Review + Giveaway: Don't Touch by Rachel M. Wilson

Don't Touch
by Rachel M. Wilson
Series: None
Released on: September 2nd, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating: 4.5 stars
Word Rating: Truly TOUCHing (Yes I know, I'm hilarious)
Reviewed by: Mel

A powerful story of a girl who is afraid to touch another person’s skin, until the boy auditioning for Hamlet opposite her Ophelia gives her a reason to overcome her fears.

Step on a crack, break your mother’s back. Touch another person’s skin, and Dad’s gone for good.

Caddie can’t stop thinking that if she keeps from touching another person’s skin, her parents might get back together... which is why she wears full-length gloves to school and covers every inch of her skin.

It seems harmless at first, but Caddie’s obsession soon threatens her ambitions as an actress. She desperately wants to play Ophelia in her school’s production of Hamlet. But that would mean touching Peter, who’s auditioning for the title role—and kissing him. Part of Caddie would love nothing more than to kiss Peter—but the other part isn't sure she's brave enough to let herself fall.

Perfect for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson, this debut novel from Rachel M. Wilson is a moving story of a talented girl who's fighting an increasingly severe anxiety disorder, and the friends and family who stand by her.

ALL FOUR STARS blog tour: interview + giveaway

Hey everyone! Today on the blog I have for you all an interview with Tara Dairman, author of All Four Stars, as part of the blog tour hosted by The Midnight Garden. You can check out their kick-off post for the blog tour here, and also the rest of the blog tour and its previous posts at the end! I read this one a few weeks ago, and you guys, it was so adorable and happy-making, and thankfully was totally worthy of all four stars. Seriously, if you're into MG or food, this is a book you should definitely pick up. It's well-written, diverse, and utterly charming, and you'll totally leave it feeling hungry. I had to take a stop at a nearby bakery to get some napoleons and whatnot to satiate my needs. With that having been said, I'm excited to share with you an interview featuring some of Tara's traveling and food-related adventures, of which there are plenty in All Four Stars, as well as a giveaway generously provided by The Midnight Garden below!

Meet Gladys Gatsby: New York’s toughest restaurant critic. (Just don’t tell anyone that she’s in sixth grade.)

Gladys Gatsby has been cooking gourmet dishes since the age of seven, only her fast-food-loving parents have no idea! Now she’s eleven, and after a crème brûlée accident (just a small fire), Gladys is cut off from the kitchen (and her allowance). She’s devastated but soon finds just the right opportunity to pay her parents back when she’s mistakenly contacted to write a restaurant review for one of the largest newspapers in the world.

But in order to meet her deadline and keep her dream job, Gladys must cook her way into the heart of her sixth-grade archenemy and sneak into New York City—all while keeping her identity a secret! Easy as pie, right?

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Giveaway: Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

Today I have for you a giveaway of a signed ARC of Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott, which is like if The Hunger Games had animals that resembled Digimon, pretty much. Victoria Scott and her assistant were generous enough to offer up an extra signed ARC they had from events, and I'm excited to be able to give you all an opportunity to win the ARC today! Below you will find information about the novel, as well as the giveaway details and the Rafflecopter itself. Good luck!

Time is slipping away.... 

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?

Victoria Scott's breathtaking novel grabs readers by the throat and doesn't let go.

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DEEP BLUE Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaway

If you follow me on Twitter or have read my review, you know how much I enjoyed Jennifer Donnelly's Deep Blue. It was just the read I needed: fun, well-written, and puntastic. With that having been said, I am excited to have Jennifer Donnelly on the blog today for an interview about Deep Blue, mermaids, magic, and more! Below you will find information about the novel, and then after the jump, the interview with Jennifer Donnelly and two chances to win Deep Blue, which the publisher was generous enough to provide. Enjoy! 

Deep in the ocean, in a world not so different from our own, live the merpeople. Their communities are spread throughout the oceans, seas, and freshwaters all over the globe.

When Serafina, a mermaid of the Mediterranean Sea, awakens on the morning of her betrothal, her biggest worry should be winning the love of handsome Prince Mahdi. And yet Sera finds herself haunted by strange dreams that foretell the return of an ancient evil. Her dark premonitions are confirmed when an assassin's arrow poisons Sera's mother. Now, Serafina must embark on a quest to find the assassin's master and prevent a war between the Mer nations. Led only by her shadowy dreams, Sera searches for five other mermaid heroines who are scattered across the six seas. Together, they will form an unbreakable bond of sisterhood and uncover a conspiracy that threatens their world's very existence. 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

SHE IS NOT INVISIBLE Blog Tour: Guest Post

Today I am excited to be a part of the She Is Not Invisible blog tour, a book which I loved and highly recommend to readers looking for something thought-provoking and unique. Author of She Is Not Invisible, Marcus Segdwick, has written an amazing guest post about the title of the novel, his own life experiences that relate to the novel, and how those who are blind, like Laureth, have nothing but personalities to base others off of; they don't care about a person's appearance, but only who you are, and that was something I really loved about She Is Not Invisible. Below you will find information about the novel, and then after the jump, Marcus' guest post and a chance to win a copy of She Is Not Invisible, which the publisher was generous enough to provide. Enjoy! 

Laureth Peak's father has taught her to look for recurring events, patterns, and numbers--a skill at which she's remarkably talented. Her secret: She is blind. But when her father goes missing, Laureth and her 7-year-old brother Benjamin are thrust into a mystery that takes them to New York City where surviving will take all her skill at spotting the amazing, shocking, and sometimes dangerous connections in a world full of darkness. She Is Not Invisible is an intricate puzzle of a novel that sheds a light on the delicate ties that bind people to each other. 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Happy (Belated) Valentine's Day!

On behalf of the creeps peeps at Finding Bliss in Books, we wish y'all a Happy (belated) Valentine's Day! (This is Mel writing the intro by the way.) Originally, this post was going to be posted on Valentine's Day but we ended up getting more authors for guest posts than we had planned. Nevertheless, we are going to celebrate Valentine's Day the bookish way with a giveaway! *cue squealing* *throws chocolate hearts everywhere* We decided to create a BuzzFeed-ish type quiz so you can decide which book would be more suited for you to win (because this way it's way more fun). All you need to do is choose one answer (A, B or C) to the questions and then it gets quite self-explanatory after that.

1. If your love life was a book, its title would be:

A. Nights of Cake and Puppets

B. Maybe One Day

C. Ruin and Rising

2. What's your favourite type of romance?

A. Friends falling for each other.

B. The slow burn.

C. From hate to love.

3. You respond with:

A. "Heeeeeyyyyy."

B. "What's up?"

C. "Nope."

4. You're writing The Ideal Date Mate Manifesto. How would you start?

A. Blind me with your charm.

B. Dazzle me with your wit.

C. Smite my enemies.

(Thanks Meg, for putting it so eloquently)

5. Which bookish date would you want to reenact?

A. Reading each other stories à la Fangirl

B. Career days à la The Distance Between Us

C. Battling enemies side by side à la Finnikin of the Rock

6. You'd abbreviate Valentine's Day as:

A. V-Day

B. Valentine's

C. VD

7. Pick a Valentine's Day card:

A.

B.

C. 

8. A good relationship functions on:

A. Banter

B. Honesty

C. (Sexual) tension

9. Pick a dessert:

A. Cupcakes (Yes, plural)

B. Pudding

C. Sachertorte

10. Which trope are you, admittedly, not entirely burned out on yet?

A. Faking it

B. Love triangles

C. Bad boys

11. Pick a Stiles:

A. 

B. 

C. 

12. Which flaw are you able to tolerate best?

A. Your partner can be completely clueless.

B. Your partner can be a bit of an asshole at times.

C. Your partner has a quick temper.

13. Ideal hairstyle:

A. Floppy-haired

D. Bedhead

C. Full of secrets

14. Choose a bad pick-up line:

A. Feel my shirt. It's boyfriend material.

B. I seem to have lost my number. Can I have yours?

C. There's a party in my pants and you're invited.

What did you answer most?

Mostly A

A perfect book for you would have the following key words: cute, adorable, fluffy. You love banter and misunderstandings that lead to more banter and ultimately, love/like declarations that make even the coldest heart (read: Ellis) go aaaaawww. Shipping the ship is where it's at, especially if it comes with a delightful dose of humor.

Blythe recommends:

Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Mel recommends:

 On the Fence by Kasie West

Ellis recommends:

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Mostly B

You like it when a book features a normal and realistic portrayal of love. That doesn't necessarily mean it's less funny or shipworthy than A, just that there are more ups and downs in the (budding) relationship. Strong friendships are often part of the deal and it isn't that uncommon to start yelling at one or more of the characters. You're just that invested.

Blythe recommends:

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

Mel recommends:

Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith

Ellis recommends:

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Mostly C

You're fond of the darker forms of romance, which often come in the shape of tortured and/or forbidden love. Inappropriate is another word for it. Hate-to-love isn't that uncommon, as is unresolved sexual tension.

Blythe recommends:

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

(Cruel Beauty was, of course, my initial choice for this; however, since we've already given that away for the event, Dangerous Girls is also worthy of this spot because WHOA UNHEALTHY ROMANCE. And it's glorious.)

Mel recommends:

Stolen: A Letter To My Captor by Lucy Christopher 

(I had originally chosen Dangerous Girls but Blythe chose that one. I've heard that this one would be suiting though.)

Ellis recommends:

The Falconer by Elizabeth May

Giveaway:

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Finding Swoons in Books: Alyssa Sheinmel

Welcome back to day three of Finding Swoons in Books! If you're just now catching up, yesterday Elizabeth Fama wrote about her upcoming novel, Plus One, as well as her writing process while creating the romance. Also, The Princess Bride. Yeah. Then, to kickstart the event, Rosamund Hodge wrote about the romance in her amazing debut, Cruel Beauty, and how she tried to make it creepy, but at the same time not too creepy. And now today, Alyssa Sheinmel is writing about the top five places in California (where her upcoming novel, Second Star, takes place) her MC, Wendy Darling (I know, right?) thinks are romantic. Enjoy! And if you live in California, let us know what your top five romantic places are, or if you agree with any of Wendy Darling's picks!

Finding Swoons in Books: Elizabeth Fama

Hey, everyone! Today as part of Finding Swoons in Books, Elizabeth Fama, author of the fantastic Monstrous Beauty and upcoming Plus One shares a bit about her writing process for the romance in Plus One and just Plus One in general. Enjoy!

 

Finding Swoons in Books: Rosamund Hodge

As most of you probably know, Mel and I are huge fans of Cruel Beauty (which Ellis hasn't read yet, so you could, you know, go after her with pitchforks later). It's seriously one of my favorite books of all time, and it has one of my favorite romances of all time as well. And today's kick-off post by Cruel Beauty author Rosamund Hodge explains exactly why: it's creepy, but not "too creepy," and it's realistic and Ignifex is complex and fantastic and ah, I could go on for hours. 

But this is Rosamund's post; so now, find out how Rosamund Hodge managed to make her romance in Cruel Beauty creepy but not too creepy!

 

Finding Fright in Books: Interview with Rebecca James

Happy Halloween everyone! How has everyone been? Since I am in Australia, I thought it would be nice to introduce the rest of the world to an Aussie YA thriller author who I've heard numerous of great things about. Welcome Rebecca James, author is Beautiful Malice and Sweet Damage!
 



 

Hey Rebecca! It's so exciting to have an Aussie author on Finding Fright in Books. Welcome!

Thanks very much for having me, Melanie!

You have written two books so far, Beautiful Malice--who was a female protagonist and Sweet Damage--which was narrated by a male voice. Which one was easier to write in and why?

I found Sweet Damage much harder to write. It was partly the male perspective (I had to work hard to keep my middle-aged woman's voice out of it) and partly the pressure of having a publishing deal. Initially I tried to write the book far too quickly which didn't help. In the end I just had to take a deep breath and calm down!

Are the names of the characters in your novels important to you? Or were they just randomly chosen?

I think I just choose names that I like. They're mainly all pretty classic, old-fashioned names--Katherine, Time, Anna--nothing too out there. But who knows, one day I might call a character Banana or Apricot just for laughs!

The first time I heard about your books, I found the titles eye-catching. How did you come up with such titles? After all, how can malice be beautiful and damage be sweet?

I'm glad you like my titles - thank you. And if they stand out and grab your attention then that’s fantastic because that’s exactly what they’re supposed to do. Naming a book is a collaboration between the author and publisher, though the publisher usually has final say. Most often the title an author is using while writing the book is not the title that will be printed on the front cover. Things like author branding and name recognition (and other mysterious marketing type considerations) have to be taken into account and authors aren’t often very good at such things...

Us Aussies don’t celebrate Halloween much, but I have had children come to our door Trick or Treating—do you celebrate Halloween?

I don’t really but my kids are often invited to go trick or treating with friends. Last year they came home with a hideously huge bag of lollies so obviously there are a few people out there who stock up for Halloween.

How did you come up with the idea for Sweet Damage? What was your inspiration?

I was thinking of anxiety and how, for some people, it can develop into agoraphobia and become very debilitating. I imagined a girl trapped in a large house. Trapped, not by any physical means, but by her own mind. That’s how I came up with Anna and her beautiful rambling old house, Fairview.

Are you planning any more novels in the near future that you can tell us about?

I'm working on another book now. It revisits some of the big themes I explored in Sweet Damage and Beautiful Malice: friendship, love, murder, grief, betrayal -- all the juicy melodrama that I so love writing about.

The female characters in both Sweet Damage and Beautiful Malice seem awfully mysterious. We have Anna who is hostile and unfriendly and Alice, from what I gather from the synopsis is really dark and has a few secrets. Was it intentional to create mysterious female characters?

I guess so. I definitely wanted Anna from Sweet Damage to be mysterious. A great deal of the suspense hinges on not knowing what she is really like, or what is really going on in her mind. In Beautiful Malice, Alice is less mysterious than blatantly toxic, I guess. But, having said that, her motives remain a mystery until the end... I guess the point is that I’m interested in writing about all sorts of complex, interesting and three-dimensional females. Sometimes this means my female character will be a villain, sometimes she will be a heroine, sometimes she will be a contradictory mix of both...

Do you have any recommendations of some Aussie YA horror or thriller?

Some recent Australian releases that have me intrigued include The Last Girl by Michael Adams and Pretty Girl by JC Burke. They both seem to fit the bill if you’re into scary, thrilling reads. I haven’t read either of them yet but they’re both sitting on my bedside table waiting for me. They will be my treat when I finish my third book. I can’t wait.

Thanks for stopping by, Rebecca! You can also find Sarah on her website, her blog, and on twitter!

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Finding Fright in Books: Melissa Walker's Perfect Halloween

Hi, everyone! Today on the blog we have Melissa Walker, author of the upcoming Ashes to Ashes, who is sharing both her perfect Halloween, and the perfect Halloween for her main character's best friend in Ashes to Ashes! Check out Melissa's video response to the topic below, and make sure to tell us what your perfect Halloween is! 

 

Thanks for stopping by, Melissa! You can also find Melissa on her website, her blog, and on twitter!

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Finding Fright in Books: Interview with Sarah Alderson

Hey bibliophiles! It's Mel here! Today, I am with an interview with Sarah Alderson. She is the author of many novels, including the Lila series, Fated series and most recently, The Sound (which is out in the US in May next year). They are all Halloween-time worthy reads, so while it's October, go and grab a copy of one of these thriller-y romance-y novels! We also have an international giveaway at the end of this post.



 

Hi Sarah! Welcome to the blog! Your latest novel, The Sound is rather different to your previous books which are all paranormal. What helped/made you decide to write a YA contemporary thriller?

The publisher told me to. That’s the short story. I love writing paranormal and dystopia but they felt that that was on a down cycle. Whatever I write though all my books are thrillers to some extent. I love writing action and I love writing romance. I don’t really mind what genre that’s in. A story is a story.

Who would be your favourite character in The Sound? Describe them, Twitter style! (140 characters or less)

Jesse: Plays guitar, gives books as gifts, brooding, smart, great with his hands, loyal, protective, self-less, sexy as hell and a phenomenal kisser.

Ren: English nanny, music blogger, wannabe journalist, feminist, asthmatic, book-lover, in the sights of a serial killer.

Which character, out of all the books you’ve ever written shares similar traits/personalities to you? 

I think all my characters have some elements of me within them, obviously, seeing how they came from my head. I’m probably most like Lila though, or I was when I was younger; a little impulsive, led by my emotions, loyal to a fault, a little too obsessed when it comes to love. I also share a sense of humour with her. That dry British humour is something I miss very much living abroad and it’s one of the main reasons I like to make my main characters at least part-British.

You’ve written quite a number of novels; does it get easier each time? Any writing habits?

Writing definitely gets easier with practice, like most things. I don’t have any habits other than I sit down and write every single day and treat it like a job. I write my books within a month to three months and that takes hard work and dedication. You show up. You put words on the page, you live the story until that final page. I’m lucky that my job is also my passion so showing up isn’t hard to do.

It’s Halloween! Tell us about your scariest experience!

I won’t go into details but it involves possession (or what some people call entity attachment). Up until then I hadn’t believed fully but after this experience my mind was much more open. I live in Bali. Black magic and spirits are very much an accepted part of the culture and if you come here not believing then within a few years you’ll most likely change your mind. I’ve seen stuff and heard stuff that would definitely give you goosebumps.

This or that:

Reading or writing?

Oh both, I don’t think you can be a good writer if you don’t read.

Paranormal fantasy or contemporary thriller?

Totally depends on the writer.

Coffee or tea?

COFFEE!

Thanks for stopping by, Sarah! You can also find Sarah on her website, her blog, and on twitter!

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The Beginner's Guide To Horror (sorted by scariness/gore)

Hey guys! Today's post is basically a Halloween book guide we've put together with some help from your nominations for Who Is The Fairest of Them All? We'd like to give thanks to everyone who sent us their nominations, as well as those who helped us on Twitter to provide a more valid reading analyzation. We changed up what we were actually going to do, which was a poll. Instead, like I mentioned above, this post includes your nominations of Halloween books, as well as books we've gather on our own, placed into categories. Those categories are: mild, intermediate and ultimate in levels of horror/scariness, respectively (based on our opinions, and our readers'). Also, huge thanks to all the lovely ladies that helped us with this Horror guide; we didn't read all these books, so this post couldn't have been finished (easily) without you all.

MILD HORROR

• Insomnia by J.R. Johansson - I can barely remember this one; there wasn't anything too remarkable. The main character was a crazy stalker (even though we know why he does stalk). The premise is basically about a guy who hasn't slept for fours years: an insomniac. Everything was just pretty illogical and the creep factor was non-existent basically due to the poor writing and annoying characters. This was a DNF for me, so I took a look at other people's reviews and on average, see nothing creepy-scary being noted. Moreover, the culprit was not much of surprise and what was meant to be a psychological thriller felt more like a book about a stalker that never sleeps. Some enjoyed this, but for me, several things made it unenjoyable and rather dull. 
• Fright Scale: 1 out of 10.
• Recommended for: readers who aren't well-versed in horror and get scared very easily. There wasn't anything too suspenseful here. If you're home alone an October night and scare easily, this may just be the perfect read for you. Key word: may. 

• Extremities: Stories of Death, Murder, and Revenge by David Lubar - Extremities is a pretty dark anthology; I'm not denying this book of that. But, with that having been said, I didn't find it to be particularly scary, or even creepy, for that matter. As well as that, I thought there were only a few interesting stories. However, this one may be a good kickstart to your Halloween reading. Maybe you can start off with something mild and gradually move onto scarier things? 
• Fright Scale: 2 out of 10. 
• Recommended for: those who want a very quick read, with short stories that, while not particularly creepy, contain a dark-enough subject matter to be at least somewhat suitable for an October night in.

• The Murmurings by Carly Anne West - It may be worth noting that I initially put this one under intermediate, but after some thinking, moved it down to mild, because honestly, this is just about as mild as horror gets. Don't let that creepy cover or synopsis fool you--The Murmurings is, for the first half, a contemporary novel with psychological undertones, and for the second half, a tame paranormal/supernatural with some admittedly interesting lore and scenes. 
• Fright Scale: 3 out of 10.
• Recommended for: readers looking for something that will not excessively scare them, but that will likely send them a few good chills every now and then. 

• The End Games by T. Michael Martin - I wouldn't say that as a whole this one is creepy, but the Bellows (aptly named, since they bellow back everything you say creepily in a sloooooow waaaaaaaay liiiiiike thiiiiiiis) are pretty chilling creatures, and are as a whole really cool. 
• Fright Scale: 4 out of 10. 
• Recommended for: do you like creepy zombies with an original twist? Then odds are you'll like The End Games, so long as you go in with the mindset that the zombies will likely be the only things to even remotely creep you out. But this one is a fun post-apoc read to picture yourself in, if you really want to add a scare-factor to make this an even better Halloween read.

• Asylum by Madeleine Roux - I cannot stress enough on how much potential this book had to be a downright scary novel. Unfortunately, the writing wasn't effective enough and I actually fell asleep reading this in the middle of the day. The mystery was interesting enough to actually enable me to finish it but it wasn't awfully thriller-esque. 
• Fright Scale: 2 out of 10. 
• Recommended for: I honestly don't think I can recommend this highly to any type of horror reader. But, there is little creepiness in this one, so maybe for those readers who scare very easily, this could be a last resort.

• Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard - I love this book. I do. It's such fun, and the main characters are fun and sassy and just awesome. BUT, if you're looking for something with mild scares, Something Strange and Deadly is for you. 
• Fright Scale: 2.5 out of 10. 
• Recommended for: readers who want a zombie novel unlike The End Games (see above), where the focus is more on characters and romance than on flat-out creepiness. 

• Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake - This wasn't necessarily creepy the entire time, but there were quite a few times where I was utterly creeped out. And Kendare Blake's descriptiveness is just downright chilling. Nevertheless, a fantastic read and a great male lead character. 
• Fright Scale: 5 out of 10 (upper mild)
• Recommended for: readers who want a nice balance of fun and sassy characters, and some genuinely creepy moments and wonderfully described gore.

• Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake - The sequel to Anna Dressed in Blood, with more gruesomeness, especially near the end. 
• Fright Scale: 5 out of 10 (upper mild)
• Recommended for: fans of Anna Dressed in Blood (obviously), and those who like descriptive and gruesome writing over outright horror.

• Unbreakable by Kami Garcia - Unlike the romance-dominant Beautiful Creatures, which Kami Garcia co-wrote, Unbreakable deals with ghosts and paranormal elements. I began reading this at 1 in the morning (don't worry, I don't always sleep that late) and felt rather spooked within a few pages. 
• Fright Scale: 5 out of 10 (upper mild)
• Recommended for: readers who love when their books get right to it, with suspense starting from the beginning with fun and creepy paranormal elements and great action.

INTERMEDIATE HORROR 

• Velveteen by Daniel Marks - Since neither of us have read Velveteen, we've got some help from our bloggy friend, Christina at Reader of Fictions, who was a fan of this creepy read that has some very original (and nasty) ways of torture. (Just so you know, the guy likes to slowly torture his victims (teenage girls) by abrading them with a nutmeg grater. Then he starts cutting them. All the while keeping them hostage for a week with no food, almost no water, and no bathroom breaks. At all. Yeah.)
• Fright Scale: 7 out of 10
• Recommended for: horror readers who appreciate/enjoy laughing while gross/horror stuff is happening. For example, those who enjoy stuff like Joss Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods, though not quite so scary.

• Ten by Gretchen McNeil - Whenever I get the opportunity, I recommend this book to people. Why, you ask? For starters, it's just the right amount of creepy and awesome. Gretchen McNeil has NAILED the ominous atmosphere of a secluded island with ten teens and one killer, and when I say nailed, I mean nailed. The uncertainty, the storm...everything. Nailed. Not to mention, the reveal of the killer surprised even me. And that's saying something. 
• Fright Scale: 6.5 out of 10.
• Recommended for: readers who want a very atmospheric and creepy whodunnit that will surely place you amongst one of the ten characters on Henry Island. 

• In the After by Demitria Lunetta - Once the dystopian society in In the After is introduced, the creepiness kind of takes a break, but the first quarter or so is so suspenseful, Demitria Lunetta's use of silence in the world is freaking eerie as all hell.
• Fright Scale: 5.5 out of 10. 
• Recommended for: although I personally think the real suspense and horror in this is prominent in the first quarter, I would recommend this to those who like a more subtle take on post-apoc that will have you panicking, because you know you would totally die if placed in the MC's situation. I just wouldn't read this going in with the intention of being scared.

• Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender - Neither Mel nor myself have read this one, but after reading some Goodreads reviews, we've decided that Bad Girls Don't Lie is a solid intermediate read. 
• (Mel and I don't know what we would give this one on the Fright Scale, but based on reviews, we think a 6.5 out of 10 sounds accurate.)
• Cara says: This book is different because though it has that creepy feel to it, I didn't feel overwhelmed by it.
• Giselle at Xpresso Reads says: The best definition of this book is creepy. It's definitely a chilling read.
• Zabet at Reading Between Classes says: This is my second time reading Bad Girls Don't Die. Even so, I could only read it in bed if my husband was there.

• Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff - This one gives off all the creepy vibes. We have a girl who can talk to ghosts (her dead best friend), as well as a murder mystery going on. Paper Valentine is a tense read, and it's one that will probably make you feel rather withdrawn/sad at the end. Also, Paper Valentine touches upon topics such as abuse and illnesses, which, while not horror, may not be for the faint hearted.
• Fright Scale: 5.5 out of 10
• Recommended for: readers who like their ghosts creepy, but still have a strong contemporary feel to it. With that having been said, the mood also passes on to the reader in a way, and you'll probably feel a little withdrawn and spooked and the end.

• Parasite by Mira Grant - It's rather rare for me to read adult novels, but I surprisingly enjoyed this one. YA readers looking for some good old horror should definitely give this one a go; we have tapeworms in bodies, sleepwalkers that kill, and a top secret that could potentially be harming every living being on earth. All the yummy horror and gruesomeness is right here. It's also a dystopian horror, which is rather new, I think.
• Fright Scale: 6 out of 10
• Recommended for: any reader from YA, NA and Adult--even though this has been labelled as adult. There are people who kill in their sleep and tapeworms seeming to have minds of their own. Dystopian and horror readers will love this.

ULTIMATE HORROR

• Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn - Whether it's gore that gets you most in regards to horror, or genuinely chilling scenes that will freak you out continuously, trust me when I say that Another Little Piece has it all. With each speck of absolute horror in Another Little Piece, there is a thin layer of unyielding beauty to confuse that shocked and terrified look on your face even further.
• Fright Scale: 8 out of 10
• Recommended for: any reader who is not faint of heart, can stomach gore, and loves being truly horrified. Because trust me, there's a lot to shock and horrify readers with in Another Little Piece, and it makes for a perfect Halloween read.

• 172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad - This may be a bit biased, considering the mere thought of space in and of itself makes me squirm in my seat (I hate space), but 172 Hours on the Moon is pretty damn frightening. It also requires a good deal of patience. If you're reading this one because you want to be scared, my recommendation would be to read the first half during the day, and save the second half for night. The second half is horrifying, creepy, viscerally written, and will likely scare the crap out of you. Honestly, at a few points in the novel I had to put the book down for a few minutes and turn on the light; I was so scared and unnerved.
• Fright Scale: 8.5 out of 10
• Recommended for: readers who like their horror stories with bearings to reality, readers who are open to conspiracy theories, and those who like being kept in the dark about the big baddie, à la The Blair Witch Project. In order to be truly scared by this one, go into it with the second half waiting for you at night, suspension of disbelief and all, and prepare to be scared. 

• Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough - I plan on reading this one soon, but since I haven't yet, I've got some help from the awesome Erin Bowman, author of Taken, who has read Long Lankin! 
• "This is a very slow, atmospheric read. This won’t be for everyone, but horror fans, and those willing to immerse themselves in a slower read, should pick this up. The last hundred pages pack quite the punch."
• Fright Scale: 8 out of 10
• Recommended for: readers who aren't afraid of things that go bump in the night and prefer eerie, atmospheric tales that steadily build (as opposed to blood-soaked action). This novel is more hair-raising than gory, but it's fable-like quality makes it that much more disturbing. Fans of ghost stories and demonic haunting will enjoy!

• The Diviners by Libbra Bray - This one is so much fun, but DAMN it's a creepy, creepy, creepy read. "Naughty John, Naughty John, does his work with his apron on. Cuts your throat and takes your bones, sells 'em off for a coupla stones." If you enjoy being scared, save this one for a night where you're home alone and in the mood to be creeped out heavily. I promise you, this won't fail.
• Fright Scale: 7.5 out of 10
• Recommended for: simply put, if you looking for a sure-fire way to get creeped out, then we recommend The Diviners to you. Because this serial killer, Naughty John? The epitome of creepy. EPITOME. But on the other hand, it's still such a fun read, and the characters are witty and fabulous, so there's a nice balance of quirkiness and horror.

• The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman - Another one that neither Mel nor myself have read (yet, as we plan to soon), so we've got our awesome friend Jessie at Ageless Pages Reviews to give us her thoughts on The Waking Dark!
• "The Waking Dark has its moments of pure horror (that beginning is memorable to say the least), but the creepily yet weirdly possible scenario shown plays out with a quietly insidious atmosphere. The novel, about the descent of a small town from a normal place to a hell on earth, is a smart and scary read. Wasserman sells her story with enveloping suspense and desperate characters. There are surprising moments, but for the most part, The Waking Dark is more a quietly but sinister story than an outright horrifying novel."
• Fright Scale: 7 out of 10
• Recommended for: fans of intense but not too gory psychological horror.

• Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick - We have not yet read this but we got some help from Wendy at The Midnight Garden.
• "If you're the type of reader who prefers goth over gore, mood over mayhem, or disquiet over digust, this is exactly the kind of horror story that will appeal to you--one that is odd and beautifully strange, and one written with passion, but also with great restraint. Unapologetically bold, horrifying, and desperately doomed, Midwinterblood is not a book any reader could easily forget." [From Wendy's review of Midwinterblood.]
• Fright Scale: 7 out of 10

• Recommended for: as long as you are the sort of reader I refer to in that quote above. It's really a dark, poetic horror story, but not the sort of jump-out-of-your-skin horror type like Anna Dressed in Blood.

It's giveaway time!

This giveaway will have two winners. What these two winners will win are three of the above books, of their choice, from each of the categories of horror. That means, one winner will choose a book from mild horror, intermediate horror, and ultimate horror. However, if you win and none of the books in one particular category interests you, you may choose, say, two books in intermediate, one in ultimate, none in mild. Sound good? Good! Let's get to the giveaway. (Also, you may notice that Mel and I have taken away the option of commenting to gain points, as we feel that our readers leave comments of more substance when 'leave a comment' is not a giveaway entry option. Hope you all understand!) 

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