TBR Jar Of Horror #2 - The Streeter

 

So Stormi and I kind of fell out of sync with this last year but we both still have some horror books lingering in our jar.  So we've started it up once again and hopefully it will become a regular feature at least every 2 months or so.  Just to remind you, we are both reading and reviewing different books with this feature and they are always older releases or some lesser known book we might have stumbled upon on Kindle Unlimited or so. So read on to see what I dug off the shelf this month and then hop over to Stormi's to find out what she read.

TITLE: The Streeter

AUTHOR: Scott Ian Barry

PUBLISHER: Tor Books

PUBLISHING DATE: February 1, 1994

PAGES: 288

SOURCE: Own

FROM GOODREADS: Around Amsterdam Starpark, people are dying. Packs of dogs lope through the concealing mists--dogs who have lost their last fear of man. They have been driven to the brink of insanity by chemical waste . . . driven to hunt and kill . . . and eat.

MY THOUGHTS: Trigger warning - dogs dies in this book.  But there is also hope and a really really strong dog advocate and some bad people die too so in my twisted mind, it's all good.  

This book opens with a young on her bike going home one evening when she runs across 5 dogs who proceed to chase her to a local amusement park.  It's obvious there's something wrong with these dogs and the carnage starts pretty early.  The amusement park manager, Adam, is known for rescuing dogs off the street and giving them a better life - some even provide security for the park.  Adam becomes concerned with this new pack and the havoc they are causing and since he has little trust that the local officials can handle the situation, he starts tracking the pack as well.  As the book progresses, the reader learns why the dogs are acting this way, and also runs across an individual who clearly thinks she is better than everyone else and wants ALL dogs destroyed.  She was definitely on my hit list. 

I really did enjoy this book. It was the right length for a quick read and despite the subject matter and my dog sensitivity, the book really didn't upset me a lot.  I think it's because the author focused a lot on rehabilitation and the role humans play in animal behavior and it didn't feature dogs being bad because they dogs.  It took place around an amusement park which added to the atmosphere and although there was a time I am sure I had a question mark over my head because of an editing error here or there, 

they didn't detract much from the book.  

If you are looking for a fun retro horror read, maybe you can get your hands on this book and give it a try!

RATING: 4 PAWS

TBR Jar of Horror #1 - Bite

 

So Stormi and I were kind of striking out with our Retro Horror feature.  It seems the books we picked were never as good as we hoped.  So we revamped the feature and are now doing a TBR jar where we're each putting horror titles we've always wanted to read - no matter of their publication date.  And now, every other month, we will draw a pick out and that's what we'll read and review.  So read on to see how this worked for me this month and the hope over to Stormi's to find out what she read.

And don't you love our new graphic?  It was created by Michelle over at Lima Bean Designs!

TITLE: Bite (Wastelanders #1)

AUTHOR: K.S. Merbeth

PUBLISHER: Orbit

PUBLISHING DATE: July 26, 2016

PAGES: 376

SOURCE: Own library

FROM GOODREADS: 

Kid is trying to survive in a world gone mad. Hungry, thirsty and alone in a desert wasteland, she's picked up on the side of the road by Wolf, Dolly, Tank and Pretty Boy - outlaws with big reputations and even bigger guns.

But as they journey across the wild together, Kid learns that her newfound crew may not be the heroes she was hoping for. And in a world that's lost its humanity, everyone has a bit of monster within them

  MY THOUGHTS:  Let's just say that I spent years thinking this was about vampires despite there clearly being a license plate on the vehicle which indicated cannibals.  However, I was glad to knock it off my shelves and give it a go.  And man, what a fun ride this one was!

The novel takes places in a post-apocalyptic world where everyone is struggling to survive. Think Mad Max, because honestly, that's probably the best comparison for this book.  Kid is 14 and has been struggling to make it on her own since her father died.  She ends up meeting a ragtag group which consists of Wolf, Dolly, Tank and Pretty Boy.  While she is more than a little afraid of them at first, she ends up running with them.  There's just one small issue - they are considered "sharks" meaning they cook and eat human flesh.  Wolf leads the group on some crazy raids and trades and gets them into some pretty sticky situations.  And someone new named Saint is trying to take over the Wastelands, but they must go through Wolf to do it.

Never in my life did I see myself cheering a group of cannibals on to succeed, but cheer I did.  This was the most likable group of characters I've read about in a long time.  I loved them all and I loved how little by little Kid began to fit in and began to find a place where she belonged.  This book had action, blood, gore, humor, friendship and a riveting plot.  There's really nothing to complain about here.  I really think more people need to pick up this little hidden gem and hang on tight.  I can't wait to get my hands on book #2!

RATING: 5 PAWS