ARC REVIEW Halloween Carnival vol 1

All this week I will posting books for to help you get into the Halloween spirit, or just help you find book that will creep you out and keep you up.

STRANGE CANDY by Robert McCammon
You are always warned never to eat candy that isn't wrapped, but something tempts this Dad to eat the strange candy that appeared on the bottom of his daughters candy bag. He's about to find out why you aren't suppose to do that.

With Strange Candy it was creepy at the beginning but overall it was a sad story, yes I cried.

THE RAGE OF ACHILLES by Kevin Lucia
Father Ward has returned home to stay after serving overseas in the military. He was told no one hears confessional on Halloween night but Father Ward feels the need to do so anyways and finds out exactly why the head priest stopped listening.

Overall, this one was too damn short just when I was getting into it it ended. It feels more like the beginning chapters to a book rather than just a short story.

DEMON AIR by John R. Little
Flying on the cheapest airline to Australia just maybe the biggest mistake these people ever made. When the flight crew start to turn into something else only the strong will survive this flight.

Well it was definitely weird. This one also felt like it was the beginning to a longer story specifically an urban fantasy with a asskicking heroine who just discovered her powers of asskicking-ness. 

LA HACIENDA DE LOS MUERTOS by Lisa Morton
Trick McGraw is an aging Hollywood western star who lost his fame when his horse died. Desperate for money he agrees to do a horror movie down in Mexico.The horror movie is based on what is said to be a true story with some extra stuff like a mad scientist experimenting on a vampire added in for a bit more scare. The movie is taking place on location at an old Hacienda where the urban legend of La Llorona is more than just a legend.

Growing up in Texas especially next to the Rio Grande I heard La Llorona stories and I loved that she was the main focus in this story. I have read one other short by Lisa Morton it appeared in the Dark Screams anthology I reviewed a couple of years ago and I liked her then and even more so now. It was a great story. 

#MAKEHALLOWEENSCARYAGAIN by Mark Allan Gunnells
Dustin Davis is an author in need of publicity and to help generate activity on social media creates the hashtag #MakeHalloweenScaryAgain. Unfortunately for Dustin it does more than that when someone takes the hashtag to the next level and starts a killing spree in order to make Halloween scary again.

 Aside from this one being a little predictable it was a really good serial killer thriller, and I do love me a good serial killer story. And aside from my mind constantly thinking "The Hash Slinging Slasher" thank for that Spongebob, I loved the concept of the story. 

Overall, the last two books are what really make this book worth reading for me. 

ARC REVIEW Dark Screams: Volume Four

This is the first of this series I've read but I'm glad I did It has not just one but two of my absolute favorite authors and I was exposed to some other authors I will definitely keep an eye out for. This collection of horror, ghost, thriller stories gets to you I couldn't put it down.

THE DEPARTED: Clive Barker
A short touching story about what happens to a mother after she dies and is trapped grieving the loss of her son. He only hope for one last farewell is All Hallows Eve a chance to go out and see him one last time to say goodbye. Clive Barker as always weaves a beautiful and creepy tale of grief and moving on. A descriptive and unnerving look into the afterlife. Clive Barker is my stand by author for when I want strange and hauntingly beautiful stories.

CREATURE FEATURE: Heather Graham
I was hoping this was a stand-alone story not connected to her Krewe of Hunters series, sadly it was. Fortunately it really didn't matter it could be read as a stand-alone. If House of Wax didn't make me weary over wax figures this one sure as heck did. Wax figure artists gather for an expo to show off their work in a convention center that has been said to be haunted. The rumors may be substantiated when one artist ends up dead killed by her own wax figure.

THE NEW WAR: Lisa Morton
Mike Carson is a decorated war hero; his time in the retirement home was just supposed to stay long enough to recuperate, but something is keeping him there. There is a black creature tormenting the residents of the nursing home killing them off one by one. Mike has a hard time separating fact from fantasy as he experiences loss of time and visions of army buddies who've died in the war. This is a creepy and strange tale about the unknown creatures of the night.

SAMMY COMES HOME: Ray Garton
Ray Garton brings us a twisted tale of lost pets in a Twilight Zone/ Invasion of the Body Snatchers/ Pet Sematary type story. All over town pets have been disappearing and the Hale Family is no exception, Sammi, the families sheepdog has been missing for over a week; but when he shows back up looking sickly and on death's door it's only the start of something much much worse.

THE BRASHER GIRL: Ed Gorman
Probably my least favorite in this volume. The Brasher Girl is very much in the Stephen King style and I'm not big on King. It is disturbing and creepy but very dry; it didn't engage me and I didn't like the characters. The prettiest girl in town has a deep secret she has "friend" who tells her to do bad things. She acts all sweet and innocent and very much the victim luring in guys to help her but really is just as twisted as her secret friend.

Overall, this is a great collection of the strange and unusual.