⭐ I had high hopes for Let’s Split Up by Bill Wood, especially with its promise of a Scooby-Doo meets slasher vibe. Unfortunately, this book is a letdown on almost every front. The writing is painfully simplistic. It reads like a first draft, with clunky dialogue and flat prose. The characters speak in a way … Continue reading Let’s Split Up — And Never Read This Again
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim is one of those books that’s difficult to slot neatly into a single genre. It’s horror, yes, but not in the traditional sense. It’s also a family drama, a cultural study, and a descent into obsession and madness. The story follows Ji-won, a Korean-American woman … Continue reading A Haunting Feast for the Eyes
⭐⭐⭐⭐ I never thought I would say it, but it was a real pleasure to read a story from the perspective of someone so utterly unhinged. Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito is not your usual historical novel – it’s a dark, twisted character study wrapped up in lace, corsets, and all the suffocating etiquette of … Continue reading A Fascinating Descent into Madness
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I went into Episode Thirteen with cautious optimism. I’ve picked up a fair few books lately that had been hyped up online, only to find them flat, predictable, or just not worth the buzz. Honestly, I was ready for another disappointment, but wow, Craig DiLouie completely blindsided me with this one in the best … Continue reading A Chilling, Clever Horror That Exceeded Every Expectation
⭐⭐⭐⭐ I just finished Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman, and I’ve got to say—it’s one hell of a ride. I’m giving it a solid 4 out of 5 stars, mostly because while I really enjoyed it, it definitely pushed me further into the extreme horror territory than I usually like … Continue reading A Brutal Glimpse of the End
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Lamb by Lucy Rose is one of those books that creeps under your skin almost from the first page, and once it’s there, it refuses to leave. It’s hard to believe this is a debut because the voice is so assured, the world so fully realised, and the atmosphere so thick with tension … Continue reading A Feast of Darkness, Beauty, and Motherhood
Horror is a genre I cannot seem to leave behind. I might stray into other territories—comedy, science fiction, even the odd experimental piece—but horror always remains the gravitational centre of my writing. It pulls me back, again and again, in a way that feels almost inevitable, as though some invisible force constantly tugs at my … Continue reading Why I Keep Coming Back to Horror – A Personal Essay on Horror and What Draws Me to Unsettling Stories
The Shivers Collection is a compilation of five short stories, each penned by a prominent name in contemporary horror: Joe Hill, Stephen Graham Jones, Grady Hendrix, Catriona Ward, and Owen King. Each story runs around 40–50 pages, so they’re substantial enough to feel like more than just a glimpse into the author’s world, but still … Continue reading A Mixed Bag of Short Stories
⭐️⭐️ Incidents Around the House was my first Josh Malerman book. I’ve heard good things about his writing, so I went in with fairly high expectations, thinking this would be a great introduction. Unfortunately, it didn’t really work for me, and I came away feeling pretty underwhelmed. The premise itself has a lot of potential—a … Continue reading A Disappointing First Encounter with Malerman
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Don’t Let the Forest In is one of those books that sneaks up on you. At first, it feels like a quiet story about grief, family, and the lingering ache of loss, but before long, it grows into something much darker, stranger, and more unsettling. C.G. Drews has a real talent for weaving emotion … Continue reading Haunting, Lyrical, But Just a Little Uneven
Gareth Ellis - Author 