Syndrie

I already had some knowledge of QAnon and their beliefs before picking this book up, but only enough to know I wasn't going to be buying what they were selling before mostly tuning them out. So this book was both equally enlightening and horrifying to see just how deep their ideas ran (run?) and how much they've disseminated into the general public media.

The book itself is very well written—easily approachable with a seamless blend of both narrative and info-dumping. Cook has done a great job of mixing actual scientific information and facts with the very real stories detailing the lives of five different families who have been directly affected by QAnon. This is my ideal kind of nonfiction book where there's just enough of a storytelling aspect to make it easy to digest, while also clearly being a factual account full of reliable information.

If you're someone who's curious about how American politics have devolved into what you're seeing today, then this book probably has a lot of the answers. I'd highly recommend it to anybody looking to fill in some gaps in their understanding of current political climate.

If I had to choose between being alone in the woods with Pete Darling or a bear, I'd most definitely pick the bear (at least it would be more predictable).

Generally speaking, this is a novel about five sisters who don't quite fit into the stereotypes that the majority of the village citizens believe should apply to women in general. Unfortunately the Mansfield girls have been a source of unrest amongst the larger community for some time now, but the sisters haven't let the other's opinions change their behavior. So more accurately, this is a novel about how others perceive girls that do not conform to societal expectations, while also being a novel about how truly dangerous groupthink can be.

I'll admit that I was a little worried when first starting this novel because it seemed a little dense from the first couple chapters — the writing style definitely fits the eighteenth century setting! But luckily I was able to acclimate quickly and this actually turned out to be a very smooth read. I'd say this feels like a more modernized version of the old classics, making it much easier to digest. Full of gloomy prose that really sets the mood, along with plenty of well-defined characters, I really enjoyed Purvis' writing style quite a lot!

I also really liked how even though the Mansfield girls are the main focus of the story, we don't actually learn too much about them at all. The entire story is told through the viewpoints of the girls' nearly blind grandfather as well as various other villagers — some of whom are much more sympathetic toward the girls than others. I could see other readers getting frustrated by this, but I like how it helped keep an air of mystique around the girls and really made you wonder if any of the rumors actually held their weight.

This isn't one of those novels that's particularly subtle or nuanced with its message, so if you're a reader who really needs that then this might not be the novel for you. But if you're content to just sit back with a good book and enjoy the ride, then I'd definitely recommend giving this one a go!

I’d say that this is one of those stories where the horror lies more in the unseen than the seen.

There’s no obvious boogeyman character to fear here, just an ever-growing sense of unease that permeates through the pages as you watch one man devolve from a kind and friendly soul into a man caught in the throes of obsession over a prehistoric ruin. This is not a story of axe murderers, it’s a story about how an even bigger horror is watching a loved one transform into somebody you no longer recognize.

I would not have guessed this was a debut novel if I didn’t already know it was before picking it up! The writing is wonderfully atmospheric and Higginson did a fantastic job at setting the scene — the story told here perfectly fits into the backdrop of an isolated sheep farm deep in the Welsh mountains. Carwyn and Rhian were also both well-developed characters that truly felt like real people. In-between the creepy stuff happening in the present day, the novel intermingles flashbacks of their story from their first meeting up through married life that really helps readers get to know each of them properly — which makes the main story hit that much harder. And although I would say this story is a little slow-paced, I’m also saying it as a compliment. Everything is given just enough time for the plot to fully develop and for all that tension to really build up to a proper climax at the end. There’s also some folklore elements that really add some extra intrigue to the story and really help flesh everything out just a bit more (if you aren’t already familiar with the Mari Lwyd, you’re about to learn).

So if you like folk horror, and don’t mind a bit of a slow burn, then I highly recommend picking this one up! (And I’ll most definitely be putting Liam Higginson on my list of authors to keep an eye out for going forward.)

"Wife Shaped Bodies" read like a mashup of body horror fever dream and social commentary, and it was absolutely fascinating.

In a world where "normal" women no longer exist, a new breed of women — who are really more mushroom than woman at this point — has taken their place. But these women do not get to live normal lives as their main purpose is just to be wives for their husbands. They're there to keep the men company as well as provide new daughters to help continue the cycle. This novel mainly follows the story of Nicole, an extremely sheltered woman who has just now reached the age where she is to be wed to her husband.

Cranehill's prose is descriptive, evocative, and unsettling. This wasn't just a novel I could visualize in my mind's eye, but it's one that I could almost feel, smell, and even taste. The detailed descriptions of the women's fungi covered bodies really cemented just how unnatural their existence was while also giving off the sense of both wonder and disgust.

This is also a novel that feels more like an experience instead of simply a story. While we do have a plot that touches on themes of oppression and gender inequality, a lot of the story is used just broadcasting Nicole's inner thoughts and feelings. The novel is written in first person so we get an intimate insight into Nicole's emotions, thoughts, and physical senses. So while the plot is important to set the scene of the novel, the real story is getting to watch Nicole grow and see how her experiences shape her own personality and her relationships with others.

If you're interested in stories that are a bit weird or off kilter, and the blurb sounds interesting to you, then I highly recommend you pick up a copy of "Wife Shaped Bodies" for yourself. It's quite a unique read and I don't think a review will really be able to properly convey the experience — you really just need to read it for yourself to understand!

(Thank you to Saga Press for providing me with an advance review copy for free via NetGalley! I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.)

With a much darker twist on a children's story many of us are already familiar with, "It Came From Neverland" presents a version of Peter Pan that is both haunting and predatory while also exploring the long-term effects of childhood trauma.

I really liked how this one was less of an in-your-face gory horror story and leaned more into psychological horror aspects (although there definitely is some gore in here). The Darling children all managed to escape Neverland as children but now it's twelve years later and weird things are starting to happen around them. It starts out with small things such as the appearance of oddly behaving crows and slowly ramps up into bigger and more threatening scares. I personally enjoyed the slower pace so the tension was given full time to grow throughout the story, although I will admit some parts did get a little bit repetitive at times. I also kind of wish there had been a little more detail about what the siblings experienced back in Neverland, but the flashbacks that we do get were pretty good at painting a picture of a Peter who was cruel and sadistic.

I don't want to give too much away because I think that the sense of creeping dread is the shining star here. In some ways the escalation might seem a tad predictable, but I think that also goes to show that the story develops at a sensible level instead of trying to rely on things like shock value and crazy plot twists in order to keep the reader's attention.

Overall I enjoyed this one a lot and would definitely recommend it to other readers who enjoy stories that portray a darker side of the children's stories and fairy tales we all grew up with!

(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)