Category: Book Reviews

This is where all of my Book Reviews are, Subcategories to follow.

Posted in Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: Doctor Who: The Crawling Terror by Mike Tucker

Posted on by elishasbookreview
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*No Spoilers*

It isn’t the dead man cocooned inside a huge mass of web that worries the Doctor. It isn’t the swarming, mutated insects that make him nervous. It isn’t an old man’s garbled memories of past dangers that intrigue him.

With the village cut off from the outside world, and the insects becoming more and more dangerous, the Doctor knows that no one is safe. Not unless he can decode the strange symbols engraved on an ancient stone circle, and unravel a mystery dating back to the Second World War.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Doctor Who has a history of doing storylines with giant insects and/or spiders. Some examples include: “Arachnids in the UK”, “Planet of the Spiders”, and “The Runaway Bride”. This one is no different. However, the circumstances are more drastic than before. Soldier ants, attacking mosquitos, and barrier making spiders scattered along the countryside.

The episode “Arachnids in the UK” felt to me like more of an environmental message than a proper and complete story, but even the classics have subtle political messages (or so I’m told). There are more insects involved in this story than spiders so rejoice for readers who have arachnophobia.

I find no matter how many times the Doctor gets involved with any mystery involving World War II, it never gets old. The mysteries surrounding the horrific war leaves many to wonder how technologically advanced the Nazis actually were. It is involved in many conspiracy theory discussions across the Internet.

This story felt like a real episode of the TV show. I felt like the stakes were dire and there was a lot at stake. The Doctor always comes out on top no matter how clever the bad guy(s) think they are. It’s what’s kept the show going for over fifty years!

Overall, this novel is excellent at telling a great Doctor Who story. It has great character development, a great story, and the ending is actually satisfying. I would recommend this story for fans of Doctor Who and science fiction in general.

Posted in Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: Red River (Edge #6) by George G. Gilman

Posted on by elishasbookreview

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*No Major Spoilers*

It was a jagged rip in his memory. In jail for a killing he didn’t commit, Edge is puzzled by the prisoner in the next cell. Where had they met before? Was it at Shiloh, or in the horror of Andersonville? This is the sequel to Killer’s Breed, an earlier volume in this series. We revisit the bloody days of the Civil War and incredible scenes of cruelty and violence as our young nation splits wide open, blue armies versus gray armies, tainting the land with a river of blood. And Edge was there.

My dad loves westerns, as I’ve stated in past reviews. This novel caught my attention because of the artwork on the cover and the fact that I grew up near the Red River that borders Oklahoma and Texas. I am not a Civil War history buff, but I thought I’d give it a try.

The title is more of a metaphor for how bloody and brutal the Civil War actually was. I’ve learned in college that the Civil War was more complicated than just the argument over slavery. It was about the seemingly unbalance between the northern and southern states.

I liked how Edge (Hedge in the flashbacks) was always getting into tight scraps, like being captured by Confederate soldiers and being taken to Andersonville. Through the horrors he and a few of his comrades had witnessed, Edge was able to trick his way out of the death camp.

The current day storyline was also enthralling as well. A double homicide, one of which just happened to be bad luck, and gambling don’t mix well. Edge is facing being hanged unless he can prove that he didn’t pull the trigger. That’s not the only obstacle in his way. People with power and big bank accounts want to see Edge hang for the deaths as well.

Overall, this was a nice and enjoyable short story. There was plenty of action, mystery, and Civil War history. I would recommend this novel for lovers of old westerns, historical fiction, and Civil War-related fiction. Even though this novel is older, I think copies can still be found.

Find More of George G. Gilman’s Works Here!

Learn More About Andersonville Here

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: The Troop by Nick Cutter

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*No Major Spoilers*

*This Novel Is NOT for the Squeamish*

Once a year, Scoutmaster Tim Riggs leads a troop of boys into the Canadian wilderness for a three-day camping trip—a tradition as comforting and reliable as a good ghost story and a roaring bonfire. But when an unexpected intruder—shockingly thin, disturbingly pale, and voraciously hungry—stumbles upon their campsite, Tim and the boys are exposed to something far more frightening than any tale of terror. The human carrier of a bioengineered nightmare. An inexplicable horror that spreads faster than fear. A harrowing struggle for survival that will pit the troop against the elements, the infected…and one another.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I found this novel on a book list (if it’s not the library it’s email newsletters). I thought the author sounded familiar, and I found out he also wrote The Deep which I reviewed previously. I had written a not-so-good review, so with that in mind, I decided to give Mr. Cutter another chance.

I’m going to state upfront if you are squeamish or have Entomophobia (the fear of bugs); another phobia this novel addresses is Vermiphobia (The fear of parasitic worms) I would be hesitant to read this novel. I do not have these phobias and at times I found myself grossed out at how detailed the boys’ struggles escalate throughout this novel.

“How could you hide from a murderer who lives under your skin?”

Nick Cutter; The Troop

The Troop reminded me of a ramped up rendition of Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Lord of the Flies follows a group of young boys that were shipwrecked on a deserted island. The parallels are there, but it’s pulled off nicely.

I found this to be more enjoyable than Mr. Cutter’s previous book The Deep. The characters were likable and relatable. I found the ending to not be too far out in the leftfield. Sometimes horror writers *cough* Stephen King *cough* tend to take things too far with the crazy and bizarre for my liking. This ending was surprising and ended on a somewhat positive note.

Overall, I thought The Troop was a good and creepy read. If you are into untraditional horror, or what something different to read then this novel is for you!

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: Arsenal: Full Metal Superhero (Full Metal Superhero #1) by Jefferey H. Haskell

Posted on by elishasbookreview

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*No Major Spoilers*

Amelia Lockheart can’t walk, but she can fly. As the armored superhero-Arsenal, she has the power of a small army at her disposal. Fourteen years ago her parents disappeared after a horrific wreck which left her wheelchair bound. With thieves salivating to steal her armor, and supervillains trying to kill her, Amelia must learn to trust her new team if she wants to survive long enough to learn the truth.

This novel caught my attention because of the cover, the series name, and the concept. With the Marvel and DC movies battling it out at the theatres, one might hesitate to go into a superhero series without drawing connections to previously established characters. However, I felt that this would have been unique enough to be entertaining on its own two feet.

I felt like Amelia was amazing in the facts that she doesn’t let others tell her what to do just because she’s a handicapped woman. She is brilliant in what she can build and create with just enough imagination and determination.

At first, her thoughts about what really happened to her parents sounded like a coping mechanism. When something tragic happens, you naturally want to blame it on someone or something. Blaming her parents’ disappearance in the company they worked for is logical and reasonable.

As you go through the battles and struggles with Amelia and her new friends you find that there is something more going on than meets the eye. Is someone trying to set them up to fail? Who is really after Amelia’s armor? These questions and more are what drives this story and the over-arching plot forward.

I couldn’t help myself but draw connections between this novel and Marvel superheroes. It never took anything away from the novel, but it was kind of fun to be like “oh this guy sounds like Doctor Strange”. Or “This sounds like a combination of Captain America and The Hulk”. I found that instead of being direct rip-offs, they were their own unique identity.

The final battle shows how determined and how brilliant Amelia truly is and how her cool head and thinking under pressure is more valuable to the team overall. She is able to do just as much when she is Arsenal, and when she’s just Amelia.

I know this was meant to be an adult novel, but for some reason, I couldn’t get the thought of this being a Young Adult novel out of my head. Something about how Amelia is portrayed had me thinking she was a teenager instead of being in her early 20s.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, it was a breath of fresh air to have some new superheroes to read about. I felt like this novel is appropriate for everyone of all ages to enjoy. If you like underdog stories and superheroes, then this book is for you!

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Posted on by elishasbookreview

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*No Spoilers*

Something is out there, something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse of it, and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remains, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now that the boy and girl are four, it’s time to go, but the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat—blindfolded—with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children’s trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. Something is following them all the while, but is it man, animal, or monster?

I know I’ve stated in the past that I don’t read what’s popular and trending. However, I think the hype about the Netflix Original Birdbox has died down enough to where I feel comfortable finally getting around to seeing what all the hype is about.

I found the premise to be intriguing, most of us heavily rely on our sense of sight to function day to day. When you have a threat to take that ability away, you suddenly are forced to learn how to hone your other senses that aren’t as heavily relied on.

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This novel caused my fiancé and me to have a discussion of the premise. Something that normally doesn’t happen much when I’m talking to him about the books I read. I’m really thrilled that this actually gave us something to sink our teeth into.

I liked most of the main group of survivors. I felt like each one was a real person who made their decisions whether it was for the better or the worst of the group’s survival. Just like other apocalyptic novels, you have several people who each have their own motivations and goals.

I wouldn’t say that I found the ending to be predictable per se. Without spoiling the ending, I’ll say that it was a pleasant surprise that I hadn’t guessed the ending completely. The ending was nice and sweet, I felt like the journey for the trio was wrapped up nicely.

Overall, this novel was well worth the wait, I enjoyed the theme and tension of the unknown. This book is just the right length to get a grasp on what’s at stake without having much fluff. I’m glad to finally have read this novel.

I would highly recommend this novel for those who loved the Netflix adaptation of Birdbox. If you love a good mystery, and some horror definitely please check this novel out.