Need a good haunted house book for Halloween that will genuinely send shivers down your spine? Johnny Compton’s debut horror novel, The Spite House, which came out last year, features a desperate dad who moves with his two daughters into a strangely built house haunted by a handful of ghosts and generations of spite. Continue reading Review of The Spite House—An Emotional Haunting
Tag: ghosts
Review of The Widow of Rose House—Romance and Haunted Homes
Victorian romance and haunted houses—I’m always on the lookout for books that combine two of my favorite things like this, and have just found one that does so extraordinarily well! The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller is a delightful Gothic romance that came out back in 2019. It fit so perfectly in my wheelhouse, that I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more books by this author in the future. Continue reading Review of The Widow of Rose House—Romance and Haunted Homes
Review of The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror
It’s perhaps one of the earliest forms of horror fiction: the local legends of monsters, dark magic, or cursed places that are told in whispers, passed down from one generation to the next in every society. But, as with most things in the Gothic, everything old is new again. With the success of films like The Witch and Midsommar, folk horror is definitely having a moment, and here to ride that wave is The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror, edited by Tori Bovalino, which came out in September. Continue reading Review of The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror
A Haunted History of Invisible Women Review and Giveaway
A wispy woman in white, a widow who haunts the home she once ruled over, a fair maiden whose life was tragically cut short—have you ever noticed how many of the ghost stories of popular culture and local legend feature female spirits? Brilliant and knowledgeable ghost tour guides Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes—whom I have taken many tours of NYC with through Boroughs of the Dead—explore this phenomenon and its significance in their first nonfiction book, A Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America’s Ghosts, which came out back in September. Through a blend of personal, professional, and academic lenses, Leanna and Adrea provide a cultural analysis of the ghostly women that populate American legends and what their stories can tell us about ourselves and about American society. As a lover of ghost stories who also loves to examine why and how we tell them, I cannot recommend this book enough! In my excitement to preorder the book, I wound up with more copies than I need, so I’ll be giving away one of my extras. Read to the bottom of this post for information on how to enter to win a signed copy of A Haunted History of Invisible Women! Continue reading A Haunted History of Invisible Women Review and Giveaway
Review of Ghosts of the Forbidden—Gothic Romance Is Back!
Dangerous mine shafts, an abandoned ski resort, families feuding for generations, and ghosts galore—the town of Glazier’s Gap has enough fodder for a whole string of Gothic novels. And that’s the idea. Ghosts of the Forbidden by Leanna Renee Hieber is the first book in the new Glazier’s Gap series published by Castle Bridge Media, which will include loosely connected novels that all feature a supernatural romance set in this unusual town. As the queen of haunting heartwarmers, Leanna Renee Hieber is the perfect author to start this series off, though this is her first foray into contemporary romance. But not to fear—while the story may take place in the twenty-first century, the lovers in Ghosts of the Forbidden are as stuck in the nineteenth-century as Leanna’s devoted readers are. Ghosts of the Forbidden comes out October 11. Continue reading Review of Ghosts of the Forbidden—Gothic Romance Is Back!
Review of The Ghost and Mrs Muir—Midcentury Ghost Romance
Would you move into a haunted cottage? For Lucy Muir, the ghost of a grumpy old sea captain turns out to be just what she needed to complete her picture of perfect domestic bliss in The Ghost and Mrs Muir. The novel was published by Irish author Josephine Leslie under the pseudonym R. A. Dick in 1945. It was adapted into a popular film in 1947, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and starring Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison. If you’re looking for something sweet, slow, and low-stakes to read this summer, definitely check out this classic! Continue reading Review of The Ghost and Mrs Muir—Midcentury Ghost Romance
Review of Nothing But Blackened Teeth
“It gets lonely down in the dirt….” Five young adults make the mistake of partying in a haunted, Heian-era manor in Cassandra Khaw’s hotly anticipated horror novella Nothing But Blackened Teeth. I had the pleasure of interviewing Khaw last month to get their thoughts on haunted houses and the horror genre. And then I devoured this bite-size novella in just a few sittings. If you’re looking for a horror story to eat like candy on Halloween, grab Nothing But Blackened Teeth when it comes out next Tuesday, October 19. Continue reading Review of Nothing But Blackened Teeth
Author Interview with Cassandra Khaw
Cassandra Khaw is a rising star to keep an eye on in the speculative fiction scene. They’ve had short fiction published in places like The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Lightspeed, and Tor.com, and their first original novella, Hammers on Bone, was a British Fantasy Award and Locus Award finalist. Earlier this month, Khaw published their debut science-fiction novel The All-Consuming World, which I just started reading. But perhaps their most anticipated release is the upcoming horror novella, Nothing But Blackened Teeth, which comes out from Tor’s new horror imprint Nightfire on October 19. Described as “a gorgeously creepy haunted house tale, steeped in Japanese folklore,” Nothing But Blackened Teeth is sure to rock the horror world this fall. Ahead of reading the novella for myself, I got the chance to ask Cassandra all about their take on the haunted house genre, their thoughts on the purpose of horror, and more! Check out our interview below:
Review of The Girl and the Ghost
Even malevolent spirits conjured by witches for the purpose of creating mischief can be changed by the power of friendship. This is the plot of Hanna Alkaf’s delightful middle-grade debut, The Girl and the Ghost, which came out last year. Inspired by spooky elements of Malaysian folklore, the novel uses the relationship between a girl and her ghostly companion to explore some rather dark themes ranging from bullying to death, grief, and complicated family ties in a way that is accessible and engaging for kids and adult readers alike. Continue reading Review of The Girl and the Ghost
Review of Ninth House–Dark Academia and Ghosts
When the wealthy elite have access to unlimited magic, someone needs to keep them in line…. Alex Stern dives into the dark world of parties, privilege, and paranormal dealings in Leigh Bardugo’s debut fantasy novel for adults, Ninth House. This book caught my attention back when it came out in 2019 along with a slew of other books with gorgeous, snaky covers. It took a while to make it to the top of my TBR pile, but the wait was worth it. Ninth House is definitely one of my favorite reads so far this year. Continue reading Review of Ninth House–Dark Academia and Ghosts