Review: Riding the Centipede by John Claude Smith

Riding the Centipede by John Claude Smith

My Rating:


I received a free copy of Riding the Centipede in return for an honest review.

Riding the Centipede is very much a "what the hell did I just read?" kinda book. It's horror on drugs. The author takes you on a weird surreal and bizarre journey and as dark and twisted as the story gets you just can't help but read on.

The characters are well fleshed out. They are fascinating and multi-layered and you really get a good rummage around inside their minds as the story unravels. You want to get to know them, want to understand the depravity and what drives them. There are so many great characters that it's hard to pick a favourite, they all stood out in their own way but after meeting the Ratman I think I have gone off cheese for life.

Riding the Centipede is a book that I won't forget in a hurry, it's full of visceral stomach turning scenes that are so well written that, even though you're cringing, you keep on reading out of morbid fascination and curiosity. You just can't help yourself.

Highly Recommended.



Reviews also posted to my blog: Scarlet's Web
Facebook | Twitter | G+ | BookLikes

Review: Dark Inspiration by Russell James

Dark Inspiration by Russell James

My Rating:


I received a free copy of Dark Inspiration from the publisher in return for an honest review.

It's not often I come across a ghost story that really works for me, I find many of them rather cliché. While haunted house stories like Dark Inspiration have been done before, the author writes this one in a way that draws you in and creates a chilling atmosphere that really sets the scene for a good ghostly read. It has it all, a big old house, creepy children, things that go bump in the night and strange happenings all around.

The pacing and flow were consistent and held my attention from start to finish. I couldn't put the book down. I was planning originally on just reading a couple of chapters before bed but kept finding myself thinking just one more chapter. Before I knew it I found myself at the end of the book not knowing where the time had gone and wishing there was more.

Dark Inspiration isn't a ghost story that will have you checking the corners of your room or reaching for the light switch but it certainly has many chilling moments and a good ghostly mystery that will draw you in and have you wanting more. There were a few cringe worthy moments that involved taxidermy and some cute fluffy animals, so animal lovers beware and be warned, fictional animals were harmed in the making of this book.

Definitely one I would recommend.



Reviews also posted to my blog: Scarlet's Web
Facebook | Twitter | G+ | BookLikes | Leafmarks

Review: Twelfth Krampus Night by Matt Manochio

Twelfth Krampus Night by Matt Manochio

My Rating:


I received a free copy of Twelfth Krampus Night from the publisher in return for an honest review.

I went into this one with a little trepidation after having read a previous book by the same author and found it not to be to my taste. I decided I would give the author another try and I'm really glad I took the chance as I enjoyed it very much.

Twelfth Krampus Night is a dark, twisted and gory adult fairytale with a great atmosphere and plenty of humour thrown into the mix. The world building was exceptionally well done, the scenes and descriptions of the castle and surrounding area made everything easy to visualise. The pacing was consistent and the story flowed well.

I was hooked right from the start, the style of the story really drew me in. There are lots of well written characters but Krampus and Frau Perchta are the two that really stood out for me. The back and forth between Krampus and Frau Perchta was a lot of fun, their interaction and dialogue really tickled my sense of humour.

Definitely one I would recommend. Especially if like me you prefer your fairytales to be more horror than happily ever after.



Reviews also posted to my blog: Scarlet's Web
Facebook | Twitter | G+ | BookLikes | Leafmarks

Review: Murderous Little Darlings (A Tale of Vampires Book 1) by John L. Hennessy

Murderous Little Darlings (A Tale of Vampires Book 1) by John L. Hennessy

My Rating:


I grabbed this as a freebie after seeing another reviewer, who was given a review copy, post a glowing review saying that it was dark and an entertaining quick read. It's none of these things. It had a good rating, which is why I grabbed it, but now that I have checked out the reviews I can see why. Most of the 4 and 5 star reviews are from other authors (take from that what you will) wish I had realised that before picking up the book.

To begin with Word Wise is auto enabled and set to high, which means the format is all off and there are notes, highlights and pop-up explanations all over the place before you even start to read. After fixing the word wise problem and the format you then have 10 pages of stuff thrown at you before the story even starts. I was annoyed with the book before I even started reading the story itself.

The dialogue is awful, it's stunted and not natural, what seven year old child speaks this way?...

"That brain deserves to exist in a better body than yours, Rocco. My, what a dreary way to describe our existence. No!"

"I find this such a thankless task. No one will ever understand our work on this earth."

"It's a hell of thing, killing someone. You'll see the light extinguish from their eyes - now that's the last thing to leave their so-called life. Your teeth buried into their neck is the last thing they feel, and you'll be the last thing they'll see. You take all they are, all they were, and all they will ever be. The vampire's kiss is the most efficient of killing tools. One bite takes all."

This is the natural dialogue of a seven year old child?

Near the beginning the author tells us they are 7 year old triplets, possibly vampires but they grow at a normal rate so they are basically normal children (kinda), but it jumps around so much that it's very confusing. One minute they are seven, the next they are eleven years old and no time seems to have passed story wise. The female character Juliana is called many different versions of her own name, I lost count but we have Julie, Juliana, Julee, Joolee and a few more that I didn't take note of. The author used the different versions of Juliana's name to portray the personality or the attitude that the character had at that point, so it changed a lot and started to become rather irritating.

The writing was stilted and had no flow to it, it was hard to read. The whole thing was confusing, there were too many holes in the story for it to make much sense. There are a few twists in the story too but these don't make sense when looking back on what happened in previous pages and also because of the plot holes.

Not one I would recommend, it's a bit of a badly executed jumbled up mess.



Reviews also posted to my blog: Scarlet's Web
Facebook | Twitter | G+ | BookLikes | Leafmarks

Review: I Try My Best: A Mother's Tale by Shaun Hupp

I Try My Best: A Mother's Tale by Shaun Hupp

My Rating:


This is such a heartbreaking little story and totally not what I was expecting from a horror author. Packs one hell of a punch for so few pages.


Reviews also posted to my blog: Scarlet's Web
Facebook | Twitter | G+ | BookLikes | Leafmarks

Review: The Rats of Midnight by Sean Munger

The Rats of Midnight by Sean Munger

My Rating:


I received a free copy of The Rats of Midnight from the publisher in return for an honest review.

The Rats of Midnight was quite a slow burner for me initially. The author invested a lot in character development at the start and as a result it dragged a little, it wasn't going anywhere or moving fast enough to grab my attention and have me wanting more at this point. Things did start to pick up however once the initial character introduction was done and the pacing was much better.

I find myself a bit conflicted when rating this one. I enjoyed the premise and particularly enjoyed the cult side of the story but the legal side of things spoiled it for me. There was a lack of consistency, it jumped from a creepy and dark atmosphere to law office scenes where it felt more like a legal thriller, which I found distracting enough to pull me out of the story.

All in all The Rats of Midnight was a decent read and worth picking up but personally I would have liked to have read more horror and less of the legal aspects.



Reviews also posted to my blog: Scarlet's Web
Facebook | Twitter | G+ | BookLikes | Leafmarks

Review: Sacrificing Virgins by John Everson

Sacrificing Virgins by John Everson

My Rating:


I received a free copy of Sacrificing Virgins from the publisher in return for an honest review.

Sacrificing Virgins contains twenty five horror shorts within its pages and covers everything from classic horror, erotic horror, ghost stories, blood and gore, thrills and chills, twisted tales and more. No two stories are alike and it seems like the author has covered every topic you could bring to mind within this collection.

I can honestly say there was something I liked and enjoyed in each and every story, something that very rarely happens when I'm reading a collection of shorts.

Well worth a read for horror fans.



Reviews also posted to my blog: Scarlet's Web
Facebook | Twitter | G+ | BookLikes | Leafmarks

Review: Such A Clever Deception (Stolen Tears, #0.5) by Cortney Pearson

Such A Clever Deception (Stolen Tears, #0.5) by Cortney Pearson

My Rating:


I received a free copy of Such A Clever Deception from the publisher in return for an honest review.

Such A Clever Deception is a prequel to the Stolen Tears series and introduces a bit of back story to one of the characters from the series. I have read the first book of The Stolen Tears series and I think because I know the character from that book that I could appreciate this look behind the scenes a little bit more than if I was coming to it without any other knowledge of the story.

I don't feel that this short really gives a great example of the depth of characters, world building and writing style of the author as much as it could. I really do enjoy the imagination and the way this author approaches a story and I think that Such A Clever Deception was a little bit too short to really show off her talent.


Reviews also posted to my blog: Scarlet's Web
Facebook | Twitter | G+ | BookLikes | Leafmarks

Review: Ghost Story by Jeff Brackett

Ghost Story by Jeff Brackett

My Rating:


I really enjoyed this short horror story. I absolutely loved the twist at the end, I really didn't see that coming at all. It was a very clever and refreshing take to an old tale.

I understand the author doesn't usually venture into the horror genre but after reading this little gem I do hope he considers writing more horror in future.


Reviews also posted to my blog: Scarlet's Web
Facebook | Twitter | G+ | BookLikes | Leafmarks