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

Review: First One Missing by Tammy Cohen

First One Missing by Tammy Cohen

My Rating:


I received a free copy of First One Missing from the publisher in return for an honest review.

First One Missing was somewhat of a mediocre read for me. I wasn't drawn into the story. The writing was good and the premise was great but there was something missing. I felt like I was reading it from the sidelines and it prevented me from getting inside the minds of the characters in the book.

The characters were well fleshed out but I feel that too much time was spent on the parents and families and because of this I found it lacked in other areas. The tension and mystery wasn't really there and although we got the odd peek into the the mind of the killer, it wasn't enough. The sections where it concentrated on the killer were the best parts in my opinion and although seeing inside his head was uncomfortable the book needed more of this. I found the story to be more about the grieving and after effects of the families rather than the psychological fear aspect of the situation or the twisted mind and reasoning of the killer.   I know there was a reason to concentrate on the families but at the same time I feel this is where that missing something comes into play for me. There wasn't enough time spent working towards that particular twist.

That being said, it wasn't a bad read. It held my attention for the most part and it had a few twists, although I had worked out the twists before they occurred, but it lacked the psychological aspect and the on the edge of your seat tension that I look for in books of this genre.


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

Review: Holy Cow: A Modern-Day Dairy Tale David Duchovny

Holy Cow: A Modern-Day Dairy Tale David Duchovny

My Rating:


I received a free copy of Holy Cow: A Modern-Day Dairy Tale from the publisher in return for an honest review.

This is one that ended up on my did not finish pile. I just couldn't do it. I felt like I was being lectured under the guise of bad pop culture references, awful satire, ridiculous puns, and phrases that contain words(?) like "cray cray", "totes", "bae" and every other modern phrase that irritates the hell out of me.

The writing style is inconsistent. The author changes style constantly, jumping between telling a story, to something along the lines of a screen play, to then breaking the fourth wall. The whole thing is just odd, irritating and makes no sense. It's full of rants about politics, religion and animal rights and welfare, disguised as what I believe is supposed to be humour. And I understand it's supposed to be a book for all ages? I wouldn't subject an adult to this book let alone a child.

I have to wonder, had this been written by anyone else, in other words someone who's not a "celebrity", would it have been published at all?

Not recommended.


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

Review: Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton

Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton

My Rating:


I received a free copy of Little Black Lies from the publisher in return for an honest review.

Little Black Lies is a story told in three parts, each part telling the same story from a different viewpoint. The book has many great characters but it revolves around the characters of Catrin, Rachel and Callum. Each character is well rounded and complex and I did enjoy experiencing the story from each point of view. However, I began to get a bit fed up when it came to how much the author described the setting, environment and such.

The story is set in the Falkland Islands and the author initially does a wonderful job setting the scene with the descriptions of the harsh landscape, the wildlife and so on, and when reading the first section, Catrins viewpoint, I was happy to read about the scenery etc. But on reaching Rachels and Callums viewpoints I felt like it was repeated all over again. I found myself skimming and then totally skipping the scene setting as it started to feel like filler, I had been there and read it already several times.

The further into the book I got, the lower my rating started to slip. I was initially enjoying it but by the time I got halfway through the second characters story I was skipping the sections I mentioned above regarding the scenery etc, and on reading Callums story, the third section, I found that I was losing interest and had to force myself not to just give up on finishing the book.

The last quarter of the book just totally killed it, it was a disaster. The whole three different confessions thing, in fact the whole situation in the police station had no credibility at all. It came across as some kind spoof rather than a serious situation, the case would have been laughed out of the courts. And that last paragraph, what the heck? That was the nail in the coffin for me.

Not one I would recommend.


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