Review: The Shape of Night by Tess Gerrittsen

I went back and forth with myself and the rating I wanted to give The Shape of Night by Tess Gerritsen. I have been a fan of Gerritsen's for years. Her Rizzoli and Isles series is quite intriguing and rather different from this title.

Review: Suffer the Children by Craig DiLouie

Suffer the Children is the latest novel written by Craig DeLouie. What's instantly gripping about this novel and pretty much sparked my interest was the creepy cover. I mean look at it. The dirty, dilapidated, beheaded doll always suggests the novel will be pure horror. Long story short, this cover was a tad bit misleading.

It's a normal day like any other in this Michigan town when kids start dropping like flies. They just flat out die. Not just the children in this small town, but EVERY child under a certain age. Everywhere parents are wondering what happens next. Is this the end of the human race? Even unborn children that are in the protection of their mothers womb is not safe from whatever's plaguing the world. This all happens pretty early in the story since the true girth of this novel doesn't begin until all the children start coming back with a taste for blood. 

Grieving parents everywhere are left trying to keep their children alive with their own blood. The problem is this is only a temporary solution since the children are only alive for a few hours at a time. Usher in life after Herod's Syndrome which becomes an existence where it is those who have children against those who don't and blood is the only currency that matters.

Suffer the Children is a quick read that I could have possibly gotten through in a few hours but... c'mon, we all have work, school, and life to get to. Anyway, DiLouie instantly grabbed my attention by the neck and did not let go. I was as invested in preserving the lives of these children as their parents were. But surely, life started deteriorating for all the people involved. 

So why the 2-star rating? The answer is that eventually I felt that there just wasn't enough here to propel the vampire genre forward. Even bloodsucking kids couldn't save this title for me. Although my take on Suffer the Children is a little more "philosophical"... it still wasn't enough.

Philosophical you say? Yes. I see parents who would do anything they possibly can to save their children, or at least to keep them happy. And I mean anything. I remember all those crazy parents who fight each other for the last "tickle-me-elmo" or the ones who spoil their children rotten and declare that the sociopath they raised just maybe wasn't given enough to keep from turning into a homicidal maniac. The parents in Suffer the Children are the absolute extreme but I've seen enough children having tantrums in the grocery store to know that most parents aren't far from point. Anything, and I mean anything, to keep little Johnny or Sara happy. 

Although I wasn't blown away by Suffer the Children I actually look forward to reading more by this author. This novel wasn't bad, I just think the whole vampire thing is the black t-shirt you keep rewashing that fades with every cycle. That black is not coming back. **

Copy provided by Simon & Schuster via Netgalley

Review: The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

Every once in a while you're just in the mood for a good ghost story. A story that involves a small town desperately trying to keep its secrets, myths, and folklore hidden. These type of stories are always set in remote areas where they breed new life with every passing generation. These myths become fantastical whereas aspects of the truth are distorted to make an even more engrossing tale of why there are "sleepers" roaming the forrests. The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon is gripping novel about a small town in Vermont, West Hall, where people disappear and farm animals to be slaughtered. No one knows where these people go or why these animals are killed. Many would love to believe some have just escaped the mundane that is life in this meager community, but others know the truth... or at least the legend of Sara Harrison Shea. Because I loved every page of this book I'll leave my summary there and move on to how well it is written. Jennifer McMahon's writing is descriptive and compelling. Although there is no moment I actually felt afraid, this is definitely a dark novel that explores the relationship we living have with the dead. Although the novel turns into a sort-of thriller near the end, where the present day characters are trying to sort between the fact and fiction, The Winter People never becomes hokey or unbelieveable. Pretty hard to imagine when much of the novel deals with the paranormal, huh? The Winter People is told between the pages of Sara Shea Harrison's diary, the days leading to her legend in 1908, and present day. These transitions are fluid nor slow despite the attention to detail given with setting and character development. At times I found Sara's diary more interesting than the characters from the present day but that's because the bulk of the ghost story happens in the early 1900s. Yes, I loved this book and could not put it down but it did not come without flaws. The most annoying part of this novel was the main character Ruthie. She's from the present day section of the novel. Ruthie comes home expecting her mother to berate her for coming home past curfew, despite bing 19 years old, and instead finds an empty house that's only occupant is her young sister Fawn. From the beginning she's skeptical and wonders where her mother is. Although, they live completely off the grid, the mother goes missing for what seems like days and the idea to call the cops is touted as being not an option. How far off the grid does life have to become in order to call in reinforcements? I'm sorry but in a town where people disappear and legends never die, I am calling the cops as soon as I see something's askew. There's one huge glaring theme that comes to play in this novel which is completely relevant because of it being a ghost story of sorts. Our relationship with the dead is always an interesting one. We have the people who are so invested in seeing their loved ones again and will do anything to see them again if only for a few seconds or even seven days. The only problem is that these dead may come back being something we don't want around. If Snow melts down to water, does it still remember being snow? I couldn't get this out of my head after seeing it on the pages. Who are these sleepers that are awakened and what if they aren't who they once were? Are they still as beloved? The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon was a great read and has me very interested in seeing what other books of hers I can get my hands on. Awesome setting, well drawn characters, and ghosts. GHOSTS I tell ya! What's not to love about that?  **** Copy provided by Doubleday via Netgalley

Review: Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield

I don't remember being any more conflicted with a review rating as I am with Diane Setterfield's latest Bellman & Black. On one hand it's beautifully written and on the other, I just felt so hollow inside upon finishing it. After reading rave reviews for her bestseller The Thirteenth Tale I may have set the bar too high but... where can you go wrong when the word Ghost is a part of its title?

William Bellman is 11 when the story begins and progresses with him as an adult. Everything about Bellman appears normal. He's a successful businessman, neither nice or mean, and appears to have a rather good life. All is well besides the fact that one by one people begin to die around him. At first the deaths are at all implausible, but after seeing a man in black at each funeral, could there be something else entirely at play?

Diane Setterfield's voice in Bellman & Black flows evenly and is quite absorbing. The story feels as if someone is speaking directly to me in recounting a man's whole life and how he became haunted after killing a rook as a child. Setterfield makes it almost impossible to not want to read further.

My main issues for this literary novel mainly stem from how flat I found the character Bellman to be. He's even described by other townsfolk to be a man who could go either way. Because of his flatness, I almost missed where his decline into madness began to take shape. This is not from unclear writing but rather I didn't really care anymore. His daughter Dora seemed a lot more compelling. 

Most times when someone reads a ghost story the element of suspense should be present. There is never a strong sense of tension. At the least there should be one mangled hand reaching from the mill dye scaring the pants off of one character. Sadly...that's never the case with this title. Oh how I missed the running then falling scene. 

Overall I'm interested in reading more by Diane Setterfield and will read The Thirteenth Tale although I am conflicted with my feelings toward Bellman & Black. I only hope the next book I read that says it's a ghost story will actually be that, a ghost story. ***

Review: The Faceless One by Mark Onspaugh

The Faceless One is the debut novel by Mark Ospaugh that I will not soon forget. Jimmy Kalmaku is 7 years old when he first learns of The Faceless One. His Uncle Will is a shaman for their village in the lowlands along the Gulf of Alaska and is passing on his knowledge to Jimmy. The reason for this visit is to teach Jimmy the ways of the Tlingit people and how to fight this powerful evil entity should it escape the mask. For the sake of all humanity The Faceless One must remain imprisoned if there's any hope of surviving the chaos it can bring.

Like any good horror novel, the story must go on. What fun is it if this evil stayed holed up in some Alaskan cave? Over 65 years later a string of events leads Jimmy to believe that the power of the god inside the mask has escaped. He's been visited by Raven in his dreams and is sure that since he's the last resort of an extinct shaman lineage, he's on a mission to rid the world of this evil force.

The Faceless One includes a small host of characters who are all linked to each other. Although its obvious that all involved will at some point meet, Ospaugh brilliantly makes these characters real and worth taking the journey with. The conversations were real, the connections were real, and their reactions to situations were real. I can only remember one moment that I thought what is this guy thinking... no novel is complete without someone having their falling down when running moment.

Mark Ospaugh combines horror and native mythicism seemlessly. Eventually I found myself searching where the truth in the stories of Raven ended and Ospaugh's imajination began. The Faceless One manages to dodge every give away that it's a debut effort with great pacing, a fine attention to detail, and interesting plot without holes.

Overall, I loved reading The Faceless One and believe that lovers of horror and paranormal fiction will want to read this. Mark Ospaugh is a refreshing new voice in a genre that can seem so full of guts but no glory. I look forward to reading more by this author.  ****