Tag Archives: Horror

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Extinction Age

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25332734

Extinction Age (The Extinction Cycle Book 3)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Here we are at book number three and things just keep getting better and better. I am so invested in this series that I cannot bear to have any of the characters hurt or even worse. The characters are true to life and make it very easy to feel for what they are going through. I even understand some of the science stuff that is talked about because it is not over the head of anyone. I am totally loving the action and even if I want to scream at them sometimes it only means that I have found my fully into their world.

When we left off last time Reed and Jensen along with other members of Team Ghost had been dumped into the sewers underneath New York as the rest of the military evacuated back to Plum Island. Things did not look good for them as they found their way through the maze underneath the city. I will say that everywhere they go they seem to find survivors in the most unlikely places.

Kate is still feeling as if she is responsible for the death of the world, even though she made it at least a little safer. Major Kennor finally takes responsibility for his mistakes, though its to little to late. And they are back to needing Ellis and Kate to come up with a way to save them all.

The tension and horror is ratcheted up ten fold as changes come to the Island and to the world around them. They are working to survive for each other and for their friends. I have to say again that Reed is my ideal man but if Fitz were a little older I could go for him too. Death, destruction, loyalty, betrayal, and bravery. These are things they deal with and it is exciting to get to be a part of it.

If you have not read this series you have no idea what you are missing, so you should remedy that right away. Extinction Horizon is where it all begins but the story is far from over here.Enjoy!

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Cades Cove

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8783169

Cades Cove: The Curse of Allie Mae (Cades Cove #1)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the first book that I have read from this author and I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading many more. I was totally sucked into the story from the very beginning. The characters were interesting and made me feel for them and their plight, I was even drawn to the ghost who I felt sorry for even while she was doing things that were so evil to innocent people. The action flowed effortlessly and had me so wanting to know what was going to happen that I stayed up reading when I should have been sleeping so I could get to work.

David and Miriam Hobbs take a weekend trip for their anniversary to Gaitlinberg, Tennessee. While there they go to Cades Cove, a place recommended by his boss as being very picturesque and romantic. When they are about to leave they find a small bag containing the keepsakes of someone named Allie Mae. Miriam tells David to return it but he cannot bring himself to turn it over to the rangers and so takes it back home with them, without telling his wife.

When strange things start to happen around the house and it begins to affect his children he wonders if maybe he brought home more than some simple souvenirs. When things turn deadly he knows that he has to do whatever it takes to end the terror.

This was an excellent ghost story with suspense, scares, terror, family, and love. I would say that there is a scene of rape that is very unpleasant and may offend some. Other than that I would recommend this to horror fans and anyone who just likes a good ghost story.

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LZR-1143: Infection

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8683969

LZR-1143: Infection (LZR-1143 #1)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a really good zombie story that has it’s own little twist. The main characters are somewhat light in the beginning but get fleshed out nicely by the end, though there is still room for more development. The story is fast paced and brings things to a critical point pretty quickly. There is a bit of a mystery as to how things got started as well as the mystery surrounding the death of the main characters wife, though that seems to have been figured out. The language is straight and conveys the thoughts and actions of the characters perfectly.

The narrator is an ex-action hero and movie star, Michael McKnight, who was convicted of killing his wife and committed to a mental hospital as criminally insane. He does not remember killing her or anything else about that time, and they keep him so doped up he can barely function. When he wakes up and finds all the staff and a number of the patients gone he has no idea what happened until an orderly wanders in and eats the only other patient he has seen.

Michael meets Kate, a psychiatrist and some of her patients as he tries to escape the hospital. They get out together only to be confronted with the reality that the dead are walking and trying to kill them. Michael is having flashbacks and is sure that they are a way to redeem himself by saving the world, or maybe he really is crazy and its all a delusion.

The zombies are gross, the infection is fast, and the world is being devastated quickly. The only thing that really annoyed me about this was that it seemed to end so abruptly. I know there is another book but it could have given a better lead in for it. Still good though!

“Lemme guess,” I said, affecting the appropriate sarcastic tone. “We’re running low on gas?” He nodded curtly, eyes on the road. Despite my intuition, I was incredulous. “What the hell? Doesn’t anyone keep gas in their cars anymore? Why don’t any vehicles in the apocalypse have any goddamn gasoline? It’s like a really bad fucking movie! Jesus!” I couldn’t believe this. Second time in as many vehicles! “OK, I’m just telling you now, if any of you mother-fuckers even think about going outside to check out the noise in the dark, or go to the dark room upstairs to find the virgin after hearing the strange sound, I’m shooting you myself!”
― Bryan James, LZR-1143: Infection
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White Trash Zombie Apocalypse

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18182495

White Trash Zombie Apocalypse (White Trash Zombie #3)

by Diana Rowland (Author), Allison McLemore (Narrator)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Angel Crawford is back with her group of friends, family, and almost boyfriend. As is to be expected this was another great read with humor, mystery, revelations, and death. The story was fun and fast paced with enough new characters and old to keep things more than interesting. The plot is continuing to advance with new elements being added with each telling as we get more information on the characters and the forces they are aligned against.

They are making of all things a zombie movie in town at the high school with lots of extras. Before things even get going well there is a death on the set and Angel goes out to collect the body. But things are never as simple as they seem and soon Angel finds herself in the middle of another mystery that she will need to solve or risk losing her freedom or life.

I went through this quickly because I was engrossed in the story and wanted to see what would happen next to this girl who has made such changes in her life. Zombies have more of a life than a lot of people in this town. You have to read this series!

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Thirteen Roses

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23480236

Thirteen Roses Book One: Before: An Apocalyptic Zombie Fable

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I do love a good zombie story! The one thing that did kind of annoy me about this one is that it seemed like it took so long to get to the zombies. Don’t get me wrong, I was enjoying the lead up completely, it’s just I was looking all over for the zombies. I like the way the characters were introduced one at a time in order to give you a feel for who they are. It gave me a chance to decide if I liked them or not, meaning whether I was going to be rooting for or against them. I liked the use of interludes to give more background on the state of things as they unfolded. This was definitely a different type of zombie story with what seem to be spiritual/religious undertones.

A flower seller who appears to be nothing special but who speaks like a very well-educated man, and is much more than anyone would believe. Flowers are given to seven carefully chosen people for reasons that can mean life or death for them. One of those people has the ability to cause the release of a plague that will devastate the world and it seems to have been made possible by someone associated with our flower seller.

You have to read this in order to truly appreciate it. Angels, demons, the almighty, and an interesting cross of humanity. I want book two to be just as interesting as this one because I am highly motivated to read it as soon as it comes out. Great characters, good action, nice premise, and kind of fun. I would call it a must read.

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If you have not yet read book 1 do so immediately!

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Dust to Dust

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17608220

Dust to Dust (Experiment in Terror #9)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
 Here we are at the end of a great series that brought a lot of smiles, tears, laughter, dread, and sometimes major scares. This was the kind of send off you would expect from characters who have been involved in the business of ghost busting/investigating who had not a clue as to what they had been doing. This story was closer to home and gave a better look into the life that Dex had led as a child and points out even more why he turned out like he did. This is a walk down memory lane where we get to see where they were and hopefully where they are going in the future. The story is solid, just like every story that has come before it.

Perry and Dex are staying with her parents while Perry tries an experiment on her mother that she last did to test Dex. While they have been working hard on the footage they shot at the school Perry has gone out for some fresh air and left Dex at home with Ada since her parents are also out of the house. When she returns after an encounter that left her disoriented and a little lost she finds that Dex has spirited away and Ada has been knocked out.

Perry and Ada take off to find Dex before anything can bad can happen to him, or so they hope. They have only one clue which leads them to New York, where Dex was born and lived until he could get away. They do not know it yet but they are being herded to a place that will try to rip the very soul from them and make them the destroyer of worlds.

I have loved Dex from the beginning because he was not this straight, boring guy but a total knob who loved everything so viscerally. Perry took a little longer to grow on me because she had so many hang ups, but most of them were due to her parents, but she finally had started to see how amazing she was. Together these two were a power couple os another kind and I am going to miss them. I can hope that they will make an appearance when someone else has a story told or maybe just a short to catch us up on them.

I loved the books for their paranormal elements and the glimpses of a world on the other side that was both good and bad while being neither. There were some serious scares and some minor ones, I got to laugh with them over crazy stuff, and got to cry with them when they hurt each other, and I got to be a part of a love that was hot, sexy, and very real. I would recommend this book and the entire series to anyone who wants a bit of darkness with their love story.

“I love you, beyond death.”
― Karina Halle, Dust to Dust  Karina Halle

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Ashes to Ashes

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19370020

Ashes to Ashes (Experiment in Terror #8)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Reading this book was bittersweet for me because I knew that there was going to be only one more when I finished this one. So I have to say that this one turned out to be one of the most scary adventures that Dex and Perry have been on so far, and as usual their personal life had to make an appearance in the midst of the terror. The characters have continued to grow and change throughout the series, starting as one-dimensional and arriving here as fully formed people who can make you feel their fear, their passion, and anything else which may pass over them. The story is always entertaining because you never really know what might be around that next corner or who might find something behind them unexpectedly.

Dex, Perry, and Rebecca are not going very far from home for their next episode of Experiment in Terror, making a move back to the beginning and the place that they met. There is a school on the Oregon coast that was originally a Sanitarium used for housing TB victims, most of them children. Thousands died within its walls, some of the disease and others with the help of those charged with taking care of them. The building is being haunted and they have been requested by a teacher who has seen and heard things as well as a student who communicates with some of the ghosts.

Perry’s family is still upset over her move to Seattle and into the apartment of Dex, who they hate. They are running a campaign of doubt with Perry, who has a habit of falling for their disinformation. How can she allow them to get into her head and make her doubt her feelings for him or his for her. Dex has shown that she is his world and home, she needs to get with the program.

My only problem is that they seem just as scared now as they did when they first started out. You would think that they would have at least gained a little thicker skin where the ghosts are concerned. This is full of the love they share, the dark and scary place, danger to mind-body and spirit, and the determination they always show in the face of chilling odds. Perry & Dex forever ∞

“When I first met you, I knew, somehow, that you were going to change my life. I just didn’t know in what way. I didn’t know that you’d make me love you. And most importantly, I didn’t know that you’d make me love me. Baby, you make me see the good in myself and the good in everything on this damn earth. You chase my ghosts away, and…” He cleared his throat, and to my surprise, I saw his eyes were watering. Oh fuck. Please don’t cry, Dex, cuz I will fucking lose it. He swallowed hard, blinking tears back. “And you bring me peace. I can’t thank you enough for being in my life. And I want you there for the whole journey. Through everything—the good and the bad, the batshit crazy and the sane, the scary and the sexy. Especially the sexy. Just you and me, baby, until death do us part.” Somehow I found my voice. “Even though we’ve only known each other for eight months?” I asked quietly, afraid of his answer. But he just smiled up at me. “Time has no bearing on the truth. And what we have, that’s true as fucking anything.” He gave my hand a squeeze and reached into his pocket. I sucked in my breath, feeling all my emotions flood me at once, and watched as he took out a beautiful, sparkling ring, and held it poised at my finger. He gazed at me, and it was like I saw every moment we had with each other captured in his eyes. “Perry Palomino, kiddo, baby—will you be my wife?” I didn’t even have to think about it. “Yes!” I blurted out in a sob as the tears started”
― Karina Halle, Ashes to Ashes  Karina Halle

 

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Poe

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18729914

Poe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I received this book for free through NetGalley for an honest review.

I was really happy that I decided to get this book, it caught me off guard and made me love the characters. The writing was fun but still managed to convey a feeling of menace, maybe because even the bad guy had a sense of humor. The characters are all well-developed and give you a sense of reality in who they are and who they may become. I could identify with each of the characters on one level or another and that just made it even better for me. I wondered about the title at first but it quickly resolved itself in an interesting way. I am a big fan of Edgar Allan and one of my favorite stories of his is The Tell-Tale Heart, which is referenced here. There was no lag in the story and everything played out quickly with just the right amount of tension.

Dimitri is a nice guy who has had his fair share of tragedy in his life. When his parents died on their way to visit him at college he decided to leave instead of completing the semester. He ends up taking a job with the local paper writing obituaries while he continues to work on his novel, a paranormal tomb about Rasputin, not exactly the life he had envisioned but it pays the bills. There is a girl he is interested in and he has not even asked her out yet, though he talks to regularly as a source, Lisa works at the local convalescent home and gives him information on the residents.

The real complications start when he is sent out to cover a séance at the local haunted house, the Aspinwall mansion, where a lot of people died years before. This assignment changes his life in ways he would never have been able to imagine. It is also the beginning of a rash of killings that are linked to his family which will shock and terrify the community he lives in.

I really ended up liking Dimitri, right from the start he was this gawky, self-effacing guy with a personality you couldn’t help but be drawn to. Lisa was is the cool girl that you wouldn’t expect to be with him but she has more going for her than just looks, she is everything that he needs and they fit together. While you have some good gory scenes they are not over the top but just right to keep the interest. I found myself laughing, smiling, talking back to the characters (out loud) and being worried for their safety. I had a great time reading it and am hoping for more time with them, not to mention Poe and Nachiel. Seems like things ended on a draw and payback would be nice. I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a little romance, ghosts, demons, angels, and immortal exorcist.

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Dust

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11327688

Dust

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a seriously short story and can be read in less than an hour, though I took longer. This was a well written short for me because I felt like a part of what was going on. I could feel things closing in as things grayed out. References to events that I had actually seen as a child made it that more personal for me. Though you may not get to know the main character as well as you like you understand him enough and get his motivations.

Clyde Jackson builds a bunker after the attack on the twin towers partly because of the loss of his daughter on that day. He was doing it for his wife and himself bu it didn’t work out. When our return to the moon brings back more than just samples the world is not prepared for the devastation, but Clyde is.

This is a story about how even though you may crave isolation, it is never as good as it would seem to be. A really good look at how we handle being truly alone.

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Dead Petals

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21279473

Dead Petals – An Apocalypse

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I received this book for free through Netgalley for an honest review.

I was expecting another zombie story but got more than that with this tale. There is much more here than just zombies eating and people being eaten. It got my attention because I needed to see where this was going and if some of the characters I had come to like were going to be around by the time it ended. The characters themselves were interesting, some more than others, but not as well fleshed as I would have liked them to be, you never really got a good background on any of them. The dialogue is good but comes off a bit stilted, not sounding smooth like but like everyone is über proper, even the red-neck. The zombies were pretty great though, they were so different from anything I had read about before and sounded worse than anything I have ever seen on a show.

The end of the world came suddenly and with no warning to those around the world. One day they were going about their every day business and the next it seemed everyone had died and were returning from the grave or simply getting up and walking. While most people die immediately there are still pockets of survivors trying to say ahead of the ravenous crowd of walkers. Among these the survivors are 6 people who are drawn to each other and to a forest that has nothing special about it except that it has been made fairly safe by one man.

Oz was a teacher and trucker before things fell apart and took off looking for a place he could live in as long as possible. He was joined by a doctor named Masaaki, twins Jack and Selene, cop Mason, and country boys Luke and Bob. They were living their lives day by day until they were brought into a secret place that gave them insight into what was really happening with the dead. This was no accident but a deliberate attempt to change life on the planet and they were going to have to stop it.

This had elements of time travel, mystery, horror, as well as an end of the world story. There was greed, vanity, avarice, god complexes, and just simple hate for what had been. I found myself cheering on the small group and sometimes being disappointed in them as well for their lack of follow through when it counted. But really it made me wonder if I would do anything different if I found myself in their situation. Good read but do not expect a lot blood or gore, this is more about the people than the zombies.