Review: A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

This is the second book I have read by this author, and honestly, I really did not like The Cabin at the End of the World. I didn't enjoy that book due to the story being told from multiple perspectives which made it really redundant and annoying after a while. So I decided to give this author another shot and decided to read his take on possession/ exorcism fiction. I will review this so as not to mention anything that is not already mentioned in the overlay.

First off I have to warn you....if you are deciding to read this because you watched or read the Exorcist and were hoping this would be similar. Stop! The only similarity this book has to that one is the "possessed" is a young girl. Next, if you are looking for horror in this you will be greatly disappointed. While the title suggests demonic possession it is a completely different animal. What you the reader is offered by Tremblay is a downward spiral of a family. The Barrett's are struggling financially, as the dad has lost his job and are down to one income. While this is not enough to stress them out. They are also struggling with the newly developing mental illness of their elder daughter. Hence the title of the book...see what he did there?

The already stressed and divided family seeks counsel from a Catholic priest and then he decides that the daughter, Marjorie is possessed by a demon and they should have an exorcism performed. He also decides to bring in a reality TV crew to film the events. This reality TV show while it provides some financial relief it also puts the family into even more stress as they become a public spectacle and protesters are outside their house daily.

I enjoyed this book much better than the Cabin but felt a little ripped off as I was expecting a horror novel but instead got a thriller/drama. I appreciated that the story was told from only one perspective of the younger daughter, Merri. It also jumped through time periods as it was told from her older self as she was trying to remember the events of this happening to her family. I liked that the author acknowledged and kind of tributed possession/haunting references at times. Also, the twist and somewhat sinister ending made this also much more enjoyable. At one point I thought the book was done but offered up a much better ending than I had anticipated.

I rated this 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.com and may read a few more of this author's books. I will have links down below for those looking to pick this book up for themselves. UK & Canada click here - A Head Full of Ghosts. All others can shop through this link.

 

Review: Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes

This is my first time reading this author, and I have to say I was quite impressed. I had heard of this author and how good her book, The Shining Girls was. So I decided to check out this book as it was readily available at the time.

This book is about a murder that takes place in Detriot but it was not the typical crime scene. No, this scene was something out of a nightmare....the body of the victim was grafted with the back end of a deer. Who did this? And what kind of person would do this?  Soon more bodies show up that are "transformed" and the detective working this case realizes they have a serial killer on their hands. Other bodies are discovered that are monstrous constructions. But the truth may be more sinister than anyone involved can imagine.

This book was told from the vantage point of five characters. At first, I wasn't sure how all of these very different people would later connect. There is a subtle idea of them all having dreams for the future. At some points, the killer is referred to in the 3rd person as "the dreamer". There isn't much of a mystery about who the killer is for most of the story. Sometimes the story kind of sidetracks into the personal lives and backgrounds of the characters and seems unnecessary But I think these breaks into the story helped to solidify the personality traits of the individuals involved in order to appreciate their role in the finale of the story.  And by the end of the book, each character kinda drifts or is drawn into the final showdown. But the suspense and scenes are evenly paced with a surprise near the end. What you thought was happening quickly becomes something else.

I found this to be very well written, and it even reminded me of other horror authors such as Peter Straub and Stephen King. The story was interesting and captivating enough to be very enjoyable. I rated this 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.com, and am looking forward to reading a few of her other books.
                                                UK and Canada - click here to purchase 

All other nations can shop through this link -  http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=geekpron