Tag Archives: thriller

Book Title:
The Eyes Are the Best Part
Book Author:
Monika Kim
Page Count:
288
Publishing Date:
June 25th, 2024
Publisher:
Erewhon Books
Date Read:
July 15th, 2024
Format:
Hardcover
Source:
Purchased

Synopsis

“Violent, smart, gruesome and wildly original, this novel pulls readers into a horrific world of murder and cannibalism while also critiquing misogyny, exploring Asian fetishization and stereotypes, sharing what it’s like to navigate two cultures and telling a touching story of a family in turmoil.” —New York Times Book Review

Crying in H-Mart meets My Sister, the Serial Killer in this feminist psychological horror about the making of a female serial killer from a Korean-American perspective.

Ji-won’s life tumbles into disarray in the wake of her appa’s extramarital affair and subsequent departure. Her mother, distraught. Her younger sister, hurt and confused. Her college freshman grades, failing. Her dreams, horrifying… yet enticing.

In them, Ji-won walks through bloody rooms full of eyes. Succulent blue eyes. Salivatingly blue eyes. Eyes the same shape and shade as George’s, who is Umma’s obnoxious new boyfriend. George has already overstayed his welcome in her family’s claustrophobic apartment. He brags about his puffed-up consulting job, ogles Asian waitresses while dining out, and acts condescending toward Ji-won and her sister as if he deserves all of Umma’s fawning adoration. No, George doesn’t deserve anything from her family. Ji-won will make sure of that.

For no matter how many victims accumulate around her campus or how many people she must deceive and manipulate, Ji-won’s hunger and her rage deserve to be sated.

A brilliantly inventive, subversive novel about a young woman unraveling, Monika Kim’s The Eyes Are the Best Part is a story of a family falling apart and trying to find their way back to each other, marking a bold new voice in horror that will leave readers mesmerized and craving more.

My Review

Anything involving eyes makes me queasy. It’s why I’ve never worn contact lenses – only glasses – since I was seven years old. It’s why I’ve never attempted any kind of vision correcting surgery. And it’s why I almost feel … Continue reading

5 stars
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Book Title:
Horror Movie
Book Author:
Paul Tremblay
Page Count:
277
Publishing Date:
June 11th, 2024
Publisher:
William Morrow
Date Read:
July 1st, 2024
Format:
Hardcover
Source:
Purchased

Synopsis

A chilling twist on the “cursed film” genre from the bestselling author of The Pallbearers Club and The Cabin at the End of the World.

In June 1993, a group of young guerilla filmmakers spent four weeks making Horror Movie, a notorious, disturbing, art-house horror flick.

The weird part? Only three of the film’s scenes were ever released to the public, but Horror Movie has nevertheless grown a rabid fanbase. Three decades later, Hollywood is pushing for a big budget reboot.

The man who played “The Thin Kid” is the only surviving cast member. He remembers all too well the secrets buried within the original screenplay, the bizarre events of the filming, and the dangerous crossed lines on set that resulted in tragedy. As memories flood back in, the boundaries between reality and film, past and present start to blur. But he’s going to help remake the film, even if it means navigating a world of cynical producers, egomaniacal directors, and surreal fan conventions — demons of the past be damned.

But at what cost?

Horror Movie is an obsessive, psychologically chilling, and suspenseful twist on the “cursed film” that breathlessly builds to an unforgettable, mind-bending conclusion.

My Review

Paul Tremblay is an incredibly gifted author with a true talent for writing thrillers, horror, and the unexpected. I enjoyed some of his other work, and I was super excited to jump into Horror Story because the whole “cursed found … Continue reading

3 stars
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Book Title:
This is Where We Talk Things Out
Book Author:
Caitlin Marceau
Book Series:
DarkLit Books
Page Count:
93
Publishing Date:
September 22nd, 2022
Publisher:
DarkLit Press
Date Read:
May 20th, 2024
Format:
Kindle Edition
Source:
Purchased

Synopsis

This Is Where We Talk Things Out by Caitlin Marceau, author of Palimpsest: A Collection of Contemporary Horror, follows the gut-wrenching journey of Miller and her estranged mother, Sylvie, who have always had a tense relationship.

After Miller's father dies, she agrees to a girls' vacation away from the city to reconnect with the only family she has left. Although she’s eager to make things work, Miller can’t help but worry that her mother is seeing their countryside retreat as a fun weekend getaway instead of what it really is: a last-ditch effort to repair their relationship.

Unfortunately, that quickly becomes the least of Miller’s problems.

Sylvie's trapped in the past and if Miller's not careful, she will be too. A cross between Stephen King's Misery and Stephanie Wrobel's Darling Rose Gold, This Is Where We Talk Things Out explores the horror of familial trauma, mother-daughter relationships, and what happens when we don't let go.

My Review

This is Where We Talk Things Out is fact paced, dark, and full of twists! This is Where We Talk Things Out is one of those books that is always being recommended to me on the Kindle store (because I … Continue reading

5 stars
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Book Title:
The Stroke of Winter
Book Author:
Wendy Webb
Page Count:
303
Publishing Date:
November 1st, 2022
Publisher:
Lake Union
Date Read:
September 27th, 2023
Format:
Paperback
Source:
Purchased

Synopsis

In the tourist town of Wharton, on the coast of Lake Superior, Tess Bell is renovating her old family home into a bed-and-breakfast during the icy dead of winter…

As the house’s restoration commences, a shuttered art studio is revealed. Inside are paintings Tess’s late grandfather, beloved and celebrated artist Sebastian Bell, hid away for generations. But these appear to be the works of a twisted mind, almost unrecognizable as paintings she and others familiar with his art would expect. The sinister canvases raise disturbing questions for Tess, sparking nightmares and igniting in her an obsession to unearth the truth around their origins.

What evil has been locked away for so many years? The ominous brushstrokes, scratching at the door, and moving shadows begin to pull Tess further and further into the darkness.

My Review

I’ve never read anything else by Wendy Webb (although my Kindle tells me I have a few of her other books already, so I better get reading), so I wasn’t sure what to think of this one when I bought … Continue reading

4 stars
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Book Title:
Stolen Tongues
Book Author:
Felix Blackwell
Page Count:
320
Publishing Date:
January 1st, 2017
Date Read:
June 25th, 2023
Format:
Kindle Edition
Source:
Prime Reading

Synopsis

A romantic cabin getaway doesn’t go exactly as planned. High up on the windswept cliffs of Pale Peak, Faye and Felix celebrate their new engagement. But soon, a chorus of ghastly noises erupts from the nearby the screams of animals, the cries of children, and the mad babble of a hundred mournful voices. A dark figure looms near the windows in the dead of night, whispering to Faye. As the weather turns deadly, Felix discovers that his terrified fiancée isn’t just mumbling in her sleep – she’s whispering back. Originally a contest-winning story on reddit.com’s horror community NoSleep, Stolen Tongues has received widespread acclaim and has been optioned for film.

My Review

Stolen Tongues was not what I was expecting. To be honest, I didn’t know what I was expecting, but I have seen this book around and it has gotten a lot of glowing reviews among those who enjoy the horror … Continue reading

5 stars
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Book Title:
Girl on the Run
Book Author:
Abigail Johnson
Book Series:
Underlined Paperbacks
Page Count:
272
Publishing Date:
October 6th, 2020
Publisher:
Underlined
Date Read:
July 8th, 2022
Format:
Paperback
Source:
Purchased

Synopsis

A fast-paced original paperback thriller about a girl who discovers that her mother might not be who she says she is . . . and now someone is hunting them both.

Katelyn wants the best for her widowed mom. Surprising her with an online dating profile seems like a good idea.

It isn't. Katelyn's mom hasn't just been acting overprotective all these years--she's been hiding something. And now that anyone can find them online, Katelyn is in a desperate race against time to uncover the secrets of the past--not only her mom's, but also her own.

As Katelyn's world unravels, she begins to trust the guy who brought this nightmare to her door and to doubt the one person she never thought she would. Because her mom has been hiding for a reason: she's been waiting.

My Review

When it comes to fast paced thrillers, especially those about the main character trying to escape or cover up a dark past, there are a lot of them out there for you to choose from. The list narrows a bit … Continue reading

4 stars
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Book Title:
Waif
Book Author:
Samantha Kolesnik
Page Count:
122
Publishing Date:
December 1st, 2021
Publisher:
Grindhouse Press
Date Read:
July 10th, 2022
Format:
Kindle Edition
Source:
Purchased

Synopsis

Angela has everything she thought she ever wanted—a successful husband, a lavish house, and a bottomless fortune.

But the sight of a strange man in a grocery store one night reawakens her dormant sexuality and soon Angela embarks on a dangerous descent into the world of underground pornography and back-alley plastic surgery.

As the stakes get higher, long-buried memories resurface and Angela finds herself enamored with Reena, a fetish film performer. With some help from a queer gang called The Waifs, Angela is forced to make the decision between her unhappy upper-class life and the treacherous world of underground film.

My Review

I went into this novella without any idea of what to expect. Not only had I not read anything by this author, since I tend to stay away from novellas, I didn’t read anything even remotely like this. Ever. I … Continue reading

5 stars
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Book Title:
A Sincere Warning About the Entity in Your Home
Book Author:
Jarson Arnopp
Page Count:
63
Publishing Date:
October 18th, 2012
Publisher:
Retribution Books
Date Read:
May 25th, 2022
Format:
Kindle Edition
Source:
Purchased

Synopsis

A NEW CONCEPT IN FEAR...

Imagine a supernatural horror story in which the paranormal activity happens within YOUR home.

A SINCERE WARNING ABOUT THE ENTITY IN YOUR HOME takes the form of an anonymous letter sent to YOUR address. It details the terrifying events which happened in your home and which continue to this day.

You have inherited a curse and are being preyed upon by a bone-chilling apparition. This 10,000-word letter from the previous resident advises you how to cope, while detailing the unthinkable ordeal they suffered before you.

A SINCERE WARNING ABOUT THE ENTITY IN YOUR HOME is the ultimate way to scare yourself in your own home, because it's the only ghost story which takes place IN your home. Dare you read it?

My Review

What originally drew me into this book was the whole premise about it being a letter written by an anonymous author to you, the reader, talking about paranormal events that have happened in the home that you are currently residing … Continue reading

4 stars
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Book Title:
The Blackstone Chronicles
Book Author:
John Saul
Book Series:
The Blackstone Chronicles, #1-6
Page Count:
542
Publishing Date:
February 10th, 1998
Publisher:
Ballantine Books
Date Read:
March 8th, 2022
Format:
Paperback
Source:
Borrowed

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

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

5 stars
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Book Title:
Come Closer
Book Author:
Sara Gran
Page Count:
196
Publishing Date:
July 1st, 2003
Publisher:
Soho Press
Date Read:
March 1st, 2022
Format:
Kindle Edition
Source:
Purchased

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

5 stars
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