A Head Full of Ghosts

Title A Head Full of Ghosts
Author: Paul Tremblay
Genre: Horror
Source: Library Hardback
Rating: 3 out of 5 paws


The Barretts seem like a normal suburban family.  Soon their perfect life begins to crumble, dad loses job and the oldest daughter begins acting strange and saying things a 14 year old girl shouldn't say.  There are signs of schizophrenia, but dad believes their is something more sinister happening.  With the help of Father Wanderly, they come to the conclusion Marjorie is possessed.  If life with a possessed daughter wasn't hard enough a production crew is ever present in the house as they film a reality show "The Possession."  This could be the answer to all their prayers.  Years later, a writer interviews Merry, the youngest sister about the events that happened during the show.  Secrets and painful memories are brought back to life as Merry relives everything the family went through.  But the question an avid horror blogger poses is....was it all real or was it all fake?

I picked up this novel as an attempt to step outside of my reading comfort zone.  I have only ever really read 2 or 3 horror novels and know it is not a genre for me, but I decided to give this one a shot and see if Paul Tremblay could win me over.  Unfortunately, he didn't.  I found the story to be a little bland.  While it was interesting and I did finish the book in about two days, it seemed to really drag on and didn't have much that was actually scary.  If you want scary and demon possessed story check out Seven X by Mike Wech.  Now that was one I didn't want to read at night.  I digress....


I couldn't find myself really relating or caring about the characters all that much, they were just....there.  Merry while she was 8 seemed to think and talk in a way an 8 year old wouldn't yet she was still obsessed with childlike things like a playhouse and children's picture books.  From the beginning, I felt like there was something a little bit...off with Merry.  There was more to her than we actually see in the novel because the primary focus was always on Marjorie.  We learn virtually nothing about any of the characters including Merry who is supposed to be the main character.


Then we have the blog posts which made no real sense to me other than to explain what was happening in the house during the show and attempts to debunk what we see.  The writer of this blog I feel is revealed a little too early.  I think it should have been held back or not even used at all, it didn't shed light onto anything within the story.  I would think Merry would have been a little more traumatized to witness some of these events even if her sister claimed she was faking.  Almost nothing added up for me and I felt a little let down.  I wanted to be scared. 


There were a lot of references to pop culture items such as The Exorcist, but only to point out all the similarities and how much alike it was. Was this to make the readers feel like it was all fake?  It was an okay book for me and I would recommend it to others who like this genre, but don't expect it to actually be scary or even creepy.

D Like Doll E Like Evil

Title: D Like Doll E like Evil
Author:Omid Olfet
Genre: Horror
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars





John's mother and father have split and John losses his connection with her, the only thing he has that connects him to her is a doll.  John moves in with his dad and step mother, whom he struggles to find any affection towards.  Shortly after he becomes mute and no one understands why.  When he opens his mouth to speak, all he says is utter gibberish.  Throughout the course of John's young life events occur that make his feel more animosity towards his step mother, which in turn puts a strain on the relationship with his father Max.  Stepmother is able to manipulate his father enough to make him turn on the young boy as well. Causing him to turn more towards his doll which in turn has some interesting effects on the step mother. Will John be able to overcome his evil step mother or will he succumb to her tactics as well?


I like the idea of this story, young boy loses his mother, is abused by his step mother, therefore turns to the only thing he has that connects him to his mom, a doll.  Great idea, a lot potential, but very poorly executed.  The novel is rather short about 67 pages long, so while it is a quick and easy read there are still many questions left at the end of the novel.  We know what happens, but readers are left with more questions than need be.  There were many parts of the story that felt awkward and didn't fit well with the rest of the story. 


Some of the wording was off for example in the beginning of the novel when Max's mother is speaking "'Everything is God's will never forget that.' Max's mother named Martha said"  When reading that sentence it feels choppy.  This kind of choppy sentence structure continues throughout the rest of the novella which makes it difficult to read.  There are also no spaces between paragraphs so it feels as though one is reading a rather long paragraph rather than a book.  In the same sense, there is no spacing or clear distinction between speakers making it hard on the reader to determine who exactly is speaking.


I think Omid has a wonderful idea for a great novel, it just needs to be cleaned up a bit.  Part of me wonders if the book was originally written in another language, different from English, and then translated, which might explain some of the awkward sentence structure.  If you enjoy horror and can look past odd sentencing and long paragraphs, the by all means pick up a copy of this book.  I personally had a hard time finishing it, thus giving it a rating of 2 out of 5 stars.

The Rogue Mountain

A creature hidden in the mountains, lurking, watching, waiting.  Down below a town living to survive with hellish beings living in their backyard, learning to protect themselves from the creatures of the mountains.  Three teenagers long for a life away from wood devils and hell cats.  A woman doing everything she can do to survive while another lives in a perpetual nightmare.  A monster hunter comes on a mission to cleanse the area of the beasts, only to bring unwanted attention from the witch on the mountain.  Secrets rise to the surface and a town finds out the truth behind their fears.  Welcome to the Rogue Mountains where nothing is ever what it seems.


I will start the disclaimer that this book is not available yet, it is set to release in October, October 3rd I believe.  But I had the honor of sort of beta reading this book for an author dear to me.  This is the debut novel for Joshua Tarquinio.  The book is a mix of supernatural/post-apocalyptic thriller, horror, fantasy, self-realization, with a touch of questioning theology.  The story centers around a small town outside of Pittsburgh after an apocalyptic event that opens the doors to the supernatural.   Now this town learns to survive with various beings attacking them, and the knowledge that there is a witch hidden in the mountains that no one has ever been able to go near. Three teens are the only entertainment in town, but long for something more.  Everyone basically lives their lives one day at a time hoping to survive, hoping to one day be free of the beings that prowl their woods and mountains.  Then a monster hunter, Del Ballatine rolls into town with the intent of ridding them of these creatures.  He and naïve Nigel venture out to the woods and happen upon a hell hound, which they take down.  But this gains the attention of the witch in the mountain and all hell breaks lose, literally.  Secrets are revealed and the state of the village changes forever.


The novel does start out a little slow with a great deal of background on the characters, and takes a little bit of time to build up to the climax.  But those details are necessary in understanding the characters and why they act and react the way the do in situations that arise further into the book, also this gives you an understanding of the town functions together, how they arise to the mob mentality so to speak.  Through this part you form a connection with the characters and town in general.  It helps with the wow factor and the twists that's happen throughout the novel.  Tarquinio does a fantastic job dragging his readers into his world, and holds them under a spell, much like the cave worm in his story.  One of my favorite elements in the story was a being known as a nightmare, one that attaches itself to a person and causes them to live in a state of a living nightmare.  It preys on the happy memories and changes them into nightmares.  It is literally the stuff of nightmares and almost makes your skin crawl.  The creatures he creates in this book are not only characters, but become apart of the atmosphere as they lurk in the shadows.


There are times in the novel when some of the characters question the existence of God in that the book takes place 20 years after the Biblical apocalypse takes place and well the world didn't end.  So characters wonder where is God, did he ever exist, is there such as thing as intrinsically evil or can a supposed evil being redeem itself.  A couple points in the story I found myself audibly whispering "no" when something happen.

I am excited to see what else Tarquinio has in store for readers with sequels, prequels or other stories unrelated to this one.  He has a knack for bringing the thrill of the unknown to the surface and his readers.  I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy supernatural thrillers, horror, fantasy, adventure.  Because I am a little bias for the fact the Josh is a dear friend of mine and my opinion of the book reflects my friendship, I will not rate the book the way I normally do.  But will simply say definitely keep your eyes out in October for when the book is release.

Suicide Forest

Title: Suicide Forest by Jeremy Bates
Media Source: Ebook - Kindle
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Recommendation:  Such a creepy story, don't read it at night.  I highly suggest this novel to anyone who enjoys a great folklore and creepy story.

 Aokigahara forest lies just outside of Tokyo.  Several travels expecting to hike Mt. Fuji get stranded by the rain and decide to camp out in  Aokigahara instead.  They learn the legend of  Aokigahara forest being a popular site for people to commit suicide.  Many in the group decide they do not want to spend the night, while others don't believe the legends and convince everyone to spend one night in the forest.  They walk off the trail deep into the forest to find a good spot, and notice there is no sign of life, not even birds chirping.  The next morning one of their group members is found hanging in a tree.  The try to find their way out only to get lost deeper into the forest.  While they try to work together, personal feelings and emotions begin to get in the way.  Will they be able to find their way out, will they survive the legend of Suicide Forest?

Jeremy Bates does a phenomenal job at writing a spell binding story.  I honestly could not put this book down.  The story unfolds through Ethan's eyes, an American living in Japan teaching English.  His backstory is slowly unraveled throughout his interactions with other members of the group, as well as their stories.  The story is told at a steady pace, with the group responding to their situations according to their personalities.  Bates takes the time to use things at add a cultural sense to the story with his descriptions of music, food even reading material as well as Tomo's (a psychology major) language and attempts with American slang.  While the group come from various different backgrounds, they all share thoughts about suicide or even death, which is revealed throughout the novel.  Not that they think about committing it per say but rather their individual thoughts on the subject.  Suicide Forest holds intrigue for each person, and as the story unfolds it holds intrigue for the reader as well.  One which may cause the reader to contemplate their thoughts on the subject as well (again not thoughts on performing the act, but general thoughts).

There are several twists and turns leading up the to climax of the story which will take readers off guard.  This is definitely a book that is NOT predictable.  The shocking end to this story will leave readers not only satisfied with the story, but also pondering who the real monsters are.  There is always some sense of truth to every legend.  Jeremy Bates takes folk lore and makes it his own.  He adds his own touch to the truth behind Suicide Forest.  The story really drags you in and holds you captive until the very end.  Then it leaves readers craving more from this exceptional author, I know I want more.