When I was a kid there was a show called Unsolved Mysteries. I read recently Netflix is going to be resurrecting it. I am SUPER excited. I also listen to the awesome Astonishing Legends podcast, which is where I first learned about Dyatlov Pass. Once I heard about the mystery I had to know more!! I read Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of Dyatlov Pass by Donny Eicher as well as the movie that was made about Dyatlov pass. Yes I am that person. I was super excited when I saw Return to Dyatlov Pass I knew I had to read it.

Synopsis: A podcast crew tries to find out what happened at Dyatlov Pass.

What I liked: I love that Moncreiff took this mystery and ran with it. I really liked the way that she setup the ending of the story. The characters were well written and three dimensional. I love the character twist that was introduced in the middle story. I also really liked the ending. I wasn’t expecting that ending and to be honest I believe that it would play well on the big screen. Actually, I think that the entire story would play out well, I digress. The pacing kept me engaged and interested in the story and what was happening to the characters. I really appreciated that there was quite a bit of history woven into the fiction that Moncreiff posted which I believe was very well done.

What I didn’t like: The only thing that I would have liked it more information about what the snowmen could have been.

Star Rating 4.5 Snowmen in the sky

My thoughts: I really enjoyed the story. Personally, I love that the characters talked about the different theories that have been mentioned surrounding Dyatlov Pass. I can’t wait to see what else Moncreiff has up her sleeve.

I love a good zombie book. Zombie books make me happy. The mindless creature that doesn’t stop for any reason. It is the one monster that always gets me. It is hard to imagine a monster that never gets tired who is only fueled by hunger. But what if the rhythm of music is what brought the body back from the dead? Zombieville gives us a different type of zombie story

Synopsis: A girl and a funeral director begin a relationship that involves zombies.

What I liked: I really appreciated a different take on zombies. Yes you still got the chomping but there was a bit more to it. With the juju bags and etc. Now what I found interesting is that music brought the zombie alive. Not alive but with music he would move and in one line it was noted that he was bopping along to the music. It makes me actually think of hoodoo and I found that was an interesting detail in the story. The romantic angle in the story was interesting and not saccharine. It fit the narrative really well.

What I didn’t Like: I was a little confused to begin with as the cover shows a female zombie. It didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story or from my rating.

Star Rating: 4.0 Stars

My thoughts: I really appreciated the twist in the Zombie genre. It didn’t follow the normally formulaic story lines. The love story within the story was sweet in a twisted way and I really appreciated that. It wasn’t over done. I find that a romance in a book can really mess up the flow for me. But Hunt handled the romance just perfectly for me.

Take four old men and a deep dark hidden secret and you get Ghost Story. I’ve heard a lot about this story over the years but didn’t really have a chance to read it until I did a group read with my friends in the LOHF. As with most literary horror the group was spilt. With those thinking the story was boring and others thinking it was great. What camp do you think I was in?

Synopsis: Four friends with a secret start to die off in a small town.

What I liked: I loved this story. It sucked me in from the first page. I wanted to know more about the chowder society and it’s members. Straub makes these central characters engaging and three dimensional. You do care about what happens to these characters. The story is also multi-layered. So each characters story is layered with another. It is mysterious and I really appreciated that. The horror wasn’t so much in your face but the way that all the stories fit together. I also loved that the beginning of the book didn’t really give away the story.

What I didn’t like: I felt like the ending wasn’t the end. So I don’t feel that closure you get with some books. I say this but it is a great thing, as it means that there are parts of the story that are staying with me.

Star Rating: 5 Stars

My Thoughts: I love horror. I love the gore and the splatter and the gross. But I do like the quiet horror. The horror that burns in your belly. I know some of the other ladies didn’t really like the pacing of Ghost Story but I did. I loved the slow and quiet burn. The feeling of uneasy you feel when you truly like the characters that you are reading. This will be a Winter reread for me I think. If you haven’t picked it up please do if you like literary horror.