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Beyond the Creek by Nico Bell – REVIEW
Beyond the Creek is dark desperate and engaging. If you want to explore a world that is beyond the ordinary, then this a novella for you! A propulsive plot and the perfect read for spooky season. A creature feature with a beating heart and venomous fangs, I was entrapped by its consummate storytelling and succinct narrative. The ending had me high-fiving the person next to me. It was fresh air I was hitting but still, it felt good to have that conclusion. Beyond the Creek – a perfect title that promised mystery and intrigue. The cover increased the appeal, I was beyond curious to find out just what was beyond…
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A Song For The End by Kit Power | Review
Well, well well. Once in a while you pick a book, and it has the ability to knock you straight on your arse! That is exactly what A Song for The End did to me. Kit Power’s writing has the uncanny ability to create a scene and torch it into your memory. Everything was vivid and pulsating and undeniably gritty and dark. A Song for the end introduces us to Bill Cutter. A man that seems to be just going from one bad decision to another. Aged thirty-five and still only a supply teacher, he’s not exactly in a happy relationship and the one thing that gives him joy is…
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Maggie’s Grave by David Sodergren | Review
If you haven’t added Maggie’s Grave to you TBR, then why the hell not? This is in my opinion the best example of a witchy folk tale horror out there. It brings it all to the table, Sodergren slaps it all down, liquified organs and all. The first couple of chapters are usually enough to decide whether a book is going to be for you…the author nailed it in one. I had a keen sense of foreboding, that small time village feel, residents knowing everything about you, talking about you, judging you. Sodergren nails it. The shades of darkness is quite literally written on the wall. “Was this parenthood? Love…
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Berkley Street by Ron Ripley | Review
Berkley Street is a haunted house horror novel. Now, it is known that I love all sub-genres of horror, ranging from slasher to suspense but I did struggle to categorize this into one sub-category. It really is genre-bending fiction. Be prepared to open the first page and get bludgeoned with the brutality of the characters and the intestinal fortitude of our protagonist, Shane Ryan. The house has a mind of its own – it simply takes care of itself. If you haven’t been invited, then be prepared to meet a grizzly end! Each ghost has a story to tell none of it pleasant but all of it gruesome. I often…
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Devoted by Dean Koontz | Review
Devoted was a hard book to read in places. It was mostly successful in the theme of genetic mutation. I really enjoy Dean Koontz books but, in this occasion, it was neither a favourite or one that I disliked. It’s very much a book that gets very strange, very quickly. It’s a case of constantly reminding yourself that this is SCI-FI. I’ve noticed other reviewers likening it to Koontz’ other work – The Watchers, which I haven’t read, not sure if that is to my detriment or not? The book to me, felt like it just moved too slowly, and I did feel myself getting bored. The story in Devoted…