Blog Tour: Incendiary (Hollow Crown #1) by Zoraida Cordova

April 28, 2020 Yvonne Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

36115268. SY475 - Blog Tour: Incendiary (Hollow Crown #1) by Zoraida Cordova

Incendiary by Zoraida Cordova
Published by Hodder & Stoughton on April 28, 2020
ISBN: 9781368023801
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Epic, Action & Adventure, Survival Stories, Romance, General
Pages: 464
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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four stars - Blog Tour: Incendiary (Hollow Crown #1) by Zoraida Cordova

Set in a lushly drawn world inspired by Inquisition Spain, Zoraida Córdova's hotly anticipated new fantasy is an epic tale of love and revenge perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir and Sarah J. Maas. I am Renata Convida.I have lived a hundred stolen lives. Now I live my own. Renata was only a child when she was kidnapped by the King's Justice and brought to the luxurious palace of Andalucia. As a memory thief, the rarest and most feared of the magical Moria, Renata was used by the crown to carry out the King's Wrath, a siege that resulted in the deaths of thousands of her own people. Now Renata is one of the Whispers, rebel spies working against the crown. The Whispers may have rescued Renata years ago, but she cannot escape their mistrust and hatred-or the overpowering memories of the hundreds of souls she drained during her time in the palace. When Dez, the commander of her unit-and the boy she's grown to love-is taken captive by the notorious Principe Dorado, Renata must return to Andalucia and complete Dez's top secret mission herself. Can she keep her cover, even as she burns for vengeance against the brutal, enigmatic prince? Her life and the fate of the Moria depend on it. But returning to the palace stirs childhood memories long locked away. As Renata grows more deeply embedded in the politics of the royal court, she uncovers a secret in her past that could change the fate of the entire kingdom-and end the war that has cost her everything.

Incendiary. The Ability to cause fires, and boy does this book burn up in your hands. Agreeing to take part in this book tour is one of the best decisions I have made. The book cover, the title and the words contained within was a dead cert to win hearts and capture aspirations. I opened the first page and I was lost to the magnificence and by the end I knew I would never be the same again. A maze of enchantment, the words melded into one and I was lost.

Upon turning the final page on this piece of art, I knew this would be a difficult review to write. Where would I find the right words to do the plot justice, the right words to capture the magic, the right words that will hypnotise your mind just like I had experienced. This review is going to messy, raw and gritty and by hook or by crook I hope I do this book justice.

Renata Convida. A woman. A warrior. A lover. The will to survive coursing through her blood, putting everything on the line to succeed in the ultimate goal. She is ready for anything. She is ready to lace those boots and kick some ass. She takes names, sheds some blood and unearths deep seated secrets. She has type of magic that strips away your memories and becomes her power. A power she can use. A power she can use against you. Give her the chance and she can take it all way from you. Leaving you nothing but a hollow. She is dangerous and never as dangerous as those she works with, The Whispers. They are a renegade team that are working to annihilate the crown that wishes them gone. They want to strip their power away, leave them with nothing and no ability to fight against them. Her lover and commander is captured by the system and Renata captains a team to go in and rescue him. It goes wrong – badly wrong and it will have lasting consequences for the team and Renata.

Incendiary is a magnificent take on the coming of age tale. It is a tantalising exploration of what makes us us. How events and trauma not only define us but strengthen us. The author at no point cowers away from storylines that makes the reader scream with frustration and anticipation. Our reactions make us face reality that we are not in control of how Renata reacts and tackles situations. Rest assured you are in good hands with the author. She will steer us right, she knows just how guide us to the end point, with ease.

The narrative is outstanding. The story moulds into something else as Renata grows and develops. Her magic doesn’t transform her into a higher being, but it takes its toll. As she takes more memories she loses a part of herself – her own early memories. Lost in grey. She knows what she must become to survive but just how does she do that? She must evolve. What came before? How does that translate to the battle that she must now face?

Incendiary is a testament to resilience and strength of character. It fizzes and crackles with electricity. A true coming of age fantasy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Zoraida Author Photo 19 225x300 1 - Blog Tour: Incendiary (Hollow Crown #1) by Zoraida Cordova

Zoraida Córdova is the author of nine fantasy novels for kids and teens, most recently the award-winning Brooklyn Brujas series, Incendiary, and Star Wars: A Crash of Fate. Her short fiction has appeared in the New York Times bestselling anthology Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View, Come on In: 15 Stories About Immigration and Finding Home, and Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women and Witchcraft. She is the co-editor of Vampires Never Get Old: Eleven Tales with Fresh Bite. Her debut middle grade novel is The Way to Rio Luna. She is the co-host of the podcast Deadline City with Dhonielle Clayton. Zoraida was born in Ecuador and raised in Queens, New York. When she isn’t working on her next novel, she’s planning a new adventure.

For book, tv, & film rights related inquiries, please contact Victoria Marini.

Zoraida Cordova

Blog Tour: Boy In The Box by Marc E. Fitch

April 27, 2020 Yvonne 1 Comment

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

boy in the box by marc e fitch - Blog Tour: Boy In The Box by Marc E. Fitch

Boy in the Box by Marc E. Fitch
Published by Flame Tree Press on March 4, 2020
ISBN: 9781787583849
Genres: Horror, Occult & Supernatural, Supernatural
Pages: 240
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher
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four stars - Blog Tour: Boy In The Box by Marc E. Fitch

"A creepy, mesmerizing tale of hunters becoming the hunted, Box In The Box is a haunting journey into the evils that lurk in the wilderness, as well as those buried in the human heart. Fitch definitely has a knack for mixing the paranormal with both brutal reality and the emotional heaviness of grief and sorrow." --Morgan Sylvia, author of Abode. Ten years ago a mysterious and tragic hunting accident deep in the Adirondack Mountains left a boy buried in a storied piece of land known as Coombs' Gulch and four friends with a terrible secret. Now, Jonathan Hollis and brothers Michael and Conner Braddick must return to the place that changed their lives forever in order to keep their secret buried. What they don't realize is that they are walking into a trap -- one set decades earlier by a supernatural being who is not confined by time or place: a demon that demands a sacrifice. FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

Boy In The Box fills your soul with eerie silence. It infiltrates your senses, pumps through your bloodstream and possesses you with an endless silent scream you cannot escape from. This book came along at precisely the right moment. As a huge horror fiction fan, it was everything I was looking for in such a changed world we seem to be living in. it gave me an escape, it enraptured my heart and I too became lost in the mountains. The only difference between me and the main characters was; I wasn’t sure if ever wanted to leave.

There is nothing quite like picking up a new horror novel and feel its pulse drum a threatening beat. The cover took me hostage and sung a terrifying song – one I couldn’t resist! The book called to me and as soon as that first chapter was under my belt, I was done for. Boy In The Box was the medicine that I required, and I was forever lost in Fitch’s skilful and haunting tales that I have probably ever read.

Closing this book will not give you the warm and fuzzy feeling, this book with all intents and purposes is meant to unseat you. The narrative has you looking over your shoulder at key moments, wiping the sweat from your brow and making sure both the windows and the doors are firmly locked. Rising feeling of nausea – check. Spine stiffened – check. Never wanting to camp ever again – Double check. Not for the weak of heart – a truly terrifying story that examines the long-lasting effects of a black mark upon a person’s psyche.

Boy In The Box is oozing fear and emotional pain. Fitch has weaved an inexplicable narrative of claustrophobic dread. This formula is an immediate recipe for success and I just couldn’t stop reading. Nothing was going to pull me away and the pages and chapters just melded into one. It became more addictive when things started to get out of control and I was in for a hell of a ride.

The funeral of long-term friend, brings Johnathon, Connor and Michael back together once more. They haven’t really had any contact in ten long years. They all have wives/children and their lives are just different. That and the minute detail that they never were going to be the same after a hunting accident ten years ago – the last time they were altogether. Johnathon has never been the same again. Despite his marriage to his wife Mary, despite the birth of his only child, Joshua. Life holds no joy for him anymore. His marriage is held together by the cracks and his best friend is the bottom of a bottle. Future events out with their control lead them to revisit that bleak day ten years ago. The reader discovers what exactly went down and the implications that opening Pandora’s box will undoubtedly have on all parties involved.

Thanks to Anne Cater @Random Things Tours for my spot on the blog tour.

Boy In The Box is shrouded in an inescapable atmosphere that projects the protagonists into their own personal hell. Fitch has created a narrative more addictive than cake. The narrative pushes down a deserted path that can only lead to trouble and is utterly compulsive that you just can’t say no to.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marc E Fitch Author Pic - Blog Tour: Boy In The Box by Marc E. Fitch

Marc E. Fitch is the author of Paranormal Nation: Why America Need Ghosts, UFOs and Bigfoot and Shemexperts: How Power Politics and Ideology are Disguised as Science as well as the novels, Old Boone Blood, Paradise Burns and Dirty Water. He was 2014 Robert Novak Journalism Fellow.

He has written for such publications as American Thinker, The Federalist and the Skeptical Inquirer. Marc lives and works in Connecticut and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Western Connecticut State University.

Marc E. Fitch

Review: The Dilemma by B.A. Paris

April 24, 2020 Yvonne Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

the dilemma by b a paris - Review: The Dilemma by B.A. Paris

The Dilemma by B A Paris
Published by HQ on January 1, 2020
ISBN: 9780008390754
Genres: Fiction, Thrillers, Suspense, Women, Psychological, Family & Relationships, Parenting, Parent & Adult Child, Friendship, General
Pages: 352
Format: eBook
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

four stars - Review: The Dilemma by B.A. Paris

The million-copy bestselling author returns with another breathtaking book... ‘A powerful, beautifully crafted story that ratchets up the tension with every page and packs a huge emotional punch’ TM Logan, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Holiday Knowing the truth will destroy her. Keeping it secret will destroy him.
It’s Livia’s 40th birthday and she’s having the party of a lifetime to make up for the wedding she never had. Everyone she loves will be there except her daughter Marnie, who’s studying abroad. But although Livia loves Marnie, she’s secretly glad she won’t be at the party. She needs to tell Adam something about their daughter but she’s waiting until the party is over so they can have this last happy time together.
Adam wants everything to be perfect for Livia so he’s secretly arranged for Marnie to come home and surprise her on her birthday. During the day, he hears some terrible news. He needs to tell Livia, because how can the party go on? But she’s so happy, so excited – and the guests are about to arrive.
The Dilemma – how far would you go to give someone you love a last few hours of happiness?
One day that will change a family forever, The Dilemma is the breathtaking, heartbreaking new novel from the million-copy-selling, Sunday Times bestseller, B A Paris.
Praise for The Dilemma:
‘A powerful, beautifully crafted story that ratchets up the tension with every page and packs a huge emotional punch’ TM Logan
‘A departure from B A Paris’s previous psycho-thrillers, this emotional story is gripping’ The Daily Mail
‘A heartbreaking page-turner that will have you up at night reading just one more chapter’ Catherine Steadman
‘A dark family drama ... builds a palpable wall of tension that leaves you desperate to find out what happens next’ The Sunday Mirror
‘A beautifully written story of love and loss which will stay with me’ Louise Jensen
‘What a book... utterly unputdownable!’ Sam King
‘A beautifully written novel that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page. B A Paris has a unique ability to get inside your head and stay there!’ HC Warner

The Dilemma. To tell someone something that will not only shatter one world, but many. What more could you possibly want in a psychological thriller? My attention was immediately stolen. I was hungering for the words contained in this explosive novel. I particularly enjoyed the element of older characters being in the forefront. There unique take on life, their emotions and their reactions when they are faced with the explosive ramifications that life can throw at you. I was deeply curious to see how the author would weave a highly addictive plot that would have me hooked by the end of the first chapter.

I cant applaud B.A. Paris enough for writing yet another compulsive psychological thriller. This book was refreshing and felt entirely unique. It gave me a propulsive look into a family’s life almost like looking at it through a microscope. Livia and Adam Hartwood tell their story over the course of a day, told over increments of an hour. They both have a dilemma. Both of them know something that will crush the other. If they divulge that secret, will they ever be the same again? Livia has experienced a traumatic childhood and no longer has contact with her parents much to her lifelong regret. Adam had a perfect childhood with supportive parents but has equally made mistakes that have impacted their family life, but will these secrets finally break them?

Its finally the day that Livia has been preparing for for the best part of twenty years. It’s her fortieth birthday party, the day that has been arranged to make up for the wedding she didn’t get. It’s going to be a fantastical affair with everyone and their granny invited. Livia leaves for the day to treatments at the spa with her friends. Adam however, needs to get into town to pick up her birthday present. He discovers however news that could potentially rock their worlds. How can he possibly let the party go ahead now? B.A. Paris sent a wave of unfairness coming over me like a tsunami. How could this actually be a family’s reality?

This book made me feel things! I had moments of anxiousness, sadness, fear and sadness. I had so many questions and my brain seemed to be operating at over its capacity. A book that makes me ask questions turns it into mush – it was a glorious and exciting feeling!

Livia wants nothing more than to have all her family around her, but one key person isn’t able to make it, their daughter, Marni. Adam has a difficult past with his children – this is the part I loved. It made the dynamics of family life more realistic. Having children young for many people is no picnic. It can be fraught with hardship and conflicted feelings about the perceived life you have left behind. B.A. Paris has defined what real life looks like and hasn’t sugar coated it. It reads effortlessly and ramps up the drama into the top gear. Both Adam and Marni hatch up a plan for her to get there secretly, a birthday surprise for Livia. Will it all come together and be the day that she has been imagining forever?

The Dilemma is a twisted and utter compelling psychological thriller. Cunning and captivating a book that deserves the idiom – utterly unputdownable. Be ready to have our mind blown.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A1G5PCAU6L. US230 - Review: The Dilemma by B.A. Paris

B A Paris is the internationally bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors, The Breakdown, Bring Me Back and The Dilemma. Having sold over one million copies in the UK alone, she is a New York Times bestseller as well as Sunday Times bestseller and a number one bestseller on Amazon and iBooks. Her books have been translated into 39 languages. Having lived in France for many years, she and her husband recently moved back to the UK.
Her fifth novel is out in 2021

Follow B A on Twitter @BAParisAuthor

BA Paris

Review: The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp

April 22, 2020 Yvonne Leave a Comment

The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp
Published by Orbit on March 1, 2016
ISBN: 9780316362252
Genres: Fiction, Thrillers, Psychological, Occult & Supernatural, Supernatural, Ghost
Pages: 400
Format: eBook
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Goodreads

three stars - Review: The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp

"Ingenious and funny . . . Magnificent." -- Alan Moore, creator of Watchmen and V for VendettaJack Sparks died while writing this book.It was no secret that journalist Jack Sparks had been researching the occult for his new book. No stranger to controversy, he'd already triggered a furious Twitter storm by mocking an exorcism he witnessed. Then there was that video: forty seconds of chilling footage that Jack repeatedly claimed was not of his making, yet was posted from his own YouTube account. Nobody knew what happened to Jack in the days that followed -- until now. "Wow. Seriously hard to put down." -- M. R. Carey, author of The Girl With All the Gifts

The Last Days of Jack Sparks is definitely an odd book. The supernatural is a powerful force to be reckoned with but Jack Sparks ego revolves around the sun. if you are going into this book expecting a terrifying book, you are going to be disappointed. The scenes within are expected especially if you mess around with the paranormal and exorcisms. It is essentially a satirical/ black comedy novel. The destruction of Jack’s ego. The result of not having an open mind. Its karma coming back to bite him on the ass. He’s gone through his entire life treating everyone close like rubbish…well he’s about to get a taste of his own medicine.

I did feel the first 75% of the book was slow paced and I had a very hard time connecting with Jack Sparks. He was dreary and ultimately, I felt the book translated more as tragic rather than funny. It’s quite sad that a person can get to a point in their life that social media and the amount of followers and likes that they receive is more important than maintain healthy relationships with those around him. Perhaps this is the world that we now find ourselves living in, but it is deeply unsettling.

The Last Days of Jack Sparks centres around the man in the title, Jack Sparks. This is the story that Jack left behind. It is the ultimate unreliable narrator. Everything contradicts Jacks own thoughts and experiences of the events that led up until the end game. Different case studies, interviews, and evidence – two completely different narratives. Jack is the ultimate sceptic. His mind is closed and is unwilling to open it up. In his eyes everything has an explanation and is unwilling to consider any inexplicable options. He is the original ego-maniac.

Jack Sparks makes no bones about his lack of objectivity. He puts absolutely no stock in ghosts, the supernatural and god or the devil. An atheist witnessing an exorcism… picture it – rural Italy on Halloween. He ridicules it and tweets sarcastic comments through-out. The flack you gets online from his behaviour is surprising for him…but it is only the start of his trouble. A disturbing YouTube video appears and disappears from his channel. This makes him delve even further into the occult in search of an answer…it turns out he should never have searched for an answer.

The Last Days of Jack Sparks had plenty of great moments. The ending did genuinely blow me away. The ending was everything that I had hoped that the rest of the book could have been. I felt that the story dragged a bit from the moment he arrived in LA until everything changed and the ending kicked it into the high gear. This was the point when I really had a greater appreciation for the story. The little Easter eggs began to make sense. This was the element of a horror story I love and needed elements of this formula dotted throughout the story to make it really work.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

2019 10 27 20 11 18 2 - Review: The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp

Hello! I’m a British author and scriptwriter, with a background in journalism.

I’m the writer of the terrifying Orbit Books novel Ghoster, which was released in October 2019. Before that, I wrote The Last Days Of Jack Sparks, the Lionsgate feature film Stormhouse, various Doctor Who things, a Friday The 13th novel and script-edited the 2012 Peter Mullan film The Man Inside.

2018 saw me co-author the book Inside Black Mirror with Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones.

Check out my collection of 30 interviews I did as a rock journalist, gathered in From The Front Lines Of Rock.

I run two YouTube channels: a fun retro affair and a second one about writing and isolation in the age of coronavirus.

Work-related enquiries should go to my UK literary agent Oli Munson at AM Heath. See Contact Form.

Jason Arnopp

Review: The Southern Book Clubs Guide To Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

April 19, 2020 Yvonne 1 Comment

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to its use of sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and/or violence.

the southern book clubs guide to slaying vampires by grady hendrix - Review: The Southern Book Clubs Guide To Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Published by Quirk Books on April 7, 2020
ISBN: 9781683691440
Genres: Fiction, Horror, Thrillers, Supernatural, Southern
Pages: 408
Format: ARC, Paperback
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

five stars - Review: The Southern Book Clubs Guide To Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Steel Magnolias meets Dracula in this '90s-set horror novel about a women's book club that must do battle with a mysterious newcomer to their small Southern town, perfect for murderinos and fans of Stephen King. Patricia Campbell’s life has never felt smaller. Her husband is a workaholic, her teenage kids have their own lives, her senile mother-in-law needs constant care, and she’s always a step behind on her endless to-do list. The only thing keeping her sane is her book club, a close-knit group of Charleston women united by their love of true crime. At these meetings they’re as likely to talk about the Manson family as they are about their own families.
One evening after book club, Patricia is viciously attacked by an elderly neighbor, bringing the neighbor's handsome nephew, James Harris, into her life. James is well traveled and well read, and he makes Patricia feel things she hasn’t felt in years. But when children on the other side of town go missing, their deaths written off by local police, Patricia has reason to believe James Harris is more of a Bundy than a Brad Pitt. The real problem? James is a monster of a different kind—and Patricia has already invited him in. Little by little, James will insinuate himself into Patricia’s life and try to take everything she took for granted—including the book club—but she won’t surrender without a fight in this blood-soaked tale of neighborly kindness gone wrong.

The Southern Book Clubs Guide To Slaying Vampires is a truly unforgettable book and its insane ability to make you feel everything. The intensity and the raw and gritty edge this book has over other Vampire books that you feel so wrought -out – think running a marathon! This is my first outing into a Hendrix novel and I know it won’t be my last. I have an addiction and Hendrix is my fiction dealer! Be prepared for a journey back to the nineties – big hair, outrageous florals and blood sucking vampires.

Patricia Campbell is your perfect host, mother and wife. On the surface she has it all…Doctor husband trying to make head of psychiatry. Two gorgeous children, even if they are somewhat challenging. The perfect house. Her book club, the only thing that gives her stimulation out with her regimented life. Whilst wishing something outrageous would happen in her life and shake it up a bit, in walks a handsome stranger by the name of James. Scratch beneath the surface and you find that Patricia is the perfect case study of what happens when the cracks emerge in a marriage, in sanity and the daily pressures that being the rock of a family puts a mother under. The situation is far from normal, but James is her reality check.

Patricia tries to convince her book club friends of the real danger that James is emitting onto their tight knit community. Things go awry and the men in their lives excert control and manipulation over them. A real case of gaslighting and abuse, but the women accept it because it’s their role. The assumption that they do nothing all day whilst they are out bringing home the bacon is a very dangerous narrative, but it was normalcy within the time the book I set in. After her apparent embarrassment of her husband and her children, what is left is a struggling woman. She drowns in her hopelessness and you cant help but feel her despair at the situation, she really made me think “what would I do?”

A Southern Book Clubs Guide To Slaying Vampires had me laughing, asking questions and feeling envious of that nineties southern hospitality that seems lost on us now. James is a stranger that seems to have everyone fooled especially the husbands. Patricia is the only one that can connect the dots. Yes, it seems crazy and yes it seems out of touch from the man his character personifies but she is so damn sure of her conclusion that it hurts that people won’t take action. She will. She’ll make them all see. She is faced with an impossible choice, family or obsession? Patricia has her flaws but that’s what made her so relatable, it was fascinating. Hendrix had inserted these flaws with sublime accuracy that had my mind exploding.

The scene in the attic had my skin crawling – Bravo Mr. Hendrix. My spine stiffened, my stomach curdled – I was gripped and engrossed and at the same time I wanted to close my eyes. The characterisation was perfect, the world building was fantastic and suited the threatening edge of evil within The Southern Book Clubs Guide To Slaying Vampires that was pushing into normal families lives and sucking the oxygen from everything they knew.

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires has redefined the vampire horror novel. It will hook you in with its atmospheric setting and Hendrix deliciously ramps up the tension to a dramatic climax.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Like gravity, or ugly people, Grady Hendrix is hard to escape, especially here on his website. In this place, he is all up in your areas and he even wrote the words that you are reading right now. When you are on his website, he can see you. He can see you right now.

If you want to contact him then send him an email to: grady@gradyhendrix.com

Grady Hendrix writes fiction, also called “lies,” and he writes non-fiction, which people sometimes accidentally pay him for. He is the author of Horrorstör, the only novel about a haunted Scandinavian furniture store you’ll ever need. NPR selected it as one of the best books of 2014 and it has been translated into 14 languages and is being turned into a television show by Gail Berman (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), and Josh Schwartz (Gossip Girl). They have never met Grady, but that is their loss.

His novel My Best Friend’s Exorcism, about demonic possession, friendship, exorcism, and the Eighties, is basically Beaches meets The Exorcist and it caused the Wall Street Journal to call him “a national treasure” and received rave reviews from everyone from Kirkus to Southern Living.

He also wrote Paperbacks from Hell, a history of the horror paperback boom in the Seventies and Eighties that followed the success of Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, and Thomas Tryon’s The Other. It is so popular it won a Stoker Award, and while you may not know what that is, trust me when I say that it is a big, big deal that gets Grady 20% off all purchases at the Franklin Mint.

His latest novel is We Sold Our Souls, a heavy metal take on the Faust legend, which hit bookstores in 2018 and got selected as one of the best books of 2018 by Library Journal, the Chicago Public library, and his mom. It’s also one of Locus’s recommended novels of 2018 and earned him an article in the Los Angeles Review of Books that makes him sound like some kind of smart person or something. He’s not.

Grady Hendrix used to be a journalist, which means that he was completely irrelevant and could be killed and turned into food at any time. He is one of the founders of the New York Asian Film Festival, but he is not responsible for the bad parts of it. He is also not Asian. For years he was a regular film critic for the New York Sun but then it went out of business. He has written for Playboy Magazine, Slate, The Village Voice, the New York Post, Film Comment, and Variety. He has a hard time making up his mind.

There is a science fiction book called Occupy Space that he is the author of, and also a fantasy book called Satan Loves You which he wrote as well. Along with his BFF from high school, Katie Crouch, he is the co-author of the YA series, The Magnolia League. He co-authored Dirt Candy: A Cookbook, the first graphic novel cookbook in America, with his wife and Ryan Dunlavey. It’s now in its seventh printing which means that at least 24 people have bought a copy. His fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons, Pseudopod, and the anthology, The Mad Scientist’s Guide to World Domination.

He is very, very beautiful, but if you ever meet him, please do not let this make you uncomfortable. He does not judge.

The New Yorker once ran a short profile of him, and this means that when the time comes and they are lining people up for the Space Arks he will be guaranteed a seat ahead of you.

Review: Under Another Sun by D.M. Siciliano

April 14, 2020 Yvonne 2 Comments

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

51219807. SY475 - Review: Under Another Sun by D.M. Siciliano

Under Another Sun by D.M. Siciliano
Published by Dark Diva Press on October 1st 2020
Genres: Horror, Supernatural, End of the world,
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Author
Goodreads
five stars - Review: Under Another Sun by D.M. Siciliano

five stars - Review: Under Another Sun by D.M. Siciliano

A crack in time saves 99
But what do those ominous words mean?
Ray is about to find out, whether he’s ready or not. His ‘deceased’ twin sister, Ravynn, is warning him of impending disaster, but Ray can’t seem to convince himself, or his wife, that he’s not crazy.
But Ray isn’t the only one communicating with his sister. Ravynn’s surviving daughter, Amelia, seems to know things that defy reason, in a time when reason is slowly slipping away.
When Ray’s brother-in-law offers evidence of something terrible coming in the form of prophetic journals Ravynn wrote before her death, Ray can’t doubt the truth any longer. The world is falling down.
The family struggles to hold themselves together as the world they once knew and understood begins to collapse all around them, leading up to a cataclysmic end.
Can Ray save his family in time?

Dark and Gothic. Under Another Sun is multi-faceted and strips the layers back of the human condition. It examines our ability to decipher the logic behind trauma. Our ability to cope with grief. It is a highly intelligent and fascinating novel on multiple levels. D.M. Siciliano has given us another deeply unsettling horror novel but a winner in its own right from Inside. Horror that is so realistic and palpitatingly dark. Our future is national disasters, it gives us a lightbulb moment and relinquishes the hold that monsters under our bed once held. I had a lot of pleasure unfolding this story and I believe you will too.

Ravynn is such a powerful protagonist in Under Another Sun. She has a hold over the other characters – predominately Ray (her twin brother), Elena (his wife) and little Amelia (Ravynn’s daughter). She is an ethereal force to be reckoned with. She has experienced her fair share of trauma and suffering and knows things she really has no right in knowing. Her journals are a great source of foretelling and anguish for her now ex-husband and something that maintains the strands of her being and her experiences and traumas.

Two timelines come crashing together and it felt like watching the beauty and destructive nature of a supernova. The story had so many layers of tragedy and sublime storytelling that I was unwilling to have my kindle prized out of my greedy little hands! The setting. The protagonists. The horror. It tallied up to an experience. I felt like I was living and experiencing the events. I felt the fear. I felt the worry. Under Another Sun was stealing the show! I don’t think I have the necessary words to describe Siciliano’s powerful way of writing. The drama. The threatening edge. The narrative. It made for a heady mix, and it made me shiver! You can feel the author’s love for this story. You can feels its impact escaping through its pages and reaching out to you.

I really don’t want to give anything away in regard to the storyline but believe me, it’s so worth it. Time had no consequence for me and the chapters flew by. I needed answers, I wanted to delve further into the reasonings to some events. The pace was magnificent, and the last page left me feeling like I had been on rollercoaster.

Under Another Sun is evocative and dreamlike. Don’t be fooled by its beautiful cover Siciliano has created something darker than night. Superbly inventive.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

UQUzp3PO 400x400 - Review: Under Another Sun by D.M. Siciliano

DM is a lover of all things creative. From the moment she could speak, growing up in Massachusetts, she had a passion for flair and drama, putting on concerts for anyone who was even remotely interested (and even for those who were not). A storyteller by nature, she first pursued her young dream of becoming a singing diva while living in Arizona. She soon found that stage life wasn’t the only form of storytelling she craved, so she dropped the mic and picked up a pencil instead. She still hasn’t given up on her diva-ness, and hopes her pencil stays as sharp as her tongue.

A dark sense of humor and curiosity for haunted houses and things out of the ordinary led her down the path of completing her first novel, Inside. Several other projects are constantly floating around in her head and her laptop daily, and sometimes keeping her up much too late at night. Occasionally, those projects are so dark and twisted, she needs to leave a nightlight on.

She now lives in Northern California with her two fluffy furbabies, Cezare and Michaleto.

Incendiary is a testament to resilience and strength of character. It fizzes and crackles with electricity. A true coming of age fantasy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires has redefined the vampire horror novel. It will hook you in with its atmospheric setting and Hendrix deliciously ramps up the tension to a dramatic climax.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

If you want to contact him then send him an email to: grady@gradyhendrix.com

Under Another Sun is evocative and dreamlike. Don’t be fooled by its beautiful cover Siciliano has created something darker than night. Superbly inventive.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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