Book Review: Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

 

Have you ever shopped in Ikea? Did you get lost trying to find the exit or the bathroom or the people you came with? Getting lost like that is horrifying enough. Grady Hendrix  starts with that and runs with it in his low budget knock off of Ikea called Orsk. On top of being difficult to navigate at times, strange things are happening in the store overnight. Things are being broken or otherwise desecrated. As the book goes on, so does the strangeness.

Management is having fits. People from corporate are coming to see the store. 3 employees volunteer to stay overnight and try and puzzle out what's going on. But, will they make it through the night?

My Thoughts: Haunted building stories are interesting. Like a good haunted house story, they can be satisfying and perhaps make you a little more grateful for the mundane homes and businesses. 

The main character of the book is Amy Porter. Her point of view is crucial to the success of the story. The other 2 employees that stayed are Basil (management) and Ruth Anne. In some ways they are stereotypes. Amy is the employee that wants to get by by doing the least she can. Basil wants everyone to toe the line and follow corporate rules. Ruth Anne is that employee who is nice to everyone - customer and fellow employee alike. I wasn't expecting it, but each character reveals more about themselves as the book goes on. They go from stereotypes to real people. And they are not always what you would expect them to be. The other thing that surprised me about some of them was that their characters showed growth and change as the story progressed.

The plot moves along fairly quickly once night has come to this Orsk store. At first everything is pretty normal. Then stuff hits the fan. One event leads to another and it snowballs to the conclusion.

I could suspend my disbelief for most things in the book because I was expecting a haunted building story and it delivered. The only thing that I couldn't quite buy was the very end of the book. It was set up in such a way that the author could have written a sequel if he wanted to do so. Otherwise, I loved the character development, setting, and pace of the novel.

I gave this book 5 out of  5 stars. It has stayed with me even after more than a week's time since my reading it. And I have to admit I am currently a little less likely to go shop in Ikea until this works its way out of my system. If you like a good haunted house story, especially one with a little humor, then this could be a good match for you. I think it's definitely worth a read.

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix was published September 2014 by Quirk Books. I purchased my review copy.

Teaser Tuesday: Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

 

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR! You can also just share what you are currently reading. We make it very easy to play along. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Ambrosia at the Purple Booker.

1: Grab your current read. 2: Open to a random page. 3: Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title and author so that other people can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

All at once, Ruth Anne strode past him, approached the bed and raised one end, revealing a man splayed out facedown like a starfish. He burst into motion, scuttling away like a bug after its rock has been lifted.

--page 92

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix was released September 23, 2014 from Quirk Books. I am on page 92 and it is a quirky read so far. It is scary, but it is also tinged with humor. Puts me in mind of my first trip to an Ikea where I got lost trying to find the bathroom on the market level. Too much fun. The horror was real. 

Are you reading anything spooky? Share something about it in the comments. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: The Gospel of Loki by Joanne M. Harris

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

But metaphor or otherwise, this is as much as I believe: that the world came into being through Change, which is the servant of Chaos, and only through Change has it endured. Much like Your Humble Narrator, in fact, adapting to suit the circumstance. (3% on my Kindle)

The Gospel of Loki by Joanne M. Harris was published February 20th, 2014 by Gollancz.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Pride and All This Prejudice by Alex A. King

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 "The laugh is this close to erupting out of her chest, Alien-style, when the subtle shift of Marko's expression changes her mind. So the man is capable of feeling, of being wounded. Interesting. She never would have guessed it."

 (p. 87 on my Kindle)

Pride and All This Prejudice by Alex A. King was published November 24th, 2014 by Citizen A Press.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Light Is the Shadow by Alex A. King

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

(Grandma can handle Volos, she said. It's Agria she can't stomach.) Ha. Nothing special. Of course it's special - they're in Greece. (34% through on my Kindle)

Light Is the Shadow by Alex A. King is the fourth book in the Women of Greece series. It was published October 1st, 2014 by Citizen A Press.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: One and Only Sunday by Alex A. King

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"When she shuts the door behind her, the room explodes. A chatter bomb. Kids are ostriches: if a grownup can't see them, then a grownup can't hear them." (p. 54)

One and Only Sunday by Alex A, King is the second book in her Women of Greece series. It was published July 14th, 2014 by Citizen A Press.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Sunshine by Robin McKinley

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My sheets had never been so clean as they'd been the last few months. I hardly got them on again before something else happened and I was feverishly ripping them off and stuffing them in the wash with double amounts of soap and all the "extra" buttons pushed: extra wash, extra rinse, extra water, extra spin, extra protection against things that go bump in the night. Unfortunately, I never could find that last button. (p. 327)

Sunshine by Robin McKinley was published November 18th, 2014 by Open Road Media Media Sci-Fi and Fantasy. It was originally published September 1st, 2003.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Sunshine by Robin McKinley

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

He wore no shirt, and his feet, like mine, were bare. This seemed curiously indecent, that he should be half-naked. I didn't like it... Oh, right, I thought, good one. The train is roaring toward you and the villain is twirling his moustache and you're fussing that he's tied you to the track with the wrong kind of rope. (pp. 39-40)

Sunshine by Robin McKinley was published November 18th, 2014 by Open Road Media Media Sci-Fi and Fantasy. It was originally published September 1st, 2003.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Review: Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire

This is the story of Rose Marshall, mostly after her untimely death. Rose was a sweet 16 teenaged girl who was a little pissed and was driving herself to the prom when she was run off the road by another car. As it turns out, it was Bobby Cross who was driving that car and he meant trouble for Rose, trouble that doesn't go away even once she's dead.

The book has an interesting format. There are stories about the different urban legends she has become associated with. And there is an overall arc about her conflict with Bobby Cross. Both kept my interest. It's also told part in the present and part in flashbacks. In spite of all that, it's easy enough to follow what's going on and enjoy the ride.

There is good characterization, especially of Rose. The world-building is solid and interesting. The stories move along at a decent pace and relate to each other.

Overall, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's worth a read if you enjoy urban fantasy or ghost stories. And if you enjoy other books by this same author, such as the InCryptid series, then you will probably enjoy this book as well.

Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire is book one in the Ghost Roads series. It was originally published in May 2014, a new edition is being released June 2018 from DAW. Book two, The Girl in the Green Silk Gown by Seanan McGuire is expected to be released July 17th, 2018 from DAW.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This doesn't affect my opinions. Everything herein is my own opinion and freely given.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #226: Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Rose Marshall died in 1952 in Buckley Township, Michigan, run off the road by a man named Bobby Cross—a man who had sold his soul to live forever, and intended to use her death to pay the price of his immortality. Trouble was, he didn’t ask Rose what she thought of the idea.

It’s been more than sixty years since that night, and she’s still sixteen, and she’s still running.

They have names for her all over the country: the Girl in the Diner. The Phantom Prom Date. The Girl in the Green Silk Gown. Mostly she just goes by “Rose,” a hitchhiking ghost girl with her thumb out and her eyes fixed on the horizon, trying to outrace a man who never sleeps, never stops, and never gives up on the idea of claiming what’s his. She’s the angel of the overpass, she’s the darling of the truck stops, and she’s going to figure out a way to win her freedom. After all, it’s not like it can kill her.

You can’t kill what’s already dead.

Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire is due to be released June 2018 from DAW. It's the first in a series called Ghost Roads.

Why am I waiting on this one? I just started reading the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire and Rose is one of the characters she drew on in the book. I understand from researching that this book is more new to me than new. This is a new edition. The first edition was released in 2014. Still, I find the premise interesting and am looking forward to reading the book. I'm not crazy about the cover though.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: October Girls by Scott Nicholson

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

Here it came. The lecture. About all the generations of Aldridges who had guarded the Orifice before her, who had boiled and bubbled and toiled and troubled and rhymed and spelled, all to stop the untelling horrors from slopping over into this world. (13% through on my Kindle)

October Girls by Scott Nicholson was released January 10, 2014. The cover on the left is from the edition on Amazon that I'm reading.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: We Are All Completely Fine by Daryl Gregory

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

We were a team of professional insomniacs. Once you know there are monsters under the bed, closing your eyes becomes a foolhardy act. (80% through on my Kindle)

We Are All Completely Fine by Daryl Gregory was published July 2014 by Tachyon Publications. It's an award winning horror novella. It won the Shirley Jackson Award for a novella in 2014 and a World Fantasy Award for Best Novella in 2015.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Throwback Thursday Review: The Shotgun Arcana by R.S. Belcher

This week's throwback review is of The Shotgun Arcana by R.S. Belcher. It was published October 2014 by Tor Books. This is the second book in the Golgotha series.

Golgotha, Nevada, deep in the desert, is from outward appearances a busy frontier town bolstered by the recent influx of miners. If one looks closely beneath its veneer, one can see that not everything is necessarily what it appears to be. Nor is everyone who they appear to be. After all, one can remake themselves in Golgotha: "You could be a hero, a villain, a self-made man, or you could vanish without a trace, erasing the person you once were." (p.23)

Sheriff John Highfather and his deputies, Mutt and Jim, have been having their hands full with ordinary crimes. Something supernatural is on the horizon, though. There is an evil skull that Biqa, aka Malachi Bick, was tasked with hiding and protecting and now Ray Zeal is after it along with those that possess any of the teeth  that were scattered back in the day. Those that have the teeth have been pursuing lives of crime, to put it mildly. Ray Zeal wants them to help him recover the skull and take over Golgotha.

Also back in this novel are Maude, her daughter Constance, Malachi Bick, Mayor Pratt, Auggie, Clay, Gerta, and Gillian. Each has a special role to play in what's coming to Golgotha. Kate, a Pinkerton detective, is introduced as well as a pirate queen, and the bouncer for the Dove's Nest.

The book can be read as a stand-alone, but is a better read if you've read book one. It's fast-paced and full of action that only increases in momentum as the book goes on.

This book is definitely a weird western. It's a bit of horror/dark fantasy. I like all of the good guys, but Maude, Kate, Jim, Mutt, and the sheriff are my favorites. The bad guys are pretty much majorly unlikeable which is a good thing. The main characters are multi-dimensional.

Overall the book is well written. If you like weird westerns, or your horror or dark fantasy with a taste of old-time west, then this book is for you. I enjoyed reading it and look forward to the next in the series. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

You can read an excerpt from the book on Tor.com

Teaser Tuesday: The Shotgun Arcana by R.S. Belcher

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books And A Beat.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"They all headed west, where luck and fortune still flowed like milk and honey and where your fate wasn't set in stone. You could be a hero, a villain, a self-made man, or you could vanish without a trace, erasing the person you once were." p.23

Golgotha is definitely a place where there are people who have remade themselves. And it is a town where both the natural and preternatural abide, sometimes side by side. It's sort of a paranormal western, maybe tends a little towards horror. 

The Shotgun Arcana by R.S. Belcher was published October 7, 2014 by Tor Books.

What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our ever-growing TBR lists. 

Teaser Tuesday: Shaman Rises by C.E. Murphy

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Books And A Beat. 

Anyone can participate, just do the following:

• Grab your current read and open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and the author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

I managed to get on the plane with my drum, which I wasn't about to relegate to checked luggage and which didn't technically fit in the carry-on bin above my head, but the flight attendants seemed to be studiously Not Noticing it. I was pretty certain my subconscious was running a "these are not the droids you're looking for" kind of thing on them, and while part of me thought my subconscious shouldn't be allowed to do magic without  me, the rest of me was just basically glad it was doing so.

~6% through on my Kindle

Shaman Rises is book 9 in the Walker Papers series by C.E. Murphy featuring Joanne Walker. The book was released June 24, 2014 from Harlequin MIRA.

What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!