Flame Tree Press Blog Tour - Misfits

 

TITLE: Misfits

AUTHOR: Hunter Shea

PUBLISHER: Flame Tree Press

PUBLISHING DATE: September 8, 2020

FROM GOODREADS: 

During the height of the 90s grunge era, five high school friends living on the fringe are driven to the breaking point. When one of their friends is brutally raped by a drunk townie, they decide to take matters into their own hands. 

Deep in the woods of Milbury, Connecticut, there lives the legend of the Melon Heads, a race of creatures that shun human interaction and prey on those who dare to wander down Dracula Drive. Maybe this night, one band of misfits can help the other. Or maybe some legends are meant to be feared for a reason.

MY THOUGHTS: Well, in my opinion, Shea had knocked it out of the ballpark again.  Or at least he's written another book which is jumping onto my favorites list.  Misfits tells the tale of 5 high school outcasts.  You know the kind - the ones who would rather hang out in the smoking section at school (when they used to have one) and didn't care about attending school functions, or maybe even sometimes classes.  Maybe you were even one.  One night something horrible happens to Marnie.  In an attempt to seek revenge, her friends call upon a mysterious stoner who lives off of Dracula Drive.  Together they formulate a plan to engage help from the folklore legends known as the Melon Heads - a deformed group of inbreed individuals who have inhabited the woods off of Dracula Drive for years and who allegedly feed on the flesh of other humans.

This book is crammed full of action and eerie moments from the get-go.  I loved the misfits and enjoyed learning about their histories and what made them tick.  I grew attached to the characters, even ones I didn't think I would in the beginning.  I even like to equate them as Breakfast Club...if the Breakfast Club was a horror movie and all the characters were drunk or stoned most of the time.  And the ending!  Shea took it in a direction I never saw coming.  Have I told you how much I love Hunter Shea?  If you visit Booker T's Farm regularly then it's something you already know.  Shea clearly did his homework on this one and after I finished the book, I had fun looking up Melon Heads on the internet.  And I even found several mentions of Dracula Drive.   

Misfits is another great novel and I'm thrilled to be part of the blog tour.  Anyone who loves horror and folklore legends needs to check out this book.  You won't be sorry!  

COPYRIGHT Weird Ohio 

Dare to walk,
Down Dracula Drive,
In day or night,
You won’t survive.
They wait in trees,
And hide below,
Hungry for people,
Too blind to know.

RATING: 5 Paws

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Hunter Shea is the product of a misspent childhood watching scary movies, reading forbidden books and wishing Bigfoot was real. He’s the author of over 17 books, including 'The Jersey Devil' and 'We Are Always Watching'. Hunter’s novels can even be found on display at the International Cryptozoology Museum.

Flame Tree Press Blog Tour - The Raven

 

TITLE: The Raven

AUTHOR: Jonathan Janz

PUBLISHER: Flame Tree Press

PUBLISHING DATE: September 8, 2020

FROM GOODREADS: 

Fearing that mankind is heading toward nuclear extinction, a group of geneticists unleash a plot to save the world. They’ve discovered that mythological creatures such as werewolves, vampires, witches, and satyrs were once real, and that these monstrous genetic strands are still present in human DNA. These radical scientists unleash the bestial side of human beings that had been dormant for eons, and within months, most people are dead, and bloodthirsty creatures rule the earth. Despite the fact that Dez McClane has no special powers, he is determined to atone for the lives he couldn’t save and to save the woman he loves. But how long can a man survive in a world full of monsters?

MY THOUGHTS:  I am always excited to see what new releases Flame Tree Press has in store for readers each month and I'm doubly excited when I see it's something from Janz.  I've read several of his novels and have to admit, he never ceases to surprise me in some new way.

The Raven is different than the previous works I've read by him which are more on the lines of Gothic horror and creature features. However, something that plays over in most of his novels is the ability he has to create characters I can't stand and then systematically destroys them.  In this novel some "mad" scientists can't leave well enough alone and start playing with DNA.  They learn that the creatures that were once thought to be mythical actually exist and of course, being unable to leave well enough alone, start recreating them.  Dez is just an ordinary man searching for his lover Susan, who has been kidnapped.  What follows is an action-packed novel full of battles and interesting encounters.  

As I eluded, The Raven is kind of a mashup of dystopian, fantasy and horror.  Although I enjoy all of these genres, horror is my favorite of the three.  Just make sure you know going into this book that it's probably going to be different that the previous books you might have read by the author.  However, in this case, different is still good and I'm glad I gave this book a try.  I did feel like it kind of lost my attention in a few places but then something would happen and I would be quickly pulled back into the story.  A must-read for all of Janz's many fans and for people who love fantasy and don't read a lot of horror, this might be a good place to start if you want to dabble with some horror during this spooky season.  

RATING: 4 Paws

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jonathan Janz is the author of more than a dozen novels and numerous short stories. His work has been championed by authors like Josh Malerman, Joe R. Lansdale, Jack Ketchum, and Brian Keene; he has also been lauded by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and School Library Journal. His ghost story The Siren and the Specter was selected as a Goodreads Choice nominee for Best Horror. Additionally, his novel Children of the Dark was chosen by Booklist as a Top Ten Horror Book of the Year. Jonathan’s main interests are his wonderful wife and his three amazing children. You can sign up for his newsletter (http://jonathanjanz.us12.list-manage....), and you can follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Amazon, and Goodreads.

Can't Wait Wednesday (288)

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

FROM GOODREADS: New girl Rachel Chavez is eager to make a fresh start at Manchester Prep. But as one of the few scholarship kids, Rachel struggles to fit in, and when she gets caught up in a prank gone awry, she ends up with more enemies than friends.

To her surprise, however, the prank attracts the attention of the Mary Shelley Club, a secret club of students with one objective: come up with the scariest prank to orchestrate real fear. But as the pranks escalate, the competition turns cutthroat and takes on a life of its own.

When the tables are turned and someone targets the club itself, Rachel must track down the real-life monster in their midst . . . even if it means finally confronting the dark secrets from her past. 

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  Boarding schools and scary pranks?  Sign me up!  

CASSIUS'S PICK:

FROM GOODREADS: An uplifting and poignant story about a former service beagle named Stella who must find the courage to overcome her fears and use her special nose to save a girl’s life.

Ever since Stella was a puppy, she was trained to use her powerful beagle nose to sniff out chemicals used in explosives and warn her human handler in order to keep people safe.

But during a routine security inspection, Stella is distracted and misses the scent of an explosive chemical. The sound of the blast is loud and scary. Stella survives but her handler—her best friend in the whole world—is gone. Stella blames herself, certain she’s a bad dog.

Scared of loud noises, especially thunder and fireworks, Stella struggles with her anxiety and must be retired from being a service animal. Several families try to foster her, but sometimes Stella is so scared she howls or digs or tears things up with her teeth. She wonders if anyone will want to adopt her.

An expert dog trainer, Esperanza, thinks she can help. It’s Stella’s last chance to prove she can be a good dog. Stella has every reason to love her new family, especially the young human named Chloe who smells like chocolate chip cookies, newly cut grass, the pages of books, and something else—a strange chemical she can’t quite identify.

Chloe has epilepsy, and a chemical inside her body surges just before she has a seizure. Stella’s nose makes the connection. But how can she warn Esperanza without her thinking it’s just Stella’s usual anxiety? How can she convince her new family that she can be a new kind of service dog and hopefully save Chloe’s life?

Told from Stella’s point of view, readers will experience life through a dog’s eyes, ears, and, especially, her nose. Like Babe the pig or Ivan the gorilla, Stella the beagle is an extraordinary story for kids who love animals. An endearing novel of courage, compassion, friendship, and love.

WHY CASSIUS CAN'T WAIT:  There's no way Stella is a bad dog and I can't wait until she figures out how wonderful she is.  I think Chloe is just the one to show her.  Plus I really like it when Mom reads me books which are from an animal's POV.

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???

Random Things Tours - Nothin' But a Good Time

TITLE: Nothin' But a Good Time
AUTHOR: Justin Quirk
PUBLISHER: Unbound
PUBLISHING DATE: September 3, 2020

FROM GOODREADS: 

From 1983 until 1991, Glam Metal was the sound of American culture. Big hair, massive amplifiers, drugs, alcohol, piles of money and life-threatening pyrotechnics. This was the world stalked by Bon Jovi, Kiss, W.A.S.P., Skid Row, Dokken, Motley Crue, Cinderella, Ratt and many more. Armed with hairspray, spandex and strangely shaped guitars, they marked the last great era of supersize bands. 

Where did Glam Metal come from? How did it spread? What killed it off? And why does nobody admit to having been a Glam Metaller anymore?

MY THOUGHTS:  So here may be something you don't know.  Although I am a die-hard Prince fan and he will forever be my favorite artist, because I was a teen in the 80's, I spent a lot of time listening to and perfecting my glad rock collection.  It was the era of attending concerts alone for the first time and I can say I saw some of the greats - Aerosmith, Van Halen, White Lion, Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Ratt, Cinderella, Bon Jovi (3X) and Poison (5x) to name some of the more notable ones.  You might say I had a thing for Bret Michaels but don't tell anyone.  So I was excited to read Quirk's novel.  And I'll be honest, while it didn't disappoint, it wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

Quick had certainly did his research and I think I went into this book hoping to learn some juicy tidbits about some of my favorite glam bands.  And while there might have been a few, Quirk looks more at how Glam Rock became a thing.  It was interesting but at times, my interest did wane.  However, the author's passion did shine through and if you are a fan of the era and want to know more backstory, then this is definitely a book you want to add to your collection. I honestly think this would be a good physical copy to have in a collection so you could peruse it from time to time and pick out the parts that are most interesting to you.  I read an ebook copy and wish I had a physical one instead. 


RATING: 3 PAWS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Justin Quirk is a writer and editor based in London. Since starting his career at the Guardian, he has written for titles including i-D, Dazed and Confused, Kerrang!, Q, Word, the Independent, The Sunday Times, Arena and Esquire. He has also worked as a curator, DJ and creative director and regularly appears on the BBC World Service discussing culture and current affairs. He lives in London.

#Monsterathon 2020 TBR

So with Monsterathon, you can choose which team you want to be on. Each team has specific challenges you can earn point for as well as general challenges and a group read.  You are also free to complete any challenges for the other teams if you have time but it's important you at least do yours so your team can win!  The team's available are Beasts, Haunts and Conspiracies.  Last year I was on Beasts but not this year.  This year it's all about Team Haunts and for extra fun, instead of actual points we get "villagers terrorized."

UNDER THE BED - A BOOK BY A BIPOC YOU'VE BEEN SLEEPING ON

Stormi and I will be buddy reading this one as well.

YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE - LET A FRIEND PICK A BOOK FOR YOU

Of course I had Stormi pick a book for me and this is what she recommended.  Do you guys agree with her choice?

SECRET CRYPT - A MYSTERY BOOK OR BOOK WITH A MYSTERY ELEMENT

This one might be subject to change.

A MOMENT OF PEACE - A COMFORT READ

So excited for a new Hunter Shea read!

So there you have it!  Hope you've enjoyed.

Year of the Witching Blog Tour

TITLE: The Year of the Witching
AUTHOR: Alexis Henderson
PUBLISHER: Bantam Press
PUBLISHING DATE: July 23, 2020

FROM GOODREADS: The Handmaid's Tale for a new generation . . .

In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet's word is law, Immanuelle Moore's very existence is blasphemy.

The daughter of a union with an outsider that cast her once-proud family into disgrace, Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol and lead a life of submission, devotion and absolute conformity, like all the women in the settlement.

But a chance mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood that surrounds Bethel - a place where the first prophet once pursued and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still walking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the diary of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.

Fascinated by secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches. But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realises the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness. And if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her . . . 

MY THOUGHTS:  I've been anxious to read this debut author and am glad to say I finally have.  The Year of the Witching is an outstanding debut and what initially started as a slow-burn historical fiction/horror novel gave way to an explosive conclusion

Immanuelle lives with her grandparents in Bethel, a small stoic community founded in religion and overseen by The Prophet.  However, Immanuelle is the product of an alleged with and a father who was burned at the stake for having a relationship with her mother.  One day Immanuelle ventures into the Darkwood, the area surrounding Bethel.  There she is visited by 4 powerful witches and unbeknownst to her, triggers a plague upon her community.  It's left up to Immanuelle and the Prophet's son, Ezra, to try to save the community but can they do so before they are both sentenced to burn?

I really loved the historical element of this novel and while I would sat it might be a stretch to call it horror, it definitely had all the creepiness I craved.  I basically will give anything featuring witches a go and this book definitely had historical and folklore elements galore.  In fact, it's kind of a perfect read for the spooky season.  I immediately felt a connection to Immanuelle and was completely invested in her outcome.  She had some touch decisions to make throughout the book and it was interesting to see what choices she made.  I also loved her relationship with Ezra.  Although there were some romantic undertones, it was mainly one of friendship and unity.  

This book is very slow paced and it took me about 75 pages to get into the groove.  Basically that's the only issue I had.  Henderson is definitely an author I will be watching in the future.

RATING: 4 PAWS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Alexis Henderson is a speculative fiction writer with a penchant for dark fantasy, witchcraft, and cosmic horror. She grew up in one of America’s most haunted cities, Savannah, Georgia, which instilled in her a life-long love of ghost stories. When she doesn’t have her nose buried in a book, you can find her painting or watching horror movies with her feline familiar. Currently, Alexis resides in the sun-soaked marshland of Charleston, South Carolina.

Can't Wait Wednesday (287)

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

FROM GOODREADS: One of our most iconic childhood games receives a creepy twist as it becomes the gateway to a nightmare world.

I went up the hill, the hill was muddy, stomped my toe and made it bloody, should I wash it?

Justin knows that something is wrong with his best friend.Zee went missing for a year. And when he came back, he was . . . different. Nobody knows what happened to him. At Zee's welcome home party, Justin and the neighborhood crew play Hide and Seek. But it goes wrong. Very wrong.

One by one, everyone who plays the game disappears, pulled into a world of nightmares come to life. Justin and his friends realize this horrible place is where Zee had been trapped. All they can do now is hide from the Seeker.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I know it's a MG book but when I saw the cover, I immediately thought of the movie Us which I found super creepy.  I think this will be a fun one to add to the Halloween TBR.

CASSIUS'S PICK:

FROM GOODREADS: A World War II merchant marine ship is attacked by Nazi submarines in the seventh book in this action-packed middle grade series! Perfect for fans of the Hero and Scout books.

A year after Pearl Harbor, cabin boy Julio and his loyal Boxer, Jack, join the US Merchant Marines on a dangerous mission to bring supplies to troops on the Pacific front.

But when their convoy is attacked by German U-boats, their ship sinks, leaving Julio and Jack in a lifeboat fighting storms, sharks, starvation, and sickness. Can Julio and Jack help save the crew—and stay alive—as they search for land in the vast South Atlantic Ocean? 

WHY CASSIUS CAN'T WAIT:  Come on guys, it's a boxer.  Mom better order this for me and my brother pronto!  I need to read about what a hero Jack was and my Great Gpa is a WWII Vet so maybe we can tell him all about this after we read it!

WHAT BOOK CAN 'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???