Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell

Rating: ★★★★

Genre: Horror

Format: Paperback

Pages: 320

Read: 01/24/22

Amazon Synopsis:

A romantic cabin getaway doesn’t go exactly as planned. High up on the windswept cliffs of Pale Peak, Faye and Felix celebrate their new engagement. But soon, a chorus of ghastly noises erupts from the nearby woods: the screams of animals, the cries of children, and the mad babble of a hundred mournful voices. A dark figure looms near the windows in the dead of night, whispering to Faye. As the weather turns deadly, Felix discovers that his terrified fiancée isn’t just mumbling in her sleep – she’s whispering back.

Review:

Knock-knock" “I suppose that if you speak long enough into the void, someone is bound to start listening.” Very dark and atmospheric, something lurking in the shadows, watching and waiting, whispering. Voices all around, calling out. Sleep talking and sleepwalking in the darkness of the night. Dreams, night terrors, the descending of minds as the darkness enters and the loss of hope begins to take over. Lives are lost as secrets are kept. I chose to read this for a reading prompt....Bookstagram Hyped. I have to admit, I can see why so many people were chilled by it. It certainly gave me the chills. I found myself with spine tingles, goose chills, and the first night of reading it, I actually had to leave a light on. The scares did not last throughout the entire book. There were definitive moments but they eventually tapered off. I did enjoy the premise, the build up to the conclusion and the inclusion of Indigenous folklore. Very captivating and unsettling, it was definitely worth reading! Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/ Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Felix-Blackwell/e/ Review Links:  https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/ https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/

The New Girl's Patient by Ruthann Jagge

Rating: ★★★★★

Genre: Horror

Format: eBook

Pages: 41

Read: 01/24/22

Amazon Synopsis:

Jamie Carver is an inexperienced young woman eager to change her life.
Recently certified in nursing, she’s the new girl working at a facility for the elderly.
When her favorite patient dies, the frail woman leaves her a handwritten recipe book as a final thank you.
Dark secrets of Elizabeth’s life hide between the pages.
One evening, a pair of dangerous men intent on learning Elizabeth’s secrets to steal her fortune brutally abduct Jamie and two of her girlfriends.
They trap the women deep in the cellar of a crumbling mansion, where their survival depends on each other. They must unravel a shocking family history before sunrise or die.

Can Jamie rely on her friends, or will she resort to calling on unnatural forces to help overcome her captors and stay alive?

Review:

"Crees Crossing is unremarkable. The rural southern town is barely a dot on any map. It's a stop if you're desperate for fuel or a cold drink, but never a destination. The area has no notable citizens, remarkable architecture, or exciting history attracting visitors."

Jaime is her name but to everyone else she is the new girl. Just a rural southern girl trying to establish herself as a nurse. The facility she works at is not a place for healing the elderly, it is where they go to live out their last days.

Jamie develops a close relationship with Elizabeth, a patient who becomes very special to her. When she passes away, she leaves a very special gift for Jaime. Little does she know that this gift will change her life and put her in harms way.

What ensues is horrifying and becomes a fight for survival.

We are given an opening of some of Jaime's history and her small rural life. Family, friendships and care of humanity. History of Elizabeth's broken life she was forced to live which leads us into the darkness. We are than quickly smacked with a brutality that is extremely dark and visceral and the only salvation may lie within Elizabeth's mysterious gift.

Darkly atmospheric with a unique supernatural twist and in the end a little light and love.

Ruthann has given us a wonderful gift in her story telling!

"Wash the flesh and wipe away the blood. Swallow a tear for the night's new love. Needle the heart and tie the thread. No rest for you yet. There's work for the dead." 

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/

Amazon Author Page: 

https://www.amazon.com/Ruthann-Jagge/e/

Review Links:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/

James' Journey to Dreamland by Ronald McGillvray

Rating: ★★★★★

Genre: Children's Fantasy

Format: Paperback

Pages: 84

Read: 01/22/22

Amazon Synopsis:

James is an ordinary boy except for the fact that he can't sleep. That all changes the night a magical train comes through his bedroom closet.

Follow James' adventures through Dreamland as he learns an important life lesson at every stop.

With his trusty dog Gypsy and Alex the Conductor by his side, James must solve the many puzzles in Dreamland or face the consequences of never sleeping again.

Review:

"That's what goals are," Princess Greta added. "Something to keep you going until you reach the place you're trying to get to. Without a goal you just wander in circles with no finish line. Everyone should have a goal and although there will always be obstacles on your way towards reaching that goal, knowing that it is there will give you strength to carry on."

James goes on an adventure to Dreamland. A place where children's dreams live. As children grow older these things are forgotten and Dreamland is slowly disappearing. James must face his fears and save Dreamland or he and all the other children may never sleep again.

This is written as a cohesive novella based on stories that the author would tell his son before bedtime.

Besides this being a whimsical and an enjoyable story. There are many important lessons included throughout that I appreciated and feel would be great for children to learn. Lessons that would make them see their own self worth and believe in themselves. To never feel that they are failing, to never give up, and as long as they are trying their best they will succeed at achieving their goals.

As someone who works in an elementary school, children are a very important part of my life. I will be gifting to this to the teacher and the class and I hope they enjoy it as much as I did.

Paraprofessional approved!

Goodreads Author Page: 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/

Amazon Author Page: 

https://www.amazon.com/Ronald-McGillvray/

Review Links:

https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/

The Store by Bentley Little

Rating: ★★★★ Genre: Horror Format: Paperback Pages: 428 Read: 01/15/22 Amazon Synopsis:  Juniper, Arizona, is an off-the-map desert town the retail giant called The Store has chosen for its new location. Now everything you could possibly want is under one roof, at unbelievable prices. But you’d better be careful what you wish for. This place demands something of its customers that goes beyond brand loyalty. At The Store, one-stop shopping has become last-stop shopping.   Bill Davis is the only one in town who senses the evil lurking within The Store. But he can’t stop his two teenage daughters from taking jobs there and falling under the frightening influence of its sadistic manager. When Bill finally takes a stand, he will get much more than he bargained for.... Review: THE STORE IS COMING THE STORE IS COMING THE STORE IS COMING THE STORE IS COMING It has been a long time since I picked up a book by Little. I chose this one recommended by a friend for a reading challenge. Strange, weird, quirky, and disturbing. It was simplistically entertaining. The anxiety can be felt as the town is slowly being controlled, destroyed and the people that were once comrades and friends quickly become enemies. It becomes a fight for survival. King and the Night Managers of The Store were relatively creepy as we are not really given the secrets of what they really are and the acts they delve out and cause others to do is really dark, unsettling and troubling. This is a book that is just fun and entertaining, I even enjoyed the slow burn parts of it, the build up to a snap ending! Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/ Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Bentley-Little/ Review Links: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/ https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/4

Night of the Undead Whores by Eric Kapitan

Rating:★★★★

Genre: Horror

Format: eBook

Pages: 64

Read: 01/09/22

Amazon Synopsis:

The night Aaron tried suicide, something out of his control convinced him to live… and kill.

This―thing―convinces him to go on a gore-filled killing spree. Not that Aaron needs convincing―killing attractive women in increasingly gruesome ways, he’s hooked on a new addiction. Death. Blood. Murder.

But his past won't stay buried and neither will his victims.

Aaron’s losing his mind. Maybe it’s all in his head. Or maybe his victims are hellbent on revenge. Carnage and chaos ensue as Aaron tries to escape with his internals in place while feeding the killer beast within himself.

Review: 

"The Sleepy Time Inn-the place to get high or drunk, hook up, f*** whores, or all three. However, I was doing none of these things." Meet Aaron. He lives a life of filth and pain. Life has kicked his a** and he is ready to put an end to it all. He is then tempted by an evil entity that has arisen from the darkness of evil. He dwells on pain and suffering and he shepherds Aaron into a life of murdering and torturing women. Unfortunately for Aaron, the women do not stay dead and they are out for revenge. "I was born in filth, and I'd die in filth." If you are a fan of Splatterpunk, disturbing scenes, brutality and revenge, then you will most certainly like this one. It is brutal to it's very core with some added humor. (Content warning is included on the front cover). Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/ Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Eric-Kapitan/ Review Links: https://www.goodreads.com/review/

Piece by Piece by Daemon Manx

  

Rating:★★★★★

Genre: Occult Horror

Format: Paperback

Pages: 86

Read: 01/05/22

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Sometimes, all it takes is perspective to appreciate the simple things, or a little extra concern for the frailty of the present moment to fully understand what makes life worth living. And sometimes, all it takes is a little shove in the right direction.

When Bobby Canfield was eleven years old, he received a message from a mysterious presence called Mac. The delivery of this message was through a Ouija board, and it would forever change Bobby's life. After all, it's not every day you find out when you are going to die."Sometimes all it takes is perspective to appreciate the simple things, or a little extra concern for the frailty of the present moment to fully understand what makes life worth living."

What would you do if you were told the year you were going to die?

Review:

The year is 1988 when Bobby is invited to sit with three young girls. At the age of just 11 years old the invitation was too enticing to resist. The girls are preparing to use a Ouija Board to talk to their grandfather, Mac. Bobby is given a message that he has a purpose and that he must fulfill it the same year he is going to die. The years drift by, life has been lived, and the time has come.

Be still my heart, this story was amazing in so many ways. The beauty in the writing reaches out and takes a hold, threading its way through the heart and soul. This one is going on my extra special list!
5 Hearts

There is a second story included called 'The Widower'. A grieving widow, a horrific creature, bits of painful moments and grossly entertaining. A definite horror thrill!

Goodreads Author Page: 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/

Amazon Author Page: 

https://www.amazon.com/Daemon-Manx/

Review Links:

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/

https://www.goodreads.com/review/

Behind the Veil by E.J. Dawson

   

Rating: ★★★★★

Genre: Ghost Thriller

Format: eBook

Pages: 297

Read: 01/04/22

Amazon Synopsis:

Can she keep the secrets of her past to rescue a girl tormented by a ghost?

In 1920s Los Angeles, Letitia Hawking reads the veil between life and death. A scrying bowl allows her to experience the final moments of the deceased. She brings closure to grief-stricken war widows and mourning families.
For Letitia, it is a penance. She knows no such peace.

For Alasdair Driscoll, it may be the only way to save his niece, Finola, from her growing night terrors. But when Letitia sees a shadowy figure attached to the household, it rouses old fears of her unspeakable past in England.

When a man comes to her about his missing daughter, the third girl to go missing in as many months, Letitia can’t help him when she can’t see who’s taken them.

As a darkness haunts Letitia’s vision, she may not be given a choice in helping the determined Mr Driscoll, or stop herself falling in love with him. But to do so risks a part of herself she locked away, and to release it may cost Letitia her sanity and her heart.

Review:

“There’s another fate waiting out there for you, tangled up in your past,” Old Mother Borrows said, “and you’ve got to go find it to get through it, even if it means revisiting your worst fears.”

Letitia has striven to unburden her past and make peace with her inner self. She has lived through tragedy, turmoil and loss. She tries to keep her life as secret as possible, but her calling to help others slowly unveils that which she has tried to keep hidden. Letitia can see behind the veil of life and death and through her gifts she is able to provide some peace to grieving families. When she is called upon to try to help reveal the disappearances of little girls, she is brought into a darkness of murder and a malevolent spirit is brought forth. She must do all she can to unburden the little girl that is being tormented and save her life. She must delve deep within herself to find the strength she needs to confront her own inner demons and the demon taking lives.

There is so much to love about this book. Set in the 1920's, a gothic atmosphere, characters to be invested in and routed for, wanting so much for them to have that happy ending. Death, sorrow, and evil forces. The darkness and the light in this is very well balanced. There were many spine chilling and shivering moments, but there is also many elements of humanity such as love, caring, forgiveness and healing. Letitia is very frail but through it all she finds her strength and finds a love she never thought she would ever have again.

Very engaging and well written. A recommended read for anyone that enjoys spine tingling, paranormal suspense with a little romantic element.

Goodreads Author Page: 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/

Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/E-J-Dawson/e/

Review Links:

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/

https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/