Horror Books

The artwork in this book is really nice and detailed. But as far as Halloween books it isn't ranking up high for my 4yo son's favorites. He thinks some of the illustrations are "scary" and call me overprotective, but I wasn't thrilled with the devil page. In a year or two I expect my son will like it a lot more.

My son (age 4) really likes this book. It has a great rhyming story, and the illustrations are spectacular. Great pictures of "monsters" amidst beautiful fall color. A joy to read and look at!

Another beautiful book. My kids and I are big fans of Jan Brett's books and this one is just perfect to get into the Halloween Spirit.

This delightful little book has all the charm and spookiness of the holiday it represents. As a twenty-two year-old adult, I think this book has equal appeal for adults and children.

Jan Brett's luscious, beautiful pictures perfectly depict the gorgeous darkness of Halloween night and the vibrant colors of different costumes (or are they really monsters?) Accompanied with these pictures are the rhymes of Eve Bunting's wonderful poem, with words easy enough for kids to understand but spooky enough to give even adults a chill.

Both the poem and the pictures, like Halloween, are fittingly creepy and even haunting while still being fun. Together, they make this book the perfect package for anyone wanting to enjoy the true essence of all Hallow's Eve. I earnestly invite you to enjoy this, my dears (polishes fang, retracts claws).

I personally found the writing style a little stilted in the book. For example, "A devil prances, fiery red, with horns asprouting from his head." and "Thunder, thunder up above! 'What is it, mother?' 'Shh, my love! It's just the thump of creature feet, A creature in a winding sheet."
It reads more like a poem, not the way we speak naturally. If you like a poetic style, you'll probably love this book. But if you want a more relaxed book, then don't buy it.
But anyway, having said that, my four year old son liked the book. The pictures are scary, but not gruesome. Probably a little too scary for a toddler.
Illustrated by Jan Brett, of course the pictures are well-done, but to be honest it's not on the same level as her other works. There is not nearly as much detail as she usually puts in. (For example, no borders filled with tiny illustrations.) The art doesn't look much different than most Halloween books.

I bought this for my son for a school reading assignment. He did not like the book at all. Me, on the other hand, I liked it. I read it years & years ago but I enjoyed it the 2nd time around.

Frankenstein is the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist in pursuit of greatness. His goal is to create a human out of sewn together parts of corpses. When the creature comes to life Victor instantly regrets his progress. His creation is a hideous monster that Frankenstein fears. The remainder of the book documents Victor's exploits in trying to capture the monster and conquer his fear and depression. Throughout the book the reader gets to hear the story from several different perspectives: a captain of a ship on a voyage to the North Pole who runs across Victor on the ice, Victor himself, and even the monster's side of the story. The end of the book is quite bleak and very depressing, but the idea discussed is one to think about: When does science go beyond morals and ethics into cruel punishment?
There was everything I love to be in a book in this book: mystery, a little bit of romance, and a great adventure. I love the way Mary Shelley keeps her audience reading by not revealing anything until the right time. The reader begins to question what is about to happen in the story and reviews all the possible outcomes of the situation.
The only drawback with this book is that the vocabulary of the characters is very sophisticated. The book is beautifully written, but some parts are difficult to understand because of the language used.
This book is a great piece of literature with action, adventure and suspense. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good adventure.
Elizabeth Edmondson
Landrum High School
Landrum, SC

What can I say about Mary Shelly's story of Frankenstein? How about BORING! I mean sure the concept of the book is cool but only two out of so may parts were the only interesting part. Wait, I take that back, three. The part in the letter where Walden first saw the monster, the part when Frankenstein was making the monster, and the part when the monster was killing people. The rest was just unwanted details. That book literally put me to sleep and it's about a monster! Frankenstein's suppose to be an exciting Halloween story gives little kids nightmares! Instead it's a bed time story for a caffeine addict.

I thought it would be cool to finally know how the monster really came to life, but I didn't even get that much out of the book. It doesn't say how it was created, or even what happened to him after he left.

If you've ever read the book you know that long 50 page story of when the monster was stocking those people in the cottage. Instead of that how about this. After scaring a man out of his home, the monster finds a hole in the wall, looks through it and sees people. He watches them 24 7 while he learns more words, gets more food, and evidently, learns how to read. After so long he decides to meet and actually talk to them, but does it the wrong way so they beat him up and throw him out. Then he runs away ashamed of himself. Wow, that was so hard.

The book would be great with a little work. Okay, lots of work. But, you can't save them all.

One word. "Endeavor"

This word was used ATLEAST 4 times a page on every page of the book when Victor is talking.

By the last half of the book, I was so fed up with her lack of vocabulary that I just could not stand to read it anymore.

Horribly written. Decent plot, though. I will give her that.

3 Words best describe this book: wordy, contrived, and melodramatic. I LOVE reading classics, but this one consistently disappoints. A lot of classics are wordy, and a lot of Gothic tales are contrived and melodramatic, but at least the pay-off is worth the effort. Sadly, I cannot say the same for Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Hollywood does a better job with the story than the original author.

While I tried to keep in mind the fact that this book is indeed intended for a YA audience, I was still dismayed by several factors:

1) Young Claire is, indeed, very young, and pretty much so annoying in her bull-headed quest to foolishly die that I, like another reviewer, finally began to wish she just would kick the bucket already. The phrase TSTL (too stupid to live) kept ringing in my head with each dumb decision this character made;
2)Too much expository writing, which did not keep the book as fast-paced as both I was hoping and as seemed prudent for such exciting subject matter. Dialogue can be a wonderful tool;
3)The two main male characters, Michael and Shane, came off as very flat and interchangeable, and I failed to see what was attractive about either aside from simply being *told* they were hot;
4)The vampires were indeed also very flat, and made sweeping statements such as "I am the baddest of the bad in the entire world," which always tends to annoy me, although that's a personal quirk. (I mean, come one. The baddest of the bad lives in Morganville, Texas?)
5) How young is this YA audience supposed to be? The writing seemed a little too dumbed-down. Remember, a YA audience usually means middle-schoolers, but kids these days are savvy.

I will not be buying the continuing Morganville books, although I may still pursue the Weather Warden series. It seems as if everyone lately is jumping onto the highly lucrative YA bandwagon (everyone hoping to be the next JK Rowling or Stephenie Meyer, perhaps), but it really does not need to be so. I appreciate writers who find their niche(s) and then stay in it. Diversifying tends to water down the quality, which is unfortunate.

Claire Danvers is perhaps the smartest and most picked on university student in Morganville. Terrorized by the popular girl and her entourage, Claire seeks housing and safety off campus. Moving in with Michael, Shane and Eve seemed like a good idea, but now she's not so sure. Because Morganville's undead population seems to have it out for the four of them and Claire isn't sure how long they can protect themselves.

This is the first novel by Rachel Caine that I have read, and I have to say it was quite addictive. The first book in the Morganville Vampires Series, Caine does an excellent job of introducing us to the main characters, while at the same time giving then enough mystery to keep you reading. While at first Claire, the heroine, comes off as being a bit annoying and somewhat of a cry baby, as the book goes on you get to see some of her inner strength.

The plot moves along at a fast pace and my only complaint was that there was conflict after conflict without a lot of down time in between. I am hoping that this does not continue throughout the series and was only used to hook young readers who may not have the desire for deep character development.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I know that I will continue reading the rest of the series.

I don't know what everone's complaining about! I really liked this book! But just to let you know, it really is a young adults book. I, like all the other Twilight fans, was depressed that the series was over, but now I think I've found something else to get into (a.k.a this book). I really recomend this book.

Set for a younger audience (about college age kids) though some adults seem to enjoy it too.
Follows a young college girl, who is being bullied in her dorm, as she sets out to find a new place to call home, while uncovering what's really going on in town, and who or what is behind the curtain (vampires).
I thought it was a great read..kept my attention..

This is a better YA vampire novel than Twilight in my opinion. The characters I actually came to really care about. There is Claire, the sixteen year old genius, in college too early and getting bullied every step of the way. Unfortunately these bullies intend to see Claire dead. This forces Claire out of the dorms and into a shared rental house. The Glass house is owned by Michael Glass a 19 year old with some crazy secrets of his own. The other roommates are Eve, a Gothic girl with a heart and Shane, a young man who is grieving for his sister and mother. With them, Claire finds safety but she also becomes more aware that the entire college town of Morganville is home for vampires. Anyone without the Vampire's trademark "Protection" is fair 'prey'. Claire's already managed to tick off the vampire community multiple times. Logical Claire is now faced with unlogical things and people all around her. Her choices can lead herself and friends to safety or have dire consequences. The action is packed, and the characters are great. I'm a 30-something and I have to say that I didn't have the problems other reviewers had with not really feeling the target age for readers of this series. I had no problem feeling these characters just the way I can feel the Harry Potter character's and as I already said I much preferred this group to Meyer's Twilight characters. My four star review is a actually more like 4 1/2 (Yes, I did enjoy the book THAT much) and I have to take 1/2 star off solely because this ended on a seriously disappointing cliffhanger. I've said in other reviews that I enjoy and anticipate stories that have dangling threads that make me eager for the next volume of the series but ending in the middle of action just isn't cool.

This is one book that can testify to the fact that Stephen King is a literary genius.

I love long books, but this one is so long, and requires so much time to read it, that the ending was just way too much of a let-down.

i just recently reread this book and i am just as "in awe" today as i was 20 yrs ago. the story of good vs evil is a "grab you" and take you for a non stop nail biting ride. i really like the uncut version as you get the little back storys that you did not get 1st time around. i loved mother abigail(the messiah figure)i like that she was all to human ,i liked stu's quiet strength,randall flagg's supreme evil,larry's uncertanity,i have always liked stephan king's books, but for me this is his best effort.

What an epic. What a masterpiece! While this novel might take a while to get through, it's totally worth the effort because you get to know the characters very well and fall in love with them. A good "apocalypse" story about what happens when a disease kills 99% of the world's population, and a few thousand are left to re-create society. Very eerie, especially during the parts where some of the characters are wandering through the empty cities. Makes you glad to be surrounded by people!

There are plenty of pitfalls that drag epic, amibitous novels down; plots that don't hold up for a thousand plus pages, characters that grow tiresome, repetitive themes that feel like a broken record halfway through the book.

The Stand avoids all of these. The cast is large and varied enough to keep multiple plot threads going, but not too large to become confusing. And as many as there are, none are superfluous to the plot, all serve a purpose that is revealed before the finale. The plot is intense and ambitious, but divided into segments it is managable and sustainable. Daunting certainly at 1200+ pages, but always building towards the inevitable conclusion. The theme is as old as storytelling; the ultimate battle between good and evil, the eternal cycle of death and rebirth. But King manages to present these timeless themes with mythic, Biblical imagery melded with a down-to-earth humanity that makes them fresh and exciting.

This book is a chilling, thrilling home-run. At the end of the book (and at many places throughout) I felt as though I'd been completely wrung out. The amount of emotion the reader invests in this book is one of the greatest of any book I've read. Its exhausting and exhilirating at the same time. One for the ages, truly not to be missed.

The audio books are really fun to listen to. If you are busy and are unable to sit down and read the books, this is a great option and you are able to get through them very quickly. Great for the car especailly if you have a long drive. I took the Twilight audio book with me on a road trip I took with my boyfriend and he even admitted he liked it after I got him to listen to it. You won't be disapointed if you buy.

I loved reading the books and I love listening to the audio books even more. I listen everyday over and over. My daughter was reading these books and one day I had to take my other daughter for a 2 hour dental appointment and took Twilight with me to read and I was hooked. For the next 13 days I didn't lay the books down until I was finished with all four.

I was thrilled with the story, however, several of the disc were damaged and I was unable to hear some of the story, had to jump futher on the disc to get them to play. They had permanet prints on the disc, and could not even clean them. The Story is great and a good young person adventure. (I'm old and enjoy this tale too) I paid $26.00 for this with Amazon, so this product was suppose to be new. First time poor quality from Amazon.

The CD's are great. They don't capture every bit of the books, but any Twilight lover should have both the Audio and the books. LOVE THEM!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to these while working. After reading the books, I had to listen. BUY BUY BUY You won't regret it.

The "Last Apprentice Wrath of the Bloodeye" is the fifth book in the 'Last Apprentice' series. This part of the series has Thomas Ward leaving his spook trainer, old Gregory to gain knife staff combat training with another spook named Bill Arkwright. This new training will bring him face to face with the dark Fiend and his daughter the bloodeye water witch Morwena. It is a rough work being an apprentice. There are many things to learn and death awaits him if he is not prepared. The Fiend and his followers are battling to rule the world, and standing in the Devil's way is the Last Apprentice.

The problem with not having read the other books in the series, reviewing this book turns into something like evaluating several chapters of a large novel. The book is written for 5th grade ages 10 years up and the writing style is for the younger reader. There are lots of repetitive action with the book's main target audience seemingly more directed towards boys than girls. The first half of the book, about 200 pages, is very slow paced and could discourage first time readers from continuing reading which would be a mistake. Moving into the last half of the book, the action really speeds up and brings a new reader quickly into the basis of the story. There are several areas that make this not recommended for younger readers. The first problem is that the book is violent, actually very descriptively violent with lots of blood and gore. The other area is the book's dark tone and limited amounts of positive wholesome role model development. If you are already a fan, this book will certainly keep your interest. The main character Thomas Ward is almost halfway through his apprenticeship so, for the fan, this could mean another five more books in the series. I give this 3 stars for the last half of the book.

I've read all the books, and this one is the best so far. Scary sequences, fast past action, and great fantasy writing. Delaney knows how to write a good book. I can't wait for the next installment in the series. I recommend this book to anyone who's interested in fantasy stories or people who like getting a good scare every now and then.

Tom Ward continues on with his education under John Gregory, a "Spook", in learning to fight against the dark. In this book, Tom is sent away to train with a former apprentice of Gregory's, a nasty fellow who likes to get drunk and beat up on people including Tom.

I didn't really enjoy this part of the story. The series so far has focused on Tom, his Spook master and Alice who may or may not be an evil witch. The tale lost some of its flair when Tom went off to battle skelks, and water witches with a disreputable drunk as an instructor.

And I hated that Alice has (for now) been kicked out of the group. The only strong female character in the series and Delaney sends her packing? She was by far the most interesting one of the bunch. Actually, the books would probably be better if they focused more on Alice. At least she's in touch with her feelings. The boys are all repressing something and using violence to solve every problem.

But still, a good read. Not as good as "The Soul Stealer" but highly enjoyable.

This is a grabbing spooky story. This book is well writing,captivating, will keep you on your toes, and looking over your shoulder all night long. I look forward to finding out what will happen with Alice and what kind of power young Tom has. I have been intrigued by the authors unique writing and creative ideas when it comes to magic and his fantasy world. I highly recommend this book to young and older adults.

On another note, I really believe that the Amazon Vine(tm) Program people who rated this book a 2-3 star book would have a different opinion if they had read the entire series first. I have enjoyed the entire series and definitely recommend to start reading the series from the beginning and not with this one.

My daughter and I both enjoy this series. This book just arrived and we were not disappointed. Some of the less than outstanding reviews from the "Amazon Vine Program" mention that this book seems targeted towards younger readers or that they were unfamiliar with the series. Well, yes. This is book five in a series that is spooky, but still appropriate for younger readers. Having read every book so far, I am familiar with the story and characters. I found this book to be a delightful read and cannot wait for the next book to be published!

After finishing the Twilight Saga, I needed something quick and easy to read. I picked up the first one to try and really enjoyed it. If you have read the other three in the series, then this is a must. Fun to read, not too deep for young adults, and interesting enough to get you hooked. I am looking forward to the 5th one coming out the end of the year.

It would seem that Claire Danvers's life couldn't get any worse, what with living in a college town that is also inhabited by vampires who wouldn't think twice about killing her, and having her parents pressuring her to move back in with them when she already lives with her three best friends.

But when Mr. Bishop arrives, things turn positively deadly.

No one's really sure what Mr. Bishop wants -- all they know is that he's more powerful than anyone, possibly even Amelie, and he lacks any good intentions. Everyone is on their guard.

Soon, everyone is buzzing about the upcoming formal ball, and all the humans are clamoring for invites, even Claire and Eve. But this is one party that the breathing might want to pass up.

FEAST OF FOOLS is an exciting, fast-paced, and chilling thriller. Ms. Caine has a real knack for combining a headstrong heroine, nicely creepy happenings, and a dash of romance and intrigue to bring about a knockout novel that'll stun, spellbind, and utterly captivate readers. There's a twist around every corner, and a cliffhanger that will leave readers
desperate for more in this wonderful series that's reminiscent of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

A word of caution: Once you start into THE MORGANVILLE VAMPIRES series, it's impossible to let go.

Reviewed by: The Compulsive Reader

I love this series. When I got ahold of the author i told her i loved her like stephenie meyer. thats how good this series is

As you may have learned the first three were extraordinary reads, this one is no different.

I am amazed at how I just can't get enough of this story, I'm waiting for the next one.

Claire, as usual, is dealing with a multitude of problems--her parents have decided to move to Morganville, Monica is attempting to sabotage her college, she has to find the cure to save all the sick vampires, oh...and Amalie's father (the biggest, scariest vampire of all) has come to visit and take over the town. All in a normal day for a 16 (a few weeks to 17) year old genius. This book doesn't devil further in the psyche of the bad guys and friends like previous books. But, hey, get real, the books ARE ONLY about 250 pages long. This one does dig a little into roomie Eve's childhood, and Shane seems to be maturing a great deal (Finally!)

Honestly, I easily finished the book in one afternoon and evening--with a few disruptions. I absolutely adore this series by Rachel Caine, even more than her weather warden series. What truly gets my attention about her writing style is that she so easily picks up the mentality of a 16 year old. Granted, I've more than double that age, but reading this book brings me back to my own teen years. That awkward stage where you say the wrong things simply because he don't have the experience to know better. The times where you don't say anything at all and hope to fade into the woodwork because you feel your out of your element. Caine brings that through with her character of Claire without being obvious about it and without coming right out and saying it. A fabulous writing job with her characterization.

Now for the bad part---those horrible cliffhangers! Come-on! I'm dying here! he, he. Yea, yea, she's got to have us salivating for the next one, and it certainly working on me!

This is a very good adaptation of the best part of "The Gunslinger" and the entire "Wizard & Glass." I read the single issue first, but unlike some of my fellow reviewers, I did not miss the extra background material that has been cut out. It is not as good as some classic graphic novels (like "The Watchmen"); however, it is still an excellent telling of a classic story. This is fine work by both King and Marvel. I would recommend it to any fan of King, Marvel, or graphic novels in general.

never read a graphic novel before-- thought this was excellent read- art work suited story content

This does not compare to some of the great graphic novels, however the story remains true to the Dark Tower series. Perhaps they were simplifying the story a little for the first one, but I think they can make the story line a little more complex, more like a Stephen King novel. If you like the Dark Tower series, however, you should probably pick this up.

The Dark Tower, those three words have a great deal of power at least for me. My ears perk up, my heart beats slightly faster and a grin spreads across my face. Stephen King's Mid-World and all it encompasses has spread to comics, The Gunslinger Born is a retelling of the flashback Roland finally shares with his new ka-tet in "Wizard and Glass" (book 4) It is a tale of love, brother-hood, villiany, and of course a bit of gunslinging.

I would highly recommend this to fans of Stephen King's masterpiece, however I would advise readers that have not yet journeyed through all 7 Dark Tower epic novels to read those first. The talented creative team behind this comic book did a fantastic job however there is a lot of stuff you miss, some events don't have the gravity in the comic that is present within King's novel. Which is understandable, I feel this would have been a lot better had they fleshed things out more. Seven issues to cover Roland's journey from apprentice gunslinger to true love then to a possible breakdown. If it was 10 issues I strongly believe it would have been quite a bit better.

Although for the picky fan like myself there will always be something missing, something more the team could do to capture the full feel of the original material.

This is a comic so you get to not only read what transpires but also watch it unfold, the artwork is gorgeous and fits well with the story and world of the Dark Tower however (did you know that was coming? picky fan emerges once again) it removes your imagination from the equation. I had a very different image of Alain and Susan than what is seen here. Honestly I had a different image for everyone except maybe Steven Deschain. How many people read the Dark Tower series and envisioned this characters,? Countless. So is this a valid complaint? No I don't think it is.

I have to commend the creative team behind this book, they have captured the feel of King's series both visually and with the writing. Sure there is lines lifted right from W&G, it is an adaptation right? The aspect of this that grabbed me the most was the narrator bits. I won't say anymore because its better if you read it yourself.

Longtime Dark Tower and King vets will eat this up, I sure did. I think the problem I had with it is I read this right after reading W&G, a few months back I dived back into the books. So with W&G fresh in my mind I could pick out things that were off, there's one part in particular with good old Steven Deschain that really felt off. Read the end of W&G (after Roland's tale is done, right after the ka-tet reach the Green Palace) then this and you will know what I am talking about.

The best part of this book is the fact that it is only the first arc(story) in the Dark Tower series of comic books. The Long Road Home is the second, Treachery is the third. The fourth is yet to be announced. I hope this continues for a couple years.

This comic book version of Stephen King overall has been an entertaining experience. It sometimes seems that the author goes a little overboard trying to emulate the speech of the characters in the original novel, but it doesn't really detract from the enjoyment of reading the comic. The illustrations are fabulous. I would recommend it to any die-hard Stephen King fan. It was well worth the money.

"Heart-Shaped Box" by Joe Hill is a suspensefull thriller/horror that will keep you on the edge of your seat (or wherever you read)throughout the novel.
Judas Coyle is an aging divorced rocker (think AC/DC) who has a knack for collecting weird, freaky stuff most normal people would cringe at (Snuff films and the like). While online he buys something marked as "my stepfathers shost" from a shady seller in the south. When he gets this "ghost", the terror starts and unwinds creepy twists and plot turns that will leave you guessing and actually tug at the old heart strings on a couple of occassions, but there are some parts that will purely scare the hell out of you.
All this praise aside, this novel is a really fun weekend read and that's it. It's nothing you should jump up and buy but if you wanna have some fun with a cool read for a couple of days then pick it up and enjoy.

This book was such a disappointment. I found tedious & repetitive. I found myself waiting for the story to get better.

i love this book, i picked it up in the UK on the way back to the US before it was published hear and i couldnt put it down.

Whew, I finally quit trying to make myself read faster & just gave up on this book. Rarely do I pick a book that I just can't finish, but this one just didn't work for me. 150 pages into it & it was just painful to keep trying. The premise sounded interesting & it was a good beginning, but then it became monotonous.

The initial concept was enthralling enough for me to buy the book. What a disappointment. The protagonist is 54 years old -- a burned out rocker. Then I turned to the back jacket flap, and see that the author is, at most, in his early 30s. What, I wondered, can somebody that young possibly know about being 54 years old, or being a 54 year old burned out rocker, for that matter? Reading the book provided the answer -- almost nothing. I know because I happen to be 54 years of age. For a man that old to be with a girl about 30 years younger than he is, and to have anything whatsoever to hold that relationship together beyond sex (and that didn't really seem to enter into it too much) is ludicrous.

Joe Hill or Joe King or whoever he is has created a cast of shallow characters. I didn't find a single one that I gave even a slight damn about and was relieved when I finished the book.

I also objected to his slang-ridden narrative. Slang is fine when used in dialogue to help express the sort of person speaking, but when it's used narrative, it indicates immaturity and an incomplete grasp of the craft of writing. For example: he uses the work "hoarked" to describe vomiting in the narrative. If his character had said that, it would have been fine. But the way he chose to use it narratively made me shake my head. He writes like a punk, and if you go in for that sort of thing, buy the book. I imagine if you are a male who is 16-24, you'll be all over this tome.

Joe Hill/King had a great idea that he was unable to properly execute. And the fact that it's a first novel doesn't excuse it. I have read many brilliant first novels, and this one couldn't shine their dust jackets.

However, if you are, by any chance, interested in a truly literate and terrifying book, buy yourself a copy of THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by Shirley Jackson. And don't tell me you saw the movie(s) -- the movie(s) didn't even come close to capturing all the creepiness in the book.