Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.
Something Red
Title: Something Red
Author: Douglas Nicholas
Genre: Historical Fiction, Supernatural
Rating: 2 stars
Purchase: Amazon
From debut author Douglas Nicholas comes a haunting story of love, murder, and sorcery.
During the thirteenth century in northwest England, in one of the coldest winters in living memory, a formidable yet charming Irish healer, Molly, and the troupe she leads are driving their three wagons, hoping to cross the Pennine Mountains before the heavy snows set in.
Molly, her lover Jack, granddaughter Nemain, and young apprentice Hob become aware that they are being stalked by something terrible. The refuge they seek in a monastery, then an inn, and finally a Norman castle proves to be an illusion. As danger continues to rise, it becomes clear that the creature must be faced and defeated—or else they will all surely die. It is then that Hob discovers how much more there is to his adopted family than he had realized.
An intoxicating blend of fantasy and mythology, Something Red presents an enchanting world full of mysterious and fascinating characters— shapeshifters, sorceresses, warrior monks, and knights—where no one is safe from the terrible being that lurks in the darkness. In this extraordinary, fantastical world, nothing is as it seems, and the journey for survival is as magical as it is perilous.
Review: Something Red is a lyrical, descriptive book, reminiscent of The Name of The Rose. It’s not too bad, but the plot doesn’t offer anything fresh, and the writing is so lyrical it slows down the pace. There are too many descriptions, and the plot drags along.
Tales of the Macabre
Title: Tales of the Macabre
Author: Edgar Poe
Genre: Short Story Collection, Horror
Rating: 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
A unique luxury edition of some of Edgar Allan Poe’s famous short stories, Tales of the Macabre takes the reader into the heart of a dozen stories, including The Fall of The House of Usher, Berenice, and The Black Cat, all beautifully illustrated by Benjamin Lacombe. Includes Charles Baudelaire’s essay on Poe’s life and works.
Review: I love Edgar Allan Poe’s stories, and this luxury edition looked great. Poe is a master of language, of vivid descriptions, of lyrical prose. The illlustrations are gorgeous and they fit the text nicely.
Lilith
Title: Lilith
Author: Toby Tate
Genre: Dark Fiction, Horror
Rating: 3,5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Before evil had a name, there was LILITH.
Something has come aboard the U.S. Navy’s newest state-of-the-art super carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, something supernatural and as ancient as time itself. And it’s taking over the crew one by one.
Reporter Hunter Singleton and his wife Lisa, guests invited aboard to witness a routine training mission off the coast of North Carolina, soon learn that the CIA is onboard as well, and that some of the ship’s crew are acting irrationally, even violently. When an unexpected monster hurricane slams New York, the ship rushes to assist in the aftermath, and Hunter, Lisa and the crew are faced with the terrifying realization that whatever has come aboard the Ford must be stopped before it is set free on the streets of Manhattan.
But how do they fight something beyond human comprehension? How do they kill something that may not even be alive?
The clock is ticking…and Time itself is running out.
Review: Lilith was an intriguing read. Not my all-time favorite dark fiction, but definitely a solid book with good writing, interesting characters and an original plot. A decent read for fans of the genre.
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