Forsaken by J.D. Barker

Forsaken by J.D. Barker

5 stars

Year Published: 2014

388 pages

Genre: Horror (Witches, Supernatural, Paranormal)

I loved this book. From the very first chapter I was hooked.
The writing style is so engaging and flows like a river.

Rachel's husband Thad has become a famous best seller author, writing his ideas and stories in a journal given to him as a gift 10 years prior. Then things start happening that make Rachel regret a deal she made when she got him the gift.
Full of secrets, betrayals and witchcraft the author weaved a very interesting and hard to put down book.
Can't wait to read the second book to see what happens next.

This is the first time for me to read by this author, and I would like to thank both the publicist and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Quotes I liked:

“Sometimes the most frightening of thoughts can be found hiding among the shadows of our own minds.” 

“At one point, all authors are unknown until the day they are not.”

The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan


4 Stars

Year Published: 2009

585 Pages

Genre: Horror (Vampires)

I picked this book up at Virgin Megastores when I started recording the series, so that I would read the book first and then see the series. Which now I'm planning on doing.

When a Boeing 777 plane lands in JFK airport in New York, all transmission from the plane has been cut off. The tower tries to contact the pilot but the plane seems to have died. No transmission, no lights, no engines. Nothing.
So, they send for the CDC's Dr. Ephraim "Eph" Goodweather and his team to check it out.
The result: All passengers are dead.
So they embark on a mission to solve the mystery and later on to stop the spreading of a virus that seems to turn New Yorkers to vicious vampires.

It was a scary thrilling ride through the book. The beginning of the book was so captivating and scary that it made me go on and on.. I couldn't put it down except to recap and think about what I just read and imagine it clearly. The legend of Sardu was chilling!!

Then in the middle of the book it started to drag and I really had to keep up with so many characters. It took me ages (literally: months) to go past that but I pulled through and the last third of the book went flying.. The excitement and action was all there.. I loved it.

That was the reason for the 4 stars and not 5 although it's been a while since a book got me from the first chapter. This was a book that did.

I will start watching the series I recorded as soon as I have some free time to spare and meanwhile consider getting the second book in the series to read.

The Screaming by Jack Kilborn

The Screaming by Jack Kilborn

5 stars

Year Published: 2011

44 pages

Genre: Horror (Vampires)

I got this book for free from Amazon for my Kindle on December 28, 2011

Jack Kilborn is one of my favorite horror writers. I've read a few books by him and he has not disappointed me yet. They are all amazing!

This was a short story that I wished was a full novel because the story line was great.

Colin and Butt and two addicts in Liverpool in the 1960's. Short on cash and looking for a fast fix.
So Butts mentions an old abandoned house a couple of hours away that he thinks would be a quick and easy job to rob.
They go to the house and hear SCREAMING!! Butts gets scared but Colin encourages him and they go inside to see who is making those shrill screams.
What they find is a shock to them, they find something old and shriveled but dangerous. When Butts goes to find a way to eliminate this creature he doesn't come back.

What happens to Butts and Colin afterwards is something I can't say so I won't spoil the surprise.

Cure by Belinda Frisch

Cure (Strandville Zombie Series #1) by Belinda Frisch
Year Published: 2012

208 pages

This is the first book in the Strandville Zombies series.

I got this book for free from Amazon.

Miranda and Scott are finalizing their divorce, nothing has been the same since they lost their baby girl Rosalie. Although they both love each other, life is just not working out.
So Miranda decides to take a job in another town to try to start fresh and forget Scott.
When she reaches the Nixon center things don't seem right, she is asked to have tests and read manuals that no other employee had to do.
Zach is a new security guard just employed in the center, his wife Allison is a cancer patient and Dr. Nixon is trying to find a cure for her. So Zach worked there to be close to her.
There are a number of girls in the center that have been kept against their will and tests have been done on them, they are basically used as an incubation tool for Dr. Nixon's experiment to cure cancer.
If I go into more detail I might spoil the story so I'll stop here.

When I started the book it was like a roller coaster that you can't put down.. I was sure it was a 5 star book!
I liked the story and the writing it was fast paced with a lot of excitement.
Then it started to spiral down. Some conversations and reactions were a bit off, too many characters that I really lost count and lost interest in. that lost the first star.
Maybe if it was a movie it would have been OK.
Billy's infection was illogical. It took him ages to transform even without the shots, although the others transformed in a faster time frame. They got infected and almost immediately started to try biting someone.
Some editing is needed for the book to get rid of some of the errors.
The ending was abrupt and left it hanging which shows there is a need for a sequel. I didn't like that, for me that lost the second star.
I might consider the second book but not anytime soon. I kinda lost interest to see what happens to the heroins.