The Frangitelli Mirror Written by G. R. Thomas Book Review by Miranda Moses (Fraser) ISBN: 978-0-9945069-9-3 Spooky lovers unite! G. R. Thomas has blessed us with a spooky story I don't think I'll easily forget. Sadly, this is the last book review of the Halloween season so I am pleased to end on such a good note! This book was excellent and truly fits the Halloween spirit! Quick note, I always include links to the author's pages at the end of my reviews. However, I am mentioning this at the start because while I was getting the author's information, I noticed two things I'd like to share with you right away. Firstly, you can buy a signed copy of her books from her website. So, if you collect signed books, like I do, you may want to order from the author directly! Secondly, she has "content warnings" on all of her books. While I am not a person who generally looks for content warnings before I jump into a story, in this case, I actually feel like the content warnings may be valuable to some readers. So here is what the author has on her website about The Frangitelli Mirror, "Content Warning: Paranormal themes and violence, horror themes, talk of death of an infant, talk of death of a child, blood and gore" And now if you're still here, let's discuss this novel! The novel takes place during World War 1, in what we find out is Australia. Now, take that last bit of information and just throw it away. It doesn't really matter. Because this book has so much focus on Italy, where our main character's father immigrated from. There are plenty of Italian words throughout the story (in case the title didn't give that away). The heroin, Rose, is 18, and she and her mother are alone and struggling to find work and keep themselves fed. Her father went off to war and they have not heard from him in two years. Living in a nightmare of pain, loss, and worry is hard enough, but then our dear Rose has a dark secret on top of it. She can see ghosts, she is tormented day and night with the beings that lurk in the shadows. Followed everywhere by a crow she calls, "Devil". Rose cannot tell her mother or anyone else about this awful secret... and perhaps keeping it is worse than experiencing the secret itself. Now as we said their family is in dire need. Papa's been missing for two years, she and her mother are going to starve to death if they don't get help. So Rose applies for every job she can but none come her way. That is until she is offered a position as a Lady's Maid in the famous Rutherford House. It is a live-in position but the pay is exceedingly high. Between running from the ghosts and trying to save her family, what choice does Rose have but to take it? The problem is Rutherford House is shrouded in mystery and rumors, a high turnover staff, and everyone is worried about Rose taking this job. But the mysterious housekeeper, Mr. Borgia is insistent that Rose is the one. She will be the Lady's Maid to finally help Mrs. Rutherford get on with her life. When Rose arrived another member of staff is storming out proclaiming that the lady of the house was a demon and she'd not be able to stand it a moment longer. Yet when Rose meets her, she's a calm even-tempered woman, dressed in mourning clothes. Mrs. Rutherford is indeed a little off, she has a terrible memory, keeps a doll with her at all times that she insists is a living baby, and she cannot stand to be in the dark. But she is a woman who has lost her husband and infant, age is creeping on her, and she is very alone. The one thing that does bring her comfort are her mirrors. Every wall is plastered with mirrors but center stage is the Frangitelli Mirror. An old ornate beauty that Mrs. Rutherford can stare into for hours. I won't lie, All I could see was dementia and a different time when they didn't understand the mental health of the elderly. And it let me down a little bit... because the story started off with ghosts. It started off actually having something spooky and now I was struck feeling like the mystery of the story was just a misunderstood mental health issue. But the story went on and I'm so glad I stuck with it! Rutherford House holds more than a living wage for Rose. She will discover things about herself that she could never have known otherwise. She learned about family mysteries... answers her Papa could not give her. And she faces gory horror and heartbreaking tales all at once. The monster at the center of the story is a demon called a Bruxas. Now, I am familiar with the term from the Witcher series where they are a female vampire sort of creature, but I don't know how they are portrayed in other cultures. In this story, however, they are specifically a demon who searches for infant souls but will devour any soul given the chance. It is important to share that since I did share the content warning at the start that it involves children dying. It particularly gripped me and made me cry because I can't imagine the lengths I would go to as a mother to save my child. That's the most spoiler I am willing to give. But if you're looking for a story with magic, demons, a little gore, definitely some emotions, and a good mystery you will enjoy The Frangitelli Mirror. Read on my fellow bookworms. May we one day have Belle's library! And as always links to the author's pages can be found down below.
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The Whisper Man Written by Alex North Book Review by Miranda Moses (Fraser) ISBN: 978-1-250-31800-8 My ghoulies and ghosties, we're getting through these reviews so quickly! There's only one more to go. And for this book review, we're back with another novel by Alex North. Last year we read "The Shadows" and it was VERY good. Similarly, The Whisper Man is also a thriller mystery novel set in a small town where a terrible crime occurred many years before. Interestingly enough, the same detective Amanda Beck is in both books but you don't need to read them both to enjoy their individual stories. So, let's get into it! The Whisper Man had SUCH a great premise! 20 years in the past a serial killer was abducting young boys, but not before whispering to them outside their bedrooms at night. After his fifth victim, the serial killer was caught and sent away. Now, in the present day, a little boy has gone missing with striking similarities to the original case, sparking rumors that a copycat has started killing. OR that the original killer had an accomplice they never caught. That sounds like a hell of a mystery and one I was very excited to read. But I'm gonna say it right now- the ending is entirely predictable and I struggled to enjoy this novel. If a book is 300+ pages it shouldn't take 100 to be bearable and 200 to really catch your attention. I have no doubt that Alex North is an excellent writer. I just can't say this story is one I would rave about to my friends and it definitely isn't scary (as I've seen countless reviews state)! Now, the story revolves around a recently widowed father and his son Jake. They move to a new town to start over. Once in their house though, they begin to have weird events occur surrounding their property. Someone trying to break into their garage and house, noises at night they can't explain, Jake talking to people who aren't there, etc. A lot of the story focuses on the theme of fathers and their sons. That is evident throughout the entire story. And while I myself understand all too well, what it's like to not have positive thoughts about yourself... I found the father, Tom, extremely annoying. So much of the start of the book is just him pity partying and talking down on himself and his inability to parent his kid whom he deems as "not normal". It just added to the story dragging on and on. However, I want to give North some credit because while it was hard to get into and I DID predict the bad guy in the end, he did manage to get some plot twists past me. He wrapped the story up nicely and fleshed things out in a way that made perfect sense. He also managed to bring a beautiful theme into it of loving someone even when you're not getting along. Something as a parent myself, I hope my 4-year-old knows. Even when mommy and daddy are mad, we love you dearly and deeply! If you don't mind a slow start the rest of the story was worth it, albeit a bit sad and melancholy. The book has great reviews and it may just not have been my cup of tea. I truly encourage people to check it out for themselves! Read on my fellow bookworms. May we one day have Belle's library! And as always links to the author's pages can be found down below. They Drown Our Daughters Written by Katrina Monroe Book Review by Miranda Moses (Fraser) ISBN: 978-1-7282-4820-2 Oh, my creepy lovers, it is that WONDERFUL time of year when we pull out our pumpkin spice and/or apple cider and run through the crunching of leaves. Yes, that's right, it's time for the Halloween Book Review Series of 2023! And I'm starting with a book that didn't get the love it deserved last year. We had a family emergency come up that left me in a rotten state of mind so I didn't get back to reading at the time. But here we are, a year later, and this book got its moment in the sun. To start off, Katrina Monroe did a wonderful job and I plan on looking into more of her work. On Goodreads, you will find this book listed as horror, fiction, and gothic. I stuck with fiction for its category but it is important to understand that there is a ghost/wraith at the center of this story. It also has multiple points of view throughout the book but it is always very clear about who is talking/when they are talking. With that being said, if you struggle with a lot of names this may not be your cup of tea- BUT there is a handy family tree in the front and back of the book that you can reference. I did it a couple times as this book starts off in the year 1881 but is primarily told by a woman in the "present day" and that's a lot of family tree to cover! I place this story to be in the 2010s based on best guesses and the publishing date of the book. Now, let's get into this story, shall we! The novel begins in 1818 with a woman named Regina. She discovers that her husband is having an affair and goes to a local witch for a charm to help her predicament. But when her young niece discovers what she's doing a struggle ensues and the niece passes away. Accidental or not, Gina tries to hide her wrongdoing by tossing her niece's body into the ocean. The witch warns her that Liza's spirit will not rest without a proper burial but Regina does not heed the warning. The very same night Regina's oldest daughter vanishes into the sea and the curse begins. Ever since that night the women in her line have died tragic deaths, suffered a call to the sea that is almost hypnotizing, and above all suffered as mothers. Back in the present day, our main character Meredith is coming home to Cape Disappointment. Her marriage is ending and she hopes she can figure out her next moves in her hometown. Meredith and her mother have a strained and complicated relationship. She feels as though her mother never really loved her, only tolerated her existence. Plus there's her mother's dwindling mental state making her "more delusional" than before. You see, Cape Disappointment's biggest tourist attraction is their rumored mermaid in the cove. To the people of the town who have seen her they believe a mermaid is out there, ethereal, and waiting to grant a wish. But Meredith's mother Judith believes that there is no mermaid, that it is death calling to her and her loved ones. Judith had spent all of Meredith's childhood warning her of the ocean and staying away from the water, surrounding their home with protection charms, etc. Meredith believes her mother is crazy and paranoid and refuses to instill those same fears in her daughter, Alice. But deep in her bones even Meredith feels the tug to the ocean, the voice in the waves beckoning her... As the story plays on we hear from Meredith's ancestors and their battle with the curse, with the rumors that their family is cursed. The jabs that the women in their family are just mentally insane. The tormenting fears of mothers terrified of their babies being the next to drown. We hear from Meredith's mother and why she is the way she is. We see the battle of each woman coming to terms with the curse and wondering if they can break it. When Judith passes away the timeline gets very sped up for Meredith and she must find the answers or lose herself and her daughter to the 'ocean's mournful call'. I really enjoyed seeing the various generations putting the pieces in place. but the crushing weight of the curse taking their hopes from them was hard to accept. As a mother listening to Meredith try to reason out if their real curse was just being bad mothers and fearing that she would never be enough... tore at my heart. I worry about the same thing sometimes. In conclusion, I thought it was a very good story. BUT after about 250 pages the direction of the story seemed to shift. It went in a direction I was not expecting and it threw me off. I wasn't sure if I liked it... and for that, I did give the book 4 out of 5 stars. But the ending and the plot twist attached to that change of direction were very worth it. I did not find this book scary but definitely heartbreaking and a true mystery. Still gets a stamp of approval for the Halloween series but I want to prepare people that it was more thriller than horror. Katrina Monroe did put out another novel this year under the genre of horror called, "The Graveyard of Lost Children" so expect that to be on next year's list! She's definitely gained a reader out of me. Read on my fellow bookworms. May we one day have Belle's library! As always links to the author's pages can be found down below. They Mostly Come Out At Night
Written by Benedict Patrick Book Review by Miranda Fraser (Moses) ISBN: 9781530640102 My Ghouls and Ghosties, let's continue this Halloween Book Review Series of 2022 with another fiction novel. This is considered a dark fantasy that is heavy on folklore. This is not going to be my usual happy book review. I wanted to love this story so badly! But I just couldn't. I still want to compliment Mr. Patrick because writing a novel is hard work. And I can tell from his own notes and comments that this, his first novel, means so much to him. I will also say that it has a very mixed audience of people who loved it and people who hated it. Just look at Goodreads and you'll see it for yourself. With that in mind, I do these with the encouragement that you never know what book will get you into reading. And just because it wasn't my cup of tea, doesn't mean it won't be yours! This novel has a bit of a dual storyline and we're definitely going to get into it. We immediately meet Lonan a simple villager- who is hated by basically everyone around him. You see in this world, it is not safe at night. When the sun starts to set the villagers all lock up their houses and hole themselves up in their cellars until daybreak. Monsters roam at night and will feed on anyone they get their hands on. But never fear, there is a Magpie King out there combing the forest for danger and doing his best to keep his people safe. But one man, even powerful and swift as he is, cannot possibly cover all territories of his forest at once. And so the villagers hide and wait... but sometimes these monsters breach the doors and get inside. When Lonan was a child- yes, a literal child- he was making so much noise inside their cellar that a monster broke through and killed his father. Another cellar was also breached that night mauling a girl and killing her mother. And from that night on not a soul could stand Lonan's existence. His own mother even tossed him out. However, the village healer took him in. Knowing he was a child who did not purposefully hurt these people. And besides, she already had a man in a vegetative state staying with her. What was one more mouth to feed? Furthermore, in this world, all humans develop a Knack. A special talent that they get by repeating a task over and over. It's essentially the phrase practice makes perfect. The more they practice a skill the better they will become at it. Lonan's father was a blacksmith and because he was an outcast from the village he never got to practice his father's skill and get a blacksmithing Knack of his own. But as Lonan becomes a man he develops these dreams where he is seeing the Magpie King and his heir's journeys. Now, because he can see their journeys, we can see their journeys. And it becomes an almost separate storyline happening throughout the book. PLUS every so many chapters there is an entire chapter that is just folklore that exists within the world in this book. These dreams however bring nothing but trouble to the village as Lonan discovers terrible secrets about the Magpie King's reign, his source of power, and more. That's what I'll give you about the story itself. Now, let's discuss the book. I found it to be too slow. Personally, if I'm 60 pages in and wondering when it's going to pick up... well... It's kind of boring to me. I was over 100 pages in before I was like, "Okay, tell me more." Then there's a whole part in the center of the book where it appears that both Lonan and the Magpie King have their happy endings. If you had just put a sappy little "the end" paragraph in there, I would have fully believed that that was the end of the book. Instead of a climax where you expect the story to continue, it was just so neatly done that it felt like the resolution, thus making the "falling action" feel forced. There's a major plot twist that also felt shoehorned into the story in a very small amount of time. It was a lot to process. And the ending just left me sad and almost lonely feeling. And I know I said before that "Halloween" stories with a happy ending are a little weird... but this still just felt off. I was so excited about this story but it was a dark fantasy that was just not made for me. BUT plenty of others have enjoyed his original ideas and his plot twists. And while some of us didn't care about the folklore thrown throughout the book, others have praised it for its Brothers Grimm style and worldbuilding. This is one of those stories that you truly have to take a risk on. And if you do, I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts on this story! Read on my fellow bookworms. May we one day have Belle's library! And as always links to the author's pages can be found down below. The House On Foster Hill By Jaime Jo Wright Book Review by Miranda Fraser (Moses) ISBN: 978-0-7642-3028-8 My fellow spooky lovers, let us continue our Halloween Book Review Series of 2022 with another mystery novel. This one is unique because it has dual mysteries. Jaime Jo Wright did an excellent job with these. And I want to give a little author shoutout because this is her first novel and we love that! She has written novellas before and you can find many of those listed on Goodreads.
Now, before we get into the novel, I just want to address the negative reviews I've seen about this story. Ninety percent of the negative reviews were people complaining about the dual storyline situation. That's something that is not everyone's cup of tea. I will say that I felt Wright did a great job making sure it was clear what was happening and when. The other ten percent of negative reviews didn't like that the characters were religious. I didn't personally feel like the author was trying to shove God down the readers' throats. Moreover that this is a SMALL town, with one of the storylines taking place in the 1900s and it was fitting for the timeframe and the character's struggles. However, if you don't like books with religious context then this may not be the story for you. Both the women in these mysteries are religious, both suffering traumas that have strained their relationship with their faith. So it is something they do discuss throughout their dialog. With that being said, the novel takes place in one town but in two different timelines. One mystery happened in the 1900s and one in the modern day. In the modern day, we have Kaine Prescott, a woman who had devoted her life to saving women from dangerous relationships. Two years prior to this story, her husband died in a tragic car accident. Though Kaine never believed it was an accident... After the police ignored her and refused to dig deeper, Kaine left San Diego for a small town in Wisconsin. Her grandfather and his family hailed from there so it felt like fate when she was able to purchase an old house, sight unseen, and start anew. The abandoned house on Foster Hill was going to take a lot of work to fix up. But Kaine's trouble can't be as simple as home repair. Upon purchasing the property, malicious and threatening occurrences keep her from peace. Did someone follow her from San Diego? And why does it feel like someone wants to keep her from this house? In the 1900s we have Ivy Thorpe, a spinster, and daughter of the town doctor. When a young woman is murdered and found on the property of the abandoned house on Foster Hill Ivy becomes obsessed with discovering who killed her. But Ivy's search puts her directly in the line of danger as she teeters on discovering a secret bigger than anyone imagined. I'm sure it comes as no surprise that the two storylines do intertwine. Mysteries from the past have a way of lingering into modern day. Especially in a small town, with family roots that run deep. I'm hesitant to give to much information away because the way the story plays out is so interesting that I feel like you need to go into it blind to appreciate all the twists and turns. What I can say in the books honor is that with every turning page, I found myself trying desperately to put the pieces together. I guessed some elements of the mystery, but overall I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. And for people who hate gloomy stories, this one did have a hope-filled ending. Not exactly Halloween worthy BUT I do love a good mystery with the right amount of suspense. Read on my fellow book worms. May we one day have Belle's library! And as always links to the author's pages can be found down below. A Flicker In The Dark Written by Stacy Willingham Book Review by Miranda Moses (Fraser) ISBN: 978-1-250-80382-5 My Ghouls and Ghosties, it is the best time of year. Halloween Book Review time that is! A Flicker in The Dark is Stacy Willingham's first novel, so I want to give her a round of applause! We love supporting new authors around here. Her first novel is a page-turning mystery involving a serial killer and a potential copycat killer 20 years later! I want to start off by stating that I LOVE a murder mystery. But also, with that in mind... I grew up on: "Murder She Wrote", "Diagnosis Murder", "Matlock", "Law and Order" and "CSI". So, when it comes to murder mysteries, I feel like my brain is just trained to look for certain plot twist possibilities. I actually predicted the ending early on. And while I didn't have all the details right, I wasn't completely shocked by who had done it. But I still had three potential endings I was going back and forth between the whole time. I was still thinking about the book even when I had to put it down. I still found myself turning the pages eagerly awaiting the ending. So, what exactly am I getting at here? Despite my guess and the feeling of predictability I had while reading it, I still loved reading it. I was still excited by it, still neeeeded to know how it ended, and most importantly, was still happy I bought this novel. For someone else, the ending may completely blindside them, and don't we love it when that happens? And that is why I do recommend this story to anyone else who is into mysteries. (Especially if you're looking for a simple mystery that isn't overly complicated.) The main character in this novel is Chloe Davis. When she was 12 years old a string of girls went missing from her tiny hometown. Their killer turned out to be her father and this sent Chloe's entire life into a tailspin. 20 years later she owns her own practice as a therapist, is getting married, and feels like her life might finally be on track. Until more teenage girls start turning up dead... each one having some connection to Chloe. With her father behind bars, it is clear a copycat killer has entered the scene. But who? And what is their purpose? In typical mystery cliche, Chloe interjects herself into the investigation trying to figure out who is killing these girls and how she can prove it without a shadow of a doubt. Now, I truly do hope mystery lovers everywhere will take the time to check out this book. Despite everything, I did enjoy the story. And I happily recounted it to my husband when he gave me the chance to spill all the details. It is also a story I am not likely to forget. I'd also like to state that Willingham has another novel coming out in January of next year, but I may put that off for a while. It is about a baby going missing from his crib... and truly my mom-heart cannot stand that right now. Read on my fellow bookworms! May we one day have Belle's library. And as always, links to the author's pages can be found down below. The Shadows Written by Alex North Book Review by Miranda Fraser (Moses) ISBN:9781250318039 My fellow creatures of the night, this is the last planned book review for the Halloween Book Reviews of 2021. We'll see if there's a special Halloween addition.. But this is the last book because it was released on September 28th and I had to patiently await my preorders arrival. So it is truly hot off the presses. This was the first time I had ever heard of Alex North, but I guarantee you it won't be the last book of his I read. My goodness! This is a fictional thriller mystery that is written so beautifully that you can really see this kind of event actually happening. I found myself IN the town of Gritten, walking down the sidewalk of this broken down town, looking at tiny old shops, etc. And as a true crime junkie, I was flowing right along trying to solve all the crimes and questions. The story revolves around our main character, Paul Adams. He is back in his childhood town after 25 years because his mother is dying in hospice. But Paul hates everything about being home. The memories are choking him and he just wants to get through this. You see, when he was 15 he was the suspect in a horrific murder of one of his closest friends. Two other boys in his group of friends were found to be the murderers. But only one of those boys was ever found. The other vanished out of this world leaving behind even more pain and questions. After this event, Paul's life was never the same. So when the time came, he left for college and never looked back... but the pain, the guilt, and the worry never fully left his life. After being back home to see his mother, she wakes to shout some of the most terrifying lines of the whole damn book! "You shouldn't be here!" "Red hands, Paul! There are red hands everywhere." "Oh God, it's in the house, Paul!" "It's in the fucking house!" Given that his mother ended up in the hospital because she was found at the bottom of the stairs with head damage... that sure does add another terrifying level. What's in the house, ma'am??? And then an officer shows up at his mother's house to ask him some questions about the murder that happened when he was a teenager. Because in a neighboring town a similar murder had been committed.. with links to this town. The child murderers from this copy cat case, believed that the boy who vanished from the face of the Earth, had managed to escape to the land of dreams- all powerful- to live with a shadowy figure they believed in. Which sounded very Slender Man attack-ish to me. Anyone else? But this now adds a paranormal element to the story and that leaves you on edge for the majority of the book. Until the end when I finally saw what was happening I was so nervous. I kept jumping and putting it down because I didn't want to be reading it alone after my husband left for work, lol. Unfortunately for Paul, being home, has made it impossible for him to truly escape the past. As strange occurrences keeping happening around his mother's house, copy cat killings are coming to light, and more horrific information springs up- Paul is left with little choice but to think about the past, put the pieces together, and maybe help solve this almost 30 year old murder mystery. NOW, because this is a mystery AND A DAMN GOOD ONE TOO, that's all I can actually give you about the story. I can now say- WOAH PLOT TWISTS. I was truly blindsided by a lot of the information that comes out by the end of the book. And yet, with some of the information, somehow relieved to see what was actually happening. To make sense of it all. And yet other pieces were gut wrenching and absolutely heartbreaking to come to terms with. From start to finish this was wonderful. The right balance of reality and wonder. In looking up information on this author I saw countless comments saying how a previous book of his, "The Whisper Man", was so good that it still trumped this one. Even though it was amazing... So now, I have to get my hands on that book! I clearly don't need to get sleep, lol. But I truly hope you guys pick up this book and share your thoughts on it with me. I am still reeling from the turn of events and the perfectly packaged ending. Read on my fellow book worms. May we one day have Belle's library! And as always links to the author's pages can be found down below. The Only Good Indians
by Stephen Graham Jones Book Review by: Miranda Moses (Fraser) ISBN: 978-1-9821-3646-8 Welcome back my creatures of the night! This years Halloween Book Reviews continues with a doozey. I always try my best to do book reviews without major spoilers but I can honestly say that I don't know how well I can do that with this novel. I will still try, no worries, but there are some things that need to be talked about. I also want to talk about the writer! He is an award winning author. And as if to prove this, this book was well praised before ever being released! I actually had wanted it for last year's Halloween reviews but it wasn't out yet. It's also important to note that the author is a member of the Blackfeet Tribe himself. I know there are always people who mean well, but get easily offended by titles... and even excerpts from this book... without taking the time to see that this wasn't written by a white man talking about cultures he has no real right to. I hope that made sense and gives you an idea of what to expect from him. This book is in the horror section and is praised as being, "the latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, Stephen Grahams Jones." So for Get Out lovers this probably sounds super intriguing. Other than that the reviews/excerpt on the back are very vague. The book says it is about breaking from tradition, cultural identity, and of course the revenge aspect. An entity is bent on revenge and coming after four Blackfeet men for a messed up event in their youth. The entity is what I will be spoiling- they ultimately call this entity: Elk Head Woman. In Blackfeet it's written as, "ponokaotokaanaakii". Something I attempted to research but it appears to be something the author invented for the purpose of this book and has no cultural history. (If I am wrong PLEASE let me know and send me information, I am absolutely fascinated with learning about other cultures/mythology from around the world.) This entity doesn't truly enter the picture until about halfway through the book I'd say. By this point you're onto the second man's story, heavily invested, and just BLINDSIDED by the absolute shit that hits the fan! I mean talk about step on the gas! Before I say anything else about the characters in this story I think it's very important to put in a warning that this book is VERY graphic. There is no holding back of graphic details in the deaths or attacks. And there are several animal deaths including dogs. I know for a lot of people that is something they cannot handle. So you have been warned. Because I was definitely caught off guard when that started happening. So the story revolves around 4 Blackfeet men that grew up together. Two leave their reservation and two remain at home. Ricky, Lewis, Gabriel, and Cassidy. The first one has the shortest story. The second one has the craziest story...I'd venture to say. That's where the graphic details start and things start spiraling out of control real fast. Gabriel and Cassidy pretty much cover the rest of the book with their story just going over the edge. This entity has had a hand in all of their 'misfortunes' but is the most involved in the last half the book. She plots like mad and is absolutely insane. She is completely consumed by her hatred and thoughts of revenge. No animal or person will stand in the way of what she wants.. the blood trail she leaves behind her is proof of that. In conclusion, I did really enjoy the book. It was graphic and horrible in all the right ways for a horror fan. While still managing to shock me along the way. I found it incredibly... confusing... that the sound of hooves scraping up the stairs could be so terrifying. But there I was in my bed shaking like a leaf imaging this moose trying to silently assassinate someone in their bed, lmao. That doesn't happen in the book by the way, just my brain having some fun! I also LOVE supporting authors of different cultures and highlighting their talents! I am definitely looking into more of his novels, so don't be surprised to see his name repeated on here next year! Read on my fellow book worms. May we one day have Belle's library! As always links to the author's pages can be found down below. Gods of the Nowhere: A Novel of Halloween
Written by: James Tripper Book Review by: Miranda Moses (Fraser) ISBN: 978-0-9882433-1-6 My fellow Halloween addicts I present to you this year's Halloween Day Bonus Book Review! I think I literally found a book that is perfect for this occasion! Gods of the Nowhere: A Novel of Halloween. How perfect is this? AND it's a fictional novel so it's not just a book on the history of Halloween, because that's a little too on the nose for me. I'm not saying it won't ever happen, but I much prefer the excitement of a book like this. The story revolves around Sam McGarth, a flaming haired teen just shy of his 18th birthday. A birthday that happens to fall on Halloween. He has always felt like something was very different about him. He sees things, hears things, and is convinced that animals follow him. But this only happens during the month of October. The time of the year that is referred to as the Thinning. When the veil between the world of the living and the dead thins down until Halloween night when it is at it's absolute thinnest. His guardian Father Doctor, a catholic priest, does his best to assure Sam that all of these things are coincidences and that he is as normal as any other child. But Sam is not so sure and neither is his best friend Lucia Winters. While her experiences have been different then Sam's she too has seen plenty to convince her that another world surrounds theirs. Sam's destiny lies in the Nowhere. A place closest to purgatory in definition. It is a place filled with the souls of those that God would not take and the Devil does not want. But Sam must venture this land to to save our world from an attack from The Nowhere. In this journey we have a classic set up of hero and heroine. We also have the three "stops" before the final boss. I can't seem to find the words for what stories like this are called, but it's a pretty common set up for plays. AND while we're on the topic of plays, the novel is also written with scene breaks in-between every so many paragraphs. Which I found to be a very interesting choice of set up. In these three stops we meet people of both mythology and reality and Tipper does a WONDERFUL job of bringing those into this story. It was truly flawless. And when we're about to meet the final boss... he throws in more information that just made my head spin. He somehow managed to use facts, biblical references, and mythology and create a world/characters that so perfectly fit that I found myself getting more and more excited. I LOVE stories like that. My problem now is that I want to share with you the fun facts and the educational nuggets strewn about the story... but I also don't want to reveal too much. This story involves Celtic myths, religious figures, magic, word play, and an interesting tale of good verses evil. It had some juvenile writing points, don't get me wrong, but he was writing a story involving teens. I think sometimes we forget that the style may be very fitting to the characters and their personalities. The beginning was very slow to me. And it honestly dragged until about page 25. But then you meet the main characters and jump right into things. It really is worth the read and I for sure am going to look into the author's other stories to see how his writing style has changed through the years. It's been a while since he's published a new book so I hope he's not done with the writing game! Read on my fellow book worms! May we one day have Belle's library. And as always links to the author's pages can be found down below! Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows by J.M. Bergen Book Review by Miranda Moses (Fraser) ISBN: 978-1-7324578-0-5 I want to start by saying that I published this review under Fiction but it's truly a story I feel can fit many genres. On Goodreads it was labeled as "fiction", "children's", and "fantasy"; and there's nothing wrong with any of those titles. Though this book is being marketed at middle school age I fully believe the same way that Rick Riordian's novels and the Harry Potter series have transcended age groups, Thomas Wildus will do the same. So let's get into this story, because I have to say I am hooked. To start, this story revolves around a 12 year old boy, about to turn 13, who is living a very normal life in New York. He has a great relationship with his mom, his father has been gone for many years, and he has a best friend he can always count on. They tell each other everything, even things that Thomas is a little embarrassed about. See Thomas believes in Magic. Not card tricks and pulling a rabbit out of his hat, but REAL magic. And he has hunted for proof of it every chance he's gotten. When he finally finds a bookshop that might actually have REAL magical books he's drawn into a world he can never forget. The shop keep gives him a book called 'The Book of Sorrows' and there are important rules to this book- and great responsibility too. The magic of 'The Book of Sorrows' forever changes Thomas's life.. There is a whole other part of the world he is just now discovering. And with that a world in which he has an important destiny. Secrets begin to unfold and the battle between good and evil is ever present. Can Thomas make the right choices and protect everyone he loves? Now, I loved this story. It was a real page turner with a warm familiar feeling at the very beginning. I adored Thomas's character and the friends he's made along the way. I wasn't always sure of the author's decisions but was quickly drawn in to see exactly why certain things were so important. I loved the wholesomeness of this story and the relationships therein. The way they tackled good verses bad, and even the grey areas in-between, was something I will be proud to have my little sister read one day. The story has huge potential and so I am thrilled to see that there are more Thomas Wildus books in our future. From the first page to the last there was so much growth in the characters and I look forward to seeing where they are in the future. Read on my fellow book worms, may we one day have Belle's library. And as always links to the author's pages can be found down below. |
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October 2022
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