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Currently reading: Vulture by Bex Hogan.

Saturday 27 October 2012

Spooky Reads - Recommendations this Halloween!

October, and in fact autumn and winter in general, is the perfect time of year to snuggle up and read a good book. And there are plenty out there. But at this time of year in particular, around Halloween, a good spooky, often scary, read is just what the doctor ordered. Something to get your adrenaline going, get you scared, make you jump, or even squeal.

Today I'm going to be highlighting some books that I think you should all add to your Halloween/Spooktastic reading lists! First off, I haven't read all of these books. One is next on my to read pile and I shall be making a start this weekend... so here we go...

(Please note, for your ease, I have linked the titles to Amazon. Just click, and away you go!)

Zom-B by Darren Shan.
One that I haven't read yet but cannot wait to start. I've heard nothing but praise for this and with zombies, it's perfect for Halloween. Apparently, it's gory as hell, but what else do you expect from Mr. Shan? The cover says it all. The master of horror! The first in a twelve book saga, it sounds like one to miss at your own peril!

Official synopsis: "Zom-B is a radical new series about a zombie apocalypse, told in the first person by one of its victims. The series combines classic Shan action with a fiendishly twisting plot and hard-hitting and thought-provoking moral questions dealing with racism, abuse of power and more. This is challenging material, which will captivate existing Shan fans and bring in many new ones. As Darren says, "It's a big, sprawling, vicious tale...a grisly piece of escapism, and a barbed look at the world in which we live. Each book in the series is short, fast-paced and bloody. A high body-count is guaranteed!"


 Oblivion by Anthony Horowitz.
The finale in the epic The Power of Five series, this book is equal parts horror and awesome. From start to finish it is a rollercoaster as you see the complete and utter destruction upon the world, wrecked by the Old Ones. A stunning conclusion, my full review is coming next week, but make sure you check out the book itself, weighing in a hefty, and justifiable, 672 pages. And of course the first four books in the series, Raven's Gate, Evil Star, Nightrise and Necropolis!

Official synopsis: "Having escaped from Hong Kong, the Five Gatekeepers - Matt, Pedro, Scott, Jamie and Scarlett - are scattered in a hostile and dangerous world. As they struggle to re-group and plan their next move, the malevolent King of the Old Ones gathers his forces in Oblivion: a desolate landscape where the last survivors of humanity must fight the ultimate battle."


 The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker.
It's dark, creepy, and there are the Weepers - I can't even desribe the fear that they struck in me when I read the book late last year. And with the release of the second book, The Life Beyond just beyond the horizon, March 2013, there's no better time than now to pick up the first instalment!

Official synopsis: "The Other Life: who we were before the virus. How we'll never be again. It's been 3 years, 1 month, 1 week and 6 days since Sherry has seen daylight. When things went wrong up above, she was sealed off from the world in a bunker with her family. But when they run out of food, Sherry and her dad must venture outside. There they find devastation, desolation...and the Weepers: savage mutant killers. When her dad is snatched, Sherry joins forces with gorgeous but troubled Joshua - an Avenger, determined to destroy the Weepers. But can Sherry keep her family and Joshua safe, when his desire for vengeance threatens them all? The seeds of first love are sown amongst the death and destruction of a nightmare future in this incredible debut novel. Beautifully formed and gut-wrenchingly gripping, it's essential reading."

The second book in what is already shaping up to be a fantastic series, it is a big book, coming in at just over 700 pages, but boy is it worth it. It packs a massive punch, and there are buckets of blood, guts and gore to keep you entertained the whole way through. Again, the timing is perfect for you to pick up both the first book, simply Department 19, and The Rising, because the third book, Battle Lines, is due in March, so get on it! What are you waiting for?

Official synopsis: "The pulse-pounding sequel to DEPARTMENT 19 – “The best action horror story I have ever read” according to Bookzoneforboys… 91 DAYS TILL ZERO HOUR. THAT'S 91 DAYS TO RUN. 91 DAYS TO HIDE. OR 91 DAYS TO PRAY FOR DEPARTMENT 19 TO SAVE YOU… After the terrifying attack on Lindisfarne at the end of the first book, Jamie, Larissa and Kate are recovering at Department 19 headquarters, waiting for news of Dracula’s stolen ashes. They won’t be waiting for long. Vampire forces are gathering. Old enemies are getting too close. And Dracula… is rising."

Unrest by Michelle Harrison.
Hands down, this is perhaps the most un-nerving, terrifying books I have read this year, if not in a long time. The chills I got when reading this - it's insane! I can't even desribe it. Just... go. Get it. It's got ghosts. Enough said! Michelle, you're a genius! But you did stop me from sleeping. Thanks, thanks a bunch!

Official synopsis: "Seventeen-year-old Elliott hasn't slept properly for six months. Not since the accident that nearly killed him. Now he is afraid to go to sleep. Sometimes he wakes to find himself paralysed, unable to move a muscle, while shadowy figures move around him. Other times he is the one moving around, while his body lies asleep on the bed. According to his doctor, sleep paralysis and out of body experiences are harmless - but to Elliot they're terrifying. Convinced that his brush with death has opened up connections with the spirit world, Elliott secures a live-in job at one of England's most haunted locations, determined to find out the truth. There he finds Sebastian, the ghost of a long-dead servant boy hanged for stealing bread. He also meets the living, breathing Ophelia, a girl with secrets of her own. She and Elliott grow closer, but things take a terrifying turn when Elliott discovers Sebastian is occupying his body when he leaves it. And the more time Sebastian spends inhabiting a living body, the more resistant he becomes to giving it back. Worse, he seems to have an unhealthy interest in Ophelia. Unless Elliott can lay Sebastian's spirit to rest, he risks being possessed by him for ever, and losing the girl of his dreams..."

So, there you go. Whatever you decide to read this Halloween, even if it isn't scary at all, happy reading!

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