#paranormal review

[hannahwatcheshorror]

AS ABOVE, SO BELOW (2014)

This movie has the power to make me sick to my stomach all while playing on my claustrophobia alone. A story about some folks taking a trip into the Paris catacombs with a little Grave Encounters flair. Worth the watch if you can endure and enjoy the small spaces. Acting is genuine and believable.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Scarlett is a spunky explorer who wants to find the Philosopher's Stone after her father lost his mind in his quest to do the same. She meets up with her old pal George and together with a group of other crazy folks they head down into the Paris catacombs but things are not as they appear… 

The scene where they all have to lie down and crawl across the bones is so gut wrenching to me. The whole thing is just so confined. And then one of our team members suffers a panic attack and I feel so strongly for him at that moment. The fear is so real even though all that is happening is movement. I am terrified of caving, that is why Ted the Caver is one of my favorites stories, it makes me squirm! I am so perplexed on how any human being can put themselves in something closed off, I get claustrophobic in my own blankets sometimes!

The gang find themselves in the same place they started and tensions rise, I for one have even more trouble breathing because how the hell are they planning on leaving? The only way to go is through, which means down. Down, down, down. Deeper they go, they find an old missing friend of the French guide but he is off his rocker (doesn’t anyone see that?). Finally they make it to the fabled room with the stone but this is when folks start to die. One by one we lose half of our party and remember, there is no running away from whatever lurks in the dark! Not in these caves!

The final three still try to outrun whatever evil is in the catacombs but it is hot on their tail. Scarlett is made to go back to the room they found the stone and “rectify” by putting the stone back. Then it turns out Scarlett is the philosopher's stone? It was in her all along I guess? As Above, So Below. She had to be the change she wanted to see. This was pretty thin but okay. I still really enjoyed the film. In the end the gang falls down a long hole and finds an opening way deep down, they go through and it leads them to the main roads of Paris, inexplicably. 

An absolute whirlwind and a creeping sense of wonder, did they really get out? They had been through so much, possibly even the gates to hell, and now they are just free? Three party members lighter, mind you, but still. Even after a third rewatch this movie makes me squirm so I give it a high score plus in general it has good spooky vibes like Mr. Jones.

[lucentparanormal]

Recently had the pleasure of watching Kan Hodder’s Balsam : A Paranormal Investigation and I really enjoyed it.

Kane and team were completely calm and relaxed through out the entire thing, i appreciated that not everything was “evil” and “darkness”, there was no hyping up and overreacting to every bump and squeak, and the whole investigation was relatively uneventful which to me gives the investigation more authenticity in my eyes.

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

Author: T. KingfisherPublisher: Tor NightfireReleased: March 28, 2023Received: NetGalley Book Summary: Sam Montgomery is a paleoentomologist, which is basically the fancy way of saying she studies insects found in ancient sites. She loves the work, even if it occasionally results in her getting furloughed for indeterminate amounts of time. The good/bad news is that Sam will be spending some…

[nando161mando]

[jessread-s]

Thanks to @penguinrandomhouse for providing me with a finished copy in exchange for an honest review

✩🐺🪢Review:

Hazelwood’s paranormal debut is addictive and all-consuming!

Bride follows Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman, who agrees to uphold a Vampyre-Werewolf alliance by marrying Alpha Lowe Moreland after discovering that her future husband may be linked to her missing friend.

It was really fun to see Hazelwood branch out into the paranormal romance genre! I enjoyed her world-building and thought the history surrounding Vampyres, Werewolf, and human relations was very digestible.

I love how Hazelwood incorporated the mystery of Serena’s disappearance into the storyline. The breadcrumbs sprinkled throughout paired with the novel’s paranormal elements kept me fully engaged and on my toes.

While “Bride” is quintessential Ali Hazelwood with women in STEM, a big male love interest, galaxy apparel, and palpable love for cats, I think that Misery as a female protagonist ultimately sets this book apart from her contemporary romance novels. I found myself laughing out loud at Misery’s sense of humor and really admired her strength and perseverance. Despite all she goes through having been cast out from Vampyre society, she still remains inherently kind and is fiercely protective of her found family.

Lowe and Misery’s development as a couple is well-paced and her slowest burning romance yet! It takes a while for the characters to give into their attraction to each other given that they are supposed to be mortal enemies, but once they do, Hazelwood delivers on the spice! I couldn’t get enough of the caretaking while injured and “that’s my wife” moments as well as the snippets of Lowe’s internal thoughts at the beginning of each chapter!

This book ends with the potential for a sequel and I hope she’ll move forward with it full steam ahead!

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

[blottyink]

My August Reads Ranked

1. One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig: This was by far my favorite read this month. I love this book. I love it more than I love The Folk of the Air. More than the Dark Rise series. More than Captive Prince. Because it has EVERYTHING. The plot, the magic system, the characters, the writing, all of it is as equally good as the rest. Even though at the ending there’s a twist that’s sad, I was still EXCITED to see what happens next (more hype than sad). I root for the Nightmare too. “Long live the King.” The writing is show don’t tell and I fucking LOVE IT. I FUCKING LOVE IT. I am so tired of seeing a lot of telling in story books, and all my favs serve show.

2. Bunny by Mona Awad: This wasn’t as dark as I thought it was going to be, but it won me over with the writing. It’s clever, dark and hilarious. Samantha’s dilemma with the bunnies was relatable for me, especially the first smut salon she attends. It was a fun ride, and I enjoyed this book for reasons I wasn’t expecting to. The way Awad describes feelings is spectacular.

3. The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black: It was good to be back in Elfhame. I liked Prisoner’s Throne more than Stolen Heir because, of course, Jude and Cardan. I thought Wren and Oak’s story was cute and I had a fun time reading it, but I’m not over Jude and Cardan yet and that’s all I want.

4. The Stolen Heir by Holly Black: At first, I was a bit put off by how Jude-like Wren was, and how Cardan-like Oak was, but I had a good time. If Black wants to go back and write scenes showcasing Jude and Cardan falling in love, I’m all for that. Would love to see the two of them snuggling by a fire.

5. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King: I knew I’d like this because every time I watch King speak, he’s fun. He’s fun to listen to, he’s fun to read. He’s at his best when he’s shooting the shit. This was a good time.

6. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde: I love the dialogue in this, it can be interpreted in different ways and it’s exciting to think about. I’ve never read anything as quotable as this book. I lived for every time Dorian threw himself on a couch in a fit of angst.

7. The Corsair’s Captive by Ruby Dixon: Dixon never lets me down. It’s another cozy, fun sci-fi romance with the big blue dudes. I have to read her shifter smut; it’s going to be everything.  

8. The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr: I appreciated how blunt this book was, and the information provided was interesting. If you’re looking for a book about why humans tell stories as well as scientific reasons why you should have an existential crisis. This is the one.

9. Victor by Brianna West: The most egregious offense to me was the smut. Because. How are you screwing an Angel, and it’s vanilla? No mention of where his wings are? Nothing special about his equipment? Only fucks in missionary? They could fuck in the air, but we’re going to sidestep that? Other than that the world-building wasn’t there for me, and the writing was a whole lot of telling. The adverb intense descriptions didn’t land for me, and I didn’t care about any of the characters. The fmc was annoying.

10. Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton: Zade is so Neil Breen coded. Like, if I found out Breen wrote this character for Carlton, it would make a lot of sense. I hate this book. I don’t know why I do this to myself.  

The books I'm most stoked to read in September are: Monstrilio by Gerardo Samano Cordova, Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett and Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig.

[spacevixenmusic]

NEW Review has been posted for "Dimension W"!

Read it here! [site is NSFW]

[bookwells]

BETA READERS WANTED!

Hi all!

I’m in the process of writing my 1st Debut Dark Paranormal Romance and am on the hunt for FREE Beta Readers to read my 2nd draft. I’m currently editing my 1st draft and should have the 2nd draft ready to go mid December. I know it’s close to the holidays, but I would prefer Betas that can do a read through within a 2 week period once I give you access.

My book, The Goddess Calls, is a story set in modern day America. It is about a woman who finds herself on a whirlwind journey to find what she truly is.

Book Blurb:

Kinley had a fulfilling career, her own home, and fur babies to come home to.

What more could she ask for? Oh right, maybe a love life…

The dating scene was slim pickings for a full figured, 27 year old.

A chance meeting with a handsome stranger would put into motion more than what Kinley bargained for. Not only would she gain love, friends that would do anything for her, but she would finally realize that she was not who she thought she was.

With light comes darkness and with that darkness comes a realization that magic exists and that she has no idea what she is. A dark entity from the past will threaten her new found happiness and her life.With light comes darkness and with that darkness comes a realization that magic exists and that she has no idea what she is.

Will Kinley be able to learn who and what she is in time to save herself and her new found family?

The threads of fate are unwoven. The song of the Goddess is calling. Will the Chosen be able to reclaim all that she has lost?

If you would like to join my writing journey and become a Beta Reader for me, please follow the link below, read the information, and fill out the form. At this time I’m not looking to pay Beta Readers, so if that is a deal breaker I completely understand!

[rabbit-harpist]

johnny and rubens considering photos. a gift for @factorialsotherfandoms, and inspired by his fics--merry christmas friend!!

[unexplained-events]

I was watching a documentary recently about found footage horror movies and it reminded me that I need to rewatch Afflicted (2013) because I LOVED it when I first saw it. Do you have any favorite found footage films & why!?

I absolutely LOVE the found footage subgenre (if its done right) It's a great subgenre for reflecting societal fears. Also its one of the few genres where slow burn horror can have a great payoff

Here are some of my faves (in no particular order) 1- REC 2- The Taking of Deborah Logan 3- Incantation 4- Hell House LLC 5- Deadstream 6- VHS 7- Creep 8- Chronicle 9- The Poughkeepsie Tapes 10- One Cut of the Dead

[heckyeahponyscans]

I love this series (debunking a silly "paranormal" TV show with the lowest of low quality monsters, aliens, and ghosts) and was very excited at an unexpected cameo by several HQG1C Halloween ponies!

[hannahwatcheshorror]

THE EXORCIST (1973)

Slow movie but ultimately a fun romp through the paranormal! This classic exorcism movie sets the standard for all the rest, each next possession is like Regan and her demon(s). A must watch for horror fans and movie fans alike.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Trigger warning sexual themes with children, projectile vomiting, suicide

Regan was once just a regular little girl but suddenly she begins spouting obscenities and being violent (pay absolutely no attention to the floating/moving furniture though, I guess). They spend a lot of time doing normal medical testing on the child but ultimately it is ruled that an exorcism is going to be the best idea for her and the final choice left for poor Regan. While maybe not everyone believes she is infected with a demon, they agree to do the exorcism on her because of how much pain her family is in.

I think it is just a regular demon inside her and I think it is a liar because it reacted to the fake holy water as if it were real holy water and burned him even though it wouldn’t have? This is never explained, why Regan reacted to the tap water, and it confused me a bit. The exorcism itself is pretty violent, Regan is all cut up in the face before the priests even arrive and is vomiting a lot of goo when they do get there. The floating and speaking in another voice is something else entirely but the priests are just kinda vibing and yelling about how the “power of Christ compels” her but it really doesn’t seem to.

The ending kind of threw me, the older priest dies and in his rage Damien grabs Regan and begins to beat up the child (wack). I get that there is a demon in there but just a few moments ago the guy was worried about Regan’s heart and now here he is beating her up! It felt really dangerous to the child trapped by the demon but, okay I guess. THEN he gets the bright idea to invite the demon into his own body and boy is it happy to get out of that helpless child body and into a vessel that can do some real damage. But Dimmy boy is too strong for the demon and suppresses it before it can hurt Regan (any more) and throws himself out the closed window (goodness knows windows back then weren’t so strong). Damien tumbles down the staircase right next to the window and dies, taking the demon with him. A very noble thing to do, Dimmy, thank you.

Regan is all better now and she even kisses the next priest she sees on the cheek which didn’t feel ominous at all (it really did). And then the detective tries to find a date to the movies but fails. Really a must watch classic film after all is said and done.

[paperbaacks]

review:

this is a very high 3.5 stars btw!!

trigger warnings: none what i liked — ☆ okay this was actually so cute, i didn't think i was going to enjoy it as much as i did! the setting and the vibes are immaculate actually ☆ i liked vivi so much. she's a good main character, and i also liked rhys which is very interesting that i ended up enjoying both the mcs. usually i like one and think the other is stupid lol. ☆ sir purrcival i would DIE FOR YOU!!!! ☆ i liked the mystery of it too. it was super cosy and fun. ☆ but mostly i just like that the smut is very limited in this book. it's there and still it's not overpowering, the perfect balance (aka, barely there, and if it's there, it's done super quickly) what i didn't like — ★ i thought the main characters went from exes to sleeping together so quick. i wish it was a little more gradual than it was in the book because like one second she was internally cursing him and the next she's fucking him. ★ whatever happened to his betrothed???? did i just miss the part where he explains it?? imagine vivi goes back to wales with him and he's still betrothed lmao wouldn't that be something. ★ the mystery, while cosy, was super predictable too. not that it sucked or anything, i just wish a bit more thought went into it that's all.

[annafromuni]

The Red Scrolls of Magic is a Cute Shadowhunter Adventure

The Red Scrolls of Magic has been out for years, but I never got around to reading it until now. Why it took me so long, I don’t know, but what I do know is that this is an absolutely adorable addition to the Shadowhunter universe. There are so many parts of this novel that made me so happy, so let’s get into it. Set following City of Glass, The Red Scrolls of Magic follows Magnus and Alec’s…

[melaniem54]

Review: Impromptu Match (Goliaths of Wrestling book 1) by Lily Mayne

Rating:5🌈 I had no idea Lily Mayne could write romcom. Paranormal romcom! I picked up Impromptu Match, the first book in Mayne’s Goliaths of Wrestling paranormal romance series, based just on that fabulous cover illustration by Vic Gray/Bloodwrit. Didn’t even look at the author at all. I was captivated by the characters I saw beautifully captured by the artist. But that story! Wow! While I got…

[jessread-s]

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

✩🗡️🥀Review:

A dark, tragic, and haunting reimagining of Shakespeare’s most famous villainess.

“Lady Macbeth” follows Roscille after she is wed to a Scottish brute, who does not leave his warrior ways behind when he comes to the marriage bed. To survive his hostility and dangerous court, she relies on her wiles and hidden witchcraft. 

I am quite the Shakespeare fanatic and “The Tragedy of Macbeth” is one of my favorite plays precisely because of how cunning and ruthless Lady Macbeth’s character is. I gravitated toward this novel because I was curious about Reid’s take on the character and though this is not the play retold from her point-of-view, I enjoyed it for what it is! Reid’s reimagining gives Lady Macbeth her own name, a past, and occult power that cleverly expands on Shakespeare’s original work. In Reid’s rendition, she captures a woman living in a patriarchal society who has her voice violently taken away by the men around her. Roscille’s fear surrounding abuse at the hand of men is what fuels her scheming and manipulation—what ultimately turns her into Lady Macbeth. She doesn’t want a crown, she wants to survive. She uses her beauty as a weapon in retaliation against those holding her womanhood against her. She finds power in her rage, which she acts on only after it has festered. I think that is the key difference between Roscille and Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth—in a world that does not favor women, she is less ambitious and more reactive in a sense. This new portrayal took some getting used to, but once I did, I appreciated how it widened my perspective. 

I was entranced by Reid’s atmospheric and lyrical writing. The intention and power behind each and every word adds depth to Roscille’s character, showing the extent of her wiles and smarts. The bits of proverbial wisdom Reid sprinkles throughout allow her to emulate the bard himself in her own way. What I love most is how Reid uses various names for each character to reflect the different languages being spoken at the time.

➾ NOTE: After careful reflection and reading reviews written by my peers, it has been pointed out that this book can be interpreted as xenophobic. Intentional or not, most, if not all, of the Scottish characters—an ethnic group that Roscille does not belong to—are underdeveloped and described as brutish, violent, and evil. This characterization is unfair and in no way pays homage to the source material. 

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph