The Spooky Bookshelf

Again, we all know I love horror and I love YA novels, so a combination of the two is a dream come true. Trust me when I say, _Dead Fake_ by Vincent Ralph is no exception.

Characters

The characters in Dead Fake are relatable, even if you aren't a teenager. I think we all know what it is like to have people treat us differently because of something we've been through, which is what Ava experiences as the niece of the most recent murderer in Bleak Haven. I'm sure we can all recall the pain of an unrequited love as well, which again, Ava experiences. Not to mention having a very small friend group, as Ava, Mason, and Willow have with each other. The characters are well written, and the ones who need backstory have it. There was a teacher whose backstory I'd love to read about so maybe one of the series could move into the past a bit - just saying.

Atmosphere

Bleak Haven, which is the perfect name for a town that is plagued by tragedy, is a great backdrop for this book. The town has seen more than one murderer/serial killer. While the town doesn't exactly give off the creep vibe - it appears to be just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill town, I have to say, this town just makes the story that much better. Probably because of its name and its history. Again, I'd love to see a book that details the history of Bleak Haven.

Writing

Mr. Ralph has a writing style that is easy to read - it makes the books go by fast, but he doesn't skip the important details. There are a lot of authors who will skip details that would have been good to know. Not Mr. Ralph. If you need to know, you'll know. If you don't, well, you can always hope he'll write another book that does give those details. I highly recommend his novels for his writing style.

Plot

This plot was great. A town plagued by tragedies and murders? A teenage girl whose uncle is the town's most recent killer and even ten years down the road, she still has trouble believing he did it? A mysterious website telling people to "Swipe to Die"? People starting to die afterwards? Yeah, count me in. And the plot twist near the end? Perfection! You'll never guess it! I didn't and I'm pretty good and figuring these things out mid-way through the book.

Intrigue

This book has great intrigue in it. Just when you think you might have an idea of who is killing people in this town, BOOM, you're wrong. Even better, there are things in this book that are designed to throw you off! In all honesty, I'm sincerely hoping that those things that are meant to throw you off are going to pop up in the subsequent books in the series, because now I'm curious.

Relationships

The relationships in this book are interesting. There's Willow and Conor, who can't seem to keep their eyes and hands off each other most of the time. There's Willow/Mason/Ava's trio of friends. And then there is Ava and Kash - they used to be best friends and now are... not? They're friends but, not at the same time? And I think Ava might be in love with Kash. I would love to know more about some of the relationships and the people in them - especially what with Mason not seeming to have any particular love interest, while the others do.

Ending

The ending was something I'd never have guessed. The plot twist was absolute perfection. You'll never guess who the "copycat" killer is. Not to mention the other plot twist that turns part of the town's history on its head. Obviously I'm not going to tell you what happens, trust me, you'll want to read it for yourself.

Conclusion

Dead Fake is a story that you won't want to put down. I know I didn't. It was the first book I've read in months that wasn't for school, so that should tell you something. I gave this book 5 stars - and I have the second book already queued up on my Kindle!

I’m amazed that I’ve managed to read multiple books in the past few days, but it happened. This time, I finally got off my butt and read Don’t Let the Forest In by CG Drews. I’ve been following CG Drews on Instagram for quite a while and when they announced that their debut YA Horror novel was on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to request it. But then, after getting approved, my brain said “nope, no reading for you” and it sat in my Kindle app… until last night when I finally got off my butt and started reading. I’m glad I did.

Characters

The main characters, Andrew and Thomas, are quite interesting. Andrew is anxious about literally everything, while Thomas is tough and seen as a bad kid for the most part. At least that’s how everyone seems to view him. I liked both characters quite a bit.

Dove was so standoffish that I was taken aback – after all, she’s Andrew’s twin and even if she didn’t like Thomas for some reason, you wouldn’t think she’d abandon Andrew. But there’s a reason for it and I guessed that reason about halfway through the book.

As for the other characters, we see them but we don’t. We don’t get a lot of background on them and we don’t see them as much as Andrew and Thomas because the story isn’t about them. It’s about Andrew and Thomas.

All in all, I enjoyed the characters very much and enjoyed seeing asexuality portrayed as a lot of LGBTQ+ books I read don’t include asexuality.

Atmosphere

I have to admit, I’ve never been a big fan of forests. Sure, they can be beautiful, but I always end up thinking of what could be lurking out there. So that makes the atmosphere of this story all the better. Let us not forget the boarding school – that seems determined to ignore the weirdness of what is going on – and you’ve got the perfect creepy atmosphere for a story. Especially when you realize the forest might not be staying on its side of the fence.

Writing

CG Drews has a writing style may trip some readers up. The prose in this book, while not extremely difficult to read, is dark, twisted, and makes you stop and consider the imagery that is being put forth on the page. Some might be tempted to call the writing “flowery” for its descriptive nature, but it isn’t flowery – it is dark, moody, creepy, and full of rot and decay. And considering this is a horror novel, that’s a good thing. I have their next novel, Hazelthorn, in my NetGalley queue and I’m anxious to read it as well, as I want to continue reading this deliciously dark writing.

Plot

The plot for Don’t Let the Forest In might seem to take a bit to fully be understood, but it is meant to be that way. After all, there wouldn’t be a story if the plot was blatantly obvious from the start. No, this plot unfolds slowly, with twists coming here and there. The twists are rarely what you expect and even if you are expecting something, it may not be entirely correct. Some things become obvious as you read, others just pop up out of nowhere. It makes for a delightfully creepy read!

Intrigue

The intrigue in this book is amazing. There are so many questions that pop into your head as you read. Is Thomas what the gossip says he is? Why doesn’t Dove want anything to do with Thomas and why is she distancing herself from Andrew and everyone else? Does the school’s biggest bully have anything to do with this? What is going on here? Is all of this real? So many questions, so few answers…

Relationships

The relationships in this book are beautifully broken. Dove seems to want nothing to do with her twin. Andrew and Thomas dance around what they are and how they feel for each other. Even the relationships between faculty and Andrew or faculty and Thomas are disjointed, out of place, slightly off-center. It makes for wonderful reading and even more questions!

Ending

The ending? Obviously meant to be a one-off book. Stand-alone. No need for another book. Yet the ending will also leave you staring at the wall, wondering if it really is over. What did you just read there at the very end? Is everything OK? Is everything not OK? Who lived? Who died? What is going on? Was this all just a fever-dream? And yet even with all the unanswered questions that may pop into your head, you realize… you don’t want a sequel. It is perfect as it is.

I gave this book 5 stars. Not because I’ve been following CG Drews since before this book was even put on NetGalley, but because this book was amazing. Deliciously creepy, twisty, nightmare fuel that may not keep you up for days, but might make you stare a little closer at the shadows… or the trees in your backyard.

I haven’t been reading much lately, I think being a college student has gotten me into a slump – I read so much for school, I don’t want to read anything else when I’m done with my homework! But… I did manage to read a book over the past couple of days, so maybe I’ll get back into the swing of it! The book in question? No One Saw It Coming by Susan Lewis – a mystery that involves family secrets, murder, and mental health.

Characters

The main characters in this story are hard to define in some cases. We have Hanna and Jack, a married couple who’ve been together for decades. Hanna is the main focus of this book – you’ll understand when you read it. There are Leo and Cait, Hanna and Jack’s two children, who each have issues of their own. Next comes Sebastian, Jack’s best friend, who plays a major part in the story line. Finally, for main characters, there is Riona… who isn’t quite who and what she seems.

You’ll meet other characters along the way – Jenny (Jack’s stepmom), Andee (Hanna’s best friend), Graeme (Andee’s husband), Sophia (Cait’s toddler daughter), Ishan (Sophia’s father), Freya (you’ll understand when you read it), and Blanche, who has her own chapters and is tied to Riona… it is complicated, and a few others.

I liked Hanna, Jack, Leo, Cait, and Sebastian. I liked Riona as well. I felt the characters were relatable and they felt like real people to me, not just flat characters on the page, which is good. Some of the more minor characters were also real, but some were just flat characters on the page, because while they played a part in the story, it wasn’t enough of a part for me to really care about them.

Atmosphere/Setting

Not being overly familiar with the layout of the UK, I am assuming that this book is set in Great Britain, as it is referenced that Riona came from Ireland and has an Irish accent. Not having a bloody clue about where anything in the book is (or even if the locations are actually real) did not detract from my enjoyment of this book in any way. It was a great setting for the novel and kept me from being overly bored with it – or overly critical if the book happened to be set in a place I know.

I do wish a bit more description of some of the areas in which the characters found themselves had been given – especially Riona’s home, but I suppose that might have spoiled part of the big twist of the book.

Writing

Despite being written using British English spelling and vernacular, I found the writing style to be easy to read and easy to digest. I didn’t get that feeling like I had no clue what was happening because Ms. Lewis did not write in circles as some mystery/thriller authors have been known to. I thoroughly enjoyed the book for the writing style and it is one of the reasons I look forward to reading more books by Ms. Lewis.

Plot

So the plot to this one is standard, but not standard at the same time. Someone is hurting Hanna’s family and she needs to figure out who it is and why they want to hurt her family. At the same time, there is a secondary plot involving one of the characters believing fully that they have found their long-lost sister, but yet keeping their distance from said sister.

I’m sad to say that I’d already guessed part of the big twist within the first quarter of the book. That isn’t to say that it was something that was telegraphed or easy to guess! I just recognized that part of the twist for what it was. It didn’t mean I didn’t want to know what would happen. I mean, no one had even gotten hurt yet! There wasn’t yet a mystery to actually solve when I figured out that part of the big twist. So if you figure that part out super early, just keep reading, there’s so much more to the story than just that part of the twist!

Intrigue

Despite having figured out the big twist of the book super early, I still found that this book had a huge amount of intrigue. Figuring out who had done each of the crimes that are committed because there are suspects, but no definitive answers – at least not until the twist comes up. Then, yes, there are answers. And what an answer it is! But of course, you have to read it, I’m not going to give it away here.

Ms. Lewis knows how to write a mystery that will keep you reading!

Relationships

There are some pretty complicated relationships in No One Saw It Coming. First, there’s Sebastian and Riona’s relationship – where it seems she wants him as much as he wants her, but then it doesn’t seem like she wants him after all. Then there’s Cait’s antagonistic attitude toward her parents, especially her father, Jack, that no one seems to be able to figure out. Finally, there’s Jack’s relationship with someone else that Hanna didn’t know about (Hanna and Jack have flings/affairs but never keep them secret, except this time). So relationships in this book are complicated at best, but very interesting.

Ending

The book ends on a note that makes you wonder if perhaps in the future there could be a second book. After the big twist, after everything goes down and all is “well”, it seems like there could potentially be more to this story – as though book is finished but the story isn’t, if you know what I mean.

If Ms. Lewis was intending to write a sequel, I fully intend to read it!

Conclusion

Ms. Lewis has written a solid four-star book here. While it wasn’t “can’t put it down” good, it was definitely good enough to make me want to read more of her work.

Content Warning: Death, blood, slight descriptions of gore, violence, video game violence.

Come on, it’s horror. You know I had to give it a shot. It’s meant for teens/young adults, so it isn’t super scary – or maybe I’m just so jaded when it comes to horror that nothing really scares me anymore.

I was pleasantly surprised at the stories. A lot of the time when I find horror anthologies by authors I haven’t heard of, they’re either not good at all or there are only one or two good stories with the rest being mediocre at best. Not true with this anthology. All of the stories were really good. Again, not as scary as I’d have liked, but this wasn’t written with adults in mind, so there is that. Younger teens and tweens would probably find this book scarier than I did.

My favorite stories in the book are “The Secret Sister”, “Stage Fright”, and “The Bone Fairy”. That’s not to say the others weren’t great, because they were. But those three top my list for stories in the book.

>f you’re someone who likes horror but doesn’t like it to be too scary, I think this book is a good one to try out. I also think it’s a good introduction to horror for younger audiences who might not yet be used to the world of horror.