Home » Posts tagged "book reviews" (Page 2)

Stoker Review Project: Links to Reviews

 

Monster Librarian has been reviewing the nominees on the final ballot for the Bram Stoker Award and they have been coming in steadily! Here’s a list of the nominees for each category with links to our reviews so far. I’ll be updating this as new ones come in, so check back regularly!

Interested in purchasing any of these? Here’s a link to Stoker Nominees at Monster Librarian’s Bookshop Page.

 

5/22: Grotesque: Monster Stories by Lee Murray has a link added in the category of Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection.

5/20: Children of the Fang and Other Genealogies by John Langan has a link added in the category of Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection.

5/19: The Return by Rachel Harrison has a link added in the category of Superior Achievement in a First Novel! We’ve reviewed all the first novels now, scroll down to the links and see what we had to say!

5/19: True Story by Kate Reed Petty has a link added in the category of Superior Achievement in a First Novel.

5/19: Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters has a link added in the category of Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel! We’ve got all the books in this category reviewed now!

5/17: The Taxidermist’s Lover by Polly Hall has a link added in the category of Superior Achievement in a First Novel.

5/16: Tome by Ross Jeffrey has a link added in the category of Superior Achievement in a First Novel.

5/15: Women Make Horror: Filmmaking, Feminism, Genre edited by Alison Peirse has a link added in the category of Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction.

5/12: Devil’s Creek by Todd Keisling has a link added in the category of Superior Achievement in a Novel.

5/11: Bent Heavens by Daniel Kraus has a link added in the category of Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel.

5/9: End of the Road by Brian Keene has a link added in the category of Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction.

5/7: The Bone Carver (Night Weaver #2) by Monique Snyman has a link added in the category of Superior Achievement in Young Adult Fiction.

5/4: Cradleland of Parasites by Sara Tantlinger has a link added in the category of Superior Achievement in Poetry.

5/4:  Spectre Deep 6 by Jennifer Brody and Jules Rivera has a link added in the category of Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel.

5/3: Road of Bones by Rich Douek, art by Alex Cormack has a link added in the category of Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel.

4/22: The Masque of the Red Death  by Steven Archer has a link added in the category of Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel.

4/22:  Worst Laid Plans: An Anthology of Vacation Horror  has a link added in the category of Superior Achievement in an Anthology

4/5:  Two Truths and a Lie by Sarah Pinsker has a link added in the category of Superior Achievement in Long Fiction.

 

 

Superior Achievement in a Novel

Superior Achievement in a First Novel

Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel

Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel

Superior Achievement in Long Fiction

Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection

Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection

Superior Achievement in an Anthology

Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction

Posted on April 3, 2021 by , Reply

Book Review: Storm-Star (Storm-Star Lore Book 1) by I. N. Morgan

cover for Storm-Star by I.N. Morgan   (Bookshop.org | Amazon.com)

Storm-Star (Storm-Star Lore Book 1) by I.N. Morgan

Heavy Rush Media, September 2020

ISBN: 9781732876514

Available: Paperback, Kindle

 

Storm-Star is a decent horror debut from rookie author I.N. Morgan.  It’s a werewolf story (well, sort of) with a touch of sci-fi added in.  The elements in the story are nothing new, but they are combined in the right proportions to make the story fun.  The book won’t blow casual readers away, but they will probably find it enjoyable enough to be worth the time.

Set in 1997, Ash Jagerhund is a down-on-his-luck 23 year old with no family, relatives, or future.  He receives a letter from a lost uncle, Jasper, who invites him to live with him, in an effort to rekindle old family ties.  Ash does so, and they reside in the Midwest town of Rust Springs, a town recently plagued by a series of gruesome pseudo-ritualistic murders.  The nature of the murders suggests they may not have a human source.   Ash makes two new friends, Attila and Daisy.  The three of them are unwillingly pulled into the search for the killer, who has ties to the Loupcroix family, a bunch of meth dealers on the outskirts of town.  The Loupcroixs believe that the world will end when a creature called the Storm-Star comes across the galaxy and trashes the Earth for the benefit of the Loupcroixs, who will of course then rule the world.  Add in Ash’s later revealed family history, and you have a fair amount of plot elements, which the author manages to fit into all the right places.

The writing is solid enough and keeps focused on the plot without detours, but there are times when a bit of detail would have helped connect the plot dots better.  Example: the cops somehow find a website all about the Loupcroixs and their beliefs, but there was no one to give them any hint of the site.  Besides, how many meth dealers maintain a website?  The characters are developed well enough, and are interesting, although the reader may get a few of the secondary characters mixed up on occasion, as the character cast is around 10-12 people.  The plot is nice and linear, and has enough action (and just a touch of gore) to keep the reader flipping pages.  It’s not a breakneck thriller, but it’s enough to make it worth reading.  One annoyance is that a good editor should have corrected is the grammatical and sentence structure errors that crop up from time to time.  It’s not enough to pass on the book, but it is aggravating.

Reading this, you can tell it’s written by a first-time author with talent, but who is still learning the craft.  As long as the reader is willing to tolerate the minor problems, Storm-Star is worth a look.  The author did leave a tractor-trailer sized opening at the end of the book for a sequel, and it would be great to see a sequel that focuses on the most exciting characters (Ash, Attila and Daisy) and whittles down the number of secondary ones.

Contains: violence, gore, profanity, drugs

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Posted on December 29, 2020 by , Reply

Book Review: THE PVRITAN by Birgitte Margen

cover for THE PVRITAN by Birgitte Margen

THE PVRITAN by Birgitte Margen (  Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

Publisher: Independently published, 2020

ASIN : B08HQ6JV85

Available: Kindle edition, paperback

 

THE PVRITAN by Birgitte Margen is a crime novel about horrific serial murders in Boston. Martina Zucco is a deadly serious homicide detective. Her mother died in childbirth, and she was raised by a distant father, whom she followed into the police force. Her partner, Neil Cavanaugh, balances out the team with his irreverent, male humor. They investigate the murders of a M13 gang member, a teenage Satanic cultist, and an incel (“involuntary celibate”). Each victim is hanged, mutilated, and publicly displayed. The eyes, tongue, or hand are cut out. Skin from the abdomen is flayed away and glued to outstretched arms like wings.

What is the motive? The author gives readers clues. She begins each chapter with an excerpt from the Geneva Bible used by the Puritans, and inserts sacrifices from the Salem witch trials between the present-day murders. The only clues for Zucco and Cavanaugh, however are small pieces of the Geneva Bible stuffed into the victims.

The author describes the Boston area well, including the Boston Commons and neighborhoods burdened with gangs or crime (Mattapan aka “Murderpan” and Dorchester aka “Deathchester”). The plot moves along quickly, keeping the reader engaged. The author gives interesting background information about the M13 gang, satanic cults and the incel community. However, the novel ends too abruptly. As in many novels about serial killers, the detective and psychopathic killer struggle to the death. However, the author does not give enough details about the murderer’s family and childhood to satisfactorily explain his psychopathy.

Birgitte Margen also wrote The Red Death, about a deadly ancient plague, previously reviewed and recommended by Monster Librarian.

Contains: violence, extreme gore, body horror, and sexual content

 

 

 

Contains: violence, gore, sex

 

Reviewed by Robert D. Yee

 

 

Posted on September 23, 2020 by , Reply
First « 12345 » Last