Halloween Non-Horror Recommendations!

Posted on October 17, 2017 by Heather @ The Sassy Book Geek

Top Ten Tuesday(93)

So as I promised I’ve done up a post for those of you who want to read some spooky books for Halloween but don’t necessarily like horror or want your pants scared off! These are mostly all thrillers or have a paranormal factor present.

If you want to see my Halloween Horror Recommendations you can check that out here.

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Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova

(Review Here)

A great diverse read featuring a Latino family of brujas (witches) and when Alex tries to rid herself of her powers her entire family vanishes. This is a very magical adventure full of family love and who doesn’t love a good witch book?

The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas

(Review Here)

This is a thriller about a girl who lied about who murdered their babysitter when they were younger and must now hunt for the true killer. This doesn’t have much for Halloween vibes but it is a very dark and twisted story full of surprises. It definitely gets gritty and you’ll get chills reading through it!

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

(Review Here)

Who doesn’t think “Coraline” is a Halloween classic now? Because I sure do! It’s subtly creepy and just absolutely perfect for reading this time of year.

The Hanging Girl by Eileen Cook

(Review Here)

Another thriller but this one has some psychics involved making it all the more perfect for some Halloween reading. A girl who fakes being psychic must now help the police find a missing girl but she may just have some insider information….

Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kassel

(Review Here)

Harbingers of Death? That screams Halloween in my opinion! A mysterious boy shows up in town accompanied by flocks of strange crows and when he saves Angie from something supernatural she realizes he may not be human either. Paranormal elements and a slightly creepy atmosphere makes this another great read for non-horror fans!

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Another book that shouldn’t surprise many of you but “The Graveyard Book” is about a boy who is raised by the supernatural residents of a graveyard. It’s full of adventure and just straight up adorableness.

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

A mystery thriller revolving around Jasper Dent the son of the most infamous serial killers in the world. Jasper was being groomed to take over the “family business” and therefore can see crime scenes from a criminal’s POV so when a new serial killer shows up in his small town he’s determined to prove it’s not him.

So, so, sooooo many twists and turns with this one it’s especially great if you have a morbid curiosity about serial killers, like me.

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

(Review Here)

I could honestly recommend any of Flynn’s books but this short story fits the best in my opinon. It’s about a woman who fakes psychic readings and help from the beyond for money. When a woman wants her help ridding her house of something evil our main character may just start believing in ghosts….

Super quick read and open ended so if open endings aren’t your thing I’d skip it.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

(Review Here)

Psychics, ancient sleeping kings, ley lines, and magic trees I think it’s safe to say this isn’t your run of the mill paranormal romance or urban fantasy. It’s full of magic and sets a very fast pace not to mention you will definitely fall in love with the characters!

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

This is more Middle Grade than YA but it’s still super interesting and full of supernatural spirits and creatures and there’s more than a few creepy moments too as Thomas learns about how to be a Spook.

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

(Review Here)

This one is filled with monsters, demons, undead, and spirits and while it has a few dark moments it mostly follows a girl named Tea learning to control her powers of necromancy.

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

(Review Here)

This book fits into a kind of neat genre but it’s about a girl who wants to hunt monsters and boy who is one of those monsters in a city torn into two sects. The monsters are very unique and fun to read about and the characters are a bit morally grey, definitely a fun read though and the monsters aren’t TOO creepy either!

Bad Blood by Demitria Lunetta

(Review Here)

Another witch book makes the list! This one is about a girl who visits Scotland and learns a bit more about her family’s past as she continues having visions of two women and a bit more about witchcraft and blood magic. Honestly the background of Scotland makes this book worth the read as well!

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Have you read any of this books? What did you think?

Will you give any of these books a try?

What are some of your favorite non-horror Halloween reads?

Let me know in the comments!

The Sassy

ARC Review: The Tiger’s Daughter (Their Bright Ascendency #1) by K. Arsenault Rivera

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Heather @ The Sassy Book Geek

a title here(93) description

Even gods can be slain….

The Hokkaran empire has conquered every land within their bold reach―but failed to notice a lurking darkness festering within the people. Now, their border walls begin to crumble, and villages fall to demons swarming out of the forests.

Away on the silver steppes, the remaining tribes of nomadic Qorin retreat and protect their own, having bartered a treaty with the empire, exchanging inheritance through the dynasties. It is up to two young warriors, raised together across borders since their prophesied birth, to save the world from the encroaching demons.

This is the story of an infamous Qorin warrior, Barsalayaa Shefali, a spoiled divine warrior empress, O-Shizuka, and a power that can reach through time and space to save a land from a truly insidious evil.

review

**** Huge thank you to Tor for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!****

This book was very unique and I feel like my mind is still processing the sheer amount of world building in it as well! It’s also a diverse read featuring two Asian women and a F/F romance which was amazing!

PLOT

First things first, this is a slower paced book and not the action-packed, fast-paced adventure I thought it was going to be. This is more of a character-driven story which was fine because they did an excellent job with it. However, once I got about half way through it slowed down significantly and while I was still interested I wasn’t AS interested anymore. This is pretty much the only reason I’m giving it 4 stars instead of a full five.

Another reason I can’t give a full five is that when I started reading I was drowning in information and incredibly confused. Major info dumping and it took me a ridiculous amount of time to figure out how the names worked because each main race, Hokkran and Qorin, has a different style of naming and therefore each character was named differently according to who was addressing them. It added a lot to the world building but like I said it took a while to get used to and figure it out.

The world building was absolutely kick-ass, this was my favorite part of the book to be honest. It was all very unique and interesting, I was craving more answers concerning the mythology and world building especially after finishing the book. There’s just so much content and it’s all fascinating and pretty immersive. I need more!

The POV and narration was also really unique as it jumps between the current timeline and from Shizuka’s 3rd Person POV to her reading a letter from Shefali told in the 1st Person POV. It also skips around in time starting with the birth and childhood of the characters into the current time where they are in their 20’s. Once again this took a little getting used to but I thought it was a really distinctive way to tell the story.

The writing was amazing as well, one of the other things I really enjoyed. It was beautifully written and easy to immerse myself in.

The ending was pretty solid and tied everything up neatly but still leaving room for more in the sequel. I would definitely love to see more of the world building explored especially since we essentially know EVERYTHING about the characters now since reading about them from birth. Definitely excited to see a little more demon-slaying!

characters

As I mentioned earlier this is a very character driven book and therefore the most important happenings in the story focus around the characters, their drives, and their emotions more so than any straightforward plot line.

I really liked the main characters Shizuka and Shefali, mostly Shefali though! They’re both incredibly headstrong girls with incredible talent but they also have their flaws and if there’s anything I love it’s a flawed heroine who knows their faults. I love how they both admit to their strengths and weaknesses both and rely on each other.

They were definitely well developed and very complex.

I also loved the strong, positive female friendship that is represented between them that blossoms into a romance.

The secondary characters were also done well especially O-Shizuru and Alshara, Shizuka’s and Shefali’s mothers respectfully. Seriously, their mothers are total badasses and if they grow up to even be an ounce like their mothers the next book in the series will be fantastic! I also really liked Shefali’s cousin, Otgar, and her brother Kenshiro. Shizuka’s uncle, the Emperor, made for a good sort of antagonist too.

romance

This was a nice slow burn romance and as mentioned it’s a diverse F/F romance as well. I loved how the girls grew from a friendship into a romance.

They were so sweet, adorable, and passionate. I don’t ever want them to be apart! I will go down with this ship!

in conclusion

Overall I really did enjoy this book but I would have liked a bit more action, more answers for the world building, and less info dumps! Still I will anxiously be awaiting the sequel just to see where they will go now since we have done the past and will move onto the character’s futures!

What I Loved:

The world building and mythology
Unique narrative style
Beautiful writing
Complex, developed, and likable characters
Slow burn and sweet F/F romance

What I Didn’t Love:

Pacing got very slow after 50%
Would have liked a bit more info on the world building
Not a lot of action
Major info dumps

RECOMMEND

I definitely recommend checking this book out as it’s a very unique fantasy book with a really neat premise and beautiful writing. It is inspired by Asian culture and includes a F/F romance, however, if you’re looking for something action packed this may not be for you.

Links: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

The Sassy

(Over Due) Huge Book Haul!

Posted on October 15, 2017 by Heather @ The Sassy Book Geek

Top Ten Tuesday (26)

Honestly I should have been doing book hauls every time I got a decent amount of books but here I am piling them all together into one! These are books I collected over the summer and part of fall here and there definitely are a ton to share!

I did actually order another small haul from Book Outlet here as well as a few other books I just picked up but I decided instead of waiting to include them I’d just maybe do another book haul here shortly.

So without further ado let’s get into this book haul!

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Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling 20th Anniversary Edition

This was something I was super pumped to get for my birthday because I didn’t think anyone would actually get it for me! This is the UK hardback Ravenclaw edition (because I am a Ravenclaw, of course!) and it’s absolutely gorgeous it has blue edged pages with yellow stripes. There’s also just some fun little “facts” about Ravenclaw house as well as a beautiful map of Hogwarts inside as well.

I also received those gorgeous Harry Potter bookmarks with it!

The Wood by Chelsea Bobulski

Mostly I wanted this for the cover which is gorgeous and creepy all at once with a leaf dripping blood. It seems creepy but also not, if that makes sense? There’s portals and woods and it all sounds super interesting!

Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi

I literally waited forever for Book Outlet to get copies of this one in! I’ve been wanting to read something by Tahereh Mafi for a while but her Shatter Me series doesn’t seem up my alley and so I wanted to try this one. Plus the cover is really vibrant and colorful.

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Another Book Outlet purchase, I wasn’t originally going to buy this book but since everything is so cheap on Book Outlet I decided I might as well. I’m always a sucker for pirate books so hopefully this one lives up to some expectations.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Everyone was hyping this book up quite a bit and normally I’m not a huge contemporary reader but I thought it sounded interesting and I do want to broaden my bookish horizons a bit!

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Norse Mythology plus Neil Gaiman? I was sold instantly! Of course I needed to buy it!

Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza

This one had pretty good reviews and I honestly need more great YA sci-fi books in my life, that’s all!

The Valiant by Lesley Livingston

A female gladiator? Once again, sold instantly.

Bad Romance by Heather Demetrios

The cover is gorgeous and this seems like a really unique contemporary since it focuses on a dysfunctional and abusive relationship.

A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

I haven’t read AGOS yet but I figured while Book Outlet still had copies of this that I would buy it that way I had the next book right away!

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Of course I bought this because I adore Laini Taylor and need ALL her books in my life.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

So originally I wasn’t going to buy this book either since I’m iffy on whether I’d enjoy it or not but once again Book Outlet! I figured since it was cheap I’d just buy it and hopefully enjoy it, if not at least it’s pretty.

Little Monsters by Kara Thomas

I loved Thomas’s other book “The Darkest Corners” and so I had to buy her newest book, she really knows how to write some great twisted thrillers!

Because You Love To Hate Me stories selected by Amerie

A good amount of hype plus short stories told from the villains POV and some great YA authors collaborating with Booktubers? I definitely had to check this one out.

It by Stephen King

Yes, yes I did just buy this book after seeing the movie! The movie of course was excellent and I highly recommend seeing it! This is a pretty intimidating book but I do want to read it eventually because I also adore Stephen King.

The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

More fantasy books, woohoo! I really need to start reading some of her books because now I have two from each of her series….

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

I wasn’t going to buy this one but I’ve decided to start ignoring reviews on certain things and just try it myself especially since I really love fantasy books.

Sabriel by Garth Nix

Moooooore fantasy books….

The Devils You Know by M.C. Atwood

Horror book for Halloween, right? This was an ARC sent to me for review.

No Saints in Kansas by Amy Brashear

Another ARC sent to me for review, this one is based off of “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote which sounds super interesting.

The Hollow Girl by Hillary Monahan

Another ARC that I have reviewed already, it was absolutely freaking fantastic.

(Review Here)

The Hanging Girl by Eileen Cook

An ARC once again. Very fast paced with some great twists, it’s perfect for non-horror readers for Halloween.

(Review Here)

Heroes of Olympus Series by Rick Riordan

I finally bought the entire box set from Book Outlet! Super excited to dive back into some Riordan books because of course they’re always fun, fast, and fantastic!

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

The year I started blogging this was a new release and it’s a fantasy about a girl going “undercover” in order to infiltrate the rulers who conquered her homeland, there’s also a F/F romance. Sounds super good and Book Outlet had this one on sale so of course I scooped it up!

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Have you read any of these books? What did you think?

Do you have any of these on your TBR as well?

What did you think of my haul?

Let me know in the comments!

The Sassy

Down The TBR Hole #1

Posted on October 13, 2017 by Heather @ The Sassy Book Geek

Top Ten Tuesday(92)

I’ve actually seen this going around for quite a while and decided to finally give it a try since my TBR could really use some cleaning up! I recently saw Destiny @ Howling Libraries do this as well so I’m going off of her post for the rules and such! Be sure to head over and check out her post and blog too guys she’s an amazing blogger!

I’m planning on doing one of these every week until I’m through my TBR so be on the look out for more posts! Hopefully I’ll be getting rid of some more here in the other posts.

This was “created” by Lost in a Story!

The Rules:

Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
Order on ascending date added.
Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
Read the synopses of the books
Decide: keep it or should it go?
Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week!

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Current TBR Count (794)

Book #1

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Date Added: June 18th, 2015

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I’ve had this book on my TBR for a while and I’m a big lover of fantasy, the only problem is it takes me a while to finish long high fantasy books which is why this one is still on my TBR. However, I am hoping to eventually get to it because I lot of people like this one!

The Judgement: Keep

Book #2

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Date Added: June 18th, 2015

Image result for neverwhere neil gaiman

This one is a little more debatable since I love Neil Gaiman’s books but I’m not 100% sure I’ll love this one. Either way I’m willing to find out eventually because Neil Gaiman is magic!

The Judgement: Keep

Book #3

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

Date Added: June 18th, 2015

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This one is probably one that I’d get rid of since it’s really slow but I do own a copy so I kind of want to read it eventually.

The Judgement: Keep (Meh)

Book #4

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

Date Added: June 18th, 2015

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So I really, really loved Abercrombie’s other book “Half a King” and so of course I wanted to check out his other books and out of those other books this one sounds the most interesting.

The Judgement: Keep

Book #5

The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks

Date Added: June 18th, 2015

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Another book I purchased a while ago, it’s about assassins and that’s kind of all I need to know! I read a sample before I bought it and it was pretty good!

The Judgement: Keep

Book #6

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Date Added: June 18th, 2015

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Let’s be honest the only reason I ever added this one is because I freaking loved the HBO show True Blood and I wanted to read the books once I found out it was based on books! I probably would get rid of this one but I already bought a copy and I do hope to eventually read it.

The Judgement: Keep

Book #7

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

So this one sounded interesting when I added it and it still kind of does but it’s nothing screaming my name and the reviews are all kind of meh. So this one can go!

The Judgement: Go

Book #8

Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

Date Added: June 18th, 2015

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Bought a copy a while ago (see a trend here?) and while I’d normally get rid of it I do own it so I’d like to at least try reading it.

The Judgement: Keep

Book #9

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

Date Added: June 18th, 2015

Image result for the thief megan whalen turner

Keeping! Definitely keeping! Sounds amazing and there’s plenty of great reviews for it as well!

The Judgement: Keep

Book #10

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Date Added: June 18th, 2015

Image result for the great gatsby

I know what you may be thinking! I haven’t read “The Great Gatsby” yet?! Nope, we (for some dumb reason) never read it for class when I was in high school which was unfortunate since it was a classic I WANTED to read. So here I am with a copy that I hope to eventually read so I may seem more worldly.

The Judgement: Keep

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So I know what you all may be thinking! I only got rid of ONE? ONE out of the ten books I featured? I know but I PROMISE you in future installments of this I will be getting rid of more than just one! It’s just that a lot of these are books I already own and therefore would like to read so I won’t have wasted my money on them!

Feel free to go ahead and do a “Down the TBR Hole” yourself as well!

The Sassy

Spooky Scary Book Tag

Posted on October 11, 2017 by Heather @ The Sassy Book Geek

Top Ten Tuesday(91)

I found this little tag over on Hardback Hoarder’s channel and thought it would be a super fun tag to do for October. There really aren’t a ton of horror type book tags out there that I haven’t done yet, which is sad! However, I have found a few so keep an eye out for them!

Clever Fox is the original creator of this tag!

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1.) What goes bump in the night? Name a book that has legitimately scared you while reading it.

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I know a lot of people didn’t find this book all that scary but it terrified me because I am deathly afraid of disjointed walking, any kind of crawling, and ghosts that even slightly resemble Samara from The Ring or the ghost from The Grudge. They terrify me. So of course all of those things are present in this book and while reading it I couldn’t even walk past a room that had its life off!

2.) Jack O’ Lanterns and Classic Costumes: A book you always reach for during Halloween time.

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I don’t usually have time to do re-reads but I always attempt re-reading “Slasher Girls & Monster Boys” just because it’s made up of a bunch of fantastically scary short stories which makes it perfect for Halloween reading.

3.) Black Cats and Magic Mirrors: A book you love that is laced with superstition and/or magic.

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How about both? “Labyrinth Lost” has a bit of superstition since the main character and her family are brujas (witches) who also happen to perform magic! It’s a wonderful story full of diversity as well.

4.) Witch’s Brew: Favorite witch character in any book/series.

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(Besides everyone in the Harry Potter series….)

I really liked Tea from “The Bone Witch” I thought she was pretty likable and her power of necromancy is definitely neat.

5.) Ghouls and Ghosts: A book that still haunts you to this day (good or bad).

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I’m still salty about so many things that happened in this book and I know it will continue to haunt me as well!

6.) Haunted Graveyard: You’re all alone in a haunted graveyard, you get ONE book to give you comfort, which is it?

Image result for night film a novel marisha pessl

I would want to bring a book that would keep me so distracted I wouldn’t notice all the creepies around me so “Night Film” is perfect for that. This book definitely held my attention in that way!

7.) The Undead: Favorite supernatural creatures to read about (i.e. vampires, zombies, werewolves, etc).

Do witches kind of count? If they do I definitely pick witches but if they don’t I like werewolves the best but I don’t come across too many books that include them.

8.) In the dead of night: Pick a book with a black cover.

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The Night Circus! Fabulous book, gorgeous cover that also happens to be black.

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Tag! You’re It!

Feel free to do this tag even if I didn’t tag you below!

Michelle @ Book Adventures

Larkin @ Wonderfilled Reads

Jessica @ The Awkward Book Blogger

Darque Dreamer Reads

Nia @ Shades of Paper

The Sassy

Halloween Horror Recommendations!

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Heather @ The Sassy Book Geek

Top Ten Tuesday(90)

My FAVORITE part of October is getting the chance to recommend some of my favorite horror books to you all! I mean to be honest I can recommend these whenever I want but it’s more fun to do it in October!

These are all books that fall 100% into the horror genre in my opinion whether they’re actually terrifying or just an entertaining read or whether they’re full of spirits/monsters or deal with serial killers and slashers.

***I will be doing another post here soon of Halloween Recommendations for those of you who want a book that isn’t necessarily scary or horror! So some “non-spooky” books!***

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Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

(Review Here)

This is about a male teen, Cas, who hunts ghosts in his spare time and now he’s on the hunt for Anna, a vengeful spirit who murders anyone who sets foot in her home. Except she spares Cas’s life.

I highly, highly recommend this for any other Supernatural fans out there as it really has the feel to the story!

Slasher Girls & Monster Boys stories selected by April Genevieve Tucholke

(Review Here)

A YA horror anthology with some top notch stories! There were only a couple of duds in here but for the most part they were all excellent and definitely scary.

The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco

(Review Here)

This story follows a vengeful spirit who wreaks havoc on those who murder or do harm to children. She meets a strange boy the sucks her in but the boy has a dark secret that she wasn’t expecting…

Okay so with this one I know a few people didn’t enjoy it but I am absolutely terrified of any stories that are even remotely reminiscent of The Ring or The Grudge and have disjointed bodies crawling out of things. That’s all one big nope for me so naturally this story scared the shit out of me!

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

(Review Here)

This is a psychological thriller with a creepy twist, is it supernatural or is it something else? The story is told through video transcripts, journal entries, and newspaper clippings and the events all lead up to what ends in mysterious fire that killed three students and one, Carly Johnson, disappeared. In the ruins they find a diary that belonged to Carly’s twin sister, Kaitlyn, except Carly didn’t have a twin…..

I recommend this one for people who want more suspense than horror, it gets a little creepy but never anything super scary!

Alice by Christina Henry

(Review Here)

Trigger Warnings: Rape and other graphic violence

This is one where people are the monsters and it’s very violent and graphic. It’s a retelling of “Alice in Wonderland” that’s very dark and gritty I definitely don’t recommend this to the faint of heart, you’ll have to steel your stomach for this one. However, I recommend it to anyone who thinks they can brave it because it is still an excellent story!

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

(Review Here)

You wouldn’t think that a graphic novel compiled of several short stories would be that scary but it is, it really is! These stories are open ended for the most part and that leaves more to your imagination in which case you’ll probably scare yourself thinking of it like I did! The illustrations are both terrifying and beautiful at the same time.

I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a quick horror read and you don’t mind open ended stories.

A Drop of Night by Stefan Bachmann

(Review Here)

This is kind of a thriller/action-adventure/horror all rolled into one. It follows a group of teens who are invited to help explore a recently discovered underground palace in France. However, there’s something else waiting for them in the depths of the palace.

Kind of an odd story but I definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a very fast-paced, suspenseful read!

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

(Review Here)

A boy named Will Henry finds himself studying under Dr. Pellinore Warthrop who happens to be a monstrumologist, someone who studies monsters.

Pretty straight forward, this is a historical fiction and it’s a pretty dark horror story because on top of the creepy monsters there’s also just a lot of gore in general. You may get squeamish!

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Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics

(Review Here)

Honestly this is one of my favorites on the list!

It’s about a pioneer family who moves out onto the prairie with a teenage daughter who is desperately trying to hide her pregnancy. However, they arrive and find a new home that was abandoned with the walls and floors covered in blood and they’ve heard rumors of the prairie being tainted by evil.

This is a wonderful mix of terrifying, gory, and twisted. You definitely will not see the twists coming at all! I recommend this one for the horror lovers out there who want to be scared silly, this one is a treat!

Welcome to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz

(Review Here)

A group of teen contest winners all get whisked away out into the middle of nowhere to meet horror director Justin Blake. However, things start to get weird and soon they’re all trapped in a game of nightmares.

This reads exactly like a classic slasher horror movie so if you’re a fan of those you’re probably going to love this one! It’s entertaining but don’t expect a lot of depth.

And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich

(Review Here)

One of my other favorites plus I love the cover!

Two girls, Silla and Nori, arrive at their aunt’s manor in the forest and soon learn that everything is not right and the manor may be cursed. They aren’t allowed to enter the woods, the trees feel like they’re closing in around the house, and there’s a strange man with no eyes who Nori plays with in the basement at night…..

So creepy and so good! The Creeper Man will definitely be haunting your dreams after reading this one….

The Merciless by Danielle Vega

(Review Here)

Four girls gang up on an outcast tying her up and attempting to perform an exorcism on her. However, it’s more torture than anything else and Sofia, the new girl, wants out but if she goes against the others she may be next…

This one isn’t too creepy or scary but it definitely is full of twisted mean girls, gore galore, and some demonic possession!

If any of those things interest you I’d recommend checking this one out!

The Women in the Walls by Amy Lukavics

(Review Here)

Lucy and Margaret are cousins who live with their respective parents in a mansion in the middle of the woods, one day Margaret’s mother goes missing and she slowly starts to believe she can hear her dead mother’s voice in the walls. Lucy watches as Margaret slowly goes insane and she soon starts hearing voices as well and must confront the legacy that has marked the women in her family for generations.

Not as good as “Daughters Unto Devils” but still very twisted and creepy! Most of the book is a bit slow but the ending makes it all worth it!

Dreamfall by Amy Plum

(Review Here)

A group of teenagers enter an experiment that is supposed to help cure their insomnia but instead find themselves all trapped within a dreamworld made up of their worst nightmares.

I thought this was going to be more sci-fi than anything but was surprised by how scary it actually got! There are definitely some very creepy nightmares the kids have to make it through.

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

This one can be both scary horror and suspenseful thriller, there are some supernatural elements to the story and the situations themselves can get pretty terrifying.

A journalist, Scott McGrath, investigates the death of Ashley Cordova, the daughter of the mysterious horror film director Stanislas Cordova. He believes there’s more to her death than anyone knows and as he digs deeper he discovers more and more disturbing things about the family and wonders if he may be next.

If you want a very dark, gritty, and terrifying thriller this one is for you. It’s extremely compelling and fast paced.

The Hollow Girl by Hillary Monahan

(Review Here)

Trigger Warning: Rape, violence, and gore

A Romani girl studying herbcraft under her Gran’s teaching befriends an outsider but on her way home one day they are both jumped and brutally assaulted leaving her friend on the brink of death. She must now utilize her dark witchcraft to extract body parts from the boys who wronged her in order to save her friend.

If revenge stories are up your alley this one is very satisfying and I loved the addition of the witchcraft. However, if you can’t handle gore or graphic violence maybe leave this one alone.

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Have you read any of these? What did you think?

Are you going to give any of these horror books a try?

What are some of your favorite scary horror books?

Let me know in the comments!

The Sassy

October Releases I’m Excited For!

Posted on October 6, 2017 by Heather @ The Sassy Book Geek

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You guys know the drill: new month = new releases! This month actually has a TON of new books coming out and I’m pumped for a lot of them! I will be linking the titles to their Goodreads pages as well as doing a couple “honorable mentions” of books that are releasing but don’t interest me as much as the rest, at the end of the post too.

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The Hanging Girl by Eileen Cook

Release Date: October 3rd

I actually already read and reviewed this one (which you can check out here) and thought it was a lot of fun and full of thrills! There are some seriously mind blowing plot twists and with the “psychic readings” it makes for a perfect Halloween read for those of you who don’t enjoy horror!

The Devils You Know by M.C. Atwood The Devils You Know by M.C. Atwood

Release Date: October 3rd

Another one I have an ARC of but sounds interesting! A group of teenagers get seperated on a class trip in an old, creepy house that was cursed by its owner and discover the truth of the house is much more horrifying.

The Tiger’s Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera

Release Date: October 3rd

I’m currently reading my ARC of this right now and while the world and characters take some getting used too (major info dumping) it’s fantastic so far. It’s about a pair of women whose births were prophesied fighting demons, the world is also super interesting too!

Devils & Thieves by Jennifer Rush

Release Date: October 3rd

During a festival the people of Hawthorn start going missing and someone may be using forbidden magic, it’s up to Jemmie and Crow, the leader of the magic using motorcycle gang, to work together and find their missing loved ones.

How can you go wrong with magical motorcycle gangs?

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore

Release Date: October 3rd

For a century the Nomeolvide women have tended the Le Pradera estate but if they fall too deeply in love the person will disappear. After years of vanishings a strange boy appears in the gardens with no knowledge of who he is other than his name and Estrella helps him piece together his past.

Lots of people are raving about this one already and it’s GLBT!

The Last Namsara by Kristin Ciccarelli

Release Date: October 3rd

Basically we have a girl who is a dragon-slayer and she must kill the most powerful dragon in the kingdom in exchange for knowledge about her true nature.

Kind of a in depth and slightly confusing synopsis so I summed it up in the most basic way ever! Sorry! But hey at least there’s dragons!

Satellite by Nick Lake

Release Date: October 3rd

Leo and the twins, Orion and Libra, have been born and raised on Earth’s Moon 2 and after a life of running drills and being prepared by the astronauts they’re finally taking a trip to Earth.

Kind of sounds really interesting and I’m curious to see what’s so “dangerous” about going to Earth in this universe!

That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston

Release Date: October 3rd

This is set in a near future world where the British Empire was preserved and royal marriages are arranged by genetic matchmaking. Before she is married off, Margaret gets the chance to lay low for a summer vacation and meets some new friends. They discover that they may have the chance to change the world.

Sorry, yet another slightly confusing synopsis that I did a shoddy job of summarizing. It sounds pretty unique though!

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