The Quest for Creepy, part 2

Okay, so I went through my want to read list and noted all the Halloweenish type books that were on it, and then I went to the library and checked out, like, fifteeen of them.  And theeeeeen, my husband says to me, you haven't been on Ancestry in awhile, and I thought yeah, I should probably do some updating.  Well, updating turned into researching, and any of you who have done that already know that it's not the kind of thing you can do for 30 minutes here and there.  No, it takes hours at a time, for days in a row, which have a tendency to bleed into weeks when you are following a trail through old documents.  So.  I didn't spend very much time reading.  It looks like I'll still be reading creepy stuff at Christmas!  So here is what I managed to get through this month:

Scream All Night, by Derek Milman, was pretty good.  There was nothing super fantastic about it, but it had a really original concept and was paced just right so that I had a very hard time putting it down.  It is about a teenage guy whose father leaves him the family movie studio (which makes B movies of the horror variety) in his will.  The only catch is that the guy's family is so dysfunctional that he actually left home at the age of twelve and isn't so sure he ever wants to go back.  So, this is a coming of age story with some pretty emotional parts, that explores the themes of loss and what it means to be family.  But, it is also full of quirky and absurd characters and happenings, and although I wouldn't necessarily say it is funny, it is definitely fun to read.     (Reading Level: ? / Upper Grades)

The blurb for Not Even Bones, by Rebecca Schaeffer, said something or other about monsters, so I thought, hey monsters are a Halloween kind of thing so this book is a perfect pick.  Well, the book has monsters, but not the scary type.  More like the dangerous people who aren't exactly people type.  Okay, so there was a vampire, but mostly the book had a thriller/suspense/action/adventure sort of vibe, not a scary or creepy vibe AT ALL.  It was actually pretty good.  It is about a girl who does things that most definitely cross the line of ethics and morality, some because that is the way she was raised, and some because she has to for survival.  The book examines what makes a person good or bad, and questions whether it is ever okay to do bad things.  I have no idea why the title is what it is, but that's probably because this turned out to be part one of a trilogy.  And since it is a new release, and you won't be able to finish the series for at least two more years, I would definitely wait a bit to read it.  (Unless, of course, you are a glutton for punishment, in which case, go right ahead.)  (Reading Level: ? / Upper Grades)

When I originally saw The Sacrifice Box, by Martin Stewart, and added it to my 'to read' list, it had a different cover - one with a crow on it, which, if you ask me, is a little less cheesy and a little more creepy.  Which is why I made sure to check it out when I was at the library this month.  I was really, really looking forward to reading it, because it had a great concept - five friends sacrifice objects in a mysterious old stone box they find in the woods, but then one of them breaks the rules and very bad things start to happen.  I was not impressed by the beginning of this book.  In fact, I almost abandoned it on page 27.  I sat down at the computer to tell you all how utterly boring it was, but then I thought, this book sounded so good!  I hate to just give up on it!  But I can't stand they way this guy writes!  So I decided to speed read through the next couple of chapters to see where things went, and wouldn't you know, somehow the story got a whole lot better.  Better to the point that, where it took me three days to get through the first 30 pages, now I couldn't seem to put the book down.  It was good and creepy, and even scary in parts!  Yay!  It would make a really good movie, but the author did a great job with the suspense and jump scares in written form as well.  It did get a little over the top near the end (you know, in classic horror movie fashion where it all just never ends), but not enough to ruin the story.  Perfect for the Halloween season.   (Reading Level: ? / Upper Middle Grades)

The Wicked Deep, by Shea Ernshaw, was pretty good.  It is a story about a town that drowned three sisters for being witches way back two hundred years ago, and every year since, the ghosts of the sisters come once a year and take over the bodies of three teenage girls and then drown teenage boys in the harbor.  It was an interesting concept and paced just right, and none of the characters or dialogue were annoying.  There were a few things that I didn't care for, but they were so minor that they're really not worth complaining about.  Well, I will actually complain about one thing, but only a little bit:  Bad Behavior, folks (see my post here).  There is an awful lot of underage drinking going on in this story, most of which is presented in a way that mostly only older, wiser readers would realize was probably not the best idea.  So, do with that what you will.  And if you are looking for a good fantasy book of the supernatural variety, you should give this one a try.  (Reading Level: ? / Upper Grades)


I have been so busy lately, that not only have I spent very little time reading, but I even forgot to publish this post in a reasonable amount of time.  Here it is in January already, and I am still working on that list of Halloween books!  So I thought, heck, I might as well just stick them all in one post.  So here is the rest of what I've read:

I really, really enjoyed Servants of the Storm by Delilah S. Dawson.  Unfortunately, I read it quite some time ago now, and although I am certain I was jotting down notes about all the things I wanted to say about all the books I've read in the past two months and never posted, I can't find a single paper with anything remotely like that on it.  (I jot a lot of notes, as I have another blog, a rough draft of a book I am writing, and a pretty bad memory!) So I'm going to have to dig back into my memory and see what I can come up with.  Okay.  Let's just do this the easy way.  This is a Southern Gothic novel, and not only did it deliver everything you would expect (see Ms. Dawson's recipe for Southern Gothic here, or for the longer but slightly more adult version, here.), but it was very well done.  The pacing, A.  The characters, A.  The suspense, A.  The creepy factor, A.  If you are a fan of Southern Gothic literature, you can't let this one pass you by.  And if you aren't a fan, you might be after reading this book.   (Reading Level: ? / Upper Grades)

Devils Unto Dust, by Emma Berquist, is not what I was expecting.  Well, actually, I'm not sure what I was expecting, exactly, but a zombie western was not it.  If that sounds like a strange combination, I thought so too, the first time I came across one.  But, if done well, it's a fantastic thing to read.  And this one was done well for sure.  If you'd like to know more, check out my longer review in my Zombie Westerns post, here.  (Reading Level: ? / Upper Middle Grades)

When I read the blurb for The Girl in Between, by Sarah Carroll, I thought the book was supposed to be a ghost story.  But then I started reading it, and it just seemed to be the story of a homeless girl and her mother who were living in an abandoned mill.  It was kind of strange, because the girl was obviously not a teenager, yet the book is shelved under YA fiction.  Well, after getting a ways into it, it becomes obvious that the reason is the mother's addiction - the subject matter is just a bit too intense and mature for younger middle grade readers.  I frankly wasn't too impressed with the book at first, but the more I read, the more I liked it.  And it actually is about being haunted, but just as much or more so about being haunted by your past.  There is a surprise twist at the end, which I kinda sorta vaguely sensed by the time I was nearly to it, making the whole thing even more poignant and emotional (yes, I cried a lot!).  Not really a Halloween book like I was expecting, but worth the read for sure.    (Reading Level: 4.0 / Upper Middle Grade)

The Hawkweed Prophecy, by Irena Brignull, was a very pleasant surprise.  It was supposed to be about two girls who are unknowingly tied to one another by some old prophecy.  One of the girls is a modern teen, the other being raised in a coven of witches.  I don't know why I even checked it out, because I thought it was going to be pretty dumb.  Which it was not.  Not in the least.  It was written in the third person, but done really well so it had that story-telling quality to it that I really love.  The characters were interesting, the premise was quite original, and the whole thing was really well put together.  Not the shallow teen angst novel that I was anticipating, at all.  And not full of Harry Potter-type magic stuff going on, either.  (Remember how I told you a couple of years ago that I can't stand books about modern witches?  This is so not that!)   I rated this one 4 stars on my Goodreads list, and you know how rarely I do that (although I was somehow lucky enough to get four in a row with this one!!), so you should definitely pick up a copy for yourself.    (Reading Level: ? / Upper Middle Grades)

I am a bit conflicted about Broken Things by Lauren Oliver.  It is the story of three friends, one of whom was murdered five years previously.  It is definitely a  murder mystery, but it also goes deeper, being a story about heartbreak and healing, of being trapped by and letting go of the past.  What I liked about it:  It was brilliantly put together and perfectly paced, and it was full of amazing metaphors - they were brutal and jagged and perfectly matched to the mood of the story.  What I didn't like about it: Lesbianism figures prominently in the story, which didn't bother me in and of itself, but it was presented in a quite vulgar way at times, which I did have a problem with.  Definitely a book for the more mature reader.  Also, not really a Halloween pick - more of a psychological thriller.  (Reading Level: ? / Upper Grades)

I loved this book!  House of Ivy & Sorrow, by Natalie Whipple, was so much better than I was expecting it to be.  This is probably because it is about witches, which, as I mentioned a little while ago, I don't usually go for unless they are the historical variety.  The time period wasn't really clear in the blurb for this book, so I thought it might be a safe bet, but I still wasn't expecting anything great.  Now don't misunderstand me, this was not a five star book; it didn't have that extra something that wowed me enough to push it over the top.  But what it did have was a great concept, perfect plot development, and characters and dialogue that were just to die for.  Seriously.  After getting only a few chapters in, I was already thinking I should buy my own copy, because the heroine and her grandmother are just so fun to read.  And the best part?  I think it might actually be okay for the junior high age reader.  (Which is great, because I checked my Thrillers & Suspense Book List yesterday and it is pretty short on books for the younger teens!)    (Reading Level: ? / Upper Middle Grades)


Okay, so I am going to go ahead and publish this post.  I've read one other book, but it is nowhere near the creepy variety so I'll save it for next time.