#halloween reads
So many booOOoOks, so little time!
Phantasms and Phobias, DC’s premier haunted bookstore, presents a selection of Halloween staff picks ranging from slightly spooky to downright scary.
“It’s funny except when it’s horrifying; it’s horrifying except when it’s oddly comforting.” - Jonathan W. on Ling Ma’s Severance
“Diana is a witch, though she prefers to live her life without magic. A professor of history, she wants to conduct her research in peace and is successful until a lost alchemical text finds its way into her hands.” - Allison W. on Deborah Harkness’ A Discovery of Witches
“Witness the tale that traumatized all your favorite artists when they were children.” - Adam W. on Go Nagai’s Devilman
“From the creative mind behind the Doctor Strange film comes a collection of short stories that by turns thrills, chills, and fascinates.” - Aron on C. Robert Cargill’s We Are Where the Nightmares Go and Other Stories
“The narrative burrows into your mind and nips off tiny chunks of it until you are not quite sure who is telling the truth. Best read on a gray night with a hot drink.“ - Anton B. on Colin Winette’s The Job of the Wasp
“Three kids realize to their horror that their orphanage is being harvested by monsters. Can they escape?” - Adam W. on Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu’s The Promised Neverland Vol. 1
“Foeis an unsettling blend of a psychological thriller with an examination of the structure and support of a marriage, all the while set in a creepy near-future with hazardous advances of technology.” - Keith V. on Iain Reid’s Foe
Trick or Treat does a lot of things well. I enjoyed the way that Cucsick created a creepy atmosphere and played with the idea of houses holding on to trauma. There was a sense of foreboding from the first page that only built as the story went on. That is exactly the sort of thing I look for in these books. The main character Martha was annoying but in a very believable way. I could see where it would be too much for some people, but I like that she got called out on it and showed growth throughout the book. I didn’t see the exact twist at the end coming, but I knew a twist was coming. Cusick does a good job at muddying the waters but I think I’m starting to pick up on her tells. In other words, when someone seems like an obvious suspect, it’s probably not them. The biggest issue I had with this book involves a different character whom I will not name for spoiler reasons. You’ve gotta go to my blog and read my whole post for that. To put it vaguely; I wasn’t sold on this particular character’s motivations. It’s par for the course in these books that we find some pretty dated depictions of mental health. This one was far from the worst but still cringy in that respect. There were a lot of parallels here to Cusick’s book The Locker, which is less popular but far superior in my humble opinion. So if you liked Trick or Treat, go check that one out. Overall, this was an imperfect but still fun Halloween read.
Score:3.5
For my full, deep-dive, snark-filled recap with memes, gifs, and all the spoilers, check it out over on my website blog Fits of Nostalgia!
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The Third Horror was a really interesting way to close out the 99 Fear Street trilogy. The main character this time is Kody, Cally’s twin sister from The First Horror. Kody has returned to 99 Fear Street in order to play her sister in a movie adaptation of what happened to their family. This seems like a really traumatic thing to put herself through, but she made a promise to return for her sister and this seems like the best way to keep it. I appreciated that this wasn’t a tired rehash of the first two books, even when its plausibility was a stretch and the execution got messy. There were some truly brutal kills and some great scares, which is something that The Second Horror was lacking. The ending was alright, but it could have been better. I really wish it had gone darker. It relied a bit too much on some characters making incredibly stupid decisions and ignoring the consequences. I was never sold on the characterization of Cally as an evil ghost. I keep wanting a more nuanced version of evil to show up in these books and I think it’s just too much to expect. The Third Horror was almost great; the elements were all there but it needed significant tweaking. I could say the same thing about the trilogy as a whole. Overall, the 99 Fear Street trilogy falls somewhere in between its predecessors. It couldn’t live up to The Fear Street Saga, but it was way more consistent than The Fear Street Cheerleaders. It’s messy but memorable, and it would be excellent source material for future Fear Streetmovies.
Score:3
For my full, deep-dive, snark-filled recap with memes, gifs, and all the spoilers, check it out over on my website blog Fits of Nostalgia!
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