Book Review | Skitter by Ezekiel Boone

Skitter is the second book in The Hatching series by Ezekiel Boone.

Tens of millions of people around the world are dead. Half of China is a nuclear wasteland. Mysterious flesh-eating spiders are marching through Los Angeles, Oslo, Delhi, Rio de Janeiro, and countless other cities. According to scientist Melanie Guyer, however, the spider situation seems to be looking up. Yet in Japan, a giant, truck-sized, glowing egg sack gives a shocking preview of what is to come, even as survivors in Los Angeles panic and break the quarantine zone. Out in the desert, survivalists Gordo and Shotgun are trying to invent a spider super weapon, but it’s not clear if it’s too late, because President Stephanie Pilgrim has been forced to enact the plan of last resort: The Spanish Protocol. America, you are on your own.

My experience with The Hatching series is sooo weird! I hate spiders, but I can't stop reading these books!

I'm going to jump right in and say I enjoyed Skitter even more than The Hatching.

Skitter upped the creep factor, but it's still very readable for those of us who do not enjoy the spiders. (Who does enjoy spiders? I'm not sure we can be friends.) I think the whole "black wave" of The Hatching and the size of the spiders really helps. Oddly enough, I appreciate a mass of spiders more than the singular creepy crawly. There are more to these spiders than we have previously known, though. I'm super freaked out about the next book. I'm sure I won't hesitate to read it, though.

I really enjoyed the science in Skitter. I was reminded of Crichton a couple of times, and I would love to keep seeing more of that.

If you enjoyed The Hatching, I'm sure you will enjoy Skitter, as well. It's a solid sequel that does a great job setting up the next book in the series.

7/10: Recommended Read

Review copy provided by publisher

Book Review | No Mercy by Alessandro Manzetti

No Mercy is a collection of horror poetry from Alessandro Manzetti.

From the Bram Stoker Award-winning poet that brought you Eden Underground...

The Lady in Black shows no mercy to anyone; she has cold skin, a job to do, and many lovers on Earth: Despair, Loneliness, Madness, and their soldiers and killers of daily life, armed with blades, hammers, teeth, and illusions. There are strange and bloody stories that tell all about it, if you want to hear them…

Are you sure? Well, you’ve found the right place, but consider that in turning these pages you’ll be thrown forward through time, until you reach the Apocalypse—the last stop.

So, like the Lady in Black, show yourself no mercy—sit down and read these stories, listening to Janis Joplin with a bottle of Southern Comfort cradled in your arm.

Don’t worry, you’ll find both of them inside this book, along with so many other dark pleasures.

No Mercy is dedicated to the late, great Janis Joplin. Some of these poems placed me right into Port Arthur, Texas and "the smell of river and summer". I had to look up where Alessandro Manzetti is from to find out if he is simply that big of a Janis Joplin fan or if he is actually from my part of the world. It turns out he lives in Italy.

I cannot claim to be an authority on poetry. I love reading it when I come across it, but I've never really made an effort to seek out modern poetry. I used to subscribe to a lot of fiction magazines (mostly horror) and that's where I've been exposed to most of the modern poetry that I have read save for a few anthologies that have included them. My personal feeling toward poetry is that it should evoke some sort of emotion from the reader. Perhaps I only feel that way because all of my favorite poems have done that, and as I stated, I'm not any kind of an authority on what poetry should or should not do.

For me, No Mercy was very successful in evoking emotion. For that, I think it is a wonderful collection. Unfortunately, the emotions it evoked for me were not pleasant. I feel like No Mercy did it's job, but I wasn't the perfect audience.

No Mercy is a perfect title, I suppose; it's a very bleak collection.

I have no doubt there is an audience that will connect with all of the poems in No Mercy, and it will be a solid collection for those readers. If you look at the ugliness of horror and see beauty, you might be the right fit. I look at horror as something to overcome. I see horror as a balance to the light. It's more of a source of entertainment for me than something I try to internalize. I don't want to dissuade anyone from reading this collection, though, because your mileage certainly could vary.

6/10: Good Read

Review copy provided by publisher

Recent Updates and Currently Reading | June 23

I missed posting an update last weekend. I think I was in "I don't want to because it's summer!" mode. This week has been dreary and rainy so I've had much more success on the reading front. I had some time off of work due to tropical storm Cindy so I was even able to catch up on some blog tasks and reviews.

Posted Last Week

Book Review | In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson

Read Last Week

I've been starting more books lately than I have been finishing. I did, however, finish both Skitter and No Mercy this past week. In a move very unlike me, I have already written reviews for them so expect to see those soon.

Review Copies

No Mercy by Alessandro Manzetti - I dove straight into this one and finished it already. It's a horror poetry collection. How could I say no to that? Impossible!

Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill - I have no words for how much I want to read Cargill's latest book. He told me at Comicpalooza that this one is pure scifi. All that's left are the robots and now it's time for them to start killing each other. SIGN. ME. UP.

Everything That's Underneath: A Collection of Weird and Horror Tales by Kristi DeMeester - Everything That’s Underneath, Kristi DeMeester’s debut powerful horror collection, is full of weird, unsettling tales that recalls the styles of such accomplished storytellers as Laird Barron and Tom Piccirilli.

Ugly Little Things by Todd Keisling - I became a big fan of Todd Keisling after reading The Final Reconciliation. I'm looking forward to reading this collection of stories.

Entertaining Demons by Daniel I. Russell - A teenage girl is staring in a reality TV show about a paranormal investigation. I'm a complete sucker for hauntings so I will be giving this one a try.

Current Distractions

I have started watching Under the Dome on my lunch hour. Even though it is Stephen King, I haven't actually read the book. I will eventually.

I know my TV choices are weird right now! Hubs and I never really got into Game of Thrones back in the day so we've decided to start over from the beginning. We both know not to get attached to any of the characters.

Our summer of board games has continued with the last couple of weeks being mostly about Roll for It and Uno. My favorite thing about Roll for It is you can combine both editions and play up to 8 players. This works really well for our family of 5.

So what about you? Let me know what you're reading (or playing) this week or leave me some links!

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This post is being shared as part of Book Date's It's Monday! What Are You Reading?, Tynga's Reviews' Stacking the Shelves, and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.

Book Review | In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson

In the Valley of the Sun is Andy Davidson's debut horror novel.

For readers of Joe Hill, Cormac McCarthy, and classic Anne Rice, a chilling tale of suspense and horror set deep in the Texas desert.

Travis Stillwell spends his nights searching out women in West Texas honky-tonks. What he does with them doesn’t make him proud, just quiets the demons for a little while. But his nights soon take a terrifying turn in a desert cantina, where Travis crosses paths with a mysterious pale-skinned girl in red boots. Come the morning, he wakes weak and bloodied in his cabover camper, no sign of a girl, no memory of the night before.

Annabelle Gaskin spies the camper parked behind her rundown motel and offers the disheveled cowboy inside a few odd jobs to pay his board. Travis takes her up on the offer, if only to buy time, to lay low, to heal. By day, he mends the old motel, insinuating himself into the lives of Annabelle and her ten-year-old son. By night, in the cave of his camper, he fights an unspeakable hunger. Before long, Annabelle and her boy come to realize that this strange cowboy they’ve taken in is not what he seems.

Half a state away, a grizzled Texas ranger is hunting Travis down for his past misdeeds, but what he finds will lead him to a revelation far more monstrous than he could ever imagine. A man of the law, he’ll have to decide how far into the darkness he’ll go for the sake of justice.

When these lives converge on a dusty autumn night, an old evil will find new life—and new blood.

Deftly written and utterly compelling, this is an atmospheric literary fiction debut perfect for fans of horror, psychological suspense, and Western fiction.

In the Valley of the Sun reminds me of my experience with The Girl with All the Gifts. I went into it not knowing what kind of horror book it was, and my experience was much better for it. In the Valley of the Sun never actually names the horror so I'm not going to either. My hope is that you will give it a chance without finding out too much about it. It's a really great book, but it's a great experience, too. One of my favorite things about In the Valley of the Sun was the slow unveiling of what was really going on.

In the Valley of the Sun is scary, too. I was so nervous for everyone, even the villains. Only the best of horror novels can make you love the villains, and In the Valley of the Sun is one of those books.

As much as I love the horrors in In the Valley of the Sun, every bit of the credit goes to Andy Davidson's writing. This book is so well written and so well crafted. He has given us a really beautiful addition to an old horror myth, and I could not be more excited about it.

This has been an amazing year for horror releases, and you will definitely see In the Valley of the Sun on my best of list for the year (maybe even in the top spot).

9/10: Highly Recommended

Review copy provided by publisher

Recent Updates and Currently Reading | June 11

Thank you guys so much for the board game recommendations last week! I've been spending my weekend making my way through them and researching new games. I will be sure to let you know what games are working for us.

Posted Last Week

Book Review | The Cutaway by Christina Kovac
June 2017 New Horror Releases | Horror Spotlight

Read Last Week

The only book I successfully read last week was In the Valley of the Sun. It's the kind of book that induces a major book hangover so I'm floundering around in a few other books for now.

Current Distractions

Thanks to my total book hangover, I spent my Friday night catching all the way up on Orphan Black. I am definitely not going to wait before watching season 5. I normally wait until the whole season is out, but not this time. Since this is the last season, I will be keeping up until the end!

Board Games! Many of you mentioned loving Monopoly. My 8 year old had a sick day this past week, and that's exactly what he wanted to play. This one is Pokemon Monopoly.

A few weeks ago when I was at Comicpalooza, I picked up a game called Squaremino. We have been playing that one a lot the last few weeks. It's a lot like Qwirkle which we also own but never really understood how to play. We've got it down now so we've been playing both games this week. They are both really fun.

So what about you? Let me know what you're reading (or playing) this week or leave me some links!

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This post is being shared as part of Book Date's It's Monday! What Are You Reading?, Tynga's Reviews' Stacking the Shelves, and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.

June 2017 New Horror Releases | Horror Spotlight

It's time to spotlight the new horror releasing in June. I'm very excited about In the Valley of the Sun and Mapping the Interior. (I just finished reading In the Valley of the Sun, and I highly recommend it.)

I believe The Halloween Children (as well as Come To Dust) was originally a limited release so I'm happy to see to it become available. It looks like a perfect read to me.

The new Hunter Shea (Just Add Water) is based on those little sea monkey ads we used to see on the back of comics in the 80s. It sounds like a very fun read.

Year's Best Hardcore Horror Volume 2 edited by Randy Chandler
Published June 1st 2017 by Comet Press

In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson
Published June 6th 2017 by Skyhorse Publishing



The Halloween Children by Brian James Freeman, Norman Prentiss
Expected publication: June 13th 2017 by Hydra

Just Add Water by Hunter Shea
Expected publication: June 13th 2017 by Lyrical Underground

Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2) by Seanan McGuire
Expected publication: June 13th 2017 by Tor.com



A Thousand Paper Birds by Tor Udall
Expected publication: June 15th 2017 by Bloomsbury Circus

Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones
Expected publication: June 20th 2017 by Tor.com



Come To Dust by Bracken MacLeod
Expected publication: June 23rd 2017 by JournalStone

Nuke Jersey by Neil Cohen
Expected publication: June 27th 2017 by Permuted Press

The Spawn of Lilith by Dana Fredsti
Expected publication: June 27th 2017 by Titan Books

As always, let me know if there are any June horror books I have left off of the list. I have fallen behind on my horror spotlight posts over the last few months. I'm curious if anyone would like me to do a catch up post on the months that I missed.

Book Review | The Cutaway by Christina Kovac

The Cutaway is a mystery novel from Christina Kovac.

The Cutaway draws you into the tangled world of corruption and cover-up as a young television producer investigates the disappearance of a beautiful Georgetown lawyer in this stunning psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Paula Hawkins and Gillian Flynn.

When brilliant TV news producer Virginia Knightly receives a disturbing “MISSING” notice on her desk related to the disappearance of a beautiful young attorney, she can’t seem to shake the image from her head. Despite skepticism from her colleagues, Knightly suspects this ambitious young lawyer may be at the heart of something far more sinister, especially since she was last seen leaving an upscale restaurant after a domestic dispute. Yet, as the only woman of power at her station, Knightly quickly finds herself investigating on her own.

Risking her career, her life, and perhaps even her own sanity, Knightly dives deep into the dark underbelly of Washington, DC business and politics in an investigation that will drag her mercilessly through the inextricable webs of corruption that bind the press, the police, and politics in our nation’s capital.

Harkening to dark thrillers such as Gone Girl, Luckiest Girl Alive, and Big Little Lies, The Cutaway is a striking debut that will haunt you long after you reach the last page.

...in this stunning psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Paula Hawkins and Gillian Flynn.

Harkening to dark thrillers such as Gone Girl...

Can we please stop comparing books to Gone Girl? My expectations were so wrong for this book. I went into it expecting a psychological thriller I wouldn't be able to put down.

That was not the case.

A TV news reporter is investigating a missing woman in The Cutaway, but we aren't really given any details about the missing woman for the first 20% or so of the book. Instead we are given TV news and family drama.

I tried to adjust my expectations when it became painfully clear this book wasn't even a psychological thriller, but I was already wanting to move on. By that point I was reading from a place of obligation, not a place of excitement or want for the story.

My theme while reading The Cutaway was who cares? I wasn't invested in anyone. I knew there was a missing woman, but so? I had no reason to care about her.

I don't know if The Cutaway was a bad book or if I was simply set up to be a bad reader, but I do know it didn't work for me. If you decide to give this one a try, note that it is very much a standard mystery novel (with a lot of time spent interviewing witnesses) and not a psychological thriller.

4/10: Not for me

Review copy provided by publisher

Recent Updates and Currently Reading | June 3

Posted Last Week

I'm finally starting to get my reviewing mojo back so hopefully I will start posting more frequent reviews.

Book Review | The Return by Joseph Helmreic
Upcoming June 2017 Book Releases in Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction

Currently Reading

I finished reading Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar. I really enjoyed it. It's a quick read. If you love Stephen King, you should pick it up.

(I'm putting the pause on Night Film for a couple of books. I'm really loving it, but I'm burning out on it and I don't want to get stuck in a rut.)

I read The Cutaway this week. I will review it very soon. (I didn't like it much.)

Review Copies

Whispered Echoes by Paul F. Olson - Old-school horror creeps back to life in this stunning new collection from Paul F. Olson. Featuring tales of uneasy spirits, buried secrets, dark beings, and untold mysteries, originally published in the ‘80s and ‘90s and out-of-print for decades.

Current Distractions

Summertime board games have begun. My kids are obsessed with Pictionary right now so we've been staying up late drawing clues and having a good time.

I would love to hear your favorite board games if you have any that you like to play.

So what about you? Let me know what you're reading (or playing) this week or leave me some links!

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This post is being shared as part of Book Date's It's Monday! What Are You Reading?, Tynga's Reviews' Stacking the Shelves, and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.

Upcoming June 2017 Book Releases in Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction

Summer reading is here! I'm determined to make it through the summer this year! I checked my archives, and in the last 5 years there has only been one post made in the month of June. I am just not a summer reader... but maybe this list of books can help change that! These are the books releasing in June that I'm most excited about:

In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson
Expected publication: June 6th 2017 by Skyhorse Publishing

The Evaporation of Sofi Snow (The Evaporation of Sofi Snow #1) by Mary Weber
Expected publication: June 6th 2017 by Thomas Nelson

Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab
Expected publication: June 13th 2017 by Greenwillow Books



Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones
Expected publication: June 20th 2017 by Tor.com

Shattered Minds (False Hearts #2) by Laura Lam
Expected publication: June 20th 2017 by Tor



Twelve Days by Steven Barnes
Expected publication: June 27th 2017 by Tor Books

Shark Island by Chris Jameson
Expected publication: June 27th 2017 by St. Martin's Paperbacks

The Child by Fiona Barton
Expected publication: June 27th 2017 by Berkley Books

What about you? What June books are you most excited about? Are there any books on your list that I need to know about?