The House That Horror Built by Christina Henry

 I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Titan Books in exchange for an honest review.

It should be no surprise that I absolutely love everything Christina Henry writes at this point, and The House that Horror Built is no exception. This book tells the story of Harry, a single mother who begins cleaning the home of famous horror movie director, Javier Castillo. This involves cleaning all of the creepy props which adorn his home and following a very strict set of rules. Harry manages to successfully keep a professional distance from her boss until one day, she and her son are forced to move in with him due to her limiting financial circumstances. She then has to balance maintaining her boundaries whilst also suspecting there is something very odd about the house...

This is a hard book to pinpoint. If I had to, I'd say it was a slow-burn ghost story with a few psychological elements. Most of the book is focused on a creeping sense of dread, with only minimal horror 'stuff' actually happening. This was more than enough for me as a reader though. I found the characters interesting and I wasn't really sure where the story was going to go. I think the climax more than makes up for the slow pace of the beginning. The story gets very intense and troubled, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I am a huge fan of horror as a way of exploring human emotion and trauma, and this book does that very well in my opinion. I also like books which keep you on your toes. Which characters can you trust? Are things are sinister as they seem? This book plays with that well, and that's where the more psychological aspect comes in.

It should also come as no surprise that I am going to recommend this book. It's admittedly a little different than Henry's other, more-action filled works but I think that's a strength rather than a detriment. I think there's a lot here for horror fans to love

Overall Rating:

Disney Villains: Happily Never After Gaston by Lorie Langdon

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Igloo Books in exchange for an honest review.

Of all the villains who deserve a sad origin story, Gaston is not one of them. Still, I was super excited to read this retelling/prequel/exploration into Disney non-canon. And I'm so glad I did!

Happily Never After Gaston is the story of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, reimagined as an ugly and unpleasant teenager. Living in his brother's shadow and hated by his family, his luck starts to change when he meets an enchantress named Agatha and they form an arrangement of sorts. If Gaston can prove himself to be a good person, she will make him attractive. It's a simple premise and one which is extremely well-executed.

This book can't have been easy to write. Gaston is intentionally a flat and unpleasant character in the original film. He has to be compelling enough here to half-lead a book, but not so sympathetic that it doesn't fit with his portrayal in the film. I'd say the author does a great job of this. Is this Gaston from the films? No, but he's close enough. And honestly, it was a lot of fun as a Beauty and the Beast fan having this alternative version of Gaston and that world.

Fun is the main word I'd use to describe this book. It has the same kind of enjoyment as the Twisted Tales books and is worth checking out for any Disney fans who like exploring the characters from new and different perspectives. It has some nice nods to the original film, good writing and characterisation, and an interesting plot

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This is the Way the World Ends by Jen Wilde

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Little, Brown Book Group UK, Atom in exchange for an honest review.

This book is not what I expected.

This is the Way the World Ends bills itself as a YA thriller of sorts, at least from the vague description, but it is more of a dystopian than I was expecting. When Waverly gets the chance to attend an exclusive party she could never afford, she jumps at going. Unfortunately while she is there, the world literally starts to end and she discovers there has been an evil plot by the elite and wealthy to make sure only the 'appropriate' kind of people survive.

I must confess, my favourite part of this book was before any of the party stuff happened. I was enjoying reading about Waverly and her friends, and I found the reveal that the world was literally ending to be jarring and not what I wanted. Yes, it's there in the title but so many titles like this are metaphorical, especially in YA. It seems to be trying to come across as much more of a Gossip Girl/Pretty Little Liars vibe from the blurb, and this is not accurate at all.

Putting that aside however, this book was fine. I think it skews close to the unbearable in terms of the 'wokeness' for me, and I say that as someone who adores representation in books. The rep was just a bit too deliberate and obvious in a clumsy way, with it being brought up almost constantly in ways which were unrealistic and didn't make sense. This is compounded by the villains, a bunch of old, white rich men. I hate people like that as much as the next feminist, but it was lacking the depth and realism to stop it being cartoonish. I support the intention, I just think the execution wasn't the best. This is especially clear when it comes to Freddie, the nice guy best friend who is just genuinely a nice guy for the most part, but gets punished by the narrative for...being male?

It also ends on a cliffhanger/sequel hook and that was a real pet peeve for me. The pacing felt a bit odd while I was reading it, and it was painfully clear by the end that it was purely to leave material for the next book. It didn't feel like a complete story by itself and that is always disappointing.

Overall, this book is a ton of fun in parts and it was nice to see such a wide range of representation. I just wish it had all been executed a bit better, and also that the blurb of the book told me more what kind of genre/experience to expect

Overall Rating:

Lord of the Fly Fest by Goldy Moldavsky

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher HarperCollins UK Audio in exchange for an honest review.

This book is completely different tonally than what I was expecting from the cover. This looks kinda like a horror/thriller, but really it's a straight contemporary in tone. Lord of the Fly Fest is a retelling of Lord of the Flies, shifted to be a YA comedy. Our protagonist Rafi runs a true crime podcast and decides to attend the next big music festival, Fly Fest, to try and interview popstar River Stone. River's girlfriend went missing and Rafi is convinced he killed her, though her conviction looks more like she has a crush on him at times.

As mentioned, this book is pretty much a straight comedy. One of the main model characters is called Hella Badid, the name that made me realise I wasn't getting the horror I wanted. It's also way more like Lord of the Flies than I expected, with characters and some (loose) plot elements being lifted from it. This may sound odd and if it does, that's because it is. The end third of the book tries to ramp up the serious plot developments with increased comical farce, and the result is very hard to get what the author was going for.

Once I got over my disappointment about the lack of horror, this book was fine I guess. It feels a little dated already, making fun of influencers and popstars in a way which feels very 2016. Characters are often clear parodies of real people (Hella Badid, James Charles -> Jack, Harry Styles -> River Stone) and it all feels a bit mean. The main character is mocked mercilessly for running a podcast, even though podcasts are mega popular and tons of influencers either have their own or frequently guest on them.

I will say, I really enjoyed the audiobook. I think the narrator does some fun voices for the characters, and it was a lot more palatable to hear the humour than it would have been to just read it on the page. If you do decide to pick this up, the audiobook might be the way to go.

Ultimately, this book was a fun time but it's a big step down in my opinion from Moldavsky's other work. I also think it needs clearer marketing to avoid disappointed readers

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Five Survive by Holly Jackson

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher HarperCollins UK Audio in exchange for an honest review.

I have long given up on finding a YA thriller which will genuinely surprise me, and sadly Five Survive is no exception. Having said that, this is a genuinely enjoyable listen and is by far one of the best examples of its genre.

Five Survive is the story of a group of friends on their way to spring break when they get caught in a nightmare situation. After going off road, a sniper shoots out all of their tyres and holds them hostage. Their only hope for escape is for them to correctly identify the secret the sniper wants, and potentially sacrifice that person to the sniper.

As mentioned, this book did not surprise me once. I think it is painfully clear from the first few chapters why the teens are held hostage, as well as a few other 'reveals' from later on. It would be nice if a few of these story elements were masked a bit better because it does undercut a lot of the tension.

The main strength of this book is the characters and the tension they provide from being trapped. Oliver in particular is a super interesting character, and Red herself made for a reasonable enough protagonist. I do think there was scope to develop characters even further. Maddy in particular is very important to the narrative throughout, but we barely learn anything about her despite her being Red's best friend. They never speak independently of the group or really interact properly, which seems super weird.

I had a few issues with the audiobook specifically. Some of Red's inner narration is quite annoying when it is read aloud to you, though I think this would be better in print. Several times the narrator says a line and then the speech tags say a completely different delivery (for example, shouting a line then following it with 'Maddy said quietly') which was just jarring to listen to.

Overall, I think this book would be very much enjoyed by a teen audience but it doesn't have much reach beyond that. In terms of YA thrillers, it is one of the better ones out there. I would probably recommend the text version over the audiobook, just because of the minor narration issues I pointed out

Overall Rating:

.5

Dead Lucky by Andreina Cordani

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Little, Brown Book Group UK, Atom in exchange for an honest review.

What a great surprise this book was!

Dead Lucky is the story of Maxine, a content creator whose world gets turned upside down when a video of her fellow influencer Xav being murdered on camera is posted online. Her friends don't seem too interested by it but she is worried that there is more to the video than it seems, and so she decides to investigate with the help of her new friend.

I adore thrillers about influencers and I hoped this would be a fun read, but it ended up exceeding my expectations. Dead Lucky is the rare YA thriller which is actually very good, with interesting characters and a fun examination of what it means to be famous as a teenager. The story is split between Maxine struggling to investigate Xav's death while she juggles being famous and unhappy, and segments set in the past when all the characters originally decided to start a video channel. Maxine's struggles seem very genuine, and in fact all the characters as a whole are pretty grounded. This is something many YA thrillers fail at and it was part of what made the book so enjoyable.

The writing style is also a strength of this book, and it is surprisingly funny. Maxine had a strong voice as a narrating character and it made her really likeable.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book if you find the blurbs of a lot of YA thrillers intriguing, but then find they never live up to those premises. This is a rare exception and is absolutely worth checking out as a result.

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The Famoux by Kassandra Tate

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Wattpad Books, in exchange for an honest review.

I'm going to be honest, I was super excited to read this book but I wasn't exactly expecting a lot from it. The Famoux is the story of Emilee, a girl living in a future where global warming has destroyed most of the world. Spending most of her time being bullied by her schoolmates or yelled at by her family, Emilee is shocked when one day she is scooped off the street and offered the chance to join her favourite teenage celebrities, The Famoux. Leaving her own life behind, she moves in with them and becomes a part of their world. Only then does she learn that one of them has been murdered by a secret organisation, and it seems very likely they will kill again.

The start of this book is fairly rough. If you're a teenager you'll undoubtedly love it, but there are quite a lot of 'YA dystopian' tropes here. The people and the cities all have twee names like 'Chapter Stones' and 'Delicatum'. It gives major Selection vibes (which admittedly I love). But push past the first few chapters and suddenly you get to a story which is surprisingly very genuinely good.

The blurb is a little misleading I feel. The Famoux are reality stars but their celebrity group functions a lot more like a hype house without the TikTok. Every one of them has their own talent, and they spend most of the time doing activities together and building publicity. If you're expecting a story based around being on a reality TV show, this isn't it. However, the main strength of The Famoux is its intriguing plot and characters. The Famoux are all pitted against each other in a popularity contest for their lives, and this results in some very enjoyable character interactions and dynamics. I got sucked into this world and, better yet, I couldn't predict where the plot was going or who would do what next.

Overall, this book is a ton of fun. If you don't mind the occasional YA trope indulgence, there's a real gem of a story to be found here. As soon as I finished it, I was desperate to read the sequel and return to this world. I really hope it gets published as this book definitely deserves some love and attention.

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Just My Luck by Adele Parks

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher HQ in exchange for an honest review.

Just My Luck is a fantastic domestic drama book about what happens when one family wins the lottery. That sounds like a fairly simple premise and it is, but therein lies the strength. When Lexi wins 18 million in the lottery, she can't believe her luck. Unfortunately just the week before, she was part of a syndicate with her friends who now feel that they are owed a share of the money. On top of that, her husband seems unable to control his spending and it is causing cracks in the relationship. Determined to use the money for good, Lexi must weigh her own values and desires against those of the people around her.

I wasn't sure going in if this book was a thriller or not, and to be honest I'm still not entirely sure. It lacks 'someone messing with the main character' or other hallmarks of a thriller, but there are definitely twists and turns to be found here and many of the characters have secrets. I think if you usually enjoy thrillers then you should check this out, although be aware it's not entirely typical of the genre.

This book had a great sense of pace and it always felt like there was something going on which was very engaging. The main drama of the book is actually not entirely focused on the syndicate and I very much appreciated that as it would have been a bit weak to drive the whole story. Instead there are a lot of different intricate personal dramas going on and plenty of stories driving the plot, with each character feeling fleshed out and like they had their own motivations. I never quite knew how things were going to play out and that was very enjoyable. My only complaint is that one particular plot point is benched for most of the book and I kept thinking about how interesting it would be to see how the characters involved in that were reacting to what was going on. It felt like a bit of a missed opportunity.

Overall, Just My Luck is a great summer book and a gripping story with a lot to offer a reader. It's not too heavy if you're not a thriller fan but it still manages to create a sense of tension and keep you invested with the story. I'm very glad I took a chance and requested it.

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Near the Bone by Christina Henry

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Titan Books in exchange for an honest review.

Christina Henry is back in full form! After being a little disappointed by The Ghost Tree, I am pleased to report that Near the Bone is a truly fantastic creepy tale.

It tells the story of Mattie, a young woman who lives with her husband William in a remote forest cabin on a mountainside. A strange creature appears on the mountain one day, something which is like a bear and not. It soon becomes clear though that things have not been right long before that. William is a very controlling person and he doesn't like that the arrival of the creature appears to be affecting his tenuous hold on Mattie.

I was utterly mesmerised by this story. Henry knows how to build tension and there were absolute piles of it in this book. The relationship between William and Mattie is one of the main driving forces and it was harrowing to see the unpleasant reality of it slowly unfurl as I read on. As with many of Henry's books, Near the Bone has a strong focus on feminism and gender roles and this is handled extremely well. I felt such a strong connection to Mattie and everything she goes through broke my heart a million times. Every character was so real to me and they all had depth which made you either love or hate them.

So I have covered the characters and relationships side but what about the horror? Well rest assured, this book has plenty of that. There are some particularly gruesome scenes here and also a lot of the slower, more tension-based horror that I mentioned earlier. I think this book is particularly effective because it has both domestic horror (from the threat of William) and the horror that comes from being hunted by a supernatural creature. It provides a variety in the kind of fear you feel as a reader and as a bonus it appeals to all tastes.

Christina Henry is one of my favourite authors and with books like this, it isn't hard to see why. If you want a tense, absorbing horror with brilliant characters and a heartbreaking plot, I urge you to check this book out. You will not be disappointed.

Overall Rating:

 .5

The Dinner Guest by B P Walter

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes thrillers are just okay and sadly I must add The Dinner Guest to that pile. Though it has two narrators, this book primarily tells the story of Charlie, a rich influencer who is struggling to raise his son, Titus, with his husband, Matthew. Titus is going through his teenage years and his parents aren't sure how to handle it when he reveals he is having sex. Furthermore, Charlie feels Matthew is hiding something from him. The plot kicks off properly when they run into our other narrator Rachel, a woman who has engineered herself into their lives for her own unknown purposes. You learn from the prologue that Rachel will turn herself in for Matthew's murder by the time the book is through, but what led to that situation?

For a book called The Dinner Guest, I expected a little more focus on the dinner party itself. This is a very basic thriller with no real theme, which means the title could have been anything from the plot really. If you're expecting the actual dinner party to be significant beyond somewhere for a character to be murdered, then you will be sadly disappointed.

The characters were well-written for a book of this kind, although I wasn't particularly fond of any of them. Rachel probably ended up being my favourite but Charlie was very insufferable. It felt like him and Matthew viewed Titus as a pet rather than a son, and this was something that was kind of addressed but not really in a way which made me satisfied it was a deliberate decision from the author and not just a result of convenience. Titus neatly comes in and out of the plot as needed and might as well not exist when he's not directly being discussed. He seems the least real out of the characters and the book suffered from it.

As this all seems very negative, now is the time to stress I didn't hate this book. It has a decent plot and I couldn't predict what was going to happen, and it also makes a fair attempt to discuss some wider social issues. There was just nothing that really wowed me or made it stand out among the thriller market. If you need a thriller to pass the time, you could do a lot worse than this. It's just a shame it had nothing new to offer readers.

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Camp Neverland by Lisa Quigley

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Unnverving in exchange for an honest review.

The Rewind or Die horror series is fast becoming one of my favourite sources for good horror. I feel like every installment has something new and interesting to offer, and Camp Neverland is no exception. As always this is a standalone book which tells the story of Max, a girl keen to escape her life of being bullied by going to a mysterious camp for the summer. Unfortunately for her, when she arrives she discovers her bully is also there. Thankfully she has a whole host of new female friends who have her back, though soon she realises the camp is not as innocent as it seems when a grisly death occurs.

This book was so interesting to me on so many levels. The story is somewhat predictable from the outset but the exact nature and depth of the horror is kept hidden, so you never quite feel like you know how it's going to turn out. Max was a very compelling character and I found the way she reacted to the camp and what was going on around her really added to the story.

Like the best horror stories, Camp Neverland has plenty to say about people and society. There are strong feminist themes throughout and these are woven effortlessly into the story. It gave me a lot to think about and even though it is relatively short, it felt like it carried a lot of depth to it because of these themes.

If you are looking for something beyond the typical slasher, Camp Neverland is a great book to pick up. It is a quick and entertaining read with great characters, an engaging story and some classic horror imagery. I am a huge fan of these kinds of books and I can't wait to see what comes out in the future.

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