​Priya should be enjoying college life as a pre-med at Stanford, but a tick bite has derailed her plans.  Now, on medical leave for Lyme disease, Priya is stuck at home with her parents and brother in New Jersey.  Her body is making everyday life difficult and she is falling behind her classmates.  Priya finds comfort with her online friend Brigid and their online Chronic Illness Support Group.  When Brigid disappears from their online chat for a few days, Priya learns that she is only an hour away and decides to find her.  Priya finds Brigid's house, but inside is a scene of destruction and a large wolf-like animal.  Eventually Priya discovers that Brigid is the wolf and her chronic illness is much more complicated than anyone knew. 


Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses is a horror-comedy with a lot of heart.  The writing is an absolutely wonderful portrayal of the tolls of chronic illness, both emotionally and physically.  The characters were all well developed and I could feel the emotional impact of their illnesses as well as their triumphs.  The support group chats were some of my favorite parts.  All of the characters, even those we only meet through the chat gave a different view on life with chronic illness and how they coped. I really enjoyed this take on lycanthropy and Brigid's relationship with the illness. Friendship and support between Priya and Brigid was another theme in the book, I loved how they developed a friendship online and it only grew stronger with their illnesses as well as how they supported one another even when things got crazy. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.  

​After stalled success as a playwright, Holly Sherwin has received a grant to develop her play, Witching Night.  With the help of her girlfriend, Nisa, who is contributing haunting, original vocals, her friend, Stevie, playing the Devil dog Tomasin and lending sound design as well as renowned actress Amanda Greer as her leading lady, Holly believes she had a hit.  When Holly stumbles across a gothic estate called Hill House in the remote Hillsdale, Holly believes it will be the perfect place to rehearse without interruption.  With the rental secure, Holly, Nisa, Stevie and Amanda excitedly begin rehearsals; however, no one seems to be getting along and everyone is experiencing strange and different things at Hill House. 

A Haunting on the Hill is a gothic horror that returns to the world of Shirley Jackson's Hill House.  A Haunting on the Hill offers a slower and gradual buildup of horror elements that creates a deep sense of foreboding as soon as Hill House is within view.  The characters and the play help create the tension that Hill House feeds off of. There are many parallels between the characters in Witching Night and the characters staying at Hill House, women who have been burdened with the blame of misfortune and are paying the price publicly. Hill House doesn't create a haunting in a typical way with ghosts and scary sounds or strange movements, but seems to play up the character's flaws and subconscious worries.  Holly's intense need for success creates a sense of necessity for Hill House and it's ambiance, Nisa's covetous nature creates a need for her to explore every nook and cranny of Hill House, Stevie's addiction issues cause him to become obsessed with parts of the house and Amanda's need for a positive comeback makes her ignore all of the warning signs of danger.  The horror aspects ramped up in the end for a satisfying ending.  


This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

Noelle Layne is a horror movie buff.  She leads her school's horror movie club and is aiming to boost her social media and launch a new podcast this Halloween.  She has planned a super-exclusive Halloween party with her horror movie club friends and some top influencers that is sure to drum up some followers.  Noelle has the perfect setting, perfect costume, awesome decorations, playlist, movies (of course) and to top it off, she has hired a creepy clown to play a fear induced game of tag.  However, the creepy clown soon turns on the group and begins killing the teens.  Noelle and her friends are now faced with a real life horror movie, but Noelle has prepared her whole life for this scenario.  She knows she won't die first, but will she make it out alive?

There's No Way I'd Die First is a fast paced young adult horror with many different elements from your favorite horror flicks. I loved the homages to classic horror films including killer clowns, a call from inside the house and blood soaked prom dresses as well as the quotes at the beginning of each chapter to set the tone.  The setting of Castle Rock, the secluded, Long Island home of Noelle's affluent parents on a stormy night provided the perfect backdrop for Noelle's party.  I do wish I could have envisioned the house and layout better, other than a large house on a hill, since all of the action took place there.  The characters were all intriguing, but difficult to feel empathetic towards at the same time.  All of the teens are from wealthy families who have gained privilege from that wealth and have benefitted from that wealth in ways that others may deem unfair.  The clown, Gage, provides the mystery as Noelle and her friends try to figure out his identity and how he knows their secrets.  As Gage hunts down the party guests, the writing offers plenty of gore, strategy and scares.  I really wanted to see all of Noelle's horror movie knowledge come through for her, but Gage seemed to anticipate her actions as well as operate exceptionally well while injured.  Overall, an action packed, young adult horror with a contemporary twist. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​Eleanor Churcher has spent her whole life trying to outrun the bone hunt that her parents had written into a book "The Golden Bones" which features a woman named Elinore whose bones were scattered and must be put back together again in order to return to her true love.  Gold bones were indeed scattered around by her parents with clues hidden in the book.  However, the Bonehunter community eventually turned to the real Eleanor and believed the last bone was the one in her body.  Now, on the fiftieth anniversary of "The Golden Bones" Nell has returned home with her family for an anniversary celebration where her father is going to reveal the final missing golden bone to put together the fictional Elinore.  However, when it's time for the reveal, a very real human bone appears instead of the golden bone.  The Churcher family is sent into a frenzy with a real skeleton in the closet, a missing gold bone and decades of family secrets revealed. 

The Skeleton Key is a complex mystery with interesting characters and a plot that keeps building.  With a storyline that moves back and forth through time and from the points of view of many different characters, I was kept on my toes with the mystery of the missing golden bone, the Churcher's history and the potential suspects.  I was entranced by the entire Churcher family and how their life seemed like a fairy tale from the outside, but was cracked and tearing the family apart from the inside.  It was interesting to see how the different family members dealt with living in such a prominent and sought after family, as well as how they dealt with the renewed interest and investigation surrounding the real skeleton.  With an interesting twist and unexpected ending, The Skeleton Key offers a mystery wrapped in a mystery with a cast of amazing characters. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.