My Review
Until recently, I didn’t even know that this series came together in one book. My mom bought the series as it was released, one each month, back in 1997. So I have the original books, which apparently aren’t in print … Continue reading
Tag Archives: 5 stars
Synopsis
Now, for the first time, the New York Times bestselling serial thriller is complete in one terrifying volume. John Saul, the master of supernatural suspense, John Saul, brings to chilling life the small New England town of Blackstone--and the secrets and sins that lay buried there. . . . From atop Blackstone's highest hill, the old Asylum casts its shadow over the village. Built in the 1890s to house the insane, the Asylum has stood vacant for decades. But now, the wrecker's ball is about to strike--and unleash an ominous evil. Strange gifts begin to appear on the doorsteps of Blackstone's finest citizens. Each bears a mysterious history. Each brings a horrifying power to harm. Each reveals another thread in the suspensefully woven web of . . . THE BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES Part I--An Eye for an Eye: The Doll Part II--Twist of Fate: The Locket Part III--Ashes to Ashes: The Dragon's Flame Part IV--In the Shadow of Evil: The Handkerchief Part V--Day of Reckoning: The Stereoscope Part VI--Asylum
Synopsis
A recurrent, unidentifiable noise in her apartment. A memo to her boss that's replaced by obscene insults. Amanda—a successful architect in a happy marriage—finds her life going off kilter by degrees. She starts smoking again, and one night for no reason, without even the knowledge that she's doing it, she burns her husband with a cigarette. At night she dreams of a beautiful woman with pointed teeth on the shore of a blood-red sea. The new voice in Amanda's head, the one that tells her to steal things and talk to strange men in bars, is strange and frightening, and Amanda struggles to wrest back control of her life. Is she possessed by a demon, or is she simply insane?My Review
“What we think is impossible happens all the time.” Come Closer by Sara Gran is one of those books that I took a chance on – it sounded interesting and it was available to read for free on Prime Reading, … Continue reading
Synopsis
When a barrier between truth and illusion grows stronger, a family’s trust crumbles in this arresting short story by the number one New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in Cabin 10. Leah has spent her formative years isolated on a remote island with her family. But their quiet existence, far from the devastated mainland, is cracking. Father, sensing a coming threat, demands that a wall be built. As the stone blockade rises, Father’s paranoia escalates. So does Leah’s dread that the violence the family left behind has found its way to their sanctuary. Ruth Ware’s Snowflakes is part of Hush, a collection of six stories, ranging from political mysteries to psychological thrillers, in which deception can be a matter of life and death. Each piece can be read or listened to in one truly chilling sitting.My Review
So after reading the Dark Corners collection from Amazon Original Stories, I decided that I wanted to check out another collection – this one being the Hush collection, which promises mysteries and thrillers. Because thrillers tend to by second favorite … Continue reading
Synopsis
The fate of a lonely girl becomes part of a town’s shameful secret history in Thriller Award winner Jennifer McMahon’s terrifying story of guilt, retribution, and one tragic Halloween night. Thirty-four years ago, on October 31, poor Hannah Talbott took part in a scavenger hunt gone violently wrong. The mean girls made sure of it. To this day, for a haunted local mother, the most unsettling Halloween costume of all is an urban legend they call Hannah-Beast. It’s a reminder of the past she can’t forget. Especially tonight when it’s come back, so close to home. Jennifer McMahon’s Hannah-Beast is part of Dark Corners, a collection of seven heart-stopping short stories by bestselling authors who give you so many new reasons to be afraid. Each story can be read in a single sitting. Or, if you have the nerve, you can listen all by yourself in the dark.My Review
In 1982, a girl named Hannah was teased and emotionally abused by a group of girls, and despite that, she didn’t recognize it and thought that they were her friends. They pulled horrible pranks on her, including one that went … Continue reading
Synopsis
From New York Times bestselling author Amy Ewing (The Jewel) comes the exciting first book in a new fantasy duology. Rich, vivid world-building and ethereal magic combine in an epic tale that’s perfect for fans of Snow Like Ashes, These Broken Stars, or Magonia. Sera Lighthaven has always felt as if she didn’t quite belong among her people, the Cerulean, who live in the City Above the Sky. She is curious about everything—especially the planet that her City is magically tethered to—and can’t stop questioning things. Sera has always longed for the day when the tether will finally break and the Cerulean can move to a new planet. But when Sera is chosen as the sacrifice to break the tether, she feels betrayed by everything in which she’d been taught to trust. In order to save her City, Sera must end her own life. But something goes wrong, and Sera survives, ending up on the planet below in a country called Kaolin. Sera has heard tales about the dangerous humans who live here, and she quickly learns that these dangers were not just stories. Meanwhile, back in the City, all is not what it seems, and the life of every Cerulean may be in danger if Sera is not able to find a way home.My Review
I first came across this book when it was released, and it sounded really interesting, but I wasn’t really in the mood for a fantasy at the time so I didn’t buy it until I discovered it again when the … Continue reading
Synopsis
THEN She was fifteen, her mother's golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone. NOW It’s been ten years since Ellie disappeared, but Laurel has never given up hope of finding her daughter. And then one day a charming and charismatic stranger called Floyd walks into a café and sweeps Laurel off her feet. Before too long she’s staying the night at this house and being introduced to his nine year old daughter. Poppy is precocious and pretty - and meeting her completely takes Laurel's breath away. Because Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie when she was that age. And now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back. What happened to Ellie? Where did she go? Who still has secrets to hide?My Review
Then She Was Gone was one of the best books that I have ever read. It was one of the most terrifying tales of psychological suspense that I have read to date – as a mother, this book will for … Continue reading
Synopsis
The queen of YA thrillers is back with another page-turner, and this time, it's a fight to survive. In Piper's hometown, teenagers keep disappearing, and everyone assumes they're just a bunch of runaways. But when yet another person disappears, Piper and her best friend Hazel suspect something more sinister is going on. So they decide to investigate, determined to learn the truth. Their search for answers leads them to the source of the missing people...and their captors. Piper and Hazel suddenly find themselves locked away in a secluded building in the middle of a privately owned forest. But the building isn't only meant to keep them imprisoned; every room is a test to see if they can make it out alive. And failure means being lost...forever.My Review
The first book I ever read by Natasha Preston was The Cellar. After I read The Cellar, I read The Cabin, and I really liked that one, too. While I didn’t love it as much as I loved The Cellar, … Continue reading
Synopsis
Roberta 'Bobbie' Rowe is not the kind of person who believes in ghosts. A Halloween dare at her ridiculously spooky boarding school is no big deal, especially when her best friend Naya and cute local boy Caine agree to join in too. They are ordered to summon the legendary ghost of 'Bloody Mary': say her name five times in front of a candlelit mirror, and she shall appear... But, surprise surprise, nothing happens. Or does it? Next morning, Bobbie finds a message on her bathroom mirror... five days... but what does it mean? And who left it there? Things get increasingly weird and more terrifying for Bobbie and Naya, until it becomes all too clear that Bloody Mary was indeed called from the afterlife that night, and she is definitely not a friendly ghost. Bobbie, Naya and Caine are now in a race against time before their five days are up and Mary comes for them, as she has come for countless others before... A truly spine-chilling yet witty horror from shortlisted 'Queen of Teen' author James Dawson.My Review
WHY IS THERE NO SEQUEL FOR THIS BOOK? WHY?!? This was one of the coolest YA horror novels I have ever read. It might have even been one of the scariest ones I’ve read (at least in a long time), … Continue reading
Synopsis
The critically acclaimed, award-winning, modern classic Speak is now a stunning graphic novel. "Speak up for yourself—we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless—an outcast—because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. Through her work on an art project, she is finally able to face what really happened that night: She was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. With powerful illustrations by Emily Carroll, Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak: The Graphic Novel comes alive for new audiences and fans of the classic novel.My Review
I recently read Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson again. When I first read this book, I was completely blown away by how powerful that book was. It was not just emotional, it was raw, it was painful. So when I … Continue reading
Synopsis
“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls.“Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.
Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend’s restless spirit.
My Review
It had been a long time since I read Speak – I read it years ago when it was first published. I always enjoyed that book, and this was on my to-read list for a long time, and finally I … Continue reading
