Tag: Horror

Posted in Horror, Thrillers, Young Adult

The Haunting

Posted on by Mama

Original post from my Mom blog here – https://mamaonthemove1.wordpress.com/2025/09/09/book-review-the-haunting/

Title: The Haunting


Author: Natasha Preston


Genre: Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Young Adult


Number of Pages: 354


My Rating: đź’‹đź’‹đź’‹đź’‹đź’‹


Book Summary:

Haunted by the past . . .

Penny’s trying to forget about her ex, Nash. His father was arrested for the brutal murder of four teenagers on Devil’s Night last year. Penny’s parents have forbidden her to have anything to do with Nash or his family. It’s hard not to think of what happened as spooky season gets underway–but she’s trying.

That stops when she goes to the Halloween store with her friends to find a costume. What she finds instead is ripped from a horror movie: a girl from school bleeding out on the floor of a dressing room. Stabbed.

Is a copycat killer on the loose? The adults are saying no. But Penny knows better.


My Thoughts:

I’m not going to lie, I really enjoyed this one and it was a quick read for me. I truly didn’t want to put it down. The twists and turns, not to mention I absolutely loved the quick pace of the story. It didn’t give you much downtime, which I personally love in a novel.

I am well aware of the mixed reviews that the author, Natasha Preston, receives for her novels, but come on! Her stories are fast-paced, dark psychological thrillers, the settings are always vivid as if you are there with the characters and definitely emotionally charged. Her endings are definitely something to be desired, but I really don’t mind. I just wish she would maybe include an epilogue, but I digress.

Let me get back to my review here before I completely derail. The characters were emotional, intriguing and traumatized in their own ways.

Penny is our protagonist in this story and immediately you are drawn to her. She is determined, curious, emotional and definitely traumatized. She is still emotionally entangled with her ex, Nash and despite parental restrictions and a whole town ostracizing Nash and his sister, she eventually teams up with him to uncover who is behind the copycat killings. But events start to escalate and it seems she is the main target. She often acts on teenage impulse and emotions, which was written pretty well. Her tenacity drives the plot, though I had to admit it was sometimes frustrating.

Nash, the “troubled” ex-boyfriend is ostracized due to the sins of his father, but he tries to find normalcy and peace among the chaos. Nash becomes Penny’s investigative ally and despite his hesitation to get involved. The town throws him on the suspect list almost instantly, but could he do this? Penny doesn’t believe so and you can tell that he too is still emotionally entangled with Penny, but really doesn’t know how to go back to the way it was. In the end, it does cost him.

Nash’s sister Grace is also a “main” character, but she is more in the background for most of the story. I’d consider her part of the narrative, but less prominent. She is also shunned by the town and you can clearly sense hurt when she is first introduced. However, she definitely lands on the suspect list for the town very early….Like father, like daughter?

Penny’s rag-tag group of friends are also minor characters in their story line, but great additions. Adi is Penny’s best friend, her ride or die if you will. She is there with her fun attitude and supportive nature. Zayn is caring and often checks in – helping Penny throughout the novel. Omar is the goofball, horror aficionado and brings more of a light vibe throughout the novel.

The Haunting delivers a fast-paced, 90’s teen slasher vibe. While the character development wasn’t intricate in any way, the main focus seemed to be on Penny and Nash. Everyone else was more face value….for the most part. No spoilers of course! I felt like this moved the story along, solidifying the teen slasher atmosphere and mystery that comes along with it; ‘Who is behind all of it and Why?‘ I was okay with not having this as a in-depth and emotionally engaging read.

I wanted something more “light” and a bit, in my opinion, campy. I enjoyed it, I must have if I finished it so quickly! I personally like Natasha Preston as an author and I’m sure I’ll be reading more of her in the future. But please, can we maybe get an Epilogue in the next novel?!

Currently reading The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley and to be honest, I’m almost finished.

Hope you enjoyed and keep an eye out for the next review!

Ciao!

Posted in Horror, Mystery

The Graveyard Shift

Posted on by Mama

Original post from my Mom blog here – https://mamaonthemove1.wordpress.com/2025/08/19/book-review-the-graveyard-shift/

Title: The Graveyard Shift


Author: Maria Lewis


Genre: Crime, Horror, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller


Number of Pages: 317


My Rating: đź’‹đź’‹đź’‹đź’‹đź’‹


Book Summary:

Tinsel Munroe is the host of The Graveyard Shift – a late-night radio show where she and her loyal listeners celebrate the sounds of cult cinema. She has busted her ass to carve out this section of the airwaves and nothing will keep her from reaching her prime-time dreams…

That is, until someone gets murdered live on air.

She’s freaked out by the horrible incident. Her true crime-obsessed sister Pandora is fascinated by it. Detectives assure them the killer will soon be caught.

Yet with a growing, macabre audience that likely includes the killer, Tinsel begins receiving strange messages. Her home and her workplace suddenly aren’t the sanctuaries she once thought they were.

And the bodies won’t stop dropping, with the killer or killers striking in increasingly gruesome ways. In order to survive, Tinsel is going to have to listen to more than just the airwaves…


My Thoughts:

Frankly I loved this thriller which was clearly written for fans of all things in the horror genre. It begins on Halloween night (OBVIOUSLY!), and of course you have the classic reference to Michael Meyers (from the legendary movie Halloween) right off the bat. The novel is packed with plenty of horror movie references and culture.

Even though it’s a thriller, the novel is a very light, easy and a captivating read. And I love the fact that it wasn’t intentionally trying to scare you, but keep you on your toes instead. I enjoyed that there was quite a lot of dialogue and banter between the characters, which in turn made me love them all the more. I felt that you got to see more of their personalities this way.

Now that I’ve blabbed on, let me get into the nitty gritty.

We have the badass main character, Tinsel Munroe, who is a horror film buff and host of a late-night horror themed radio show – The Graveyard Shift. During her Halloween show, she was taking viewer calls, when suddenly a fan was brutally murdered on live air, her screams and last breaths broadcasted for everyone to hear. Unaware of the reality, Tinsel chalked it up to a Halloween prank until the cops show up the following day to reveal the awful truth.

While the detectives continue to investigate and work the case around Melbourne, people who are linked to the film industry keep dying and the body count keeps rising. It seems that Tinsel and the film industry are at the center of it all, but why?! It’s the nagging question throughout the entire novel. Tinsel is saddled up with Detective James for protection, which they develop a mutual attraction for one another. But he’s honest with her about the case whenever she asks. Their relationship becomes close….very close and quickly.

However, the investigation becomes stagnant and Tinsel decides to take things into her own hands. Luckily, Tinsel in all her spunky personality has an equally tenacious sister named Pandora. Pandora is a true crime blogger with a few connections and they are in a race against the clock to find the killer.

Frankly, you can’t help but love the characters each in their own ways, even the side characters are fun and lovable. Tinsel is a spunky, retro-style, horror loving radio host with sass and drive that makes you root for her the entire book. Pandora is a mom with tenacity, a hunger for all things true crime and a zest for life, especially when it comes to keeping her sister alive in hers. Detective James is masculine, strong and seems to have a no none sense demeanor, but you quickly learn that he’s a big softy with a fun, easy going personality.

I know when I read other reviews, people felt like the romance aspect deterred from the main story, however I quite liked the little breaks from the thriller. To me it depicted a potential real life scenario, which I guess if you want a full on and action packed thriller, then you probably wouldn’t enjoy that aspect. However, I did. Someone’s life can’t be all doom and gloom all the time, there has to be a little bit of sunshine sometimes, right?

The only thing that did bother me, but not enough for me not to give this five Baci, is the face that she was often left at the studio alone with only one security guard and no late night producer. Also that her sister Pandora would put her phone on airplane mode during the night. Considering the nature of her work, which was true crime blogging, and the fact that her sister was endanger of a psychotic killer, you would think it would stay on in case of an emergency. I get not wanting the phone to wake your kiddos, but there is vibrate mode for a reason!

The ending was quite predictable once all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. There was a bit of a shocker, which I won’t spoil but let’s just say, that one was a little unnecessary to add in at the end.

Nevertheless, I loved this novel and if I could have been locked away for a few days, I probably would have finished it in that time. I really didn’t want to put it down, but my little baby girl needs my attention more then a novel. I truly recommend it to anyone who needs a light read and trust me you will fly through it. I felt the author was inventive in the story telling that I really can’t be mad about. Also, a little romance sprinkled in didn’t hurt! But fair warning, you will either love or hate this book, there isn’t an in-between. But if this type of novel intrigues you, give it a shot!

Hope you enjoyed the review! On the go at the moment is The Last Laugh by Lynn Freed and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. So look for those reviews in the near future!

Ciao!

Posted in Historic Fiction

The Countess

Posted on by Mama

Original post from my Mom blog here – https://mamaonthemove1.wordpress.com/2025/07/24/book-review-the-countess/

Title: The Countess


Author: Rebecca Johns


Genre: Historic, Fiction, Historical Fiction


Number of Pages: 355


My Rating: đź’‹đź’‹đź’‹đź’‹


Book Summary:

Was the “Blood Countess” history’s first and perhaps worst female serial killer? Or did her accusers create a violent fiction in order to remove this beautiful, intelligent, ambitious foe from the male-dominated world of Hungarian politics?
 
In 1611, Countess Erzsébet Báthory, a powerful Hungarian noblewoman, stood helpless as masons walled her inside her castle tower, dooming her to spend her final years in solitary confinement. Her crime—the gruesome murders of dozens of female servants, mostly young girls tortured to death for displeasing their ruthless mistress. Her opponents painted her as a bloodthirsty škrata —a witch—a portrayal that would expand to grotesque proportions through the centuries.

In this riveting dramatization of Erzsébet Báthory’s life, the countess tells her story in her own words, writing to her only son—a final reckoning from his mother in an attempt to reveal the truth behind her downfall. Countess Báthory describes her upbringing in one of the most powerful noble houses in Hungary, recounting in loving detail her devotion to her parents and siblings as well as the heartbreak of losing her father at a young age. She soon discovers the price of being a woman in sixteenth-century Hungary as her mother arranges her marriage to Ferenc Nádasdy, a union made with the cold calculation of a financial transaction. Young Erzsébet knows she has no choice but to accept this marriage even as she laments its loveless nature and ultimately turns to the illicit affections of another man.

Seemingly resigned to a marriage of convenience and a life of surreptitious pleasure, the countess surprises even herself as she ignites a marital spark with Ferenc through the most unromantic of the violent punishment of an insolent female servant. The event shows Ferenc that his wife is no trophy but a strong, determined woman more than capable of managing their vast estates during Ferenc’s extensive military campaigns against the Turks. Her naked assertion of power accomplishes what her famed beauty could capturing the love of her husband.

The countess embraces this new role of loving wife and mother, doing everything she can to expand her husband’s power and secure her family’s future. But a darker side surfaces as Countess Báthory’s demand for virtue, obedience, and, above all, respect from her servants takes a sinister turn. What emerges is not only a disturbing, unflinching portrait of the deeds that gave Báthory the moniker “Blood Countess,” but an intimate look at the woman who became a monster.


My Thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel once I became immersed in it; however, if you’re expecting a gothic tale of vampires or a fast-paced thriller about cold-blooded murders, you may find yourself disappointed.

The novel is a beautifully written fictionalized memoir of the real-life Hungarian Countess ErzsĂ©bet (Elizabeth) Báthory, infamously known as the “Blood Countess” due to the numerous young servant girls who were murdered under her care. Within the story, she is also portrayed as an “evil stepmother” figure to these girls. Though she welcomed them into her home with good intentions—offering them basic education, providing dowries, and at times even attempting to arrange marriages—any misstep on their part was met with harsh and often brutal punishment, laced with pain and deep humiliation.

The author doesn’t just paint a portrait of her cruelty, but elegantly paints a profile of a beautiful, strong, intelligent and well-educated woman. In a time where woman were coveted for their beauty and ability to bare children and provide an heir. But behind every great man, was a woman who ran the house and holdings. The Countess was a master at all of it, which I believe is what got her into trouble later in life.

However, the Countess had been through her fair share of hardships and cursed love affairs. Ultimately, every man whom she gives her love and affection to, including her son, pass her over for someone else. She fears she’ll never feel love again, and that one day she’ll be left powerless and ignored by men. This fear slowly drives her mad—until it ends, quite literally, in bloody murder.

But this isn’t a story about madness or a woman feeling sorry for herself. Instead, it’s a vivid tale of a clever, strong-willed woman trying to protect her family’s power during a time of war and shifting loyalties. The story focuses so much on her political and emotional strategies that the murders of the young girls in her care don’t come to the forefront until much later. By then, Bathory has revealed herself as smart, witty, charming, and generous—so much so that, it’s hard to believe she could truly be guilty.

The author’s focus on Countess Bathory’s childhood gives the story real depth. Without it, The Countess would be just another tale about a heartless killer—a typical, blood-soaked narrative full of violence but lacking substance.

This novel shows how deep, hidden fears can slowly damage the mind—especially when a woman like Elizabeth Bathory is forced to live under strict rules that leave her and her children vulnerable to betrayal, poverty, violence, and even death. On the surface, she seems calm and collected, but internally the pressure and fear quietly build.

In the end, Elizabeth’s violent outbursts make sense as the result of constant stress, emotional loss, and betrayal. Especially after losing some of her children and being rejected and humiliated by the men she depended on for safety.

My only critique is that the story moved a bit slowly at times, and I would’ve liked to read more about the trials involving her servants. Bathory’s fate was sealed when she was bricked into her tower, where she stayed until the end of her life.

That said, I definitely recommend this novel if you enjoy a rich, engaging historical read that leaves you questioning what really happened. The the depictions of the murders are not for the weak of heart, so be forewarned. I’ve always been fascinated by the story of Elizabeth Bathory, and this book only made me more curious. Rebecca Johns’ writing is wonderfully done, and I’ll absolutely be checking out more of her work!

Hope you enjoyed the review!

Ciao!