Review: Sea Sick (Ravaged World Trilogy #1) by Iain Rob Wright

Title: Sea Sick

Series: Ravaged World Trilogy #1

Author: Iain Rob Wright

Genre: Adult, horror, mystery

Publication date: December 2019

Published by: SalGad Publishing Group

Source: Gift card purchase

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Synopsis: A deadly virus has been unleashed aboard a passenger ship.
Soon the ship will be overrun with blood and death.
There's nowhere to escape.
But there are heroes onboard too.

Heroes like Jack Wardsley, a disgraced police officer with nothing left to lose, or the mysterious 'Pathwalker,' a stranger with the power to see the the future and alter the passage of time. Saving the passengers onboard will be next to impossible, but they will have no choice but to try. Failure might mean the end of the world.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

I was really looking forward to reading this book—I mean, a time loop during a zombie outbreak on a cruise??

Review: How to Survive a Horror Movie by Seth Grahame-Smith

Title: How to Survive a Horror Movie

Author: Seth Grahame-Smith

Genre: Nonfiction, adult, horror, satire

Publication date: May 2011

Published by: Quirk Books

Source: Purchased ebook

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Synopsis: Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.

From ghosts, vampires, and zombies to serial killers, cannibalistic hillbillies, and haunted Japanese videocassettes, How to Survive a Horror Movie shows how to defeat every obstacle found in scary films. Readers will discover:

-How to Perform an Exorcism
-What to Do If You Did Something Last Summer
-How to Persuade the Skeptical Local Sheriff
-How to Vanquish a Murderous Doll
-How to Survive an Alien Invasion
-How to Tell If You've Been Dead Since the Beginning of the Movie

and much, much more. Complete with useful instructions, insane illustrations, and a list of 100 important films to study, How to Survive a Horror Movie is essential reading for prom queens, jocks, teenage babysitters, and anyone employed by a summer camp.

My rating: ★★★★★

I’m a huge horror movie fan so when I discovered this book I knew that I needed it in my brain immediately! The thing about me though is that, honestly, I would probably be that person who dies in the first 5 minutes of a Supernatural episode 😆

Review: Night Games (Fear Street #40) R.L. Stine

Title: Night Games

Series: Fear Street #40 (Can be read as a standalone)

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, mystery thriller, horror

Publication date: November 1996

Published by: Archway Paperback

Source: Purchased paperback

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Synopsis: Living on the edge...

Diane loves sneaking out in the middle of the night. Her friends do, too. They have the town all to themselves. Every night they come up with a new prank to play.

But then Diane’s boyfriend, Lenny, wants revenge on a teacher, and the pranks turn to murder. Now Diane and her friends are in too deep.

Much too deep... with no way out.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

We didn't know it. But the Night Games had already begun for us.
And so had the terror.

The 3 Books I DNFd in 2022

I always feel bad when I DNF a book, but I'm trying to get better at dropping books I'm not enjoying because if I don't, I've found that I always put myself in a reading slump, and no one wants that. When I do drop a book, I decide whether I want to pick it back up or not, and unfortunately, these three books are ones I don't think I'll be picking up again.

Review: The Evil Lives! (Fear Street Cheerleaders #5, Fear Street Super Chiller #13) by R.L. Stine

Title: The Evil Lives!

Series: Fear Street Cheerleaders #5 | Fear Street Super Chiller #13

Previous books in the Cheerleaders series: The First Evil (#1) | The Second Evil (#2) | The Third Evil (#3) | The New Evil (#4)

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, horror, mystery thriller

Publication date: January 1998

Published by: Archway Paperback

Source: Own paperback

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Synopsis: Now the terror continues...

Everyone at Shadyside High remembers when Corky Corcoran destroyed the evil spirit. The evil that attacked the cheerleaders. The evil that killed Sarah Fear one hundred years ago.

No one expected the evil to come back. No one knew that there was only one way to defeat it forever. No one knew that the answer lay hidden in Sarah Fear’s grave.

Now the cheerleaders must discover the secret…before it’s too late.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

I was so excited to read this because in this book we finally find out the origin of the Ancient Evil. But idk, it was a little disappointing. And not only because Corky and the rest of her squad weren't in this book.

Review: The Last Scream (Fear Park #3) by R.L. Stine

Title: The Last Scream

Series: Fear Park #3

Previous books in this series: The First Scream (#1) | The Loudest Scream (#2)

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, horror, mystery thriller

Publication date: September 1996

Published by: Archway Paperback

Source: Purchased paperback

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Synopsis:

Robin Fear has waited decades for this moment. His evil plan is in place. Dierdre Bradley, her father, and Fear Par will be destroyed.

Nothing can stop Robin now.

Except one person. Who's been watching—finding out Robin's secrets—and waiting for revenge.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

It’s closing time... for Dierdre.

I think I started my review of the last book in this series by saying:

“Robin Fear is still trying to stop Fear Park from opening. And Dierdre’s dad is still an idiot for not closing down the park even though people keep dying!”

This book was literally just more of that. All these “accidents” keep happening and that idiot still wont shut down the park! It’s insane! We get a reason as to why Dierdre’s dad wont close the park down, but still!

Review: Zombie Thanksgiving by Rusty Fischer

Title: Zombie Thanksgiving

Author: Rusty Fischer

Genre: YA, horror

Publication date: August 2013

Published by: Rusty Fischer

Source: Amazon freebie

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Synopsis:

It’s Thanksgiving and all Cassie wants to do is sit in her dorm room eating cheesy poofs and binge watching a Horror High marathon on HitFlix. That’s when Rex, one of the members of the Zombie Job Corps, shows up, wanting to clean her floor. With nothing better to do, Cassie helps him... and finds a friend for Thanksgiving break. And just in time, too, seeing as a zombie outbreak is starting and Cassie has to decide which side to fight for: the good zombies… or the bad!

My rating: ★★★★☆
This was a very fun short story! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

So Cassie stayed at school for Thanksgiving and was just gonna watch Horror High on HitFlix (lol), which honestly sounds like something I would watch. Lol. But then one of the working zombies, Rex, shows up cleaning the dorms and Cassie decides to help him out because she is super bored. But as they finish off and go find some dinner, some non-friendly zombies run into them and Cassie finds herself fighting for her life.

Literary Nails: Unfed (Undead #2) by Kirsty McKay

This nail art design I've been working on for a while. I actually chose the nail polish before I settled on the book and design. I ended up choosing this particular book because I thought it would be perfect for a nail polish called Zombie Crush. Lol. So, this nail art design was inspired by the second book in the Undead series, Unfed!

Review: Beanstalker and Other Hilarious Scarytales by Kiersten White

Title: Beanstalker and Other Hilarious Scarytales

Author: Kiersten White

Genre: Middle Grade, fantasy, fairy tale retelling

Publication date: July 2017

Published by: Scholastic

Source: Own Hardcover

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Synopsis:

Once upon a time, a girl skipped into the forest and became a zombie.

Wait, no, that's not how this story is supposed to go. Let's try again.

Once upon a time, a boy did a horrible job as a sheep-sitter and burned his tongue on stolen pie.

No, children in these stories are always good and virtuous. From the top.

Once upon a time, a king and queen tried to find a princess for their son to marry, and he wound up fleeing from a group of very hairy vampires.

Hmmm...

What about, once upon a time, a bunch of fairy tales got twisted around to be completely hilarious, a tiny bit icky, and delightfully spooky scarytales... in other words, exactly what fairy tales were meant to be. Grab some flaming torches, maybe don't accept that bowl of pease porridge, and get ready for a wickedly fun ride with acclaimed author Kiersten White and fairy tales like you've never heard them before.

My rating: ★★★★★

Vampires and Zombies and Stepmothers, Oh my!

I can always count on Kiersten White for a fun, humorous read, and this was no exception! While yes it is an MG novel, I do like to read them every once in awhile, and this one was amazing! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Review: Unfed (Undead #2) by Kirsty McKay

Title: Unfed

Series: Undead #2

Previous book in this series: Undead

Author: Kirsty McKay

Genre: YA, paranormal, apocalyptic, horror

Publication date: August 2013

Published by: Scholastic

Source: Borrowed e-book from library

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Synopsis:

The good news: Bobby survived her Undead school trip. Bad news: her best mate, Smitty, is missing. Bobby knows she's got to find him even if it means risking it all and going out into the starving-zombie-infested wastelands again. Even if it means taking fellow survivors including a couple of old frenemies along for the ride. And even if the zombies are not the only ones who are chasing them this time.

My rating: ★★★★☆
Unfed takes place right after the first book, Undead, sort of... well, for Bobby it does, anyway. Long story, kinda spoiler-y, so that's all I'm saying. But anyway, Bobby wakes up in the hospital after the zombies attacked her and her friends on that second bus they got on. Here Bobby and her friends are, in this hospital, healing and relatively safe... until they're not! Bobby once more finds herself running for her life, with zombies on her heels wanting to eat her face. It was all very exciting actually. I love a book that starts with action right away! They may be kids, but boy are the smart! Especially Bobby! I just loved the whole bit in the hospital! So awesome!

Blog Tour- Review + Giveaway: Horror Business by Ryan Craig Bradford

Title: Horror Business

Author: Ryan Craig Bradford

Genre: YA, horror

Publication date: February 2015

Published by: Month9Books, LLC.

Source: E-book for review from Chapter by Chapter Tours

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Synopsis:

Armed with a passion for classic B-grade horror movies, a script co-written by his twin brother, and a wicked crush on his death-obsessed neighbor; hardcore horror fan Jason Nightshade must finish his student film.

But his plans are derailed when the children of suburban Silver Creek start disappearing – his twin brother among them. Battling a possessed video camera, a crazy zombie dog, a monstrous bully, and a frighteningly broken down family life, Jason embarks on a mission to find his lost brother so the two can write an ending for his story.

As an any horror fan knows, saving the day won't be easy, as Jason finds himself forced to face the real world where death isn't just a splash of fake blood on a camera lens.

My rating: ★★★☆☆
This one sounded like a lot of fun when I first heard about it, especially since I love horror, but it actually wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I do, however, commend it in its uniqueness. I've never read anything like this, so I really liked that!

Review: The Haunting Season by Michelle Muto

Title: The Haunting Season

Author: Michelle Muto

Genre: YA, horror

Publication date: December 2012

Published by: Dreamscapes, Ink

Source: Won e-book in a giveaway

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Synopsis:

Be careful what you let in...

Siler House has stood silent beneath Savannah’s moss-draped oaks for decades. Notoriously haunted, it has remained empty until college-bound Jess Perry and three of her peers gather to take part in a month-long study on the paranormal. Jess, who talks to ghosts, quickly bonds with her fellow test subjects. One is a girl possessed. Another just wants to forget. The third is a guy who really knows how to turn up the August heat, not to mention Jess’s heart rate... when he’s not resurrecting the dead.

The study soon turns into something far more sinister when they discover that Siler House and the dark forces within are determined to keep them forever. In order to escape, Jess and the others will have to open themselves up to the true horror of Siler House and channel the very evil that has welcomed them all.

My rating: ★★☆☆☆

"We all know we've been brought here as part of a study on the paranormal. Jess communicates wit the dead. Allison has demons on speed dial. My buddy Bryan here sends stuff to the Twilight Zone without return postage. And I've got a knack for making my own zombie zoo theme park. Fun times." -Gage

Jess is super excited to be participating in this study at Siler House. The house is beautiful and she might finally be getting answers to her weird power. Except her excitement soon turns to terror when she starts to realize that something horrible might be going on in the house... something sinister. Jess and her new friends try to figure out what in the world is really going on in the house, only to discover that there may be something more to the study than they could imagine. They need to get out of the house, and fast, before whatever evil thing that is lurking there gets to them.

Review: Undead by Kirsty McKay

Title: Undead

Series: Undead #1

Author: Kirsty McKay

Genre: YA, paranormal, horror, apocalyptic

Publication date: September 2012

Published by: Scholastic

Source: Borrowed e-book from library

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Synopsis:

Being new at school bites. But at least it doesn't kill you. Mostly.

Bobby thinks she might well be on the School Trip from Hell. Too bad she's a noob, too bad her classmates don't rate her weirdo accent and too bad that Scotland is having the worst blizzard since the Ice Age. Looks like she's going to be on this school bus for a quite a while; could things get much worse?

Yep. They could.

Inexplicably, her classmates start dying...and then they come back to life again...and what's more, they're very, very hungry.

With nowhere to run and no contact with the outside world, Bobby is thrown together with a raggle-taggle group of survivors at a roadside café. There's indie kid drop-out Smitty, the class beauty queen Alice, dweeby Pete and two near useless adults: a half-conscious bus driver and a volatile petrol station attendant.

The frenemies struggle to stay alive - through explosions, deadly battles and a breakneck chase through the snowbound wilderness. Somehow they have to make it to safety - and get some answers - no matter what the cost.

Can they survive the Undead? And each other?

My rating: ★★★★☆
I've been wanting to read this book for a while because it just sounded so fun, and I am so glad I finally did! I really loved it!

Review: Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Title: Strange Angels

Series: Strange Angels #1

Author: Lili St. Crow

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: May 2009

Published by: Razorbill

Source: Owned paperback

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Synopsis:

Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you’re traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.)

Then her dad turns up dead—but still walking—and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever—or whoever— is hunting her?

My rating: ★★★☆☆

My father went way-out wack after my mom died and now he travels around hunting things that go bump in the night... --Dru

Basically this:



But now Dru's dad is also dead... err, undead.




Does this sound familiar to anyone else?? It's basically Supernatural, in book form! I was shocked to see so many similarities between the show and this book. It was crazy!

Review: How to Navigate Zombie Cave and Defeat Pirate Pete (Slug Pie Story #1) by Mick Bogerman

Title: How to Navigate Zombie Cave and Defeat Pirate Pete

Series: Slug Pie Story #1

Author: Mick Bogerman

Genre: Middle Grade, paranormal

Publication date: July 2014

Published by: Slug Pie Stories, LLC

Source: Paperback review copy from publishers

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Synopsis:

Armed with a pitchfork, miner’s hat, and map, Mick Bogerman dares to hunt for pirate treasure in Zombie Cave. His little brother Finley is tied up at the beach. Literally--Mick tied him up. No one needs a little brother tagging along when you’re going to slay the undead.

But Mick soon wishes he’d taken some human company with him, because lurking in every corner, reaching from every crevice, is another hungry corpse. No wonder the place is named Zombie Cave! And finding treasure in the twisty tunnels is a lot harder when your map disintegrates. And man-oh-man the cold, dark tide chases fast. But the worst part about fighting off ravenous flesh-eaters is the one monster deadlier than a regular zombie...the worst of the worst...Pirate Pete.

My rating: ★★★★☆
How to Navigate Zombie Cave and Defeat Pirate Pete is about exactly what the title suggests... Mick sets out to this Zombie Cave in the search of Pirate Pete's treasure and defeat him while he's at it. Why is he doing this, you ask? It's really sweet actually. You see, Mick wants to find the treasure because he wants to help his mom financially! Awwws! Such a sweet kid :)

Review: The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus #4) by Rick Riordan

Title: The House of Hades

Series: The Heroes of Olympus #4

Previous books in this series: The Lost Hero (#1) | The Son of Neptune (#2) | The Mark of Athena (#3)

Author: Rick Riordan

Genre: Middle Grade, urban fantasy, Greek mythology, Roman mythology

Publication date: October 2013

Published by: Disney Hyperion

Source: Own hardcover

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Synopsis:

At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?

They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.

My rating: ★★★★★
[WARNING: Major spoilers from the previous book, The Mark of Athena. Otherwise, it's spoiler free if you have not read HoH :)]

Holy Hades, this book was AMAZING! That is no surprise, of course, seeing as how much I love mythology and all of Rick Riordan's books ;) And after the crazy cliffhanger (quite literally, too) in The Mark of Athena, I was ecstatic to finally start on this book and dive into this world that I love so much! But OH MY GODS! I don't think I can review this book without fangirling all over the place! It was just so absolutely PERFECT!

Review: Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby

Title: Zombie Queen of Newbury High

Author: Amanda Ashby

Genre: YA, paranormal

Publication date: March 2009

Published by: Speak - Penguin Group (USA)

Source: Own Paperback

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Synopsis:

Quiet, unpopular, non-cheerleading Mia is blissfully happy. She is dating super hot football god Rob, and he actually likes her and asked her to prom! Enter Samantha,cheerleading goddess and miss popularity? who starts making a move for Rob. With prom in a few days, Mia needs to act fast. So she turns to her best friend, Candice, and decides to do a love spell on Rob. Unfortunately, she ends up inflicting a zombie virus onto her whole class, making herself their leader! At first she is flattered that everyone is treating her like a queen. But then zombie hunter hottie Chase explains they are actually fattening her up, because in a few days, Mia will be the first course in their new diet. She?s sure she and Chase can figure something out, but she suggests that no one wear white to prom, because things could get very messy.

My rating: ★★★★★
Mia is super stoked that she is going to prom with the popular and handsome Rob... until equally popular and self-proclaimed future prom queen Samantha sets her heart on stealing Rob for her self. Mia really likes this guy and will do anything to keep Rob's attention... Even do a love spell on him. Except said love spell doesn't do what its title claims, and instead them the whole senior class into zombies! How you get zombies from a love spell, I have no idea. But it's more ridiculous than it sounds, lol.

Review: Nightshifted (Edie Spence #1) by Cassie Alexander

Title: Nightshifted

Series: Edie Spence #1

Author: Cassie Alexander

Genre: Adult, paranormal, urban fantasy

Publication date: May 2012

Published by: St. Martin's Press

Source: E-book gifted by Shieka @ Doctor's Notes (thanks so much!)

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Synopsis:

From debut author Cassie Alexander comes a spectacular new urban fantasy series where working the nightshift can be a real nightmare. Nothing compares to being Nightshifted.

Nursing school prepared Edie Spence for a lot of things. Burn victims? No problem. Severed limbs? Piece of cake. Vampires? No way in hell. But as the newest nurse on Y4, the secret ward hidden in the bowels of County Hospital, Edie has her hands full with every paranormal patient you can imagine—from vamps and were-things to zombies and beyond…

Edie’s just trying to learn the ropes so she can get through her latest shift unscathed. But when a vampire servant turns to dust under her watch, all hell breaks loose. Now she’s haunted by the man’s dying words—Save Anna—and before she knows it, she’s on a mission to rescue some poor girl from the undead. Which involves crashing a vampire den, falling for a zombie, and fighting for her soul. Grey’s Anatomy was never like this...

My rating: ★★★☆☆
Edie is a nurse who works the night shift at a hospital. But the floor she works on isn't like any other... "normal" you've seen. The patients on Y4 aren't human! They're an assortment of vampires, shape shifters, zombies, and any other paranormal creature you can think of! That's right, apparently even these guys need medical attention.

Review: Blood Forever (Blood Coven Vampire #8) by Mari Mancusi

Title: Blood Forever

Series: Blood Coven Vampire #8

Previous books in this series: Boys that Bite (#1) | Stake That! (#2) | Girls that Growl (#3) | Bad Blood (#4) | Night School (#5) | Blood Ties (#6) | Soul Bound (#7)

Author: Mari Manucusi

Genre: YA, paranormal

Publication date: September 2012

Published by: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated

Source: Borrowed

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Synopsis:

After making a deal with the devil, Rayne and Sunny have been given the chance to go back in time—preventing that fateful night when Sunny was bitten by Magnus from ever happening. But Sunny finds she doesn’t want to live without Magnus by her side and Rayne secretly wishes that vampire Jareth was back in her arms.

To reclaim their lives, Sunny and Rayne team up to figure out a way to change history for the better. But if the twins can’t get the boys on their side, history may spiral out of control—destroying not only the Blood Coven, but quite possibly the entire human race...

My rating: ★★★★☆
Oh my gods! I cannot believe this series is over! It's SO sad, especially since I absolutely loved it! It was such a fun series! And, as always, I loved the characters... Magnus and Sunny, Jareth and Rayne... I'm going to miss them! *sobs*

Review: Audrey's Guide To Black Magic (Audrey's Guides #2) by Jody Gehrman

Title: Audrey's Guide To Black Magic

Series: Audrey's Guides #2

Previous book in this series: Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft

Author: Jody Gehrman

Genre: YA, paranormal

Publication date: September 2013

Published by: Magic Genie Books

Source: From author, beta read

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Synopsis:

Sometimes you have to fight black magic with blacker magic. But in trying to save the people she loves, will Audrey fall into the dark abyss that claimed her father?

In Book II of the Audrey's Guide series, Audrey learns about her witchy roots and continues to fight her nemesis; this time she must dig deeper than ever, experimenting with dark magic to combat the insidious enchantment that's invaded her newfound community. She travels to the magical compound on the Mad River, the home her mother fled twenty years ago. Here Audrey meets her grandmother, the powerful matriarch of the Clan, and a host of colorful characters, some friends, some foes. When a sinister force begins to take over the magical community, Audrey must decide how far she's willing to go to protect the people she loves.

My rating: ★★★★★
I was lucky enough to beta read this book, and all I can say is: this book was aweeesooome *sing songs*! The magic, the witches, the JULIAN! *swoons*