"Her head lifts in my direction. I watch slowly as she lifts her mantilla and shows me her true face . And in it, I see horror, I see beauty, but most"Her head lifts in my direction. I watch slowly as she lifts her mantilla and shows me her true face . And in it, I see horror, I see beauty, but most of all, I see truth."
☠️ La Cegua is an old Nicaraguan folktale about a beautiful woman who lures men into the woods. She petrified them by showing her true face - which some claim is a horse skeleton. A vengeful spirit in the woods. La Cegua is a creature born of tragedy and abuse, fueled by revenge.
Some weird town superstition? myth? Rumours?
We follow MC Cici who describes herself as an out-of-town weirdo who moved to a haunted mansion in the middle of the forest. She finds herself having vivid dreams or nightmares about La Cegua and ultimately discovers the painful truth about her family. Despite it not being scary at all imo, it is still well-written and doesn't read like typical YA. It is more of a cosy mystery/suspense/thriller for me with just a few horror elements sprinkled and with gothic atmosphere. The characters especially the MC is so relatable. Ma pa Sana all Ka na Lang dayon na tani may Ara kaman Jamie irl. Generational curses and ghosts, vengeful spirit, magical realism, complex mother-daugher relationship and more. ...more
'claiming they were inhabited by devils, the family was cursed. His servants needed to forcibly restrain him when he started eating the shattered glas'claiming they were inhabited by devils, the family was cursed. His servants needed to forcibly restrain him when he started eating the shattered glass. Madness takes all forms.'...more
"She wanted to scream— like the dying coyotes— to run away somewhere and hide and wait for all this horror to end. She’d escaped. Why hadn’t she staye"She wanted to scream— like the dying coyotes— to run away somewhere and hide and wait for all this horror to end. She’d escaped. Why hadn’t she stayed gone?"
⚠️Triggers⚠️ Graphic animal death (esp cat lovers - be warned!), bullying
Brutal, wild, fascinating and action-packed supernatural horror tale. Rich in Latin American folklore/Hispanic history.. Ancient spirits and gods...brujas and blood magic...haunted house and ghosts...cursed soul...clairvoyance...monsters like El Coco or El Cucuy, Chupacabras, hispanic vampire..family bond and trauma..friendship... second chances...sacrifices and more! Surprisingly good for a debut novel! I enjoyed reading this one. I just find a few of the dialogues or conversations written in dialect and sudden POV switches confusing at times (possibly an editing issue).
Thanks to NetGalley and Lanternfish Press for the arc. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily....more
"Like a cat, Mildred leaped as Bonnette attempted to throw himself down the stairs. He would gladly trade broken bones for his life. The woman was the"Like a cat, Mildred leaped as Bonnette attempted to throw himself down the stairs. He would gladly trade broken bones for his life. The woman was the smell. Flies buzzed in his ears, tasting something warm for a change. With a flick of her wrist, the blade appeared, and she plunged it into his chest. Bonnette sucked for air in short breaths as if wading into a frigid sea. He turned his head, determined to make his last thought about something else, but all he saw was the pattern on the wallpaper as Mildred found his heart."
"I can't even take a bath in peace without some weird shit happening. I'm racking my brain wondering how this could have happened. How could something"I can't even take a bath in peace without some weird shit happening. I'm racking my brain wondering how this could have happened. How could something so nasty have gotten into my house. Especially after all the warding and cleansing we do. And then I remember. My husband thinks it's fun to call up demons for casual chit chats. Demons...spirits - it makes no difference. I told you summoning circles are dangerous and I've asked you to be more careful."
"A summoning circle, when well cast and properly closed, is perfectly safe." Rhys said. It was at that moment the portrait on the wall behind him began to weep blood. Moira stood stock still for a moment, frozen by horror and she gave her husband a withering glance." I want you to do whatever ceremonial shit it takes to fix this, Rhys. She said looking past him to the stained portrait. I'm serious." ...more
A storm..a sleepover..a killer on the loose searching for his perfect girl.
"A liquid glint on the floor caught my eye. I grabbed the jagged piece of A storm..a sleepover..a killer on the loose searching for his perfect girl.
"A liquid glint on the floor caught my eye. I grabbed the jagged piece of broken glass. I tightened my grip on the shard of dad's fancy bourbon glass. Hissing as it cuts into my skin. The pain, sharp and bright, wakes me up. This whole day, this whole night, I've been fighting myself. Fighting the person everyone thinks I am . My perfection made me the object of a dangerous, delusional guy. Who thought I'd be quiet and obedient and just allow him to make me his secret child-bride or whatever sick fantasy he had. If I'm going to leave a messy and broken reputation behind, I might as well earn it."
Tropes: Fast-paced and well-written YA popcorn thriller ...more
"Screaming. Screaming. They are screaming in their glass coffins. In their golden towers. I will let them out in the nighttime, and then they will scr"Screaming. Screaming. They are screaming in their glass coffins. In their golden towers. I will let them out in the nighttime, and then they will scream. And then they will walk , and then they will repeat their ghostly patterns."
"She neither sleeps, nor dreams, but ever dwells."
**spoiler alert** "I continued to peel open my skin-tight dress. A scream ripped from his throat. His face, stamped with the mark of terror, could not**spoiler alert** "I continued to peel open my skin-tight dress. A scream ripped from his throat. His face, stamped with the mark of terror, could not believe what I had revealed. Before his own eyes were tens of others, a hundred more. Blues, greens, browns, and all shades of hell in between. ...more
**spoiler alert** "The house needed melancholy. And she's feeding it. Stuck in a vicious cycle of depression, radiating out of her, bouncing off the w**spoiler alert** "The house needed melancholy. And she's feeding it. Stuck in a vicious cycle of depression, radiating out of her, bouncing off the walls and right back in. Would she ever feel better?"
Southern gothic inspired. A dual timeline piece weaving the past and present together. A story about two mothers who went mad, haunted by the evil encroaching upon them from the swamp. It is later discovered that the swamp has poisoned the land the home was built on and it ultimately affected the families that tries to live there.
Part haunted house story and a psychological look at motherhood. Two povs told from wife and husband. Ending was tragic and devastating. Reminds me a bit of 'The woman in black'.
I got annoyed by the lack of communication, constant bickering, secrecy, immaturity and gaslighting. Tension, stress and paranoia are palpable. Only a few spooky elements and the constant husband-blaming and cursing got repetitive. I believe the husband really meant well from the start and just wanted to make his wife happy but things just kept on getting shitty for them. The premise of the book is intriguing but it just didn't deliver much.
“We're both thieves, Harvey Swick. I take time. You take lives. But in the end we're the same: both Thieves of Always.”
Oh, the allure of escapism!
F“We're both thieves, Harvey Swick. I take time. You take lives. But in the end we're the same: both Thieves of Always.”
Oh, the allure of escapism!
Filled with boredom and discontent, Harvey Swick longs for excitement and adventure to break the monotony of his everyday life. Little does he know, his wish is about to be granted in the most unexpected way. He journeys to a magical house, only to discover its master uses the home to attract children and steal their youth to ensure his own immortality. ...more
'perception is a tricky thing. When people think of you a certain way, it’s almost impossible to put that genie back in the bottle. And when the world'perception is a tricky thing. When people think of you a certain way, it’s almost impossible to put that genie back in the bottle. And when the world considers someone a monster, people treat them like one, and it isn’t long before that person starts to believe it as well.'
'Houses are always changing. Coats of paint. Rows of laminate. Rolls of carpet. They cover up a home’s stories and secrets, rendering them silent until someone comes along to reveal them.'
3.5 ✨
Maggie uncovered mysteries that were kept hidden by her parents in the hopes to protect her from the truth that would shatter her life as she knows it ...more
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