Review of Nightmares #37 | Fool Moon (The Dresden Files #2) by Jim Butcher

Book info:
Fool Moon (The Dresden Files #2) by Jim Butcher | 401 pages/10.5 hours | Published January 9th 2001 by Roc | Adult, mystery, paranormal, supernatural

Summary:
Harry Dresden--Wizard
Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Business has been slow. Okay, business has been dead. And not even of the undead variety. You would think Chicago would have a little more action for the only professional wizard in the phone book. But lately, Harry Dresden hasn't been able to dredge up any kind of work--magical or mundane.

But just when it looks like he can't afford his next meal, a murder comes along that requires his particular brand of supernatural expertise.

A brutally mutilated corpse. Strange-looking paw prints. A full moon. Take three guesses--and the first two don't count...

My thoughts:
Read August 7-August 10, 2017 | 4 stars
Set: October 2000

Review of Nightmares #36 | Storm Front (The Dresden Files #1) by Jim Butcher

Book info:
Storm Front (The Dresden Files #1) by Jim Butcher | 322 pages/8.5 hours | Published April 2000 by Penguin ROC | Urban fantasy, adult, mystery, paranormal, magic

Summary:
Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he's the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the "everyday" world is actually full of strange and magical things—and most don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a—well, whatever. There's just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks.

So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's black magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name. And that's when things start to get interesting.

Magic - it can get a guy killed.
My thoughts:
Read July 30-August 2, 2017 | 4 stars

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!

Find me:
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*NEW* RBD Review #32 | The Women in the Walls by Amy Lukavics

Book info:
The Women in the Walls by Amy Lukavics | 288 pages | Published September 2016 by Harlequin Teen | YA Horror, Paranormal, Mystery, Supernatural, Suspense

Summary:
Lucy Acosta's mother died when she was three. Growing up in a Victorian mansion in the middle of the woods with her cold, distant father, she explored the dark hallways of the estate with her cousin, Margaret. They're inseparable—a family.

When her aunt Penelope, the only mother she's ever known, tragically disappears while walking in the woods surrounding their estate, Lucy finds herself devastated and alone. Margaret has been spending a lot of time in the attic. She claims she can hear her dead mother's voice whispering from the walls. Emotionally shut out by her father, Lucy watches helplessly as her cousin's sanity slowly unravels. But when she begins hearing voices herself, Lucy finds herself confronting an ancient and deadly legacy that has marked the women in her family for generations.

My thoughts:
Read October 20-22, 2016 | 3 stars
Trigger Warning: self harm (at the end)

RDB Review #20 | Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

Book info:
Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) by Maggie Stiefvater | 390 pages/10h 45m | Published August 2009 by Scholastic | Teen fantasy, romance (external image)

Summary:
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

My thoughts:
Read May 24-31, 2016 | 4-stars

RBD Review #13 | The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

Book info:
The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater | 408 pages. Published 2012 | Teen Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal

Summary:

• First and foremost I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE BOOK JACKET SUMMARY. Read the review if you’re interested in knowing why. 

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them--until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.

His name is Gansey, a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She doesn't believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem. But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore (courtesy of Goodreads).

My thoughts:
Read April 07-24, 2016 | 4/5 stars

*NEW* RBD Review #31 | The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

Book info:
The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich | 448 pages | Published August 2016 (my edition) by Little Brown Books | YA Horror, Mystery, Paranormal, Thriller

Summary:
Welcome to the Dead House.

Three students: dead.

Carly Johnson: vanished without a trace.

Two decades have passed since an inferno swept through Elmbridge High, claiming the lives of three teenagers and causing one student, Carly Johnson, to disappear. The main suspect: Kaitlyn, "the girl of nowhere."

Kaitlyn's diary, discovered in the ruins of Elmbridge High, reveals the thoughts of a disturbed mind. Its charred pages tell a sinister version of events that took place that tragic night, and the girl of nowhere is caught in the center of it all. But many claim Kaitlyn doesn't exist, and in a way, she doesn't - because she is the alter ego of Carly Johnson.

Carly gets the day. Kaitlyn has the night. It's during the night that a mystery surrounding the Dead House unravels and a dark, twisted magic ruins the lives of each student that dares touch it.

Debut author Dawn Kurtagich masterfully weaves together a thrilling and terrifying story using psychiatric reports, witness testimonials, video footage, and the discovered diary - and as the mystery grows, the horrifying truth about what happened that night unfolds.

My thoughts:
Read October 14-20, 2016 | 4 stars

RBD Review #18 | The Crow by James O'Barr

Book info:
The Crow by James O’Barr | Published 1989 | 240 pages | Adult Graphic Novel, Horror, Supernatural, Paranormal

Summary:
Eric has returned from the dead, driven only by hate and the need to wreak revenge on those who killed him and raped and then killed his beloved Shelly. 

My thoughts:
Read May 17-18, 2016 | 5/5 stars 

RBD Review #16 | Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3) by Maggie Stiefvater

Book info:
Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3) by Maggie Stiefvater | Published 2014 | 391 pages | Teen fantasy

Summary:
There is danger in dreaming. But there is even more danger in waking up.
Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs.
The trick with found things though, is how easily they can be lost.
Friends can betray.
Mothers can disappear.
Visions can mislead.
Certainties can unravel (courtesy of Goodreads).

My thoughts:
Read April 29-May 07, 2016 | 4/5 stars

RBD Review #14 | The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

Book info:
The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater | 439 pages | Published 2013 | Teen fantasy (external image)

Summary:
If you could steal things from dreams, what would you take?
Ronan Lynch has secrets. Some he keeps from others. Some he keeps from himself.
One secret: Ronan can bring things out of his dreams.
And sometimes he's not the only one who wants those things.
Ronan is one of the raven boys—a group of friends, practically brothers, searching for a dead king named Glendower, who they think is hidden somewhere in the hills by their elite private school, Aglionby Academy. The path to Glendower has long lived as an undercurrent beneath town. But now, like Ronan's secrets, it is beginning to rise to the surface—changing everything in its wake.
Of The Raven Boys, Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Maggie Stiefvater's can't-put-it-down paranormal adventure will leave you clamoring for book two." Now the second book is here, with the same wild imagination, dark romance, and heart-stopping twists that only Maggie Stiefvater can conjure (courtesy of Goodreads).

My thoughts:
Read April 25-28, 2016 | 5/5

*NEW* RBD Review #30 | The Merciless (The Merciless #1) by Danielle Vega

Book info:
The Merciless (The Merciless #1) by Danielle Vega | 282 pages | Published June 2015 by Razorbill | YA Horror, Thriller, Paranormal, Mystery

Summary:
Brooklyn Stevens sits in a pool of her own blood, tied up and gagged. No one outside of these dank basement walls knows she’s here. No one can hear her scream.

Sofia Flores knows she shouldn’t have gotten involved. When she befriended Riley, Grace, and Alexis on her first day at school, she admired them, with their perfect hair and their good-girl ways. They said they wanted to save Brooklyn. They wanted to help her. Sofia didn’t realize they believed Brooklyn was possessed.

Now, Riley and the girls are performing an exorcism on Brooklyn—but their idea of an exorcism is closer to torture than salvation. All Sofia wants is to get out of this house. But there is no way out. Sofia can’t go against the other girls...unless she wants to be next.

By the shockingly twisted end, readers will be faced with the most haunting question of all: Is there evil in all of us?

My thoughts:
Read October 5-10, 2016 | 2.5 stars (3 on GR)

*Minor spoilers*

RBD Review #11 | The Coldest Girl in Cold Town by Holly Black

Book info:
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black | 422 pages | Published 2013 | Teen, Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Horror

Summary:
Coldtown was dangerous, Tana knew. A glamorous cage, a prison for the damned and anyone who wanted to party with them.
Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. And once you pass through Coldtown's gates, you can never leave.
One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself (Goodreads).

My thoughts:
Read March 29-31, 2016 | 4.5 stars (5 on GR)

RBD Review #9 | Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's #1) by Ransom Riggs

Book info:
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's #1) by Ransom Riggs | 352 pages | Published 2013 by Quirk Books | Teen, Paranormal, Fantasy (external image)

Summary:

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.

A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography (courtsey of Goodreads).

My thoughts:

Read March 18-23, 2016 | 3 stars

*NEW* RDB Review #29 | A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle #1) by Libba Bray

Book info:
A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle #1) by Libba Bray | 403 pages | Published December 2003 by Simon and Schuster | Teen, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance, Magic, Supernatural, Paranormal, Mystery

Summary:
A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy—jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel.

Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order.

My thoughts:
Official re-read September 6-21, 2016 | 5 stars