The Nightmarchers by J. Lincoln Fenn

 

In 1939, on a remote Pacific island, botanical researcher Irene Greer plunges off a waterfall to her death, convinced the spirits of her dead husband and daughter had joined the nightmarchers—ghosts of ancient warriors that rise from their burial sites on moonless nights. But was it suicide, or did a strange young missionary girl, Agnes, play a role in Irene's deteriorating state of mind?

It all seems like ancient family history to Julia Greer, who has enough problems of her own. A struggling journalist, she’s recovering from a divorce and is barely able to make rent, let alone appeal the court’s decision to give sole custody of their daughter to her ex-husband. When her elderly great-aunt offers her an outrageously large sum to travel to this remote island and collect samples of a very special flower, as well as find out what really happened to her sister Irene all those years ago, Julia thinks her life might finally be on an upward swing. She’s also tasked to connect with the island’s Church of Eternal Light, which her great-aunt suspects knows more about Irene’s tragic death than they’ve said.

But Julia finds this place isn’t so quick to give up its secrets. The Church is tight-lipped about the deaths that have contributed to its oddly large cemetery, as well as Irene’s final fate. The only person who seems to know more is a fellow traveler, Noah Cooper, who thinks that Julia's not the only one on a mission to find the rare flower...which, if the rumors are true, could have world-changing properties.

What Julia does know is that the longer she stays on the island, the more the thin line begins to blur between truth and lies, reality and the fantastical...until she finds herself face to face with the real reason why the island is taboo....

This was a slow burn, twisty mystery. It took some time to get to the horror. I was intrigued by the opening which starts off with journal entries from the now deceased Irene Greer. Her writings are increasingly more alarming as we are not sure if she has spiraled into madness or been besieged by something supernatural.

In the present day, we meet her descendant Julia, who is struggling with finances and depression because her ex-husband has left her with nothing after their divorce. With no way to pay her bills and no way to scrape up funds to visit her daughter, she accepts a strange offer from her great aunt, the sister of Irene, to travel to the island where Irene died to find out what really led to her demise all those years ago.

I liked the atmosphere of this mysterious island. What was once a religious group in Irene's day has turned into a cult in the present day. I liked Julia but I didn't care for the way every negative or intrusive thought she had was attributed to her ex-husband.

 I enjoyed the parts about the past and the secrets that were revealed in Julia's family. The scientific parts didn't always work for me. There is a lot going on here. Science, horror, the mysterious properties of the island, family secrets, dark history... It was a lot to take in. Knowledge is power but some things are best left undisturbed!

My thanks to Gallery Books

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American Rapture by C.J. Leede

 

A virus is spreading across America, transforming the infected and making them feral with lust. Sophie, a good Catholic girl, must traverse the hellscape of the midwest to try to find her family while the world around her burns. Along the way she discovers there are far worse fates than dying a virgin.

Sophie is a 16 year old girl who has never had a friend or been allowed to attend any classes other than at church. To say she has had a sheltered life is an understatement. Raised by devout Catholics who believe that even the simplest, most innocent of pleasures are sins, Sophie is not allowed TV or music, and her reading choices are monitored. There is nobody she can trust or confide in ever since her parents sent her twin brother away for his sins.

When the virus hits, the most protected are the least prepared. As Sophie tries to make her way to reunite with her brother across a dangerous land that she would have already found frightening in normal times, she will meet many obstacles, the least of which is a challenge to all her beliefs and everything she has ever been taught.

I wasn't sure I was ready to read about another virus. Throw in a coming-of-age tale during the end of the world as we know it, and the next thing I knew I had devoured 80 pages when I only meant to take a peek at the first chapter. The dangers lurk on every corner. The infected are not only spreading the virus but are fueled by lust and unnatural strength. The ultra-religious believe it is God's will and a cleansing of the earth. Sophie is a brilliant girl but with zero street smarts from living such an isolated existence. Can she survive? The characters she meets along the way will help shape her path, be they villains or saviors. American Rapture is a fast-paced, violent, and bloody trek across the Midwest with an ending that ripped my heart out.  

This was my first read by this author and I intend to change that as soon as possible.

5 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Tor Nightfire for the Hardcover copy

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Haunted Halls by W. A. Roberts

 

Children were never supposed to go inside the house. Kasey and her young son, Max, are about to find out why... Kasey doesn't understand why her grandmother was so against having children in the house, why the old woman even stayed in the guest quarters in the back instead of within the stately home. But after her grandmother's death, Kasey finds herself to be a single mother with no place to stay and must move with her son, Max, into the main house. It's her dream to transform it into a bed and breakfast.

Before they've even finished unpacking, Kasey wakes to Max standing over her bed at night, talking about the woman in his closet. And a few days later, he's gone. Simply vanished.

But it isn't long before Kasey begins to suspect Max is within the walls of the house, and the woman in the closet knows how to reach him. Will the ghost help Kasey, or will she find out for herself why her grandmother forbid children from entering the haunted halls?

A single mom and her young son are terrorized by spirits in their new home.

Grandma knows best! 

Years ago something happened that caused Grandma to lock up a room and move out of the main house and into her guest house. She never allowed children into this home. When she passed away she chose not to leave the house to her granddaughter Kasey but to a cousin instead. Luckily (or unluckily?) Kasey got the house anyway because the cousin didn't want it.

Kasey's son Max is terrified of the house and although she doesn't want to admit it Kasey is none too comfortable in it herself. When Max goes missing after complaining about a woman in his closet, Kasey must unravel the house's dark history if she ever hopes to see him again.

I enjoyed the back story of the house's history and its former occupants. It was a creepy mystery that I couldn't wait to unravel along with Kasey. The restless ghosts that remained in the home were terrifying at first, but their actions were repetitive at times, making the middle of the story drag too much for my taste. I couldn't stand the boyfriend Carson who seemed to be straight out of a Hallmark movie. In typical male movie character fashion, he first cajoles Kasey into drinking wine when he clearly knows she never touches alcohol and then dismisses all her experiences in the house as being caused by drinking.

So in the end I have mixed feelings on this one but if you enjoy haunted house stories this book may be for you.

My thanks to Horrorsmith Publishing.

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Love is a Crematorium and Other Tales by Mercedes M. Yardley

 

A woman builds her lover from carefully scavenged pieces and parts. A young girl is groomed for madness by one who loves her most. A neurodivergent boy organizes his life, and loss, by the ticking of a clock. And love can be the most splendid and destructive force in the entire world.

Love is a Crematorium and Other Tales is a collection of seventeen stories that are both bleak and beautiful, devastating and sweet. Enter the crematorium to experience grief, starlit nights, and gorgeous tragedy that make our souls burn from the inside out.

Beautiful and sickening, disturbing and hopeful. Wonderful, warped, haunting and heartbreaking are all words that come to mind when I reflect on what I've just read. These incredible stories put me through the wringer.

A mother's love, a sister's trauma, and an abused beaten-down daughter felt all too real in these tales. 

I thought I might be in for something more lighthearted as I began to read about a woman with sentient hair but no. Even the surreal and fantastical managed to rip my heart out.

There are stories with impossible situations and others that could happen and do happen. The title story and "Clock" are especially hard-hitting. If I seem to be cutting this review short it's because I'm sitting here stunned.

My thanks to Cemetery Dance Publications.

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