I'm determined to get caught up! I'll have one more post of mini reviews then I'll have all the physical books finished up - still figuring out all the ebook reviews.
YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DIE TONIGHT - Kalynn Bayron
At Camp Mirror Lake, terror is the name of the game . . . but can you survive the night?
This heart-pounding slasher by New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron is perfect for fans of Fear Street.
Charity Curtis has the summer job of her dreams, playing the "final girl" at Camp Mirror Lake. Guests pay to be scared in this full-contact terror game, as Charity and her summer crew recreate scenes from a classic slasher film, Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. The more realistic the fear, the better for business.
But the last weekend of the season, Charity's co-workers begin disappearing. And when one ends up dead, Charity's role as the final girl suddenly becomes all too real. If Charity and her girlfriend Bezi hope to survive the night, they'll need figure out what this killer is after. Is there is more to the story of Mirror Lake and its dangerous past than Charity ever suspected?
My Thoughts: 5/5 stars - First of all, I was not too pleased with hearing an owl making a bunch of noise while I was taking this photo - IYKYK. What I love about horror is that it has such a wide range when it comes to the genre. I think YA horror deserves more love, and Kalynn Bayron is a phenomenal author.
I would definitely be trying out the Camp Mirror Lake game. I'd love to see if I could make it to the end as the final girl. You know, as long as it's just the game and not an actual slasher happening. Well, that's the reality for Charity. Her desire to be the final girl might be put to the test when her final weekend of the summer turns into a living nightmare.
THAT NIGHT IN THE WOODS - Kristopher Triana
When Jennifer receives a message from Scott Dwyer after twenty years without contact, her first reaction is one of excitement. Scott was her first love, and now that she's in her forties and in the middle of a divorce, nostalgia for her youth gets the better of her.
Scott invites Jennifer to his house in Redford, the very same town she grew up in. It's a place she's made great effort to put behind her, for not all her childhood memories are sunny. When she accepts Scott's invite and returns to her old hometown, she struggles with mixed feelings, especially when she learns of the death of Steven Winters, one of her and Scott's childhood friends.
Scott invites three other people from their past to honor Steven's memory—Corey, Traci, and Mark. But the group is more than old friends. They share a dark secret that has troubled them for decades. Now it's time to face their traumatic pasts. Together, they must unravel the mystery of what happened that night in the patch of forest behind Scott's house, a place once known as Suicide Woods.
My Thoughts: 4/5 stars - Well done, I'm now creeped out again going out at night with the dogs 
that's when I know something got under my skin - I hear something snap or move in the woods at night I just nope right back inside and the dogs can come in when they've done their business. The suspense is almost nonstop, and this quickly became a two sitting read (if only work responsibilities could have been ignored). As usual, you can expect some gruesome parts with plenty of gore to go around.
If you like small-town horror and creepy woods with some classic Halloween vibes, this needs to be on the top of your list! Keep in mind, though, this is incredibly graphic and very disturbing. Exactly what you come to expect and hope for in a book by Triana (It is available in hardcover now on his website!)
RED RABBIT - Alex Grecian (Thanks to Tor Nightfire for the copy!)
A folk horror epic about a ragtag posse that must track down a witch through a wild west beset by demons and ghosts―and where death is always just around the bend.
Sadie Grace is wanted for witchcraft, dead (or alive). And every hired gun in Kansas is out to collect the bounty on her head, including bona fide witch hunter Old Tom and his mysterious, mute ward, Rabbit.
On the road to Burden County, they're joined by two vagabond cowboys with a strong sense of adventure – but no sense of purpose – and a recently widowed school teacher with nothing left to lose. As their posse grows, so too does the danger.
Racing along the drought-stricken plains in a stolen red stagecoach, they encounter monsters more wicked than witches lurking along the dusty trail. But the crew is determined to get that bounty, or die trying.
Written with the devilish cadence of Stephen Graham Jones and the pulse-pounding brutality of Nick Cutter, Red Rabbit is a supernatural adventure of luck and misfortune.
My Thoughts: 5/5 stars - Folk horror and witches? Yes, please! This was actually a really fun quest to read. While there is a larger cast of characters, everyone along the way is memorable and great in their own way. This gives Magnificent Seven vibes but in a horror book. This diverse group is traveling together with one common goal: find the witch and bring her in for the reward.
While this is a fun and engaging read, there are also lots of violent and gruesome parts. Remember, it is still horror. I've only read a handful of western horror books and I've enjoyed them all so far. So I'll take any and all recommendations!
SCHRADER'S CHORD - Scott Leeds (Thanks to Tor Nightfire for the copy!)
I told you they were real.
After his estranged father's mysterious death, Charlie Remick returns to Seattle to help with the funeral. There, he discovers his father left him two parting the keys to the family record store and a strange black case containing four antique records that, according to legend, can open a gate to the land of the dead.
When Charlie, his sister, and their two friends play the records, they unwittingly open a floodgate of unspeakable horror. As the darkness descends, they are stalked by a relentless, malevolent force and see the dead everywhere they turn.
With time running out, the only person who can help them is Charlie's resurrected father, who knows firsthand the awesome power the records have unleashed. But can they close the gate and silence Schrader's Chord before it's too late?
My Thoughts: 5/5 stars - I do love a good haunted object story. If you love horror and rock, then you need to give this a read. Imagine playing some old records, and you suddenly open the gates to the land of the dead. As if that isn't scary enough, the gatekeeper is equally terrifying and gives some of the major horror icons a run for their money.
This was so unique and had such a fluid and quick pace to it. It truly played like a movie in my mind, and I couldn't get enough. Opening the gates means you'll be seeing the dead when others can't, and you're doomed to suffer a truly gruesome death. Plenty of gore and scares to go around, and I'm so impressed with this unique debut!
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