Tag: Horror (Page 4 of 6)

BOOK REVIEW – Warm Bodies (Warm Bodies #1) by Isaac Marion

August 20, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

Warm Bodies (Warm Bodies #1)
by Isaac Marion
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

At the start of the book, I think I expected a warm and fuzzy latter half. There were not many deliveries in that department, and that isn’t a bad thing necessarily. It just wasn’t what I would have thought. Zombies eating people? Of course-I understood that concept and totally expected it. Boneys (not sure if that is the correct way to pluralize the names of these creepy creatures), not so much. They were so odd and so…frightening.

Whenever they were in the story I felt a sort of chilling effect throughout my body. They honestly just creeped me out.

We find ourselves in R’s mind as the narrator. He can imagine things in his mind, he just can’t entirely express them to those around him-like all the other zombies. R is already kind of the outsider of the zombie group when we enter the story, but only because he feels remorse for eating the living. He can’t help what he is or that he was plagued with this disease, he just knows he’ll deteriorate if he doesn’t eat, no matter how morally wrong it is to him.

One fateful day his gang attacks a group of humans that includes Julie, his love interest. He ends up protecting her, and thus brings her back to his lair. We see visions of Julie’s, and her dead ex boyfriend’s, past as a result of the aforementioned attack. I think this is what really turned me toward not liking the book as much. I felt bored and less sympathetic to Perry’s character the more we see the visions. At one point I felt bad, but I just got tired of him being a part of the story. I think I wanted it to be mostly placed in the present, and a lot of the story was not.

I loved R, he was a great hero, don’t get me wrong. I loved that he was so protective of Julie and that he was different than other zombies, I just didn’t like the supporting characters-like Julie’s dad, the past of Perry, and some of the hornier zombies…those scenes were kind of disturbing on a whole other level.

Honestly, I will most definitely see the movie, but as a book, I don’t feel better for reading it. I didn’t dislike it, and I didn’t love it. It is placed somewhere in the middle. On the one hand, I loved the insight to R-he was a sweetie. On the other hand, I don’t entirely know how I felt about Julie; she was just okay. I liked her enough, I just didn’t find her to be my favorite heroine in a novel. So, for those of you who love the offbeat romance or zombie path alike, I feel you will like it. For me, I will just simply remember it and chalk it off to a quick, okay read.

BOOK REVIEW – Enclave (Razorland #1) by Ann Aguirre

August 19, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

Enclave (Razorland #1)
by Ann Aguirre
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

While I am apparently on a dystopian kick, I found this book and decided it was the perfect solution as to what I should read next. As I read it got increasingly clear that while I was enjoying the premise, the writing wasn’t pulling me in. I liked the idea of Fade, of Deuce, of Stalker, but the author didn’t write in such a way that built the intensity of a scene or the passionate embrace we were supposed to connect with.

That is honestly the reason Enclave didn’t receive more than 3.5 stars.

More than once I would think, “Finally! The scene is going to be so grotesque I can barely stand it!” or “Kiss her you fool!”. Two totally different ends of the spectrum, I realize, but that is what the story provoked in me. But, as I said before, the author merely scratched the surface of the story. In situations where she could have really reached some emotional depth that would have made the story spectacular, she left the scene almost cold or unemotional-she barely scratched the surface of what was going on and it dramatically affected the story for me. There was so much more she could have done. I knew how I was going to write that statement, but now that I am almost 90% done with Outpost and it’s been 2 days since I finished the first installment, Enclave, my feelings for the series have changed drastically because of how much I love Outpost(#2).

All in all, this read had a lot of potential, but didn’t fully deliver for me. The characters were underdone and I didn’t care much for the Enclave itself. Once the characters broke free from the boring, restraining college, things started to get interesting-albeit not written to its full potential. Even when they were in the tunnels it was more exciting. Outpost (which I will have a review for VERY soon) has proven to be written with more heart and has turned out to be an altogether better story; I can’t wait to finish it.

BOOK REVIEW – Outpost (Razorland #2) by Ann Aguirre

August 19, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

Outpost (Razorland #2)
by Ann Aguirre
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Okay, so this is a shocker. Who knew I could go from a 3 star rating in book 1 to a 5 star after only the second? I now have high hopes for this trilogy. After the first novel, Enclave, I didn’t think there could be any possible way to love the second in the series. I mean, this author did a complete 180 and totally blew my mind. It seems that most people enjoyed Enclave better, but I can’t agree. The character development was through the roof whereas the first installment left you feeling frustrated and unfulfilled.

Deuce turned out to be a great character-even better than that?

She can make up her mind about things. So many heroines are obnoxious in their “I can’t seem to make up my mind about what I want” decision making, but Deuce KNOWS what she wants. She fights for those she loves and no one can tell her what or who she needs to be.

And Fade…I love Fade….he is so sweet, protective, caring, you name it! I love his possessive side too lol. There are just so many qualities that make him special. Even more admirable, though, is the fact that he is content with this new settlement but STILL chooses to fight alongside Deuce in summer patrol. So sweet.

In Outpost we also see the maturity that Stalker has gained. He makes self sacrifices that shocked me and even warmed my heart a little. He and Tegan seem to be getting better too, which helps with the story’s maturity level.

This sequel brought twenty times the action and peril, in my opinion. I had so many moments where I was shaking with anticipation, because how much more real can it get? No darkness for protection, dangers within the summer patrol camp, and Freaks within walking distance. My biggest complaint with Enclave was the cold and calculated writing, and my complaint was clearly addressed in Outpost. I could FEEL the tension. I could FEEL the passion. I could FEEL the mounting terror with each passing page. THIS is what I signed up for when I started reading the Razorland series. I actually cared about what happened to each and every character.

So, in conclusion, I could not put this story down. It held the perfect amount of peril and did NOT disappoint in any way, shape, or form. It was great and I cannot wait for the third. I just hope it ends well for all of our characters.

BOOK REVIEW – The Scorch Trials (The Maze Runner #2) by James Dashner

August 19, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

The Scorch Trials (The Maze Runner #2)
by James Dashner
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Wow. I
REALLY
loved this book. This is a series I am not likely going to be able to forget. Everything that happens is just dripping with uncertainty and you never know from one scene to the next who is going to be living and who is going to be knocked off the grid. In this installment, Thomas is put in the position of whether or not to trust certain people around him. Hell, I still don’t know who I trust-aside from Minho and Newt, of course. 🙂

Saved and brought to a safe house at the end of book 1, the boys are out of danger…right? Never. WICKED has found them again, and the stakes are even higher this time. As they go through the trials and variables yet again, more and more of Thomas’s group is eliminated.

But now there is also the danger of group B-situations have escalated and the peril is at an all time high. With little shelter and really nowhere to hide, the boys are like sitting ducks-much like in TMR. Often times they find themselves in dark, creepy tunnels that have no end in sight, and they have no idea what’s lurking in the shadows. At one point, I couldn’t read further because the whispers and shadows became too much for me whilst I read in the dark of my own home. One would think I was perfectly safe and capable of reading on, but I was frightened as if I was in a life or death situation like the boys.

Trust, betrayal, love, belonging…these are themes that are present in TST. Thomas is ultimately a teenager, so his emotions are naturally all over the place. After everything, and I do mean everything, bad that could possibly happen to him happens, he finally begins to take a stand-not just letting everyone back into his good graces. I was glad he finally figured out what was real and what should be questioned. Maybe it was too late when he started longing for a certain someone, but I was happy when he did. Some things are unforgiveable, and Thomas finally realized that while he has to act the part around untrustworthy “friends”, he can’t truly trust his full group now-he has to rely on his instincts and his closest comrades. Thank God. I might have reached into the book and stabbed him myself with that damn bladed spear if he didn’t start making wiser decisions.

So with my final word, I have to stress that this book is a must read and the series should not be passed over. I have grown to love Thomas as a character and to admire his persistence to find the knowledge he seeks. Now I just hope all of our favorite characters live long enough to see the world outside of WICKED’s killzone again.

BOOK REVIEW – Darkhouse (Experiment in Terror #1) by Karina Halle

August 14, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

Darkhouse (Experiment in Terror #1)
by Karina Halle
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

I can’t even begin to tell you how exciting it was to read this book. Back in the day, my best friends and I would gather around the basement big screen television and watch every scary movie known to man. Hell, we watched so many that I was literally jaded when an actual good scary movie came out-I was never scared. Jump to present day, about 7-8 years later, and I can’t even watch a scary movie commercial. Yeah, things went south quickly.

SO. I have sworn off scary movies (for the most part, I’m a lot like Perry in this sense) or anything remotely scary that might freak me out and give me more nightmares than those that already plague me. I am so happy my friend asked me to read this with her, because if she hadn’t, I most likely would have never gotten the lady balls to read this or to finish it if I had attempted to even start it.

The story most definitely starts out with a bang, I must say. Perry is having a recurring nightmare (or is she?) that haunts her frequently. Now, this made a fan out of me right off the bat, because as I stated above, I have recurring nightmares as well. Scarily enough? She has the SAME. EXACT. DREAM. that I do. She has it in the same fashion, is laying in the same position on the bed, and has the same end result as I do: Screaming her freakin’ head off. The only difference is the mouth on the nightmarish figure-that doesn’t appear in mine. Needless to say, I knew that while this might be a “starting point” in the series and not so scary for some people, it would most likely be a trigger for me. I am happy to say I did finish the book with minimal freak outs and only had to stop reading once due to the scare factor. Yay me.

Perry is such a fun character, and as I told my friend I read this with, she is the mirror image of me and my personality. It’s always fun when you can identify with the main character, and Perry didn’t disappoint. She was quirky, funny, witty, and brave to boot (now that I edit this, I see that it’s implied I think I am all these things-not what I was going for here-I was only saying she has the same inner dialogue/thoughts as I do and a lot of the same mannerisms…just a note). The biggest character trait that separates fictional Perry and I? If I had seen that freakin’ creeptastic lighthouse, I would have RAN AS FAR AWAY AS I COULD HAVE and never looked back. Oh wait, I would NEVER HAVE LEFT THE GROUP IN THE FIRST PLACE! So, suffice to say, she was a very brave character who faced her fears head on, while I, as Perry stated in numerous instances, am a chickenshit.

**“Now, despite my interest in the paranormal, I never watched those ghost hunting shows on TV. Ironically, I am too chickenshit and my imagination is far too powerful.”**

^See? That’s me-right there in a nutshell.^

And then we have Dex. Declan-whatever you want to call him. His name(s) says it all. He is a mysterious, brave, fun, and infuriating man. He lives on the edge of his seat, as far as I can tell, and doesn’t seem to be afraid of much. He is brave in the face of terror, for both himself and Perry, but urgent and quick-to-react when necessary. He is the most fascinating and intriguing when he is protecting Perry. I love seeing the change in demeanor for both high-adrenaline situations and run-ins with bitchy college “friends” from the past. I don’t think he ever has a consistant personality in any certain situation, but one thing never changes: he does his best to protect Perry, both physically and mentally. I really loved seeing his character development throughout the story, because he became a really sweet (mostly), charming guy. I can’t wait to see what happens between the two.

The writing was very good as well. I couldn’t believe that this book, that was FREE on Nook, had such good writing. It was funny, sharp, and witty. I was drawn in from the first page, and even more so after a couple chapters. This author had such a fun way of writing the story that the reader finds themself pulled into each chapter without even realizing it. If I didn’t have so many books to read at this time, I would most defintely be starting the next in the series-BUT, since I do, I will just keep this little gem called Red Fox hidden away until I get a chance to read it. I seriously can’t wait.