a good way, I promise!! Like a brutal Quenten Tarantino sort of book).

Three out of five stars.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

 

 

Check out Bryan on Goodreads! Bryan Phoenix on Goodreads

Or check out his website! Bryan Phoenix.com

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