Family Time | Short Story Review | AstraDaemon

PLOP by Samuel Small is a short story revealing the reason a man appears to be living in a haunted house. Pretty gruesome with satisfying ending.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Ugh, Another Series | Horror Review | AstraDaemon

THE FIRST ORDER by Amy Cross takes place in 1956. A young nun names June is sent to a Swiss Castle to assist another nun and a priest while they conduct secret experiments. Eventually she discovers a prisoner who begs to be set free. June finds herself torn between what she has been taught and what she has seen with her own eyes, and she begins to doubt her faith.

The nun and the priest remind me of the sick, twisted characters found in The Pillars of the Earth. June's lack of conviction in anything is annoying. I wish more background had been revealed about the prisoner. However, despite my frustrations, I remained captivated with the story.

I thought this was a stand-alone, and the ending appeared to tie everything up, but there will be a sequel in this new series, The Chronicles of Sister June. I'm not intrigued by June enough to continue with the second installment.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Fight Fire With Fire | Horror Review | AstraDaemon

WHAT DID NOT DIE by Ruth Anna Evans is told through the POV of a reporter covering a house fire. While on the scene, Jordan sees a little girl in the fire, only to be told no one was left in the house. From that moment on, people connected to the reporter found themselves victims of fires.

Jordan discovers the little girl had died in the hospital, but she deliberately started thehouse fire. Soon the reporter realizes the spirit has latched onto her, but doesn't understand why. The ending is an asbolute roller-coaster of action and emotion.

The assortment of characters keeps the story interesting, although I wish there had been more dialogue. I also would have preferred more detailed flashbacks to Jordan's past.

If you enjoy movies such as The Grudge and The Ring, you should read this novella.

As always,

AstraDaemon 

Digging Up The Truth | Short Story Review | AstraDaemon

THE CAIRN IN SLATER WOODS by Gina Rosati has a lot going on for a short story format. All of the characters are well- defined, and I'd love to read a longer version with more info about Vanessa and Aunt Z. Perhaps a flashback with the two of them interacting.

I also enjoyed the preview provided afterwards...Rosati has a captivating writing style, and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of her work.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Tied Up, Tied Down | Horror Review | AstraDaemon

THE HAUNTING OF MATTHEW THORNE by Amy Cross plays the long-game with readers...for most of the book, this appears to be just another great ghost story from the author. Plenty of action, drama and suspense among the characters, with Stella and Gary under constant threat by a drug lord, and Matthew's mansion apparently haunted.

When the sinister reveal finally occurs towards the end, the twist is drawn out through more than one POV, and I couldn't have guessed any part of it. However, much like Matthew, I went mad trying to figure out the last third of the "knot."

This is one of my new favorites from Cross, and I highly recommend this story to horror fans looking for a change from the usual haunted tales.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Missing Proper Ending | Flash Fiction Review | AstraDaemon

RED SCRIBBLE by JT Lawrence is a fantastic and tragic paranormal story, but the ending is too abrupt, even for a flash fiction piece.

This could've been the author's best work, if only the story continued a little longer.

As always,

AstraDemon

She's A Tank | Flash Fiction Review | AstraDaemon

GIVING UP THE GHOST by Dean Rasmussen is a chilling story about elderly dementia patient convinced someone from her past is there to kill her. Let me just say, I freaking love Edith's fighting spirit, "I won't put up with his s--t." She stole every scene.

Edith the Tank makes the story worth reading.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Can You Believe An Alcoholic? | AstraDaemon

TRILL by Amy Cross is another great ghost story by the author which doesn't follow the typical haunted house scenario. Jessica has a lot of emotional baggage to unpack, and her love of wine does not help. I love how she gets so drunk, she's not even aware of the paranormal events happening around her.

Once she sobers up and realizes exactly what has been taking place, some of the details are absolutely shocking. The ending is so wild, Cross left me wondering if maybe Jessica is simply schizophrenic.

I also recommend THE HOUSE WHERE SHE DIED by Amy Cross, which tells a ghost story from the house's POV.

As always,

AstraDaemon

If These Walls Could Talk | AstraDaemon

THE HOUSE WHERE SHE DIED by Amy Cross is a very unique haunted house story with the narrator being the house itself. Passing through the years, waking and sleeping, the house is excited to finally have a family within. However, the house also senses a mysterious entity, which begins tormenting the family. Unfortunately, the house struggles to recall its own history, and doesn't know how to protect its new family from the thing underneath the foundation.

I absolutely love this story. The suspense is built around the frustrations of the house, much like a reader who knows more than the characters do about the ongoing situation. The partial amnesia of the house adds to the mystery of the haunting, and the ending left me screaming.

Even though this novel was released in November 2020, I'll be adding it to my TOP 2021 Fiction list, and I highly recommend this one to fans of ghost stories.

As always,

AstraDaemon

A Wedge Between Them | AstraDaemon

UNTITLED GHOST STORY by Erica Novellino is a flash fiction piece about a husband who is being investigated by the police because his wife is missing. He is also dealing with an angry spirit in his house, and he doesn't know who to ask for help.

The action scenes are great, but I would have preferred more from the characters' roles in the story. I had hoped one of the detectives would be revealed as a psychic who can see the spirit breathing down the husband's neck.

As always,

AstraDaemon

In the Shadow of Death

THE HAUNTING OF THE HATHAWAY HOUSE by Amy Cross is extremely frightening, especially if you're a parent. A malevolent spirit drives Michael's parents to their deaths: his dad dies by hanging, and his mother suffers a heart attack. His uncle, Stephen, finds him three days later, but how the infant survived is a mystery.

As an adult, Michael returns to his family home with his pregnant wife Jen, but the womanly apparition is still there, and she has a sinister agenda. As Michael becomes obsessed with the shed in the backyard, Jen is forced to confront the evil spirit without her husband. Mistakes are made, the history of the house is revealed, and newborn Lucas is soon in great danger with no one to protect him.

Told in the POVs of Michael and Jen, with occasional flashbacks, the building suspense is terrifying. As the specter feeds on the fears of the new parents, the loss of hope during the battle against such an overwhelming threat to the family is agonizing. Highly recommend!

As always,
AstraDaemon

Halloween With Blood and More [Interview]

We’ve discussed monsters throughout this month, but the reason for the season is Halloween. Some folks get old-school and celebrate Samhain, while others celebrate All Saints Day. Of course, there are those who not only celebrate all three, but also get into the dark holiday spirit as soon as Autumn begins.

I thought I’d bring back Ruth Miranda, author of the Blood trilogy, to discuss the holiday most horror fans live for…

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When do you begin celebrating, and how do you celebrate?

I actually don’t quite celebrate Halloween - shocker! - in the common sense. I do put up some witchy decor because I love marking the seasons this way and I love to surround myself with evocative reminders of the seasonal changes, we occasionally bake pumpkin pie for dessert on the 31st and we do tend to have a bit of a celebratory dinner between the 3 of us. But most of my celebrations happen inside me, does this even make sense?

October is a month that means family to me, from start to end. My father’s birthday was in October, so is mine and my husband’s. My niece and nephew too, some of my best friends along the years have October birthdays, so to me this is all about honouring the hearth, the family ties that don’t always have to be blood ones, and the ancestry running in my veins. My grandfather passed away on my 13th birthday, so I feel a deep connection to his spirit, his heritage, as deep as I felt the connection with him while he was living. I find myself thinking about my ancestors a lot during this month and finding traces of them in my children, my sister’s children, so I celebrate this link, this tie to the past, to those who came before me and made me who I am. I cherish and honour their lives and their memory, but it’s something that happens inside me.

You are currently residing in Portugal. How is the European view of Samhain/Halloween different from the American view?

Wouldn’t know about what happens in the rest of Europe, to be honest, only here. Portugal is a MASSIVELY catholic country, but it’s also a place so prone to fall under what’s commercially sold. Halloween was NEVER a thing round here when I was growing up, though I knew it from watching American films and Peanuts - best Halloween ever! - but here people celebrate All Saints’ and the 1st of November tends to be sombre and sad, folks going to the cemetery to place flowers on their departed ones’ graves.

Imagine my surprise when my kid started school and I was suddenly drowned by Halloween parties and the need for a costume for all those parties… Of course I would never deny him the experience, so he did celebrate a few Halloweens like that, but he has never celebrated All Saints because we’re not catholic. I think the religious weight has been lifted off the date a lot with the younger generations, but the older ones are still frowning upon such a pagan party as Halloween...

Do you know of any unusual Halloween traditions, such as matchmaking or soul cakes?

All I know are certain Samhain rituals...

Do you think the horror community keeps Halloween relevant or do you think Halloween gives a boost to the horror industry?

Neither, actually, for me Halloween goes beyond horror and I don’t view it as an horror prone date, but I do confess to watching a horror film or ten on Halloween!

What do you think of people trying to change the date of Halloween?

Why would they? It’s silly. Then again, the 1st of November is a bank holiday in Portugal, maybe that’s why I find it stupid that people would change the date. We get to party hard - and I sure did, back in my 20s, 30s! - and rest the day after.

How do you think the preternaturals in your stories would celebrate? Or do you think they’d find human customs ridiculous?

There’s a Samhain celebration occurring in Avalon Hall complete with a little ritual as well, and seeing that the story is set in the same preternatural universe as my previous books, I feel that a lot of the characters would celebrate in a similar manner. Except for Rune Sanderson and his gang, that is, he’d been out and about hunting witches for their blood back in his younger days!

Do you think you would ever write a story which takes place around this holiday?

Like I said, Avalon Hall reaches its climax during Halloween!

Will you come back later this year to discuss your new fantasy series?

Would love to return and talk about the Heir of Avalon Trilogy!
https://indiepublishauthors.wixsite.com/ruthmiranda

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Tomorrow I announce the winner of the Kody Boye giveaway, and I have a special review planned for Halloween, so keep checking back this week.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Life After Death

I AM THE NIGHT by Ruth Miranda is a companion story for her Blood trilogy. You don't need to read the entire series to enjoy this novel, but you'll get more out of it, if you read the first Blood book in advance. I Am The Night is narrated by Marcus, offering fans of the series his perspective on events leading up to his confrontation with Caius, as well as the beginning of his relationship with Marianne.

I already liked the character Marcus in the trilogy, but after reading his personal experiences as an abuse victim and a vampire, he is now my favorite character from the series. I wouldn't mind another companion book centered on Marcus, taking place after the third novel in the trilogy.

Last but not least, Miranda once again touches on current social issues with her preternaturals, examining how people identify themselves in various situations and the way they choose to interact with others. I found the vampire's epiphany about love to be quite a revelation, after everything he has had to overcome by himself. Additionally, the supporting characters impart significant discoveries within the journey Marcus undertakes.

Fans of the series definitely need to add this one to their Blood collection!

As always,
AstraDaemon

I'm Afraid of Models Now

MODEL TOWN by Rebecca R. Pierce is absolutely frightening! I have a feeling my night terrors are going to have images from this story for the next few weeks or so. I chose this story, thinking it might be something like Small World by Tabitha King or Stop Over In A Quiet Town (Twilight Zone), but Pierce has created something far more sinister.

The author has mixed folklore, mystery and horror to create a dark twist on an old, but well-known legend. The ending is like a roller coaster, with one surprise after another. Pierce will leave readers wrecked with this -- one of her very best short stories!

As always,
AstraDaemon

For The Love of a Woman

CRADDOCK by Jerry Gerold begins with a reluctant sacrifice to an ancient oak tree. The author increases the suspense with an abandoned town, a human-size husk of leaves and a frightened uncle rambling about something following his nephew.

I had no expectations for this story. I've always had mixed feelings about Gerold's stories, although readers can always count on him to provide unusual plot twists. In this case, a deadly family secret is unearthed.

Entertaining, but somewhat predictable.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Secrets Within Secrets

THE WEDDING OF RACHEL BLAINE by Amy Cross has such a wicked twist, I've been sitting at my laptop for more than a few minutes, trying to figure out how to write this review. When I first saw this novel, I thought, "Here we go with another jilted bride-ghost story," but this focuses more on a woman with a dark secret...marrying a man with a dark secret.

I felt so damn sorry for Rachel, once her past is revealed, and her mother's flippant attitude made me sick. Rachel is about to get married, surrounded by friends and family, and not a single person has her back. Even though this story has a paranormal element, the underlying theme of distrust and abandonment is just too realistic.

The pace is a little slow...this could've been a novella, if not for the long setup...but the ending is worth the effort to stick with Rachel's plight. Too bad she didn't trust her own feelings.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Never Trust Cherry Chapstick Girls

PARAMORTAL by J.M. Tompkins is not "a fun tale full of playful horror." Nothing fun or playful about the events which take place. This story is, in fact, an excellent mix of the supernatural and dark horror. While the beginning is a little flippant, with the POV belonging to a horny college guy, the story soon takes a very sinister twist.

I thought this might have something to do with the undead, or some similar abomination, but the nightmare Tompkins unleashes on her readers is much more complicated. The Curator is quite a character...I wouldn't mind a sequel with Gary doing some research on the old man's personal history. Paramortal's concept is too awesome too keep confined to one short story.

I do agree with the book's description: Evil Dead fans will enjoy this one. Maisey has some truly cringeworthy moments, and I'm thinking she needs a sequel as well.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Friday Feature: Gypsy Grudge

THE GREENWOOD CURSE by K.B. Knight is the first book in a series about a town with massive problems. Greenwood offers a different nightmare on every street, like a Universal Studios located in Hell, with an assortment of demonic entities to terrorize the characters. While most of the book is filled with drama and horror, Knight throws in some dark humor here and there, which only emphasizes the chaotic nature of the curse.

Knight takes the haunted house theme and twists it into something bigger and more frightening with sinister scenes reminiscent of an 80s cult horror movie experience, but in book form. As if that wasn't enough, the author whips up an ending which will leave readers feeling like they fell out of an upstairs window and straight into a new level of Hell.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Hardcore Karma

THE VAULT by Rebecca R. Pierce centers on a sick depraved man named Brent, who has spent his entire life as a POS, hurting others in unspeakable ways. After violating the trust of someone unforgiving and determined to exact revenge, Brent is forced to learn the lasting consequences of his choices.

However, Brent has no remorse and must learn the hard way. Unfortunately, when a man claiming to be the Devil shows up, Brent makes no effort to change his attitude. The author delivers a very brutal form of karma, which Brent absolutely earned.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Cursed Crap

When a mysterious box of gold doubloons shows up at his door, Garrett Unger has no idea that time and space will begin to distort, leading him to join forces with pirate Sullivan Cox against an ancient Aztec god.

FIRST GOLD by Jerry Gerold is the story of a family curse handed down from one generation to another. The writing style is very haphazard, leaving readers to question how much is happening inside Garrett's head, as opposed to reality.

The confusion could easily be meant to portray Garrett's frame of mind, but the suspense is lacking and the battle scene reminded me of a Choose Your Own Adventure book. I wouldn't call this horror at all...maybe a supernatural drama, at best.

I've read several of the author's stories, as well as the Reclamation series, and this is Gerold's worst work.

As always,
AstraDaemon