Review: LOST IN WONDERLAND by Nicky Peacock

Title/author: Lost In Wonderland (The Twisted and the Brave #1) by Nicky Peacock
Genre: YA, thriller, supernatural, horror
Rating: 3.75/5 stars
Synopsis: Monsters, serial killers, and imaginary friends—being a Wonderlander can be murder... 

Once upon a time, Kayla was lost. Then she found Wonderland, but not the one you know. Run by ex-government agents and funded by an eccentric Silicon Valley billionaire, this Wonderland is the name of a collective of highly trained vigilantes who hunt serial killers. Now Kayla, aka Mouse, works tirelessly alongside her fellow Wonderlanders, Rabbit and Cheshire, baiting dangerous murderers. But even her extensive training hasn’t prepared her for the return of her older brother…

Shilo has spent most of his life in an insane asylum, convinced his mother was abducted by a sinister Alaskan monster who lures the lost away to feast upon their flesh. And now he’s certain that his sister is in the same monster’s crosshairs. But if Shilo is going to save what’s left of his family, he’ll have to convince his sister that maybe, just maybe, we’re all a little mad.

Review:

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review

So, first off, we have the premiss of this book which is hunting serial killers and a possible supernatural flare--two of my favorite things ever! And this book didn't disappoint, it was action packed, and exciting, and held the suspense of the story very well. I loved the illusions of Alice in Wonderland. It's not so much a retelling as a nod to the original story. I'm not really a huge Alice fan myself, but the way it was used in this book was awesome. 

Mouse was a likable main character, she was strong and did what she needed to do almost callously, to be honest, and it worked. While I kind of find it a little unrealistic that such young people would be able to hunt and kill serial killers so frequently without actually dying or getting caught by authorities, I loved the premiss. Overall it felt like a kind of off-beat version of Criminal Minds which is totally fine by me.

I also liked the supernatural aspect of the story, which I think fit in really well with it. I had to look up the Kushtaka lore, because I had never heard of it before, but from what I could tell it was pretty well portrayed. And the whole is the monster real or is it not? gave the story an extra flare of suspense.

The only thing I had a problem with is that I wish the story was longer. I really liked what we got to read, but I would have liked more. It read almost like a movie because the chapters were so short they seemed more like scenes, and there wasn't a ton of details given at any one point. The story could easily have been twice as long and not lost any of it's fast pacing. But apart from that, I enjoyed it a lot!

Rating: 3.75/5 stars.

Recommended for: Fans of dark supernatural/suspense and anyone who wanted a mix of the supernatural with your Criminal Minds Ages 16 and up.

Review: BONECHILLER by Graham McNamee

Title/ Author: Bonechiller by Graham McNamee
Genre: YA, horror, supernatural
Rating: 3/5 stars
Synopsis:

Danny is sick of running. Harvest Cove is the latest nowhere place he's drifted through with his dad. In summer, people come to stay in cottages on the vast lake. In winter, Harvest Cove is a ghost town hidden away in Canada's Big Empty. Danny's been running forever, but Harvest Cove might be his last stop. The place has a way of making people disappear.

As the cold sets in, Danny and his new friends stumble on a centuries-old nightmare. They start seeing things. Impossible things. And in winter, there's no escape from Harvest Cove.

Review:

Thoughts on the Overall Book: This was a fun fast-paced scary adventure story. More folklorish than actually horror in my opinion, but nothing wrong with that!

Cover--Yea or Nay: I do like the cover, I love creepy forests :)

Characters: Danny is pretty much a typical hero, but not the kind of guy protags who are jerky and arrogant, thus I liked him. In fact, I was actually surprised how much I liked the characters in this book, usually these kinds of books give you cookie-cutter characters who you don't really care for but the cast here had good characteristics that made you care for them. Aside from Danny, you have Ash, who is a little bit of a stereotypical 'tough girl' but she didn't have an attitude that got on my nerves either, she was really just a tom boy. And then there's Pike and Howie the brothers--Pike being the typical crazy friend and Howie his quiet, scholarly younger brother. They were both fun, though, and I loved their relationship, how Pike was really protective of his bro. I also liked Danny's relationship with his dad, again, you usually expect it to be rougher, but they had a good relationship which made me happy. I also liked Ash's relationship with her dad. I guess mainly because it cuts out a lot of the teen angst that could have been there. In any case, the cast was enjoyable.

The Romance: There is some romance between Danny and Ash, but it really wasn't bad either. There's plenty of action to keep it from being annoying.

Writing Style: Nothing really special, but it's definitely fast-paced and easy reading, good for this type of book. It's pretty geared as a guy read, and for that, it's actually paced and written really well, not just like an action-packed movie script, there is character development among the action scenes. It wasn't as scary as I was hoping, actually, but I don't scare easy either and I don't think anything would be totally scary after finishing 172 Hours on the Moon. It did have a cool folklore vibe and kind of read like an episode of Supernatural and that's a good thing. The suspense was built well and it had a good and satisfying ending and there were parts that were scary too. The monster was actually really cool as well (and I don't mean that as a pun lol).

Accuracy/ Believability: Not really applicable.

Problems/What bothered me: The only real complaint I have is that I wish we had had more info on the monster itself. (view spoiler)

Conclusion: 3.5/5 stars. An entertaining read and good one for being alone on a rainy night. Also a nice refreshment for the summer heat!

Recommended Audience: This is a great guy read but of course girls can read it too. ages 16 and up. Fans of mild folklorish horror would enjoy this. If you liked it read The Secret Journeys of Jack London by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon.

(Read this review with spoilers on Goodreads)

Review: 172 HOURS ON THE MOON by Johan Harstad

Title/ Author: 172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad
Genre: YA, Horror
Rating: 4/5
Synopsis: It's been decades since anyone set foot on the moon. Now three ordinary teenagers, the winners of NASA's unprecedented, worldwide lottery, are about to become the first young people in space--and change their lives forever. Mia, from Norway, hopes this will be her punk band's ticket to fame and fortune. Midori believes it's her way out of her restrained life in Japan. Antoine, from France, just wants to get as far away from his ex-girlfriend as possible.

It's the opportunity of a lifetime, but little do the teenagers know that something sinister is waiting for them on the desolate surface of the moon. And in the black vacuum of space... no one is coming to save them.

In this chilling adventure set in the most brutal landscape known to man, highly acclaimed Norwegian novelist Johan Harstad creates a vivid and frightening world of possibilities we can only hope never come true.

Review:

Thoughts on the Overall Book: Not my normal sort of read, but this was recommended to me by a friend and I am glad she did because I was not disappointed. This was one of the creepiest books I have read in a long time.

Cover--Yea or Nay: Love the cover, it's so creepy and makes you wonder what's what. I also love how it's in black and white. For some reason I pictured most of the book in Black and white while I was reading it.

Characters: This is the kind of book where it's not necessary to like the characters, it's more plot driven. I didn't hate any of the characters, but I didn't really form any attachments to them either. Mia was probably the one I liked most, though I didn't mind Midori either. Antoine, I was indifferent about. The character I felt most sorry for probably was Dr. Coleman, he just seemed like a sort of tragic character to me. I actually did really like Mia's little brother though, and the homeless man, Murray, that she met in Central Park. Overall, the cast served their purpose, which is how these kinds of books usually are.

The Romance: There is a little romance between Mia and Antoine, but it really doesn't have anything to do with the plot and it's hardly there anyway.

Writing Style: This is the selling point for the book. I know it's translated, but I think the translator did a really good job doing it. Obviously, I didn't read the original, but just the way the prose holds onto the creepy feel, that's actually rather understated (which in my opinion only makes it more creepy) and the suspense of the horror makes me believe this is how the author originally wrote it. It's a very fast read, and it is genuinely creepy. I was surprised, actually, because I don't scare easily, though because I actually personally hate the thought of being stuck in space, I did know this was probably going to creep me out. But I loved how the monster was actually genuinely frightening and threatening. There was no lame reveal at the end, this book was scary all the way through, with a sort of Twilight Zone feel to it. I can't really say that much for fear of spoiling it, but the suspense the the foreshadowing worked really well together, and the descriptions are very vivid and only add to the chills.

Accuracy/ Believability: Not really applicable. Thank heavens!

Problems/What bothered me: Nothing really to report here.

Conclusion: 4 stars. This book was creepy, enough said. I loved it. The end will make you scream, but it's also really awesome. You just end up with a really sort of creeped out feel and I love that in this sort of book. It's actually just as much a psychological thriller as a horror.

Recommended Audience: If you like psychological horror this will fit the bill. Definitely horror, not sic-fi, as the setting would lead you to believe. Girl or guy read ages 17 and up.