Let’s Fast Forward to the Good Stuff by GetChrissy

May 8, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Let’s Fast Forward to the Good Stuff by GetChrissy
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

No more waiting around. It’s time to fast forward to the good stuff!

Ross is the most impatient person you’ll ever meet. You don’t want to keep him waiting in line too long because things will get ugly, fast! He wants to zoom through life, and tired of all the waiting that comes along with it. He wants to speed things up a bit. One day, a weird woman leaves a mysterious package for him that will change his life forever. Ross is in for a magical journey which is powered by his thoughts, but soon things begin to take a bad turn. Ross is in for the craziest ride of his life that you don’t’ want to miss!

Excitement comes in many forms.

Ross was a fascinating main character whose flaws made me want to learn more about him even though I found his quick temper and impatience irritating. He had such a short-sighted view of the world that he was often blindsided by things a more rational and thoughtful person would probably be able to predict in advance at least occasionally. While I don’t know that I’d want to hang out with him in person until he’s matured a bit, he sure did make this tale a memorable one.

There were some plot holes involving the mysterious woman and the package she left for the protagonist that made it hard for me to follow the storyline at times. I had several questions about how her present worked and how she became aware of Ross’ existence that were never satisfactorily answered, especially given that the warning about what would happen if he overused it seemed to be brushed over in later chapters. As much as I enjoyed the playfulness of this story, these issues prevented me from choosing a higher rating.

I enjoyed discovering the wild scenarios Ms. GetChrissy came up with for her characters as they continued to play around with their newfound power and figure out what it could and couldn’t do for them. She had some imaginative and sometimes wonderfully frightening ideas about what this device could do and how someone who was impulsive might push the boundaries of how to use it while attempting to skip over all of the boring parts of his own life.

Let’s Fast Forward to the Good Stuff was creative.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Bear Country by Mary Hallberg

May 6, 2026 By Leave a Comment


Bear Country by Mary Hallberg
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Woman versus nature

Casey doesn’t want to go on the camping trip. She’s not a big outdoors person, and would rather stay inside with her paintings — and her air conditioning. But it’s her high school graduation trip, and her mom is making her go.

When one of Casey’s classmates disappears during the night, the teachers and park rangers assume she’s at the library and aren’t concerned. But Casey’s crush, Trevor, isn’t so sure and wants to go looking for her. A handful of others agree to join him — including Casey, despite her disdain for the woods.

But the trek turns deadly when the group encounters the reason their classmate went missing — an enormous, predatory grizzly bear, hellbent on destroying everything in its path. Now Casey and her classmates must find their way back to civilization without becoming bear food.

Never turn your back on nature.

There were some entertaining plot twists along the way as Casey and her classmates attempted to outrun and outwit their pursuer. Readers who are already familiar with this genre may be able to predict some of them ahead of time, but this wasn’t something that relied on the element of surprise in order to shock and frighten its audience. Instead, it was the journey from beginning to end that mattered with the plot twists providing the characters extra opportunities to learn from their most recent attempts at escape and try something different the next time they were attacked. I thought that was a good way to prolong what could have otherwise been a much shorter work.

The explanation for why the bear was so strong and aggressive was what held me back from giving this book a higher rating. While there were a few hints shared about its possible origins, they were not developed enough for its behavior to make sense to me. Knowing this information was critical in order to understand why a bear would suddenly begin attacking so many humans in a busy national park, especially given that none of the attacks were provoked or included usual reasons for an animal to behave this way such as a mother protecting her cubs.

With that being said, I loved the man (and woman) versus nature themes. Most of the characters knew little to nothing about camping, hiking, or coexisting with apex predators in the wild, and they did make a few mistakes early on that more seasoned campers would have avoided. The plot explored both the fear of the unknown and the anxiety some people feel when surrounded by nothing but trees and wildlife. These are themes that aren’t included in the horror genre as much as I’d prefer to see, so I was thrilled to find them here.

I should note that this was a pretty gory read, just as it should have been given the subject matter. Fans of that type of horror, take note!

Bear Country kept me perched on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Artificial Elephant by Eric J. Hull

April 28, 2026 By Leave a Comment


The Artificial Elephant – stories of loss, magic, and hope by Eric J. Hull
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, LGBTQ, Horror, Paranormal, Romance, Holiday, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Character-driven literary speculative fiction for readers who crave haunting emotional payoffs.

A boy grieves the impossible beast that healed him. A house searching for its lost family. A vampire steals back her lovers’ tears. A scavenger hunt gone hilariously awry. Two lovers dancing at the end of the world.

Ghosts. Love. Winter. Hope. These 22 stories of fantasy, science fiction, and horror cast flickering light against the crowding darkness. They embrace the transformations between grief and love, kindness and bitter fate.

Sometimes the line between facts and feelings is paper thin.

In “Christmas Lights,” a smart house searched for its missing family for many years. I loved the fact that this was written from the perspective of a building instead of a human one. It was a unique way to frame the storyline and made me wonder if the house would ever find out what happened to the parents and two children who had once lived there. The twist ending was as poignant as it was logical for this universe as well.

Katie was a three-year-old girl whose body grew so impossibly cold she couldn’t eat anymore in “Katie Dreams” because any food or liquid she tried to consume froze solid when it was moved too close to her. I was nearly as fascinated by the scientific attempts to understand and reverse her condition as I was by her mother’s response. The strong emotional bond between them made this something I couldn’t possibly stop reading until I knew how it ended. In my opinion, memorable science fiction begins with the relationships characters have with each other before anything unusual occurs, and I would have happily read a full-length novel about Katie’s family and how they coped.

A teenager’s grief for his dead sister took on a new form in “Charcoal.” As he recalled a few of their shared childhood memories during his last few days at home, strange things began happening that were as bittersweet as they were inexplicable. This was a beautiful metaphor for how gut-wrenching it is to say goodbye to someone who died far too young in life, and the plot worked just as well on that level as it did when read from a paranormal perspective.

What ultimately convinced me to give this collection a five-star rating was the breadth of characters and experiences that were included here. I wish I had the space to mention all of them in my review as there were so many other gems to discover that included genres ranging from romance to horror. It takes talent to imagine such a wide variety of characters, all of whom remained distinct in my mind.

The Artificial Elephant – stories of loss, magic, and hope was exactly the sort of diverse speculative fiction I enjoy reading, and I can’t wait to see what Mr. Hull comes up with next.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

One Killer Night by Trilina Pucci

December 17, 2025 By Leave a Comment


One Killer Night by Trilina Pucci
Publisher: Montlake
Genre: Contemporary, Horror, Erotic Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Love is patient.

Love is kind.

Love will stab you from behind.

It’s Halloween night, and out-of-work writer Goldie Monroe’s trip to the drugstore scares up more than the fake blood she’s looking for. It leads to the man of her naughtiest dreams. And in spite of her costume, sparks fly from the moment they meet.

Noah Adler, aspiring sneaker designer, is impossibly gorgeous—like a tatted-up version of Goldie’s favorite blue-eyed vampire. He’s there for candy, but it’s Goldie he can’t resist. When she invites him to her sister’s F/X company bash, he’s all in without a second thought.

The pair’s flirty connection heats up fast, carrying them to electrifying new heights. But after Goldie discovers Noah is hiding a dark secret, it all starts to crumble. Looking for answers about her own past awakens new dangers, and when Goldie and Noah land at a slasher camp for adults, a deadly tragedy threatens to repeat itself. If they can survive this one killer night, they can definitely slay a happily ever after.

A meet-cute that goes a little sideways, but could be the best thing to happen? There’s that and more in One Killer Night.

Trilina Pucci has written a hot book with twists and turns. It’s a quicker read because of the humor. The characters are interesting and it’s easy to root for them, even if the reader isn’t always sure of their intentions, but isn’t that the mark of a good mystery or horror book? This one sure kept me on my toes. Goldie and Noah are fascinating, but can they be trusted? I had to keep reading to find out.

The one thing that was a bit of a distraction for me was how this book felt like an adult retelling of the 80s teen slasher films. Yes, it was a good read, but it was almost too throwback and took me out of the story at times. That’s not to say all readers will feel the way I did. Most will like this story, plus Goldie and Noah do have off the charts chemistry.

If you like slasher films in book form, like mysteries that need to be unraveled and want something that’s a little throwback, then this might be the book for you. Check it out.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Movie Review: Sinners

October 27, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Sinners
Writers: Ryan Coogler
Director: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Saul Williams, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Andrene Ward-Hammond, and Jack O’Connell
Publisher: Warner Bros. Pictures
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars (10 Stars on IMDB)
Reviewed by Astilbe

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

Horror and history are the perfect match.

The character development was everything I hoped it would be. Both the protagonists and the vampiric antagonists were well-rounded individuals who all had their own virtues and vices. They genuinely felt like real people – or real former people – to me who sometimes made terrible mistakes only to reveal wholesome aspects of their personalities that I found relatable and understandable a few scenes later. Sympathizing with vampires or other creatures of the night isn’t something I generally do, but I thought they made some intelligent points about the advantages of joining them and had a much clearer understanding of how the world should work than some of the human characters did.

I loved the way the director wove sharp social commentary about race, colonialism, and how those in power can manipulate things that are supposed to be good for malicious purposes into what was already an exciting vampire movie. This film could be interpreted in multiple ways that each stood on their own merits but also created an even more compelling story if they were layered on top of each other. That isn’t an easy feat to accomplish! It was one of my major reasons for choosing a perfect rating, and I would have given it even more stars if such a thing were possible.

Not every question I had about the characters or plot was answered which I consider to be a huge asset of this story. There were some scenes that were either partially explained or more or less left hanging, especially when it came to the behavior of the vampires in the last twenty minutes. Thinking about possible explanations for their poor choices in those moments made me want to rewatch this to see if there are additional hints about why this happened that I may have missed. I already have a few theories about why it was written that way and thought allowing the audience to come up with our own ideas made those scenes even more powerful.

There wasn’t a single thing I’d change about Sinners. It was memorable and thought provoking from every angle.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings, Movie Review, Television Show Tagged With: , , , ,

Movie Review: 28 Years Later

October 20, 2025 By Leave a Comment


28 Years Later
Writers: Alex Garland
Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, and Ralph Fiennes
Publisher: Columbia Pictures
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars (8 Stars on IMDB)
Reviewed by Astilbe

A group of survivors of the rage virus live on a small island. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors.

Survival takes on many different meanings after a few decades of zombies running around.

One of the cool things about this film was that it didn’t require any knowledge of the first three instalments in order to understand what was going on during it. Obviously, there were a few interesting callbacks for fans who did start at the beginning, but this otherwise felt like an introduction to a new horror series which I found refreshing and surprising.

The plot twists were pretty easy to spot ahead of time for me given how often I watch zombie films, so I would have liked to see a little more development there given how long this was set after the original outbreak. A new generation of people had been born into and grown up on an island filled with zombies by the time this tale began. Even something as simple as discussing the rules they had grown up following about how to stay safe in such a dangerous environment could have given the storyline creative ways to flourish if a few more scenes had been dedicated to the topic. The possibilities were endless.

With that being said, I enjoyed the plot development that had taken place over twenty-eight years, especially when it came to the tense but sometimes also complex relationships between various characters of both human and zombie origin. This film had some poignant things to say about the meaning of life and how to push through a day, often literally, while dealing with painful emotions like grief or uncertainty. The deeper layers of the storyline were what encouraged me to choose a higher rating and have made me incredibly curious to see what happens in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple once it is also released.

28 Years Later was a grisly but thoughtful adventure.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings, Movie Review, Television Show Tagged With: , , , , ,

Movie Review: Snow Angel of Revenge

June 2, 2025 By Leave a Comment

Snow Angel of Revenge (Kosten Enkeli)
Director: Keke Soikkeli
Producers: Marko Hartama and Keke Soikkeli
Starring: Vivi Wahlström, Karoliina Tuominen, Hannele Lauri, Konsta Hietanen
Publisher: Nordic Films
Genre: Horror, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars (8 Stars on IMDB)
Reviewed by Astilbe

Seeking solace and a break from her haunting past, Niina escapes to a remote, rural villa with her close friend Suvi. Their retreat, however, takes a sinister turn when they find themselves unwelcome, and through a series of unfortunate events, get entangled in the dark rituals of a mysterious ancient cult.

One fateful night, a ragged batch of locals, who worship an old pagan god, storm the villa demanding retribution for what the women have unknowingly done. Trapped in a nightmare of blood and brutality, only Niina survives the horrifying ordeal. Shattered but unbroken, she begins to rebuild her strength. With vengeance burning in her heart, Niina sets her sights on one and only one goal—revenge.

Not every god is easy to satisfy.

The plot twists were exciting and filled with moments that made me gasp and sometimes glance away from the scariest moments. Without sharing spoilers, some of my favorite ones involved Niina’s transformation from a terrified vacationer to someone who was determined to seek revenge for what had just happened to her and her friends. This is the kind of storytelling I love to find, and I only liked her more as I saw how she behaved as a result of every twist and turn that came her way.

I would have liked to have more information about the relationship between a character who was introduced early on in the storyline and the locals who worshipped an old god. This was something that intrigued me from the beginning, and I would have happily gone with a perfect rating if their connection was developed better. There was plenty of space there for explaining why that minor character offered a free vacation to Niina and how he knew about it in the first place, and the plot would have been stronger if that had occurred.

With that being said, the world building was otherwise well done and deliciously scary. I appreciated the way it played with the audience’s expectations as well as with common stereotypes about people who spend their lives in rural, isolated places. It can be difficult for many folks to understand why not everyone prefers their way of life, including the decision of where to live or which customs to follow. Horror can shine a light on the assumptions we make about each other and what that may say about us as human beings. This is one of the many reasons why I like that genre so much.

Snow Angel of Revenge made me shudder.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings, Movie Review, Television Show Tagged With: , , , ,

Europa by Greig Beck

May 29, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Europa by Greig Beck
Publisher: Severed Press
Genre: Contemporary, Sci-Fi, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Horror
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

The first mission to Europa—Jupiter’s enigmatic moon—has landed, and humanity’s darkest fears are about to awaken.

For years, mankind has speculated that this frozen world harbors a hidden ocean twice the size of all Earth’s oceans combined—an ocean potentially teeming with life.

Driven by this tantalizing mystery, they venture forth to unlock its secrets. But what they discover in the abyssal depths is far beyond anything they could have imagined.

Nearly four hundred million miles from Earth, their search for life has succeeded. But in their triumph, they overlook the most terrifying truth: what they have found is something far older and more horrifying than they ever could have conceived. Something has been trapped in the dark for eons—watching, and waiting, for them.

Now, the crew stands at the threshold of unimaginable terror, realizing too late that Hell, in its purest form, is cold.

For years mankind has speculated that the vast underground oceans on Jupiter’s moon, Europa, might be teeming with all forms of life. When the first Russian spacecraft to land on Europa loses contact, the American’s aren’t too far behind them. Only the life forms they discover are far older than anyone could have guessed, and they’re very, very hungry.

I have always been a massive fan of the various “monsters eat everyone” style of books and I was delighted by this new addition. Greig Beck has been an auto-buy for me for a number of years and while I find a stronger affinity for some of his books than others, this one is right up my alley and was a delight to read.

While there are definite horror themes in the story, I was pleased the action wasn’t too gorey and there was plenty of plot and discovery in amongst the monsters eating everyone in sight. I feel readers who like mystery/horror/monster books should find this story equally enjoyable as those who enjoy Sci-Fi or space exploration. And this is an absolute must for fans of Aliens – there’s quite a strong theme of that through this book as well.

I did find the set up and execution of this plot and the manner in which the story was told a little different and while I personally found it refreshing, I could understand if it wasn’t every reader’s cup of tea. In the beginning at least there is a little jumping around in the timelines and some different characters perspective, but I was pleased it settled down quite early on and the thrill of the discovery and adventures out on Europa quickly had me turning the pages.

A thrilling – and realistically terrifying – space story where the monsters are quite hungry and humans are not even close to top of the food chain; I found this to be an excellent read and a definite keeper for my shelf. Recommended.

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Movie Review: Shiver Me Timbers

April 28, 2025 By 2 Comments


Shiver Me Timbers
Writers: Paul Stephen Mann, E.C. Segar
Director: Paul Stephen Mann
Starring: Murdo Adams, Stephen Corrall, Paul Dewdney
Publisher: Gravitas Ventures
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Historical
Rating: 3 stars (6 stars on IMDB)
Reviewed by Astilbe

In 1986 Northern California, Olive Oyl, her brother Castor and friends, go on a camping trip to see the meteor shower with Halley’s comet. But the night turns into horror as a meteor transforms Popeye, into an unstoppable killing machine.

Comets are nothing to mess around with.

I must admit that Popeye the Sailor Man is just about the last character I’d ever associate with the horror genre, so I was intrigued to see what the writers and director were going to do to make him scary. It was funny to see how they used his catchphrases and habits in news ways to keep the audience entertained. He made me laugh and shrink back in fear at the same time which is exactly the reaction I hoped I would have.

While I didn’t need a lengthy explanation of why Popeye appeared, I did find myself wishing for more plot development here. The reason given for his murderous escapades never quite made sense to me, and trying to figure it out was a distraction from both the horrifying and the comical moments in this film. I would have chosen a higher rating if this wasn’t the case.

It isn’t necessary to be familiar with 1980s slasher flicks in order to enjoy this homage to them, but viewers who have seen at least one or two horror films from that decade may notice some cool throwbacks to the way things were filmed a few decades ago. Without giving away spoilers, I’m specifically thinking of the way rural settings were sometimes used to amp up the suspense back then and how isolation and fear could lead a character to make impulsive decisions that they might not have chosen if, say, they’d been in a city surrounded by other people.

Shiver Me Timbers was creative.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings, Movie Review, Television Show Tagged With: , , , , ,

Hideout by Jack Heath

March 5, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Hideout by Jack Heath
Publisher: Allen & Unwin Publishers
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Horror
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A tense, unputdownable thriller from the author of Hangman.

Timothy Blake has nothing to lose. He’s headed to an isolated house in rural Texas with a hammer in his pocket and murder on his mind. His target is Fred, the ringleader of a criminal empire on the dark web. Once Fred is gone, Blake can disappear for good.

But it turns out that Fred isn’t alone. Five other psychopaths live in the house. They work together and call themselves the Guards. Torture, extortion and death are their business. Blake manages to convince them that he’s one of their online associates. Soon they think he’s a monster, like them. They’re not wrong.

Blake decides to pick them off one by one. But when a Guard is found with a bullet in his skull, Blake realises that someone else in the house may have the same idea – and he might be their next target.

Meanwhile, who are the desperate people chained up in the building behind the house? One of them will change everything . . .

Timothy Blake no longer works as a civilian consultant for the FBI, but after deciding to tackle one last loose end from his previous case he finds himself in much deeper waters than expected. Faking his way into a house full of serial killers, he’s trying to work out how to extract himself when he discovers there are a number of civilian captives being held – and tortured – on site. Blake finds himself getting sucked deeper and deeper into the situation and what started as a quick in and out soon spirals out of control.

This is the third book by this author revolving around Timothy Blake and while I need to be in the right frame of mind to read and enjoy this series – it’s a little gory and gruesome – overall this is a really well written anti-hero thriller/horror series and one I just can’t help but enjoy. This third book picks up literally seconds after the second finishes. Readers who dislike reading their series out of order should absolutely read these four books in order as they very closely link up together into one much longer story and while there’s plenty of hints and explanations of what has occurred previously this is one of the few series where I really think reading the books in order is a sensible plan and will absolutely help make everything fit into place a bit better.

While there is no titillation in the horror aspects to this book this absolutely isn’t a series or book for the faint of heart. This particular book is about a group of serial killers with live victims and their very own slaughterhouse. Most of the gruesome aspects occur off scene but the author doesn’t pretty anything up and these are killers who do have some teeth. Readers should definitely be aware of that going in.

That said, I really do enjoy Blake’s character. He is there for his own reasons and while he is far from innocent and in many ways, he isn’t even trying to do “the right thing” he has his own reasons and driving force and in that way under those parameters he is doing what he can. I don’t think this will sit well with all readers, but I find it interesting and engrossing enough I read the book fairly quickly, definitely eager to see what occurs next.

Readers who want something different should find that here in this book. This is the only series I’ve ever read with a main character (even an anti-hero) like Blake and his unusual circumstances and personal drives, that alone is worth giving the series a shot to my mind. Readers who enjoy a twisty plot and don’t mind a bit of gore or serial killers should absolutely go back to Hangman and the beginning and give this series a try. I’ve never read anything like this series and while it’s not a comfortable read, it is different, interesting and absolutely a complicated plotline with multiple moving parts all woven together by the author in an astonishingly interesting manner.

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,
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