Book Review: Ghost: Thirteen Haunting Tales to Tell by Illustratus
Ghost: Thirteen Haunting Tales to Tell
Author: Illustratus
Published: August 13, 2019
160 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Ghost: Thirteen Haunting Tales to Tell is a ghost story collection for middle schoolers.
Featuring the only true ghost stories in existence (as the book itself will tell you), readers discover 13 eerie encounters that are perfect for sharing—if they dare.
With tales about a finger against the inside of a mirror, a wooded area where the trees look back, and a basement door blocked by a brick wall so thick it stifles the screams from below, this book is sure to haunt anyone who can’t resist a spooky story.
• Filled with creepy poems and tales
• Features striking, bone-chilling illustrations from Disney-Pixar talent
• Book contains all original stories
This haunting book will consume your imagination and keep readers of every age up long past their bedtimes.
• Great for those who can’t get enough of Halloween, ghost stories, scary movies, and all things spooky, as well as librarians and teachers looking for a thrilling read to share with students
• The perfect book to read by a campfire or during a slumber party—or alone under the covers in the middle of the night
Kim’s Review:
This is a great one for kids! It’s very Scary Stories, but definitely unique! The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and I think I actually liked this anthology better, overall, than Scary Stories. The connection between all the stories was general enough that it didn’t affect the stories, but that everything felt like it all went together. The stories are short and simple and chilling! I really liked it a lot!!!!
Book Review: The Lady Butcher by Sian B. Claven
The Lady Butcher
Series: The Butcher #4
Author: Sian B. Claven
Published: January 15, 2021
87 Pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: May 25-29, 2022
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
In it, for one more kill.Just when you thought the killing was over, a new butcher arrives in town.
A young boy in an abandoned warehouse. A young man with Down Syndrome behind the arcade. A teenage boy in the woods. A homosexual girl in a motel. All these murders are familiar…but are they?
While Derick is trying to navigate his new love life with Kimberly, the copycat Butcher killer drives him to drink, especially when the killings seem tied to the sweet family that lives next door to him, and the killings just don’t stop. He feels hopeless as The Butcher eludes him and the relationship with the only family he has becomes strained.
Thank God he has Kimberly beside him to see him through this mess.
Jessica’s Review:
I have enjoyed The Butcher series and absolutely loved the final novella in the series: The Lady Butcher. It seemed like Sylvana was going to be the final Butcher novella, but Claven brought the butcher back for one last kill! And she brought this final novella on with a kick and wrote a fast-moving novella with a lot going on in just under 90 pages. This time we have a new butcher who is seemingly targeting different sort of individuals. Who will be this butcher’s next target?
We have two POVs: The Butcher and Detective Derick Wyatt. We see first-hand the new butcher’s depravity while keeping to the previous butcher’s MO. Then we see Detective Wyatt struggle to find this new killer while also seeing his home life with the neighbors. We see the story come full circle and I was rooting for Wyatt to end the butcher once and for all. It was an intense finale that brought several emotions. And the ending was perfect for me! I was very satisfied with this whole series.
The only negative for me was on my part and not Claven’s: The Lady Butcher is short, and I wish I had been able to read it in one or two sittings. Working full time with things to do afterwards and not being a superfast reader doesn’t give me a lot of free time to read at night.
There is a special edition hardback that has the complete Butcher series and The Lady Butcher has an alternative ending! I’ve added The Butchery to my Amazon Wish list!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
The entire Butcher series in Hardback with the alternative ending to The Lady Butcher:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Book Review: The Witches of Harbour by Sian B. Claven
The Witches of Harbour
Series: Hex Duology #1 (Prequel to Hex)
Author: Sian B. Claven
Published: March 15, 2020
198 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4.5 stars
Book Description:
Harbour is a quiet small town with a big bad secret.
Sara doesn’t understand why she is running away in the cover of darkness from her hometown, or who the baby is that her mother is giving her to care for, but she trusts her mother enough to leave and not look back.
Christine knows that there may be a time that Sara is convinced to come back so she pens a letter to her explaining Harbour’s well kept secret, so her daughter can understand why she and the baby are in danger.
It all started years ago…
A prequel to Hex.
Kim’s Review:
Another great one by Claven! This is the prequel to Hex so of course I had to read it first. And now I can’t wait to read Hex! This was a very unique story that I felt I hadn’t read before. But let’s start with that half star: the character names got a little confusing. I felt like Christine would randomly mention a name and I had no idea who she was talking about. However, I think a chart would fix this … I’m all about charts! This also became a little bit of a problem once the resolution hit, but I also can’t really talk much about that cuz I don’t wanna give it away! Thankfully, everything made sense and I didn’t notice any loose ends. The plot was quick and engaging and I spent the book trying to work it out in my head before everything worked out. I didn’t, but that’s the sign of a good mystery! The characters were interesting and dynamic and I liked watching them grow and change throughout the story. The fact that I’m so excited to read the next book in the series shows how great this one is!!
Excellent book and I recommend it to any horror/thriller fan!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK