The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay Review

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:
The Bram Stoker Award-winning author of A Head Full of Ghosts adds an inventive twist to the home invasion horror story in a heart-palpitating novel of psychological suspense that recalls Stephen King’s Misery, Ruth Ware’s In a Dark, Dark Wood, and Jack Ketchum’s cult hit The Girl Next Door.

Seven-year-old Wen and her parents, Eric and Andrew, are vacationing at a remote cabin on a quiet New Hampshire lake. Their closest neighbors are more than two miles in either direction along a rutted dirt road.

One afternoon, as Wen catches grasshoppers in the front yard, a stranger unexpectedly appears in the driveway. Leonard is the largest man Wen has ever seen but he is young, friendly, and he wins her over almost instantly. Leonard and Wen talk and play until Leonard abruptly apologizes and tells Wen, “None of what’s going to happen is your fault”. Three more strangers then arrive at the cabin carrying unidentifiable, menacing objects. As Wen sprints inside to warn her parents, Leonard calls out: “Your dads won’t want to let us in, Wen. But they have to. We need your help to save the world.”

Thus begins an unbearably tense, gripping tale of paranoia, sacrifice, apocalypse, and survival that escalates to a shattering conclusion, one in which the fate of a loving family and quite possibly all of humanity are entwined. The Cabin at the End of the World is a masterpiece of terror and suspense from the fantastically fertile imagination of Paul Tremblay.

My Review:
I know I say this a lot, but I didn’t come into this book expecting my new favourite thing, but that’s what I got. It begins with Wen, an seven year old girl, catching grasshoppers and giving them names. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but this small beginning sucked me in immediately and I knew I would love the rest of the story. Her and her dads, Andrew and Eric, are away on a birthday weekend at a cabin. They wanted some quiet time, and somewhere nice to get away and relax. That is exactly the opposite of what they got. When a man named Leonard approaches Wen in the grass, she’s hesitant to talk to him because of stranger danger, but what he tells her changes everything. He says his friends are coming, and in a little bit the family will have to make some tough decisions. They won’t want to let them in but they’ll have to eventually. Sounds spooky, right? Little do they know, their tough decisions will determine the end of the world.

I also say that I don’t like when the viewpoints switch around, but what I think is I don’t like when the viewpoints switch around in a bad way. This book couldn’t be as amazing as it is without viewpoint changes, and I’m thankful for them. It’s written in a very clear and informative way. I couldn’t stop reading it once I put it down. The characters react like anyone would in a time like this, and they seem like they could be people you know. The world is almost the same as our own, so it’s easy to imagine. I think my favourite character was Wen, because she’s just a refreshing outlook on this book, so sweet and young and innocent. Other than that, probably Andrew because he’s kind of unpredictable. It was a quick read, but an easy read, and I would love to get a paper copy for my bookshelf, that’s how much I liked it. Definitely check it out if you want something refreshing, and unlike anything you’ve read lately.

Here’s a link to the author’s Twitter, and another link to the book on Amazon.

https://twitter.com/paulGtremblay

https://www.amazon.ca/Cabin-End-World…

Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

View all my reviews

A Study In Shifters (The Adventures of Marisol Holmes #1) by Majanka Verstraete Review

A Study In Shifters by Majanka Verstraete
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Marisol Holmes may be the great-great-great granddaughter of Sherlock Holmes, but it’s hard to live up to the family name when only one mistake can spell your downfall. After trusting the wrong guy in a case gone totally wrong, Marisol convinces the Conclave, an underground organization of detectives solving supernatural cases, to give her a last chance to prove her worth, and maybe even heal her broken heart.

After all, as a half-blood jaguar shifter, Marisol is uniquely qualified to solve this murder—and every scrap of evidence points toward the culprit being a fellow jaguar shifter. But is one of her own people involved, or is this all a ploy to kick Marisol’s mother off the shifter throne?

Then Marisol discovers her best friend, Roan, is missing, and maybe the killer’s next target. The stakes just got higher than political intrigue. Just when things couldn’t get worse, Marisol’s ex-boyfriend-turned-nemesis, Mannix, starts leaving sinister clues for her. Marisol fears this case might be far more personal than she could’ve imagined.

It’s time for Marisol to prove her worth, or her people could fall into chaos while her best friend loses his life.

My Review:
Before I say anything about this book, I want to say how much I absolutely loved it and how I can’t wait to see what happens in the sequel. It sucked me in from the moment I started it, and I read it almost in two sittings. It was exciting, and completely different than anything else I’ve read lately.

Now that that’s done, lets talk about what it’s about. Marisol has been through a lot lately. After the cold blooded murder of her little cousin, her best friend, she’s been detached and quiet. She lives in a world of animal shifters, and where the supernatural is hidden from the human population. A descendant of Sherlock Holmes himself, she’s trying to get her old job back in the Conclave, a supernatural sort of detective agency that keeps everything hidden. Not many people know about them. It begins with a man she calls Balthy, giving her a thirty minute test to determine if she can return to her job. After all, she doesn’t know who she is anymore without the Conclave. Her mother, a cold jaguar shifter, is royalty, and her father was a human so a lot of people think less of her since she’s not full blooded shifter. Will she be able to prove herself and get back to normal life, more or less?

The world that Marisol lives in is very established and easy to imagine. After she’s completed her test and is forced to do yet another trial run, at a boarding school, I couldn’t put the book down. The way it’s written is very clear and easy to read, also really informative. I didn’t have any problem jumping from the last book I read straight into this one. The characters are so realistic it’s scary, especially when there’s murder and shifters involved. Usually I’m not big on books about animal shifters, but this is completely an exception. I would definitely like to buy a copy of it just to have on my bookshelf, that’s how much I like it. Definitely check it out if you get the chance.

Here’s a link to the book on Amazon, and another link to the Author’s Twitter.

https://www.amazon.ca/Study-Shifters-…

https://twitter.com/iheartreads?lang=en

Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

View all my reviews

Dethroned (Circuit Fae #2.5) by Genevieve Iseult Eldredge Review

Dethroned by Genevieve Iseult Eldredge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:
For eighteen-year-old Rouen Rivoche, being a fairy princess isn’t about fancy parties and happily ever afters.

Rouen’s people are the dark Fae whose powers of lightning, thundersnow, and all things Winter make them cold, severe, and 100% intolerant of rebellion.

Too bad being a rebel is in Rouen’s blood.

Against tradition, she’s teamed up with Syl Skye, the sleeper-princess of the fair Fae—a mortal enemy who Rouen should want to kill but only wants to kiss. Plus, to be with Syl, Rouen’s masquerading as a glam goth-rock star and human high school student. Honestly, Rouen doesn’t think things could get any more complicated.

Then, she discovers she must become Queen of the Winter Court or all her people will die. No pressure.

Now, dark forces are amassing in the Winter Court, turning Rouen’s people against her and blocking her path to the throne. Even Syl with all her powers of white flame and Summer can’t stop this new kind of evil.

Because betrayal cuts close when it’s someone you love… and now it looks like Rouen’s going to be dethroned before she ever becomes queen.

My Review:
Another book from this series! They seem to be coming out consistently, although I’m a little confused at why this one specifically is a novella, because it seems like a big chunk of the story changes between the second book and the third book, and you would probably be very confused if you miss this one. It very easily could have been it’s own novel. That being said, I did thoroughly enjoy reading this, aside from some of the more cringe worthy moments that are “so so sexy hot”, yes that’s an actual quote. I also love the cover.

Syl and Rouen are back, celebrating Christmas with Syl’s mom. The day when Rouen will be crowned queen is less than two months away, and she’s uneasy about it, but overall excited. Little do they know what’s in store for them this time. Although this book is short, a lot happens in it. It stays consistent in the series, which is good, and the world they’re in does too. I was a little confused by all the words I didn’t know, but I got over it. The characters are the same as they’ve always been. Young and in love. One night while Syl is heading home, she’s attacked by redcaps, cannibal dark fae controlled by Rouen’s father, the King. They’re confused why he would ever do that, but once they get into the dark fae realm, everything becomes clear. He’s evil, and he’s tearing the realm apart. They must stop him. But will they in time? Only you can find out by reading this short book. I definitely recommend it, if you’ve liked and read the other books. I can’t wait to see what happens next in the series.

Here’s a link to the Author’s Twitter, and another link to the book on Amazon.

https://twitter.com/GirlyEngine

https://www.amazon.ca/Dethroned-Inimi…

Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

View all my reviews

Centipede Vol. 1: Game Over by Max Bemis Review

Centipede Vol. 1: Game Over by Max Bemis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:
When a terrifying creature from beyond the stars attacks his planet, Dale’s journey begins. But he is not out to save his world. It is already too late for that. As the lone survivor, the only thing he wants is revenge!
Writer Max Bemis (Worst X-Man Ever, Foolkiller) and artist Eoin Marron (Sons of Anarchy Redwood Original) bring you a tale of survival and vengeance like you’ve never seen before.

My Review:
I really didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did, or for it to be as funny as it was. Honestly I loved everything about this book and I’m really glad I got the chance to read it. I really liked the art style, and thought it had a nice cover too. I would love to get a paper copy so that I could read it again, if that tells you just how much I liked it. The main character is a man and he’s the last man on earth. Before the apocalypse, he harvested and stole information from light years away, but no one ever expected this. A giant flying centipede landed on earth and quickly took care of the population. There’s also massive spiders that attack daily. Although most of the book is him trying to fight back and explaining back story, it does that in a hilarious way that made me want to binge read it. And I did, I loved every part. It’s a short read, and probably took less than an hour to finish. I definitely recommend you check it out if you get the chance.

Here’s a link to the Author’s Twitter, and another link to the book on Amazon.

https://twitter.com/maxbemis

https://www.amazon.ca/Centipede-Vol-G…

Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

View all my reviews

Blood Will Out by Jo Treggiari Review

Blood Will Out by Jo Treggiari
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:
Ari Sullivan is alive—for now.

She wakes at the bottom of a cistern, confused, injured and alone, with only the shadowy recollection of a low-pitched voice and a gloved hand. No one can hear her screams. And the person who put her there is coming back. The killer is planning a gruesome masterpiece, a fairytale tableau of innocence and blood, meticulously designed.

Until now, Ari was happy to spend her days pining for handsome, recent-arrival Stroud Bellows, fantasizing about their two-point-four-kids-future together. Safe in her small hometown of Dempsey Hollow. But now her community has turned very dangerous—and Ari may not be the only intended victim.

My Review:
I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect. After reading the description, I thought I had a good idea what the book was going to be about, but I didn’t anticipate how it would be written. This story specifically jumped out at me, because I hadn’t read anything like it lately. A girl who gets kidnapped and dropped off into an old well by a serial killer? Sounds exactly like something I would love to read. Unfortunately, I wasn’t sucked into the book until about half way through. I found myself confused by the story, and not just by the way it was laid out. I loved getting to see the killer’s point of view, but I didn’t expect it to be so random and confusing. I didn’t realize what was really going on, although maybe that was what the author wanted.

What I thought would be a short read, turned into procrastination. I could have finished this book very quickly, but I was again kind of confused by what was actually happening. It seemed like all I was reading was present day Ari, stuck in a well, random thoughts of a serial killer, and flashbacks of happier days with Ari’s friend, Lynn. I really wanted to love this book, and I did, from about fifty percent of the book to eighty percent. And that’s just not enough to say I loved it. It was exciting, although a little blurry at times, and the characters very well could have been real people. The world it was set in was exactly like our own. I wanted to know everything, and in turn, I knew just what I needed to know. Although it’s not my new favourite book, I did enjoy it at the end of the day, and you should definitely check it out if you think it would be something you like.

Here’s a link to the author’s Twitter, and another link to the book on Amazon.

https://twitter.com/jotreggiari?lang=en

https://www.amazon.ca/Blood-Will-Out-…

Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

View all my reviews

Dead of Winter: Good Good Dog by Kyle Starks, & Gabo Review

Dead of Winter: Good Good Dog by Kyle Starks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:
Air Bud meets The Walking Dead!

From the tabletop smash hit comes this new comic series starring your favorite characters from Plaid Hat Games’ DEAD OF WINTER, written by Kyle Starks (the Eisner Award-nominated Sexcastle), and illustrated by Gabo (The Life After).

In the pantheon of superheroes, none are more loveable and loyal than everyone’s favorite good ol’ dog, Sparky. Surviving in the wintery apocalypse of the undead, this former TV show stunt dog turned zombie killing machine just wants to make friends and be a good boy. As his fellow survivors scavenge for supplies in the frigid wasteland, will Sparky be able to protect his companions from threats both undead and otherwise? Collects issues #1-4 from the “Good Good Dog” storyline from DEAD OF WINTER!

My Review:
First let me say that I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this book, but I’m really glad I got the chance to read it. I love the cover, and the art style of the entire book is just refreshing and nice to look at. It’s super gory, but it reminds me of a cartoon at the same time, you know? It’s a good balance. I like how everything is laid out too.

The book starts off with three people trapped in the living room of a house, looking out the window at the front yard, which is infested with zombies. They have no idea what to do, and desperately need a superhero to save the day. Little do they know, exactly that is coming their way. A truck pulls up with two people in it, Gabriel Diaz and Ruckus Burley, along with a dog with a cape. He knocks at the door and hands them a note, which says that the his name is Sparky, that he’s a good good boy and you can trust him, and that they should run towards the nice man waving. They do, and narrowly escape with the three’s help. They live at a colon in an old government warehouse, and although supplies are running short, everyone’s still alive to give their opinions when they get back. This book is just really wild, and I loved every bit of it. It’s exciting and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Definitely check it out if you get the chance.

Here’s a link to the book on Amazon, and another link to the Author and Illustrator’s Twitter pages.

https://www.amazon.ca/Dead-Winter-Goo…

https://twitter.com/TheKyleStarks
https://twitter.com/galvosaur

Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

View all my reviews

SHOCK Anthology by Joe Pruett, Neil Gaiman, Michael Zulli, Charles Vess, Michael Gaydos, Andy Clarke, Andrew Robinson, Mike Carey, Jim Starlin, Phil Hester, Paul Jenkins, Dalibor Talajić, Bill Willingham, Travis Moore, Brian Azzarello, Francesco Francavilla, Cullen Bunn, Marc Guggenheim, Marguerite Bennett, Frank Tieri, Brian Stelfreeze, Szymon Kudranski Review

SHOCK Anthology by Joe Pruett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:
AfterShock Comics continues to push boundaries by presenting it’s very first anthology collection featuring a slew of today’s top writers and artists. Presented in the European Album format (same as the recent Animosity: the Rise hardcover for LCSD), this handsome hardcover features the creative talents of Neil Gaiman, Michael Zulli, Charles Vess, Michael Gaydos, Andy Clarke, Andrew Robinson, Mike Carey, Jim Starlin, Phil Hester, Paul Jenkins, Dalibor Talajic, Bill Willingham, Travis Moore, Brian Azzarello, Francesco Francavilla, Cullen Bunn, Marc Guggenheim, Marguerite Bennett, Frank Tieri, Brian Stelfreeze, Szymon Kudranski and more! Cover art by John Cassaday!

From the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award nominated editor of the classic Negative Burn anthology series.

My Review:
Let me say first that although I’m not really into short stories, this book caught my eye and I just had to give it a shot. Inside are twenty one amazing and completely different stories that I loved for a lot of different reasons. The art is amazing and all different kinds, and I just really enjoyed reading this book. It has everything from witches, space bands, magic dogs, sad stories, pretty much everything in between. My favourite story was probably either Dumb Bitch, Witch Work or Little Red Hood, but all for very different reasons. The stories are exciting, and I didn’t expect to like them as much as I do simply because of the length. The entire book sucked me in from the very beginning, and I’m really glad I got the chance to read it. Definitely check it out if you get the chance.

Here’s a link to the book on Amazon, and I was going to try to put the links to every author/illustrator/editor in this book, but there’s just too many so I’ll just keep the amazon link here.

https://www.amazon.ca/SHOCK-Neil-Gaim…

Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

View all my reviews

Excuses

I know I keep saying I’m going to keep up on my schedule, but the reality of it is that I have a terrible memory and I procrastinate a lot. How do you remember to post on your blogs 5 days a week? I’m having a hard time all of the sudden. Sorry about that.

The Book of M by Peng Shepherd Review

The Book of M by Peng Shepherd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:
Set in a dangerous near future world, The Book of M tells the captivating story of a group of ordinary people caught in an extraordinary catastrophe who risk everything to save the ones they love. It is a sweeping debut that illuminates the power that memories have not only on the heart, but on the world itself.

One afternoon at an outdoor market in India, a man’s shadow disappears—an occurrence science cannot explain. He is only the first. The phenomenon spreads like a plague, and while those afflicted gain a strange new power, it comes at a horrible price: the loss of all their memories.

Ory and his wife Max have escaped the Forgetting so far by hiding in an abandoned hotel deep in the woods. Their new life feels almost normal, until one day Max’s shadow disappears too.

Knowing that the more she forgets, the more dangerous she will become to Ory, Max runs away. But Ory refuses to give up the time they have left together. Desperate to find Max before her memory disappears completely, he follows her trail across a perilous, unrecognizable world, braving the threat of roaming bandits, the call to a new war being waged on the ruins of the capital, and the rise of a sinister cult that worships the shadowless.

As they journey, each searches for answers: for Ory, about love, about survival, about hope; and for Max, about a new force growing in the south that may hold the cure.

My Review:
I know I say this a lot lately, but this book is completely unlike anything I’ve read before. The characters go through very different things in the same story, even though they’re working towards the same goal. It begins with the end of Ory’s world. A deer that isn’t a dear, a couple down to their last meal, and a long deserted world because of something terrifying called the Forgetting. It really changed people. No one knows why memories are stored in shadows, but it’s painfully obvious that they are now. Some are able to hang on for months, some, barely a week. This might be one of my new favourite books.

Let me start off by saying how amazing this book is, how much I love it, and how truly heartbreaking it is to read. If you think you’re going to have a good time reading this, I mean it is a good time, but I have to say I did cry at the end. And I don’t cry reading a lot of books. It switches between viewpoints of Ory and Max, the last of a group stranded in the woods after a wedding, Naz, a girl who was very good at archery and moved to the US to train for the Olympics, and The One with Many Names, or more importantly, The One who Gathers, a man who despite losing his own life in a completely different way than everyone else, has brought people together and made them feel whole again. I couldn’t put this story down once I started it, and I really didn’t want to. At four hundred and fifty five pages this is an epic read, but it did take a while to get through. Not a single second did I think, I don’t like this book. I absolutely loved every part of it, even the gritty parts.

The world that these characters live in is so much like our own, but also, very different. One day someone loses their shadow, and it changes the way the world works. People thought it was a blessing at first, and although I guess it kind of was, it destroyed the world in the process. It took peoples lives away from them. It caused immense amounts of pain and suffering, but the world that immerged on the other side is completely different. In a post apocalyptic setting there’s only so much you can do, but the characters really found a way to make everything new and lifelike. I really believed that they were going through this stuff, not just telling me about it. I really loved the tape recorder parts, I didn’t think we would get to see so many different sides of the story, but I’m glad I did. I think Max and Ory are my favourite characters. The ending is truly heartbreaking, and I didn’t expect it whatsoever. I would love to buy a copy of this book, although I’ve already read the digital edition, because I just want to have it on my bookshelf with my other books. I definitely recommend you check it out.

Here’s a link to the author’s Twitter, and another link to the book on Amazon.

https://twitter.com/pengshepherd?lang=en

https://www.amazon.ca/Book-M-Novel-Pe…

Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

View all my reviews

How do you organize your books?

Hey how’s everyone’s day going?

I know I ask a lot of book related questions in these, and this isn’t any different. In the picture I’ve provided I actually only have about half of my books, as the others half are still packed.

I tend to keep the books I need to read still on the top shelf, and everything else just kind of arranged on the others. My friend, however, keeps hers in alphabetical order by author and genre, which I think it is awesome.

I really want to organize my books like that but I’m so lazy 😂 how do you keep, or aspire to keep you books?