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Christine A. (965 KP) rated Small Spaces (Small Spaces #1) in Books

Jul 24, 2019

Small Spaces (Small Spaces #1)

Katherine Arden | 2018 | Children, Horror, Science Fiction/Fantasy

8.5

(4 Ratings)

Book Rating

Fantasy Horror Book marketed for middle school/middle grades

‏I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

Katherine Arden is best known for her adult/young adult fantasy novel, The Bear and the Nightingale. With Small Spaces, Katherine Arden ventures into writing for middle school-aged children. This creepy horror book brought me back to my childhood where I stayed up late reading Lois Duncan, Richard Peck, and Joan Lowery Nixon. Those authors, among others, wrote horror books for children that were able to scare you without being gory.

The description of Small Spaces brought to mind the movie Jeepers Creepers 2 - a school bus full of children breaks down and they are in danger of something in the night/dark. That is where the similarities end. Arden teams up 3 students who are classmates but not friends. They leave the bus for the safety of the forest...

This story is tame compared to many of the horror movies children have seen in recent years. It is the innocence of the story while being scary and suspenseful that makes it such an interesting read.

Small Spaces is the first book in her Small Spaces series. The 2nd, Dead Voices, has a release date of August 27, 2019. I preordered it and will review it as soon as possible.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 7/24/19.

Kudos

Christine A. (965 KP) rated The Girl in Red in Books

Feb 6, 2020

The Girl in Red

Christina Henry | 2019 | Horror, Science Fiction/Fantasy

7.7

(3 Ratings)

Book Rating

Retelling of LIttle Red Riding Hood in a post-apocalyptic wasteland

‏I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

The Girl in Red by Christina Henry is a retelling of the classic story Little Red Riding Hood. In this version, Red is living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland caused by a highly contagious disease. Everyone Red knows has died but she hopes her grandmother will still be alive since her house is isolated. Most survivors have been relocated to quarantine camps but Red would rather go to her grandmother's house.

It is told using alternating timelines that reveal the beginning and the spread of the disease and Red's struggle to get to her grandmother's house in present day.

The book took some time for me to get into the story but it has a nice pace to it. You quickly realize it is not a mystery or suspenseful book. It is a believable retelling of the perennial classic Little Red Riding Hood so there will not be any twists and turns but involves a well-written and imaginative retelling.

The Girl in Red is one of the many retellings Christina Henry has written. Others involve the classic works of Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and the Little Mermaid.

The Girl in Red was a 2019 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Horror.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 2/6/20.

Kudos

Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Mar 12, 2020

Today on my blog, author Amanda Cabot stops by for a fantastic interview where she discusses her writing as well as her new historical Christian romance novel OUT OF THE EMBERS. Check it out, and enter the GIVEAWAY to win a $25 Barnes & Noble or $10 Starbucks GIFT CARD as well as a copy of Hill Country Sweets Cookbook and Out of the Embers. https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2020/03/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-out-of.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
Ten years after her parents were killed, Evelyn Radcliffe is once more homeless. The orphanage that was her refuge and later her workplace has burned to the ground, and only she and a young orphan girl have escaped. Convinced this must be related to her parents' murders, Evelyn flees with the girl to Mesquite Springs in the Texas Hill Country and finds refuge in the home of Wyatt Clark, a talented horse rancher whose plans don't include a family of his own.

At first, Evelyn is a distraction. But when it becomes clear that trouble has followed her to Mesquite Springs, she becomes a full-blown disruption. Can Wyatt keep her safe from the man who wants her dead? And will his own plans become collateral damage?

Suspenseful and sweetly romantic, Out of the Embers is the first in a new series that invites you to the Texas Hill Country in the 1850s, when the West was wild, the men were noble, and the women were strong.

Kudos Comment

Vegas (725 KP) rated Ready or Not (2019) in Movies

Feb 20, 2020

Ready or Not (2019)

2019 | Comedy, Horror, Mystery

7.6

(46 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Very strong cast (1 more)

The black humour

A fun horror rather than a gory horror

I really enjoy horrors, thrillers and dramas set predominantly in mansions, stately homes castles, chateaux etc so it gets off to a good start. The setting has a feel of a cross between Clue and the original Sleuth... Both of which are among my favourite films...

Marrying into a family who made their money through games all new family members have to play a random game, most harmless but draw one card and you are in for a bumpy ride, and might not see the night through...

An oddball bunch of family members make this a fun horror movie rather than a gory or suspenseful one, even though there is a lot of blood and gore it doesn't feel like it, it's certainly not like watching the Saw franchise, the black humour works brilliantly alongside the serious moments and you can really get behind Samara Weavings character, trying to remain alive in a cat and mouse chase around the Mansion with her portrayal of newlywed Grace who instead of spending her wedding night with her husband ends up playing a scary and dangerous game of hide and seek with her new family...

A well made film that delights with its humour, made stronger by the cast and not a stereotypical usage of the usual, lone girl (potential) victim/survivor seen in other horror films.