Let’s start right off and talk about this cover! It is absolutely incredible!
Now I know the skin of a book isn’t the star of the show, the true treasure lies in the guts of the read but you can’t deny that a masterpiece on the outside isn’t the perfect eye candy every book worm adores.
When I opened the pages of Hunger Pangs I had no idea that this was Scott’s debut collection. I really should have done my research better, but honestly for this to be his first collection out into the world I am very impressed.
Scott’s stories are unique and raw. His writing is smooth and consumable. Usually when I read a collection there are a couple that really, really stand out or that you may enjoy more than others. This collection I had a hard time pin pointing my favorite. I enjoyed them all for different reasons! I use the saying “like children, you love them all just as much, only in different ways.” You can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Hunger Pangs is a collection worth getting lost in, transporting out of reality into these dark, bizarre, frightening worlds…. that is if you think you can handle it of course.
I can’t thank Scott enough for sending me an e-copy to read and review, obviously I will need to pick up a physical copy as soon as I can to add to my collection…..I mean….that COVER! But when I saw that Hunger Pangs was on audible I downloaded it right away knowing it would help me get to this review so much sooner, so I can also say the audiobook was done very well, worth checking out.
Hunger Pangs will leave a lasting, haunting effect!
Genre:ย Adult | Fiction | Dark | Horror | Short Stories |Poetry
3 out of 5 stars!
Halloween Season contains 13 short stories and a couple dark poetry pieces.
The cover is so awesome but don’t be fooled! This cover screams Halloween but as the synopsis suggests there are a couple stories wrapped around a specific winter Holiday that comes in close behind Halloween.
Although this collection reads true to form on what the synopsis suggests. Sadly I personally didn’t enjoy this as much as I had wanted.
Some of the stories were a bit mind bending or tricky at times but none of them were overly chilling. However there were a couple stories that stood out for me more than others; In The Family, The House That Couldn’t Clean Itself and Toy Makers Joy.
A warning poetry piece comes in before the last two stories in this collection and this is where I thought here we go! this is it! Lucy has been holding back on us, it’s all going to go down now.. but it didn’t. I was missing the wow factor.
I guess what I am trying to say is although Lucy’s writing is good, the stories were interesting and it was a decent collection in a whole, it was missing something for me and I wasn’t feeling the Halloween goodness throughout.
Thank you so much Raw Dog Screaming Press, Lucy A. Snyder and Erin Al-Mehairi for making sure I received a review copy.
Perfect blend of eerie and emotional…disturbing yet poetic!
An absolute beautiful piece!
Eric shows his raw talents within these pages. Each and every one of your senses will be at an all time high with his impeccable writing. I thoroughly enjoy a read where it’s almost as if I can smell, touch, feel everything around me but I have never come across something quite like this.
The whole concept of this novella is insane, unlike anything I have read before. You can feel Eric’s emotions seeping through the pages!
Teddy is such an adored and powerful character! Mourning the passing of her father, suffering with her unique ability and fighting her own inner demons. Yet no matter how scarred her life is or how traumatized her family is nothing can alter her unconditional love for her Mother and her Mother’s love for her.
In comes Kiiara to stir up the story, honestly Eric went a complete different direction with this character than I expected. Keeping me completely obsessed!
It has taken me days to mull over this read and yet I still don’t know if I have all my thoughts together. I am wowed yet confused all at the same time, in the best way possible. I want more!…I need more!
I can’t believe Starving Ghosts in Every Thread is Eric’s debut novel.
Thank you so much Eric for sending me a copy to read and review. I am absolutely a dedicated fan and can’t wait to read more of your spellbinding work.
It’s hard to review a collection of short stories without giving to many details away but man this collection by Syon was great!
Each and every one of these 5 stories were so different from the next and well written! Syon’s writing was detailed, smooth and had the perfect balance between storyline and character details.
Buried with the Night are those fast paced, mind bending, tricky stories that end off with a huge cliff hanger. Leaving you wanting more not only from those stories themselves but from Syon in general.
Although I can’t go into to much detail for each individual story. I can say I do believe my favorite was Curtis, which also happened to be the very first story in this collection. It was my perfect kind of messed up minds! (to read anyhow). I was instantly consumed after reading Curtis and looked forward to the rest!
I would highly recommend this collection and I can’t thank Syon enough for sending me a copy to read and review. I look forward to reading more of his work in the future!
The Plumbers! A zombie read I will go back to time and time again!
Liam and Pierce have officially become some of my all time favourite characters. Two best friends, extremely snarky but they just understand each other, you know? Honestly they may have the best friendship around!
Liam’s wife also fits into this friendship perfectly. I hate saying this….it’s so clichรฉ…but….they are relationship goals! Irene is so cheeky and knows exactly how to put that smile on Liam’s face and you can just tell how much they adore each other. Irene and Pierce also get along so well, they have so much in common, making the perfect character trio!
The world they are living is so bizarre! Liam and Pierce head out each day as if its a normal work day, helping their clients with all their plumbing needs, while becoming these freaking awesome zombie killing machines.
I am amazed on how much fun, gore and hilarious moments Terry was able to pack into this B-rated Horror flick in book form! I most definitely need to get my hands on a physical copy of this and so much more of his work!
Highly recommend this read! Unless vulgar suggestions, etc bother you. Than I would not suggest this read. The humour in this novella may not be for everyone.
Thank you so much to Terry for sending me an e-copy to read a review. Oh and PS the audio book was also done SO well. The narrator did such a phenomenal job!
Jon seems like a simple character but the further into the story you go you find out just how complex he is!
When the Sky Goes Dark starts off as a slow burn, getting to know your main character and what he’s all about but it’s not long and before you know it all chaos breaks loose. People are dropping left and right but the most terrifying thing happens when the sky goes dark!
Honestly and I say this will 100 positivity! The moment I jumped into this read I felt it read like a B-rated horror film…. and I was ALL for it! So much going on, mayhem everywhere, people going bonkers but yet Oliver snuck in the perfect amount of humour! As the story went on we didn’t completely lose the B-rated vibes but it shifted into more of a deeper, heartfelt story when Jon was searching for his loved ones and fellow survivors while feeling all the pain and suffering. People fighting to survive, doing anything they needed to do, even finding themselves doing things they could never see themselves doing… all in order to live through another night.
Jon has to learn how to survive keeping himself and hopefully those around him safe. Jumping into this role that’s not his usual self, you get to see his quirks and true personality traits shine though. As I mentioned he became a very complex character and where he may have been very predictable at time, others you had absolutely no idea where he was going to go with it!
Jon’s journeys and the people he comes across only become more intense and it’s almost as if he starts to loose his own sanity.
I highly recommend this read if you are into those end of the world, apocalyptic type reads. I can’t thank Oliver enough for sending me a copy to read and review. I look forward to more of his work in the future.
Can the digital networks that record our footprints hold us steady when dementia threatens to push us off the path? This question has real stakes for data analyst Charlie Sanders. His best hope for a father succumbing to Alzheimerโs comes from assistive technology that Charlie helps design for a scrappy startup. Despite early successes, Charlie has growing doubts about the motives of each of his colleagues – the eccentric CEO in Seattle, the call center guru in India, and the Trump-loving Aussie transplant who keeps the books. His worries grow when the company takes on a clandestine client who occupies the Oval Office. Will Charlie keep his father and his country on track, or turn a whole generation into glitches?
*** Synopsis copied from amazon. ca
Genre:ย Adult | Fiction | Medical Fictionย |ย Technology
3 out of 5 stars!
An interesting concept! The Synopsis really intrigued me.
Take a moment to really think what it would be like to have a technology such as this existing today.
Would it be a game changer? ย
The story starts off with the perspective of Charlieโs father, Barry.ย ย I was immediately pulled into the story! I enjoyed when the story was told from his perspective. Hearing his thoughts and reactions towards this technology his son helped create was stern yet humours at times. I also thoroughly enjoyed Charlieโs interactions with his father. It painted a realistic relationship when connecting with a loved one suffering from Dementia or Alzheimer’s.ย ย The emotional strains are prominent for sure but you will never stop loving and caring for that person and Charlie showed that passion for his father in the story. Working hard not to correct his father when he mixed Charlie up with his brother or trying hard not to feel the hit to the heart when his father would go on with glowing memories and stories about his brother. Charlie knew his father was suffering and nothing was intentional.ย
Unfortunately Barryโs direct perspective and relationship with Charlie was not highlighted enough in the story, in my personal opinion. I would have loved way more from him, but of course that was not the main feature.
I was worried the heavy political aspect behind the story was going to pull my attention away but surprisingly it didnโt. However; I did find that I did get lost in the switching from perspective to perspective and how they all came together in the end. I found with the choppy transitions the story was not as engaging, perhaps I could even say a bit dry and unfortunately lost my focus. That being said John did send me an e-copy for review and when I realised I was running out of time in order to get my review up for the target date, I turned to the audiobook. Perhaps the narration didnโt help in these moments. Again this is just my own opinion. ย
Over all the story was interesting. I would like to see more from John. If he was to write a whole novel on Barry and Charlie, I know I would be right there!
Thank you so much John for sending me a copy to read and review. ย
I enjoy Urban Legends! I find it fascinating to hear stories from all around the world, unique to that culture. Dimas did a great job sharing these stories with the world.
Who’s There is something I would call comfy, cozy horror.
I didn’t find these stories to be overwhelmingly terrifying, you know those reads that leave you crawling in your skin, keep you up at night and looking over your shoulder every where you go? I found these horror tales to be gentle yet very enjoyable and easily consumed . Perfect for a horror newbie, someone looking to dip their toes into the dark fiction world or someone looking to learn more about dark tales from around the world, such as myself.
Although these stories are not overly terrifying they will twist and play with your mind, keeping you on your toes.
Dimas Rio did provide me with an e-copy to read and review, however when I saw it was on audio-book I wanted to give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised with the audio version. The narrator did a great job of bringing the eerie feels of the stories together.
My question to you is …. Who’s There? Are you gutsy enough to find out?
Thank you so much Dimas for sending me an e-copy to read and review. I am intrigued and look forward to more of your work.
nichi.i_readpastmybedtime 