Tag: horror books

Reviews

Bury Your Gays Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Bury Your Gays Review

Bury Your Gays follows Misha, a Hollywood writer who’s pressured by producers to kill off a queer character in the name of ratings. What unfolds is a mix of horror and satire as the villains from his own scripts step off the page and begin stalking him, blurring the line between art and reality.

I found this book original and bold, especially in how it critiques Hollywood’s treatment of queer stories and the wider issue of corporate greed in media. It tackles erasure, tokenism, AI ethics, and trauma, all while highlighting the power of friendship and love in all forms. Some of the monsters, particularly Mrs. Why, were genuinely creepy and surprisingly sad, while the flashbacks to Misha’s childhood gave depth and context to their creation.

That said, I did have mixed feelings. The pacing dragged in places and the chapter transitions sometimes left me feeling lost. The audiobook added to this with extra voices and sound effects that felt unnecessary. The Black Mirror-style AI angle also felt a little tired, and while the ending had some campy horror flair, it fizzled out and leaned heavy-handed.

Overall, I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. It’s clever, confronting, and very readable, and even if it doesn’t quite stick the landing, it adds something valuable to the conversation about queer representation in media.

⭐️3/5 stars In the end, it’s a bit messy but still worth the read.

Reviews

A Sorceress Comes to Call Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on A Sorceress Comes to Call Review

I went into this one with high hopes because I usually love T. Kingfisher’s fairy tale retellings and low-romance fantasy, but this didn’t quite land the same way.

The premise is strong. Cordelia is a sympathetic character, trapped under the control of her cruel sorceress mother, Evangeline. Her inner thoughts feel real and painful, while on the outside she’s forced into obedience. When they move on to their next victim, a kind squire, Cordelia meets his sister Hester who sees through Evangeline’s schemes and tries to help. The dynamic between the three women had a lot of promise and there are some really powerful darker moments that worked well.

But once the story shifts to the squire’s estate, the pace slows right down. The middle section drags with endless conversations, house parties and glares across the room. Some of the tension is there but it lingers too long and the action stalls. The fairytale angle also felt pretty thin.. apart from the horse Falada and Hester looking after geese, it didn’t really tie back to The Goose Girl in a meaningful way. I think it stands better as its own story.

Hester herself is likeable, but her subplot with Lord Evermore didn’t fully make sense to me. She refuses to marry him because of appearances, yet later on suggests he should be engaged to Cordelia despite it being just as scandalous. It felt a bit inconsistent. I also thought Cordelia’s voice blurred into Hester’s at times, losing some of the unique character work from the start.

The last part of the book picks up with more creepy and horror-leaning elements, and the climax is exciting if a bit convenient. By then though, it felt like a long wait to get there.

Overall, compared to other fantasy books out there this is still solid, but against Kingfisher’s usual work it fell short for me. I missed her trademark humour and sharper pacing. It’s not a bad book by any means, but not one of my favourites from her.

⭐️3/5 stars Strong characters and a dark edge but it drags a bit too much!

Reviews

Bat Eater Review

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*A LITTLE SPOILERY*

After witnessing her sister’s tragic death, Cora Zeng works as a crime scene cleaner in New York’s Chinatown. Grieving, anxious and navigating the racism aimed at East Asian communities during the early days of COVID, she also finds herself haunted by ghosts as the Hungry Ghost Festival approaches. When a series of murders targeting East Asian women begins, strange bat carcasses appear at the scenes, drawing Cora into a chilling mystery.

The novel weaves together grief, cultural tradition, systemic injustice and elements of horror. Its examination of anti-Asian hate, institutional failings and the significance of the Hungry Ghost Festival is both engaging and thought-provoking. Cora is a layered, well-developed protagonist whose struggles with loss, fear of illness and cultural identity are deeply relatable. The insight into Chinese traditions adds richness to the story, grounding the supernatural elements in real-world beliefs and history.

However, the pacing is slow, with long stretches where nothing seems to happen and the serial killer subplot often feels secondary to the cultural and personal themes. While there are moments of unease and some graphic imagery, the horror leans more towards the grotesque than the frightening. The lack of a strong sense of place in New York can make the setting feel flat and the ending may frustrate readers as it leaves justice unresolved.

It’s an atmospheric and meaningful read that shines in its cultural depth and social commentary, even if its structure and pacing stop it from reaching its full potential.

⭐️2/5 Haunting and heartfelt, but not quite the killer read it could have been.

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Creature Feature Collection Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Creature Feature Collection Review

*SOME SPOILERS AHEAD*

I binged this collection of novellas over the weekend and thought why not combine them all in one review! Overall this was pretty good, I didn’t overtly hate any of the stories but a couple of them I know for sure I’m going to forget everything that happened in a couple days.

The first book I read was Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix. This one was very memorable for sure. The way the book starts out really draws you in and even though this was one of the shorter novellas it was actually pretty haunting and horrific. I would love for this concept to expanded into a full length novel. ⭐️3-5 stars

The next one I read was Big Bad by Chandler Baker and I really enjoyed this. It was one of the longer novellas but I thought it enabled us to connect with all of the characters a lot more. I loved the multiple perspectives that we got, we got a pretty even amount of time between each of the characters and even though I thought the main was going to be the mother the daughters took up a lot of the book. A decision made by one of them being the catalyst for how the book ended I thought was very well done! ⭐️4-5 stars

In Bloom by Paul Tremblay was next and it was a bit of a snooze honestly. There was a lot of scientific talk to start the book off and that kind of stopped me from getting to invested in the plot. There was too much jargon and not enough time establishing the characters and setting. I did enjoy the flashback scene but then I couldn’t quite envision in my mind what was going on for the majority of the plot which for being such a short read isn’t ideal. The ending was disappointing as well. ⭐️2-5 stars

My first Josh Malerman read was next with It Waits in the Woods and I was pleasantly surprised. I had a feeling his writing was either going to be a hit or a miss for me and I actually really enjoyed this book. I thought the premise was solid and the execution was on point. I was invested right from the start and felt like I made a connection with the characters from the onset. It felt like a pretty well rounded story for being a novella, it didn’t feel like anything was missing or needed to be added. It isn’t the most mind blowing story I’ve even read but I was engaged throughout. The audio of the monster’s voice in the audiobook was one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever heard! ⭐️3-5 stars

The Pram by Joe Hill was one of the novellas that I’m going to forget as soon as I finish this review. The overall premise was promising but was another snooze of a story for me. The main character wasn’t likeable at all and came across quite insufferable at times. I think if this was a multiple or even just a dual perspective story with his wife we would of been able to make more of a connection with them and I might of actually cared about what was happening. The setting and atmosphere gave me the horror vibes but I couldn’t make myself care about either of them and the consequences of his actions. ⭐️2-5 stars

And to finish it off was Best of Luck by Jason Mott and this was pretty good! We start off with a bit of a bang and as the story progressed we hear about the life of these characters and the contrast between them. It felt pretty rudimentary to me though, I definitely think this is one of the stories that could of been a lot more successful if it was a full length novel. I did enjoy the twist at the end but it didn’t leave me feeling fulfilled at all. ⭐️3-5 stars