Review: My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

My Best Friend's Exorcism
by Grady Hendrix

Genre: Horror, Young Adult
Expected publication: May 17th, 2016 by Quirk Books
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley, Quirk Books
Connect: Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fifth grade, when they bonded over a shared love of E.T., roller-skating parties, and scratch-and-sniff stickers. But when they arrive at high school, things change. Gretchen begins to act . . . different. And as the strange coincidences and bizarre behavior start to pile up, Abby realizes there's only one possible explanation: Gretchen, her favorite person in the world, has a demon living inside her. And Abby is not about to let anyone or anything come between her and her best friend. With help from some unlikely allies, Abby embarks on a quest to save Gretchen. But is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?

I was hesitant to read this book at first because of the genre. I don't read a lot of horror book. I'm not a big fan of the horror genre. The last time my friend took me to watch 'The Conjuring', I couldn't sleep for a week. But I decided to give My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix a try anyway. I couldn't resist the pretty cover and the blurbs sounded great.

The book was set up in the 80's, so, I didn't get some of the references, but still, I thoroughly enjoy reading this. It wasn't as scary as I had feared, which was a good thing. I love reading about Abby and Gretchen's friendship—how Abby tried to save her best friend when she suspected that Gretchen was probably possessed by something evil.

The plot building was interesting. There were a few dramas between Abby, Gretchen and their two other friends—Glee and Margaret—which reminded me a bit of the movie, 'Mean Girls'. There are some scary and disgusting moments that made me cringed. I thought that the exorcism scene in the book was going to be something really horrifying, but the author made it a bit humorous with Abby questioning the exorcist's method to cure Gretchen. In the end, I have to say that I absolutely admire Abby and Gretchen's friendship.

I would recommend this book. If you're looking for a fun, horror, YA book, then, this is the book for you.

I received a copy of this book from the Netgalley & Quirk Books in exchange for my review.

Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1)
by Michelle Hodkin

Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Publication: September 2011
Format: Hardcover, 452 pages
Source: Own
Connect: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Tumblr | Website

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.
She’s wrong.

I didn’t think that the synopsis is giving out too much about what The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was all about. I guess it was a bit mysterious but it didn’t really catch my interest to read the book. Fortunately the cover was gorgeous and I found a copy (a hardcover) on sale. I bought it and decided to read it due to many positive reviews from friends.

Mara Jade survived in a terrible tragedy while her best friend, her boyfriend and his sister did not. Then her family decided to move to help Mara recover her traumatic experience even though Mara Jade has no recollection of what happened. Mara met a new friend, Jamie and a cute boy in her new school, Noah Wade. But Mara was starting to have hallucinations where she saw her dead friends.

I do think that the author was very good in creating a suspenseful, mysterious atmosphere. I can’t put the book down. I wanted to know what happen to Mara and what will happen to her next. I wanted to know how she survives the tragedy and why does she keep seeing her dead friends? The book was well written. It has a nice plot with a little twist that I didn’t expect and moments that make me shivers as well as laugh out loud. I’m really glad that I read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. I would totally recommend this one to anyone who love reading paranormal YA with a hint of mystery, romance and humor.

Review: Audition

Audition
by Ryū Murakami, Ralph McCarthy (Translator)

Genre: asian-literature, crime-thriller, horror
Publication: January2009
Format: Hardcover, 208 pages

Audition had a slow start as Aoyama began to discuss his plan to remarry with his friend, Yoshikawa and continue to Aoyama courting Asami. In spite of that, I just couldn’t put the book down. It was interesting to know how Aoyama and Asami’s relationship develop. After all, Aoyama and Asami had a huge age gap.

Aoyama was happy with the developing relationship. But his friend, Yoshikawa warned him that there were something about this girl and warned him to be careful. Aoyama won’t listen. He thought that his friend was jealous that he was dating a young, beautiful girl. Just when their relationship began to develop into something more serious, Asami did something unthinkable.

Audition is a fast read with simple plot and a few dark humors and gruesome scene. The part where Aoyama and Yoshikawa were having a talk about their view on women nowadays was definitely my favourite part. I’m not a fan of horror, but I do think that Murakami’s writing on the horror part was perfectly written. It definitely creep me out. The scene towards the end of Audition was seriously disturbing. I would recommend this book to any horror fan.

Book Cover’s Description

Documentary-maker Aoyama hasn't dated anyone in the seven years since the death of his beloved wife, Ryoko. Now even his teenage son Shige has suggested he think about remarrying. So when his best friend Yoshikawa comes up with a plan to hold fake film auditions so that Aoyama can choose a new bride, he decides to go along with the idea. Of the thousands who apply, Aoyama only has eyes for Yamasaki Asami, a young, beautiful, delicate and talented ballerina with a turbulent past. But there is more to her than Aoyama, blinded by his infatuation, can see, and by the time he discovers the terrifying truth it may be too late. Ryu Murakami delivers his most subtle and disturbing novel yet, confirming him as Japan's master of the psycho-thriller.

Book Review: The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book

Neil Gaiman

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery

Publication: October 2008

Format: Paperback, 289 pages

Buy: Amazon

I don’t know what it is with me and Gaiman. I found myself wanting to read more from him when I found his book on the bookshelf.

It started with a murder. Nobody Owens or Bod’s family was murdered by the man Jack. When the Owenses (the ghost couple) found him in the graveyard, they decided to raise him along with Silas, his guardian (who provided him with food etc). He was given a freedom of the graveyard so that he may have access to everywhere in the graveyard. 

The story then followed Bod and his adventure in and outside the graveyard as he grew up. When he was five, he met his human friend, Scarlett, who thought that Bod was her imaginary friend. Later Bod and Scarlett were separated when she moved away to Scotland with her parents. As he grew up, Bod was captured by the ghouls and later saved by his tutor, Miss Lupescu, and he befriend with a witch ghost called Liza. He went to school which end up in disaster when he failed to keep a low profile.

As years past, Bod learned about where he came from and began to do a bit of research in what happened to his actual family while trying to keep safe from the man Jack, who was still looking for him.

Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book was inspired by The Jungle Book where the baby was raised by ghosts instead of animals. It was a fun, short read. I really enjoyed Gaiman’s writing in this one. I might have finished the book in one sitting if I wasn’t so busy with these days. This book is definitely my favorite from Gaiman up to date.

Book Cover's Description:

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy.

He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead.

There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy-an ancient Indigo Man beneath the hill, a gateway to a desert leading to an abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer.

But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family. . . .

Book Review: Coraline

Coraline

Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell

Format: Graphic Novel

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Horror

Publication: 2008

Rating: 3/5

Coraline's often wondered what's behind the locked door in the drawing room. It reveals only a brick wall when she finally opens it, but when she tries again later, a passageway mysteriously appears. Coraline is surprised to find a flat decorated exactly like her own, but strangely different. And when she finds her "other" parents in this alternate world, they are much more interesting despite their creepy black button eyes. When they make it clear, however, that they want to make her theirs forever, Coraline begins a nightmarish game to rescue her real parents and three children imprisoned in a mirror. With only a bored-through stone and an aloof cat to help, Coraline confronts this harrowing task of escaping these monstrous creatures.

I read the graphic novel while waiting for my sister studying in the library. This graphic novel is an adaption of Neil Gaiman's novel with the same title, Coraline and illustrated by P. Craig Russell.

It was an interesting read. I really enjoy the book. It was a short and easy read. I love the character, the adventure she had to save her parents and the people she met (including the talking cat!). However I found that the illustration was a bit creepy for my liking.