The Body by Bethany C. Morrow

 

The Body is a pulse-pounding supernatural horror story from bestselling author Bethany C. Morrow, where one woman must survive a series of bizarre and escalating attacks on her marriage.

Mavis broke from her parents’ congregation years ago, but she still hasn’t recovered. Their impossible expectations and soul-shredding critiques have dug deep into her mind, and she’s taunted by the knowledge that even when she’s done nothing wrong, she’ll never be right.

Now Mavis is afraid she’s about to lose the only thing she has: her husband, Jerrod. The man she’s always known was too good to be true. No one thinks she deserves him—not even after surviving the serial cheater they wanted her to stick by—and soon they’ll all find out they were right.

Mavis is already unraveling when a brush with death shows her what real fear looks like. Soon, she’s under constant attack from all directions. As the assaults turn increasingly vicious and bizarre, Mavis realizes that Hell isn’t reserved for the afterlife.

And sinner or not, no one is coming to save her.

Mavis grew up with parents who made her feel less than. She was taught from an early age that her ultimate goal was marriage. She was also taught that she would be lucky should any man be willing to settle for her. When she eventually marries Jerrod, she is in a constant state of fear that he will abandon her since she has always been made to feel that she is not worthy of love. Her skewed ideas of perfection in her husband cause her to make a choice she regrets, and now it is not her marriage in danger but her life. The reason for these attacks? Well, you will have to read it to find out.

From the description that says Mavis must survive a series of bizarre and escalating attacks on her marriage, I was expecting more of a psychological horror. While there are those aspects of the story considering her mental state and struggles with what she calls the "talons" of her intrusive thoughts, these "attacks" are not on her marriage but actual physical attacks on her life. 

This was unexpectedly brutal and gory at times. If you are in the midst of planning a wedding, this book may make you consider eloping instead.

4 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Tor Nightfire for the gifted hardcover in addition to the e-ARC.

Get a copy

About the author

The Bloody Bucket by Douglas Ford

 Nat’s dream job comes calling when a college needs someone to take charge of an annual haunt. One year before, Nat’s predecessor went inside the haunt—but he never came out. Soon, Nat finds herself confronting the ghosts of her own past as well as curses bubbling forth from the land itself.

This is such a sneaky little synopsis. It doesn't even hint at the depth and breadth of this novel.

Nat is a complicated character, supporting her equally complicated brother. She is hired as an adjunct professor to teach her favorite subject, horror literature. She will also be advisor to the students as they plan their annual haunted house. Her predecessor has disappeared, supposedly going into last year's haunt, never to be seen again.

What follows is an intricate plot involving ghosts, cursed land, childhood trauma, and so much more, woven together in a spellbinding tale of epic proportions that the author somehow makes seem effortless. 

There is so much going on here that I am amazed at the author's skill to keep so many plates spinning in the air while never dropping one. The group of students is small enough that I did not feel overwhelmed by too many characters, especially considering one in particular plays a bigger role. This was a surprisingly dark tale and is my first 5 star read of the year. 

My thanks to Douglas Ford for the paperback ARC.

Get a copy

Nightmare on Nightmare Street by R. L. Stine

Twelve-year-old Joe Ferber, his sister Sadie, and their parents have just moved into a house that has all the hallmarks of a horror movie—tombstones in the basement, a creepy doll lying around, strange noises in the wall, and so on. As Joe tries to fall asleep on the first night, his nightlight begins to flash and change colors, and the creepy doll appears in his bed … and then twelve-year-old Shawn Hannigan wakes up from a dream.

Shawn and his little sister, Addie, are seemingly living in the same house with their mother. But when they arrive at their new school for the first day, the teachers are all wearing animal masks, and the principal’s office is pitch black and full of noises. At the end of the day, a stranger claiming to be Shawn’s mom picks him up and tells him he doesn’t have a sister …

As more and more strange things happen to each of them, Shawn and Joe have to figure out what is real, and what is a nightmare.

What could be scarier (and more frustrating!) than being a kid who is the only one who notices there is something wrong with the house your parents call a fixer upper when you know it's just evil!  That is where the story begins, with one boy who is powerless to get his family to see sense.

This was such a fun story. It is an amusing and spooky tale, whether you grab it for your middle-grade readers or for yourself if you are still a kid at heart. 

The author states he got the idea to write a novel that included everyone's favorite fears while eating an everything bagel. He succeeded! There's nothing missing here. Nightmares, a basement graveyard, living dolls, weird teachers, and more, all wrapped up and waiting for anyone who dares to venture onto Nightmare Street, a place you won't find on a map but is all too real for the kids who call it home. 

There are multiple tidbits sprinkled through for adults that may go undetected by kids (I'm still laughing at the Real Housewives of Antarctica). Adults who read Goosebumps when they were kids will notice the nods to that book series. 

If you're looking for a book that's fun for all ages, this is it.

My thanks to Blackstone Publishing for the e-ARC

Available for preorder

Bloodfire, Baby: A Novel by Eirinie Carson

 A maternal gothic tale of new motherhood and the torment of a centuries-old haunting.

Before the shadow appeared, Sofia thought mothering would be all sun-drenched light and white linen sheets, as seen advertised by the momfluencers of Instagram. In her gorgeous home anchored in a posh suburb, far removed from her origins, Sofia revels in her success.

Motherhood seems like the natural next step, but when her husband travels for a work trip, leaving Sofia all alone with their unnamed three-week-old baby, she can’t quite square how mothering falls solely in her lap. Nobody seems able or willing to help her: not her husband, not her best friend, and certainly not the zealot mother she cut off long ago.

Her postpartum reality is overtaken by an ominous figure. Sleep-deprivation collides with a darkness that creeps in and begins to spread, threatening to consume her entirely. As her grip on reality slips away, Sofia learns of an insidious haunting that has plagued the eldest daughters in her family for generations. With her baby’s safety on the line, Sofia realizes she must confront her murky history or risk losing more than just the veneer of perfection.

Sofia has just given birth and is struggling with emotions and exhaustion when her husband leaves her on her own for a three week work trip. He is not entirely unsupportive but the important thing is that he is not supportive in the way that she needs.

As the days tick by and the lack of sleep takes its toll, so do the constant calls from her estranged mother. Gradually, Sofia's postpartum depression spirals into something worse. 

I think all mothers will be able to relate to Sofia up to a point, even those of us who didn't have cleaners show up to make our homes sparkle every day. Where Sofia and I go our separate ways is her refusal of any help with the baby. I know I would have given anything for a little help in those early weeks, even if it was just someone willing to sit with the baby for 15 minutes so I could take a shower. This is not her first bout with depression, and as we learn what it was like for her to be raised by a religious zealot who often seemed emotionally disturbed, it becomes apparent that this will not likely end well.

 I understand the desire to portray Sofia's increasingly fragile state and slow decline in a gradual manner, but certain parts of the book felt repetitive and dragged on for me. I would recommend this more for readers looking for stories that revolve around generational trauma and depression than horror fans.

I read an uncorrected proof through Netgalley, so there might be adjustments to the final finished copy. 

Get a copy