October 2016 @spooksandtea Read-a-Thon Wrap Up

So, a week after Halloween, I finally decided to post about what I read in October. I had so much fun trying to find the perfect spooky read last month. Unfortunately, this picture is missing a few books because I lent one out and the others are library books that I've since returned. I did write reviews on most of them, which is pretty impressive for me. I'm also including the ones I read before October, because I was too excited to wait until October started to start reading horror.

@spooksandtea info, if you're curious.

Posession by M. Verano | September 12-14. Letitia loves to sing, but when she starts having horrific dreams and seeing things, her blog and love for singing fall to the wayside. Her mother think's she's possessed, but is she really?
What interested me: I read the first one, A Diary of a Haunting and I really enjoyed that (until the author put himself into the narrative). I didn't write a review for this one. I did enjoy it, but I didn't like it as much as the first book. I think there was a lot of lead up and it lacked climax. I think the ending was quite disappointing as well.
Spoop factor: 3 out of 5 skulls.



I am a Zombie Filled with Love by Isaac Marion | September 15. This is the short story that bore Warm Bodies. A zombie with thoughts? Who knew?
What interested me: I had just purchased The New Hunger and I came across this in adding it to Goodreads. I loved it. Probably because I love Warm Bodies.
Spoop factor: 1 out 5 skulls. This isn't exactly scary, unless existential crises scare you.




House at the End of the Street by Lily Blake | September 15-16. A girl and her mother move into a high-end cul-de-sac neighborhood, but their neighbor is hiding something no one expected.
What interested me: I saw this at BAM one day and it was only a few dollars, so I thought, "Why not?" I actually had not seen the movie when I read this, and I did watch it afterward. My verdict is that it works much better as a movie than a book. But how often do books-from-movies work?
Spoop factor: 3.5 skulls.

Ouija by Katharine Turner | September 16-17. A girl looses her best friend to suicide. But was it really suicide, or were there other forces at hand?
What interested me: I actually really enjoyed the movie when it came out, though it's definitely not the best horror movie I've seen. This was another one I just happened to see at the bookstore and picked up for a few bucks. I think this worked really well as a novel, better that House at the End of the Street for sure. Also, the pre-sequel was coming out soon after I read this, so I thought it was pretty appropriate.
Spoop factor: 3.5 skulls, only because I knew what was going on.

The New Hunger by Isaac Marion | September 16-19. Before R found new life, he woke up lost and confused. Before Julie found R eating her boyfriend's brain, she was a young only child, travelling to find safety. Before Nora becomes Julie's best friend, she struggles to protect her younger brother from the corpses that have decided to come back from the grave.
What interested me: I LOVE LOVE LOVE Warm Bodies. LOVE. It's so different and original. No one thinks to write from the zombie's perspective. The New Hunger is so much darker and more thought provoking than it's predecessor. I thought it was wonderful.
Spoop factor: 2 skulls, only because, again, it's not really scary, per se, just really good.

A Midsummer Night's Scream by R.L. Stine | September 24-26. A film maker's daughter is cast in a remake of a horror film that went horribly wrong. Will history repeat itself?
What interested me: Stine is known for his scary stories, for both children and adults. How could one for YA be bad? Well... I wasn't that impressed. I found the characters to be shallow and frustrating and the story to be unbelievable, even for magic and misfortune. This doesn't mean I've given up on Stine, just on his YA books, I think.
Spoop factor: 3 skulls. Some things were unsettling to read, but the characters got in the way.

The Merciless by Danielle Vega | October 5-10. Mean Girls meets The Exorcist, basically. Sofia moves to a new school and is graciously welcomed into the cool-girls circle. Little does she know that they're not cool at all, just crazy.
What interested me: The cover, to be honest. It's neon pink with a gold pentagram. It's so intimidating. Unfortunately, it fell short for me. I may read the sequel, but I haven't decided yet.
Spoop factor: 3.5 skulls. Though I was very disappointed in the ending, it was really unsettling to read at times.



The Grownup by Gillian Flynn | October 11. A "psychic" takes a house call where the mother thinks her step-son is possessed. Is he? Who freaking knows.
What interested me: It's super short, I actually detest Gone Girl and I have not one clue why I decided to read this. Flynn's writing style is not for me and yet I read it. Thankfully, it didn't take up much of my time. I felt that it was trying to hard to be clever and also tried to cram too much into such a short story. There was a lot that was left unsaid or unexplained, or just added in for shock value. I probably won't be reading another Flynn book. She just frustrates me.
Spoop factor: 2 skulls. Tried too hard to be spooky in such a short time.

The Fever by Megan Abbott | October 11-14. A girl has a violent seizure in class. Soon, other girls are getting sick all over the town. Is it a disease or just hysteria?
What interested me: @ladybookmad/Amanda Lovelace posted about it on twitter or tumblr, I don't remember. But, I trust her judgement and wasn't disappointed. I really enjoyed this and was also recommended Conversion by Katherine Howe, as it's a similar idea.
Spoop factor: 3 skulls. It was very thriller-y, but not necessarily scary.

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich | October 14-20. Carly lives during the day, Kaitlin, at night. One body, two souls. Can one save the other from evil forces? Probably not.
What interested me: OMG. THIS BOOK. Oh man. It's written as a compilation of found diary entries, case files, interview recordings, and video transcriptions. Every page is different. There are warnings against reading it or reading without a parent's consent. It really sells the scares. I do find things missing in the plot, but Kurtagich is a wizard with horror. She tosses little things in. They could be ignored, but if you think too hard about them, you get chills. Well, at least I did.
Spoop factor: 4 out of 5 skulls.

The Women in the Walls by Amy Lukavics | October 20-22. A girl and her cousin live in bliss in their manor home when her aunt walks into the woods and doesn't return for months. Then, her cousin begins hearing her mother in the walls, and soon, Lucy hears them too. Who are the women in the walls, and what do they want with Lucy's family?
What interested me: The cover, I suppose. I love disembodied voices, they creep me out. Unfortunately, this book went sideways and I was exhausted. The elitist attitude of the characters was tiring, but I appreciated the incorporation of self harm and working to end it.
Spoop factor: 4 skulls. Though the characters were frustrating, the scares were good.

You by Caroline Kepnes | October 22-29. Joe works at a bookstore. He sees you, Beck. He likes you. He finds your home, steals your phone, reads your emails, dates you. Joe is a good boyfriend. He takes care of bad ex-boyfriends and girlfriends that take you for granted. Soon, he'll take care of you.
What interested me: A book written in both first and second person. It's directed at me?! AWESOME! Until the main character no longer scared me. I give Kepnes credit for the creative writing, but I was thrilled for about 1/3 of the book, then it just got tedious.
Spoop factor: 2.5 skulls. I think if the scary parts weren't glossed over like they didn't matter much, it would've been better.


Honorable mention 

And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich | October 31-November 2. Silla and Nori run away from their abusive father to their aunt's mansion in the woods. Soon, their aunt Cathy begins to act strangely, locking herself away in the attic for years. Then, the forest begins to move closer. Will Silla and Nori survive the creeping woods?
What interested me: Reading The Dead House. I now stalk Kurtagich, waiting for a new book. She writes horror superbly, dropping hints here and there that are meant to unsettle if you're paying attention. This was just *muah*. Oh, I love it so much. I was so invested, everything surprised me.
Spoop factor: 4.5 skulls, definitely. I NEED MORE, DAWN.


And that's it. I did a lot of horror reading the last 2 months, it's unreal. I'm having such a hard time getting back into reading other things, things I have to read. And though I found a few contenders for the Best Horror Book Ever, I'll continue to search FOREVER!

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