Bird Box Review

Synopsis:

Something is out there…

Something terrifying that must not be seen. Once glimpse and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is it where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remain, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in abandoned house near the river, Malorie has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. But the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat- blindfolded. One wrong choice and they will die. And something is following them. But is it man, animal, or monster?

Engulfed in darkness, surrounded by sounds both familiar And frightening, Malorie embarks in a harrowing odyssey- a trip that takes her into an unseen world and back into the past, to the companions who once saved her. Interweaving past and present, Josh Malerman’s breathtaking debut is a horrific and gripping snapshot of a world unraveled that will have you racing to the final page.

“Malorie!” Shannon calls again. “There’s another report on the television! Something happened in Alaska.”

9 months before the twins were born, things started happening. Horrible, gruesome things.

A man tearing off another mans lips with his own fingernails then killing him self, a woman burying her children alive and then taking her own life, a man wielding an axe attempting to kill another man and succeeding.

“Once she told me I looked like the sun to her, because of my hair. I asked her if I shined like the sun, and she told me, “No, Daddy, you shine more like the moon, when it’s dark outside.”

Tom, poor Tom, lost his daughter to the creatures. He lost his whole world. But the way she died was too horrific for a parent to endure. No parent should see their child like that.

“If they don’t know what they do, they can’t be ‘villains.’”

I’m going back and forth on wether Malorie was a good mother or not. I understand that she has to train an teach her children to help them survive and that she had to be strict but the methods that she used didn’t sit well with me.

“What’s in the box?” Cheryl asks.

Behold. The Bird Box.

“MAN IS THE CREATURE HE FEARS.”

I have to admit, this is probably my favourite horror book ever! So action packed and this is the first horror book to actually make me feel scared. Like something was right behind me, ready to strike. I was constantly looking over my shoulder. Loved it!

5/5 Stars!

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Russian Sleep Experiment Novella Review

Synopsis:

Four political prisoners living in a 1940s Siberian POW camp volunteer to be Subjects in a Soviet Military experiment. They are promised freedom in exchange for completing the exercise. In return they must endure 30 days without sleep, fueled by Gas 76-IA.

The longer the experimentees endure insomnia, the more they deteriorate. Words and pleasantries break down until they turn on each other.

Researchers look on, neutral, and take notes for the super solider applications possible with this new, wonder drug. One researcher, Luka, stands alone in believing the experiment needs to be stopped before irreversible damage is done but is he too late?

The Subjects no longer want the Gas switched off…

Ever since my brother showed me an article online a few years ago about The Russian Sleep Experiment, I had become obsessed. It sounded so horrifyingly creepy but incredibly interesting all at once. I’ve been trying to find as much info about it as I can and I’m glad I read this book!

“All subjects awoke by 7:08am, eight minutes after Gas 76-IA was switched on and pumped into two corner holes of their five by seven room. The eight minute delay between drugged sleep and induced wakefulness suggests the dosage was adjusted correctly for the larger room and mammal size. The mice had a seven minute wake time in animal testing.”

So they first tested with this experimental gas on small animals and then all of a sudden, worked their way to humans next? Unbelievable.

“It will be informative to watch their relationships develop in the coming days. Animal trials showed a big shift on day four which developed into a quick downward spiral. Perhaps there will be a clearer transition with human subjects?”

At the beginning of this experiment, the four men that were put into a five by seven room together, got along and no violence or ill will had occurred. But as we near the fourth day, things begin to change.

“No violence yet, but subject A is very restless and easily bored. He could be the first to crack.”

As the men begin to go mad, they turn into horrific creatures. More monster than man. They turn on each other. They do not feel pain as they rip each other and themselves to shreds. They don’t feel anything. Unless the Gas gets shut off. And trust me, you don’t want the Gas shut off once it’s been done.

“Luka swallowed and shoot his head. “Just hate to see that happen to someone.””

Short note. These men were to be kept awake and in this room, for 30 days. They only made it to 9.

“I looked to my chair and shook my head, knowing I would never sit on it again. It has been claimed now, by the shadows of what we’d done. Those poor men…”

Luka obviously feels massive regret and guilt after the experiment comes to an end at last. He knew it was wrong but was unable to stop it from happening and going on and that will haunt him. But other things are starting to happen to Luka. Monsterous things.

5/5 Stars!

Corpse and Crown ARC Review

I received a copy of Corpse and Crown from Harlequin TEEN in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

Agatha DeLacey’s family isn’t rich or titled, so studying nursing at Ingold’s East End Hospital in London is a rare opportunity for her. Despite the school’s focus on the innovative Bio-Mechanical program, Aggie cares more about the desperately poor human patients who flood the hospital, even if that means providing unauthorized treatment after hours… and trusting a charming, endlessly resourceful thief.

But the Artful Dodger is barely a step ahead of his underworld rivals, the menacing Bill Sykes and mercurial Oliver Twist, and Aggie’s association with him soon leads her into danger. When a brutal attack leaves her blind, she and the Dodger find themselves at the mercy of an experimental Bio-Mech surgery. Though the procedure restores Aggie’s sight, her new eyes come with an unnerving cost, and the changes in Dodger are even more alarming- instead of seeing Aggie as the girl he fancies, he now views her as a potential threat.

As war between England and Germany brews on the horizon and a sinister medical conspiracy threatens to shatter the uneasy peace in Europe, Aggie and the Dodger must find a way to work together so they can protect their friends and expose the truth… even if it means risking their own survival.

“I promise you, we’re not going to do anything bad to your mum. We’re going to help her.” His eyes searched her face. “You swear?” “On my life. May I be struck blind if I’m lying.”

We met Aggie in Cadaver and Queen. We didn’t learn too much about her in the previous book. All that we knew was that she was a nursing student and roomed with Lizzie.

“There were so many ways for a working woman to get burned and bruised and broken in the course of a day. Whenever some man started talking about how women were the weaker sex, Aggie thought about all the women she knew who worked in factories until the moment they went into labor.”

In Corpse and Crown we learn a lot now about Aggie. She’s a nursing student, yes, but she’s a great nursing student. She’s compassionate and caring. She wants to help anyone who is in need of her assistance. I loved seeing the character development throughout the book. It was amazing.

“Without the older woman’s support, Aggie knew she wouldn’t last long here. Her own mother had said as much. “London, is it? You’re just asking for trouble aren’t nurses supposed to keep their legs crossed? We’ll see how long that lasts. I reckon you’ll be ruined by one of them young doctors and selling yourself in the streets within a year.”

My heart does go out for Aggie. Just hearing the way her mother, her own mother, didn’t believe in her. Saying those awful things about her own daughter. Telling her that she will end up a prostitute instead of a nurse.

Even though she was told that she would end up the lowest of the low, and even thought she suffered through a terrible life changing accident, she didn’t let that stop her. She came out stronger than ever and even more confident in her abilities.

“What the eye cannot see, the heart never grieves.”

Throughout the book we see other characters, primary as well as secondary, go through their own struggles and challenges. Dodger, Will, Byram, Justine, Lizzie, Victor.

But in the end, everything will be okay.

“The moment you chose to harm him, you stopped being a nurse.”

4/5 Stars!

Alice in Deadland Trilogy Review

The Walking Dead meets Alice in Wonderland.

Synopsis:

Civilization as we know it ended more than fifteen years ago, leaving as its legacy barren wastelands called the Deadland and a new terror for the humans who survived hordes of undead Biters.

Fifteen year old Alice has spent her entire life in the Deadland, her education consisting of how best to use guns and knives in the ongoing war for survival against the Biters. One day, Alice spots a Biter disappearing into a hole in the ground and follows it, in search of fabled underground Biter bases.

What Alice discovers there propels her into an action-packed adventure that changes her life and that of all humans in the Deadland forever. An adventure where she leaves the terrible conspiracy behind the ruin of humanity, the truth behind the origin of the Biters, and the prophecy the mysterious Biter Queen believes Alice is destined to fulfill.

A prophecy based on the charred remains of the last book in the Deadland- a book called Alice in Wonderland.

I thought this book was action-packed, mysterious, thrilling and intense!

I haven’t read anything like this before and I’m glad that I picked it up!

“You either stood up against tyranny or became a slave to it, there was nothing in between.”

4/5 Stars!

The Cold is in Her Bones ARC Review

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, Peternelle van Arsdale and Simon and Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis-

Milla knows two things to be true: Demons are real, and fear will keep her safe. Milla’s whole world is her family’s farm. She is never allowed to travel to the village and her only friend is her beloved older brother, Niklas. When a bright-eyed girl named Iris comes to stay, Milla hopes her loneliness might finally be coming to an end. But Iris has a secret she’s forbidden to share: The village is cursed by a demon who possesses girls at random, and the townspeople live in terror of who it will comes for next. Now, it seems, the demon has come for Iris. When Iris is captured and imprisoned with other possessed girls, Milla leaves home to rescue her and break the curse forever. Her only company on the journey is a terrible new secret of her own: Milla is changing, too, and may soon be a demon herself.

“Be my friend.”

I actually really enjoyed this book. It kept me captivated from start to finish.

It was full of twists and turns, Magic, mystery and tons of plot twists!

I absolutely loved it!

“She wasn’t really the girl sitting in the chair by the window, the green snake coiled in her hair. Her body was there. But the other part of her, the better part, was gone.”

Hulda was locked away and didn’t get to go outside where she felt the most free. People had dubbed her a monster and even her parents and sister agreed.

“But then the cold reached her bones. The cold was in her bones. And that was when she allowed herself one last cry for help.”

A way to get the demons out is to freeze them out.

“To protect you home from demons:

1. If you see a snake, kill it. Then burn it.

2. Pour salt where the air come in- sills, thresholds, hearths.

3. Stay inside after dark. Lock tight doors and windows.

4. Pray.

Lord protect us from the demons.

Lord protect us from the demons.

Lord protect us from the demons.

Amen.

“If you were born a girl, you were fair game.”

All girls from age 9 to 18 are in danger of being possessed and taken by the demon. Once the symptoms start… there is no stopping what’s to come. The girls are already lost.

“She blinked at him. Once. Twice. I see you. See me.”

5/5 Stars.

Release date: January 22, 2019.

Cadaver and Queen Review

Synopsis-

When Elizabeth Lavenza enrolled at Ingold as its first female medical student, she knew she wouldn’t have an easy time. From class demands to being an outsider among her male cohorts, she’ll have to go above and beyond to prove herself. So when she stumbles across what appears to be a faulty Bio-Mechanical – one of the mechanized cadavers created to service the school – she jumps at the chance to fix it and get ahead of the program.

Only this Bio-Mechanical isn’t like the others. Where they are usually empty-minded and perfectly obedient, this one seems to have thoughts, feelings…and self-awareness.

Soon Elizabeth realizes that it is Victor Frankenstein- a former student who died under mysterious circumstances. Victor, it seems, still has a spark of human intelligence inside him, along with memories of things he discovered before his untimely death… and a suspicion that he was murdered to keep that information from getting out.

Suddenly Elizabeth finds herself intertwined in dark secrets and sabotage that puts her life, and the lives of Victor and their friends, in danger. But Elizabeth’s determination to succeed- even if that means fighting an enemy who threatens the entire British Empire.

”That’s the thing about getting older. You think you have all the time in the world, and then one day you look up and you don’t have any more time at all.”

Makepiece said this line when he first met Lizzie and he was talking to her about her father who was his partner and friend. I think this is true. You think you have an unlimited amount of hours to do all the things you wanted to do. But in then one day you notice that you’re old and gray and that time is up and you didn’t have time to complete what you wanted to.

“However, given the delicate nature of one of those present, this element of the course will be restricted to include gentlemen only.”

In my personal opinion, Grimbald can eat shit. You can definitely tell that this book was based on an earlier time period where women were considered unfit to participate in many things that men could. It’s seriously unfair. I feel for Lizzie.

“It’s easy to think well of yourself when the world keeps telling you how wonderful you are. You don’t know what you might become if everyone started to treat you as though you were defective.”

This has to be my favourite quote in this book. The Bio-Mechanicals are seen as defective and are treated differently as mindless half human half robotic creatures. But they were once human and therefore ‘a wonderful creation.’

“It is dangerous to be right on matters in which the established authorities are wrong.”

When some serious stuff went down around the middle and near the end of the book you could definitely see that the students learned to not go against their professors.

“Will went along with Byram because he loved his friend, and in the end, love was the reason why all sensible people did reckless things.”

Love is a key emotion in this book as well as admiration.

Love for your friends took shape when Lizzie, Will and Byram became friends. When Makepiece took Lizzie under his wing. She admired her professor. Aggie with her people. With Igor and Justine. When Lizzie met Victor.

They did reckless things indeed, for love.

“‘Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien.’ That is to say, ‘Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.’”

This book was honestly phenomenal. An amazing Frankenstein retelling!

5/5 Stars!

Project Semicolon Review

Well, it only took me 11 months to finish Project Semicolon. It was an emotional roller coaster filled with heart wrenching stories.

I would definitely recommend this book to everyone and anyone.

It’s truly amazing!

Although I couldn’t put down every single story in my review from the book, here are some that really stuck out to me.

“Because I swear that in my darkest times, there was always a spark of hope and a breath of life.” – Maude P.

“You do not get over it, you work through it.” – Karen V.

“But I guess when all your world does is fall, you quickly learn how to stand strong.” – Colleen G.

“I celebrate being alive.

I celebrate who I am.

I thought I’d never be able to say that,

But I can now, and I like it.” – Rachael K.

“I can beat this Darkness.” – Danielle C.

“After all, you are still a badass superhero, even if the only person you ever save is yourself.” – Alicia R.

“I remind myself that it’s good to be the sun, shining my light for others, but sometimes it’s okay to be the sunflower- soaking up the light I can’t make on my own.” – Jana A.

“I had accepted that while my armor didn’t shine anymore, it could withstand the battle.” – Derek R.

5/5 Stars