atomicbbgum's reviews
184 reviews

Tales Accursed: A Folk Horror Anthology by Richard Wells

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Let’s dive into this bountiful read with beautiful illustrations. Tales Accursed is a collection of short folk horror stories varying from small inserts of a couple pages, to tales that could very well be their own novellas. This novel has been a long read for me as an ARC. I took my time for almost a month to savor each story and let myself get engulfed in each tale. 

It was such a good read! Every story was carefully curated with varying ranges of horror, from a slight peek into the unknown, to feeling claustrophobic and being watched like some of the characters in this book. It was such a delight and just in time for the fall, which for me is the perfect time to cuddle up with a good folk horror book.

 While I absolutely love this book, I could see other people might be bored with the way the book is written, its antiquity form of narration style might not keep some readers hooked, but this specifically is my cup of tea. Some of the stories were  a little flat, and others were a 5/5 for me, overall I would give this between a 3.5-4 stars if you ask depending on the story. I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-book ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Coup de Grâce by Sofia Ajram

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow! What a hell of a debut novel! In this never ending nightmare of a rabbit hole we follow Vickens who has decided not to renew his subscription to life, he is stuck on a metro station on what seems to be an eternity of nothingness and everythingness all at once, its a modern take on Dante’s inferno that takes you on a spiral of emotions and extremely detailed and raw descriptions.

Have you ever read Goodnight Punpun and John Dies At The End? If you have then you would know if those two story lines get married and have a baby then you’d get this amazingly comical psychological horror that you can’t stop thinking about. 

If you are a fan of getting mind f*cked while still having some giggles in between then this here is for you. I cannot rave more about this novel, it was perfection! I’m so grateful to NetGalley, Sofia Ajram and Titan Books to have given me the change to read this e-book ARC

The Firelight Apprentice by Bree Paulsen

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The Firelight Apprentice is a cozy fantasy read that begins with sisters Ada and Safi that live in a magical world where magicians power the country, Safi is developing magical skills and she has yet to find an affordable tutor since their Father's shop is struggling and they're also still mourning the loss of their Mother. 

It's such a palatable read, perfect soft introduction for children to some adult topics that might be hard to grasp. The story was beautifully illustrated, and the characters are lovable! The twist at the end was a nice touch! This will be a great addition to your young children library, I know i will add it to my sons once the book is out! And definitely will check out more of the artist work! Thank you to NetGalley for this e-book ARC.

Craven Manor by Darcy Coates

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Man Made Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

Man Made Monsters is a generational tale of horrors that haunt a family’s bloodline with literal and metaphorical  monsters. We have some tales told in first person POV, and in others we get told a two-sided story of written letters between family members of their preoccupations at the times, all carefully intertwined. We get tales, we get absolutely amazing illustrations, lore about the Cherokee tribe and their struggles throughout generations, including supernatural monsters and, of course,the worst of all, humanity. This was a fascinating read, where I had some parts that were really enthralling and others where it fell flat. I struggled at times to finish a part of the story and had to go back and reread others. It was enjoyable, but it was work. I was given the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley. 

The Afters: Book Two by Christopher O'Connell

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

The Afters: Book Two as the name states is book two of a dystopian post-apocalyptic book series, where we have “zombies” or infected, but with a twist. In the book we follow the life and survival of our found family Charlie, Kalila, Trey and sweet Ellie as they navigate the eastern coast of what's left of the USA and find themselves in trouble during a storm. Where they escape what could have been a possible hurricane they find themselves in a new place, and we are introduced to an array of new characters, places and feelings, oh so many feelings.

If you have read book one and thought damn this is good, the sequel is never any better… WRONG! This book is honest proof that the son is better than the father! We have new characters to fall in love with, new characters to absolutely hate and wish the earth could just swallow them up and give them slow, painful and agonizing death and we have sweet, sweet Ellie, who can do no wrong and must be protected at all costs.

I’ve laughed, I’ve had my adrenaline kick in with the action pack and fast pace at times and most importantly I’ve cried, and I haven’t cried like this over fictional characters in a while, whereas I’ve shed a few tears here and there with other books I’ve read I bawled my eyes. All I know is that I need a book three expeditiously, because I cannot go on without it. So please Chris, may I call you Chris? No? I’m going to anyway ... I NEED BOOK 3. 

I was given the privilege to read this absolute gem of a sequel by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I ordered my physical copies of both book one and two, absolutely recommend these books! What are you waiting for? Go on!

Fears: Tales of Psychological Horror by Ellen Datlow

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

 

Fears tales of psychological horror is a cornucopia of curated horror short stories, where some of them are straight chilling, others leave you wondering what the hell did I just read? Personally some could’ve been a whole small novel on their own, whereas in others I was lost for words, in a literal sense. It’s a roll the dice kinda book, you might get your lucky number and read a really good one or you might just be left wondering at what time you should take a nap this upcoming weekend. Overall I enjoyed this book, some of the stories that stood out to me the most are as follows:

Bait by Simon Bestwick- A bar onlooker keeps witnessing another pub patron stalk and possibly do unspeakable things to inebriated gals as they’re leaving the bar, he finally decided to take action one night and he’s met with the switcheroo of his life. 

The Pelt by Annie Neugebauer- A young couple living semi off grid in a plentiful land find a pelt of an unknown animal left by an anonymous somebody and things start to not add up.

The Donner Party by Dale Bailey - Mrs. Breen life is elevated to a new level in the higher class society when Lady Donner invites her to partake in a rather unorthodox dinner, but things can go awry if you so much decline an invitation and later she learns there is a high price to pay to enjoy such a tender and succulent meal.

Back Seat by Bracken MacLeod - A little girl and her Dad navigate the harshness of life while being homeless and while trying to score a bit of change, the change is delivered via a back seat find.

Cavity by Theresa DeLucci- How many times have you walked by a killer and not known?

21 Brooklands: next to Old Western, opposite the burnt out Red Lion by Carole Johnstone

Some people have really fucked up families, and family friends, but things change when there is a power outage and there is a stranger in the house. 

There are a few others that are notable and great reads but in the fear of turning this into a complete essay or spoiling some of the fun we will leave it at that. I do recommend this if you enjoy different perspectives of the human mind and what makes us the most terrifying monster in the dark. I received this e-book via NetGalley to read and give an honest review and I do thank them since some of these tales have left a sour taste in my mouth, and with horror, what is better than to be left with an aftertaste?

 

A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was a good, fast paced claustrophobic read! In this thriller/mystery with a tinge of horror you follow a young couple blossoming their yet to be relationship, and on their first date they come about a house... in the middle of a lake... submerged... and with curiosity they investigate further on why, how and again why is this seemingly flawless house it's doing at the bottom of a lake. It's fast, it's claustrophobic,  it's a thrill.

The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

In this captivating, highly atmospheric, and engrossing gothic-apocalyptic novel, The Black Hunger, we first begin at the end. We are introduced to one of our main character John Sackville as he scribbles his odyssey and speaks his forbidden lost love, Garrett, as he unravels the tale from the beginning introducing himself at the dawn of his youth, and his academic journey as a scholar that takes him an epic journey through Asia and somehow his fate becomes intertwined with a occult buddhist cult and how they plan to bring about the end of the world. 


It starts slowly and reels you in with forbidden love in a gothic scenery, then it pulls you close and grips you with fascination of horrors to come. There are other POV in this novel that I cannot describe without spoiling the book but Jesus Christ. This has been a highly emotional, atmospheric, and enthralling book from beginning to end. I was so engrossed from the very start that I gasped audibly when I finished it knowing there was not more to be read. I wish it would be a second book to come, but things ended so beautifully that I would not blame the author for not continuing. The way the author describes the scenery, the way he introduces new characters and wraps around, and weaves in prior characters that you thought to be passing, it was masterful. 


It is an epic gothic horror novel that you MUST read this fall if you love gothic, heavy world building and fantastic horror tales! 


I was given the honor to read this before it came out via NetGalley as an e-book in exchange for an honest review, and I'm oh so ever grateful for it!  I have made my pre-order for the physical book because I loved it so much!  

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I really wanted to like this more than I did. The premises and the story were there, but it didn't flow as well together like it needed to. Felt like a feverish dream that was rushed and the ending left too much to be wanted, I enjoyed it but felt forced. 3/5