Come On A Book Journey With Me

Beth | 35 | 📍 Vancouver Island, Canada | coffee & horror novel addict

[bethsreads]

About this blog:

I am a Canadian independent book reviewer and aspiring author. Any and all reviews on this blog are my own thoughts and opinions - and they are not paid for by any company or author. From time to time I may review books received from Netgalley, PR boxes or ARC offers but again, they are not paid for.

I try my best to ensure that any and all TWs and CWs are listed, but it is also your own responsibility to ensure you are consuming media responsibly.

If you are an author or publishing company looking to send me an ARC, please refer to my instagram which has an “email” button to which you can send your request or offer.

My bookstagram account is bethsreads

All content here will be cross-posted there.

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𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚊𝚙𝚎𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚜…

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The Troop by Nick Cutter

Published by: Pocket Books

Edition Publication Date: June 3 2023

Genre: YA | Suspense | Horror

Scare/Horror level: Freezer

Read time: 14 days

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Set near Prince Edward Island on a remote off shoot island a small troop of teen boys and their Scoutmaster encounter something straight out of a Stephen King book

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I’ve never been more physically repulsed yet entranced by a book in my life. And I’m so glad I stuck with it. Read after hearing about it on Books In The Freezer I am happy to recommend it but it’s not for the faint hearted or easily squeamish. Please as always check for TW and CW before you read a book.

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I knew going into this book I’d be experiencing and reading roller coasters of emotions. What I wasn’t expecting was how much pain Britney was in. I wish someone had advocated for her sooner and that she’d had a proper support system.

Britney has a way with words in how she describes her life. Beautiful and haunting. Hopefully now she can live her life free and full. After the horrors that persisted for over a decade, the abuse, the shame that had been forced on to her; a world of light, love and peace is what she needs.

love you Britney 🌹

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𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙…

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson Published by: Ember via @penguinrandomhouse Publication Date: (reprint) March 1, 2022 Genre: Mystery / YA Fiction Scare/Horror level: N/A Read time: 2 days

Finally got my hands on this one and got around to reading it! Just like with the OG book I had so much fun reading it. I genuinely love the way Holly tells a story and creates a world so tangible that it feels real. I’m even growing fond of this version of epistolary novels, because it’s like I’m working alongside Pip and Ravi.

I feel like I know the people of Fairview now especially after two novels. I can’t wait to read the third one and the side novel as well!

If you’re a fan of murder mystery, summer slashers and love puzzles to solve this is for you

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Ten by Gretchen McNeil Published by: Balzer + Bray an imprint of @HarperCollins Publication Date: September 17 2013 Genre: YA Contemporary Horror Read time: 4.5 Hours Horror/Scare level: Fridge

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Book TW for mentions of suicide

This book was a fun ride from beginning to end. Set in the Puget Sound in the PNW (Pacific Northwest), ten teens attend a house party and during a rain storm they’re picked off one by one by a mysterious killer.

Reminiscent of Agatha Christie novels, it’s a fast paced read with spine tingling twists and turns. Can you figure out the killer before it’s too late?

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Happy Shelfie Sunday 📚 🖤

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currently reading…

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the ever growing tbr pile 📚

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“𝙲𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚎 • 𝚔𝚎𝚙𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚢, 𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚝.”

The Haunting of Clandestine House by Celina Myers Published by: Independently with Overcast Publishing Publication Date: March 1, 2019 Genre: Horror Scare/Horror level: Unplugged drink fridge that keeps the drinks cool Read time: less than a day

This is going to be a different kind of review because I legitimately just want to gush about this book. My boyfriend got it for my birthday on Sept 3rd (and it arrived on my birthday! So even better) and I was just about done IWTV so I wanted to finish that before this one. And I’m so glad it was the one he picked off my wish list!

Hannah Watts is the main character. The house itself sounds beautiful. And this definitely falls into my fave haunted house trope: girl moves to the middle of nowhere and buys a house super cheap and weird things happen and then goes balls to the wall with crazy happenings.

A few typos and the italic d’s cutting off aside this book was such a FANTASTIC read. Celina is brilliant with her writing and I hope there’s a sequel because I need more of Clandestine House. If you like reading indie authors, Canadian authors, and want to support smaller authors then I highly recommend this!

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TW: for blood, possession, death, and suicide mentions

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“ℌ𝔬𝔴 𝔭𝔞𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔱𝔦𝔠 𝔦𝔱 𝔦𝔰 𝔱𝔬 𝔡𝔢𝔰𝔠𝔯𝔦𝔟𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔰𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰 𝔴𝔥𝔦𝔠𝔥 𝔠𝔞𝔫'𝔱 𝔱𝔯𝔲𝔩𝔶 𝔟𝔢 𝔡𝔢𝔰𝔠𝔯𝔦𝔟𝔢𝔡.”

Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice Published by: Knopf (originally) this version by Ballantine Books and @penguinrandomhouse Publication Date: May 5, 1976 Genre: HorrorScare/Horror level: Fridge Read time: 23 days

Alright, time for a classic. The centuries spanning adventures of Louis, Claudia and of course the ever dark Lestat have finally made their way onto my shelves. In fact I purchased The Vampire Lestat about halfway through this one.

Is this the greatest piece of literature I’ve ever read? No. But was it fun and kept me captivated every time I opened it? YES! Definitely worth the read if you haven’t picked it up before.

Louis is definitely the prototype for the vampires of the 2000s teen-lit boom that happened while I was in high school and into my 20s. And that’s not a bad thing! Variety is the spice of life and especially in the vampire world having so many options is amazing.

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TW: for blood, death, and potentially Lolita tropes(?).

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“𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝙰𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚕 𝟷𝟿𝟾𝟾 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖”

My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix Published by: @quirkbooks Publication Date: May 17, 2016 Genre: Horror Scare/Horror level: Room Temperature Read time: 2 days

This is the first book I’ve ever read from Grady Hendrix, and while this book wasn’t scary… it had some gross out moments that made me stop for a moment or two. It was a solid story that I’d definitely read again and have already recommended to multiple people.

The story of these best friends and everything they go through is so reminiscent (possession aside) of my friendships when I was that age.

The 80s nostalgia is real with this one and I felt like I was back then experiencing this alongside them. Highly recommend it to anyone who wants to read a horror book that doesn’t take itself super seriously but is still good.

TW: for death of a pet, mentions of rape/sexual assault, disordered eating and abuse.

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“𝐴 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝘩𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦. 𝐴 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛. 𝐴 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑐𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑒. 𝑊𝑒𝑙𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑇𝘩𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝐴𝑝𝑜𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑦.”

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner Published by: Park Row Books in association with @harlequinbooks Publication Date: March 2, 2021 Genre: Historical fiction | Mystery Read time: 7 days

The story of the three women in this book was a rollercoaster, that’s for sure. Each character is engaging and has their own flair that makes their plot line just as interesting as the next.

My only gripe is that I wish it could have been more fleshed out, more focus on one or the other (past or present). The mystique of the end, not knowing what happens fully makes my brain itch for more.

I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys stories from Gregorian London era, and especially when it’s women-centric.

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“𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕜𝕪𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕖 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕤𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕜𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕪 𝕚𝕥 𝕦𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕒𝕥 𝕙𝕠𝕞𝕖, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕀 𝕕𝕚𝕕𝕟’𝕥 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕨𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕙𝕚𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕘𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕. 𝕀 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖. 𝕀 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕠𝕟𝕖.”

A Room Away From The Wolves by Nova Ren Suma Published by: @algonquinbooks Publication Date: Sept 4, 2018 Genre: YA | Suspense | Bildungsroman Scare/Horror level: Room Temperature Read time: 1.5 days

The cover for this drew me in at first, and then I read the dust jacket and was sold. While I wholly enjoyed this book, I was also a little confused by it at times and had to back read a page or two to reread what had just happened. The main character Sabina “Bina” Tremper is an unreliable narrator which makes the maze of a book even more mystifying. That’s not to say it isn’t good. It’s just not going to be for every person. And it’s definitely open to interpretation as to what is going on.

The writing is beautiful, and poetic. Nova knows what she is doing in that department. And is a writing style I tend to gravitate towards.

I like that there was a little diversity but it definitely could have been more fleshed out. As well as maybe had more time for us to get to know some characters who played key roles in this. Overall, I think this is one I’d read again, not right away but it’s going on the shelf and will be one I recommend anyone to at least give a try to read.

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“𝚆𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢 ‘𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑. 𝚆𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚜.”

Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt Published by: @torbooks Publication Date: April 4, 2017 Genre: Horror Scare/Horror level: Fridge Read time: 2 days

I heard about this Dutch-to-English translated book on the podcast Books in the Freezer and how good it was and let me tell you, I am so glad I picked it up and read it. The story is so compelling, and the complete sense of dread I got while reading it up until even the very end proves to me that Thomas knows what he’s doing. I highly recommend this to anyone.

TW: for death of a pet, mentions of rape/sexual assault and abuse.

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On the Farm by Stevie Cameron Published by Vintage Canada in association with @penguinrandomhouse Original Publication Date: Oct, 25, 2011 Genre: True Crime Read time: 2 Months, 3 Weeks and 3 days

I grew up in BC and while I’d heard about this case and trial growing up on Vancouver Island, I didn’t know about the full extent of it. Through Morbid Podcast and the in-depth coverage from Alaina and Ash I decided to order and dive into it.

It took me almost 3 months to get through this book because it weighed so heavily on my heart and mind that I needed a break here and there. Due to the length and how much information there was (some grammatical errors as well) I almost didn’t finish it… but in the end I’m glad I chose to power through read it all, and learn about the many women who went missing in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. May their souls finally find peace.

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“𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑖𝑡.”

This was alright, not super scary, tense moments yes but nothing super crazy. If you like creature horror or books that are a mix of texts, emails and blog posts this might be for you. For an indie author this was a good book but I wouldn’t re-read this one, unfortunately.

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Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly Published by Dutton Books Original Publication Date: 2019 Scare/Horror level: Fridge Read time 3 hours spread over 3 days

The premise is that Dixie Wheelers family was murdered by her father who then took his own life. Then 25 years later she moves into the former family home, and weird things start to happen. I can’t say much more without giving a lot away. But I highly recommend this book, especially if you like unreliable narrative, first person story telling, murder, mystery and spooky things.