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findingmontauk1's reviews
900 reviews
Burials by Jessica Drake-Thomas
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
BURIALS by Jessica Drake-Thomas is a collection of dark poetry with so much emotion. Bringing together elements of witchcraft, ritual, relationships, and pain, one thing is certain: "you can't get rid of me or silence me!" While reading I am reminded of themes of resilience and strength in these poems and spells. There is a wide variety in this collection full of some sharp imagery linked to ashes, fire, bones, dirt, and all that Gothic goodness! I find that most of these poems cut deep and from a novice-poetry reader's perspective they are extremely relatable. This entire collection IS a whole mood, a complete aesthetic, and will continue to resonate with me!
A Complex Accident of Life by Jessica McHugh
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Oh, wow! A COMPLEX ACCIDENT OF LIFE by Jessica McHugh is a stunning collection of BLACKOUT POETRY set to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Whaaaaat?! You read that correctly! Each of the 50+ poems within are a result of calling out the words desired and blacking the rest out on a single page. And some of the pages have fun colors, designs, and patterns instead of just plain boxes and blackout. It was the third poem in the collection where I just had that jaw-dropping realization of what I had gotten myself into and could not wait to see how McHugh's talent would shine in this unique and new (to me) expression of poetry. Highly recommended!
Ghost Hunters: Bones in the Wall by Susan McCauley
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
BONES IN THE WALL by Susan McCauley is book 1 in the Ghost Hunters series - and this is a series that hit the ground running and will continue ramping up with each new installment! The story follows a young boy who suffers a tremendous loss and life change only to realize he now has these new "gifts." This is a world full of ghosts, sigils, wards, psychics, and more! Bones in the Wall is a great example of middle grade/paranormal horror that shows how it's important not to give up on yourself or others. There is definitely some suspense in this book and I am glad it does not get muddled down by any sort of trope-y teen angst but instead gets lifted up by friendships and a mystery! Susan McCauley has laid out the framework for what will be a series we can expect to keep seeing in the future!
People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd
dark
medium-paced
3.0
I just finished PEOPLE LIKE HER by Ellery Lloyd (a penname for married couple ) and I am slightly on the fence. One one hand, I liked watching internet fame completely destroy this woman and her family while inspiring a psycho with a quest for justice/revenge. On the other, I was so perpetually annoyed with Emmy, the social media influencer, that I could not help but cringe and wait for her parts of each chapter to be over. She is really something and I did not like being in that headspace. I just saw her as completely shallow and she bothered me -- but I wonder if that was the point? If so, bravo, authors, bravo!
I think I would have enjoyed this more if the husband, Dan, had a better character evolution and the two of them did not sort of just ping pong the same things for about 50 pages. But in the end I felt like he sold out a bit? Also, the "antagonist" of the book (not sure if it should be annoying Emmy or the stalker follower that holds Emmy for something we find out near the end) had a pretty unrealistic motive. And all the cards just got laid out too perfectly... maybe if the book had been a little longer (we are only at ~270 pages) some of these characters and motives could have been fleshed out a bit more and made to be more realistic.
When all is said and done I am going with a 3 for People Like Her. My pet peeves with the book were small compared to the overall story / theme and I did like how Emmy might change and get a better perspective on life and what matters. But I am still torn!
I think I would have enjoyed this more if the husband, Dan, had a better character evolution and the two of them did not sort of just ping pong the same things for about 50 pages. But in the end I felt like he sold out a bit? Also, the "antagonist" of the book (not sure if it should be annoying Emmy or the stalker follower that holds Emmy for something we find out near the end) had a pretty unrealistic motive. And all the cards just got laid out too perfectly... maybe if the book had been a little longer (we are only at ~270 pages) some of these characters and motives could have been fleshed out a bit more and made to be more realistic.
When all is said and done I am going with a 3 for People Like Her. My pet peeves with the book were small compared to the overall story / theme and I did like how Emmy might change and get a better perspective on life and what matters. But I am still torn!
The Nefarious Necklace by K A Evans
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
THE NEFARIOUS NECKLACE by K A Evans reminds me of an episode of Ghost Whisperer with a Middle Grade perspective. And I mean that in the best way because I absolutely stan Melinda Gordon aka Jennifer Love Hewitt!
Gaby and her BFF Jacob are going to the museum for a school trip and then they come across artifacts and art from ancient Egypt. One of the items is a necklace, and when Gaby holds it something odd happens and she is suddenly in a different place and time. After snapping out of it and coming back to reality, she is told she fainted. But she could still smell all the smells from whatever just happened to her. After more visions like this when touching the necklace and some intense dreams, she reaches out to her uncle who works at the museum. He believes what she says is happening to her and agrees to help her figure out what and why this is happening. The longer it takes the more intense the visions and dreams become and the person starring in all of these dreams/visions starts to get a little angry, impatient, and she might be able to project her aggressions into our reality!? Is this spirit or presence haunting Gaby? What is Gaby supposed to do and why is she the one to experience this?!
Evans does a great job at making this feel like a cozy horror (yea, cozy horror!) and light mystery by balancing out the dreams/visions with family life, school life, and more. There is some great character growth from Gaby, Jacob, and even some adults... and the story moves at a pace that makes this an easy book to read in one sitting. This is not too spooky but it might be a good starter for MG horror readers while also keeping them educated on some Egyptian facts and history!
Gaby and her BFF Jacob are going to the museum for a school trip and then they come across artifacts and art from ancient Egypt. One of the items is a necklace, and when Gaby holds it something odd happens and she is suddenly in a different place and time. After snapping out of it and coming back to reality, she is told she fainted. But she could still smell all the smells from whatever just happened to her. After more visions like this when touching the necklace and some intense dreams, she reaches out to her uncle who works at the museum. He believes what she says is happening to her and agrees to help her figure out what and why this is happening. The longer it takes the more intense the visions and dreams become and the person starring in all of these dreams/visions starts to get a little angry, impatient, and she might be able to project her aggressions into our reality!? Is this spirit or presence haunting Gaby? What is Gaby supposed to do and why is she the one to experience this?!
Evans does a great job at making this feel like a cozy horror (yea, cozy horror!) and light mystery by balancing out the dreams/visions with family life, school life, and more. There is some great character growth from Gaby, Jacob, and even some adults... and the story moves at a pace that makes this an easy book to read in one sitting. This is not too spooky but it might be a good starter for MG horror readers while also keeping them educated on some Egyptian facts and history!
Don't Call at All by Robbie Myles
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
3.5
DON'T CALL AT ALL is the debut middle grade horror book from up and coming Robbie Myles! The story follows young Jessie who feels like he is the only kid in his school w/o a cell phone. He feels outcast & always out of the loop on the latest jokes, trends, memes, group chats, & more. Out of nowhere one day a strange man approaches Jessie & offers him a phone... and Jessie thinks it's too good to be true but he also feels like all of his problems have just been solved! He accepts the phone (which is already set up & catered towards his preferences/contacts) but then starts getting DMs, likes, & more from someone called Ghost. His phone starts to get him in trouble & the thing he thought would make him feel more included ends up alienating him more as weird, spooky things start happening that push his friends even further away. His body starts changing...
I love the "modernization" of MG horror that's going on here. Reading Goosebumps as a kid, one of the things that made them even better was their relevance to what was going on & connection to me & my life. And I think fitting in at that age in school was always a big pressure when I grew up & fear of being on the outside was real then. Wanting to own something that everyone else has at such a young age is an issue that is likely not going to go away. Fitting in & being cool is on the forefront of the minds of many kids. In this case: a cell phone. But as we have all experienced in our lives, getting what you want is not always the answer to your problems. Sometimes more problems begin to arise. I think Myles did a great job at throwing in some life lessons to this book in the midst of the spooky adventure that we get to experience.
DON'T CALL AT ALL reads quickly, has a pretty good build up of some characters for a shorter MG story, and gets to the point. OH! We have friendships/frenemies and a cute doggo, too!
Looking forward to more from the author!
I love the "modernization" of MG horror that's going on here. Reading Goosebumps as a kid, one of the things that made them even better was their relevance to what was going on & connection to me & my life. And I think fitting in at that age in school was always a big pressure when I grew up & fear of being on the outside was real then. Wanting to own something that everyone else has at such a young age is an issue that is likely not going to go away. Fitting in & being cool is on the forefront of the minds of many kids. In this case: a cell phone. But as we have all experienced in our lives, getting what you want is not always the answer to your problems. Sometimes more problems begin to arise. I think Myles did a great job at throwing in some life lessons to this book in the midst of the spooky adventure that we get to experience.
DON'T CALL AT ALL reads quickly, has a pretty good build up of some characters for a shorter MG story, and gets to the point. OH! We have friendships/frenemies and a cute doggo, too!
Looking forward to more from the author!
Crater Lake by Jennifer Killick
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
CRATER LAKE by Jennifer Killick is a middle grade horror novel bringing elements of Invasion of the Body Snatchers/The Faculty to a Year Six school trip. The book starts out with a crowded bus on the way to a camp that gets derailed by a bloody stranger in the middle of the road, takes a lot of twists and turns, and ends up with insect-like aliens/creatures, friends overcoming challenges, and a CPAP machine! As the tag line indicates, something bad happens when you fall asleep... but what? And why are people acting strangely and looking differently when they do? Crater Lake is a fun MG sci-fi horror book with loads of action and fun dialogue guaranteed to have you turning pages fast!
The Stitchers by Lorien Lawrence
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
THE STITCHERS is not a book I had seen on my radar until it landed right in my lap. And I am thankful it did! This is the debut novel from Lorien Lawrence and is slated as the first installment in the Fright Watch series. I can confidently say I will be reading everything in this series whether its a continual series, an anthology series, or something completely different. Lawrence can tell a fun, spooky story and bring all the great elements together that make up MG horror! Lawrence also delivers Eerie, Indiana vibes if that is a show you remember from your childhood. I am always down with some of that!
If you are a fan of middle grade horror then you absolutely need this on your bookshelves! It will not disappoint and you will be eagerly awaiting more of her books just like I am - check it out!
If you are a fan of middle grade horror then you absolutely need this on your bookshelves! It will not disappoint and you will be eagerly awaiting more of her books just like I am - check it out!
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
What a great debut from Sarah Penner! I will post full thoughts on this book after I have had a chance to discuss it in book club this month--- but I enjoyed this story, the way it was told, and all the nifty facts and facets of apothecaries, historical London, and poisons!
Calling All Creeps! by R.L. Stine
dark
fast-paced
2.0
Not too much to say about this one. Not the biggest fan of the plot, the characters, the repetition, or the 'Creeps' themselves. Not a win in my book!