The Demonists by Thomas E. Sniegoski

On All Hallows Eve, when the boundary between this world and The Otherworld, John Fogg , his wife Theodora Knight and their team of paranormal investigators and TV crew investigate a haunted house.  The only problem was there were no ghosts.  They only found a strange container that would change their world forever.

The Demonists by Thomas E. Sniegoski is a book that is root world of demonology.  There are other paranormal aspects but, the subject of demons is really at its heart.  The book takes us on a journey mainly with John Fogg and the steps he takes to deal with what happened on that fateful Halloween night.  We go through his struggles and fights and the war he wages on that which upended his life.

The story itself moved along well.  It takes the reader event to event with all the exposition it offers in between the action.  It' does not feel  overly predictable or contrived   The problem I had was, the scenery.  Now, this may be a personal preference but, I believe certain types of stories require sufficient description.  In this case, I think it would have done much to contrast the demonic from the mundane worlds with a better description of the latter.  We get some very good ideas of the way demons appear as well as some of the more grotesque scenes.  What we don't get is memorable descriptions of the nicer scenes or even  characters.  This was a missed opportunity for contrast.  Bright colors, beautiful people or inspiring vistas could have create a defining line between worlds.  There wasn't even enough confusing grays to create or enhance conflict.

There is some very good exposition for John Fogg and we get an idea for many of his motivations.  He and his wife Theodora get the most development throughout the story though  we get some resolution for FBI Agent Brenna Isabel.  Most other characters seem a little like set pieces.  There are two exceptions that I believe will show up in any sequels.  Even with the growth these characters show, I still had trouble really connecting with them.  Of course, that could be from some of the uninspiring descriptions.

Overall,  The Demonists by Thomas Sniegoski is a tale with promise that can be realized in future books.  The violence and language get very graphic making me lean toward rating it R.

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Dark Fantasy, demons, halloween, horror, Penguin Publishing Group, Review, Thomas E. Sniegoski, Urban  Leave your mark

The nth Day by Jonathan Huls

When I first read the synopsis of the book, I was really intrigued. I liked the idea of God, or a version of God being reborn in our present world and time. Despite the original ideas, I had a really hard time getting through the whole book.  For the most part, the story was captivating, and I always wanted to know what happened next. However, despite the fascinating scenes, it was too difficult to overlook certain things.

First off, let me say I'm usually ok with a certain amounts of gore and horror. In this book, however, it was it was too vulgar and gory for my tastes. A character getting stabbed in a testicle? I really don't need to read that. Another character getting emasculated after an accident? I see a pattern forming here. And it's not just the gore. I thought it was tasteless to include a scene where a little girl is almost rapped by a foster parent. I had to skip over most of the scene. I can understand if it needs to happen in order to further the story, but please don't make me read through it like any other regular scene.

Justin is by far the most interesting character that I've read in while, I'll give you that. I like that it's never really clear whether he's simply a supernatural deity or if he's actually God with a capital "G". I also like that he was born from immaculate conception. I'm not a religious person so I really don't care whether it's blasphemous or not. Then again, the joke about getting it in the "wrong hole" was another tasteless matter. It's quite interesting to see Justin go from a very serene and beautiful baby, to a trouble-making pre-adolescent. However, as a god, when Justin throws a tantrum, bad things happen which sometimes extends to the entire world. The repercussions can be minor, such as changing most of the population's eyes to brilliant emerald green, or catastrophic, like the disappearance of all money and currency.

The timeline is a little confusing. One moment Justin is a toddler, the next he's a little bit older. How old isn't very clear so it's hard to judge the passage of time. Cassie's timeline is as confusing. She survives an atrocious upbringing as a toddler and then she's thrown into foster care. Her amount of time in foster care isn't very clear and her age only guessed by another character towards the end of the book. As Justin's journey converges with Theodore and Cassie's storylines, I really thought things were going to escalate and lead to something meaningful. However, when the story ended, I was confused and left searching for the point. It feels like there wasn't really any meaning to the story, except destruction and chaos.

Also, the actual writing felt a little clumsy. Like I mentioned, it was difficult to follow the timelines, and the passage of time. The story could have used a little bit more editing and a little less thesaurus use. If you want to say blood, simply use the world blood. Don't describe it as hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a protein in your red blood cells, which is a composition of blood itself. Another grammar error that I couldn't ignore was "genetically disposed" instead of "genetically predisposed." Whether that error was done purposely or not, I'm not sure, but I just couldn't overlook it. My spelling and grammar is far from perfect but I expect a little better from published books.

Overall, the ideas in the novel were interesting but could have used a little bit more finesse and little bit more editing. If gore isn't for you, I would stay clear of this book. Honestly, I can't think of any books to compare it to. It's definitely original, but in this case, that's not necessarily a good thing.

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Posted by Tynga at 03:03

 Apocalypse, Author, Duvinchi Media Group, god, horror, Jonathan Huls, Review  1 Person left their mark

A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd

Warning!  A Cold Legacy is the finale to the Madman's Daughter trilogy.  If you haven't read The Madman's Daughter or Her Dark Curiosity, you can check out my reviews by clicking on the titles.

Just as in the first two books, A Cold Legacy leans heavily on a classic horror story.  This time, it's Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.  I continue to be super impressed with Megan Shepherd, as she manages to work these classic tales into entirely new stories with new characters.  


Even though this novel is based on a different classic than Her Dark Curiosity, the characters remain the same.  The second book closed with a very narrow escape for Juliet, Montgomery, Edward, Lucy, and Balthazar, and A Cold Legacy opens on the very same scene, with the characters still on the run.  They have directions from Elizabeth, to reach her secluded manor on the moor.  She has just revealed to the group (at the end of the second book) that her family's last name used to be Frankenstein.... so what will await them at the manor?

Action!  Fright!  Dangerous things!  <--what awaits them at the manor

But if you've been reading this trilogy from the start, that is what you'd expect.  This trilogy definitely does NOT tire in it's finale!  I would even venture to say that A Cold Legacy is more exciting and gripping than The Madman's Daughter.  There wasn't every more than half a page of rest between reveals and surprises and action.  This book was definitely chilling:  Megan Shepherd doesn't hold back at all when describing medical conditions.  (Elizabeth, remember, is a skilled surgeon; and Juliet is self-taught at medicine.)  I hold to what I said in my review of The Madman's Daughter:  this trilogy is like Stephen King for the YA set.  The lines between right and wrong seem very wide and very gray.  I've never loved a character so much while hating her decisions so much as I have Juliet.  All of the characters are so very complex and imperfect; you may find your loyalties changing chapter to chapter.

The only slight bump in the book came near the end, when Juliet is performing a surgery... she manages to do a procedure in a few minutes that I really feel should have taken a few hours.  (I'm not a doctor; I just watch medical dramas on TV.  But when you get to that scene you'll probably agree with me.)  And then the patient recovers much more quickly than I felt was realistic.  This particular procedure played a large enough part in the plot that it kind of bothered me.  But by the time I reached that scene I was hopelessly hooked, and the action does return to closer to realistic soon after.

I can't underscore that last sentence enough:  I was hooked.  In fact, I sat down to read in the early afternoon and didn't put it down until after sunset, until I'd read the last page.  Now I'm a little sad that the trilogy has ended.  I recommend this series at work all the time, and I recommend it to you too!

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Balzer + Bray, Gothic, horror, Love amp; Romance, Madman's Daughter, megan shepherd, Purchased, Retelling, Review  1 Person left their mark

John Dies at the End by David Wong

There are books you read for their impact on literature. There are books you read so you can escape into the story. Still other books are read because the story is so strange that sheer curiosity compels you to open it up and look inside. John Dies at the End is that kind of book.

This book is all about Dave, John and Molly (their dog) as they share adventures and soy sauce. I can’t even begin to discuss plot or story line or tropes. At times it almost comes off as a stream of consciousness experiment rather than a book or even a short story. In spite of that, there is a slight bit of cohesion in the way it’s laid out that can keep you in the story.

The storyline has nothing on the characters. There is no real character development. We get to know the most about John and Dave. The rest of the characters sort of come and go with some exceptions (can’t say who, spoilers).

With a damaged storyline and odd characters you would expect the book to be horrible. In my humble opinion, it’s actually a pretty good book. It’s unpolished and somewhat crude for the most part but, it’s very entertaining. I got this on in audiobook form which may have something to do with entertainment value I found in it. Stephen R. Thorne does an excellent job of narration. His delivery of many of the passages help the humor shine through. Yes, there is humor in the book. If you listen to the audiobook, warn others around you that you my start laughing for no apparent reason. It is often that funny.

John Dies at the End is a quirky, irreverent and entertaining book. I like to think of it as the Airplane! of the genre. There is harsh language and some violence in it that makes it a mild R rated book but, if you are in the need for a few paranormal belly laughs, this is the story for you.

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Posted by Tynga at 00:39

 David Wong, Fiction, horror, humor, Humorous, Macmillan, Paranormal, Review  4 People left their mark

The Mesmerized by Rhiannon Frater

I've been a fan of Rhiannon Frater ever since I read her As the World Dies zombie apocalypse trilogy a few years back. THE MESMERIZED may not be my favorite novel of hers but the writing is on par with her other books. In this novel, the apocalypse has arrived in a weird plague like storm but instead of zombies, most of the population become entranced, or mesmerized, and start walking in one direction, as if they had only one purpose but no control over their body. They become mindless shells which leads to destruction of cities and the crumbling of societies. The main character, Minji, is one of the very few that is still conscious and able to control her own body. She sets out to save her family, her daughter and her husband among the many mesmerized.

Personally, I find this idea of the apocalypse very frightening. At least with zombies you know what you're dealing with but in the case of the mesmerized, it's very difficult to see who you're fighting against. An act of terrorism or a supernatural plague are theorized but nobody really knows what is going on. The mesmerized hordes don't seem dangerous. Many are dying but deaths are all self-inflicted because the mindless drones don't know what they are doing or walking into. The unknown is very frightening but for Minji, finding the cure is the one and only thing that's on her mind. One of my greatest fears is to lose my mind or lose my memory so an event like this would probably be up there on my list of worse apocalypses ever.

As mentioned earlier, the writing is amazing. The descriptive narrative is very well done. Rhiannon Frater is a genius when it comes to describing horrible scenes, and I mean that as a compliment. One can only think of her opening scene in First Days, the first book of her zombie trilogy, where she describes a child's little fingers trying to scratch their way out from under the front door of a house. In THE MESMERIZED, obviously the situation is a little different, but the intensity and the emotion felt in the first minutes of the plague is due to the wonderful writing. I could feel Minji's horror and her intense desire to assemble her family and keep them safe. It's strange that for a good part of the beginning of the plague, Minji was literally on her own, despite being surrounded by the mesmerized. This part should have been difficult to read because of the lack of dialogue but fortunately, Rhiannon's strong narrative allows you to overlook this lack and become absorbed in the story. Eventually, Minji finds other people that are immune, like her, but for the time she was alone, we obviously had to rely on Rhiannon's great narrative.

A strong female lead is typical for this author and I wouldn't expect anything less. I love how Minji is a no nonsense character and deals wonderfully with the apocalypse. Her fear is very real, and you can see how she fights to stay strong for her family, but you can also tell she's often moments away from a breakdown. The other characters are not as well developed but their own unique story has you sympathize for them and their situation.

The setting for the majority of the novel was perfect. "This was Las Vegas, a place that never slept, but it now appeared empty and abandoned by the living." Vegas is the city that never sleeps, the city of sin and you would think if one city needed to be purged of sin, it would be Las Vegas. Unfortunately, Vegas isn't the only city affected. The mesmerized seem to be appearing in different cities, at different times, in different waves.

Overall, the characters were wonderful, the writing exceptional and the story original. Fans of Rhiannon Frater will be pleased to read something completely new and new readers will be stunned by the impressive, yet terrifying novel.

Read an excerpt

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Posted by Tynga at 02:33

 Apocalypse, horror, Permuted Press, Publisher, Review, Rhiannon Frater  Leave your mark

Between The Spark And The Burn by April Genevieve Tucholke

Between The Spark And The Burn is the amazing sequel (and conclusion) to Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea, one of  my favorite Gothic novels ever. April Genevieve had the challenging task of concluding such an expansive and engrossing story, but the ending to this series is extremely successful and fitting. Readers won't want to let go of the Devil's hand and say goodbye to Violet, River and the rest of the Citizen Kane crew.

River went missing and it's up to Violet and Neely to find him before he harms himself and others. This duo sets out on their journey chasing rumors, but trouble has a way of finding Violet and her friends. Though Neely is supposed to be 'good', he still seems to be hiding so much from Violet. What is Neely hiding and will Violet find River?

Between The Spark And The Burn has a much different feel than its predecessor, this novel is much faster paced and much more intense. Spark brings readers to several different locales and allows readers to experience local legends and myths in such a creative way. Our heroine, Violet is chasing after anything that might lead to River and that means readers get to meet a variety of strange new characters and creatures along the way. Between small, close-minded towns to odd islands, Tucholke creates a number of settings that readers will love to visit and these locations are anything but normal.

I absolutely love Violet and the relationship she has with River and Neely because it allows us to see her in a totally different light. Though Violet may seem like she's perfectly content, her obsession with these boys allows us to see an unhinged, reckless girl who just longs to be loved and appreciated by someone. River and Neely are dangerous, Violet knows that but she needs someone to fill in the gaps in her heart that her parents can't seem to fill. I love a complex, flawed character and Violet is just the type of character that I love to read about.

Tucholke really knows how to write the perfect bad boy and this series has River Redding who is so much better than your average love interest. The bad boy is an archtype that is all too common in YA: the stalking, damaged teen who is angry at the world and quite possibly drives a motorcycle. River might have his fair share of scars, but he doesn't follows the YA cliches associated with this type of character. I shouldn't have loved his character for a multitude of reasons, but it's an ode to Tucholke's talent that she makes such a harmful character so alluring and impossible to resist.

Between The Spark And The Burn is a gorgeously written Gothic novel with an imaginative setting, well-drawn out characters and a plot that will keep readers guessing until the end.  Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea is a superb duology that fans of Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl will love and Between The Spark And The Burn concludes this series on the best possible note.

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 April Genevieve Tucholke, Dial, horror, Paranormal Romance, Penguin, Publisher, Review, series conclusion, young adult  Leave your mark

The Merciless by Danielle Vega

I'm always looking for a good YA horror novel because sadly there are so few of these types of novels out there. The majority of YA books that are classified as horror are far from being frightening and so, The Merciless had tough shoes to fill. Much to my delight,  The Merciless is one of the best horror novels I've ever read and it is easily one of my favorites books of the year so far. With a plot that screams Stephen King meets Mean Girls, what's not to love?

Sofia really got in with the wrong crowd, she never expected to get involved with an exorcism. At first she thought Riley and her friends wanted to help Brooklyn, but things quickly escalate when Riley traps Brooklyn in a house with the rest of the girls. If Sofia can't figure out how to save Brooklyn from Riley and herself, there will more than a few drops of blood shed.

The Merciless starts off like so many novels with the new girl trying to fit in with the popular kids, expect this time around there's a lot more blood, baptisms, and exorcisms. The girls spy on Brooklyn and everything is pretty innocent at first, giving The Merciless a Mean Girls. Vega even references the infamous burn book and she perfectly captures the atmosphere of high school in the opening chapters.

Readers who enjoy the opening chapters might not enjoy the rest of the novel because the rest of the novel is much darker in tone. Gone is the light atmosphere and Vega definitely means business in the rest of this novel because she never holds back. The rest of  The Merciless is gloriously twisted and messed up, providing readers with some of the creepiest imagery I've seen in a novel recently. You won't want to read this one in the dark because Vega's prose will get under your skin and give you chills.

The Merciless moves at an incredibly quick pace and getting through this novel was an easy feat. I was extremely engaged by the ominous, strange aura that this novel gave off and once I started The Merciless, this novel became the center of my attention. I'm a reader who lacks the ability to give a book my undivided attention because I easily get distracted, but The Merciless was able to capture from the start. This whole novel is bizarre and it's unlike anything I've ever read, which isn't something I throw IMF the law. around lightly.

Considering it's the 1st book in a series, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Vega ends this on a cliffhanger. This is the type of cliffhanger that will infuriate you and make you so curious about book 2. Vega did an excellent job at setting up this conclusion and for managing to surprise readers until the very end.

The Merciless isn't for everyone, but those who have twisted, dark minds will absolutely love it. If you're looking to read this book, Prepare yourself one of the most horrifying book you've read in ages!

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Posted by Tynga at 02:08

 BEA, Danielle Vega, Demon, horror, Paranormal, Penguin, Razorbill, Review, Social Issues, The Merciless, young adult  Leave your mark

Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry

I read Rot & Ruin nearly two years ago and I absolutely loved it, the only problem is that I'm terrible with reading series due to the constant influx of ARCs and shiny books that publishers are churning out. It took a while, but I've finally reunited with Benny Imura and his friends and I truly plan on bingeing the rest of this series by the end of the year. Dust & Decay is a far superior novel than it's predecessor and this time around, the pacing is much quicker. Though I lacked any recollection of what happened in book one, Dust & Decay was absolutely addicting and it was so easy to transition back into this series.

 

Though I love the plot and gory zombie scenes, my favorite aspect of the Rot & Ruin series is the characters. Jonathan Maberry has breathed life into all of the characters in this book and they all have extremely deep personalities that feel genuine. One of my favorite relationships in this series is the brotherly bond between Benny and his older brother, Tom. Benny and Tom have a special connection that is unrivaled by anything I've read recently and I'd love to see more books focus on the unique bond that siblings share. Tom and Benny don't always get along, but Tom still has a urgent, fatherly need to protect Benny from the world and himself. Tom loves Benny more than he will show and watching those two's snarky conversations was a delight.

 

There aren't nearly enough books with diverse characters and it's always special to read in which a person of color is a main character. I love how the Imuras' heritage is Asian, this is such a simple fact but the weight of it is so important given how little representation non-Caucasian characters have in YA literature. Maberry never makes it a big deal that Benny and Tom are Asian, which made the diversity of it feel even more special. It shouldn't feel abnormal when a character isn't White,  the author should make it subtle and feel normal because diversity is what the world needs in literature.

Dust & Decay is yet another great novel from Jonathan Maberry and I'm extremely eager to read the following installments in the Rot & Ruin series. D&D ended on a cliffhanger, so I definitely need to get my hands on the next book as soon as possible! The only good thing about waiting so long to continue this series is that I don't have to suffer a long wait between installments and that I can read them back to back. I absolutely love this series and Dust & Decay is a zombie novel with heart that will leave readers anxious for more!

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 horror, Jonathan Maberry, Library, Paranormal, Review, Rot amp; Ruin, series, Simon amp; Schuster, Simon and Schuster, young adult, Zombies  1 Person left their mark

Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

Moria and Ashyn are twin sisters with a most crucial role. They are respectively the keeper and the seeker on the Forest of the Dead and their role is to keep the population safe from the angry spirits roaming its depth. Each year, on a specific night, the seeker walks into the forest with a small group to seek the bodies of the exiles (criminals and such) and give them a proper burial to bring them peace. This year, Ashyn will go into the forest alone, without her mentor, and nothing could've prepared her - nor Moria- for what awaits them in the shadows.

What an amazing read! I'm a fan of Kelley Armstrong (I'm currently reading her Woman of the Otherworld series and have read both her YA trilogies, Darkest Powers & Darkness Rising), and this book is honestly completely different from anything else I've read from her. The tone is actually very dark despite some humor here and there, and I have to confess the novel gave me the creeps. I even had trouble falling asleep one night after reading a particular scene at around 20% of the book. This novel is honestly bordering on horror, especially at the beginning, but the scary factor was brought down a bit once both girls set out on their respective quests.

I truly enjoyed the very unique lore Armstrong brought to the table. In the girls' kingdom, there are three pairs of twin sisters holding the role of keeper & seeker: One at the palace, one at the forest of the dead, and one is roaming around. Their role is of the utmost importance in this world where spirits hold great powers and those honored girls are chosen in a rather gruesome way. Each of them also have a bonded pet and I thought it was a really nice touch, especially considering their important to the plot. This world is also filled with magic and mythical creatures the likes you've never heard of and it was amazing, and sometimes scary, to discover them.

An aspect I particularly liked is how different Moria and Ashyn are despite their being twins. Moria is a big-mouthed arrogant fighter with a passion for story-telling and a weak spot for children. Her vision of boy-girl interaction is also very technical, especially compared to Ashyn's who as a very romantic spirit. The latter is also soft spoken and of a much more intellectual type, let's say she much preferred healing classes to combat ones. Both of them are amazing in their own way and their opposite personalities are balancing each other perfectly.

The girls were split after a tragic event and spend most of their journey apart, each paired with a boy. Gavril, Moria's partner, is a brooding secretive and sexy soldier with an attitude to rival Moria's. I actually really liked him and after their journey, he is the biggest mystery I can't wait to discover in the following novel. Ronan, Ashyn's companion, is an exile who survived the winter in the forest of the dead and he also is very secretive. He appears and disappears as pleases him, but he is always there when Ash needs him. I had a soft spot for him and I want to see more from him as well.

In this novel, the characters are facing one long journey filled with mysteries and dangers and while the novel was a real page-turner, I feel like it's an introduction for what's to come. The chess pieces have been set in place and I honestly can't wait to see the big battle unfold. I was really dumbstruck by the cliffhanger conclusion and I just feel there is a lot more to discover than the bits Armstrong gave us. I don't know when book 2 will release, but I hope I'll get an early copy because the wait might just kill me.

 

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Posted by Tynga at 01:51

 Age of Legends, Edelweiss, Harper Collins, horror, Kelley Armstrong, Magic, Paranormal, Review, young adult, Zombies  10 People left their mark

Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd

"Genius or madness-- it all depends on who's telling the story."

       The Madman's Daughter was one of the most promising books of 2013, but it ultimately let me down. I hoped that Her Dark Curiosity would raise the bar and that it would be a vast improvement over it's predecessor. Much to my disappointment, Her Dark Curiosity takes almost everything I loved about The Madman's Daughter and sacrifices these elements for an extremely ridiculous and unnecessary love triangle. This is not a retelling of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by any stretch of the imagination, it's merely an illogical romance that left me rolling my eyes.

Her Dark Curiosity is riddled with plot holes, there's so much left unanswered and Shepherd doesn't even attempt to answer any of my questions. How did both Edward and Montgomery end up in London? Juliet never gives a thought to the fact that both guys are supposed to be trapped on the island and have miraculously returned. What a coincidence! There are too many moments where things just magically seem to fall into order easily. Not to mention, the fact that there are blatant errors in terms of the biology that Shepherd is referencing in this book, the science in Her Dark Curiosity is faulty and illogical at best.

The plot in Her Dark Curiosity is majorly lacking and the romance is the only force that truly keeps the plot from reaching a stalemate. There is way too much emphasis on the romance and Shepherd unsuccessfully uses the romance to forward the plot. I don't care for Edward or Montgomery at all, I truly don't see anything appealing about either romantic interest. Both guys are extremely untrustworthy, duplicitous, and lack moral decency; both guys seem to act like they can control Juliet at times and this really bothered me. Juliet  kept on striving to create this facade where she was this strong-willed, powerful woman and yet, she let Montgomery and Edward push her around like a rag doll. Usually, I favor at least one character in a book's love triangle, but I couldn't care less about the romantic ventures of the trio in the slightest bit.

Megan Shepherd is extremely adept at creating a creepy, gothic atmosphere and compelling readers to continue reading about Juliet. Even though I wasn't interested in the plot of this book, I kept reading just for Shepherd's vivid, spooky imagery. Her Dark Curiosity really needed a big dose of creepy, macabre elements; I truly missed the peculiarities of Moreau's island and I yearned to read something that was idiosyncratic. Megan Shepherd is so talented at writing horror, both subtle and blatant, in the Madman's Daughter series and I really wish there was more of an emphasis on madness and other quirks of Juliet.

The last portion of the book is the most exciting part of the entire novel, but it is still rather dull. I really was curious to see what classic Shepherd would be retelling in book, but truthfully, it's so obvious what novel Shepherd was going to tackle from the get-go. I didn't see the conclusion coming at all, but then again, I was so disinterested in Her Dark Curiosity that it didn't leave an impression on me. I'm so over this series at this point and I can't really glean any excitement for book #3, but I have a feeling my dark curiosity will get the best of me and I will end up reading it.

Her Dark Curiosity is one of the most disappointing sequels I've read to date and it failed to deliver. I really wish The Madman's Daughter had been a stand-alone because as a series, it is extremely ineffective and frivolous. I could care less about the wretched love triangle and I'll be reading the 3rd novel just to see how this series ends. I have really high hopes for Shepherd's upcoming series, The Cage and I really hope that I enjoy more than Her Dark Curiosity.

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Balzer amp; Bray, Edelweiss, Gothic, Harper Collins, Historical, historical fiction, horror, megan shepherd, Mystery, Paranormal Romance, Publisher, Retelling, Review, The Madman's Daughter  1 Person left their mark

Dark Duets Edited by Christopher Golden

I was extremely excited to read Dark Duets mainly because it's contains stories by Cassandra Clare, Jonathan Mayberry, and Carrie Ryan. I haven't had such great luck with anthologies in the past and I hoped that Dark Duets would be the first anthology to impress me. The stories in Dark Duets are of varying quality, the stories range from being excellent to absolutely unreadable. In this anthology there are only a few exceptional short stories and the rest are pretty mediocre and tedious. I decided to write some thoughts about the stories that stood out to me:

TRIP TRAP by Sherrilyn Kenyon & Kevin J. Anderson -

• This story was an interesting story about a troll, but it was too short to be terrifying. It needed a bit more substance, gore, and macabre for my tastes.

DARK WITNESS by Charlaine Harris & Rachel Caine -

• This story was excellent, until I read the ending which was poorly crafted and written. Despite it's lackluster ending, I really felt Dark Witness would work as a full-length novel.


• DW was so much better than the last few Sookie Stackhouse novels, it gives me hope that Harris's future novels won't be as terrible as I thought they would be.

REPLACING MAX by Stuart MacBride & Allan Guthrie -

• REVOLTING.  This story wasn't scary, instead it was disgusting and handled a taboo subject poorly.

T. RHYMER by Gregory Frost & Jonathan Maberry -

• I am not familiar with Gregory Frost's books, but after this short story, I'd consider reading them!


• T. Rhymer was an intelligent, witty short story about elves--this was definitely one of the best stories in this anthology!

SHE, DOOMED GIRL by Sarah MacLean & Carrie Ryan

• This story was insane. It messed with my mind in all of the right ways.

AMUSE-BOUCHE by Amber Benson & Jeffrey J. Mariotte

• And yet another disgusting story! Do yourself a favor and don't eat before reading this story.

SISTERS BEFORE MISTERS by Sarah Rees Brennan, Cassandra Clare, and Holly Black

• This short story was the main reason I decided to read this anthology and it was so disappointing.


• It wasn't up to par with the quality that I normally associate with these authors' novels.


• I expected so much more from Brennan, Clare and Black.

Dark Duets has a few scary stories, but all of the other stories were completely unmemorable. I really don't think Dark Duets was worth my time, I regret reading all of the stories and I wish I had just read only the stories written by authors that I'm familiar with. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, not even to fans of anthologies.

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Anthology, Cassandra Clare, christopher golden, Harper Collins, horror, Paranormal, Publisher, Review, Urban Fantasy, Voyager  Leave your mark