Tag Archives: horror

Cruel Summer

By James Dawson, published by Indigo (Orion).

Cruel Summer Goodreads Synopsis: A year after Janey’s suicide, her friends reunite at a remote Spanish villa, desperate to put the past behind them. However, an unwelcome guest arrives claiming to have evidence that Jane was murdered. When she is found floating in the pool, it becomes clear one of them is a killer. Only one thing is for certain, surviving this holiday is going to be murder…

A compelling and psychological thriller – with a dash of romance.

My Review: Cruel Summer is a fast paced thriller, that’s an essential read for the summer holidays! Set in a sunny paradise in Spain, the story follows a group of teenagers re-uniting for a holiday after a year of growing apart. They know it’s going to be tense- after all, this is one year on from the supposed suicide of their friend, Janey. Little did they know at the start of the holiday that one of them is a killer, with connections to Janey’s death and who is intent on a bloody revenge. Brilliant idea? I think so! After having a read of the synopsis I most definitely had high hopes for this. And, thankfully, I wasn’t let down!

The whole who-dunnit? plot was really complex, and every plot twist was unexpected. There is absolutely no way that I could’ve guessed the shocking outcome to the novel! James Dawson visibly has a lot of talent for creating suspenseful stories. He’s written this tale brilliantly, packing in tension and suspense, and the drama was so effective that I found it difficult to put the book down. A lot of reviews have said this before- but I’ll say it again- Cruel Summer really had that teen horror movie or point horror novel feel to it! It truly was quite terrifying at points (like the body floating in the pool or the writing on the wall in blood, later in the book… *shiver*). The plot was paced a little too fast for me in places, though in all, it was simply genius, in terms of the reveal of the killer and their motives!

On to the characters- all of which are probably the most well-developed characters I’ve read about this year! Each and every one of the teenage gang had relatable backgrounds; there’s at least one person that any reader will be able to connect with, I’m sure. James Dawson has taken all of the classic, stereotypical suspects- like the jock and the quite girl and the brat nobody likes (though this one’s called worse in the book!), and yet the book didn’t seem too cliched or unoriginal at all! Aside from Roxanne Dent (Oh, how I wanted to punch her! No worries- that’s not me saying she’s the murderer! She’s the one with the evidence from the synopsis! 😛 ) Dawson gave the characters attributes that made me like all of them in one way or another- which made it so difficult for me to decide who the killer was! No matter how many times I settled on a suspect- about three- I was entirely wrong. So extra points to the author for leading me off the path there.

Ryan narrates the book. He was probably the most loveable character of the story- as he seemed to be bottling up his emotions- and his love life was thrown upside down in the story. There were points when you just wanted to hug him! The only thing that I didn’t like about him was that he though everything was a scene in a TV drama. Don’t get me wrong- that made it quite fun- but at the deaths, it was kinda twisted too… You start to wish he’d snap out of his TV obsession at those points in the book.

Overall, Cruel Summer is the perfect crime read- and if you read it by the beach on holiday, like I did, it’s extra awesome (and extra scary. Gulp.). Highly recommended if you’re a fan of Crime Fiction in general, horror, or if you fancy a teen drama that gets a big messy. Cruel Summer has some great characters, and a plot so unpredictable you’ll find yourself shouting WHAT?! at pages, and not wanting to put it down.

My Rating:

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I received a copy of Cruel Summer from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

Also, LOOK! 😀 I (very briefly) got to see James Dawson at a book signing the other week. So thanks to James for signing my copy!

Mini Reviews!

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Over the last couple of months, I’ve forgotten to review a few books I’ve bought, on my blog! As I probably can’t write a whole review on them now, as I haven’t got the details fresh in my head anymore, I’ve decided to do a couple of mini reviews. Summaries on my thoughts, basically. There might be a few more mini reviews coming up soon! 🙂
Here are two horror/sci-fi/dystopia books! They both have the same genres, though they’re remarkably different. Both, however, are utterly terrifying.

172 HOURS ON THE MOON: (Johan Harstad, Tara Chase-translator)
This was a brilliant read. I loved the idea of a lottery run by NASA for three teens to go up to the moon! I borrowed this from a friend. I thought ooh, interesting! This looks very sciencey. He told me DO NOT READ IT IN THE DARK. NEVER. For the first half of the book, I though he was joking. It was good, well paced with great characters. It seemed a bit contemporary, and I was kind of enjoying it. Then they arrive on the moon as spooky things begin to happen. The horror kicks in. Pace quickens… As does pulse. Stupid me, I read this before going to sleep. I should really listen to my friends better.
172 HOURS was truly quite terrifying. The horror concept was random, a bit, but really thrilling. The last quarter of the book was a bit too fast for me (or was I just scared and reading quickly?). The ending? Wow.
If you’re looking for a good fright, and a real shock, this is the book!

Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, #1) ANGELFALL (Susan Ee)
This has been on my to-look-out-for mental list for some time. Spotting it in Sainsbury’s, I grabbed a copy! Honestly, I though it was a paranormal romance thing: apocalypse caused by angels. Wounded angel is tended to by girl looking for answers about her sister. Girl falls in love with angel. Love/action story for rest of book.
While it was a tiny bit like that, I had no idea how much of the horror element was in this book. It started as great as any other dystopia book I’d read… And then it took a dark and sinister turn. The last… Seventy five pages or so were terrifying, and most definitely not what I was expecting! It’s pretty gory and twisted- think Darren Shan’s ZOM B, with elements of sister-love thrown in. Totally gripping, though after such an interesting, dystopia read, I felt the horror oriented ending didn’t quite match up with the rest of the book. Despite that… A brilliant, determined protagonist!

My Ratings: It’s quite hard for me to rate these books… Both were great but there were aspects I didn’t enjoy.

Overall…

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To Angelfall

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To 172 Hours On The Moon

I borrowed a copy of 172 Hours from a friend, and bought a copy of Angelfall in a local store.

An Interview With Darren Shan!

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The second interview of the fortnight, people! How cool! And yes. THE Darren Shan. He’s possibly the best children’s and YA horror author on the planet. I loved Cirque Du Freak so much, and as you have probably been able to tell if you’ve been following this blog for a while, I am the hugest fan of Zom-B ever! 😀 So, imagine the delight on my face when the amazing Darren answered some interview questions for me, and allowed me to put them on my blog! I didn’t just have a happy face. I kind of squealed and ran around the room in circles for a bit and did some nonsensical babbling and probably really freaked out most of my family. But enough of that, you want to read this interview, right? All the questions that I’ve asked are themed around Darren’s bestselling new ZOM-B series, so enjoy!

An Interview With Darren Shan

1- What made you decide to move on from Vampire novels to Zombie ones?

I wanted to write a book that looked at the society in which we live, especially issues like racism and the abuse of power, but I wanted to do it in an exciting way. Zombies just seemed to suit the needs of my story the best!

2- Did you always intend to shock readers with B Smith’s actual gender in Zom-B?

It wasn’t about shocking readers, but about drawing their attention to the fact that we all make assumptions in life, but sometimes those assumptions are inaccurate. One of the things I hope readers do after they’ve read Zom-B is look at themselves and the world a bit more questioningly. This was one of my ways of encouraging readers to look at the world more closely – in effect I was saying “Take nothing in life for granted.”

3- Mr Dowling, your antagonist zombie clown, has definitely creeped out a bunch of readers (even me, he’s terrifying!) Are you also a bit scared of your creation?

No. As a writer, I don’t get spooked by my own stories, because I always know where I’m going with them. I have a different relationship to my books. I’m like a puppet master – I see lots of strings from overhead, not the show from the front that everyone else sees.

4- where did the idea of ‘Angels’, the group of revitalized zombies, come from?

I knew that B was going to team up with a group of similarly revitalised zombies. And I knew I was going to tackle the issue of religion over the course of the series. So this seemed like a good opportunity to get that ball rolling.

5- Are you able to give Zom-B fans out there any hints about upcoming books?

Only that we still have a long way to go, and there are a lot of twists still to come. Zom-B Angels answers a lot of the questions raised by the first three books, but it also throws up some new questions. I hope to keep fans on tenterhooks until the end of the series – there are going to be huge surprises right up until the very last chapter of book 12!

6- What are your favourite zombie-themed books or films?

Dawn Of The Dead (the original version, made in the 1970’s) is my favourite zombie movie.

7- If zombies invaded London while you were there, where would you go?

I explore those different options during later books in the series, when we get to see what life is like for the survivors who stayed, and those who fled.

8- Finally, do you have any advice for aspiring young horror writers?

Keep writing – the more you write, the more you learn and the better you get!

Thanks so much, Darren Shan, for the brilliant interview answers! I was so happy you were able to answer- I’m honored! I, and I’m sure every other ZOM-B fan, can’t wait to see what happens next in the ZOM-B series. ZOM-B BABY looks really great!

Reviews:

Here are the links to my reviews of all of the ZOM-B books so far: click on the jackets for that book’s review. I recommend the whole series, for teen horror fans!

Have you read any of Darren Shan’s new gory horror series? What have you thought of it so far, and what are you looking forward to in the future titles? Happy reading!

Zom-B: ANGELS

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By Darren Shan, published by Simon and Schuster.

Zom-B Angels (Zom-B, #4) Goodreads synopsis: After spending the last few months wandering around London–a city filled with the dead–B Smith has given up hope for any sign of normal human existence. But then B finds strange signs all over the city–a “Z” plus red arrows. Following them, B finds The Angels– a group gathered in the hopes of combating the evil dead and the forces that introduced them. But all is not as it seems and it’s up to B to find out: what battle are they truly waging?

My Review: What a brilliant fourth installment to my favourite horror series! I enjoyed Zom-B: ANGELS so much. After so much action and awesome stuff happening in the first three books (reviews of all of them on this blog. Just search for Zom B :)) I wasn’t quite sure where the rest of the series would be heading. What would happen? I was scared that things would go downhill, the plot losing its enjoyment.

But then again, this is a Darren Shan book, right? Of course it wouldn’t get boring.

Of course it didn’t.

Plunged straight into the horrific zombie-infested world of B Smith, I was totally immersed in her story all over again, scared of every corner she goes around (Mr Dowling might be hiding there! Eek!). Then, B began to notice more of these signs on the walls, and she accidentally stumbles upon the Angels, who are currently camping out by the London Eye. She joins their ranks, and tension, fondness, and hatred builds up between her and various other Angels. It was so tense, the whole book, with loads of great plot twists. B discovers the truth about her Zombie self and how long she’s going to live for (trust me. This one will shock you.) and other things as she begins a whole new chapter in a new place with new people.

The was no point where I was bored of the plot at all! This book really was quite page-turning, with lots of surprises in store that kept me on the edge of my seat. I think that I devoured the whole book in under an hour and in one sitting- desperate to find out what happens next! The setting was brilliant. Quite a familiar place to me, The London Eye and surrounding areas, and so I understood everything really well. I’m also now quite scared of that area, thanks, Darren! Darren Shan’s writing was just amazing. B’s dialogue and thoughts were witty and sharp as a knife, while the imagery made by Shan’s words conjured up some terrifying, dismal visions of a possible future.

B Smith, again, was just a brilliant protagonist. As I said, she’s so witty at points, serious, aggressive, and brave at others. There’re so many sides to her shown throughout the story, and I even loved the nasty ones. B Smith is the kick-butt horror heroine. Honestly, she’s just so brilliant. Her narration is believable and gives such a great insight into being a zombie. I don’t know why that’s cool, it just is.

Overall, Zom-B: Underground was a really great fourth installment to my favourite currently-ongoing series. Full of gore, action, wit and horror, it’s the perfect read for young teenage horror fans! B Smith is a brilliant, understandable zombie, who I really enjoy reading about. I loved the well-known setting. I think the significant London sights Darren Shan uses as backdrops make the story seem even more real. As always, the plot was delivered in a satisfying way, not without its plot twists, and the story overall left me craving for more. Keep writing, Darren Shan, I just need to know what happens next!

My Rating:

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I purchased a copy of Zom B: ANGELS from a local bookstore.

Witch Hill

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By Marcus Sedgwick, published by Orion.

Goodreads synopsis: At first, Jamie isn’t too worried about the bad dreams he’s been having since coming to his aunt’s house. Most people awoken in the middle of the night to find their house burning down would probably have nightmares, too. But instead of fire, he keeps dreaming of a “horrible, scary old woman,” relentlessly coming after him for some awful, inexplicable purpose. Even though he’s come to Aunt Jane’s to recover from the fire’s aftermath, he doesn’t want to bother her or his cousin Alison with his silly fears. He can see that they are very busy with their village’s community service project–cleaning off an age-old carving on the side of hill that overlooks the town. But when the carving turns out to be a peculiar primordial figure instead of the “crown” that the people of Crownshill expected to see, and Jamie uncovers evidence of an ancient witchcraft trial in local history papers, he is swept into a centuries-old mystery to which he unwittingly has the key. Who is the old crone chasing him, and what does she want? Jamie will have to endure an experience worse than fire to find out.

My review: This will be a kinda short review, (short as in a couple less paragraphs than usual. Still pretty long.) as I can’t really say much about the story without ruining it- it’s really short!

When I picked up this pretty small Marcus Sedgwick tale for an evening scare, I was only expecting a moderately spooky tale told in a basic plot. However, I got a heck of a lot more than that! The ghost story was spine-chilling and pretty freaky; a witch woman, wandering this old historical hill and entering people’s dreams… ahh! I really loved the realistic historic research behind the ghostly tale. Then, we had the tie-in with the fire that destroyed Jamie, the protagonist’s, home. I think that the way the two stories combined was really clever, and also quite haunting.

The plot was pretty epic, and quite layered for a book that wasn’t even two hundred pages. It included witchcraft, a destroyed family, haunting, and a discovery of an ancient event. The events were really great; and flowed very well in my opinion. There were a lot of shocks in store, and I really liked where the story went. There really wasn’t a boring moment, and I devoured it pretty quickly because it was just so brilliantly written. After every chapter (I think) there was a short paragraph of a historical account, or piece of information on the Witch, followed by a beautiful, abstract illustration by the author. It was really enjoyable.

Jamie was a very likeable protagonist. As soon as I met him- as he woke up from a nightmare- I instantly understood him. He was such a realistic character. He was a strong kid throughout the story, despite having just had his house destroyed in an unexplained fire, which I really loved about him. He seemed to just get on with things and didn’t really get too scared, even of the haunting Witch. There were hints dropped about his baby sister, which suggested a traumatic incident involving her in the fire, which was fully explained at the (extremely sweet) ending. That added another element of mystery which kept me reading, because I really wanted to find out what happened to little Kizzie.

Overall, Witch Hill was quite a fun read. It isn’t the longest book I’ve ever read, but it certainly does pack a punch with it’s twisting plot. Jamie made a really great main character. He was definitely very heroic at the shocking ending, though I think the last pages were a little bit rushed. I also really loved the occasional passages about the Witch, accompanied with the author’s eerie illustrations. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a short spooky read that sends a chill up your spine and keeps you guessing at the outcome. It can be easily read in one sitting, really: a great book to curl up with on a cold and miserable night like the ones we’re having in England at the moment.

My Goodreads rating: 4/5!

I bought Witch Hill from a local charity store.

The Watcher in the Shadows

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By Carlos Ruiz Zafon, published by Orion.

Goodreads synopsis: A mysterious toy-maker who lives as a recluse in an old mansion, surrounded by the mechanical beings he has created …an enigma surrounding strange lights that shine through the mists that envelop the small island on which the old lighthouse stands…a shadowy creature that hides deep in the woods…these are the elements of a mystery that bind will bind 14-year-old Irene to Ismael during one magical summer spent in the Blue Bay. He mother has taken a job as a housekeeper for the toy-maker, Lazarus, but his house contains more secrets than Irene and Ishmael have bargained for.

My review: The Watcher in the Shadows was absolutely amazing! The plot was original, and downright terrifying. The events played out really well, and there wasn’t a single boring page. The whole book was well paced and climatic, and every second was scarily realistic. I thought that the idea of an evil, unidentified shadow haunting a woman was really terrifying. That imaginative idea was made realistic through horrifically detailed diary entries by the ill woman. Also, the automatons, made by the toy-maker, were so scary! It was really interesting to find out why he made them. Also, I really loved the setting, and I think it made a really effective backdrop for an eerie tale- an old mansion on a small island. All of the above made for a really riveting tale about Irene, a girl who has just moved to the island, and discovers all of these dark secrets.

Irene was a really great protagonist, who was three-dimensional and believable Although the book was centered around other characters, too, I think I connected with Irene the most and understood her emotions more. Maybe that was because of her age and personality, but I also think that was because her emotions shone through much more than anyone else’s, and were really understandable. However, there was one point in the book where she and Ismael were facing a life-or-death situation, and I know that she was traumatized, but I really would have liked her to step in and help a bit more, because that would’ve made her a real hero. Also, I really loved seeing her relationship with her and Ismael develop throughout the events of the book, because their love for each other, I think, helped them get trough the ending.

Overall, The Watcher in the Shadows was an absolutely brilliant read. It was possibly the best ghost/horror story that I have read in ages! The characters were realistic, and their situation was terrifying and scary. I was on the edge of my seat throughout, and couldn’t stop reading this dramatic, horrific tale. To top off this amazing book, it also had a satisfying ending that brought a tear to my eye. It’s a great read, I think, for about 12 and up. Although I haven’t actually read the previous two books in the series, I could understand the book. I’ll be looking out for the previous titles, and more from Carlos Ruiz Zafon in the future!

I received The Watcher in the Shadows from the publisher, in exchange for a review.

Monument 14

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By Emmy Laybourne, published by Hatchette Children’s Books.

Monument 14 (Monument 14 #1)

In the town of Monument, Colorado the day begins as normal- Dean gets on his school-bus and the journey to school begins… Then suddenly, disaster strikes in the form of a freak hailstorm which sends down hail the size of footballs.

Soon, Dean finds himself trapped inside of a superstore with 13 others, including his brother, as the world outside turns to ruin with more hailstorms, giant tsunamis and toxic air that could turn you into a crazy, mindless monster. Dean is with thirteen other children, mostly scared kindergartners. Can he help take care of them as the world around them crumbles?

From the cover, this looked pretty amazing. From the synopsis, this looked pretty amazing. From the first page, it wasn’t that amazing. I didn’t really like the writing at the beginning- it didn’t really pull me in at all- but I kept on reading because I was sure the pace would pick up some more. It did, thankfully. I liked the plot idea so much- fourteen kids trapped inside a store and they can only watch on an old TV the emergency broadcasts of the tsunami’s wrecking the coasts. It was absolutely terrifying, and scarily realistic because all of these problems were natural disasters. I would’ve liked the author to highlight reasons why the air had become toxic, because that wasn’t really explained at all and I think and evil lab’s spill or something would’ve livened the story up more. I really did like the plot overall, as all of it left the outside world to your imagination because it was all set in the Greenway superstore, but it did get a bit frustrating at parts where the boys seemed to be more interested in dating Sahalia than worrying about how they were going to live. Why would anyone do that?

Where the plot was slightly lacking in terms of action, the characters definitely made up for it. All fourteen major characters were three-dimensional and realistic, especially the kindergartners. It just broke my heart as so many little innocent children were thrown into a world full of chaos and a struggle for survival. I really felt a lot of empathy for them- the author has definitely written this so you feel totally heart-broken for them. My only problem with all of the characters was Dean, the protagonist. He kind o annoyed me, because he really just sat on the sidelines and cooked the dinners for the kids. I would have liked him to get in on the action a bit more; maybe turn crazy due outside air and riot or something to add a plot twist.

Overall, Monument 14 was an okay read. I think the plot could have been filled with much more action in the middle- there was definitely some shocking parts towards the ending, though, so I liked that. I also think the main character could have been slightly more exciting and revealing about his past. Apart from those issues, Monument 14 made for a pretty emotional and gritty read, for teenagers. If you like apocalypse books particularly you’ll probably enjoy this, and the sequel Sky on Fire out soon. I will probably read the sequel though, as the snippet of it at the ending of this book made it sound a lot more action packed than Monument 14!

Zom-B: City

The Death Cure

Midwinterblood

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By Marcus Sedgwick, published by Indigo (Orion).

Midwinterblood

What would you sacrifice for someone you’ve loved forever?

Eric and Merle meet each-other on the strange, childless island of Blessed in 2073. As soon as Eric, avid newspaper journalist, sees the beautiful Merle for the first time, he is certain that they have met before in past lives… and he is right. In fact, Eric and Merle have lived seven past lives, and in each one they have loved each other, whether they’re wife and husband or mother and child. Midwinterblood is a chilling tale told in seven riveting parts, one for each life and based around the times of seven different moons.

I’ve read this book before- just before it was released in 2011- but decided to re-read and re-review it as it has just been shortlisted for the Carnegie book award! It was as brilliant and as haunting as I remembered it. Marcus Sedgwick has written this brilliantly, and the connections between the different lives were spooky and clever. I especially loved how the seven stories were told backwards; starting in 2073, and working backwards to thousands of years before, as there was- for example- two bodies found by archaeologists in the 2011 part, then it revealed who the bodies were and how they got there a few stories later. Sounds confusing, doesn’t it? Well, it wasn’t. Marcus Sedgwick’s writing was very successful and made this complex, plot and novel structure understandable.

Eric and Merle’s characters were enjoyable. Their personalities didn’t really need to be visibly explained at all- their undying love was shown between the lines really well. I also thought it was a great twist that Tor, from the 2073 story, kept appearing in the backgrounds of the earlier ones. I would say he was the only antagonist of the story, as he seemed to be trying to draw Eric and Merle apart. Eric, Merle, and Tor, all had varying names throughout the stories- as an example, Eric’s- in the last story (the one furthest back in time) was Erikir. Still, like the complex plot, it was understandable.

In total, Midwinterblood was an amazing novel. I’ve never ever read anything quite like it before. It was beautifully written, and executed well- I don’t think any other author would’ve been able to pull off such a layered plot. I loved the unique layout and the undying love between the characters. It was a haunting story that will send shivers up your spine- It’s full of murder, betrayal and star-crossed lovers. I really hope this wins the Carnegie medal!