Review: The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong

Title: The Haunting of Paynes Hollow

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Genre: Adult, horror

Publication date: October 2025

Published by: St. Martin's Press

Source: Purchased hardcover

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Synopsis: From New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong comes a nail-biting supernatural horror about a haunted lakeside property and twisted family secrets.

When Samantha Payne’s grandfather dies, she figures she won’t even get a mention in the will. After all, she hasn’t seen him in fourteen years, not since her father took his own life after being accused of murdering a child at their lakefront cottage. Her grandfather always insisted her father was innocent, despite Sam having caught him burying the child’s body, his clothing streaked with blood.

But when she does attend the reading of the will at the behest of her aunt, she discovers that her grandfather left her the very valuable lakefront property where the family cottage sits. There’s one catch: Sam needs to stay in the cottage for a month. To finally face the fact she was wrong and her father was innocent, in her grandfather's words.

Traveling to Paynes Hollow, Sam is faced with the realities of her childhood and the secrets kept hidden in the shadows of her memories. When her aunt goes missing a couple days into their stay, Sam begins to question everything again. Plagued by nightmares and paranoia, she begins hearing sounds in the forest and seeing shapes crawling from the water as the rippling waves of the lake promise something unspeakably dark lurking just below their surface.

My rating: ★★★★⯪

"What's in there?" I asked.
"The headless horseman.”

Kelley Armstrong writing horror?

Review: How to Fake a Haunting by Christa Carmen

Title: How to Fake a Haunting

Author: Christa Carmen

Genre: Adult, horror

Publication date: October 2025

Published by: Thomas & Mercer

Source: Purchased paperback

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Synopsis: A desperate woman’s plot to frighten her husband out of her life takes a nightmarish turn in a chilling novel of modern horror by a Bram Stoker Award–winning author.

Lainey Taylor is being pushed to the brink by her alcoholic husband, Callum. Prone to hallucinations and erratic behavior, it’s only a matter of time before he puts Lainey’s life—and that of their daughter, Beatrix—in jeopardy. A divorce and full custody is out of the question. In Callum’s words: Over my dead body.

Lainey’s sympathetic friend Adelaide has a wild solution. They’ll stage a haunting so convincing it will drive Callum out of Lainey’s life for good. Nothing too over the top: strange smells, noises in the walls, and flies unleashed along the windowsills. It could work. Considering Callum’s alcohol-induced night terrors, he’s already close to broken. With each new scare, Lainey is closer to seeing the haunting through to its bitter, freeing end.

But in a house filled with so much rage, resentment, and fear, is it any wonder that Lainey and Adelaide’s plan goes horribly wrong? As their fake haunting spirals into something no one can control, Lainey discovers that the only way out of this frightening trap is to join forces with Callum, or die trying.

My rating: ★★★★⯪

"So"—Adelaide's eyes had that glint again, all fire and excitement—"what do you say? Shall we turn this place into a motherfucking haunted house?”

I LOVED the premise of this book! This is what our protagonist has been dealing with in her home life:

My current reality—shackled to a man more concerned with drinking than his daughter, my dreams reduced to getting through each day, holding things together for Bea while practically falling apart myself.

Review: Tastes Like Candy by Jessica Lacy

Title: Tastes Like Candy

Series: Tastes Like Candy #1

Author: Jessica Lacy

Genre: YA, horror, mystery thriller

Publication date: September 2025

Published by: Sourcebooks Fire

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis: A senior year goodbye morphs into carnival carnage...

Everyone at Pritchett High wants an invitation to the Senior Scavenge, and this year, Violet Warren and her friends are the lucky ones. Eight girls will break into the Poison Apple Carnival after hours for a scavenger hunt, a school tradition to welcome the best and brightest into their senior year.

But warm welcomes turn into gory goodbyes as those hunting become the hunted. One by one, Violet's friends are viciously murdered by a mysterious masked figure running loose through the carnival grounds.

Can Violet survive this roller coaster ride from hell and unmask the killer in time?

Or will her head end up on a cotton candy pike?

My rating: ★★★⯪☆

I loved the premise of this book! I especially loved the setting!

The Poison Apple Carnival was Belldam's premier Halloween-themed year-round tourist attraction for families.

Review: Lotería by Cynthia Pelayo

Title: Lotería

Author: Cynthia Pelayo

Genre: Adult, anthology, horror

Publication date: July 2012

Published by: Union Square & Co.

Source: Purchased paperback

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Synopsis: The Mexican board game of Lotería is a game of chance—similar to bingo. However, in Lotería instead of matching up numbers on a game board, players match up images.

There are 54 cards in the Lotería game, and for this short story collection you will find one unique story per card based on a Latin American myth, folklore, superstition, or belief—with a slant towards the paranormal and horrific. In this deck of cards you will find murderers, ghosts, goblins and ghouls. This collection features creatures and monsters, vampires, werewolves and more.

Many of these legends existed long before their European counterparts—passed throughout the Americas via word of mouth, collected just like the tales the Brothers Grimm. These are indeed fairy tales—Latin American fairy tales—but with a horrifying slant.

My rating: ★★★★☆

I enjoyed this book so much!! I love playing Lotería and I love horror, so this book was made for me! 😆 And for those unfamiliar with Lotería:

Review: Night Terror (Bleak Haven #2) by Vincent Ralph

Title: Night Terror

Series: Bleak Haven #2

Previous book in this series: Dead Fake

Author: Vincent Ralph

Genre: YA, horror

Publication date: January 20th 2026

Published by: Wednesday Books

Source: Borrwed from library

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Synopsis: Who the hell holds up a bookstore? That’s what Noah asks when his favorite spot is suddenly targeted by masked attackers.

But these people don’t want a ransom. They are searching for Bleak Haven’s very own urban legend – The Burning Book.

When something with a thirst for flesh creeps from its pages, Noah must team up with the other hostages and try to escape the mall without turning their town into a bloodbath.

My rating: ★★★★⯪

Despite all the real-life killers that Bleak Haven has endured, what scares some folks most is the Burning Book. They believe bad things are hidden within its pages the kind of things that even fire cannot kill.

This book was so freaking fun! I mentioned it in my review of the last book, and I’ll mention it again, I am LOVING the modern-day Fear Street vibes! Ah! It’s SO good! Though maybe I shouldn’t say ‘modern’ for this one, as it takes place in 1987. Lol. But still! My point stands! Lol.

Review: The Deep by Nick Cutter

Title: The Deep

Author: Nick Cutter

Genre: Adult, horror

Publication date: January 2015

Published by: Gallery Books

Source: Purchased paperback

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Synopsis: A strange plague called the ‘Gets is decimating humanity on a global scale. It causes people to forget—small things at first, like where they left their keys, then the not-so-small things, like how to drive or the letters of the alphabet. Their bodies forget how to function involuntarily. There is no cure.

But far below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, a universal healer hailed as “ambrosia” has been discovered. In order to study this phenomenon, a special research lab has been built eight miles under the sea’s surface. But when the station goes incommunicado, a brave few descend through the lightless fathoms in hopes of unraveling the mysteries lurking at those crushing depths…and perhaps to encounter an evil blacker than anything one could possibly imagine.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

What if the devil unleashed a perfectly unexplainable plague on humanity? If so, isn't it equally possible that God created the perfect, if inexplicable cure?

I've always been a mood reader, but in recent years, my mood has been asking for more and more super niche subgenres. One such subgenre is aquatic horror, aka horror that takes place in/around water. Lol. I don't know what it is, but sometimes I'm just in that very specific mood. Lol. Thus, this book. I had seen this book around quite a bit when I was looking for books to read in this subgenre. And it ended up being just... fine.

Review: The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer

Title: The Caretaker

Author: Marcus Kliewer

Genre: Adult, horror

Publication date: April 21st 2026

Published by: Atria/Emily Bestler Books/12:01 Books

Source: eARC from publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis: Follow the Rites...

Nothing less than the survival of humanity is at stake.

From Marcus Kliewer, a new “titan of the macabre and unsettling” (Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author), comes a supernatural horror about a young woman who accepts a caretaking job from Craigslist, only to discover the position has consequences far greater—and more dangerous—than she ever could have imagined.

EXCITING OPPORTUNITY:
Caretaker urgently needed. Three days of work. Competitive pay. Serious applicants ONLY.

Macy Mullins can’t say why the job posting grabbed her attention—it had the pull of a fisherman’s lure, barbed hook and all—vaguely ominous. But after an endless string of failed job interviews, she's not exactly in the position to be picky. She has rent to pay, groceries to buy, and a younger sister to provide for.

Besides, it’s only three days’ work…

Three days, cooped up in a stranger’s house, surrounded by Oregon Coast wilderness.

What starts as a peculiar side gig soon becomes a waking nightmare. An incomprehensible evil may dwell on this property—and Macy Mullins might just be the only thing standing between it, and the rest of humanity.

Follow the Rites...

Follow the Rites...

Follow the Rites...

..--- / ..... / ---..

My rating: ★★★★☆

This book had me hooked right from the beginning because that opening was SUPER creepy. I loved it!

Review: Predatory Natures by Amy Goldsmith

Title: Predatory Natures

Author: Amy Goldsmith

Genre: YA, horror

Publication date: July 2025

Published by: Delacorte Press

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis: A teen girl’s dream job aboard a luxury train derails when she discovers the strange cargo being transported—a mysterious and beautiful greenhouse—but its flowering façade may hide deadly thorns beneath, in this atmospheric and lush novel from the author of Those We Drown.

When Lara Williams gets a summer job aboard the luxury train the Banebury, she thinks she’s landed a five-star escape from her past. Even after she learns that her ex-friend Rhys, who she definitely did not have feelings for before their relationship imploded, is one of her coworkers, she’s determined to make things work.

But on the first day of their journey, the trip takes a strange turn. Two mysterious carriages filled with an array of beautiful and rare plants are attached to the Banebury in the middle of the night.

And with them comes a pair of siblings. Wealthy, mysterious, and charismatic, Gwen and Gwydion claim the plants they’re transporting are for research, but Lara can’t shake the feeling that there’s something . . . otherworldly about the strange blooms. Something that will stop at nothing to ensure the Banebury never reaches its destination.

Soon Lara will learn: You can’t outrun your troubles. You have to grab them by their roots. And if she can’t unearth the secrets of the Banebury, they might drag her down for good. . . .

My rating: ★★★★☆

I really enjoyed this book! One of the first things that caught my attention was the setting of the book: on a train! That’s so fun! I hardly read books set on trains! That, plus the fact that there was a potentially killer garden onboard? I was IN!

Review: We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

Title: We Used to Live Here

Author: Marcus Kliewer

Genre: Adult, horror

Publication date: June 2024

Published by: Atria/Emily Bestler Books

Source: Borrwed from library

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Synopsis: As a young, queer couple who flip houses, Charlie and Eve can’t believe the killer deal they’ve just gotten on an old house in a picturesque neighborhood. As they’re working in the house one day, there’s a knock on the door. A man stands there with his family, claiming to have lived there years before and asking if it would be alright if he showed his kids around. People pleaser to a fault, Eve lets them in.

As soon as the strangers enter their home, inexplicable things start happening, including the family’s youngest child going missing and a ghostly presence materializing in the basement. Even more weird, the family can’t seem to take the hint that their visit should be over. And when Charlie suddenly vanishes, Eve slowly loses her grip on reality. Something is terribly wrong with the house and with the visiting family—or is Eve just imagining things?

My rating: ★★★★☆

Almost everything about the house, from its origin to its chain of ownership, was a mystery.

This book was weird but in the best way possible. Lol.

Review: Dead Fake (Bleak Haven #1) by Vincent Ralph

Title: Dead Fake

Series: Bleak Haven #1

Author: Vincent Ralph

Genre: YA, horror, mystery thriller

Publication date: January 2026

Published by: Wednesday Books

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis: Would you Swipe to Die?

When the new craze takes over Bleak Haven High, Ava Wilson refuses to join in. As the niece of an infamous murderer, it’s the last thing she needs.

The mysterious website allows people to view their own ‘death’ – an AI generated version of their final slasher-movie-moments. But, when some of her classmates’ deepfakes are replicated in real life, Ava can either catch the killer... or be the next victim.

My rating: ★★★★⯪

I freaking loved this book! And the main reason why is because it gave me modern Fear Street vibes! You guys know I LOVE Fear Street!

Review: The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White

Title: The Fox and the Devil

Author: Kiersten White

Genre: Adult, horror, paranormal romance, historical fiction

Publication date: March 10th 2026

Published by: Del Rey

Source: eARC for review from publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis: An obsession with a beautiful serial killer entangles a vampire hunter’s daughter in an immortal sapphic romance in this enthralling gothic fantasy from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lucy Undying.

Anneke has a complicated relationship with her father, Abraham Van Helsing—doctor, scientist, and madman devoted to studying vampires—up until the night she comes home to find him murdered, with a surreally beautiful woman looming over his body. A woman who leaves no trace behind, other than the dreams and nightmares that plague Anneke every night.

Spurred by her desire for vengeance and armed with the latest in forensic and investigatory techniques, Anneke puts together a team of detectives to catch her mysterious serial killer. Because her father isn’t the only inexplicably dead body. There’s a trail of victims across Europe and Anneke is certain they’re all connected.

But during the years spent relentlessly hunting the killer, Anneke keeps some crucial evidence to infuriatingly coy letters, addressed only to Anneke, occasionally soaked in blood, and always signed Diavola. Devil. The obsession is mutual, and all the more dangerous for it.

The closer Anneke gets to her devil, though, the less sense the world makes. Maybe her father wasn’t a madman, after all. Diavola might be something much worse than a serial killer . . . and much harder to destroy. Because as Anneke unearths more of Diavola’s tragic past, she suspects there’s still a heart somewhere in that undead body.

A heart that beats for Anneke alone.

My rating: ★★★⯪☆

I'll never let her have a moment's peace. I'll hunt her to the ends of the earth.

I really enjoy Kiersten White's writing, and I was really looking forward to this one because the concept sounded so interesting! Unfortunately, I think this was more of a case where I liked the premise more than the execution.

Review: Venus in the Blind Spot by Junji Ito

Title: Venus in the Blind Spot

Author: Junji Ito

Genre: Adult, manga, horror

Publication date: February 2019

Published by: VIZ Media

Source: Gifted

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Synopsis: This striking collection presents the most remarkable short works of Junji Ito’s career, featuring an adaptation of Rampo Edogawa’s classic horror story “The Human Chair” and fan favorite “The Enigma of Amigara Fault.” With a deluxe presentation—including special color pages, and showcasing illustrations from his acclaimed long-form manga No Longer Human—each chilling tale invites readers to revel in a world of terror.

My rating: ★★★⯪☆

I love manga, and I love horror, but even I find it hard to believe that I still had not read any Junji Ito thus far in my life. Lol. Luckily, that's finally changed! Lol.

Review: She Waits for You Beyond the Dark (Death Games #2) by Kristen Simmons

Title: She Waits for You Beyond the Dark

Series: Death Games #2

Previous book in this series: Find Him Where You Left Him Dead

Author: Kristen Simmons

Genre: YA, horror, Japanese mythology

Publication date: March 11th 2025

Published by: Tor Teen

Source: eARC for review from publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis: "Death is not an ending, it’s simply the next chapter. Do not be afraid to turn the page..."

It’s been one month since Ian’s reunited friends escaped the hellish game of Meido and saved him. The survivors may have sealed the gate to the world of the dead shut and destroyed Empress Izanami, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still reeling over the challenges they endured. Trying to relax back in the world of the living, they take solace in the fact that they rescued Ian from the nightmare that tried to steal him away. But there’s just one problem—Ian didn’t come home alone.

The empress—now possessing Ian's heart—hitched a ride into their world and the only way to free Ian from her grasp is to find three artifacts for her, sacred objects which have been hidden across many realms. Unwilling to leave Ian behind a second time, his friends dive into a new deadly game, with terrifying challenges that not only test their mettle, but demand sacrifices—including their very lives.

If they don’t retrieve the empress’s artifacts, Ian will be lost forever, but if they do, it could be the end of their world as they know it.

My rating: ★★★★☆

I have been looking forward to reading this book since I finished the previous book (that cliffhanger!), but my mood was not cooperating. Hence why we are here now, almost a year after I got this book 😅 But I enjoyed it... once I got to it. Lol.

Review: Robber's Road (Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #22) by J.L. Bryan

Title: Robber's Road

Series: Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #22

Previous books in this series: Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper (#1) | Cold Shadows (#2) | The Crawling Darkness (#3) | Terminal (#4) | House of Whispers #5 | Maze of Souls #6 | Lullaby (#7) | The Keeper (#8) | The Tower (#9) | The Monster Museum (#10) | Fire Devil (#11) | The Necromancer's Library (#12) | The Trailwalker (#13) | Midnight Movie (#14) | The Lodge (#15) | Cabinet Jack (#16) | Fallen Wishes (#17) | Sunset House (#18) | The Funtime Show (#19) | Miracle Mountain (#20) | Mortuary Manor (#21)

Author: J.L. Bryan

Genre: Adult, paranormal, horror

Publication date: September 24th 2025

Published by: J.L. Bryan

Source: eARC for review from author

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Synopsis: According to legend, a ghostly car haunts the old, rarely traveled road twisting through the woods outside town. Those who wish to see it must follow three rules: drive at night, turn off all the lights inside and outside the car, and silence the car's radio or sound system.

Driving in darkness and silence, navigating only by the light of the moon and the stars, generations of teenagers and other reckless thrill seekers have dared each other into trying to see the legendary car. Some have crashed and died, only adding to the road's stories of danger and death.

New problems bring paranormal investigators Ellie Jordan and Stacey Tolbert racing to the scene, where they face a crash course in how to stop a lethal, yet somehow beloved, supernatural legend before it drags more innocent lives across the finish line.

My rating: ★★★★★

It had been so long since I read an Ellie Jordan book. I was really missing her so this book came out at just the right time! And we got another good case! This book had everything: haunted roads, robbers, moonshine runners, and, of course, dumb dares. Lol.

Review: Mortuary Manor (Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #21) by J.L. Bryan

Title: Mortuary Manor

Series: Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #21

Previous books in this series: Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper (#1) | Cold Shadows (#2) | The Crawling Darkness (#3) | Terminal (#4) | House of Whispers #5 | Maze of Souls #6 | Lullaby (#7) | The Keeper (#8) | The Tower (#9) | The Monster Museum (#10) | Fire Devil (#11) | The Necromancer's Library (#12) | The Trailwalker (#13) | Midnight Movie (#14) | The Lodge (#15) | Cabinet Jack (#16) | Fallen Wishes (#17) | Sunset House (#18) | The Funtime Show (#19) | Miracle Mountain (#20)

Author: J.L. Bryan

Genre: Adult, paranormal, horror

Publication date: October 2024

Published by: J.L. Bryan

Source: Purchased ebook

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Synopsis: Come get scared... to death!

Open now through Halloween, Mortuary Manor is a walk-through haunted house offering frights and fun for those seeking a serious scare. The dead have taken over this lunatic labyrinth of a funeral home that's absolutely guaranteed to make you scream! (No refunds.)

Don't forget to visit our ghoulish gift shop and supernatural snack stand, if you dare!

UPDATE: This attraction is temporarily closed. Rumors of strange disturbances and injuries to our valued customers and scare actors have been greatly exaggerated, but we've brought in local experts to help with the recent problems. We'll reopen as soon as possible, and we'll be thrilled to resume tormenting you with the most terrific terrors anywhere in the greater Savannah area.

My rating: ★★★★★

I loved this book so much! I mean, I love this series in general, so it's really not that surprising. Lol. But in this book, it's Halloween season and Ellie and Stacey are investigating a haunted haunted house!

Review: Overgrowth by Mira Grant

Title: Overgrowth

Author: Mira Grant

Genre: Adult, sci-fi, horror

Publication date: May 6th 2025

Published by: Tor Nightfire

Source: eARC for review from publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis: Day of the Triffids meets Little Shop of Horrors in this smart, charming, harrowing alien invasion story about being human, by a Hugo-award winning author.

Since she was three years old, Anastasia Miller has been telling anyone who would listen that she's an alien disguised as a human being, and that the armada that left her on Earth is coming for her. Since she was three years old, no one has believed her.

Now, with an alien signal from the stars being broadcast around the world, humanity is finally starting to realize that it's already been warned, and it may be too late. The invasion is coming, Stasia's biological family is on the way to bring her home, and very few family reunions are willing to cross the gulf of space for just one misplaced child.

What happens when you know what's coming, and just refuse to listen?

My rating: ★★★⯪☆

I have really enjoyed Mina Grant's books, and while I didn't love this one as much as those previous books I've read, I still did end up enjoying it for the most part.

Review: Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes

Title: Cold Eternity

Author: S.A. Barnes

Genre: Adult, sci-fi, horror

Publication date: April 8th 2025

Published by: Tor Nightfire

Source: eARC from publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis: Halley is on the run from an interplanetary political scandal that has put a huge target on her back. She heads for what seems like the perfect place to lay low: a gigantic space barge storing the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth’s most fortunate citizens from more than a century ago...

The cryo program, created by trillionaire tech genius Zale Winfeld, is long defunct, and the AI hologram "hosts," ghoulishly created in the likeness of Winfeld’s three adult children, are glitchy. The ship feels like a crypt, and the isolation gets to Halley almost immediately. She starts to see figures crawling in the hallways, and there’s a constant scraping, slithering, and rattling echoing in the vents.

It’s not long before Halley realizes she may have gotten herself trapped in an even more dangerous situation than the one she was running from...

My rating: ★★★★☆

I have really enjoyed the novels by S.A. Barnes. They aren’t quite 5-star reads for me, but they are definitely enjoyable and deliver on both the sci-fi and horror aspects! Plus, the mystery in this book was intriguing and I enjoyed trying to unravel it! And two pages into this book and I was already loving the premise of it as well! Halley has had it rough and accepts a shady job as a caretaker/security on this sort-of abandoned spaceship. And I say sort of because this ship holds a bunch of cryogenically frozen bodies.

Review: Find Him Where You Left Him Dead (Death Games #1) by Kristen Simmons

Title: Find Him Where You Left Him Dead

Series: Death Games #1

Author: Kristen Simmons

Genre: YA, horror, Japanese mythology

Publication date: September 2023

Published by: Tor Teen

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis: Four years ago, five kids started a game. Only four survived.

Now, at the end of their senior year of high school, the survivors—Dax, Maddy, Emerson, and Owen—have reunited for one strange and terrible reason: they’ve been summoned by the ghost of Ian, the friend they left for dead.

Together they return to the tunnel where their friendship ended with one goal: find Ian and bring him home. So they restart the deadly game they never finished—an innocent card-matching challenge called Meido. A game without instructions.

As soon as they begin, they're dragged out of their reality and into an eerie hellscape of Japanese underworlds, more horrifying than even the darkest folktales that Owen's grandmother told him. There, they meet Shinigami, an old wise woman who explains the rules:

They have one night to complete seven challenges or all of them, Ian included, will be stuck in this world forever.

Once inseparable, the survivors now can’t stand each other, but the challenges demand they work together, think quickly, and make sacrifices—blood, clothes, secrets, memories, and worse.

And once again, not everyone will make it out of Meido alive.

My rating: ★★★★☆

I enjoyed this book more than I was anticipating! Listen, horror books can be hit or miss, but this one was definitely a hit!

Review: Revenant-X (Red Space #2) by David Wellington

Title: Revenant-X

Series: Red Space #2

Previous book in this series: Paradise-1

Author: David Wellington

Genre: Adult, sci-fi, horror

Publication date: November 5th 2024

Published by: Orbit

Source: eARC from publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis: FEAR THE DARK.

The crew of the Artemis - led by Firewatch agent Alexandra Petrova - have survived the furious onslaught of the Basilisk and broken through the space blockade around Paradise-1. Now they can pursue their original mission and investigate why Earth's first deep space colony has fallen silent.

The answer seems the site is deserted.

Or so they think.

Some of the colonists remain. They're no longer human.

Petrova and her crew now face a desperate struggle to survive as they attempt to uncover the mystery of what has befallen the colony.

If they fail, the darkness that has fallen over Paradise-1 will consume them.

My rating: ★★★★☆

I have been waiting (im)patiently for this book ever since I finished reading Paradise-1 back in 2023. I really enjoyed that book! I loved the blend of horror and sci-fi, but that cliffhanger-ish ending was brutal! I was so excited to continue the story and Revenant-X did not disappoint!

Review: Symbiont (Parasitology #2) by Mira Grant

Title: Symbiont

Series: Mira Grant

Previous book in this series: Parasite

Author: Parasitology #2

Genre: Adult, sci-fi, horror

Publication date: November 2014

Published by: Orbit

Source: Borrowed form library

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Synopsis: THE ENEMY IS INSIDE US.

The SymboGen designed tapeworms were created to relieve humanity of disease and sickness. But the implants in the majority of the world's population began attacking their hosts, turning them into a ravenous horde.

Now those who do not appear to be afflicted are being gathered for quarantine as panic spreads, but Sal and her companions must discover how the tapeworms are taking over their hosts, what their eventual goal is, and how they can be stopped.

My rating: ★★★★☆

I always swore that I was going to do great things with my life, things that would change the world in a way that could never be undone. Well, I guess I got my wish. I brought an end to the Age of Mankind.
-Dr. Cale

I really enjoyed this sequel to Parasite! I'm just really enjoying the unique concept and the good mix of sci-fi and horror. Although the concept of the implanted tapeworm trying to take over its human host is unique (to me at least), the end result is not, but that's not a bad thing! This book was giving zombie apocalypse, except instead of the undead we got parasites, and honestly, I was here for it! I liked it!