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Showing posts with label Creeptastic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creeptastic. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Published by Egmont USA
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Disclaimer: Received for review consideration from the publisher via Edelweiss. This does not affect my opinion of the book.
For fans of Stephen King and American Horror Story, a gruesome thriller suggested by the events of the Amityville Horror.
Connor's family moves to Amity to
escape shady business deals. Ten years later, Gwen's family moves to Amity for
a fresh start after she's recovered from a psychotic break.
But something is not right about
this secluded house. Connor's nights are plagued with gore-filled dreams of
demons and destruction. Dreams he kind of likes. Gwen has lurid visions of
corpses that aren't there and bleeding blisters that disappear in the blink of
an eye. She knows Amity is evil and she must get her family out, but who would
ever believe her?
Amity isn't just a house. She is a
living force, bent on manipulating her inhabitants to her twisted will. She
will use Connor and Gwen to bring about a bloody end as she's done before. As
she'll do again.
Alternating between parallel
narratives, Amity is a tense and terrifying tale suggested by true-crime events
that will satisfy even the most demanding horror fan.
Review: There's plenty to enjoy in Amity, especially for horror fans. As someone who will watch almost any scary movie* and also loves Stephen King, this book was right in my wheelhouse and it certainly delivered. Inspired by the legend surrounding the Amityville Murders as well as various other horror books (Stephen King's The Shining, in particular) this novel provides plenty of creepy moments as it relates the story of two different families inhabiting the evil house. References and allusions to other horror works are fun and plentiful, but most compelling (to me) was the protagonists and the dual first person narration.
Viewing the house through Connor's eyes serves as a great way to escalate tension, as the creepiness escalates so do the early hints that there's something off about this narrator. Connor also has the specter of his abusive father looming over his family as a danger separate from any kind of haunting. Gwen, the second POV whose family buys the house ten years after Connor's, was recently released from a mental hospital and struggles with the question of whether her horrifying visions are real or delusions. Often haunted house books & films can be frustrating because the problem can be solved simply by getting out of the house, but here the protagonists truly trapped. They're teens, thus their choices are defined by their parents. Connor must obey the whims of his father and Gwen's parents do not trust her credibility and are constantly monitoring her for signs of a relapse. They are left at the mercy of the house and its bloodthirsty machinations as the narrative draws to a conclusion that seem inevitable.
Much of the novel's scares come from subtle yet uncanny occurrences: a open door Gwen was certain was shut**, feeling breathe on the back of your neck when there's no one in the room, but there's some more graphic horror imagery as well and it's used effectively. Overall I found Amity quit entertaining and recommend it to any horror fans looking for a fun read.
*not every horror movie. The Human Centipede will never pass before my eyeballs.
**Coincidently the closet in my bathroom has decided to creak open on its own and the lights randomly dim. Fun times at 3am!
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
by McCormick Templeman
Death hasn't visited Rowan Rose since it took her mother when
Rowan was only a little girl. But that changes one bleak morning, when five
horses and their riders thunder into her village and through the forest,
disappearing into the hills. Days later, the riders' bodies are found, and
though no one can say for certain what happened in their final hours, their
remains prove that whatever it was must have been brutal.
Review: A confession: some scenes in this book gave me the creeps. Seriously, the up late reading-what was that noise-suspicious look all around the room creeps. That’s how engrossing I found the writing to be. The Glass Casket is a great example of how frequently used story elements (fairytales, etc.) can be used as a starting point for a story that’s unique. Though certain details of the novel seem designed to evoke the Snow White that received the Disney treatment, the plot is loosely based on the less well known Grimm tale Snow White and Rose Red.
One of the
novel’s greatest strengths is the world building. We are introduced the small
mountain community of Nag’s End, set in a fantastical reality with technology
equivalent to 14th century Europe and a history of dark magic largely
lost to time and engulfed in superstition.
Citizens of Nag’s End have their own traditions, religions, and a patriarchal
style of government. They largely ignore their rulers located in a city several
miles away, until the bizarre incident of the deaths of the riders of the city.
This sets off a series of grisly and tragic events.
The four
teenagers that are at the center of this story are Rowan, a girl with a gift
for translating historical documents, her best friend Tom, Tom’s brother Jude,
and the new-in-town Fiona Eira. Their
messy and complicated relationships serve as an emotional counterpoint to the
horror slowing building in the village. These characters are individuals and
very well drawn. Another point in the novel’s favor is that while it portrays
an archaic society in which men hold power, it also shows the very harmful
effects this structure has on the women living under it. Rowan, one of the
smartest characters in the story, figures out what is really going on but finds
herself disregarded and entrapped. The consequences are dire.
Throughout
the first half of the book I found that I was kept guessing, not knowing in
which direction the narrative was going to turn. This is a feeling I find
increasingly rare the more books I read, so I appreciated it. The story ends on
a satisfying note, but if McCormick Templeman sets any future books in this
world, I’d be happy to read them.
5 Stars
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Showing posts with label Creeptastic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creeptastic. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Release Day Review: Amity by Micol Ostow
Published by Egmont USA
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Disclaimer: Received for review consideration from the publisher via Edelweiss. This does not affect my opinion of the book.
For fans of Stephen King and American Horror Story, a gruesome thriller suggested by the events of the Amityville Horror.
Connor's family moves to Amity to
escape shady business deals. Ten years later, Gwen's family moves to Amity for
a fresh start after she's recovered from a psychotic break.
But something is not right about
this secluded house. Connor's nights are plagued with gore-filled dreams of
demons and destruction. Dreams he kind of likes. Gwen has lurid visions of
corpses that aren't there and bleeding blisters that disappear in the blink of
an eye. She knows Amity is evil and she must get her family out, but who would
ever believe her?
Amity isn't just a house. She is a
living force, bent on manipulating her inhabitants to her twisted will. She
will use Connor and Gwen to bring about a bloody end as she's done before. As
she'll do again.
Alternating between parallel
narratives, Amity is a tense and terrifying tale suggested by true-crime events
that will satisfy even the most demanding horror fan.
Review: There's plenty to enjoy in Amity, especially for horror fans. As someone who will watch almost any scary movie* and also loves Stephen King, this book was right in my wheelhouse and it certainly delivered. Inspired by the legend surrounding the Amityville Murders as well as various other horror books (Stephen King's The Shining, in particular) this novel provides plenty of creepy moments as it relates the story of two different families inhabiting the evil house. References and allusions to other horror works are fun and plentiful, but most compelling (to me) was the protagonists and the dual first person narration.
Viewing the house through Connor's eyes serves as a great way to escalate tension, as the creepiness escalates so do the early hints that there's something off about this narrator. Connor also has the specter of his abusive father looming over his family as a danger separate from any kind of haunting. Gwen, the second POV whose family buys the house ten years after Connor's, was recently released from a mental hospital and struggles with the question of whether her horrifying visions are real or delusions. Often haunted house books & films can be frustrating because the problem can be solved simply by getting out of the house, but here the protagonists truly trapped. They're teens, thus their choices are defined by their parents. Connor must obey the whims of his father and Gwen's parents do not trust her credibility and are constantly monitoring her for signs of a relapse. They are left at the mercy of the house and its bloodthirsty machinations as the narrative draws to a conclusion that seem inevitable.
Much of the novel's scares come from subtle yet uncanny occurrences: a open door Gwen was certain was shut**, feeling breathe on the back of your neck when there's no one in the room, but there's some more graphic horror imagery as well and it's used effectively. Overall I found Amity quit entertaining and recommend it to any horror fans looking for a fun read.
*not every horror movie. The Human Centipede will never pass before my eyeballs.
**Coincidently the closet in my bathroom has decided to creak open on its own and the lights randomly dim. Fun times at 3am!
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Review: The Glass Casket by McCormick Templeman
by McCormick Templeman
Death hasn't visited Rowan Rose since it took her mother when
Rowan was only a little girl. But that changes one bleak morning, when five
horses and their riders thunder into her village and through the forest,
disappearing into the hills. Days later, the riders' bodies are found, and
though no one can say for certain what happened in their final hours, their
remains prove that whatever it was must have been brutal.
Review: A confession: some scenes in this book gave me the creeps. Seriously, the up late reading-what was that noise-suspicious look all around the room creeps. That’s how engrossing I found the writing to be. The Glass Casket is a great example of how frequently used story elements (fairytales, etc.) can be used as a starting point for a story that’s unique. Though certain details of the novel seem designed to evoke the Snow White that received the Disney treatment, the plot is loosely based on the less well known Grimm tale Snow White and Rose Red.
One of the
novel’s greatest strengths is the world building. We are introduced the small
mountain community of Nag’s End, set in a fantastical reality with technology
equivalent to 14th century Europe and a history of dark magic largely
lost to time and engulfed in superstition.
Citizens of Nag’s End have their own traditions, religions, and a patriarchal
style of government. They largely ignore their rulers located in a city several
miles away, until the bizarre incident of the deaths of the riders of the city.
This sets off a series of grisly and tragic events.
The four
teenagers that are at the center of this story are Rowan, a girl with a gift
for translating historical documents, her best friend Tom, Tom’s brother Jude,
and the new-in-town Fiona Eira. Their
messy and complicated relationships serve as an emotional counterpoint to the
horror slowing building in the village. These characters are individuals and
very well drawn. Another point in the novel’s favor is that while it portrays
an archaic society in which men hold power, it also shows the very harmful
effects this structure has on the women living under it. Rowan, one of the
smartest characters in the story, figures out what is really going on but finds
herself disregarded and entrapped. The consequences are dire.
Throughout
the first half of the book I found that I was kept guessing, not knowing in
which direction the narrative was going to turn. This is a feeling I find
increasingly rare the more books I read, so I appreciated it. The story ends on
a satisfying note, but if McCormick Templeman sets any future books in this
world, I’d be happy to read them.
5 Stars
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