2 Bloggers 1 Book - Stage Fright

My friend Stormi always participates in Middle Grade May, so I had her pick a MG "horror" book for us to buddy read and this is what she came up with. It was a cute, quick read which I ended up enjoying quite a bit.  So read on for my thoughts and then hop over to Storm Reads to see what Stormi thought.

 

TITLE: Stage Fright

AUTHOR: Wendy Parris

PUBLISHER: Delacourt Press

PUBLISHING DATE: September 27, 2024

PAGES:    

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: When Avery returns to her hometown after moving away a year earlier, she is hoping to jump back into her friend group as if nothing’s changed. Unfortunately, new interests, secret crushes, and changing dynamics get in her way. To reunite her BFFs, she suggests they host a séance at an abandoned theater that was the site of a horrible tragedy. What starts as a fun outing, soon becomes a fight for survival after the group gets locked in…and discovers they’re not alone.

MY THOUGHTS: My friend Stormi always participates in Middle Grade May, so I had her pick a MG "horror" book for us to buddy read and this is what she came up with. It was a cute, quick read which I ended up enjoying quite a bit.  

Avery is returning to her hometown to spend a few weeks with her friends.  She desperately missed them the past school year and can't wait to catch up.  However, when she arrives, she learns that even though they missed her to, they have all seemed to move on and Avery feels left behind.  All the activities she looked forward to they seem to have outgrown.  As a nod to a mystery game they used to play, Avery suggests they go to the abandoned theatre in town and have a seance to summon the ghost of a young girl who died there who allegedly still haunts the place. They end up getting trapped and soon learn they might not be alone.  Things get pretty intense for these preteens, and they start to wonder if they will all get out alive.

It was cool to see how the author managed to make this book spooky enough for the target population and also address some heavier topics the friend encountered growing up and moving on.  In the end, they realized how much they have grown, but how much they still need each other, and I think a lot of kids who enjoy spookier tales would really love this.  There weren't a lot of books like this when I was young, probably why I started reading Stephen King at age ten, so sometimes it is fun to go back and pick one up. 

MY RATING: 3 PAWS

Wish There Had Been Even More Bodies!

TITLE: Body Count

AUTHOR: Codie Crowley

PUBLISHER: Disney Hyperion

PUBLISHING DATE: May 5, 2026

PAGES: 304   

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: In this sapphic slasher novel, Sundae Valentine made a deal with a monster in Wildwood, N.J., when she was a child, and barely escaped with her life. Six years later, Sundae’s braving Wildwood again for a killer beach party to celebrate prom with the cheerleaders and the football team. But the monster is back, too, and this time he’ll stop at nothing to make sure she pays her debts.

MY THOUGHTS: I love a good slasher tale so when I was offered this arc, of course I was going to give it a chance, even though I was not the targeted audience.  That being said, I also don't think YA is really the targeted audience because boy, did I have some issues.

When Sundae (yep, as in ice cream) is a child, she and her mother were on the run from her abusive father.  While her mom is working at small tourist hotel, Sundae encounters Holly Jolly in a pool, which is where he finds his prey, and ends up falling for his promises.  She ends up making two wishes and experiencing the awful aftermath before they move from town.  Now as a high school teen, her group of best friends, cheerleaders of course, and the football players, travel to this small town for Prom Weekend (is this really a thing) where they plan to party it up.  But Holly Jolly knows Sundae is back and he has one final wish to collect. 

Let's get to the good parts first.  This book was super readable and I flew through it.  The monster in Wildwood, the Holly Jolly Killer, is unique and something I don't believe I've ran across before.  He is actually a do-wop performer from the 50's who survived a fire one night which killed everyone but him, only to kill himself later.  He also offers people wishes in the form of three candy Taffe pieces. Eat a piece, make a wish, and see what happens. There is also a band playing at the hotel the weekend of the trip which consists of Lia, basically a grunge high school outsider, and her two best friends, think Bill and Ted from the Excellent Adventure movie, who play a big part in the tale. I found them mildly tolerable, which is more that I can say about the rest of the kids. 

Now for the not-so-good.  I've never met a more sexualized group of teenagers in a YA book.  Sundae and her friends spend all weekend competing for the "Slut Cup" where the winner is the person who has the most sexual encounters during that time.  Seriously?  I am far from a prude, but I would have found this out of place in a college setting, let alone a high school one. Also, Sundae is just insufferable.  She knows she shouldn't return to Wildwood, but does that stop her from going?  No, she can't let down her friends and of course, she is a high schooler and doesn't she deserve some fun?

Let's just say there is a serial killer, creepy monsters and a decent setting and leave it at that.  Unless you are just curious after reading this to see if you dislike it as much as I did, I can't recommend it.  I would try this author again in the future strictly because of the uniqueness I found in Holly Jolly. If it wasn't for that, the book would definitely rate lower for me.

MY RATING: 3 PAWS

Makes Me See Pooh Bear in a Whole Different Light

TITLE: Teddy Bears Never Die

AUTHOR: Yeeun Cho, Sung Ryu (Translator)

PUBLISHER: Run For It

PUBLISHING DATE: May 26, 2026

PAGES: 304   

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: Yamu, pop. 200,000 - A coastal town that has seen better days. A massive redevelopment plan is in place, including that for a luxury apartment complex dubbed Sea View Park. One day, a delivery of rice cakes is made to the building supposedly from one of the new neighbours. The rice cakes are laced with cyanide, however, resulting in a lethal mass poisoning. 

Hwa-young's mother, who works as a live-in housekeeper at Sea View Park, is one of the victims. Hwa-young, turned out on the streets, lives in a flophouse for runaways at the mercy of landlord Young-jin, who regularly extorts money from her. Hwa-young refuses to believe that her mother, who never touched rice cakes in her life, died from eating them, and suspects foul play. Swearing to find the true culprit and avenge her mother's death, Hwa-young is determined to save 20 million won in order to place a hit on the suspect, and does whatever work she can find. 

One day, Hwa-young is bullied into playing bait for one of Young-jin's scams. Left in a motel room alone with the mark, she is alarmed when he begins to unpack one lethal weapon after another. She signals Young-jin for help, but when no one comes she realizes that she has been tricked, and that Young-jin has sold her to the would-be murderer. Just when the man is about to attack Hwa-young, he collapses in pain, bleeding. Hwa-young is about to escape when a teddy bear speaks to her. It's a grubby Happy Smile Bear doll. 

And thus begins the extraordinary journey as a Happy Smile Bear, possessed by the spirits of a murdered young boy, and Hwa-young, an orphaned young girl, join forces enact vengeance and bring the true culprit to justice.

MY THOUGHTS: When I saw a book about a killer teddy bear, of course I knew I was going to read it.  I ended up finding what I would consider a hidden gem as I haven't heard a lot about it and a book that left me recalling all the nights I spent sleeping with my best friend Pooh growing up. 

Hwa-young is a young girl who is barely scraping by.  She is currently living in a flophouse room run by a supposed crime lord and certified scum, Young-jin.  Hwa-young's mother died in an incident where several individuals in the apartment building ate poisoned rice cakes and since then, her sole purpose has been to figure out exactly what happened and get revenge.  One night, she finds a grubby Happy Smile Bear in an alley, takes him home and cleans him up. Shortly afterwards, strapped for cash, Hya-young agrees to do a job for Young-jin and almost ends up killed.  However, this is where Happy Smile Bear comes in.  He ends up saving Hwa-young because he is actually a stuffed bear possessed by the soul of an old school classmate.  Together, they work together to avenge the death of Hwa-young's mother, mend a broken friendship, and find a way for the soul to reclaim his old body.

I really enjoyed Hwa-young, and Happy Smile Bear's story.  This book had a tad of whimsicalness but don't let that fool you.  I do not really pay attention to trigger warnings, but this book also contains a lot of blood, gore, child abuse, trafficking and death. There was a lot of action and overall, the book flew pretty quickly, although I did encounter a problem or two.  Mainly, the book is told in chapters with chapter titles which seemed to be their own individual tale which combines together to form the whole story.  AS a format, it didn't confuse me too much once I caught on but was a bit jarring at first.  

I am so glad I read this book and I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves bizarre reads and of course, teddy bears!

MY RATING: 4 PAWS (dog paws, teddy bear paws - you choose!)

Feed Your TBR - Monsters of Ohio

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" 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.

November 3, 2026

FROM GOODREADS: In many ways Richland, Ohio is the same tiny, sleepy rural village it has been for the last 150 The same families, the same farms, the same heartland beliefs and traditions that have sustained it for generations. But right now times are especially hard, as social and economic forces inside and outside the community roil the surface of the once-placid town.

Richland, in other words, is primed to explode... just not the way that anyone anywhere could ever have expected. And when things do explode, well, that’s when things start getting really weird.

Daniel Garvey left Richland decades back, to find his own way in the world. But when he is called back to his hometown to tie up some loose ends, he finds more going on than he bargained for and is caught up in a sequence of events that will bring this tiny farm village to the attention of the entire world... and, perhaps, spell its doom.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT: You know I love some good tentacles on covers and hey on this one, I get the whole squid.  I need to read more from this author, and I think this one will be a lot of fun.

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

2 Bloggers 1 Book - Bats

 

 In April, my pal Stormi was participating in a readathon, Old School April, and had pulled some retro reads.  I decided to join her and read a backlist horror novel we had been interested in for a while.  So read on for my thoughts and then hop over to Storm Reads for hers. 

TITLE: Bats

AUTHOR: William W. Johnstone

PUBLISHER: Kensington/Lyrical PRess

PUBLISHING DATE: January 1, 1993

PAGES: 316   

SOURCE: Own Library

FROM GOODREADS: Wings of Death They’d flown north from Central and South America, appearing one day in the southern wetlands of the U.S. like ominous ink stains in the twilight sky. With each sunset, more appeared, first hundreds then thousands. Massing into a great black cloud of terror, the vampire bats were beating their wings in time with the panicked heartbeats in the towns below. No one knew how to stop them as they fell onto their prey like dark, deadly shadows. But someone had to find a way. Because somewhere in the night, they had become a threat to more than wild animals and livestock. Somewhere in the night madness took hold as these vampire bats developed a taste for human blood. And the feasting had only just begun.

MY THOUGHTS: I do love a good creature feature and this book lived up to all my expectations and more.  I was a tad worried due to it being a bit older, but honestly, this book made me want to ready more backlist horror from this author.

Johnny is ex-military living a quiet, but secure life in Louisiana.  Johnny had some pretty high clearance and was involved in some pretty secretive miliary activities, so he has a lot of knowledge and even more common sense. Late one night his two dogs start acting strangely and he hears some strange noises.  The next day some farm animals are found massacred, and Johhny starts to become suspicious.  He soon learns that for some reason, the area is being overrun by giant bats.  

Soon scientists and local law enforcement gather and try to figure out what is going on and what can be done to stop them because these bats are out to kill everything and everyone in their path.  Also, Johnny, soon realizes the government may have more to do with this than nature actually does so throw in some bureaucratic shenanigans as well. Johnny also starts working closely with a local veterinarian Blair, who is using her expertise to help battle the bats and save lives and they hit it off well so you can guess where that heads.  

First, I have to point out how much I love Johnny mainly because the first thing he does is assure his dogs safety.  He bat-proofs his entire residence and surrounding land, including encasing a run for his dogs when they are outside, so they don't get hurt. Next, Johnny and some of the law enforcement officers are on the same page and are presenting a united front rather than butting heads which was nice as sometimes in books like these, that is where the adversarial relationships start popping up.

As I mentioned, overall, this was a really enjoyable read.  I have already researched some of the authors other backlist horror titles (he primarily writes old school westerns I believe) and hope to read another one soon.  If you like creature books, this is one I would definitely recommend.

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

More Kea and Sora Please

TITLE: The Killing Spell

AUTHOR: Shay Kauwe

PUBLISHER: Saga Press

PUBLISHING DATE: April 14, 2026

PAGES: 288   

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: Kea Petrova is dealing with more than her fair share of trouble. 

At just twenty-five years old, she’s the youngest of five Hawaiian clan leaders living on the Homestead in outer Los Angeles. Nearly 200 years ago, when a catastrophic flood submerged the Hawaiian islands and unleashed magic into the world, these clans forged a treaty with the city, establishing a new Hawaiian homeland. But that treaty is about to expire.

Kea struggles to keep her small clan afloat, scraping together rent each month through odd jobs and selling her own crafted Hawaiian language spells. While her talent for language magic is her saving grace, she feels like a shadow of those who came before her. Just when she thinks things can’t get any more complicated, the murder of Angelo Reyes—LA’s most prominent Filipino activist—turns her world upside-down. 

Angelo was killed by a death spell—something that, due to the properties of each school of language magic, can only exist in Hawaiian. With independent spellsmithing being technically illegal, Kea quickly becomes the prime suspect, known for her spellwork on the Homestead. To clear her name, she must unravel the mystery behind Angelo’s murder and confront LA’s most powerful (and dangerous) players, each wielding their own type of magic. The clock is ticking—can Kea save herself, her clan, and the Homestead before it’s too late?

MY THOUGHTS: I won't lie.  I initially picked this one up because I was interested in reading an Indigenous Fantasy featuring Hawaiian culture. Little did I know that although not a big part of the book, I would meet one of the hottest couples I've met in a long time.  

Kea is struggling to maintain her family's Homestead despite most areas being taken over by the LA area syndicate.  When an prominent LA activist ends up dead, the LA Board comes to Kea for assistance, as it is believed the spell used to kill Angelo is Hawaiian in nature.  Basically being forced to take on the task despite being out of her league, Kea soon has to find the murdered or risk losing her Homestead.  She ends up getting assistance for Sora Kaiser.  An elite and snobby individual also on the LA Board.  The two clearly are not compatible to work together but they manage to somehow and of course, along the way, tension turns to angst and before you know it, Sora is doing everything he can to help Kea succeed.

I am sure I'm doing a really poor job of describing the plot adequately as there is a lot of world-building and political intrigue packed in such a short book.  I loved learning more about the spellsmithing and the importance of languages, both written and oral, in the world Kauwe created.  I loved Kea's family connections, especially how everyone came together to create and protect the life they cherished so much.  And finally, there is the relationship between Kea and Sora.  Definitely a tad of enemies to lovers with slow-burn relationship development and plenty of banter and snark.  Don't get me wrong, this really isn't a romance book, but the extra addition definitely added to my enjoyment.

This book reads a lot like an urban fantasy which is a genre I recognize I love and need to read more of.  My only real issue is I found the pacing a bit slow at first but that may have been because I was trying to get a grasp on the world and the spellsmithing.  If you love fantasy, a good mystery and some angsty tension on the side, please consider picking this one up.  I believe it is a debut from this author, and I will be looking for more from her in the future.

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

Feed Your TBR - 10 Things I Hate About Zombies

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" 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.

September 10, 2026

FROM GOODREADS: LOVE. SMOOTHIES. ZOMBIES? Smoothie shop owner and perpetual student Zoey has always had a thing for brains. So, when she meets the brilliant yet quirky mushroom farmer Nick at a farmer’s market, she’s smitten – especially when his rare local truffles turn her smoothies into a viral sensation.

But when customers start showing odd side effects – like shuffling and green skin – Zoey brushes it off, until an unfortunate biting incident leaves her craving brains in a whole new way.

Can Nick and Zoey team up to find an antidote before everything falls apart…literally?

A scarily good rom-com, perfect for fans of The Last of Us, Morbidly Yours, and Netflix’s Love and Monsters!

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  This cover and synopsis of this one screams fun so I just can't pass it up.

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