A Spooky Season Pit Stop (Rapid Reviews)

Hi everyone and welcome back to the Nest, we are about halfway through spooky season and I have already read four books. So far this month has been a real mixed bag with some really great reads and others that left a lot to be desired. I am also including my read for Hispanic Heritage month as I just finished it today, on the last day of Hispanic Heritage month. So this post is really like a spooky and diverse two for one special! :)

So let's get the bad stuff out of the way first then...

• How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive by Craig DiLouie

  • This was the last of my spooky trio that I read, and it was a bit of a letdown. I definitely was expecting more on the gore side of things after realizing the camera used to make this fictional movie is cursed and causes the deaths. I feel like the writing was a bit too tame especially since the setting of the book was 1980's Hollywood. Like come on that is the era of the slasher genre in horror so play up and exaggerate! Also, I'm all for a twist on tropes, I did enjoy Sally trying to step into the "final girl" role and leave that bad girl stereotype. I think the ending was the most disappointing as it felt like nothing happened. I guess this cursed camera will continue on rolling, but I will not be picking up any works by DiLouie anytime soon. Final Rating: 2.4/5 stars

• The Influencers by Anna-Marie McLemore

  • This was the book that I just finished today, as part of reading for Hispanic Heritage month. It features a mom influencer whose social media and business empire comes crashing down and, the daughters who made her famous are considered the prime suspects. I initially bought this after learning about the Ruby Franke situation, so seeing a book about the dark side of child influencers seemed right up my alley in that moment. Now after about six months of being on my TBR it was not worth the wait. It was way too long sitting at a whopping 432 pages; there were sections that definitely could have been cut out. My first choice would have been the gossip podcast session that would be set between each chapter as it took away from the main focus which was the Iverson family. Final Rating: 2.2/5 stars

And now on to the more exciting reads so far this month...

• Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay

  • I wasn't sure what to think of this book once I finished it. I couldn't figure it out if it was amazing or I was looking for non-existent meaning in an average book. I'm going to go with the former option since this is my review, and I should not be doubting myself. I felt like it was a mix of a critique on method acting, and the idea that villains are born they are made. This main character was pushed into becoming this "thin kid" loner and was gaslit whenever he had reservations about certain scenes. I am looking at you finger chopping scene! All for the good of the movie the other kids assured him. Also, the structure of the book was also unique as there were portions that were formatted as movie script so it made me feel like oh this is what could have happened in the scene if they actually filmed the rest of it. Also, whoever said time heals all wounds was very wrong as that ending was truly shocking. He never left the character, so all I have to say is well done, Paul my first venture into your works left quite an impression and I can't wait to read another. Final Rating: 4/5 stars

• Schrader's Chord by Scott Leeds

  • Ok so I did definitely buy this partially based on the cover which you can see over on my Spooky Season preview post. This book delivered on all fronts, and I have to say it is one hell of a debut book. I look forward to any works Scott comes out with in the future. The premise was amazing; these cursed vinyl records open a connection to the land of the dead when played together. I just feel like this book did everything right, I feel like I spent the perfect amount of time with the Remick family before the tension starts to build. I quickly got into the mode of "ok just one more chapter" and that's when I knew the book won me over. I was practically racing to the end to see who would survive the curse from the dead composer Ivan Schrader. The ending was beautiful and bittersweet and now I plan on either rereading it or manifesting a film adaptation for this book. Definitely the scare I needed this season. Final Rating: 5/5 Stars.