Surviving the Horror: Fever Dreams sends a powerful message of trying to exist in a world filled with hatred and cruelty

 

Fever Dreams

Dev Solovey

Unveiling Nightmares Press, 2024

ISBN-13: 979-8334417175

Ebook, 111 ppg.

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It’s rare I come across a book that is so damn hard for me to put down, and that’s the kind of thing that Fever Dreams did for me. This book was so damn good. Fever Dreams by Dev Solovey was an addictive read for me. It was just so captivating and surreal. Reading the book was like having a fever dream! A lot of it doesn’t make sense, but a lot of it does. And that’s the beauty about this book. For those of us who understand, there’s a lot that we totally get. And maybe that was why I kept reading it.

 

But that’s not to say that this is one of those “WTF did I just read?” books. It’s not. It’s important to remember what happens in the first chapter. Then things will start to click as one keeps reading.

 

The thing I loved most about this book is that every chapter is unpredictable. At first, when I was reading it, my complaint was that it was just a bunch of stuff happening, with no story. (There’s a story here, though! I promise!) But that’s the thing I really liked about it, how a bunch of stuff kept happening. I mean, at least there was no stagnation. As the Sparrow tells Thaddeus on page 77, “Neither of us can predict what happens next.” Actually, nobody can. Each new chapter is a surprise.

 

But this is more than just a story about what happens following one sister’s attempt to sacrifice another. This is a story highlighting attacks on trans people. I know that Thaddeus would hate me for saying this, but it did bring to light about how the media will swoop in, grab the trans victim, then say that the whole thing was a hate crime because the victim is trans. And the discussion at the end of the story is something to think about too. About how trans kids see so many bad things happening to trans people, murder among them, and fear growing up in a world where they could be the next victim. It’s definitely something to think about and I’m glad this is one of the messages of this novel.

 

Fever Dreams by Dev Solovey was a wild ride to read. It is filled with symbolism and metaphor. There’s a lot of trauma which the character had to endure, and I loved how he changes the narrative by fighting back. This novel is ultimately a story of survival and fighting to maintain one’s identity in a world that continues to persecute it. It’s a short novel that packs a big punch, leaving the reader with some serious and important things to ponder at the end.

 

 

 

Five stars

 

 

Disclaimer: I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Horrors of Childhood: The Children's Horror Has Doomed Adults Reliving Childhood Fears

 

The Children’s Horror: Cursed Episodes for Doomed Adults

Patrick Barb

Northern Republic, 2024

ISBN: ISBN-13: 979-8332956430

Ebook, 216 ppg.

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“Horror is NOT for children!” I have heard this said so many times. And while in some cases, this is true, in the case of reality, horror may not be for children, but many children definitely know horror. After all, they have to contend the monster under the bed (check!), school testing (check!) and trying to change themselves so they can fit in and be accepted by others (check!).

 

In The Children’s Horror: Cursed Episodes for Doomed Adults, author Patrick Barb covers these areas well, along with a scattered other few. The thing about the stories in this book, though, is that the children appear to be, well, so CALM while the horror is taking place.

 

Maybe it’s just the children have been so desensitized to real horror after being exposed to so much other horror going on in their lives. I mean, there’s abuse at home, homophobia in the schools, books that help them feel seen and included being banned from their libraries, peer pressure, bullying, and, oh yeah, puberty. (EEK!)

 

Seriously, though. All that is not to say that this is a book that would be okay for children to read. I mean, they can, but some of these stories are just so frightening, that maybe they’d rather not? This is definitely a book of stories for older readers, not children, and I really enjoyed reading them. My favorite stories were the title story, “The Children’s Horror” (of course), “The Dogcatcher,” “Two Rare Specimens” (a nice twist on the Boogeyman story!), “The Shark in Her Belly” and “The Big Good Boy.”

 

If you enjoy reading stories of horror and suspense, check out Patrick Barb’s new collection, The Children’s Horror. You won’t be disappointed.

 

 

Five stars.

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When Going Home Again Means Going Back to Evil: Toxic Maternal is a horrifying story of a mother’s ruthless quest for immortality

 

Toxic Maternal

C.A. Baynam

Unveiling Nightmares, 2024

ISBN-13: 979-8877585959

Ebook, 80 ppg.

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If you’re up for a cringe-inducing story of an evil mother literally hell-bent on getting what she wants no matter who it hurts, Toxic Maternal by C.A. Baynam is the story for you. This is definitely a book that made me cringe, a lot. It was also terrifying and horrifying!

 

Mother in Toxic Maternal brings Mommy Dearest to shame! She is brutally evil and a frightening character.

 

You don’t ever say “no” to Mother. She always has her way. Anyone who disagrees with her or tries to change her plans will have horrors and violence visited upon them.

 

And Mother DOES have a plan. That’s why her children have been summoned on the night of a full moon. No one could ever fathom what terror awaits her two children.

 

Mother is truly evil to the core. Ever since Andrew and Sarah have been children, she has beaten and tortured them. Anytime Andrew acted out, mother would punish him by hurting Sarah. This type of home life rears the children to think they cannot fight Mother and must do as she says. Even if they try to fight her as adults, she punishes them until they give in.

 

She is a woman who is interested in black magic. She uses rune symbols to control some of her minions. She also has victims awaiting her torture, where she uses their blood, organs and deaths in a sacrificial manner. If they scream, it only drives her on more. As she says to one potential victim, “Screaming, to me, dear, is like music. A sweet, chilling lullaby to help me drift off to sleep.”

 

This is not a story for the faint of heart. There is incestual sex, cannibalism, rape, torture and black magic.

 

Toxic Maternal by C.A. Baynam is one of the most extreme and brutal horror stories I have ever read. I am looking forward to reading the prequel! If you can withstand extreme horror and can get through a story of the most dysfunctional family ever, pick up this book to read today. Buckle up, because you’re about to meet the most evil mother ever!

 

 

Five stars

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.