Review: Withered Hill

4 stars. Feels strange to describe a book marketed as a "dark and unsettling British folk horror novel" as breezy, but here we are. This was great - like a glass of the crisp, airy, chilled white wine the characters are always drinking. Went down easy. I gulped it down, actually.

When Sophie Wickham, who lives a London life generally filled with partying and shopping, takes a new job doing data entry, she doesn’t expect to receive vaguely threatening messages, odd puppets in the mail - plus a fresh pentagram on the floor of her flat. This book alternates the story of these strange dealings with her time in Withered Hill, a very small, picturesque, folkloric town in which she wakes, naked, dirty, with no memory. Her journey there and back again is a twisty one - she must solve the mystery of the town - not only how she can leave, but also why she ended up there in the first place.

I know I said this book was great, but I felt that a couple of the elements were unnecessary. The mysterious text messages, for example. The incorporation of social media was downright CRINGE. And while I think I understand why there was so much emphasis on Sophie's physical attractiveness, is it possible the author went a bit overboard, making that particular point? I also take issue with the criticism of Sophie’s lifestyle (versus the actual reason she was targeted) - there's some borderline slut shaming, and she’s not so good at managing her finances? Who is, in this economy?

But it has some really great things going for it: all the hallmarks of folk horror we know and love, including The Green Man !! I really enjoy a good Green Man, even in pub form. We've also got epic, branch-y brambly woods, small town vibes, ritualistic festivals, animal masks, cozy cottages, carved pentagrams, ancient standing stones... if you are looking specifically for those vibes, and don't care so much about other things, you'll appreciate this.

I just really can't shake that it could've been so much better. It wasn't particularly scary, to be honest. This is horror lite. Maybe more of a dark fantasy or a fantasy thriller? But I really, really liked its dark exploration of choices, morality, and character. The mythology was very, very strong. There are some really gorgeous set pieces and vivid, descriptive moments. The ending was amazing. Some things were a little predictable, others got strange. Very thought-provoking, interesting, and well-planned. And it clearly - sometimes literally - invokes Shirley Jackson, my latest obsession.

I have to say something, at the risk of this sounding a bit like my diary: life has been a bit of a struggle lately. Very dark, very unwell, very tiring. I unfortunately can't (or don't) enjoy very much I normally would. But thank goodness for books. I was really hooked on this one, imperfections aside, and it really did offer an escape. I will check out more by this author.

Withered Hill on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph

Review: Lost in the Dark and Other Excursions

5+ stars. Finally! I hit a bit of a reading slump this Fall, so I turned to a beloved author hoping it would pull me out - and it did, 100%. This was dynamite, fantastic, satisfying, compelling, spooky, creative, disturbing, wonderful... There are many, many reasons why I love horror in all its forms, and reading this book was like soaking in a bath of all of them.

I don't always do a deep dive into short story collections but I cannot help myself here - Langan sets down in front of us a gorgeous, multi-course meal, so there's a lot to taste, chew on, and explore. Let's get into it:

Madame Painte 
Very cute, a little cheesy, and a little meta; an excellent opener and a perfect preview of what's to come in the book.

Lost in the Dark
BANGER. I would love this story expanded into a full epistolary novel. Vivid and full of unexpected details - plus, I'm a huge, huge super fan of found footage, so this was right up my alley. I didn't even mind the epistolary discrepancies (use of parentheticals in dialogue = pet peeve) or the many (many) narrative layers.

My Father, Dr. Frankenstein
Immediately wanted to read this one again. Brilliant. Made me smile - literally, as soon as I got to the last sentence I was chuckling.

A Song Only Partially Heard
A quaint monster vignette.

The Deep Sea Swell
A terrifying nightmare, full of the ocean/water imagery Langan is known for. Immediately wanted to read this one again as well.

Haak
WTF in the absolute best way. A masterclass in how to unfold a familiar story one singular note at a time until the reader recognizes the song. And then notices that it's a remix. And that there's an incredible beat drop. There's a touch of Ballingrud in this one.

Breakwater
Team Louise. 

Errata
Another weaker entry, but very amusing.

Natalya, Queen of the Hungry Dogs
Memorable, ooey gooey, and devastating.

Oscar Returns from the Dead, Prophesizing
A weaker entry but very entertaining. This one has a super dark and brutal ending... sneaks up on you.

Alice's Rebellion
Clever and cathartic.

Snakebit, Or Why I (Continue to) Love Horror
This is an academic essay as much as a narrative story, which I loved. I think folks who love horror, or are part of the genre in any way, are often very self-reflective and interested in the why of it all... Langan taps into that very effectively here. This is horror for horror nerds.

Clapping Teeth and Driving Beats
An adorable conclusion.

And finally he includes a set of spectacular story notes that explain a bit about each tale’s origin and inspirations. 

There's so much good stuff woven throughout: a lot related to water, nature, and the ocean, which we already know is a personal favorite of Langan's. There's also much to do with storytelling - its power, frankly. Its many shapes and sizes and its impact on the teller and the listener. He utilizes framing quite a bit but it never feels stale. He plays around with form, tone, and flavor enough to present a true variety of stories - I truly couldn't wait to finish one and start another. 

I revisited my review of The Fisherman - by the way, there’s a print of the painting from the cover of that book on my bedroom wall - and was reminded that I really wanted to discuss that one after finishing, too. Langan just brings something out of me - true excitement for the genre, curiosity, a vested interest in his work and the work and what comes next. He is a genius writer, from big ideas to the endearing characters to the smallest word choice.

If you are even a casual fan of horror, this belongs on your shelf. It opens so many doors and will take you on so many journeys. I can’t wait to read it again.

Lost in the Dark and Other Excursions on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph

Review: Widow's Point: The Complete Haunting

3 stars. I can never turn down epistolary horror. I loved epistolary books growing up and I love the epistolary classics. So why is good, effective, scary epistolary horror so hard to find? I've been disappointed time and time again and honestly this didn't really hit either. I wanted to like it! I was enticed by the SK blurb! I'm bummed! But here we are. This was still a pretty fun read, perfect for spooky season.

This book chronicles two doomed trips to a very haunted lighthouse. Located in an otherwise picturesque small fishing town in Nova Scotia, Widow's Point has a long history of death and darkness, so it naturally attracts folks who think they know better. Whether for content or bragging rights or money, investigators are eager to prove they can survive it. First, a bestselling author named Thomas Livingston tries to stay a few nights; second, years later, a motley crew of content creators attempt to stay a week, through Halloween. Neither expeditions go well, as you can expect.

Understanding that authors - and readers - need to take and accept certain liberties when dealing with the epistolary format, I tend to believe in a couple of cardinal rules: 1. Audio/video transcriptions don't typically contain figurative language. 2. People don't talk like they write, even when they are talking into a voice recorder or dictating to themselves. 3. Variety in format is important. 

This book failed at all three. The transcriptions just made me wonder if the book would've been better as a novel in narrative format; the dialogue was so effing annoying and unrealistic; and despite a few emails this was mostly descriptions of videos. The forced epistolary format only brought more issues to the surface, for me.

But look - it's not bad. It's fun. It's cheesy. It's predictable. It has way more tropes than scares. But it's well-paced and a pageturner and I was never tempted to DNF. It reminded me of an episode of A Haunting or Paranormal Witness - both shows I absolutely adore. This is horror lite and there's a time and place for it. It definitely has Widow's Bay vibes, if you've been swept up in that particular mania this year (it's a great show). I'm done with this author, though.

Widow’s Point: The Complete Haunting on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph

Review: The Halloween Tree

4 stars. On Halloween night, a group of boys gather in front of the town's haunted house to trick-or-treat - but their friend Pipkin is missing! They encounter the house's inhabitant, Mr. Moundshroud, and witness Pipkin being swept away in darkness. Mr. Moundshroud then takes them on a journey through time and space to save their friend and learn the true "meaning" of Halloween.

I really struggled on the rating for this one - on the one hand, the writing is absolutely beautiful. I cannot emphasize enough how much I enjoyed the prose. Bradbury is a master of metaphor and the way he evokes Autumn in this story is, frankly, unmatched. You will not find a book more appropriate for spooky season ... anywhere. 

On the other hand, I fell asleep almost every time I pulled this out. The characters aren't super engaging and the story itself kind of floats with not much to anchor it. The thing is - thematically, premise-wise, this should've been a home run. But it just wasn't. Something Wicked This Way Comes is much better, in my opinion. How do you rate a book that's all style - incredibly stylish, actually, BEST VIBES EVER, in fact! - and no substance? 

I landed at 4, because it really is a classic, and for good reason. And I have no regrets. It's a fantastic read. I highly, highly recommend it during October and the lessons hold up for kiddos, as well. There is emphasis on the evolution of tradition, and generosity, and the importance of embracing other cultures, and navigating one of the primary difficulties of life - death itself. Bradbury effectively illustrates how history stacks upon itself - and civilization changes - but the agonizing struggle of being human stays pretty much the same. 

The Halloween Tree on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph

Review: Perspective(s)

3 stars. Okay, I'm going to be honest - I'm writing this on a bad day, during a bad week, after a series of bad weeks - actually, it's been kind of a rough year. The point is that I'm feeling really, really grumpy and annoyed and sensitive, and I really don't want my book response to suffer unfairly. I do recommend it - for very specific readers, in a specific mood for something specific. Otherwise, forgive me for what might be a subjective review. My bad mood aside, books are always very much a good idea for rough days - and this one did offer a nice escape.

Perspective(s) is an epistolary novel, formatted as a collection of letters "found" and bound by a mysterious, unnamed character. It takes place in Florence, and chronicles the murder of an artist working on a series of controversial frescoes commissioned by the Duke. This crime reverberates politically across the city, and the investigation shakes up a shocking variety of subplots and scandals - forbidden love affairs, theft, power struggles; even an uprising against the elite. Eventually this cast of colorful characters collide: the murderer unmasked, the city flooded - with art, as ever, at the center of the turmoil. 

A lot of my irritation is self-directed. I could not for the life of me keep the names straight, even after writing down my own personal character guide. And I don't possess enough knowledge, understanding, or awareness around this particular part of Italian history, so many of the references and name drops and historical details were completely lost on me. This was annoying! I wanted to get it. I wanted to appreciate its full value.

But there are a couple of things that I think might irritate other readers, too. The ending, for example, or the answers to the who/what/why around the murder. It did not fly as believable, or even plausible, or even really that satisfying. And there's an odd sense of ... smugness in the writing here, detectible in all the voices represented. This book smells arrogant. It comes across as too clever for its own good. And maybe that's a quirk of the translation, who knows? 

Something I loved, though: the centrality of art. The importance of representation, and depiction, and the power of imagery, especially religious imagery, in a time when the church held sway over so many aspects of daily life. The relationship of art to man - the opportunities and possibilities (and handwringing) around interpretation - the acceptance of depiction as reality or fantasy - the questions around what is holy, who is God, who is man. All really fun stuff to chew on. Everything is politics! Everything is aesthetics! Everything is power! Everything is... perspective!

Pair that with an undeniable playfulness - especially in the depiction of several great Italian artists - and you have a fantastic read. It is a page turner, though I'd hardly agree with "heart-thumping" or "pulse quickening," as all the reviews say. I just couldn't get over the fact that it couldn't get over itself. But honestly, no regrets. 

Perspective(s) on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph

Review: Those Across the River

3 stars. Wow, what a wild ride. I absolutely worship Christopher Buehlman, darling of Reddit's horrorlit community, and have not lost an ounce of respect for him, even if this one didn't hit me perfectly. I will continue to savor his catalog - while all of his books are so, so distinct from each other, there's just something about his storytelling that hits so, so consistently hard.

Frank Nichols and his ex-student almost-wife Dora are looking for a fresh start after their affair and her subsequent divorce. He is a vet of the Great War, walking around with physical and mental scars, but he loves Dora and is excited to begin a life with her in an inherited house in a very small town in the Deep South. Who cares if his aunt told him to stay away? Who cares if the town feels a little backwards, and his writing isn't going well? Who cares if he gets a very, very bad feeling about the woods, and the river, and those who dwell across it?

I did have to dock a star for a UDD (had tears rolling down my cheeks on the Metro), but mostly I didn't give this 5 stars because it felt so... off-kilter. Uneven. I can't decide if it's because we barely caught a glimpse at who actually was on the other side of the river - but this had to have been intentional, right? Was the intention to create more of a character study, or an intimate portrait of a small town? Characters kind of came and went without much to anchor them - and so they felt expendable.

And while I don't agree with the way other reviewers have mocked some of the writing, and some of the characters, I truly am curious why so much ink was dedicated to certain proclivities of our heroic couple. Not offended - just a little bored. Maybe he did it to establish not just character but also the phase of their relationship; maybe to thicken or strengthen a sort of primal thread running through the book; maybe to just explore and make more interesting their dynamic; maybe to appeal to horny horror trope lovers who want at least one boob in-between all the slashing and maiming...

The racism, though, I feel more sure about: this is a piece of historical horror, and Buehlman doesn't shy away from the beliefs and atrocities of its time. Check TWs accordingly and just stay away if you prefer. It is uncomfortable. It is awful. But I don't agree that racism shouldn't exist in books because it's racist. Not to say whatever he tried to do here wasn’t clumsy, or easily misinterpreted, but racism is part of the point, I think.

ANYWAY. Mediocre Buehlman is miles and miles above everyone else. If you're looking for a dark, graphic, violent, bloody piece of historical werewolf horror with a vivid showdown and an ELECTRIC ending that crackles like lightning - look no further.

Those Across the River on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph

Review: The Elementals

5 stars. WHAT was THAT! I have so many questions and theories and ideas - but ultimately I can't help but just call this book fun at the end of the day. Spooky, Southern, darkly funny and atmospheric - there's a reason this is considered one of the great classics of the 80s. It delivers and then some. 

The book follows two families joined by marriage - the McCoys and the Savages - after a familial loss as they travel to their isolated vacation properties deep in Alabama. The property consists of three houses, the third of which has been swallowed by a sand dune on the beach. But there appears to be something in the sand, something present in the third house - something hellbent on bringing darkness and destruction to the family - as has happened before and will happen again.

So - the things to know before diving in. This is a book reflective of its time, and there are many racist elements and tropes in the dialogue and characterizations of certain players. The pacing is odd and the narrative developments are clumsy and strange. I cannot emphasize enough how bizarre this book is. But I think what McDowell really nails - and what readers appreciate - is the depiction of the South - both its geographic features and also its nasty inhabitants. It absolutely reeks of Flannery O'Connor's casually vicious Southern personalities.

Through this lens one could definitely identify plenty of metaphors, and I've loved considering a few proposed by other reviewers: sand = blood, dead babies = family secrets, the house = ignored family history or unresolved trauma. McDowell intentionally includes very little exposition about the supernatural entities themselves, so we don't know much about their motivations or capabilities. Only what they look like, sometimes, and that's plenty to leave you scared. They are monstrous and truly grotesque.

I am curious about the debate around Luker. I thought his homosexuality was super obvious from the beginning - the clues only add up throughout the story. Again, this could tie into the theme of family secrets in the South (see also the family patriarch's corrupt, adulterous ways), which I do think enriches what could have been a simpler, more straightforward haunted house story. 

A couple of details I am not over, in a good way: the baby's jewelry, India's photographs, and the face in the window.

Weird, but I highly recommend.

The Elementals on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph

Review: My Cousin Rachel

4 stars, but I highly, highly recommend this sharp, vivid classic. 

When young Philip Ashley's guardian travels to Florence for his health, he doesn't expect Ambrose to stay - nor does he expect to hear news of his marriage to a mysterious and distant cousin named Rachel. Mystified by this choice and by the idea of marriage altogether, Philip grows more and more concerned by Ambrose's letters and signs of declining health. When he travels to Florence to visit, he is too late - Ambrose has passed away, leaving cousin Rachel untethered and apparently alone. 

Philip returns home to England determined to find out more about cousin Rachel and her involvement, or lack thereof, in his beloved guardian's death. He invites her to stay at his inherited estate. But the more he gets to know Rachel, and the more she becomes involved in his life, the more his uncertainty - and interest - grows.

I'm of the opinion that the ending really makes this book - we spend the whole time circling, circling, circling the drain in an agonizing slow spiral and somehow she hits us with an immaculate gut punch of a throwback to the beginning - it's brilliant, genius, perfect. And there are so many clever details - literal seeds of doubt and dramatic gothic touches, like locked doors, buried letters, rattling carriages, black dresses... it's just a beautiful piece of work.

So - is Rachel guilty or innocent? Rumor has it even the author didn't know, but I think she's guilty. People are much, much more likely to be greedy, dishonest, manipulative, and good at acting than they are likely to be kind, gracious, or selfless. Maybe Rachel was a little bit of all of it, as Philip considers at one point - she contains multitudes! As does he! 

I'm trying to consider why this feels like a 4-star read for me, even with a UDD. I know many say it's du Maurier's most "technically" successful book from a plotting/pacing and character perspective. I can see that. I think I found it to be a bit of a feel-bad drag, maybe not as spooky or exciting as some of her other stories. I don't mind insufferable characters - and this book is full of them - but I think I am a bit sensitive about stories in which the protagonist is yanked about by hypocrites and ultimately not believed when he forms a thought for himself. I also didn't find it romantic, or full of romantic tension, as others have described. 

Still - what a fascinating thing to read. Like with all du Maurier books my heart was in my throat the whole time. It was like watching a slow motion train wreck. Philip offers an incredible - and incredibly awkward - headspace to occupy. Wild ride for sure.

My Cousin Rachel on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph

Review: A Song of Shadows (Charlie Parker #13)

I didn't enjoy this as much as The Wolf in Winter, but it's easy to call it a fantastic entry in Charlie Parker's story - by now, #13 in the series, John Connolly has sharpened his arsenal of storytelling weapons and deploys them very, very effectively. I've mentioned this before, but I like how the series deals with a variety of subjects - each mystery dives deep into something - and it inspires me to daydream about other possible settings for Charlie - the circus? Capitol Hill? Charlie Parker in Hollywood? Charlie Parker goes to Paris?

In this one: Nazis. Parker moves to a small seaside town in Maine to recover from serious injuries sustained in the last book, and - naturally - gets pulled into an investigation when a body washes up on shore. Navigating small town politics, his unfortunate and extensive personal traumas, and a growing awareness of what else is out there, Charlie pulls on threads that extend all the way back to one of the worst and most painful periods in human history. 

You can tell this book features a subject that interests Connolly greatly and his research is incredibly apparent. I was impressed with the ... maybe not nuanced, exactly, but the careful portrayal of Holocaust perpetrators in old age. Their stories are as fascinating as they are horrifying - Connolly does not shy away from the vivid and grotesque details of their crimes past and present, nor does he neglect to examine closely (and not always favorably) the way the world reacted - and continues to react. 

I liked the pacing and the balance in this one, too. I truly did not guess any of the twists and was very engaged start to finish. I was honestly a little confused here and there, trying to keep track of the characters and the details, but that could be thanks to pregnancy-fueled focus issues and fatigue. I'm very intrigued by where things are going next - I love that Charlie ends this one with a strong purpose.

Isn't it interesting to reflect back on Every Dead Thing? That book was super, super long and winding and sentence heavy... Charlie hadn't grown into his character's skin yet and there was such a 90s flavor to it. We've come such a long way! I'm thrilled there's more and I am thrilled to see where the story continues - even though I have a feeling it's going to be very, very dark. Bring it on.

A Song of Shadows on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph

Review: A Gathering of Ghosts

4 stars. Maitland is an incredible author - y'all are begging and screaming for anything that smells even REMOTELY like Between Two Fires and she's RIGHT HERE! This is the deeply researched, immersive, medieval horror you're looking for! And she has a ton of books to choose from - this was a little more up my alley than Company of Liars, but both = very memorable, enjoyable reading experiences. 

England, mid-1300s. The Priory of St Mary is visited by a series of unexpected visitors: a Knight of St John, dispatched to review the Priory's financial activities and accounts related to the church; a young girl, alone and impoverished who lands in a nearby camp of tinners but feels called to something more; and a child, blind, whose arrival coincides with a violent death. In a rough landscape made rougher by the tinners, the Priory's inhabitants are caught between honoring the church and protecting their own survival. 

I particularly loved the lack of traditional heroes/villains in this story. You really are plopped down in the middle of a situation where characters orbit each other and interact in interesting - but not necessarily archetypal - ways. I also really loved the interplay of old and new religions - it's a Big and Common Theme, and in this case, one religion is literally stacked on top of another. The author dramatically paints the conflict around traditional beliefs evolving and blurring into something new, and the intersection of all that with economics and politics and power, and gender, of course...

Okay, so one quibble: multiple times I found myself wanting this book to get to the point. It's not that it dragged, exactly, but there was a lot of ... circling the drain, so to speak, and we spent a lot of time inner monologuing in repetitive ways. Character motivations were well-established 75% of the way through, we didn't need to keep wallowing in their wallowing. I would also mention that the author asks a lot of you - there's a handy glossary, and a historical guide, but there are terms and concepts and references here that will be unfamiliar to anyone but a medieval expert. I didn't mind - for me it didn't detract from the story. In fact, that helped make it compelling. 

This is a medieval fairy tale without a single drop of romanticism: it's gritty, muddy, dank, gross, dark, wet, dreary, mossy, smoky, smelly, dirty, cruel, bloody, and terrifying. Wrong and right are twisted and twisted again into a fascinating knot. There are multiple types of horror: atmospheric, religious, supernatural, demonic, animal horror, body horror, human horror... I highly, highly recommend. 

A Gathering of Ghosts on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph