Our Winter Monster by Dennis A Mahoney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Interesting premise but severely underwhelming. I enjoy a good monster story but it was less monster and more metaphor, and a weak one at that. It just left a lot to be desired. The writing was was good, the story just needed more work.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Edelweiss. The opinions are honest and my own.

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Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a wild ride that isn't just visceral and bloody but relevant and shockingly poignant. Despite all this, it's wholly entertaining and just an overall fun book.

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Christmas and Other Horrors: A Winter Solstice Anthology by Ellen Datlow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fantastic anthology with unforgettable stories that will haunt you for days. The perfect book to curl up with by the fire on a wintry night by the fire with a cup of tea. Prepare to be scared.

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Thrall by Richard Beauchamp
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book often had me at the edge of my seat and the characters were very well developed and relatable. In the beginning, the story was well thought out and put together with a good hook and the lore was intriguing. However, the execution for this book is what kept me from giving it a higher star rating. I ripped through the first two-thirds of this book but the final third dragged a bit with a lot of self reflection and inner monologue from characters that really bogged down the final climax. For this reason, it was hard to imagine what was going on and it felt hastily thrown together.

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Kingdom of Claw by Demi Winters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A riveting sequel to The Road of Bones, Kingdom of Claw does not disappoint.

One thing you cannot expect from this book is a breather. If it's not one thing, it's another, and the action and peril is nonstop. If that wasn't enough, its abrupt end leaves you wanting more.

Winters has an amazing way with word and her character development is superb. You feel as if you know each person intimately.

It's going to be a long and impatient wait for the next installment.

I received a complimentary e-galley from Delacorte Press via Edelweiss and have given an honest review.

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Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a quick read and hard to put down but be prepared for some whiplash. I'm still working out the details in my head. Things start out clear, than get kind of muddled, but as you read more it clears up again. I think. Definitely worth a read.

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8114 by Joshua Hull
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It has some jump scares and gruesome imagery, but the entire book seemed rushed and there was very little build up. Maybe I'm dense, but the entirety of it didn't make a lot of sense to me. It just lacked a backstory that really added up.

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American Scary: A History of Horror, from Salem to Stephen King and Beyond by Jeremy Dauber
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First of all, this book should probably have had a massive "SPOILER ALERT" on it because as it goes through the history of horror in the media, it does reveal a lot of endings and twists.

This book took me awhile to get through. It felt like a neverending stream of consciousness. It also had MULTIPLE (I caught at least five) spelling and context errors. One error was claiming an incident happened in Texas when it happened in Oklahoma, and even a few sentences later it mentions the correct location. It seemed very sloppily edited.

That being said, it was an interesting book that pointed out a lot of things I might have otherwise missed, even if it did ruin a few endings, but I guess a lot of them are old enough that I should have watched or read them already, but still . . .

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The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While this book manages to be atmospheric and the imagery is stark, it still lacks in a lot of areas. It dragged a bit in places and the mystery and it's resolution were a bit underwhelming. Overall it was very bizarre.

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Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Underwhelming. Had some creepy parts but ended up being longwinded and I don’t like to judge books by characters but the mother was just insufferable. I also hated the formatting and that she called the dad, “Daddo”.

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