Review for As I Descended by Robin Talley

As I Descended by Robin Talley
Publisher: MIRA Ink
Release: 6th September 2016
Genre: YA, LGBT, Retelling
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis: 

Maria Lyon and Lily Boiten are their school’s ultimate power couple―but one thing stands between them and their perfect future: campus superstar Delilah Dufrey. Golden child Delilah is a legend at exclusive Acheron Academy, and the presumptive winner of the distinguished Cawdor Kingsley Prize. But Delilah doesn’t know that Lily and Maria are willing to do anything―absolutely anything―to unseat Delilah for the scholarship. After all, it would lock in Maria’s attendance at Stanford―and assure her and Lily four more years in a shared dorm room.

Together, Maria and Lily harness the dark power long rumored to be present on the former plantation that houses their school. But when feuds turn to fatalities, and madness begins to blur the distinction between what’s real and what’s imagined, the girls must attempt to put a stop to the chilling series of events they’ve accidentally set in motion.

Review
Macbeth is my favourite of Shakespeare’s plays so when I saw that Robin Talley had written a LGBT YA retelling I knew that I just had to give it a read during the build up to Halloween and this book lived up to my every expectation!

As I Descended follows the students of Acheron Academy an exclusive boarding school that nurtures competitiveness and values success in its pupils. As candidates for the coveted Kingsley prize are soon to be selected, the fierce competition between the students heats up. For secret couple Maria and Lily, winning the prize would mean securing their future together earning Maria a place with Lily at Stanford University. With the schools it girl Delilah set to win the prize, the girls realise that for Maria to take first place they need to get Delilah out of the picture, but what starts out as a vindictive plan quickly spirals into a deadly accident. With their futures at stake, Maria and Lily must decide just how far they’re willing to go to protect their relationship and themselves.

As with all of Robin Talley’s books, As I Descended is brimming with diverse characters which is something I always appreciate. The characters in this book are so well written and complex, they’re neither good nor bad which I really loved. It was fun to get into the heads of so many different types of people and to learn about the motives behind their actions.

The story opens on an Ouija board scene and builds in creepiness throughout the book. As I Descended is the perfect blend of thriller and horror story, mixing together human misdeeds with the supernatural for a double dose of terror. This book transcends so many genres offering a little bit of everything to satisfy the tastes of any reader.

With its boarding school setting, ruthlessly ambitious characters, and spooky storyline, As I Descended ticked so many of the right boxes for me. If you love scary reads about jealousy and revenge you’ll love As I Descended.

Five YA Books To Read This Halloween!

Halloween is drawing ever closer and if you're anything like me you're diving head first into some spooky reads at the moment to get into the spirit of the season! Today I wanted to bring you my top five YA book recommendations that I think would be perfect to read this Halloween for anyone looking for something scary or supernatural to get their teeth stuck into.

 The Graces by Laure Eve

It's no secret that The Graces is one of my favourite books of 2016 and if you haven't had the pleasure of reading this wonderful book yet then Halloween is the perfect time to do so! The book follows three siblings who are rumored to be witches and new girl River who develops an obsession with finding out the truth about them. This book is dark and gothic, twisty and turny and is an absolute must read for Halloween!

The Deviants by C.J. Skuse

C.J. Skuse is the best author to become obsessed with over Halloween. All of her books are wickedly dark and an absolute delight to read, but my favourite of her novels is her latest book The Deviants. This book is so shocking that I never want to say too much about it for fear of spoiling someone, so I'll just say that if you like thrillers that throw surprises at you that you never see coming check out this book!

Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics

This is a book that I read last Halloween and it still sticks with me now as one of my favourite YA Horror stories. What I love about Daughters Unto Devils is that it doesn’t read like a YA novel the creepy, gory parts don’t feel watered down so as to not scare a younger audience making it a genuinely scary read for anyone of any age. It's a short book at just over 200 pages and is perfect for devouring on Halloween night!

13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough

I read a LOT of thrillers both in the YA and Adult genres and 13 Minutes is one of the best thrillers that I've read this year. It's so well crafted and kept me up until the early hours of the morning turning the pages. If you like Scream Queens or Pretty Little Liars you will love the bitchiness and backstabbing that goes on in 13 Minutes.

As I Descended by Robin Talley

I just finished reading As I Descended the other day and it is one of my favourite books that I've read for Halloween this year! This is a YA retelling of Macbeth and has all of the ghostly and bloody goings on that you'd expect. Any scary story that opens on a Ouija board scene is set to be a good one in my opinion and this book builds on the creepiness throughout. If you like mystery, murder and a dash of the supernatural you won't want to miss this book!

 I hope that if you're looking for a good Halloween read 

that you decide to check out these brilliant books!

Where to Start With Thrillers

As the days get shorter and the nights grow colder there's nothing that I love more than grabbing a blanket, making a hot drink and sitting down in front of the fire with a thriller. Over the last couple of years I have really gotten into this genre and now consider it to be one of my favourites and I know I'm not the only one! Thrillers are very popular at the moment and I am constantly asked by both my readers and loved ones where I would recommend starting with this genre. With Halloween approaching I thought that it was the perfect time to create my very own guide on where to start with thrillers for anyone looking for a dark and gritty read.

 The Bestsellers

Sometimes the best place to start is at the top and Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train are bestsellers for good reason, they really are some of the best in the thriller genre. Although different in plot they do have some similarities with their unlikable characters, gripping story line, shocking twists and a missing girl and in my opinion you can't go wrong with either one. Gone Girl was the first thriller that I read and is largely what got me hooked on this genre. Both books also have fantastic movie adaptations that I'd recommend watching after reading.

 The Big Twist

 

One of the things that I love about thrillers are the big twists that you never see coming. I read a lot from this genre and so have gotten to the point where I'm pretty good at guessing where a book is heading but two books that made me gasp out loud in shock were The Woman in Cabin 10 and The Kind Worth Killing. These two books genuinely kept me on my toes and I'd recommend them to anyone who loves books that take a turn for the unexpected.

The Best Villain

 

We all love a good villain and You and Behind Closed Doors offer up two of my favourites. You is actually told from the bad guy's point of view - don't get me wrong, he is a very bad man, but somehow you end up liking him anyway and Behind Closed Doors features a villain that I loathed with an almighty passion, he really is despicable and I physically wanted to punch my book at times because I despised him that much. If you love a good baddie then these two books are for you.

The Page Turner

 

For me, pacing is crucial when it comes to thrillers and two books that get it spot on are The Missing and Distress Signals. In both books the tension is so taut throughout that I physical could not put them down. The twists and turns are expertly placed and the plot revelations are so well timed. If you're looking for a book that will keep you up reading late into the night you can't go wrong with these two.

The Most Sinister

 

Now, if you have a strong stomach and your motto is that the more sick and twisted a story is the better then I would recommend that you check out How I Lost You and Pretty Girls. I'm definitely not someone who gets scared easily when it comes to fiction but both of these books were so dark and messed up that they played on my mind long after I turned the lights out ready to go to sleep. If you think that you can handle them, then I'd certainly recommend these two books for a creepy, sinister read.

 I hope that these recommendations help anyone looking for a good thriller and that they get you as obsessed with the genre as I am!

Review for The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich
Publisher: Indigo
Release: 6th August 2015
Genre: YA, Horror, Thriller
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis:

"Part-psychological thriller, part-urban legend, this is an unsettling narrative made up of diary entries, interview transcripts, film footage transcripts and medical notes. Twenty-five years ago, Elmbridge High burned down. Three people were killed and one pupil, Carly Johnson, disappeared. Now a diary has been found in the ruins of the school. The diary belongs to Kaitlyn Johnson, Carly’s identical twin sister. But Carly didn’t have a twin . . .

Re-opened police records, psychiatric reports, transcripts of video footage and fragments of diary reveal a web of deceit and intrigue, violence and murder, raising a whole lot more questions than it answers.

Who was Kaitlyn and why did she only appear at night? Did she really exist or was she a figment of a disturbed mind? What were the illicit rituals taking place at the school? And just what did happen at Elmbridge in the events leading up to ‘the Johnson Incident’?"

Review 
Anyone that knows me knows that I love a good thriller be it YA or Adult. This past year I’ve been on a real thriller kick – I can’t get enough of them! So when I first read the synopsis for The Dead House I knew it was a book I just had to have.

The Dead House turned out to be hands down the scariest YA book that I’ve ever read. The book starts with you finding out that two girls exist within the same body. They see themselves as a sort of twin, Carly exists in their body during daylight hours and when night falls its Kaitlyn’s turn. Neither girl knows where they go when it’s not their turn in their body.

Both girls personify the light and dark that they exist in. Carly is very much the “good twin” whilst Kaitlyn’s personality is significantly darker and more troubled. Their doctor believes that Kaitlyn doesn’t really exist and is a side effect of Carly’s mental state brought on by trauma.

I found the whole idea of your body being taken over by someone else for half of your life really freaky to read. It made me not want to put the book down and fall asleep at night, just in case, which I’m sure was Dawn Kurtagich’s plan to keep you up reading!

A lot of mystery surrounds the book from the very beginning and as a reader I had a lot of questions from the start. The biggest one on my mind was if the girls were some sort of paranormal phenomenon? Or is one twin the creation of a troubled young girl? More mysteries get unsurfaced as you read on and the book grows increasingly more disturbing as the character of Kaitlyn does.

I loved the idea of the story being told through diary entries, camera footage and interview recordings but at times I’d find myself getting confused trying to keep up with all the different formats. I also felt that a lot of the answers and explanations were a little rushed. I’d personally have liked more detail at times.

Overall The Dead House is a creepy and original YA Horror story that well and truly messed with my mind.

Review for Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics

Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release: 8th October 2015
Genre: YA, Horror, Historical Fiction
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis:

"Sometimes I believe the baby will never stop crying.

Sixteen-year-old Amanda Verner fears she is losing her mind. When her family move from their small mountain cabin to the vast prairie, Amanda hopes she can leave her haunting memories behind: of her sickly Ma giving birth to a terribly afflicted baby; of the cabin fever that claimed Amanda's sanity; of the boy who she has been meeting in secret...

But the Verners arrive on the prairie to find their new home soaked in blood. So much blood. And Amanda has heard stories - about men becoming unhinged and killing their families, about the land being tainted by wickedness. With guilty secrets weighing down on her, Amanda can't be sure if the true evil lies in the land, or within her soul..."

Review 
YA Horror is growing ever more popular and Daughters Unto Devils is a delightfully creepy new addition to the genre. Although a short book at just over 200 pages it packs in a lot of chills and thrills making it a very quick, satisfying read that’s perfect for curling up in bed with on Halloween night for a good scare!

The book follows sixteen year old Amanda Verner. After barely surviving the harsh winter that stole her sanity Amanda has been sleeping with the post boy to escape the memories of what happened that winter and the dark thoughts she has about her new baby sister.

With the family now too large for their cramped cabin in the mountains they seek a new life in the prairie only to find the walls of their new home soaked in blood. Something sinister lurks in the prairie and with local stories about slaughtered children Amanda must protect her siblings, and her secret unborn baby, whatever the cost.

What I love about Daughters Unto Devils is that it doesn’t read like a YA novel. The creepy, gory parts don’t feel watered down to not scare a younger audience. The horror here is just that - horror making it genuinely scary on a level that would affect most readers despite age. There was one particular scene that really creeped me out – let’s just say that if you weren’t scared of scarecrows before you will be after reading this!

Daughters Unto Devils is a standout debut that I couldn’t put down because I had to know what would happen to Amanda and her family next and I hope for more of the same from Amy Lukavics. Pick this one up, if you dare!

Halloween Book Recommendations 2015

I absolutely love Autumn and Halloween as soon as October 1st hits I make a TBR pile of all of the scary, thrilling reads that I want to read for the season. Every year I love to share some of the amazing books that I've been reading in the hopes that there might be something that interests you that you'd like to check out for Halloween. All books mentioned have been read and loved by me and I think they'd each make a great Halloween read!

YA

Darkmere by Helen Maslin 

I read Darkmere when it first came out this summer and it was one of those books that whilst I was reading it I was kicking myself for not saving it until Halloween because it's the perfect gothic horror story for this time of year, but I wasn't too sad because I was enjoying it so much! This is a UKYA ghost story about a curse that hangs over Darkmere castle and is told in alternate chapters between the past and present day as two young girls come to spend time there. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves gritty contemporary YA with a sinister edge!

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich 

The Dead House is by far the scariest YA book that I've ever read and is therefore perfect for Halloween! It's about two girls who exist in the same body Carly gets the day but when night comes Kaitlyn takes over. This is one of those books where you're never really sure what is going on or what to believe and it really keeps you on your toes throughout. The book itself is beautifully made and presented and is well worth checking out if you love YA psychological thrillers.

Monster by C.J. Skuse 

Monster has everything that you could want in a YA thriller, it's set in a modern day boarding school in an isolated snowy landscape with legend of a killer beast prowling in the school’s grounds. It's basically the book that my goosebumps-loving teenage self would have been all over. It builds in intensity as the book goes on as you're not sure what kind of beast has made the characters their target. Just don't make the same mistake that I did and read this before bed!

The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle 

The Accident Season is probably the least scary book on this list. It's more atmospherically unsettling than it is thrilling or scary but the gloomy tone of it fits the Halloween season perfectly. The book follows a family who are cursed to be accident prone during the month of October - this can range from anything from bruises and grazes to more serious accidents. This is moody, eerie, magical realism at its best and is perfect for cold October nights. 

Adult

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson 

This is a book that I finished reading just a few hours ago and so has only just made this list! The Kind Worth Killing is an unputdownable game of cat and mouse only you're never sure who is the cat and who is the mouse in this game. This book had some brilliant twists and lots of action throughout. If you're looking for a thriller to lose sleep over this is the one!

The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne 

I read The Ice Twins back in January but even now when I see somebody reading it I get excited for them. The book is about twin girls Lydia and Kirstie one of them died a year ago and one of them survived, but who? If you like books about creepy children then this is one for you. It left me really unsettled and has a very satisfying ending.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 

So I'm pretty sure that everybody and their mother has read The Girl on the Train already or has, at the very least, heard of it but this list would be incomplete without giving this one a mention. It has been the Gone Girl of 2015 and for good reason. I was lucky enough to read this early last year before it came out and have watched the hype build and build for this one knowingly. If for some reason you haven't yet picked up this book Halloween is the perfect time to do so.

How I Lost You by Jenny Blackhurst 

How I Lost You is possibly the most dark and twisted book on this list. Just when you think this book couldn't get any more twisted it does just that! This is about a woman who has just been released after serving time for the murder of her baby son Dylan only to receive an envelope with a picture of her baby boy now as a toddler. With no memory of the crime she was convicted of she sets out to find out what really happened and to find out if her son could really be alive. The synopsis for this one had me intrigued straight away and the book definitely lived up to it!

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware 

This is another book that I was completely addicted to and could not put down! Although I admittedly figured out the plot twist for this one fairly early on it didn't ruin the enjoyment of the book for me. I loved the dark atmosphere and isolated setting deep in the woods it was like watching a horror movie unfold on the page. If you love those books where the characters are trapped with nowhere to run and you just know something awful is going to happen and it's all going to end very badly then this is the book for you this Halloween.

The Lie by C.L. Taylor 

C.L. Taylor is one of my favourite thriller writers and her latest one this year The Lie didn't let me down! The Lie centers around a girls holiday that goes terribly wrong. It's very mystery driven so I won't give anything more away than that other than that this is a really dark and twisted book that really played on my mind!

 I hope my picks have given you some ideas for what to read this Halloween! I'd love to know what would make your list. 

 Happy Halloween!

Review for Monster by C.J. Skuse

Monster by C.J. Skuse 
Publisher: MIRA Ink
Release: 24th September 2015
Genre: UKYA, Thriller
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis:

"At sixteen Nash thought that the fight to become Head Girl of prestigious boarding school Bathory would be the biggest battle she’d face. Until her brother’s disappearance leads to Nash being trapped at the school over Christmas with Bathory’s assorted misfits.

As a blizzard rages outside, strange things are afoot in the school’s hallways, and legends of the mysterious Beast of Bathory – a big cat rumoured to room the moors outside the school – run wild.

Yet when the girls’ Matron goes missing it’s clear that something altogether darker is to blame – and that they’ll have to stick together if they hope to survive."

Review 
Monster is a gripping mystery driven YA thriller that builds in ferocity with the turn of each page. The book starts off with a slower pace as C.J. Skuse sets the scene with a contemporary Hogwarts- esque type boarding school, an isolated snowy landscape and legend of a killer beast prowling in the school’s grounds.

There is so much intrigue and mystery surrounding the Beast of Bathory that as a reader I was never sure what to believe. I mainly read this at night before bed which was a poor life choice on my part! This book properly freaked me out and played on my mind at times. It’s perfect for fans of James Dawson or anyone looking for a good Halloween read.

The book follows Nash and a group of other girls, some who she’s friendly with and others who she’s not, as they stay behind at boarding school over the Christmas break and things start to go very, very wrong. Once again C.J has created a group of characters who read like real teenagers which is one of the many things that I love about her as a writer. In true C.J fashion there is buckets of hilarious banter between the group – even when things are looking ominous. My personal favourite of the girls was Maggie, an absolute cracker of a character who delivers the best one-liners at the most inappropriate times.

Monster is on point with its plotting - all too often with thrillers I find myself left with loose ends and questions but everything has a place here that is revealed throughout the book rather than with a rushed explanation at the end which I really liked.

Overall Monster was a wickedly scary read with a dash of C.J’s trademark humour that takes a look at the different types of monsters in the world and shows that sometimes a monster isn’t born, sometimes a monster is made.

The Scary and Supernatural: My Top Picks for Halloween Reading 2014!

I don't know about you but I love diving into some darker reads during the build up to Halloween! I love lighting a fall candle and getting snuggled under my blanket with either a scary or supernatural book to celebrate the season. Today I'm sharing the books that I think would make perfect Halloween reading for anybody looking for books to add to their TBR. I'm separating my picks by genre so there's something here for everyone ranging from horror to paranormal. All books mentioned have been read and enjoyed by me.

Horror 

Red Hill by Jamie McGuire 

Red Hill was my favourite Halloween read of last year. This is a thrilling adult apocalyptic horror fest that's perfect for fans of The Walking Dead or the movie Contagion. This book balances out nail biting survival with characters you'll fall in love with which only makes the worry that they're not all going to make it escalate. I was absolutely gripped by this zombie novel with heart!

Say Her Name by James Dawson 

Say Her Name has been hailed as the creepiest YA book ever written. This is James Dawson's take on the legend of Bloody Mary and he does it so well by including everything you'd associate with horror: a creepy boarding school, graveyard, dripping taps and an asylum as well as the book taking place over the Halloween period. Say Her Name is everything you could want in a scary Halloween read.

 Adult Thriller 

Mother, Mother by Koren Zailckas 

Mother, Mother is a deeply unsettling read. It's not as fast paced as some thrillers out there but it's one that creeps under your skin without you realizing it. I felt so uneasy reading this story about a highly dysfunctional family and was never really sure who to trust. Is Josephine a loving and attentive mother? Or a manipulative monster ruining her children's lives? This one left me chilled. 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn 

This book is everywhere at the minute and with the film now out (which is also excellent) there's really no better time to pick up this book if you haven't already! I read this one very recently and at first found it slow - but stick with it! Once you're about half way through you get completely sucked into the crazy and won't want to put it down. 

 YA Thriller 

The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher 

This is another book that I read last Halloween. The Killing Woods has a brilliant 'whodunnit' mystery surrounding a game played by teenagers in the local woods. Lucy Christopher's gorgeous writing really brings the woods themselves to life and makes them an ominous setting thick with atmosphere. This is certainly one of the more chilling YA Thrillers I've read. 

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian 

Don't be fooled by the pretty pink cover! If you love Pretty Little Liars you are going to want to get on this series. Although lighter in tone compared to the other books on this list it still packs a punch as three girls take their lust for revenge too far. I found this book impossible to put down and can't wait to read the last book in the series Ashes to Ashes this Halloween! 

 Paranormal 

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke 

This book is gothic paranormal romance at its best. Eerie and grim Tucholke spins a story of a girl who loses her heart to the worst kind of boy. Usually this kind of romance rubs me the wrong way but this one really worked for me as it matches the unsettling atmosphere of the rest of the book. Twisted and sinister is putting it lightly.

Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini 

I couldn't not include this book! Although not particularly scary it puts a fresh new spin on witchcraft and Salem and is one of my favourite paranormal reads of this year. If you're looking for something really different in the paranormal genre this Halloween then I urge you to pick this one up!

I hope my picks have given you some ideas for what to read this Halloween! I'd love to know what would make your list. I just started The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey and am really enjoying it. 

 Happy Halloween!