Mona Awad - Rouge

Mona Awad - Rouge

3⭐

Genre: Horror, Gothic, Fiction, Thriller, Contemporary, Literary Fiction 

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback Proof 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster 

Date Published: 12th September 2023

Huge thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy.

Book Blurb: 

From the critically acclaimed author of Bunny comes a horror-tinted, gothic fairy tale about a lonely dress shop clerk whose mother’s unexpected death sends her down a treacherous path in pursuit of youth and beauty. Can she escape her mother’s fate—and find a connection that is more than skin deep?

For as long as she can remember, Belle has been insidiously obsessed with her skin and skincare videos. When her estranged mother Noelle mysteriously dies, Belle finds herself back in Southern California, dealing with her mother’s considerable debts and grappling with lingering questions about her death. The stakes escalate when a strange woman in red appears at the funeral, offering a tantalizing clue about her mother’s demise, followed by a cryptic video about a transformative spa experience. With the help of a pair of red shoes, Belle is lured into the barbed embrace of La Maison de Méduse, the same lavish, culty spa to which her mother was devoted. There, Belle discovers the frightening secret behind her (and her mother’s) obsession with the mirror—and the great shimmering depths (and demons) that lurk on the other side of the glass.

Snow White meets Eyes Wide Shut in this surreal descent into the dark side of beauty, envy, grief, and the complicated love between mothers and daughters. With black humor and seductive horror, Rouge explores the cult-like nature of the beauty industry—as well as the danger of internalizing its pitiless gaze. Brimming with California sunshine and blood-red rose petals, Rouge holds up a warped mirror to our relationship with mortality, our collective fixation with the surface, and the wondrous, deep longing that might lie beneath.

My Review: 

This book was quite disturbing but at the same time quite interesting. It is one of those books where I don’t know whether I liked it or disliked it.

The book follows Belle, who since very young again, influenced by her mother's beauty, is obsessed with her appearance, especially her skincare. One day, her mother Noelle mysteriously dies and Belle has to face her past, first by coming home to Southern California. At home, she realises that her mother is in debt, which prompts her to start asking questions about how her mother died. Her suspicions grow even more when she meets a strange woman in red who invites her to a secret spa and club, which her mother was a member of. There Belle slowly discovers herself, and truths about her mother's past but also faces her demons from the past.

I liked the beginning of this book. It gripped me and captivated me, however, the more I read the more cryptic and confusing the story became. In the end, I was confused as to what was going on and what this story was supposed to be about. At first, I thought it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but looking from 21^st-century eyes, and our obsession with skincare, always looking young and putting on a ‘fake façade’, as well as, how social media and companies make us part of the ‘cult’ when it comes to beauty, skincare products and focusing on the impossible beauty standards. At least that’s what I took from the book. However, I also felt that there was more, which I might not understood or didn’t get whilst reading this book.

Not going to lie, the writing was beautiful, but I felt that some parts of the story were not necessary and rather repetitive. I thought this book would have read much better if it was a shorter novella. There were also times when I didn’t care about Belle as she was quite insufferable and naïve. I also didn’t care about the in-depth exploration of Noelle’s and Belle’s relationship as for me that wasn’t the main point of the book, and it also took away from exploring the beauty and unattainable beauty standards. I didn’t connect to their relationship at all…

Overall: Very mixed opinions about this book. Part of me liked it a lot but there was part of me where I didn’t like it. This book gives a lot of food for thought, especially about the beauty industry in the 21^st century but at the same time delivers those thoughts in a very cryptic and crazy way. 

About the Author: 

Mona Awad is the author of BUNNY, ALL'S WELL and 13 WAYS OF LOOKING AT A FAT GIRL. 13 WAYS won the Amazon Best First Novel Award and was shortlisted for the Giller Prize. Her second novel, BUNNY, was a finalist for a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Horror, the New England Book Award, and won the Ladies of Horror Fiction Best Novel Award. It is currently being optioned for film with Bad Robot Productions. ALL'S WELL was a finalist for a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Horror. Her new novel, ROUGE, is forthcoming in September 2023 with Simon & Schuster.

She earned an MFA from Brown University and an MScR in English from the University of Edinburgh where her dissertation was on fear in the fairy tale. In 2018, she completed a Ph.D. in Creative Writing and Literary Studies at the University of Denver. She currently teaches creative writing at Syracuse University and lives in Boston.

http://mona-awad-grou.squarespace.com/

Michael J. Malone- The Murmurs

 

Michael J. Malone- The Murmurs

5⭐

Genre:  Crime, Paranormal, Thriller, Gothic, Fiction, Mystery 

Pages: 277

Format: Paperback Proof 

Publisher:  Orenda Books 

Date Published: 14th September 2023

Huge thank you to Orenda Books for sending me an ARC copy of this book to read and review. 

 

Book Blurb: 

A young woman starts experiencing terrifying premonitions of people dying, as it becomes clear that a family curse known only as The Murmurs has begun, and a long-forgotten crime is about to be unearthed...

On the first morning of her new job at Heartfield House, a care home for the elderly, Annie Jackson wakens from a terrifying dream. And when she arrives at the home, she knows that the first old man she meets is going to die.

How she knows this is a terrifying mystery, but it is the start of horrifying premonitions ... a rekindling of the curse that has trickled through generations of women in her family – a wicked gift known only as 'the murmurs'...

With its reappearance comes an old, forgotten fear that is about to grip Annie Jackson.

And this time, it will never let go...

A compulsive gothic thriller and a spellbinding supernatural mystery about secrets and small communities, about faith, courage and self-preservation, The Murmurs is a startling and compulsive read from one of Scotland's finest authors.

My Review: 

I read the blurb of this book and I knew that I needed to read it. It just sounded so good…and I wasn’t wrong. This book is brilliant! I loved this with all my heart and didn’t want to finish it so quickly, but at the same time, I also wanted to know the ending.

Annie starts a job at a care home, yet her first day doesn’t go well. One of the elderly patients that she is supposed to care for suddenly dies. Annie however sees a premonition about his death and knows how the patient is going to die precisely, via the murmurs, a curse that is passed through the generation of the females in the family. She doesn’t know about The Murmurs, and she doesn’t know why she is the only one hearing them. These chilling murmurs make Annie and her twin brother look for answers, which leads them to numerous secrets about their family, the mysterious Scottish Highlands, unsolved murder cases, and witchcraft.

I loved how this book follows then and now timelines and chapters that are told from various characters' POVs. Also, I loved that in each chapter there is a crumb of information and a reader has to collect them all to puzzle a story. I think this just added more to the suspense and thrill of this book. The setting of this book in the remote Scottish Highlands was just brilliant, as it captures that truly gothic and mysterious atmosphere of lochs, mountains and small villages hidden in them. I also adored how the author managed to link the mystery and gothic atmosphere of the Scottish Highlands so naturally with curses, and witchcraft, as well as the present-day environment/society.

I just knew from a few chapters that this book is going to be amazing. The atmosphere, scene setting, suspense and writing were all so good. It was also an emotional story because both Annie and her brother are searching for the truth about The Murmurs, but alongside that learn quite a lot about their own family. I must mention how all the characters in this book are very well-developed and each of them makes the story whole and are important in one way or another to the story.

Overall: This was my first book from Michael J. Malone but definitely won’t be the last. Beautifully written, with short yet captivating chapters full of suspense and tension. Mysterious and gothic atmosphere, family secrets, and paranormal murmurs all mixed in a perfect book. One of my favourite gothic thrillers that I have ever read.

About the Author:

Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize from the Scottish Association of Writers. His psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number-one bestseller, and the critically acclaimed House of Spines, After He Died, In the Absence of Miracles and A Song of Isolation soon followed suit. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber & Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller. Michael lives in Ayr.

https://orendabooks.co.uk/product/the-murmurs

RuNyx - Gothikana

RuNyx - Gothikana 

4⭐

Genre: Romance, Fiction, Dark Academia, Paranormal, Gothic, Mystery 

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback Proof 

Publisher:  Solaris 

Date Published: 16th March 2023

 

Huge thank you to Solaris for sending me a proof copy of this book to read and review.

Book Blurb: 

An unusual girl. An enigmatic man. An ancient castle. What could go wrong?

An outcast her entire life, Corvina Clemm is left adrift after losing her mother. When she receives the admission letter from the mysterious University of Verenmore, she accepts it as a sign from the universe. The last thing she expects though is an olden, secluded castle on top of a mountain riddled with secrets, deceit, and death.

An enigma his entire life, Vad Deverell likes being a closed book but knowing exactly everything that happens in the university. A part-time professor working on his thesis, Vad has been around long enough to know the dangers the castle possesses.
And he knows the moment his paths cross with Corvina, she's dangerous to everything that he is.

They shouldn't have caught each other's eye. They cannot be. But a chill-inducing century-old mystery forces them to collide. People have disappeared every five years for over a hundred years, and Corvina is getting clues to unravelling it all, and Vad needs to keep an eye on her.

And so begins a tale of the mystique, the morbid, the macabre, and a deep love that blossoms in the unlikeliest of places.

My Review: 

I loved the atmosphere this book has, so creepy, gothic, mysterious, supernatural and suspenseful. The dark academia vibes in this book were spot on too! I was definitely obsessed with the Verenmore mystery and the Slayers. I loved the writing and the setting of this story, as well as the character development, especially Corvina’s throughout the book. However, the only love-hate relationship that I have with this story was Corvina’s and Vad’s relationship and at parts smut that was just too cringe.

The story follows Corvina who is invited to attend Verenmore University for gifted students from unfortunate backgrounds. At Verenmore, she soon meets the very mysterious, attractive bad boy Professor Vad Deverell and can’t seem to get away from him. Vad also seems to be very attracted to her. However, Corvina tries to be careful around him, not only because of his reputation as a Casanova with the female students but also because she believes there is something evil about him and that he might be responsible for all the mysterious and unexplainable things that are happening at Verenmore.

I loved the gothic atmosphere, dark academic vibes and mystery of the story, especially the forbidden woods, scary lake and cemetery, castle tower, as well as dungeons. The whole Verenmore and the surrounding mountain felt like one big secret and it was a rather exciting one! I also loved how the mysteries surrounding Verenmore, were answered one by one and quite slowly. At times it also felt that we as readers learn everything at the same pace as Corvina, and the reader is there with her to experience it all.

I really liked how much Corvina grew as a character throughout the book. At first, she was so shy and reserved, and also doubted herself so much, but Verenmore and uncovering all its secrets made her so confident, strong and determined. I think she is definitely one of my favourite characters.

In terms of Vad, I wished there was more of his POV in this book. Maybe then I would have warmed up to him and would have understood the relationship and attraction between him and Corvina. For me, he still ended up just as mysterious at the end of the book as he was at the beginning. 

Also, there was a lot of smut and spice, like a lot! I mean I enjoyed most of it, but in parts, I wanted less of it, as it was getting rather cringy. I was also very conflicted about the relationship between Corvina and Vad Deverell, in part I loved it but in part I hated it…So I ended up having a love-hate relationship with those parts of the book.

The ending….I wanted more…I felt that there were so many things that this book didn’t answer yet. Yes, most of the mysteries were solved in this story but there were so many that weren’t. So, I do hope it is because there will be a second book (fingers crossed), as I need to know the answers and need more mystery of Verenmore in my life!

Overall: Despite the love-hate relationship that I have about the relationship of the main characters in this book, I loved it! I loved the gothic, dark and mysterious atmosphere. I was also obsessed with dark academia vibes and Verenmore in general! The mystery too!! Run, don’t walk and get a copy yourself! I will be definitely looking out for more books by RuNyx in the future! 

About the Author:

USA TODAY and international bestselling author, RuNyx enjoys creating universes and setting them on fire. She loves to travel, wants to adopt a dog before 30, and learn different languages. When she's not writing, she's reading, traveling, meditating, daydreaming, and most of all, procrastinating.

Even though she's intensely private, she shares a strong bond with her readers. Her favorite part about writing is knowing that it has somehow changed somebody's day in some corner of the world for the better.

https://runyxwrites.com

Charles Lambert - The Bone Flower

Charles Lambert - The Bone Flower 

5⭐

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Gothic, Paranormal 

Pages:  255

Format: Paperback Proof 

Publisher: Gallic Books 

Date Published: 22nd September 2022

Huge thank you to Gallic Books for sending me a proof copy of The Bone Flower to read and review.

Book Blurb: 

On a November evening in Victorian London, the moneyed but listless Edward Monteith stokes the fire at his local gentlemen’s club, listening to stories of supernatural experiences and theories of life after death. His curiosity leads him to a séance, where he falls under the spell of a beautiful flower seller. But Victorian society does not look kindly on love between a gentleman of means and a Romani girl, and when he faces being cut off by his family, Edward makes a decision with horrifying consequences.

Two years later Edward is married and anticipating the birth of his first child, in a beautiful house lined with orange blossom trees. But the wrongs of the past are not so easily forgotten, and the boundary between the living and the dead begins to thin… A deliciously chilling Gothic novel, The Bone Flower is a deeply human story about guilt, betrayal and the cruelty of social expectations.

A dark, uncanny love story from the author of Polari prize-shortlisted Prodigal and The Children's Home, The Bone Flower will delight fans of Edward Carey and Essie Fox.

My Review: 

When I started reading The Bone Flower, I thought it was going to be a simple Gothic love story but…Wow! It was so much more than that! It had mystery, a spooky atmosphere, forbidden love, betrayal…All of that and set in Victorian London. This book ticked all the boxes and is honestly a perfect read for this upcoming spooky season!

The book follows young gentleman Edward Monteith who is still a bachelor and without a passion in life, although from a wealthy(ish) family. He joins a gentlemen’s club where explorers, scientists and other wealthy men discuss the meaning of life and death, including supernatural, spirits and life after death. After one of the evenings in the club, Edward is invited to a séance to experience the supernatural with his own eyes. Reluctantly but with an open mind, he agrees to this adventure. In the séance, he meets a beautiful young lady Settie and falls head over heels for her. They begin their secret romance, but since she is a Gypsy Traveller and he is from a reputable family and Edward is afraid that his father will take away all of his money if Edward introduces Settie to his family. However, Settie feels that Edward is ashamed of her and gives him an ultimatum, either she leaves him or he marries her. With one horrible decision, Edward’s life is turned upside down…

I loved how much was explored in this book and how much detail was put into this story, even though the book itself is not that long. Lambert uses such beautiful language and scene setting that I felt I was transported into Victorian London. Although the book started quite slowly, from the very beginning it just grips the reader with the mystery and atmosphere. I really didn’t want it to end and wished it was longer.

I also adored how Lambert explored the topics of societal expectations and class differences of that time and adds them to the story in such a subtle manner. The forbidden love story and then the betrayal just added to that even more, making The Bone Flower such a powerful read.

Overall: Loved this book so much! The setting, the plot and the writing are all fantastic. I loved how topics of love and betrayal, as well as, societal classes were explored together with the supernatural, curses, traditions and ghosts. This book is a must-read during the upcoming spooky season as its atmosphere makes this book a perfect read for long autumn nights. It was my first book by Lambert but it definitely won’t be the last I read of his. 

About the Author:

Charles Lambert was born in the United Kingdom but has lived in Italy for most of his adult life. His most recent novel, The Bone Flower, is a Gothic love story with a sinister edge, set in Victorian London. His previous novel, Prodigal, shortlisted for the Polari Prize in 2019, was described by the Gay & Lesbian Review as "Powerful… an artful hybrid of parable (as the title signifies), a Freudian family romance, a Gothic tale, and a Künstlerroman in the tradition of James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.” For the Kirkus Review, The Children's Home, published in 2016, was 'a one-of-a-kind literary horror story', while Two Dark Tales, published in October 2017, continues to disturb. Earlier books include three novels, a collection of prize-winning short stories and a memoir, With a Zero at its Heart, selected by the Guardian as one of its top ten books from 2014.

https://charleslambert.wordpress.com/about/

Lauren Owen - Small Angels

Lauren Owen - Small Angels 

5 ⭐

Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Gothic, Mystery, LGBTQ+, Thriller, Contemporary Fiction 

Pages: 480

Format: Paperback Proof  

Publisher: Tinder Press 

Date Published: 2nd August 2022

Huge Thank You to Tinder Press for a proof copy and for inviting me to be a part of the blog tour. 

Book Blurb: 

A wedding in a small English village attracts a malicious spirit, forcing deep secrets to the surface - a hypnotic tale of sisterhood, first love, and hauntings.

As a teenager, Kate found a safe harbour from her parents' constant fighting in the company of the four Gonne sisters, who lived with their strict grandparents next to Small Angels, a church on the edge of dense green woods. The first outsider to ever get close to the sisters, Kate eventually learned the family's secret: The woods are home to a capricious, menacing ghost whom generations of Gonne's had been charged with stopping from venturing into the village itself. But as the sisters grew older, braver, and more independent, bucking against the family's burden, the bulwark began to crack, culminating in a horrifying act of violence that drove a terrible wedge between the sisters and Kate.

Chloe has been planning her dream wedding for months. She has the dress, the flowers, and the perfect venue: Small Angels, a charming old church in the village where her fiancé, Sam, and his sister, Kate, grew up. But days before the ceremony, Chloe starts to hear unsettling stories about Small Angels--and worse, she begins to see, smell, and hear things that couldn't possibly be real.

Now Kate is returning home for the first time in years, for Sam and Chloe's wedding. But the woods are coming alive again, and Kate must reconnect with Lucia, the most troubled of the sisters and her first love, to protect Chloe, the village, and herself. An unforgettable novel about the memories that hold us back and those that show us the way forward--this is storytelling at its most magical. Enter Small Angels, if you dare.

My Review: 

Beautifully written, captivating and chilling story. Absolutely adored it! Owen’s writing is full of brilliant imagery and words that create such vivid scenes, at points making me think that I am one of the characters in the story. Honestly, such a captivating read that it was so hard to put down!

The story is set in a small English village which is surrounded by mysterious Mockbeggar Woods. Through the ages, local villagers knew that mystery, pain and folk tales all surrounded the woods. They also knew that Mockbeggar Woods are not for them and they should stay away from it. However, one day Chloe, who is marrying someone local from the village, found herself fascinated by the woods and especially by the small gothic church in the middle of it called Small Angels. She wants to get married there but the villagers are worried and concerned that it might anger the woods, yet part of them wants to see whether the folktales and mystery surrounding Harry Child are real. When things and the atmosphere in the woods and the village start to change just a few days before the wedding Chloe and the villagers realise that they might have made a wrong choice by opening the doors of Small Angels and entering into the secrets of the Mockbeggar.

I loved how atmospheric this book is, especially that is set in a small English village and surrounded by folklore, tales, ghost stories and mystery. I always imagined many small mysterious English villages in this way and it was a pleasure to read a story set in this environment.

I also really liked the Gonne family and their strong connection with nature and Mockbeggar. Although villagers branded them as freaks and lunatics, as well as witches, they cherished their lives around the Mockbeggar. I also really liked the relationship between the Gonne sisters and how strongly they loved and fought for each other no matter what.

I really loved how this book explored what power stories have on people and on how people perceive the world because of certain stories. In the case of this book people in the village were always afraid of Mockbeggar Woods because of the story about Harry Child told a few hundred years ago, but that fear persisted for so long that people adjusted their lives living without disturbing the peace of Mockbeggar Woods.

Overall: Captivating and beautifully written yet chilling and atmospheric book. I loved how each character and their stories, brought Mockbeggar Woods and Small Angles back to life. Although for me this book was not as scary as some other thriller, horror and folklore stories I have read, it did have some scary moments at the very end, which added so much to the already powerful ending. Honestly, this book is one of my favourites from this year and I cannot wait to read more from Lauren Owen, as I loved how atmospheric and brilliant her writing is. 

About the Author:

Lauren Owen studied English Literature at St. Hilda's College, Oxford, before completing an MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, where she received the 2009 Curtis Brown prize for the best fiction dissertation. 'The Quick' is her first novel. She lives in Durham, England.

https://twitter.com/pioneers_o