Pleasant Nights

Title: Breathe In, Bleed Out

Author: Brian McAuley

Genre: Horror

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I’m familiar with Brian McAuley from attending StokerCon and hearing him on Books in the Freezer, but this was the first I’ve read of his, and wow, was it awesome!

Five friends head to Joshua Tree for a spiritual retreat, led by Guru Pax and his assistant, Kimi. Hannah is recovering from the loss of her fiancé, while Tess is trying to find who she is deep down. Miles, the sensitive musician, has always had a thing for Hannah, and the couple Derek and Luna make an effort to reconnect. However, the desert has other plans.

As Hannah ventures out on her own, seeking peace, her friends are battling for their lives. The body count rises with some fun, creative kills, and Hannah has to solve the mystery of just who is doing the killing. A person? Or has she just been hallucinating this entire time?

I read this book in just a couple of days. I loved the unique deaths that McAuley came up with for several characters, some of which I was glad to see gone because they were so obnoxious…. others, I was bummed they were offed, but understood that you do have to kill your darlings at times. Definitely recommend this one.

Title: Your Lonely Nights Are Over

Author: Adam Sass

Genre: YA horror

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I love a good Young Adult horror book, and mixed with a serial killer? Yes, please! However, this one just was not that well-written. The language and dialogue were very cringy. Maybe reading it right after the brilliant language of Red, White, and Royal Blue wasn’t a great idea.

The plot was a lot of fun, though. Besties Cole and Dearie are members of the Queer Club at school when suddenly, a serial killer known as The Sandman seems to return and targets their club. The two friends, along with the other QC members, are simultaneously trying to protect themselves, but also find out who the killer is.

There’s a lot of back-and-forth boyfriend swapping (not judging, just stating) and trying to figure out who was “into” whom was a bit trying. The POV switches from Cole to Dearie each chapter, which was a lot of fun to get both of their perspectives. I wanted to really love this book, but the writing was just more irritating than I could handle.

Title: So Thirsty

Author: Rachel Harrison

Genre: horror

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I’m a huge fan of Rachel Harrison’s. I’ve met her a couple of times at StokerCon and love her fresh take on all horror subgenres. I’ve read Cackle (about witches) and Black Sheep (about cults) and now this one about vampires.

BFF’s Sloane and Naomi go away for a weekend to celebrate Sloane’s birthday, but they end up meeting a mysterious family who start a chain of events, and the two women’s lives will never be the same.

As vampires, they learn to navigate the new thirst they constantly feel, understand what is actually true about vampires (no reflection- true, garlic- not true), and have to decide to stay with their new family or venture out on their own.

As expected, I loved this book. Rachel Harrison is just top-notch, and I can’t wait to dig into more of her books.