'Better the Devil' delves into what makes a family. A young gay teen becomes a runaway when his parents plan to send him to a conversion camp. Just as he is about to be arrested, the boy takes on the role of Nate, who has been missing for 10 years. While in his new home, he realizes that the real Nate might have been murdered by one of his family members. 4 stars.
NetGalley Challenge No. 5

'The Gallery Assistant' is a great mystery thriller. It starts out with Chloe finding the police waiting for her at work. Someone has died at the party she went to the night before. However, Chloe had an alcohol blackout and can't remember a thing. From there, Chloe slowly discovers a conspiracy. The pacing of the book was excellent. It deals with PTSD and is the reason for Chloe's blackouts.
5 stars NetGalley Challenge No.4

'The Disappearance' is a short, well thought out mystery. Claire receives a text from her brother Connor, telling her to rush to San Miguel, Texas. When she gets there, Connor is nowhere to be found. There is some light romance between Claire and Ben, a cop who is recuperating from an injury. I liked the twist that connects Connor, Claire, and Ben and sets up a main part of the story. The narrator was good, but took some getting used to. 4 stars.

'Nora and Corrie are back solving mysteries in 'Badlands.' Besides this mystery, I enjoy how these books follow the journey of Corrie's career as an FBI agent. She isn't held stagnant as a sidekick to Nora. The heart of the novel deals with cults. Nora and Corrie must discover if the bodies they find in the desert are murders, suicides, or sacrifices. It was an enjoyable mystery, all in all. 4 stars.
NetGalley Challenge No. 2

'The Fair Weather Friend' has an interesting approach to the structure of a mystery. Each of the characters get his or her own chapter. Many of these characters have motives for killing Faith. Some of the characters are trying to solve the mystery while others are working on their alibi. A fun, fresh take on the genre. The narrator did a great job on all the voices. 4 stars.
NetGalley Challenge No. 1

As modern-day gothic/ghost stories go, 'The Homecoming' is excellent. Apostolides' description of the mansion is beautiful prose. There are many ways this book may haunt you, and all of them are good. This is a great debut. 5 stars.

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'When We Were Monsters' is a lovely piece of dark academia. It's a slow burn of power plays until Graffam has her four remaining students exactly where she wants them. Does she really, though? Or are they pushed too far? Some readers complained about spice in the sex scenes. However, I found them very discrete. I look forward to reading more from this author. 5 stars.

If you were interested in the Slasher films from the early 90's, this book could be for you. There's a dual timeline separated by Then and Now that describes the first time at the cottage and the present reunion trip. The actors have been keeping secrets from that first time. Secrets that prove deadly. 4 stars.
Thank you, NetGalley

I don't know what genre 'The Bridesmaid' fits into. It's not exactly a thriller, not exactly a mystery. However, it has aspects of both. I like how the characters aren't typecast. For example, the forensic lawyer dresses more like Abby on NCIS. It's a fun read with some snarky humor. I really liked the narrator. 4 stars

Cults have always interested me. How they formed, what keeps people inside them, etc. 'The Goldens' provides a great description of this. The novel follows the steps of Chloe as she is slowly drawn into one with drastic consequences. It struck all the right notes for me in pacing and character development. I loved the audio narration. 5 stars.
Thank you, NetGalley.

'Inheritance' is the exciting first installment in the trilogy. I loved the intrigue and the beginning of the romance between Sonya and Trey. Roberts does an excellent job of creating setting and character development. I feel as if I could walk into the mansion or meet the characters on the street. The narrator did a great job with the various voices.
5 stars.

'My Husband's Wife' is an excellent serpentine novel. The twists keep coming and coming. Just when I thought I was on stable ground, Feeney took out my kneecaps. As one reader stated, the twists themselves have twists. While out of the whole lot, I only liked Birdy and Sunday, that doesn't truly matter. Feeney was creating a popularity contest, but who could be capable of some of the deepest twists. 4.5 stars
NetGalley and MacmillanAudio

I fell in love with 'Snake-Eater'. It's a genre bending book, a kind of blend of cozy horror. We see Selena fleeing her past and eventually discovering her future is her own to decide. There's also a bit of found family. Also her dog Copper is the bestest of girls. This is just the book I needed while in the holiday slump. 5 stars.

'Best Wishes from the Full Moon Coffee Shop' is as cozy as the first book in the series. It's like a cup of coffee on a cold and cloudy day. I love the planetary cats and learning some astrology along the way. Basically, come for the cozy nature and stay for the life lessons. I wouldn't mind another book in this series. 4.5 stars.
Thank you, NetGalley and Ballantine!

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I first came upon Emily Tesh through the Greenhollow Duology. 'The Incandescent' is quite different, but still has beautiful prose. I love dark academia and like how the main POV is from a head director rather than a student. You get to see a different side of the academia. I also enjoyed the romance. The audiobook narration is wonderful. 4 stars.

'The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires' is a lot of morbid fun. I, especially, liked this dramatized version. There was a full cast and sound effects. While some readers didn't see the feminism, I thought it was a theme throughout the book. 4 stars.

While I would not describe 'Shaw Connolly Lives to Tell' as a thriller, it does have slow burn, stalker vibes. The Maine setting is atmospheric enough to keep the reader interested. I did find the book a little too slow at times; however, the creepiness of Anders made up for it. 4 stars.

I really enjoyed 'Girl in the Creek.' Erin arrives in a small town in Oregon and discovers a body. However, the body becomes animated by a mysterious source. The audiobook has great suspense and pacing. It is also very atmospheric. I like the eco-horror sections. The narrator has great voices as well. 4 stars.

Wow, 'Strangers in the Car' is intense from beginning to end. Come for the short, tension wracked chapters. Stay for the well-developed characters and punchy prose. The chapters alternate with two POVs and timelines, but they have almost seemless transition. A great thriller. 5 stars.

'Through Gates of Garnet and Gold' is another great outing from Seanan McGuire. When Nancy found her door to return to the Halls of the Dead, she entered without a second thought. However, when the statues are being threatened, she knows she needs more help. I always like the stories more when there is a group of Wayward Children assisting each other. Their efforts are fraught with danger and comradery. 5 stars.
Thank you, NetGalley!

I truly enjoyed 'I'll Make a Spectacle of You.' Some of it was not what I expected. However, I loved the folklore and the snippets from the diaries. Zora came into her own as the story progressed. I did not expect the ending. 4 stars.

This was a nice return to the Legends and Lattes series. What I liked most in 'Brigands and Breadknives' is the comradery of the characters. The novel focuses on the foul-mouthed rattikin, Fern. She falls into an adventure with the elven legend Asteryx and the goblin Zyll. These three are aided by the sword Nigel and the This novel is a fun cosy fantasy that will brighten your day. All voices are done very well by the author himself. 4.5 stars

In 'The Story Keeper', when Fiona returns to Wurimbirra, she finds a book called 'The Midnight Estate.' The book has instances of control and abuse from the past.. Fiona begins to investigate secrets within the present time. I liked how Rimmer combined past and present in a patchwork. I really enjoyed the narrator. 4 stars
Thank you, NetGalley!

'Girl Dinner' is a wonderful satire about feminism. It is fully of snarky sarcasm that is, at times, hilarious. It also alludes to the fact that sometimes the main threat to feminism are women themselves. I loved this audiobook version. 5 stars.

I enjoyed Helm a lot. I liked the structure of interwoven of separate stories. They gave a fuller description of the wind Helm than if it would have been a single narrative. I found some of the stories to be pretty funny. There was also the climate angle. How our refusal to counter climate change is not sustainable for winds like Helm, or living things.
4 stars.

Helm had all five of November's #WickedWords.
@AsYouWish

14 ebooks for October.
@CBee #ReadYourKindle

13 books, but no bingos.
@TheAromaofBooks #BookSpinBingo

November #ReadYourKindle #BookSpinBingo
@TheAromaofBooks @CBee

'Hazelthorn' is a beautiful, sad, terrifying, and tender fever dream of a novel. There is body and botanical horror. However, the way it is written, it is beautiful at the same time. I found myself slowing my reading down just to savor the novel. If you love Gothic horror with a wonderful and sad love story, read 'Hazelthorn.' 5 stars.
@BookwormAHN #HauntedShelf #BlackCatCrew

I both read and listened to 'The Night is Not for You' in one 9 hour sitting. Described as feminist horror, it describes what might happen to a young girl raised in fear and confinement as she begins to come into her own. Layla's town is beset by gruesome murders of men that seem to be performed by an urban legend. The narrator of the audiobook was excellent. 5 stars.
@BookwormAHN #HauntedShelf #BlackCatCrew

While Cinderella isn't my favorite fairytale, 'Cinder House' made me a believer. In this reimaging, Ella is a ghost tied to her house, which holds her stepmother and stepsisters. Magic lets her attend the ball and meet the Prince. After this, the retelling deviates from most versions. Ella comes into her own completely, and the ending is most satisfactory. I loved the characters of Ella, Nadia, and the Prince. 5 stars.
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'The Hitchhikers' is a dark novel. There is a lot of violence from Simon that sometimes seemed gratuitous, except that it fit his character well. The story centers on Alice and Tom who pickup two hitchhikers, Simon and Jenny. Alice and Tom's world will never be the same. There are twists and turns as the story progresses. I think my favorite character is Alice. A well put-together novel of rage and human resilience. 4 stars.
@BookwormAHN

While 'The Graceview Patient' isn't my favorite book by Starling, it still creates chills in the reader. Meg has been accepted into the medical trial for her rare disease. She soon finds out things are not what they seem in the hospital. Most of the action takes place from Meg's POV in her hospital room. There's quite a bit of body horror, so this book isn't for the faint of heart. 4 stars.
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#Hauntedshelf

'Happy People Don't Live Here' reads like a fairytale for the lost and haunted. The characters appear lifelike and well-developed. One of the main themes is the fallout of running from your past. Also what it means to truly live. I was captivated by the book from the start. 5 stars.

#HSCluedo

#HSCluedo

This dual plot line novel is chilling. It's also a found footage book as it is told through emails and audio-visual recordings. While non-traditional, this narrative still has fully developed characters. As a modern epistolary tale, this story does not disappoint. I loved this unique haunting. 5 stars.
#HauntedShelf #BookRec #Frightful
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Romance
Ghosthunting
Reporter
#HSCluedo

Suicide
Campus
Gothic
#HSCluedo

Kelley Armstrong is an auto-read for me whenever a new one comes out. This was no exception. I enjoyed the Sleepy Hollow retelling. Chilling and atmospheric, my attention was caught throughout the novel. The narrator of the audiobook did a great job. 5 stars.
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Openers
Elder Gods
October

#HSCluedo

I enjoyed 'Acquired Taste.' Like most collections, not every story hit, but I liked the collection as whole. The haunting stories were my favorite, such as 'Stowaway,' 'Room with a Boo,' and 'Battlefield Seances.' 'Pick Up Litter' was short and chilling. All in all, the collection and prose were a good thriller.
4 stars.
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#Hauntedshelf #BookRec #CosyNight
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Classic Janice Hallett. It's told through her unique narrative structure of texts and emails. This one is the most cosy of her books.

'Atlas of Unknowable Things' is a good mystery with a gothic twist. I did find it hard to get into the story at first and enjoyed the audiobook more. I liked the lyrical prose and didn't find it off-putting like some readers. The premise was interesting, but the ending was a little cut and dried good vs. evil. However, the book as a whole was well-written and I enjoyed it, especially the info given about folklore. 4 stars. Thanks, NetGalley!

'Eerie Basin' is a haunting tale of the lust for power. When one person wants to give up, there is always someone waiting in the wings. This time power is given to those who care for an ancient creature. The story is told through Erin and Jimmy. Jimmy has been a mainstay and has cared for the creature for years. He sees its true cost. Erin is just starting out and wants what Jimmy has. 4 stars.
@BookwormAHN #BlackCatCrew

#Hauntedshelf #BookRec #Frightful
#BlackCatCrew @BookwormAHN
This book still scares me. Especially the topiary.

#Hauntedshelf #BookRec #Monstrous
#BlackCatCrew @BookwormAHN
One of the best monster books I have read. The relationship between the boy and monster is spot on.