Wednesday, November 25, 2020

What We're Reading #73

We are excited to share three recent reads with you today and hope you find a new favorite book! Don’t forget to click either tag above to find more good books ♥

Beneath A Bethel by April-Jane Rowan

Every youth of Elbridge remembers their Floris, the holy ceremony where their teeth are pulled out with pliers. It marks their ascension into adulthood and their right to have new porcelain teeth, ones that are embedded with magic, that grant the ability to make wishes.

Angora’s Floris will be upon the banks of the Eldwen river, the communal ceremony befitting his station. However he longs to remember his ceremony for the splendour of the Bethel, wreathed in candle light, drooping flowers and holy hymns.

Seeking to fulfil his dream leaves him the victim of violence and an outcast from society, living on its fringes until a chance meeting brings him to the heart of the Masters Guild, the place teeth are made. Learning secrets he never thought he’d be privy too, he eventually discovers the dark cost of their tradition.

Beneath A Bethel is a dark horror fantasy, set in a harsh, snow-covered city that hides its brutality with pageantry. 

Amazon | Goodreads

Audra’s Teaser Review

This was a quick, one-sitting read, and I found myself thoroughly immersed in the world Rowan created. It is a fully realized fantasy, with interesting details like a tea shop where the tea you drink fills you with the emotion that you ordered off the menu. The tone is slightly elevated and reads like a fairytale, which works perfectly, juxtaposing the light and magic with some truly horrific moments.

Read Audra’s entire review at Goodreads.

Emily’s Teaser Review

The world in this book was so intriguing, and I would love to see a prequel or sequel if one ever exists. If you’re into horror / dark fantasy / fairytale-esque stories, I highly recommend picking up Beneath a Bethel!

Read Emily’s entire review at Goodreads.

The Flower and the Serpent by Madeleine D’Este

Mysterious disappearances, a battle for the spotlight and terrifying nightmares. It’s just another day at Beacon Hill High School.

Auditions for Macbeth are over, and on the bus ride home, a mysterious driver gives sixteen-year-old Violet and her friends’ three strange predictions:

One of the girls will shine like a star.
One will invite darkness into her breast.
One will depart forever.

Please, how cliché. Besides, Violet clearly knows that she’s the star.
But when she isn’t cast as Lady Macbeth and strange things begin to unfold, and the eerie predictions begin to come true, Violet can’t help to wonder which one will apply to her.
Determined to be the one that will shine like a star, Violet will do whatever it takes to get the leading role – no matter the horrifying consequence.

Modern day Shakespeare meets supernatural mystery with this nail-biting young adult horror by Madeleine D’Este.

Amazon | Goodreads

Alex’s Teaser Review

I enjoyed this story and the petty rivalry between classmates. I loved the history and the supernatural aspect involved. I will be reading more from Madeleine D’Este!

Read Alex’s entire review at Goodreads.

Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant

When the Imagine Network commissioned a documentary on mermaids, to be filmed from the cruise ship Atargatis, they expected what they had always received before: an assortment of eyewitness reports that proved nothing, some footage that proved even less, and the kind of ratings that only came from peddling imaginary creatures to the masses.

They didn’t expect actual mermaids. They certainly didn’t expect those mermaids to have teeth.

This is the story of the Atargatis, lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a maritime tragedy. Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the bathypelagic zone in the Mariana Trench…and the depths are very good at keeping secrets.

Amazon | Goodreads

Cassie’s Teaser Review

I absolutely love this, and have actually read it a couple of times since the first. A full length book was released after I read this first novella, and I immediately purchased it. I brought it with me on vacation and it freaked me OUT!

Read Cassie’s entire review at Let’s Get Galactic.

Thank you for joining us today! We hope you found something to add to your tbr list. Please share your recent reads with us in the comments below.

If you are a LOHF writer and have a book you’d like us to consider for a review please visit our review submission page here.

Laurie is one of our LOHF Admins. Laurie creates our review posts, coordinates review requests, oversees the Ladies of Horror Fiction directory, and manages our LOHF Goodreads group.

You can find Laurie on her blog Bark’s Book Nonsense, on Twitter as @barksbooks, on Instagram as @barksbooks, and on Goodreads.

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