BLOG
The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro Book Review
The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro
Five Star Review
Castro weaves a haunting tale of motherhood that reaches through the pages, grips reader’s hearts, and squeezes tight. Alejandra is a stay-at-home mother whose identity has gotten lost in the shuffle of daily mundane activities. Her condescending husband is no help as Alejandra spirals into a deep depression and begins seeing haunting visions. Desperate to fight her way out of the darkness, she consults a therapist and together, they dig into Alejandra’s Mexican heritage to search for a way to combat the growing ghostly threat. It’s up to Alejandro to face her demons in order to survive.
Castro’s masterful horror takes readers through generations of Mexican women’s lives and the struggles they endured. Each point-of-view digs into the women’s sorrow, but it also shines a light on their love for their children and a strong connection with their heritage. Alejandra is relatable; she loves her children but feels the heaviness and loneliness of being a mother. Her search for identity mirrors reality, and Alejandra’s strength transcends the page and provides inspiration for those also hurting.
The haunting story of La Llorona (a tragic tale of a mother who drowned her children) intertwines with the characters and plot using a fresh and compelling perspective. Horror elements terrify thanks to Castro’s visceral descriptions. Heavy themes of family, resilience, and motherhood saturate the pages and leave the reader wanting more. Those looking for an emotional journey of self-discovery will devour this expertly crafted horror.
Readers who enjoyed Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder and Full Immersion by Gemma Amor will enjoy the deep emotional journey of The Haunting of Alejandra. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Marionette by Antonia Rachel Ward
Marionette by Antonia Rachel Ward Book Review
3 Stars
Ward crafts a compelling premise complete in this spicy supernatural horror. Cecile Dulac is a French prostitute turned dancer/performer who gets roped into a séance. A vengeful spirit is conjured into her body, forcing Cecile to fight for her autonomy. Meanwhile, the charming George Dashwood swoons over Cecile and is determined to play the role of knight in shining armor, but at what cost? Will Cecile and George survive the spirit's deadly intentions?
Cecile is a sex-positive character who falls prey to the spirit who overtakes the woman's body and uses it for lustful acts while Cecile is unable to stop the events from occurring. Since Cecile can't offer her consent, some readers will find the actions in this book a bit troubling, despite the woman's own love for intimacy. George is equality polarizing as some readers may find his attraction and attention to Cecile romantic, while others will reason that his connection is based largely, if not entirely, on her shapely body. His desire to be with her seems less about love and more about lust, which makes his motivations throughout the plot a little challenging to believe.
In spite of these hiccups, Ward weaves a quick paced tale of revenge and thwarted love. Readers looking for a spicy spooky read will enjoy this one.
Thank you to NetGalley for my review copy!
Full Immersion by Gemma Amor Book Review
Full Immersion Book Review
5 Stars
Back Cover:
A traumatised woman with amnesia finds her own dead body and sets out to uncover the truth of her demise in a race against time, sanity, crumbling realities and the ever-present threat of the Silhouette.
When Magpie discovers her own dead body one misty morning in Bristol, it prompts her to uncover the truth of her untimely demise. Her investigations take her on a terrifying journey through multiple realities, experimental treatments, technological innovations and half-memories in a race against time and sanity. Accompanied by a new friend who is both familiar and strange, and constantly on the run from the terrifying, relentless presence of the mysterious predator known only as Silhouette, Magpie must piece together the parts of her life previously hidden. In doing so, she will discover the truth about her past, her potential, and her future
Review:
Amor weaves a beautifully haunting tale of post-partem depression with dark imagery and eerie tones. A mother on the verge of self-harm makes one last attempt to save herself by applying to an experimental therapy program. Suddenly, she wakes up and comes face-to-face with her own dead body. Now, she must navigate a blurred world between truth and illusion in order to uncover her deepest secret.
This story is exquisitely written with a sympathetic protagonist that seeps into the reader’s soul and latches on for dear life. Amor bravely bares her heart on the page for inspection as the mother character must journey into her past in order to save her future. The drama unravels in a satisfyingly slow and steady pace with enough tension to keep the reader engaged from start to finish. While this premise has been explored by other authors, Amor spins the familiar tale of motherhood with a unique and personal perspective. This story will stick with readers longer after the final word.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
Authors Whose Books I'll Buy Sight Unseen
Authors I’ll Buy No Matter What
A lot of readers have them. A list of authors they’ll buy books from without reading the back covers, without even glancing at the taglines. I’m no exception. My list is small but mighty. Here are the authors I’ve bought books from without knowing a single thing about the plots:
Chuck Palahniuk
This should come as no surprise as he’s my favorite author, but I buy anything he puts out sight unseen. I just hover my mouse over that “pre-order” button and click! His characters are disturbing, his writing minimalistic but visceral, and he has some of the best quotes in literature.
Nnedi Okorafor
I will never stop recommending the Binti series. They’re some of my absolute favorite books, but readers who stop at those are missing out on Nnedi’s brilliant worldbuilding, memorable characters, and universal themes.
Kealan Patrick Burke
I probably wouldn’t recommend jumping into Kealan’s books the way I did. The first work I read from him was Kin. Yeah, I jumped into the deep end, but when I explored more of his work, I loved his characters, themes, and settings. I’m sold! Anything he puts out, I’m buying.
Books I Recently Rated Five Stars
FIVE STAR READS
Here’s a list of books I’ve recently read and rated five stars! Hopefully, there’s something on the list that you will find enjoyable!
DESCRIPTION:
Nat Cassidy’s highly commercial, debut horror novel Mary: An Awakening of Terror, blends Midsommar with elements of American Psycho and a pinch of I'll Be Gone in the Dark.
Mary is a quiet, middle-aged woman doing her best to blend into the background. Unremarkable. Invisible. Unknown even to herself.
But lately, things have been changing inside Mary. Along with the hot flashes and body aches, she can’t look in a mirror without passing out, and the voices in her head have been urging her to do unspeakable things.
Fired from her job in New York, she moves back to her hometown, hoping to reconnect with her past and inner self. Instead, visions of terrifying, mutilated specters overwhelm her with increasing regularity and she begins auto-writing strange thoughts and phrases. Mary discovers that these experiences are echoes of an infamous serial killer.
Then the killings begin again.
Mary’s definitely going to find herself.
DESCRIPTION:
Kate is a hard of hearing homeless woman fighting for her own survival.
All she wants is safety and a place to call home. Instead, she is suddenly able to see visions of the future.
She dreams of disasters and is unable to prevent the events alone.
Will anyone help her? Who gave her the curious ability and who are the tall, sinister men that follow her so closely?
Society does not see her, no one will listen.
Kate is determined to be heard...
DESCRIPTION:
The trees of Alaska’s Arctic wilderness have always been Sarah’s sentries and her house, a fortress, isolated from society and an abusive marriage.
Until it isn’t.
The arrival of a new neighbor and an oil company drilling through primordial, cold earth changes the forest of her valley. It bleeds through the serenity and disrupts her home, her sanity. Plagued with insomnia from the midnight sun, Sarah increasingly suspects something is using her sanctuary to hide from the bright, incessant light. An insidious menace, ancient and beyond explanation, using the wilderness for cover. Her personal demon that cares nothing for Sarah or her mental health. Something that won’t stop until it takes it all
DESCRIPTION:
A short story on the horrors of dating during a zombie apocalypse by bruja and award-winning writer and educator, Maria DeBlassie.
You know how it goes.
You go out, hoping to meet someone.
You wade through your fair share of brainless automatons, lifeless bodies, and ravenous undead, good at passing as human.
The more you go out, the less hope you feel and the colder your body gets.
But you keep at it.
All you need is one beating heart to match your own before yours stops pumping altogether.
How hard can it be to find one living, breathing human in a city full of bodies?
Dating.
It's hungry business.
Advance Praise
"Simple yet detailed, unique, and innovative. A brilliantly written little gem that is equal part creepy with the plague of walking dead and equal parts cozy with the hot chocolate and watching the neighbor's cat."
"Drawing parallels between the pitfalls of dating and dating in the zombie apocalypse, this short story packs a big world into a few pages."
"Just the right size to occupy your time while waiting. I hope you find the humor I found."
Indigenous Speculative Fiction and Horror Reads to Check Out
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
Back Cover: Humanity has nearly destroyed its world through global warming, but now an even greater evil lurks. The indigenous people of North America are being hunted and harvested for their bone marrow, which carries the key to recovering something the rest of the population has lost: the ability to dream. In this dark world, Frenchie and his companions struggle to survive as they make their way up north to the old lands. For now, survival means staying hidden—but what they don't know is that one of them holds the secret to defeating the marrow thieves.
Cherie Dimaline is an award winning indigenous author, activist, and member the Georgian Bay Metis Community in Ontario. In a 2017 article with Publishing Perspectives, Dimaline discusses the importance of keeping “indigenous” as an identifier:
“Because we are the people of story, it is a great honor for me to be called a Métis writer. It denotes a title, an honor, and a certain knowledge. In fact, I feel demoted when I’m referred to as only a Canadian writer. My community has struggled and survived, and I’m enormously proud to be able to carry our voices forward. I can’t speak for every writer, but for myself, I am a writer. But being called an Indigenous author is like having a PhD at the end of your signature.”
Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones
Back Cover:
Blackfeet author Stephen Graham Jones brings readers a spine-tingling Native American horror novella.
Walking through his own house at night, a fifteen-year-old thinks he sees another person stepping through a doorway. Instead of the people who could be there, his mother or his brother, the figure reminds him of his long-gone father, who died mysteriously before his family left the reservation. When he follows it he discovers his house is bigger and deeper than he knew.
The house is the kind of wrong place where you can lose yourself and find things you'd rather not have. Over the course of a few nights, the boy tries to map out his house in an effort that puts his little brother in the worst danger, and puts him in the position to save them . . . at terrible cost.
Stephen Graham Jones is an award winning author whose bio starts like this:
“Stephen Graham Jones was born in Midland, Texas in 1972. As an infant, he got knocked out by a ceiling when a family friend threw him too high into the air and, before he was even one, he had more than 100 stitches in his face. Another time, the fire department had to be called to get his head unstuck from the highchair. It’s so easy to get hurt.”
He’s worth checking out. Buy Mapping the Interior here.
Deer Woman: An Anthology
Back Cover: Based on the true stories of Indigenous women throughout the world, Deer Woman: An Anthology is an extension of the Deer Woman: A Vignette, comic book that itself is a powerful expression and weaves the stories of Deer Woman into a modern narrative of the struggles of Indigenous women in North America. This anthology features the work of more than a dozen Native women sharing stories of survival, empowerment, and healing. Edited by Elizabeth LaPensée and Weshoyot Alvitre and featuring the work of: Patty Stonefish, Allie Vasquez, Mia Casesa, Darcie Little Badger, Tara Ogaick, Kimberly Robertson, Barbara Kenmille, Maria Wolf Lopez, Tatum Bowie, Jackie Fawn, Rebecca Roanhorse, Carolyn Dunn, Nashoba Dunn-Anderson, and more, this anthology is an important addition to the current conversation about violence against women, especially Native women.