A New Blogfest, A Little Complaining, and a Book Review

Awesome blogger and writer Mina Lobo is having a hell of a good time at her blog, Some Dark Romantic, celebrating its first anniversary. Of course, a blogfest is in order and the theme of this one is: Resurrection. But don't fret, this celebration does not wander into the realms of the philosophical, instead it focuses on the road we as bloggers have travelled to get where we are. Remember that amazingly clever post you wrote back when nobody stopped by your blog? Well, Mina is inviting all of us who would like to resurrect a post like that. November 7th is the day for your old post to come back to life. There will be amazon gift cards for the winners, and it will be a lot of fun. If you are interested, check out the rules and details here. I'd love to read an old jewel of yours and can't wait to share mine with you.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled review. This time it is the turn of Carole Gill's The House on Blackstone Moor.


The House on Blackstone Moor is a beautifully written gothic novel full of suspense and plot twists. It is narrated by the main character, Rose Baines, the sole survivor of her family's massacre carried out by her own father. In fact, she's the one who discovers the bodies caked with blood and horribly twisted. When police arrives, they find the young woman in such a state of shock that it's decided she needs to be committed. So begins the difficult path this character has to travel in order to find her place in a world of darkness she can't escape.

You always hear how important it is to have a strong first page to draw in your readers; Carole Gill does that amazingly, showing off her gift to describe horrid scenes with simple, elegant words that serve so well to the gothic style. The story grabs you immediately, the characters are believable and very soon we root for this poor girl who has gone through such a terrible experience. The rest of the characters keep the action going and I never felt bored, though it is until three quarters of the book have passed that the first vampire is revealed as such. For a book described by its author as a story of vampirism, it is rather late in the game that vampiric lore is introduced. It is at this point that the darkest side of the story is unveiled, finally embracing its paranormal secrets.

The book is edited to perfection, letting the prose shine in all its romantic glory without grammatical mistakes or typos to distract us. Carole Gill is a gifted author I've been following for some time now, and even though I don't think The House on Blackstone Moor is her best piece, it succeeds in showing her great talent as a wordsmith and inventor of dark worlds. I can't wait for whatever else this author has in store.

Satan's Toybox: Demonic Dolls. A review

It's been sometime since I reviewed anything in here, but I'm back to my old, usual, friendly reviewer mode. To kick-start my first review of the year, I decided to go with a very rich, interesting anthology. I got this one as a prize during my Creepfest stint. Let me tell you, the prizes were so worth it! Now, on the subject...

There are a few pervasive fears that run deep inside our collective psyche as society; the fear to dark, to enclosed spaces, to clowns, to dolls. I guess it has to do with our necessity as a group to protect our children, our future. Demonic kids, or dollies, threat to undermine those values we hold most precious. And because of this same reason, even if you don’t go to sleep fearing your teddy bear will come at you with the kitchen knife, this anthology will cause you a shiver or two next time you’re in the company of a lovely porcelain doll. Even more so if it is antique.

The anthology contains eighteen stories that go from gruesome to highly atmospheric, passing through you typical blood and gore, and even adding a couple of very original narratives. As always, I selected my favorite three to review.

THE RIPPER’S DOLL, by Jason McKinney. This story has a great development and a twist in the middle that will make your jaw hit the floor. After I reached that mid-point, I couldn’t stop reading. A total page-turner. The story does go a few paragraphs too long robbing the ending of its strength but even with that; this is a story you will remember for years to come.

THE DEVIL’S WORK, by Carole Gill. This was by far the one I enjoyed the most. It is so well crafted. The characters are likable, yet you fear them. The authorial voice is very clear through the main character, yet it is never intrusive; if anything, it increases the reader’s feeling of witnessing events not made for their eyes. This story truly uses the eerie, atmospheric factor as one more tool to enrich the storytelling. A prime example of modern Gothic style.

MONSTERS ARE MADE, by Rob Miller. Among all the creepy, scary stories that form this anthology, MONSTERS ARE MADE is the only one with more than a hint of comedy in it; and I don’t mean black humor. The satirical vain of this very original tale will make you wish it weren’t so short. Kudos to the editor for having the courage of inserting a piece with such a different take on the macabre.

Now, if I’ve done well my job, you have a better sense of how diverse are the tales you’ll encounter when reading SATAN’S TOYBOX: DEMONIC DOLLS. You’ll also be asking yourselves were you can get a copy of such promising work. Well, go no further than a click right here. I do hope you enjoy the ride.