Siioow's Library of Screams: Reading Event

[wraithey]

Title: Satan’s Affair
Author: HD Carlton
Genre: Dark Thriller? Horror? Definitely not a Romance
Is this over 18+ material?: Yes
Any Trigger or Content Warnings?: Yes. There is a warning page but I don’t think it really conveys how dark this novella is. Included are mentions of child abuse, rape, and others. Please please check your triggers before reading.
Review: 2 Stars

I don’t mean to be nitpicky over the novellas but here we are.

I contemplated DNF’ing several times. Not because of the content but purely because of the narrator’s voice. We see everything from the FMC’s point of view and it’s very immature. It also feels very very young, if that makes sense. She mentions she thinks she’s over twenty but her tone of voice feels younger than that. Now, we could argue that’s because of all the trauma she’s been through, which is very understandable. From a reading perspective, however, it made me very uncomfortable.

Everytime I read the word “henchmen” I was also very annoyed. Can’t currently think of a better word. It sets up the power dynamic pretty accurately but it just felt so out of place? And made me think of a Batman comic everytime it popped up on the page.

This is listed as a prequel for the Cat & Mouse duet. I haven’t read either of those yet but I also don’t understand why? We see Zade for all of 2 seconds. Maybe if I read the included first chapter preview of Haunting Adeline I’d understand. Honestly, after reading this I have no desire dipping back into the world quite yet. I’m sure they’re written differently since they have a different narrator but, still.

[wraithey]

Title: Marrow
Author: Brynne Weaver & Trisha Wolfe
Genre: Dark Romance Psych Thriller
Is this over 18+ material?: Yes
Any Trigger or Content Warnings?: Yes. Plenty of violence due to the main characters, an instance of somnophilia, and others. Please check your trigger warnings.
Review: 5 Stars

Gods. I loved this book so much. I knew I’d love it because Brynne Weaver and Trisha Wolfe are two of my favorites but nothing I’ve ever read by either author could prepare me for how much I’d love this. They are an absolute force together and I hope they co-author again. It’s like the best parts of both their writing were smooshed together in one masterpiece.

The language was hauntingly beautiful. The descriptions were immaculate. Kyrie is extremely playful and determined. Jack is engaging and intelligent. They both fit together so well. Very complimentary in a lot of ways.

Reading how their lives weaved together to get to the plot of the novel was an absolute joy. Don’t get me wrong. Please keep in mind this is a story about two serial killers falling in love ( just in case you made it here before reading the book’s description ). There is dark content that will not be for everyone. But for those of you who are into this kind of thing I think this is definitely worth a try.

[wraithey]

Title: Phantom
Author: Greer Rivers
Genre: Dark Romance
Is this over 18+ material?: Yes
Any Trigger or Content Warnings?: Yes but they are not listed in the book or epub. A QR code is provided to take you to the author’s website
Review: 4.5 Stars

Phantom is a Dual POV reimagining of the Phantom of the Opera but I don’t think you need to know the original story to appreciate the story being told. Although, for anyone who does know the original novel or play, there is a lot of details to pick up on. I would even say the overall haunting feel of the writing itself lends to the atmosphere.

Our FMC is a student at a conservatory specializing in opera. Our MMC is an enforcer for one of the families that rules New Orleans. Fate brings them together and obsession keeps them entangled.

The language is beautiful and the atmosphere the author evokes is incredible. It kept taking me back to all the times I’ve seen POTO on stage. Yet, the modern twists and reimagined elements kept me on the edge of my seat. The only reason this is four stars instead of five is I feel like the conflict wasn’t so much a plot twist as it was a long build up. I saw parts of it from a mile away. Some of the finer details were, indeed, a surprise. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Reading, for me, is about the journey and not the destination. But, I do feel like it was hammered a little hard? Not sure if that makes sense.

Whether you’re a fan of Phantom of the Opera or just looking for a vibe, I highly recommend giving this a shot.

[Bluemoonrabbit]

Book Review:
Title: Sawdust & Spangles: Stories & Secrets of the Circus
Author: W.C. Coup
Genre: Nonfiction/Autobiography
Is this over 18+ material? No
Any Trigger or Content Warnings? Animal Abuse, Animal Death, Animal Torture, Poaching, Violence, Deaths, Racism, Ableism, Slavery, Slurs, Murders, War, Genocide, Sexism, Misogyny, Classism

Review: 4.5 (the book can be a bit of an adjustment with the way it's set up, I do highly recommend the audiobook reading by Beeswaxcandle on LibriVox Audiobooks. It cracked me up hearing his British accent trying to replicate a thick southern drawl, especially during the harder parts of stories.)

*This is a book reproduced for scholarly purposes from the original work and stories, both of Mr. Coup and his life and his autobiography. It is set in the time periods of Pre-Civil War and Post-Civil war, although it does not mention the Civil War besides a few quips, other wars are mentioned.*

There is *a lot* of racism and violence mentioned. The book starts with Mr. Coup’s life from being a boy running away from his quiet life to eventually working on a circus. He talks about in his young life how many times the circus and the attachés of the show were regularly dealing with unruly neighborhoods.

The story of how many of the animals were procured was very upsetting, including how many of the people involved were treated and dehumanized. The animal deaths can be really hard throughout the book. The entire 2nd chapter can be really upsetting for anyone reading it.

Some parts of the book did make me laugh, especially hearing the thick accent of the “Kentucky Wild Man” was actually Russian, and an old friend of Coup’s that he didn't recognize right away. The fascinating world of “Circus Freaks”, were actually really good actors most of the time apparently. Or the kind hearted cowboy cook yelling about “pertaters!” (Potatoes were very popular in the circus apparently.)

Although much of the context of the book is upsetting for both violence and human rights, hearing the story and life of the man who eventually revolutionizes the circus and traveling entertainment is fascinating. The book has moments that make you laugh, make you hurt, and make you despise people, and love it all again with the stories Mr. Coup tells of his life and the colorful characters he meets in his journey. I enjoyed the book overall, although it didn't really get overly interesting until later on. It is especially an interesting read considering the fact the author not only brought the Circus to the West Coast on the Railroad, but built the first aquarium in New York.

[ImpQueen]

Title: It
Author: Stephen King
Genre: horror
Is this over 18+ material? yes
Any Trigger or Content Warnings? the heroine is sexualized as a child and has sort of a weird intimacy in some places with the boys in her group in a couple of places and there is mention of incestual relationship stuff which is blegh. Other than that child death, gore, violence, the sort of "normal" stuff you get with Stephen King
Review: The first time I read this book was when I was nine years old and it horrified me back then, a monstrous clown that intentionally and exclusively fed on children. Talk about feeding clown phobias to generations of kids! If you want a horror story for the carnival event that takes a sinister and horrific side to clowns look no further. Pennywise has been in Dary for generations, waking up to take his picking among the children to feed his appetite before slumbering for another few decades. Adults can't see him, and memory is easily distorted within his shroud. Stephen King takes you on a wild and horrifying ride shifting between time with a set of friends and the horror that they faced as children, and then again as adults. This clown means death and he has a terrible appetite.

I decided to try to listen to It as an audiobook, honestly it freaked me the fuck out and gave my nightmares. (I already was terrified of Pennywise, and like nah man this did not fucking help) Watching the movie was easier than listening to the book being read and I had to actually put the book down for days when it got to specific parts ( the sexualization of Beverly and the weird sex scene with the boys?) I actually did not finish nor want to finish this book, and trust me I really really tried.

[Lycana]

Title: The Hellbound Heart
Author: Clive Barker
Genre: Horror
Is this over 18+ material? Yes
Any Trigger or Content Warnings? Some mentions sex (not very explicit compared to romance novels and the like), perhaps excessive and extreme gore for some--use your discretion, violence. Really, if you have seen the movie Hellraiser that was based off this book, you know to more or less expect all of the above.

Review: As mentioned this is the book that the movie Hellraiser was based off of, and it is surprisingly short. This is not a long book but it hits quite differently. The first thing you notice is that "pin-head" is not strictly speaking male.... the character Frank describes them as having a feminine appearance which suggests that they might be considered female but I wouldn't run too hard with the assumption when it takes away from the fluidness of the cenobyte and their tastes for pleasure and pain that the Order of the Gash explores. Another thing that is very different is the characters themselves. For one Rory and Julia (the married couple) are presented as quite a bit younger and have only been married a scant few years (this also makes her affair with Rory's brother Frank more recent). As such, Kirsty is not Rory's daughter as she was in the movie but a friend of Rory who was in love with him and was overlooked for the prettier and more charismatic Julia. It is perhaps because her character is more melancholic within the book, jealous and admiring of Julia with a bit of melodrama that her character was reinvented for the movie as Rory's daughter and Julia's stepdaughter. Because of this Kirsty plays a much larger part in the movie than she does in the book, as the movie centers more on her as a heroine daughter on the drama between Julia and Frank with Kirsty taking an adjacent part in her attempt to save Rory. It is definitely an interesting read and the cenobytes themselves are a lot more interesting as they collectively go by the Order of the Gash as well as another name that escapes me that is one used to refer to their particular brand of devotion. They are more or less more like some kind of demonic priesthood in how they come off in the book. Definitely worth the read.

[wraithey]

Title: Lights Out
Author: Navessa Allen
Genre: Dark Stalker Romance
Is this over 18+ material?: Yes
Any Trigger or Content Warnings?: Yes. The author has provided a list in the book itself. A few triggers include mask play, primal play, and consensual dub con. Please check the entire list before reading.
Review: 5 Stars

Gods, what do I even say about this other than I’m mad at myself for taking so long to read this?

This is a dual POV story where our FMC is a trauma nurse and our MMC works in cybersecurity by day and is a masked social media sensation by night.

I love, love, love the energy between these two characters. There’s sarcasm, there’s banter, and there’s a cat who steals the show at every opportunity. What’s super different and super refreshing to me is our MMC is self aware enough to try NOT being a monster. Sure, he acknowledges the weirdness of what he does, like keeping a GPS on his best friend but he tries hard to draw lines in the sand for himself. Josh is the golden retriever you never knew you needed in your life.

Aly is kick ass and takes no shit. They’re such a blast to see interacting with one another. Yes, Josh does the dark romance thing by being very extra with taking care of her but Aly is also more than capable in taking care of herself. What they build is incredibly balanced, very healthy, and full of kink.

The plot twist was interesting. I didn’t see it coming. The resolution was pretty satisfying while also building up a little more of what we can expect to see in the second book. I’m excited to see where the world goes.