Review: Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace

Author: Kali Wallace
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: January 26th, 2016
Source: Received for review from publisher via Edelwiess
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

For fans of Holly Black and Nova Ren Suma, a gripping, hauntingly atmospheric novel about murder, revenge, and a world where monsters—human and otherwise—lurk at the fringes.

When seventeen-year-old Breezy Lin wakes up in a shallow grave one year after her death, she doesn’t remember who killed her or why. All she knows is that she’s somehow conscious—and not only that, she’s able to sense who around her is hiding a murderous past. In life, Breezy was always drawn to the elegance of the universe and the mystery of the stars. Now she must set out to find answers and discover what is to become of her in the gritty, dangerous world to which she now belongs—where killers hide in plain sight and a sinister cult is hunting for strange creatures like her. What she finds is at once empowering, redemptive, and dangerous.

Tense, complex, and wholly engaging, Shallow Graves is a stunning first novel from Kali Wallace .

I know Shallow Graves doesn't come out until January, but I just had to read it early because... Halloween! :) It certainly did not disappoint when it comes to the creepy factor. That's for sure.

I have to say, I liked it. I'm still stewing on it a bit, because it was so different. I don't read a ton of books like this. I like your mushy romantic type stories. There isn't any romance here, so if your looking for that, look elsewhere.

I didn't go into this story expecting love. I expected a zombie.. a zombie isn't what I got though. I mean, I guess that might kinda be what she is.. but not. Breezy is an interesting creature and I was kinda digging what she could do and sense. I felt so bad for her. I mean, the poor girl wakes up a year after being murdered. That can't be pleasant.

This story is basically about her trying to discover what she is and how she became that way. I'm not lie, there were some slow spots.. but I feel like it was my confusion dragging me down. It was hard to wrap my head around the people/creatures she runs into on her journey. I'm still not sure I've fully grasped wtf was happening, but it was an entertaining ride at least.

I think my biggest problem was... it started out with a certain feel to it. And then all of a sudden, she ends up at this place and it becomes a totally different kind of book than I thought it would be. But it's great for this time of year. There is some creepy shit going on. Overall, I did enjoy the story. Especially for this time of year. :)

About the author:

Kali Wallace studied geology and geophysics before she decided she enjoyed inventing
imaginary worlds as much as she liked researching the real one. Her short fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld, F&SF, Asimov's, Lightspeed Magazine, and Tor.com. Her first novel will be published by Katherine Tegen Books in 2016. She lives in southern California.

Find Kali:

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Read More

Labels: creepy, ghouls, halloween, Katherine Tegen books, living dead, murder, review, Shallow Graves

{TTT} Books to Keep You Up at Night

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the awesome ladies at The Broke and the Bookish. Apparently, they are overly fond of list-making and love to share their bookish lists with the rest of us book nerds.  =) We're game.

This week's topic is a Halloween-themed freebie.
(10 best ghost stories, 10 things that scare you in books, 10 literary Halloween costumes, 10 vampire novels, 10 books that WILL scare you, 10 non-scary books for Halloween, 10 scariest covers, etc.)

Jen's Picks:

I love re-reading some of my favorite creepy reads this time of year, and the snapshot above has it all: aliens, vampires, zombies, red-haired devil boys, magic, ghosts, gargoyles, demons…if you were scared of it as a child, it's included. =)

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater - ravens, ghosts, psychics, murder & mayhem
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke - that red-headed devil boy I mentioned
Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan - magic, a sleepy English town and murder most foul, plus HUMOR
The Diviners by Libba Bray - ghosts, murder, magic, all manner of special abilities
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan - zombies!!!
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride - HUMOR and dead things
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake - a vengeful ghost and sarcasm to boot
Arclight by Josin L. McQuein - a futuristic nightmare of a story featuring nanobots that utterly creeped me out
The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan - gargoyles and Victorian charm and demons
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey - genocidal aliens masquerading as humans
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black - scary-ass vampires

And might I recommend the following anthology -- edited by one of my favorite authors -- which just released in August? It's seriously got something horrible for everyone. :P

Other spooky posts here at The Starry-Eyed Revue that might interest you:

Bookish Costume Ideas
Recommended Halloween Reads
Scary Covers and Freaky Reads

What are your favorite books to read at Halloween? Be sure to share a link to your TTT post so we can visit!

And something to amuse you because it always amuses me:

Read More

Labels: creepy, halloween, scary reads, top ten tuesday

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop 2015 - INTERNATIONAL!!!

Big thanks to Kathy at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer for organizing this hop!

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays and I've always loved joining on this hop to share my love of the holiday -- and my love of scary reads! Below is a list of creepy books you can choose your prize from. Some I've read and some I'm dying to read but all sound perfect for this time of year! And if you're just looking for some scary recommendations, check out our Halloween recs post from last year.

Rules:

• This giveaway is international. As long as The Book Depository ships to your location and the book is available from them, you are good to go. (You can double-check that here.) 
• One entry per household. 
• Entries will be verified. Any entry found to be falsified will result in disqualification of all entries for that participant.
• Please note that if you use your Twitter account solely for giveaway entries and you enter using the Tweet about the Giveaway entry, that entry will be disqualified. Please remember that this entry method is to spread the word about the giveaway, not simply increase your chances of winning.
• Winner will be notified via email. Winner will then have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be selected. Please check your SPAM folder!!! 
• We are not responsible for lost packages. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now that you've entered here, be sure to check out all of the other stops on the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop:



Thanks for entering & happy reading!

Read More

Labels: creepy, funfunfun, giveaway hops, giveaways, halloween, scary reads

Review: The Fall by Bethany Griffin

Title: The Fall
Author: Bethany Griffin
Series: n/a
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Publication Date: October 7th, 2014
Source: Received from Publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Madeline Usher is doomed.

She has spent her life fighting fate, and she thought she was succeeding. Until she woke up in a coffin.

Ushers die young. Ushers are cursed. Ushers can never leave their house, a house that haunts and is haunted, a house that almost seems to have a mind of its own. Madeline’s life—revealed through short bursts of memory—has hinged around her desperate plan to escape, to save herself and her brother. Her only chance lies in destroying the house.

In the end, can Madeline keep her own sanity and bring the house down? The Fall is a literary psychological thriller, reimagining Edgar Allan Poe’s classic The Fall of the House of Usher.

So I wasn't sure when I was going to get to read The Fall. Things have been hectic around here so my "to read" schedule went out the freaking window. Then my daughter picked it to color for Judging a Book By It's Cover, so I just had to push it up the list!  

I've been having a hard time getting into book lately, but The Fall sucked me right in. Maybe it's the time of year it is, but curling up with this one after work on a chilly fall evening... Perfection. 

I've never read Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher, but I do know how to use google, and so I read up on it a bit. I can't say that it made me understand the story anymore! lol. But that's okay, I didn't need too. I was thoroughly creeped the F out and that's what I wanted. A book to scare my mom sweatpants off. 

That it did, The Fall is pretty freaky. I think the best character of all is the house. Even though  it's questionable what the real villain is, are they crazy? Or is this house really out to get them? Well if they are crazy than I am too, because that house was whacked. 

The story is told through Madeline Ushers POV. I really liked her and I felt so bad for her and the curse she's dealing with. I was never a fan of her twin brother though. He came off as a bit of a jerk to me. And Omg, the opening to this story was great! 

I don't get into classics and such, so I'm not sure how this retelling compared to the original, but I have to say it was very well written. I was captivated. I kept bugging my husband about it. If you are looking for a spooky book to read this month, give this one a try! 

My only complaint is the ending is still kinda confusing to me, but I'm thinking maybe I'm just not deep enough to get it? lol. I think I'll re read the ending tomorrow morning when my brain is refreshed. Over all, I really enjoyed The Fall. I feel like I need to find time to read Masque of the Red Death soon, because it's been sitting on my kindle for ages. 

Loved that house! 

About the author:


Bethany Griffin is a high school English teacher who prides herself on attracting
creative
misfits to elective classes like Young Adult Literature, Creative Writing, and Speculative Literature. She is the author of Handcuffs & MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (April 2012). She lives with her family in Kentucky.

Find Bethany:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Read More

Labels: bethany griffin, creepy, greenwillow books, retellings, reviews, the fall, The fall of the house of usher