Review: Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield

Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield

My Rating:



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

Lisa Heathfield has the ability to take me from feeling happy, smiling and full of hope to sobbing like my heart just can't take any more, all in just a few pages. The characters she creates are so real, their lives so tragic yet at the same time they see the beauty in all things. Her words remind me how important life and family is and to always have compassion and regard for others. Quite simply I'm in awe of how easily her words reach inside me and turn my emotions upside down.

Paper Butterflies is a tragic, beautiful and heart breaking read. I was doubtful when picking it up that it could come anywhere close to Lisa's previous book Seed, which is one of my favourite books, one that has stuck with me and that I recommend to almost everyone, since I read it back in November 2014. I wasn't disappointed and Paper Butterflies has joined Seed on my favourites shelf.

The book covers sensitive topics like Seed but at the same time is so different. The characters feel real and genuine and I got to know and love many of them and will miss them now I have finished the book. The story is told from the point of view of June, a young girl who experiences abuse at the hands of her step-mother. You can feel her hurt, her anger and feelings of hopelessness and you just want to reach inside the pages and make everything better.

I couldn't put the book down. I was up all night, my emotions all over the place, hankie at the ready and trying to sniff quietly in case I woke anyone. I experienced everything from joy, anger, tears, hope, every emotion you could possibly imagine and the world around me faded out of existence while the book was in my hands.

Highly recommend and another book that will stick with me long after I finished reading.



Reviews also posted to my blog: Scarlet's Web
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Review: The Hatching: A Novel by Ezekiel Boone

The Hatching: A Novel by Ezekiel Boone

My Rating:


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

Why do I keep doing this to myself, I hate spiders! I swear the little furry creatures were coming out the woodwork to pounce on me the whole time I was reading this book! One actually landed on my daughter while I was reading nearby and she flew off the couch like her bahookie was on fire. You can imagine how on edge I was for the rest of the night lol.

The Hatching was a great read, it was also an extremely creepy and itchy read. The pacing kept me on the edge of my seat and the terror of the events occurring seeps into you. I could easily imagine the fear and destruction that was taking place. There are quite a few characters in this book as events take place all over the world but despite the many different characters, each is very well written and fleshed out and relatable in their own way.

Spiders have been done many times in horror but The Hatching is one that stands out amongst all the others. These spiders feel real, the threat seems plausible and that just makes it all the more scary to read. I could feel those hairy little legs scuttling over my skin the whole time I was reading.

Definitely one I would recommend, it was everything I was hoping for and more.

Man eating spiders who think and move like a hive, out thinking and out smarting their prey.

There's no escape.



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Review: Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet by Adam Howe

Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet by Adam Howe

My Rating:


I received a free copy of Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet in return for an honest review.

Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet is a collection of three novellas: Damn Dirty Apes, Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet and Gator Bait.

Damn Dirty Apes is easily my favourite of the collection. It was such a fun read and packed full of hilarious scenes and sarcasm. I had a smile on my face the whole time I was reading.

Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet is a really gruesome story and had me on the edge of my seat. The pacing, horrific scenes and atmosphere make this a nail biting and disturbing read.

Gator Bait was my least favourite. I didn't enjoy this one as much as the others. I didn't like the characters and I think that's what spoiled it for me.

All in all a great trio of stories and well worth the read.



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Review: Kids - A Dark Chapter Press collection of horror shorts

Kids

My Rating:


Another great collection from Dark Chapter Press.

I tend to be over critical when it comes to short stories, I'm really fussy, but this is a decent collection and has something for every horror fan. There are quite a few 4 and 5 stars reads in this collection in my opinion but my favourite has to be Omens by Chantal Noordeloos, I'll definitely have to look into more of her work.

1 - Bad Little Boys go to Hell - James Walley - 3 stars

This was a good wee story, it created a feeling of isolation and I liked the twist at the end.

2 - The Bones of Baby Dolls - Fiend Gottes - 2.5 stars

I enjoyed this one but it felt a little choppy and was weirdly worded in places.

3 - The Boy in the Apartment - Josh Pritchett - 3 stars

An original little story although the dialogue a few times came across as rather Cor blimey old chap, almost fell down the old apple and pears, which didn't feel natural.

4 - Little Angel - Sharon Higa - 5 stars

This is one of my favourites from the collection. It gives the reader just enough to allow the imagination to fill in the gaps. Very creepy and ominous.

5 - The Apothecary's Hiccup - Douglas F Dluzen - 4 stars

I really enjoyed this one, it felt like a much longer complete story, a hard thing to do when writing a short story.

6 - Raw - Erica Chin - 2 stars

Wasn't really a fan of this one. It felt random and without reason.

7 - Twins - Andrew Lennon - 4 stars

One nasty child is bad enough, but two?!

8 - The Ladder - Pete Clark - 5 stars

Another one of my favourites from the collection, very imaginative and disturbing.

9 -Born Bad - Mark Parker - 4 stars

And I thought my neighbours were bad.

10 - Milk - Michael Bray - 5 stars

Revenge is a dish best served cold!

11 - Anna - Mathew Hickman - 4 stars

Another excellent story of revenge.

12 - Dig - Alice J Black - 3 stars

Decent enough story but I knew where it was going very early on.

13 - Omens - Chantal Noordeloos - 5 star

My favourite of the whole collection.

14 - The Box - Gary Pearson - 3 stars

Poor kid, no wonder he flipped.

15 - Social Sacrifices - Shawn Dixon - 2 stars

Not so keen on this one, the story was decent I just didn't like reading about the poor animals.

16 - The Butcher's Apprentice - David Basnett - 3 stars

Good little story but the accent thing felt a bit silly.

17 - The Seventy-Five Percent - Brian Barr - 3 stars

What a horrible opinionated man.

18 - Pregnant With Freedom - Christopher Ropes - 3 stars

That was rather bizarre.



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Review: The Power of Dark by Robin Jarvis

The Power of Dark by Robin Jarvis

My Rating:


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

The Power of Dark was a fun and imaginative read. On finishing the book I felt like I had been on an adventure, the scenes were vivid and colourful and easy to picture in the minds eye and the mix of magic and horror was just right. The story does get a little dark at times but it's balanced out with fun, colourful and quirky scenes that lifts the story and brings a smile to your face.

The storyline was unique and really captured my imagination. The characters were easy to like and relate to and their interactions and dialogue came across as natural and real. The story finishes off nicely but at the same time hints at more to come in the future.

Definitely one I would recommend.


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Review: Blood Sacrifices by Brian Moreland

Blood Sacrifices by Brian Moreland

My Rating:


I received a free copy of Blood Sacrifices from Erin at Oh, for the Hook of a Book in return for an honest review and as part of the Hook of a Book Blood Sacrifices blog tour of which my blog Scarlet's Web is taking part.

Blood Sacrifices is comprised of a short story and three novellas. The short story, The Girl From The Blood Coven, being a short prequel to The Witching House, followed by two independent novellas, Darkness Rising and The Vagrants.

I particularly enjoyed The Girl from the Blood Coven and was pleased to see that The Witching House continued on with this story. I was left curious to learn more about the house and what led up to the events, and The Witching Hour was exactly what I was looking for. These two were my favourites from the collection.

Darkness Rising was a bittersweet story, the main character of Marty is very appealing and easy to care for, this makes his horrific story all the more heartbreaking and poignant. I enjoyed this as much as the above but in a different way. The Girl from the Blood Coven and The Witching House caters more to my personal preference where horror is concerned but Darkness Rising really stood out as it's particularly haunting and poignant. Bad things happened to good people.

The final story, The Vagrants was yet another great story but was the one I have to say I enjoyed least of all. It wasn't that it didn't draw me in, it just felt like it went on a bit in places.

Moreland writes in a way that draws you in instantly. The opening paragraphs of each story get their claws into you and you just have to read on. All of the stories stand out in their own way and there is something for everyone here.

Blood Sacrifices is one that I would highly recommend reading, it's full of tension, atmosphere and moves at pace that will have you on the edge of your seat.


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Synopsis for Blood Sacrifices

• Publication Date: April 5, 2016
• Publisher: Samhain
• Publication Length: 282 pages

Some evils require sacrifices.
From the author of Dead of Winter and The Devil’s Woods come four tales of blood-tingling horror:

The Girl from the Blood Coven
In this short prequel to The Witching House, when Abigail Blackwood claims her hippy commune family has been massacred, Sheriff Travis Keagan and his deputies investigate. They discover there’s more than weed smoking going on at Blevins House. Much more.

The Witching House
Sarah Donovan is scared of just about everything, but she helps her adventurous boyfriend investigate the old, abandoned Blevins House, scene of a forty-year-old unsolved massacre. Little do they know the house is hungry for fresh prey…

Darkness Rising
When Marty Weaver encounters three killers who like to play sadistic games with their victims, his own scarred past is unearthed. And when his pain is triggered, blood will flow…and hell will rise.

The Vagrants
Beneath the city of Boston, evil is gathering. While living under a bridge with the homeless, journalist Daniel Finley witnessed something that nearly cost him his sanity. Now, with a book published about the experience, he’s caught between the Irish mafia and a deranged cult preparing to shed blood on the street.

This is a collection of books previously published in digital format.

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Biography

Brian Moreland is a best-selling and award-winning author of novels and short stories in the horror and supernatural suspense genre. In 2007, his novel Shadows in the Mist, a Nazi occult thriller set during World War II, won a gold medal for Best Horror Novel in an international contest. The novel went on to be published in Austria and Germany under the title Schattenkrieger.
Shadows in the Mist, Dead of Winter, and The Devil’s Woods are his currently available novels, as well as his Kindle short-story The Girl from the Blood Coven and the novella it led into called The Witching House.  Now, he has released the full-length The Devil’s Woods. His novella, Vagrants, released in 2014 and another, Darkness Rising, in 2015.
He loves hiking, kayaking, watching sports, dancing, and making guacamole. Brian lives in Dallas, Texas where he is diligently writing his next horror novel.  When not working on his books or books for other writers, Brian edits documentaries and TV commercials around the globe. He produced a World War II documentary in Normandy, France, and worked at two military bases in Iraq with a film crew.

Brian lives in Dallas, Texas. You can communicate with him online at www.brianmoreland.com, Twitter, or Facebook.

 

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Media, information and review copy provided as part of the Hook of a Book blog tour by Erin Al-Mehairi from Hook of a Book Media & Publicity.

Review: I Kill in Peace by Hunter Shea

I Kill in Peace by Hunter Shea

My Rating:


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

I can't say that I enjoyed this one but at the same time I can't say that I didn't enjoy it either. Even though it held my attention while reading, now that I'm sitting down to write my review I find myself struggling to put words to what it was that I liked and disliked.

The character of Peter was done well, his struggles with what he was doing and the progression of his character were well written. The plot was unique and the pacing was consistent and I did enjoy the story enough that I wanted to keep reading but the religious aspect and the ending ruined it for me. The whole religion thing is the stuff of fairytales as far as I'm concerned so perhaps I just can't relate or suspend my belief enough to have enjoyed it.

In the end this one just wasn't for me.




Reviews also posted to my blog: Scarlet's Web
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