Short Story Sunday: One Star by The Behrg
Author: The Behrg
Published: July 20, 2019
17 Pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: July 23 and July 28, 2019
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Every action has a consequence. But when Li posts a one-star review of a novel on her book blog, the results are far more frightening than she could ever have imagined. Not every story was meant to have a happy ending.
Jessica’s Review:
This short story packs quite the punch in its short 17 pages! It is also currently free on Amazon and serves as a thank you from the author The Behrg to book bloggers and book reviewers. I know my blog is not a huge one, but my reviews get seen and what happens if you don’t like a book? What if the author sees your lower starred review even though you did not tag them on social media? What if they take your review the wrong way or they take it personally? In our world where we are all connected through various social media, you really can’t get away from seeing something directed towards you. This is what Li discovers with her one star review of an author’s latest novel.
This is definitely a horror story that goes in an unexpected direction. I did enjoy this short story and it is definitely not a one star review! I have no fear of the author’s reaction to my review of his short story.
This short story that I read within 30 minutes; I have read it twice now. It is a part of The Behrg’s upcoming short story collection The Passengers You Cannot See. I enjoy short stories and have enjoyed One Star and also Happiness is a Commodity (my review is here) so I am looking forward to this upcoming collection. I even downloaded Stillborn, another of The Behrg’s short stories to read as it was free on Amazon. That one looks to tackle a difficult subject that I hope to read relatively soon.
One Star is recommended, and if you are a book blogger/ book reviewer, I say definitely read it!!
Purchase Links: **Remember it is currently FREE!**
Amazon US
Amazon UK
The Haunted by Danielle Vega
Published: June 4, 2019
304 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4 Stars
Book Description:
From Danielle Vega, YA’s answer to Stephen King, comes a new paranormal novel about dark family secrets, deep-seated vengeance, and the horrifying truth that evil often lurks in the unlikeliest of places.
Hendricks Becker-O’Malley is new in town, and she’s bringing baggage with her. With a dark and wild past, Hendricks doesn’t think the small town her parents moved her to has much to offer her in terms of excitement. She plans on laying low, but when she’s suddenly welcomed into the popular crowd at school, things don’t go as expected.
Hendricks learns from her new friends that the fixer-upper her parents are so excited about is notorious in town. Local legend says it’s haunted. Hendricks doesn’t believe it. Until she’s forced to. Blood-curdling screams erupt from the basement, her little brother wakes up covered in scratches, and something, or someone pushes her dad down the stairs. With help from the mysterious boy next door, Hendricks makes it her mission to take down the ghosts . . . if they don’t take her first.
Kim’s Review:
Another great one from Danielle Vega! This is a classic ghost story that is creepy and chilling. It actually follows Vega’s normal timeline within her books, but it’s more than her exorcism series. She even tied up any loose ends by the end of the story. I’ll admit that I wish the underlying plot for the haunting was a little deeper, sure. But it was still satisfying and she covered everything very well.
Steele House was the perfect setting and all the spirits and ghosts that showed up were pretty darn scary! Vega managed to add intense physical aspects to her ghosts that creeped the crap outta me! I also really liked the characters. And of course, typical Kim, I liked the mysterious neighbor boy the best. Overall, this book is chilling, scary, and perfect for reading when you want something dark. Definitely save it for the older teens but it’s a good choice for getting teens to read. Great book!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
The Ravenous by Amy Lukavics
Author: Amy Lukavics
Published: September 26, 2017
299 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
From the outside, the Cane family looks like they have it all. A successful military father, a loving mother and five beautiful teenage daughters. But on the inside, life isn’t quite so idyllic: the Cane sisters can barely stand each other, their father is always away, and their neglectful mother struggles with addiction and depression.
When their youngest and most beloved sister, Rose, dies in a tragic accident, Mona Cane and her sisters are devastated. And when she is brought back from the dead, they are relieved. But soon they discover that Rose must eat human flesh to survive, and when their mother abandons them, the sisters will find out just how far they’ll go to keep their family together.
Kim’s Review
This book . . . Whoa. Lukavics has become one of my favorite authors. She does creepy so dang well and I can always count on her to write a great book! The Ravenous is actually her most unusual. Yet it’s so simple! There actually isn’t much to say because the story is straightforward. The synopsis pretty much covers the story, but saying that the journey is just as great as the destination totally applies here. It’s so full of emotion and insanity and realism (considering the unrealistic elements), it was rather overwhelming, in a great way!
This is a short review so y’all can go out and get The Ravenous and read it and experience all of it for yourselves! The one downfall is that there is a lot of language and adult themes so definitely save it for older teens. But I would definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for an unusual, creepy read!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
