Tag: #horror

When Among Crows

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

by Veronia Roth

Curse Bearer Series #1

When Among Crows is a short novel, more of a novela really, that is steeped in Polish Folklore. The juxtaposition of European folklore against a contemporary American setting makes for an interesting story, to say the least.

Dymtr comes from a family whose calling is to slay monsters. Think “Grim” from the TV series; unfortunately, he has to sacrifice half his soul to be a monster slayer.  At the very beginning of the novel, Dymtr is tasked with finding the infamous Baba Yaga and, well, slaying her. We get a bit of Dymtr’s backstory: how his Grandmother (Bubcia) trained him, and his first kill being a striga, even though she seemed so “normal.”  Dymtr travels to Chicago to find Baba Yaga and, along the way, meets Ala, a monster herself, but not by choice; her family was cursed, and with the death of her aunt and cousin, the curse bounced to the next living relative, her. Ala is a Zmora, a night “demon” who feeds off fear. They also meet up with Nikko, a male Strzga, another Slavic creature in human form who feeds off anger and can turn himself into an owl, who it seems may fall in love with Dymtr, which, of course, will complicate things.

In the novel, our main character, Dymtr, has to reconcile with the “sins” of his past and decide how to move forward: should he retain his identity and fulfill the obligations of the family legacy, or will he move forward with a renewed sense of righteousness? 

This novel was a great palate cleanser. It was a quick, easy read between heavier books—a wonderful escapist novel using Slavic folklore, always a favourite.

Thank you to Tor Publishing and Netgalley for the copy.

Bone of my Bone

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

by Johanna van Veen

Johanna Van Veen has quickly become one of my favourite authors, so when the opportunity to review her newest novel, Bone of My Bone, landed in my lap, I absolutely jumped out of my skin. An image that is more appropriate than you might think.

Bone of My Bone follows two women thrown together by the chaos of war. Sister Ursula is a young nun who has fled her convent to escape an invading horde of soldiers, carrying with her a tremendous weight of guilt for having abandoned her fellow sisters. Elsebeth is a brave, scrappy peasant girl who is running from the very same army. Their paths cross at a pivotal moment: just as Sister Ursula is about to be violated, Elsebeth steps in and saves her. From there, the two decide to travel together, and it isn’t long before their journey takes a fateful turn.

Along the way, they encounter a dying man in possession of something extraordinary: a holy relic, the skull of a saint. Legend holds that if the skull is reunited with the rest of the saint’s remains, the one who does so will be granted a wish. Naturally, Ursula and Elsebeth take the skull and set off to do exactly that, though each woman is driven by her own deeply personal reasons. Standing in their way is a necromancer who is stalking them across the countryside, desperate to claim the relic for himself.

This novel is such an entertaining read. It weaves together elements of German folklore, atmospheric dread, body horror, and a genuinely lovely love story. Van Veen’s writing is both gruesome and vivid, in description and in theme. She doesn’t shy away from the inhumanity of war, the selfishness of those who wage it, and the particular brutality that women are subjected to in the midst of it. And yet, through all of that darkness, something tender takes root. The romance between Ursula and Elsebeth is soft and authentic, and it earns every moment.

Set in Bavaria during the Thirty Years’ War, this one is an absolute must read if you love sapphic romances, folk horror, and stories that don’t flinch from the ugliness of history while still finding beauty within it.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the copy.

The Reformatory

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

by Tananarive Due

Set in 1950s Florida, The Reformatory follows twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, who is sent to the segregated Gracetown School for Boys after defending his sister Gloria from the unwanted advances of Lyle McCormick. But Robbie’s sentencing isn’t just punishment for that act. It’s a trap. His father, Robert Stephens, is a Black man falsely accused of raping a white woman who has fled to Chicago. A union organizer with enemies in powerful places, Robert is being lured back through the incarceration of his own son.

We soon learn that Robbie is spirit sensitive. He sees ghosts, or “haints,” and this gift is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because he feels the presence of his mother, a comfort that helps him endure the atrocities he faces. A curse because he also sees the ghosts of boys who came before him, those who died violently at the hands of the evil, psychopathic Warden Haddock, by fire, by beating, by every manner of physical and emotional harm imaginable, all desperate to avoid being sent to the “Shed.”

Meanwhile, Gloria is fighting on the outside to secure the legal help her brother desperately needs. Alongside Ms. Lottie, the woman tasked with caring for Robbie and Gloria after the death of their mother and a Warrior Queen if there ever was one, she races to get Robbie released before it’s too late.

The Reformatory is classified as a literary, historical, and horror novel. And while you might assume the horror comes from its supernatural elements, make no mistake. The true horror here is entirely human. It is the vile and calculated evil of those who use their power to torture children and discriminate against people whose skin is a different colour than their own. The ghosts are almost beside the point.

Trigger warnings: physical and sexual abuse, blood and violence.

Blood on Her Tongue

~ Lisa Helm ~ 2 Comments

by Johanna Van Veen

This is the second novel I’ve read by Johanna Van Veen, and it just confirmed to me that she is, in fact, one of my favourite authors. I do not naturally gravitate to horror, but when I have, it is usually to authors such as her. Before you read this novel, be sure to read the forward; it does prepare the reader for what lies ahead. Yes, it is creepy, yes, it is bloody, but it’s also a whole lot of fun. This novel will keep you entertained from start to finish. In fact I was so intrigued that I read it in a day!

Set in what I believe to be the Victorian era, Lucy receives a very unsettling letter from her twin, Sarah. Sarah’s letter is incoherent, pleading, and desperate, and her handwriting is beyond agitated.

Sarah’s letter was soon followed by her husband’s letter, requesting Lucy come to Sarah’s assistance.

Lucy isn’t completely surprised by this; madness, after all, does run in the family.

When Lucy arrives, in an effort to discover the cause of her sister’s madness, she begins to read Sarah’s journals. These journals aren’t just a person’s recollection of the day’s thoughts and events; they are also scholarly in nature. It seems a body has been found on the property, but not any body, a Bog Woman wonderfully preserved centuries after her demise. Sarah’s obsession over the Bog Woman seems to have ignited her madness, so much so that we, the readers, start to believe that she may, in fact, be possessed by the Bog Woman’s spirit because soon Sarah ceases to be Sarah as Lucy has known her to be.

As with most Victorian stories, the male characters are far from appealing. For instance, Sarah’s husband is dismissive, condescending, and extremely narcissistic, which makes him an unsympathetic character. However, Van Veen does not paint the sisters as sympathetic characters either, but the characterization did get me rooting for them at the end.

This novel is highly atmospheric. It is gruesome, suspenseful, and quite humorous at times (to the expense of a couple of characters). I enjoy Johanna Van Veen so much because, despite the heavy themes, the plot is gruesome fun. If you are not a fan of body horror, maybe stay away from this one, but if you enjoy a good, gruesome, spooky tale, you’ll definitely enjoy Blood on Her Tongue. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the copy.

Haunt Sweet Home

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

by Sara Pinsker

Mara has been going through life thinking she is a nobody, a failure. There is nothing like a family Thanksgiving dinner to make her feel more like a loser, especially when her cousin Jeremy is there, Jeremy, who seems to have been born with a golden horseshoe up his butt. Unable to find a job that pays her bills, Mara takes a job (or did she beg?) with her cousin’s unique television show “Haunt Sweet Home”. Now, Haunt Sweet Home is not your typical home renovation show. It’s a show that not only films the renovation of a room or two, but also serves as a ghost hunter, recording any ghostly phenomena that happen to take place. The more frightening, the more significant the audience. 

As part of the filming crew, Mara has firsthand knowledge of the authenticity of the paranormal activity, but she is in no position to debate the ethics of the truth behind “reality TV.” Instead, she just does her job during the week and spends her weekends living out of a tent, attending to her wood carving, the only talent she acknowledges in herself. 

The book is written in first-person narrative and focuses more on Mara’s emotional development than the plot. Her personal running narrative is one of self-deprecation, self-searching and self-realization. Pinsker writes this narrative in a way that resonates with anyone who has ever felt insecure about who they are. Mara’s slow but steady realization of her strength is a journey many can identify with. But Mara does not come to this realization on her own; she makes a friend whilst on the job, someone who seems to know who she truly is, someone who appears to be just the right person to support her in this journey of self-discovery and growth, the only problem is, is this friend real or not?

This turned out to be a different “ghost” story than I expected. It is in no way scary; it is rather more of a story that is a running narrative of a young woman’s self-discovery and growth. A light, easy read but not scary or suspenseful. 

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley for the free copy

My Darling Dreadful Thing

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

by Johanna Van Veen

What a wonderfully gothic tragic love story! I may have found a new favourite author to add to my list. Johanna Van Veen is a master at creating atmosphere. Creepy, sad and at times ominous. Our protagonist, Roos, has had a tragic life. Roos has been made to participate in her abusive mother’s seances since she was a child and showed a connection to the spirit world. She would have likely continued this life if it hadn’t been for a beautiful young widow, Agnes, who participated in a seance one evening. Agnes and Roos quickly find a connection to each other because they share one extraordinary thing in common…they both possess spirit companions. Agnes invites Roos to come and live with her in the decrepit, haunting estate left to her by her husband. Shortly after her arrival,  Roos realized there is more to the estate than first meets the eye. Her spirit companion can feel it too, and soon, strange noises and smells make Roos curious to find what or who else lurks in the hallways of her new home. What she finds is more than disturbing to both her and us, the reader.

The Toll by Cherie Priest

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

“The things I take are mine to keep” (135)


One of my favourite genres is Gothic Literature so one day, a couple of months ago I Googles “Contemporary Gothic Literature” and up popped a wonderfully detailed list of titles. One of the titles on this list was “The Toll” written by Cherie Priest. The caption under the title reads “Southern Gothic Horror with a Contemporary Twist”. Perfect.

Admittingly I bought this novel thinking it was an escapist pulp fiction – something easy to read and entertaining enough to distract me from the realities at hand. I soon found out; however, this novel is not only entertaining but wonderfully written as well—a combination of horror, mystery and humour.

What is it’s the premise? A bridge appears where no bridge should be. Right in the middle of the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. If you happen to be driving along the road when this bridge appears you just might be “taken” or rather there is a good probability you WILL be taken. By whom? By what? And what is it that lurks in the water….watching….waiting.

This novel possesses a variety of memorable characters however I absolutely adore the “godmothers” Miss Daisy and Miss Claire two rick as 80-year-old heroines who “[know]about everything that [goes]on within a hundred miles (pg. 11).

I found this novel highly entertaining, and because I love her writing so much I definitely will be reading more of Cherie Priest’s novels.