Bark At The Ghouls

Ugh, this book is why I hate numeric ratings! Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas Published May 2020 Dark Fiction   |   Goodreads   |   Amazon   Source: Library Borrow A story about a dangerously curious young undergraduate whose rebelliousness leads her to discover a shocking secret involving an exclusive circle of students . . . and the dark truth beneath her school’s promise of prestige. You are in the house and the house is in the woods. You are in the house and the house is in you . . . Catherine House is a school of higher learning like no other. Hidden deep in the woods of rural Pennsylvania, this crucible of reformist liberal arts study with its experimental curriculum, wildly selective admissions policy, and formidable endowment, has produced some of the world’s best minds: prize-winning authors, artists, inventors, Supreme Court justices, presidents. For those lucky few selected, tuition, room, and board are free. But acceptanc...

Pitch black perfection! True Crime by Samantha Kolesnik Published January 2020 Dark Fiction   |   Goodreads   |   Amazon   Source: Received for Review Consideration Suzy and her brother, Lim, live with their abusive mother in a town where the stars don’t shine at night. Once the abuse becomes too much to handle, the two siblings embark on a sordid cross-country murder spree beginning with their mom. As the murder tally rises, Suzy’s mental state spirals into irredeemable madness. My 2 Cents For Free! I was a little afraid of this book once the comparisons to Ketchum’s THE GIRL NEXT DOOR and J.F. Gonzalez’s SURVIVOR were made. I’ll be honest here and admit that I barely made it through the first and the second was a struggle. There’s one scene in SURVIVOR that I would like scrubbed from my brain, please. But, in my opinion, for whatever that is worth, this book reminds me more of Lynda Barry’s CRUD...

Ahhh, this was so good! House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig Published August 2019 Dark Fiction   |   Goodreads   |   Amazon   Source: Library Borrow In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed. Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls' lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods. Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn't sure whether to try to stop them or to join ...

I read this a little bit ago and it was such an addictive read! A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight  Released May 2020 Thriller   |   Goodreads   |   Amazon   Source: Library Loan Big Little Lies meets Presumed Innocent in this riveting novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia, in which a woman’s brutal murder reveals the perilous compromises some couples make—and the secrets they keep—in order to stay together. Lizzie Kitsakis is working late when she gets the call. Grueling hours are standard at elite law firms like Young & Crane, but they’d be easier to swallow if Lizzie was there voluntarily. Until recently, she’d been a happily underpaid federal prosecutor. That job and her brilliant, devoted husband Sam—she had everything she’d ever wanted. And then, suddenly, it all fell apart. No. That’s a lie. It wasn’t sudden, was it? Long ago the cracks in Lizzie’s marriage had started to show. She was...

This book is a fabulous collection of creepiness! Cold Comforts by Marianne Halbert Published June 2019 Dark Fiction   |   Goodreads   |   Amazon   Source: Received for Review Consideration Haunted objects. Haunted places. Haunted people. Creatures otherworldly and places where looming shadows bring dread to your door. A school bus stops at the home of an isolated family whose unusual children have a unique way to scare off their enemies. A vacationing couple discovers something deeper than their love resides within wine country. Objects in the attic of an old farmhouse come to life seeking retribution. A peculiar girl discovers she has a strange ability. These thirteen tales will take you from the farms and woods of the heartland, to prison and the south of France. Whether you're crunching through the snow wondering what's moving behind you, or sitting by a campfire listening to a tale of revenge, pull a blanket tight around your should...

This book is so perfectly warped! Super Ghost by Scott Cole Published November 2019 Dark Fiction   |   Goodreads   |   Amazon   Source: Received for Review Consideration Mad Science, Phantom Limbs, Giant Monsters, and Ice Cream! Darren Legend is a former construction worker who's lost his right arm. Michelle Mayfair is a former Olympic runner who no longer has her legs. And Dr. Griffin Rains wants to talk with both of them. He's a "phantom limb therapist"... who may also be a megalomaniacal mad scientist. When Dr. Rains assembles a giant ghost-monster from the phantom limbs he's stolen from hundreds of amputees, the city is in for the most bizarre nightmare it's ever seen. And it's up to Darren and Michelle, with the help of a few friends, to stop Rains and the strange terror of the SuperGhost! This newly-revised edition of Scott Cole's bizarro/sci-fi/horror novella also features a brand-new prequel short story, "The Science F...

Hi, everyone! We have been super busy over at Ladies of Horror Fiction because our first annual awards are in full swing. If you haven't seen the posts on Twitter, Instagram or the website here is a list of all of the nominees. We've been doing the slow reveal with the winners so please stay posted to see who wins in each category as we roll them out over the next few days. Below is the entire list of nominees and honorable mentions and you should, of course, read them all! Best Collection Collision: Stories, J.S. Breukelaar Ghosts of You, Cathy Ulrich Little Paranoias, Sonora Taylor  *winner!* Out of Water, Sarah Read Best Debut The Bone Weaver’s Orchard, Sarah Read Little Darlings, Melanie Golding The Luminous Dead, Caitlin Starling *winner!* Theme Music, T. Marie Vandelly Best Poetry Collection Mary Shelley Makes a Monster, Octavia Cade Choking Back the Devil, Donna Lynch  *winner!* The Apocalyptic Mannequin, Stephanie M. Wytovich Best Nove...

Five stars, what?!  Who even am I?! The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones Published July 2020 Dark Fiction   |   Goodreads   |   Amazon   Source: Received for Review Consideration The creeping horror of Paul Tremblay meets Tommy Orange’s There There in a dark novel of revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition in this latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, Stephen Graham Jones. Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way. My 2 Cents For Free! I kept hearing whispers about this book. P...

This book balances characterization and creepy perfectly. Whispers In The Dark by Laurel Hightower Published December 2018 Dark Fiction   |   Goodreads   |   Amazon   Source: Received for Review Consideration Rose McFarland is a trained killer--a Memphis S.W.A.T. sniper with a secret. Her team knows about the burn scars that lurk under her clothes, a legacy of the house fire that killed her father and brother sixteen years before. Her supervisors know that she spent two years in a rehabilitative facility, healing and learning to cope with the emotional trauma of the fire. But no one knows about the visions that drove her there, angry spirits that consumed her childhood, alienated her from her family and made her doubt her own sanity--the Whispers. When Charlie Akers, a half-brother she never knew, ends up on the wrong side of Rose's rifle, she unwittingly sets off a chain of events that puts her family in the middle of increasingly d...

This book was a lot of fun! The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix Published April 2020 Dark Fiction   |   Goodreads   |   Amazon   Source: Library Borrow Steel Magnolias meets Dracula in this '90s-set horror novel about a women's book club that must do battle with a mysterious newcomer to their small Southern town, perfect for murderinos and fans of Stephen King. Patricia Campbell’s life has never felt smaller. Her husband is a workaholic, her teenage kids have their own lives, her senile mother-in-law needs constant care, and she’s always a step behind on her endless to-do list. The only thing keeping her sane is her book club, a close-knit group of Charleston women united by their love of true crime. At these meetings they’re as likely to talk about the Manson family as they are about their own families. One evening after book club, Patricia is viciously attacked by an elderly neighbor, bringing the ...

Hi everyone, I just wanted to poke my head in here quick to let you all know that I'm not on hiatus, I'm just super busy with projects for Ladies of Horror Fiction, and I will be back next week with reviews if all the stars align. I have SO many sitting in drafts right now. We will be announcing the LOHF Award Nominees in each category throughout the month on the website and on Twitter and we're super excited! The nominees for Best Collection have been revealed. If you want to check them out the post is here: https://www.ladiesofhorrorfiction.com/2020/07/03/lohf-award-nominees-for-best-collection/ We're also hosting a Readalong on Goodreads during the month of July for Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas. You can join us here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/21529633-july-2020-readalong I hope you're all reading amazing books and finding some time to relax!

Uh oh, it's a low three-star review *sorry in advance* You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen Released March 2020 Thriller   |   Goodreads   |   Amazon   Source: Library Loan The thrilling new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling authors of An Anonymous Girl and The Wife Between Us. Shay Miller has three strikes against her: no job, no apartment, no love in her life. But when she witnesses a perfectly normal looking young woman about her age make the chilling decision to leap in front of an ongoing subway train, Shay realizes she could end up in the same spiral. She is intrigued by a group of women who seem to have it all together, and they invite her with the promise: "You are not alone." Why not align herself with the glamorous and seductive Moore sisters, Cassandra and Jane? They seem to have beaten back their demons, and made a life on their own terms—a life most people can only ever envy. They are every...