Tag: Horror

Blog Tour (Book Spotlight): Survivors – Amy Marsden

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Book Spotlights, HorrorLeave a comment

Hello!

A little belated, but today I am joining the Escapist Tours blog tour for Survivors by Amy Marsden, with an extract to whet your appetite and also a chance to win a copy for yourself! Please do check out the rest of the tour.

Book Summary:

Jennifer planned to spend her 24th birthday having fun with her friends. Instead, she ends up running for her life through the dark streets of London.

Her world is torn apart by a new disease, the likes of which have never been seen before. The government’s decision to conceal its deadly nature exacerbates the panic, and in all the confusion Jennifer is bitten.

That’s it, right? Her life is over.

Wrong.

Immune to the viruses ravaging effects, Jennifer finds herself with a small group of survivors. Together they must fight to stay alive long enough for a cure to be found. Humanity won’t be beaten to easily.

But madness looms large, and safety seems forever out of reach.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Spotlight): Survivors – Amy Marsden” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): Not Good for Maidens – Tori Bovalino

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Horror, Review, YA2 Comments

Hello!

Today I am joining the TBR & Beyond Blog tour for ‘Not Good for Maidens’ by Tori Bovalino, a horror-fantasy retelling of Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market.”

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

Salem’s Lot meets The Darkest Part of the Forestin this horror-fantasy retelling of Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market.”

Lou never believed in superstitions or magic–until her teenage aunt Neela is kidnapped to the goblin market.

The market is a place Lou has only read about–twisted streets, offerings of sweet fruits and incredible jewels. Everything–from the food and wares,to the goblins themselves–is a haunting temptation for any human who manages to find their way in.

Determined to save Neela, Lou learns songs and spells and tricks that will help her navigate this dangerous world and slip past a goblin’s defenses–but she only has three days to find Neela before the market disappears and her aunt becomes one of them forever.

If she isn’t careful, the market might just end up claiming her too.

Content warnings: on-page gore, on-page body horror, violence, trauma

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Not Good for Maidens – Tori Bovalino” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): Dread Wood – Jennifer Killick

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Childrens, Horror, Review, Traditionally-Published1 Comment

Hello!

A little belated as the new job has knocked me for a loop, but today I am delighted to be joining The Write Reads blog tour for Dread Wood by Jennifer Killick a middle-grade horror that was a pleasure to read.

Please do check out the rest of the tour, as well as this wonderful book.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

Turn the lights on. Lock the door. Things are about to get SERIOUSLY SCARY!

The brand new must-read middle-grade novel from the author of super-spooky Crater Lake. Perfect for 9+ fans of R.L.Stine’s Goosebumps

It’s basically the worst school detention ever. When classmates (but not mate-mates) Hallie, Angelo, Gustav and Naira are forced to come to school on a SATURDAY, they think things can’t get much worse. But they’re wrong. Things are about to get seriously scary.

What has dragged their teacher underground? Why do the creepy caretakers keeping humming the tune to Itsy Bitsy Spider? And what horrors lurk in the shadows, getting stronger and meaner every minute…? Cut off from help and in danger each time they touch the ground, the gang’s only hope is to work together. But it’s no coincidence that they’re all there on detention. Someone has been watching and plotting and is out for revenge…

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Dread Wood – Jennifer Killick” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): Mestiza Blood – V. Castro

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Horror, Indie, Review1 Comment

Hello!

Today I’m here with the first blog tour of 2022, and I am delighted to be helping to kick off the Random Things Tour for Mestiza Blood by V. Castro which is out from Flame Tree Publishing later this month. This was a stunning collection that caught me completely by surprise.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

From the lauded author of The Queen of the Cicadas (which picked up starred reviews from PW, Kirkus and Booklist who called her “a dynamic and innovative voice”) comes a short story collection of nightmares, dreams, desire and visions focused on the Chicana experience. V.Castro weaves urban legend, folklore, life experience and heartache in this personal journey beginning in south Texas: a bar where a devil dances the night away; a street fight in a neighborhood that may not have been a fight after all; a vengeful chola at the beginning of the apocalypse; mind swapping in the not so far future; satan who falls and finds herself in a brothel in Amsterdam; the keys to Mictlan given to a woman after she dies during a pandemic. The collection finishes with two longer tales: The Final Porn Star is a twist on the final girl trope and slasher, with a creature from Mexican folklore; and Truck Stop is an erotic horror romance with two hearts: a video store and a truck stop.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Mestiza Blood – V. Castro” →

Book Review: Nothing But Blackened Teeth – Cassandra Khaw

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Horror, Review, Traditionally-Published1 Comment

Hello!

The first of three reviews today as I am once more playing catch up. This is one of the books I got for my birthday, and that I had been waiting to read for months, but unfortunately ended up as one that left with me very mixed feelings.

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Book Summary:

A group of thrill-seeking friends in search of the perfect wedding venue plan to spend the night in a Heian-era mansion. Long abandoned, and unknown to them, this mansion rests on the bones of a bride, and its walls are packed with the remains of the girls sacrificed to keep her company.

Their night of food, drinks, and games quickly spirals into a nightmare, as the house welcomes its new guests. For lurking in the shadows is the ghost bride with a black smile and a hungry heart.

And she gets lonely down there in the dirt.

Continue reading “Book Review: Nothing But Blackened Teeth – Cassandra Khaw” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): The Nightmare Tree – Paul O’Neill

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Horror, Review, Self-Published1 Comment

Hello!

A little belated due to a diary blip on my part, but here is my stop on the Random Things Tour for The Nightmare Tree by Paul O’Neill.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

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Book Summary:

The debut short story collection from a fresh new voice. Thirteen tales of horror and suspense.

In the forgotten places of Scotland, terror awaits.

Contains the chilling stories: The Great Slime Kings – Three’s a Crowd – The Summer Bullet – The Only Emperor – Down Below is Silence and Darkness – Guardians – In a Jar of Spiders – We the Dark Deniers – Blocks – Nightmare Soup – The Dumps – Once Upon a Flame – The Nightmare Tree (novella).

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): The Nightmare Tree – Paul O’Neill” →

Book Review: Blood & Bone: An Anthology of Body Horror by Women and Non-Binary Writers – A.R. Ward (Editor)

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Horror, Indie, Review1 Comment

Hello!

Today I’m reviewing Blood & Bone: An Anthology of Body Horror by Women & Non-Binary Writers, which is a perfect read for the spooky season.

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Book Summary:

Since the earliest creation myths, womens’ bodies have been a site of conflict, venerated and feared in equal measure. In this collection, talented female and non-binary writers let rip with twenty-two powerful, visceral body horror stories that explore, celebrate and dissect (sometimes literally) femininity and the female experience. The stories traverse difficult and sometimes controversial ground, digging into subjects like eating disorders, the beauty industry, pregnancy, infertility, body dysmorphia, domestic violence, rape and sexual abuse–all done with passion, humour, and creativity.

Approach with an open mind and a strong stomach.

*****

Contributors:
A.J. Van Belle, Alice Austin, April Yates, Caitlin Marceau, Cecilia Kennedy, Emma Kathryn, Evelyn Freeling, Faye Snowden, Kristin Cleaveland, Lindsay King-Miller, Michelle Mellon, Nico Bell, Nicola Kapron, Nicole M. Wolverton, Petina Strohmer, Sally Hughes, Saoirse Ní Chiaragáin, Varian Ross, Vashelle Nino, Victoria Nations, Vivian Kasley

Continue reading “Book Review: Blood & Bone: An Anthology of Body Horror by Women and Non-Binary Writers – A.R. Ward (Editor)” →

Book Review: The Echoed Realm (The Chaos Cycle Duology #2) – A.J. Vrana

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, IFA Summer Challenge 2021, Indie, Review1 Comment

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be reviewing The Echoed Realm, the second book in The Chaos Cycle Duology by A.J. Vrana which is out in the world TODAY. The first book in the series – The Hollow Gods – was one of the first books I ever requested on netgalley (you can find the review HERE), and it blew me away so I leapt at the chance to read and review an arc of The Echoed Realm and Dreamwalker I loved this book!

Parliament House Press is also releasing special hardback editions of both books on October 26th of this year, and the pre-order campaign is up and as pre-order incentives all hardbacks are signed and come with a custom-made bookplate and a postcard of new character art. (You can check these out below – as well as the stunning cover for the book – the cover for The Hollow Gods is still to be revealed!

You can pre-order HERE

*****

Disclaimer – I received an e-arc in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

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Book Summary:

Miya’s world ended in Black Hollow.

It’s been three years since the Dreamwalker upended her life and left her with a heavy burden. A fledgling to the ethereal realm, Miya stumbles into the nightmares of those haunted by spectres. Little does she know, one of them is coming for her, clutching a dark secret abreast.

Kai has found a new purpose with his companion, but the price is his freedom. Bound and beholden to Miya, he struggles to adjust to his new role as her vanguard.

Meanwhile, Mason discovers he may be a pawn trapped in a web of schemes. Was his time in Black Hollow an accident, or was it only the beginning of some greater machination?

As Black Hollow’s bloody stain spreads beyond its wooded borders, Miya fights to evade a past she barely understands. The Dreamwalker’s legacy is a vise grip, and it isn’t letting go. Primordial horrors draw near, fables come alive, and long-buried histories rise from the grave, ready to hunt.

Sharpen your claws and bloody your teeth. There’s fear to be sown.

Continue reading “Book Review: The Echoed Realm (The Chaos Cycle Duology #2) – A.J. Vrana” →

Book Review: An Altar on the Village Green (Chained God #1)- Nathan Hall

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Horror, IFA Summer Challenge 2021, Review, Self-Published3 Comments

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be reviewing ‘An Altar on the Village Green’ by Nathan Hall, which was released on Monday. I do not have the words for how much I enjoyed every moment of this book, and I am so glad that it is the first book in the Chained God series because I need more.

Book Cover

Book Summary:

“If one suffers, I suffer. If one is chained, I am chained.”

My faith called me to become a Lance. My compassion drew me into one of the fallen lands. Through my connection with the Chained God, I alone can find and destroy the Horror that stains the land.

Death can no longer chain me.

But I couldn’t have imagined the madness waiting for me in this village. I’m not sure my faith can withstand the secrets I’ll uncover. Or that my compassion can survive the violence to come. This Horror may swallow me whole.

Death can no longer free me.

A creature stalks in the dark. Buildings burn. People die. An altar has been built on the village green.

Continue reading “Book Review: An Altar on the Village Green (Chained God #1)- Nathan Hall” →

Cover Reveal: Beyond the Rail and Other Nightmares – Ichabod Ebenezer

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Cover Reveal, Horror1 Comment

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be part of the Storytellers on Tour Cover Reveal Blitz for ‘Beyond the Rail and Other Nightmares’ by Ichabod Ebenezer, a collection of horror short stories that is due to be released 28th June 2021.

Book Summary:

A petty thief steals a car and the curse that comes with it…

An abandoned laptop leads an overstressed software designer to the dark web, where ruthless traders barter in something more intangible than money…

A small-town cop shows up for a routine eviction, but finds an abomination hidden beneath the house…

From the mind of Ichabod Ebenezer, author of Between Bloom and Decay and A Shadow Stained in Blood, comes a collection of short stories destined to sink its teeth into your bones. Beyond the Rail and Other Nightmares lures readers into a world of sentient shadows where every smile comes quiet in the black. A world where no object is ordinary, and trusting in the mundane can get you killed. For the readers who wish to be haunted—this collection will keep you up at night, within reach of a nightlight and a warm blanket against the dark.

Continue reading “Cover Reveal: Beyond the Rail and Other Nightmares – Ichabod Ebenezer” →