P.L. McMillan 2/21/22 P.L. McMillan 2/21/22

The Maker’s Box: Novella Review

The Maker’s Box grips the reader tight as Emily races against time (and blood loss) to find out who the owner of the heart was and what its intentions are. You could say that it really sets your heart racing. (heh)

P.L. McMillan 2/7/22 P.L. McMillan 2/7/22

The Abominable: Novel Review

The Abominable is detailed, well-written, and spins some good twists, but I think some readers might struggle at the slow pacing and over-abundance of technical detail.

P.L. McMillan 1/18/22 P.L. McMillan 1/18/22

Behind the Veil: Novel Review

While decently enjoyable, plot-wise, I found Behind the Veil predictable just because it followed a lot of standard tropes and familiar themes so nothing really surprised me in that department.

P.L. McMillan 1/10/22 P.L. McMillan 1/10/22

Bloodlines: Anthology Review

Bloodlines is such a powerful collection that explores serious and unsettling themes around the idea of family in such a way that will leave you shaken and haunted.

P.L. McMillan 1/3/22 P.L. McMillan 1/3/22

Stolen Tongues: Novel Review

Obviously modern authors face a difficulty when it comes to representing cultures that aren't their own. And obviously I don't expect Caucasian authors to only write white characters (and I am not assuming Blackwell's ethnicity, but he does say that he is non-Native in his afterword) because that's not the solution either. But making sure you represent a different culture and race correctly and fairly is important and, to me, Blackwell missed the mark.

P.L. McMillan 12/20/21 P.L. McMillan 12/20/21

The Boatman’s Daughter: Novel Review

This book swept me away. The suspense was as heavy as the atmosphere, the prose as beautiful as the winding rivers, the horror as gut-wrenching as the struggles of Miranda against the men in the town who want to control her.

11/15/21 11/15/21

Humans are the Problem: Anthology Review

With twenty-two twisted tales, Humans are the Problem: A Monster's Anthology is a collection of stories that explores the question; what is the real monsters are the people? From trolls to tooth fairies and boogeymen to blobs, these monsters have to get creative to deal with the modern-day human!

10/18/21 10/18/21

Catherine House: Novel Review

Catherine House is Gothic, atmospheric novel with a Poe-esque rotted decadence that seems to choke the reader as much as it does Ines.

10/11/21 10/11/21

The Rules of the Road: Book Review

The Rules of the Road perfectly captures that lonely and sometimes creepy vibe one experiences when they are on a long, long drive in the nondescript areas of America.

10/4/21 10/4/21

Confessions: Novel Review

Gripping until the end, Confessions is a gritty psychological thriller that explores the types of decisions people might make if driven into a corner.

9/27/21 9/27/21

What One Wouldn't Do: Anthology Review

Coming out on October 5th, What One Wouldn't Do is a dark fiction anthology about what people are capable of when it comes to getting what they want -- tales and poems of witchcraft, necromancy, revenge, and sorrow populate this anthology.

9/13/21 9/13/21

The Luminous Dead: Book Review

The Luminous Dead is an emotional rollercoaster that takes you deep into the dark guts of an alien planet, haunted by the rumblings of creatures called Tunnelers that no one has survived an encounter with.

9/6/21 9/6/21

Carmilla, The Moth Diaries, and Jennifer's Body

I deep dive the Gothic world of female vampire eroticism with Carmilla, The Moth Dairies, and Jennifer's Body.

8/30/21 8/30/21

The Ritual: Book Review

This book was an odd one for me, not in a bad way though. The first half of the book starts off a wilderness horror, the four friends fight against the elements, then something that seems to be hunting them in the woods. Then the second half becomes cosmic horror.

8/23/21 8/23/21

The Stepford Wives - Novel Review

The pacing will set your nerves on fire, the suspense will gives you chills, and the overall conclusion and theme will haunt you for days.

8/9/21 8/9/21

The Good House: Book Review

The Good House has an excellent mix of horror and heartbreak, the supernatural and the human. Unfortunately, the ending didn't satisfy me in the way I'd hoped.

8/2/21 8/2/21

The Final Girl Support Group: Novel Review

Hendrix manages to breath new life into the slasher movie tropes, giving a complexity to the final girl character that was badly needed.

7/19/21 7/19/21

True Crime: Novella Review

True Crime delves into the impacts of childhood trauma including sexual and physical abuse, this isn't a novella for the faint of heart. Unfortunately it fell flat for me in the end.