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Gate of Shadows ( Cambridge Gothic 2)
Mark Wells | 2024
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
130 of 220
Kindle
Gate of Shadows ( Cambridge Gothic 2)
By Mark Wells
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A mystic portal lies open. A chilling predator stalks the night. Can an undaunted student stop the darkness from spreading?
Giles Chamberlain returns to a snowbound Cambridge after Christmas spent with his girlfriend. Determined to prove himself to her family, he sets out to discover what became of her missing brother. But when he encounters a sinister figure prowling the college’s rooftops, he suspects last semester’s creature was not the only entity to cross into our world.

After the tight-lipped Professor Gupta refuses his plea for help, Giles enlists his feuding friends to locate the otherworldly passage. As hunters and hunted converge on the portal, the students discover just how far the old academic will go to keep his secret safe.

Faced with forces beyond his imagination, can Giles conjure up the key to save them all?

Second book in the series and I really enjoyed it. Catching up with what’s happened to Alphonso as well as everything back at Cambridge. This is a really interesting read.
  
The Women in the Shadows
The Women in the Shadows
Harriet Fox, Kerry Barrett | 2025 | Crime, Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
THE WOMEN IN THE SHADOWS is a standalone story that focuses on Jack the Ripper's crimes, but told from the perspective of women - some of whom he murdered, some investigating.

Bet, Emma, and Maggie are all different - ages, statuses, and relationships - but they are all connected by the horrendous murders that are happening in Whitechapel. Unhappy with the way the police are referring to the victims and the progress being made, they join forces to investigate it themselves. This leads to some events that seemed almost too funny to be in this book. It was pretty obvious who the killer was, but I enjoyed their thought processes and actions as they arrived at the same conclusion.

Evenly paced, with moments of action interspersed with calm, this was an easy read that I enjoyed. I would also be happy to return to these three ladies, just to see what trouble they could find next. Definitely recommended by me.

** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 1, 2025
  
Halloween Ends (2022)
Halloween Ends (2022)
2022 | Horror
6
6.0 (5 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Surprisingly a step-up, the best of the trilogy.
Halloween Ends introduces us to Corey (Rohan Campbell), a young man with a dark image for having ended the life of a boy (he claims it was an accident.)
Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) is trying to move on, along with Allyson (Andi Matichak), but Michael Myers still lurks in the shadows.

Halloween Ends is overall a mixed bag, but I was surprised that I mostly enjoyed it.
Rohan Campbell is great in his role, and Matichak gives her best performance.
The film has a darker more serious tone, I loved it.

Now for the downsides.
Laurie was annoying, her dumb, philosophical narrations are cringe-inducing, and she does little throughout the film.
Michael is practically pointless. He's shown as weak, and helpless.
The final moments with Michael are a letdown, the last 20 minutes or so are dull and disappointing.

Honestly, Halloween Ends would've worked way better as an original horror film centered around Corey,
All the throwbacks to the franchise and the final fight between Michael and Laurie felt tired and spiritless.
Worth a watch, but definitely not perfect.
  
OS
Of Shadow and Elves ( Of Goblin Kings 2)
Emma Hamm | 2023
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
151 of 235
Kindle
Of Shadows and Elves ( Of Goblin Kings 2)
By Emma Hamm
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Freya couldn't have known she would destroy the entire faerie court by beating the Goblin King. All she wanted was her sister back, not to imprison the king. But with her sister refusing to return home, Freya is left trapped in her own mess. She has to fix what she broke or the faerie realm will get infinitely more dangerous.

Bring the Goblin King back. Save the people she harmed. And do her best to avoid the temptation of falling into the Goblin King's arms. Considering the Goblin King is locked away in a magical prison, at least one of her goals may be impossible to achieve...

...unless she's willing to go through hardships unnumbered.

I needed this it was all magic and fantasy with kings queens hero’s and villains plus a few goblin creatures thrown in. It followed on from book one seamlessly and was a fun read. Freya is a sweet hero who has to reach deep in this one to go against her own nature all for her goblin king.