Hi everyone! I’m back with yet another Bookstagram & Creative Tour (hosted by MTMC Tours) post and this time it’s going to be a mini-review plus book recommendations for young adult horror fans.
Today I’ll be talking about Horror Hotel by Victoria Fulton & Faith McClaren. This addictive YA horror was published on February 1st, 2022 from Underlined/Penguin Random House!
Continue reading “BOOKSTAGRAM & CREATIVE TOUR | BOOKS TO READ AFTER FINISHING HORROR HOTEL”
Hi everyone! Today I’m excited to participate in the blog tour for Secrets in the Dark – Book 2 in the Black winter series, written by Darcy Coates, published by Sourcebooks Fire and hosted by Midas PR.
Continue reading “BLOG TOUR | Excerpt: Secrets in the Dark, written by Darcy Coates”
Hello everyone! Today I’m going to be reviewing Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, published by Quercus Books(UK) on June 30th. The first book I read and loved by Moreno-Garcia was The Gods of Jade And Shadow. Mexican Gothic proved to be even more of a captivating and stunning book.
Continue reading “Book Review: Mexican Gothic, written by Silvia Moreno-Garcia”
Publication date: September 24th, 2019
Publisher: Imprint
Pages: 464
Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Mystery
Buy: Book Depository | Wordery | Amazon | B&N
Synopsis:
Simmering in Patagonian myth, The Tenth Girl is a gothic psychological thriller with a haunting twist.
At the very southern tip of South America looms an isolated finishing school. Legend has it that the land will curse those who settle there. But for Mavi—a bold Buenos Aires native fleeing the military regime that took her mother—it offers an escape to a new life as a young teacher to Argentina’s elite girls.
Mavi tries to embrace the strangeness of the imposing house—despite warnings not to roam at night, threats from an enigmatic young man, and rumors of mysterious Others. But one of Mavi’s ten students is missing, and when students and teachers alike begin to behave as if possessed, the forces haunting this unholy cliff will no longer be ignored.
One of these spirits holds a secret that could unravel Mavi’s existence. In order to survive she must solve a cosmic mystery—and then fight for her life.
– My Thoughts –
The Tenth Girl is described as a gothic horror set in a creepy boarding school in Patagonia. I was so looking forward to this book and it was good but failed to leave a lasting impression on me.
The story has two timelines told by two narrators; one is our young teacher Mavi and the other is a mysterious being named Angel. For Mavi, this school is her salvation as she’s got nowhere to go and even though she’s been warned of a curse on this school, she ignores it. Upon her arrival, she notices that the house..rather, the mansion is not normal. She’s advised to stay in her room at night and not to wander around the house. We’re constantly reminded of the creepiness of the mansion on top of the complete isolation and the near arctic atmosphere.
Soon, Mavi finds a student missing and strange things start happening in the house that forces Mavi to rethink the warnings she received before arriving.
I love the atmosphere the author created in this book. You’ll get chills from thinking about a dilapidated house in the middle of nowhere. Even the house, it seems, has a mind of its own..so it doesn’t matter if you’re outside or inside: You’re not safe. This is own voices for Latinx representation and includes tidbits of real-life stories from the author’s family members living under the oppressive rule in 1970’s Argentina. This book also includes mythology from an indigenous group based in modern Patagonia and it adds a horror element to the story. The twist that came in the end was so unexpected that I had to go back and re-read the last pages again. I have conflicting feelings about this twist; it was unique and asks more moral questions of us but I’m not sure how I feel about it just yet.
Overall, I would recommend this book If you want to read a young adult debut with horror elements, that has a very twisted climax. Despite my conflicted feelings about this book, I’ll definitely keep an eye on Sara Faring’s upcoming titles.
Thanks to the publisher for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
– About the Author –
Born in Los Angeles, Sara Faring is a multi-lingual Argentine-American fascinated by literary puzzles. After working in investment banking at J.P. Morgan, she worked at Penguin Random House. She holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in International Studies and from the Wharton School in Business. She currently resides in New York City.
Her first novel, The Tenth Girl, will be released by Macmillan/Imprint on September 24, 2019. Sara is represented by Sarah Bedingfield at Levine Greenberg Rostan Agency.
– Giveaway –
Win a copy of The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring; ends on 2nd October. Just click on the button below to enter:
Tour Schedule : Click on this link to view the entire tour schedule!
| Everyone says Lauren Tranter is exhausted, that she needs rest. And they’re right; with newborn twins, Morgan and Riley, she’s never been more tired in her life. But she knows what she saw: that night, in her hospital room, a woman tried to take her babies and replace them with her own…creatures. Yet when the police arrived, they saw no one. Everyone, from her doctor to her husband, thinks she’s imagining things. A month passes. And one bright summer morning, the babies disappear from Lauren’s side in a park. But when they’re found, something is different about them. The infants look like Morgan and Riley―to everyone else. But to Lauren, something is off. As everyone around her celebrates their return, Lauren begins to scream, These are not my babies. Determined to bring her true infant sons home, Lauren will risk the unthinkable. But if she’s wrong about what she saw…she’ll be making the biggest mistake of her life. |
She had to play the game, even before she knew what the rules were.
It takes a lot to creep me out but Little Darlings did that and did that early in the book. Little Darlings is Melanie Golding’s debut novel and I’m so excited to be a part of this blog tour. Don’t forget to check out the other stops in the tour.
The story starts off with our protagonist Lauren Tranter, who is giving birth to her twins. She is exhausted- rightly so – but her husband has to go to work and therefore, has to leave her alone in the hospital. Lauren looks over to the opposite of her bed and sees another set of twins but upon inquiring from a nurse, she is shocked to hear that hers is the only set of twins to be born until now. The next time she’s alone, she encounters a strange woman with twins and Lauren thinks her a homeless person and tries to help her but she shouldn’t have.
Besides Lauren, there’s yet another character whose POV we read and it is DC Harper’s. DC Harper is drawn to Lauren’s story when she hears a 999 call(emergency contact no.) from Lauren who’s asking for help as someone is trying to kidnap her babies. Although this emergency has been ticked off as a Mental Health problem, Harper’s instincts tell her otherwise.
Look at someone every day for long enough and you stop seeing what everyone else sees. You start to see what no one else sees, what is kept hidden from most people.
After a hospital visit to Lauren, Harper has to let this case go as she has no evidence but she soon gets a call from Lauren who saw the strange lady from the hospital again! Outside her house! Is Lauren just paranoid ? Or, is the threat real? Why does Lauren’s husband look so worried? To uncover all these secrets and more, you need to read Little Darlings.
The story of Little Darlings is said to be a modern retelling(of sorts) of the Grimms’ Fairytales. It’s an incredible blend of fantasy, thriller and horror. It urges you to question your beliefs…are the stories about fairies or changelings all just farce or are they real? At first, I had assumed that Lauren is suffering from psychiatric disorders which were common post-partum but it somehow turned out to be much more ..more twists and turns..more creepiness. I didn’t have any trouble with the pace, or the plot but I hated Lauren’s husband. It may remind you a bit of Gine Girl’s Amy and her husband.
Overall, I recommend this book if you love reading Neil Gaiman and psychological thrillers mixed with some elements of horror(and fantasy).
| Thanks to the publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. |
Author: Connect with Author Melanie Golding here.
Will you read Little Darlings ? If you have read it, then let me know if you liked it or not. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Book Rambler 