Let the Right Book In

The story within a story within a story format is something that would put me off a book, yet it works so perfectly in The Wind Through the Keyhole. In what is effectively an additional backstory book within The Dark Tower series, we learn of another story from Roland’s younger years, of when Jamie De Curry and himself are sent to a town called Debaria to look into what has become known as The Skin-Man. “The stories we hear in our childhood are the ones we remember all our lives.” The Skin-Man is absolutely terrifying, a shapeshifter who takes on the form of numerous animals and goes on murderous rampages, easily wiping out entire families without breaking a sweat. I love these parts of the story, as Roland and Jamie try to narrow down who the culprit could be. Within this back story, Roland then tells a different story to a young kid as they are waiting in a jail cell - and this is the story given the name of The Wind Through the Keyhole. And it’s yet ANOTHER fascinating s...

Having listened to the audiobook for Kay’s amazing account of life as a junior doctor, This Is Going To Hurt, earlier in the year, I was very much excited to read this little festive book in the run-up to Christmas. “Full marks to the anaesthetist wearing a badge that says, “He sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake.” Kay is simply hilarious. He perfectly combines his sense of humour with his compassionate side as he recounts the different Christmasses he has spent working in hospitals. Some entries are heartbreaking and incredibly sad, whereas others lighten the tone and had me in stitches of laughter! Who knew people stuck so many strange things in their orifices?! And there’s cute little hospital-themed festive illustrations dotted throughout, which I loved. My only complaint is that it’s SO short. I understand Kay would be quite limited in terms of how many Christmas-related stories he has to tell, but it’s so easy to race through in about 2 hours. An...

You know when you haven’t read a favourite author in a while, and you kinda forget how amazing they are? And then you read 10 pages of a book and very quickly you’re reminded why you fangirl over said author - that was my experience with Weaveworld! “That which is imagined can never be lost.” The Fugue is a magical land inhabited by descendants of supernatural beings who once shared the earth with humans, but it has been woven into a carpet for protection against those who would destroy it. The death of its guardian leads to a battle between good and evil for control of the Fugue. This was my first foray into one of Barker’s epic-length fantasy books, as so far I’ve mostly stuck to his horror. But it turns out Barker really can do it all, as he beautifully weaves (pun intended) together dark fantasy and horror. This would be a fab Barker recommendation for fantasy fans! Weaveworld encompasses a magnificent cast of heroes and villains. Immacolata has now became one of ...

Ronald Malfi continues to impress me with this slow-burn chilling horror set in the isolated and eerie town of Dread‘s Hand, Alaska. Following the discovery of bodies up in the surrounding White Mountains, Paul Gallo goes looking for his brother, Danny, who was last seen in the area. “If there are ghosts here - and some say there are - then they are most clearly glimpsed in the faces of the living.” Nothing is quite as unsettling as an isolated town, where the few inhabitants just seem a little closed-off and wary of strangers. Malfi does a wonderful job of creating a bleak and haunting atmosphere. There’s just SOMETHING about books set in a freezing cold environment, isn’t there?! I also appreciate how subtle Malfi is with his horror. It’s understated and subtle, but definitely has the creep factor. One scene in particular will stick with me as it had every hair on the back of my neck standing up while I was reading it. I’m a huge fan of Malfi’s writing, it’s well-craf...

How does one even begin to review the conclusion to what I believe is one of the greatest series of all time? I simply cannot put into words what this series means to me and how much of an emotional rollercoaster this final book is. It’s also really freakin’ hard to review any book in a series! “It'll be your damnation, boy. You'll wear out a hundred pairs of boots on your way to hell.” If you’re in any way invested in this series, the last book is pretty much 800+ pages of saying goodbye, which is incredibly heartbreaking. And King makes a decision in this book which I will honestly never forgive him for. If you’ve read the series, you’ll know. I’m talking in code here, of course, but I just feel it was totally unnecessary. I’m already crushed, why you gotta pummel my heart even more?!! There are so many parts I love in here that I want to fangirl over, but I’m trying to remain as spoiler-free as possible. However, there are also some anti-climactic moments too. An...

Okay, I can’t put off this review anymore! I’ve been struggling to write this as I simply don’t know what to say. And that happens very rarely... the sign of an epic read. “Friendship was witnessing another’s slow drip of miseries, and long bouts of boredom, and occasional triumphs. It was feeling honored by the privilege of getting to be present for another person’s most dismal moments, and knowing that you could be dismal around him in return.” A Little Life is about four male friends who meet in college and then move to NYC. It follows them over the course of three decades, through the highs and many, many lows... Alright, so, I really loved A Little Life - I fully appreciated Yanagihara’s beautiful writing, I found it difficult to put down no matter how emotionally heavy it got and I became deeply engrossed in the lives of these four friends. But... a couple of things have been niggling at me ever since I finished it and I just gotta get them off my chest before I can f...

Nothing is more disappointing than a book that has a GORGEOUS cover and a very promising introduction, where the author’s writing and story-telling is highly praised... only for it to fall into the mediocre category. Unfortunately I found this short story collection to be mostly unimpressive. “And then we were alone. Octoberland was ours.” I’ll start with some positivity. The story Octoberland was fantastic, the author truly saved the best for last as you had to mostly wade through 24 other stories to get to this one at the end. It’s about a young woman revisiting an amusement park that her and her brother loved, but where their lives were changed forever. Another story that has stayed with me was Guinea Pig Girl - a disturbing AF Japanese horror story, combining body horror and erotica. It was CREEPY. Oh! And how did I almost forget Tentacular Spectacular - a really interesting Lovecraftian tale. The variety and range of sub-genres that Niveau covers is another plus fo...