I'm guessing most of you have heard of Christmas in July, but how about Halloween in December? For some reason, I ended up checking out a whole bunch of books of the scary/creepy variety over the winter break. (Yes, I am aware that it is now the end of January. I told you I've fallen behind on writing my reviews!) Why did I do this? I don't know. I think I just grabbed most of them off of the new releases shelf. Anyway, make a note to yourself that these are great books to read (or avoid!) come October, or even just when the mood for something strange and/or horrible hits you.
Heartwood Box, by Ann Aguirre, was supposed to be dark, romantic, and suspenseful. The concepts laid out in the
Goodreads blurb made it sound like it would be right up my alley. It was even written by an author whose previous works I have
loved (see my mini-reviews
here). Unfortunately, by the time I finished the first chapter, I absolutely hated it. By now, I don't even remember why - I just remember being thoroughly disappointed. Or should I say, THOROUGHLY DISAPPOINTED. If you've loved Aguirre's work in the past, skip this one for sure. If you aren't yet familiar with her books, skip this one for sure and pick up one of her earlier trilogies instead.
Last Things is the second YA fiction book by Jacqueline West. Although her first one was quite interesting (see my mini-review
here), this one was F.A.N.T.A.S.T.I.C. Not a wholly original concept - boy unwittingly makes a deal with the devil (or something similar) and begins to rise to fame as the lead singer of a high school band. The other part, though - the maybe stalker, maybe something entirely different girl who watches him - that part was
totally original. Add to that amazing characters, perfect plot development, and excellent writing, and you have a book that you'll want your own copy of for your home library (I've got mine already!) (Reading Level: ? / Middle Grade +)
Remember Me, by Chelsea Bobulski, was apparently about a girl who went to live in an old hotel that had ghosts. I say
apparently, because I got that info from the blurb, but didn't actually read past the second chapter. The prologue was just awful. The first chapter was written as a flashback to the past (1907) and was written in that super boring style that some historical fiction is written in. The third chapter took place in the present, with the girl who was going to live in the old hotel (which was actually
still a hotel, not a once-upon-a-time hotel like I was expecting!), and I just couldn't get into the heroine or her story. I think probably you should try to find an alternative if you are looking for a good book to read.
The Accident Season is the second book I've read by Moira Fowley-Doyle. I loved it as much as the the first one (see my mini-review
here)! If you aren't familiar with any of her books, go to
her website and read the little bio about her - it
perfectly sums up what her books are like. If you are a fan of April Genevieve Tucholke or Brenna Yovanoff, you will probably enjoy this book as well. It has the same mix of, well, that stuff she mentions on her website! I don't have a single complaint about this book, and I even bought a copy for my home library. (Reading Level: 5.2 / Upper Grades)
The Lantern's Ember was written by Colleen Houk, who also wrote the
Awakened series several years back (see my mini-review
here). I only read the first book of that Egyptian themed trilogy and didn't particularly care for it, but I really liked the concept behind this one - something along the lines of a fresh new take on the Sleepy Hollow story - so I decided to give it a try. I really, really wanted to like it, but alas, it pretty much went from bad to worse. You see, it has an untrained teenage witch, and a dead (but not exactly?) boy named Jack who has to guard the entrance to the under/other-world (or something like that). Honestly, I wasn't too impressed with the beginning of the book. I really did want to see how the two would manage to get together, but really, both characters were pretty annoying, and then the girl decided to go the the under/other-world even though Jack told her she absolutely could NOT, and she went there with a vampire no less . . . Yeah, that's when I decided to quit reading. At least I only wasted as much time as it took to read like, thirty pages or something. If anybody out there can recommend a good book with a great retelling of the Sleepy Hollow story, let me know.
Daughter of the Burning City, by Amanda Foody, was kind of strange. It had a weird concept - the teenage adopted daughter of the Proprietor of a carnival of debauchery creates illusions who are living (but not), and who somehow begin to get murdered in succession. Definitely something I haven't come across before. The book was also weird in the sense that I waffled back and forth between liking it and not. The writing was okay, so that wasn't really the problem. I think it was mostly that I didn't find the heroine likable, but her love interest was fantastic. Also, I thought some of her illusions were really dumb. So. Not one of my favorites, but probably a solid three-star romantic fantasy mystery, so some of you out there might really enjoy it. (Reading Level: ? / Middle Grade +)
I saw
There will Come a Darkness, by Katy Rose Pool, on the new releases shelf at the library. The cover was kind of reminiscent of
The Boneless Mercies cover, so, on the one hand, I thought it might be good. On the other hand, I felt a bit wary that it couldn't possibly be anywhere near as good, so I
almost didn't check it out. I did, though, but I really shouldn't have. It was another mix of historical-ish and fantasy (see my
previous post) and I don't think I was able to get past chapter three. Actually, I don't think I even bothered to start chapter three. If you've found that you usually have a similar taste in book as I do, don't bother with this one.
The Tenth Girl, by Sara Faring, is another book I saw on the library shelf and picked up on impulse. Not only did I really like the cover, but the concept - an abandoned finishing school for girls is reopened after sitting vacant for some eighty years because strange things and deaths and such had occurred there - sounded like it would be good and creepy. It started out pretty well; the prologue and first chapter were very atmospheric and Faring did a great job of setting a mood of impending doom. By the time the story really got going, however, I
hated the writing. In fact, I hated everything about the story at that point - main character, supporting character, ghost narrator of the interspersed chapters, plot action, you name it. So I quit. (I might have now set a new record for the number of books abandoned from a single library trip!)
I didn't know what to expect when I checked out Peternelle van Arsdale's The
Cold Is in Her Bones. I don't even remember if it was on my list or if I just saw it on the shelf, but it was, hmmmm, how do I describe it? It was historical fiction, but in a time and place that was really vague. It was kind of creepy, and pretty strange, and based on the concept that a town was cursed and pretty much every family had at least one daughter who would become possessed. The writing, well, it sounded a lot like other books I've read that were originally written in German and then translated, even though the author is an American, so presumably she wrote it in English. Honestly, the writing wasn't my favorite, but if you consider the concept and plot of the story, it is still
waaaaay better than a lot of the 'horror' books I've come across, so I guess it's a keeper. (Reading Level: ? / Middle Grade +)
The book jacket for
The Day the Angels Fell calls it "haunting and hypnotic," and predicts that, "With this powerful debut, Shawn Smucker has carved out a spot for himself in the tradition of the great authors of literature for young readers." Whoever said that was spot on. Shawn Smucker just might be the next Neil Gaiman. Seriously. This book was brilliant. The story has a boy and his best friend (a girl), a mother who dies, angels, ancient (biblical) lore, deep thoughts, and life lessons. The writing is phenomenal, and the method of having the boy, now an old man, tell the story, was very effective. It's too bad I just ordered a haul of books the week before I read this, because I am definitely going to get a copy for my bookshelf (the very same bookshelf I don't actually possess, seeing as how that last haul of books won't even fit crammed into every extra inch of space on the bookcases I already own!) I highly recommend you read this book. Oh! And even though it was shelved in the Young Adult section, I think is is perfectly fine for the upper middle grades to read alone, and could even be read to some middle grade children, especially those who are more mature and/or gifted. (Reading Level: ? / Middle Grade +)
I didn't really care all that much for
Now Entering Adamsville by Francesca Zappia. It is about a town full of ghosts, and everybody believes in them and tells (not-so-true) stories about them, but only one girl knows for sure they are there, because she can actually see them. So far, so good. But then . . . there are these 'firestarters' who are something like demons who possess a body and then kill people and then feed off the energy of the ghosts. . . . I
really hated that part. The only reason I finished the book is because the main character was
phenomenal. Just for her alone, I would say, go ahead and read this one - maybe the stupid concept won't bother you as much as it bothered me! (Reading Level: 4.3 / Middle Grade +)
Here There Are Monsters, by Amelinda Berube, was about as original as they come. It was about two sisters who grew up pretending that they were queens of make-believe kingdoms, but as the younger one grew up, she became stranger and stranger and everyone bullied her because of it. So, the family moved away, to a house with a swampy wood behind it, and then the sister got
really strange, and then she went missing. And then strange, creepy things started happening. This is probably the creepiest book I've read in a very long time, and maybe actually the creepiest ever. It seems to have only been published in a softcover edition, which is crazy, because this book should be on everyone's Top ten Books to Read for Halloween list. (Reading Level: ? / Middle Grade +)
O.M.G.
Winterwood, by Shea Ernshaw was . . . something else entirely. I read Ms. Ernshaw's first book,
The Wicked Deep (see my mini-review
here), and liked it well enough, but this . . . It tells the story of a girl who comes from a long line of 'witches,' all of whom have a strange unique ability - except she doesn't seem to have one. These women live at the edge of a (sentient) forest where lost things are found, and they, but only they, can go into the forest and recover those things, but only during a full moon while the forest is sleeping and will not see them. Otherwise, bad things happen. And guess what our heroine finds in the forest?
A boy. And then the story really gets rolling. There was a small bit where I was kind of annoyed with the thoughts and actions that the author gave the main character, but the incredible twist at the end more than made up for that. This book has mystery and romance and coming of age angst and suspense and weird stuff and it is strange and heartbreaking and . . . just go read it. You'll see. (Reading Level: ? / Middle Grade +)
Okay! By my next post, I think I will finally be all caught up with my reviews. Unfortunately, I am now even further behind in updating the Book Lists over on the right-hand menu, as well as the links on my Reviews & Mini-Reviews. Ah well, I'll get to it eventually!
