Sword of Sighs

The Sword of Sighs is a young adult novel, which is not something I would normally read, but Greg James, who also writes horror as G.R. Yeates, is one of my favorite authors so I made an exception for this one. I am very glad that I did. The Sword of Sighs is a fantasy novel with well paced action and compelling characters. The story features Sarah, a young girl who is tormented by school bullies until she finds herself transported to another world where the bullies are much more menacing than the ones found at her school. She also learns that there is something different about her, and she is set on a course that will change her life forever. 

     Even though this is a young adult novel, I think adult readers will also enjoy it. One of the things I liked about it was James' use of dream sequences throughout the book. Nightmare sequences are something he uses frequently as a horror writer and the more dreamlike sequences are no less effective here.  It gives the reader a unique way to see into the character's mind.  This was an entertaining read and I am looking forward to the next one. 

I give it five cocktails. 

This book can be purchased by clicking the following links: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, Kobo

The Rift (Detectives and Demons)

 

   The Rift, by R.J. Clark, is a horror novel and detective story all rolled into one. Set in post Katrina New Orleans, it is not a version of the city that anyone will easily recognize. This is because in the world that Clark has created, the city has become hell on earth, or at least a section of it has anyway. This version of things makes for what is a very fun, violent, blood drenched story that brings in some classic horror elements such as possession and all manner of evil creatures, and mixes them in with an interesting mystery.
      What I enjoyed most about this novel was how much fun Clark had with it and with the characters. All sorts of terrible things happen to Matt Faustus, the paradimensional investigator and our lead character, but Clark presents it in a way that takes the reader along for the blood soaked ride. This is the first in a series, and I hope there are many more to come after it.



I give it four cocktails.

This book can be purchased by clicking on the following links: Amazon US, Amazon UK  

This Darkness Mine

     This is the latest horror book from a favorite of mine, G.R. Yeates. Those familiar with his Vetala  cycle books will note this one is quite different; in fact, it is different from most fiction. It is written in the style of  William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch, although I think Yeates takes things one step further with This Darkness Mine. 

     Yeates uses a lot of very violent and sexual imagery to illustrate just how soul sucking modern life, and the corporations who run it, can be. In the first half of this novel the reader is brought through a typical day in an office, one where every unique thing about an individual is taken from them and the brain dead are prized. I think this is something anyone who has worked somewhere they haven't liked can understand all too well. The second half of the book follows the worker as he is laid off from his job and thrust out into the streets. Here we see how consumerism has taken over everything to the point that it has become it's own entity; it feeds on our humanity until there is nothing left that is recognizable. 

     Using short, harsh descriptive sentences, Yeates is able to drive home his points about modern culture and its problems in a very thoughtful and provocative way. This unique read is highly recommended. 

You can purchase this book by clicking the following links:  Amazon US, Amazon UK

I give it five cocktails.

A Woman Made of Milk

     A Woman Made of Milk by Ralph Robert Moore is an odd title for an odd little story, but it was one that I very much enjoyed. This is a novelette about a woman who is a medium for hire that goes out to a rather unusual location. She was employed by a man who lost his wife, and is distraught that he can not see her ghost. But the house he brings the medium to is one that has been added on to for five hundred years; each new house is built onto the front of the previous one. 

     That setting alone was enough to intrigue me and pull me in; this is not a typical ghost story by any means. Moore gives the reader something original and different with an ending I didn't see coming. This is a quick creepy read that I think is perfect for anyone looking for a new take on ghost stories. Highly recommended. 

You can purchase a copy by clicking the following links: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon DE

I give it five cocktails.

The Girl (Southern Hauntings Saga)

The Girl is the second installment in the Southern Hauntings Saga, and it is an excellent continuation of the series. Crate Northgate is brought in to investigate the disappearance of a twelve year old girl that not everyone believes is dead. Her father, however, is convinced she is, and he is being haunted by her spirit. 

   

  Hall's prose is very fluid, and this is a moving story that the reader is immediately drawn into. The father's grief and pain is brought to life in a way that I think any reader can sympathize with, although Crate Northgate does not. Actually Nothgate's inability to do so made him more fleshed out and real to me; we learn a little bit more about his background in this story and the reason why he has the current homeless lifestyle he does. Overall this was a very good, short read. Hall's story telling abilities will have anyone who picks this up feeling like they are walking through the southern mountain woods right along side the characters. I am very much looking forward to the next installment, and highly recommend this one.

I give it five cocktails. 

You can purchase The Girl from the following links: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble

For my review of the Vagrant, the first in the Southern Hauntings series, click here.

YOU Having a Baby

Well if any of my readers are wondering why I haven't been around for a while, or why I'm suddenly posting about baby books, it's because I'm 15 weeks pregnant! Very exciting (and also tiring) time for me and my husband, so that is why the long absence. I am hoping to maybe get a few more of my normal reviews in sometime soon, depending on how I am feeling. 

But I really do want to recommend this book to any expectant mothers out there. I know the pregnancy Bible seems to be What to Expect When You're Expecting, but to me that book reads like an encyclopedia. Is it good as a reference book for when you have a question? Absolutely. Could I just sit down and read it? Not at all.  So I would recommend YOU Having a Baby. Yes this is by the same Dr. Oz who has his own television show in the United States, and his same quirky funny style that he uses to convey health information on his television show is displayed in the pages of his book. This was a fun, informative, and easy read. It is a long book but I found it read fast and I was able to learn about all sorts of things that would be happening to me before they happened, which is a good way to prevent panicked calls to family and friends asking, "Is this normal?" So whether this is your first pregnancy or your third, they can all be different and I would recommend this book out of all the others I have come across.    

I give it five (non-alcoholic) cocktails. Yes I want to cry when I look at my liquor cabinet. 

You can find this book at any major retailer, but here are a few links. Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones

Inkarna

     Inkarna is a supernatural thriller about a woman who is a member of an ancient Egyptian cult that has the ability to reincarnate themselves. However, this cult is made up of warring factions, or houses, and instead of reincarnating into the body of a five year old girl, she finds herself in the body of a twenty-one year old man. This presents an entire hosts of problems, and she must find out what went wrong. 

      

      This was a fun enjoyable read, with likable characters that Dorman fleshes out completely as the story progresses. Dorman also deals with a very interesting concept; that is, what it would be like to switch not only bodies but genders as well? This is explored in the story while the main character is also searching for answers as to why this has happened in the first place, and he/she finds an unlikely ally in the form of the new body's girlfriend who believes her boyfriend has had a miraculous recovery.  This leads to lots of action in the latter half of the novel, which brings it from a merely interesting to a very entertaining read. The ending is also satisfying and complete, but leaves things open for subsequent books. I certainly hope there are more. This is a well paced thriller and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the genre. 

To purchase, simply click on one of the following links:  Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon FR

I give it four cocktails.