reading_under_covers's reviews
1491 reviews

Well, fuck.

This book dragged a bit in the middle, but overall a creepy book that honestly had me very 🤯 by the end. I have some questions for you, Josh Malerman.

also a note: past me would not have been able to sleep after reading this, but the current me (who has no bedroom closet or attached bath) felt much relief where there was once scorn and possible fear.

RUIN ROAD by Lamar Giles was a fast-paced, dark and twisty ride! 

 

Blending real-life horrors of gentrification and racism with the folklore/magical realism of making deals with the devil, this book packed a major punch 🥊 

 

This is one of those books that once I started reading it, I COULD NOT STOP and tears were most definitely shed 🥺 

 

Come for the cover (JUST LOOK AT IT), but stay for the fast-paced, heart-wrenching, gore-riddled story!

I really do think the main thing about this book that scared me as a kid was the constant repetition of “stay out of the basement” as this one is relatively (minus the scary plants) lighthearted outside of that!

I think I would have enjoyed this story so much more if the narrator didn’t suck so much as a character.

His obsession and constant praise for his fellow classmate (who is an awful character, but HE CAN DO MAGIC TRICKS!!) gave me such an ick.

I eye-rolled my way through this one and the only moment I cheered was when a former friend of our narrator comes forward and is like, “bro, this dude honestly doesn’t even know who you are”

Just an instance of the “obsessive/toxic friendship” trope only making me angry.

Thanks to Tor Nightfire for the early copy of this book in exchange for a review - out October 15.

AMERICAN RAPTURE is my intro into C.J. Leede's work, and what a powerfully terrifying, emotion-filled book this was!

The characters were rich, the Catholic guilt was strong, the midwestern Wisconsin vibes were on point, and the epidemic downright terrifying.

(check the triggers on this one), but highly recommend checking this one out if horror is your thing!

Oh how lucky middle grade readers are to have this story entering their worlds!!

Reminiscent of Home for Peculiar Children, there’s nothing like a bunch of sorta spooky children being carted off to a school to learn more about their abilities and the worlds outside the ones they were born 👀 

Great characters coming into their own - what more can you ask for?

One of those rare instances where a collection of short stories from a sole author read as if they could have been written by a diverse group of people!

Each of these had their own voice and unique premise, which kept me engaged until the end.

So so so happy to see Nat Cassidy in the Shortwave Squad!

If this book taught me anything, it would be to never leave my phone in the car, avoid gas stations with weird vibes, and avert contact from the googly eyes!!!

This story was loaded with anxieties and gore, while also offering up meaningful insights on the impacts of generational trauma and learning to live wholly as yourself.

A fantastically scary afternoon (we're not reading this at night) read that should be on every horror-lover's shelves.

Thanks to Shortwave for the gifted ARC in exchange for a review!

Publication Date: October 15

As someone who is well-versed in the world of cults, I didn't feel that I really learned anything new from this collection. 

Because Ocker covers such a large number of cults in so few pages, most of what is discussed is a vague summary and can be easily googled - if it's a group you're unfamiliar with as a reader.

With all that being said, I think if one is new to cults, this is a great place to get started to learn more!

I'm not the reader for this one, but I can see others really getting a lot out of it.

Thanks to Quirk Books for the gifted copy!

Compared to Red, White, and Royal Blue mixed with A Nightmare Before Christmas, I was very excited to dive into this one!

I really enjoyed all of the central characters and their varying personalities and I found the politics of all of the holidays very intriguing.

The story did plateau a bit for me in terms of the conflict just ~existing~ and not really changing or escalating in any meaningful way and the "rivals to lovers" aspect was extremely lacking. As some other reviewers have said, this story would most likely translate much better to film!

For all you open door fans, this one does get pretty 🔥🥵

Thanks to Bramble romance for the gifted copy for review! This one is out October 8!