#jade daniels is my final girl

[luthorcorp1313]

I finished The Angel of Indian Lake recently and there were so many feelings. I was originally just going to say a couple of things and it got away from me so I just did it this way. If you want to read my rambling, cool, if not, long story short: Stephen Graham Jones is fucking awesome, Jade Daniels is 100% my Final Girl of all final girls, and the Indian Lake Trilogy is such a good read on so many levels so everyone should read it.

There is an amazing amount of depth and heart to it that you just don't usually see in horror fiction and on top of that, the trilogy starts out as a total love letter to 80s slashers and final girls, with the real surprise being the protagonist, half-Blackfeet and full outcast Jade Daniels, the rebel girl who is always in trouble for something and has memorized everything about every slasher film (up to that point) while praying for a real slasher to hit her town of Proofrock, Idaho, but be careful what you wish for, right? Love her!! Lots of subplot about the colonization and takeover of Native lands, as SGJ is a Native American writer and that figures into his work. So much depth. Anyway, did I say this was the short version??? Just read the books! 😂🔪🖤🫀🩸

[hokulazuli]

when I tell you I spent all day on cloud nine from this comment

[graciecatfamilyband]

The Info-Dumpers who Love Characters Website is totally sleeping on the best Info-Dumping Character of All Time:

Jade Daniels, the 17 year-old half-indigenous girl from Stephen Graham Jones’ My Heart is a Chainsaw.

In everyone’s defense, character-driven slow-burn literary fiction that is also a slasher (stab stab 🔪🔪🩸) is a hard genre to sell. Many of us who love one part of this equation don’t love the other.

But Jade has captured my whole chainsaw ♥️, and I CANNOT be normal about it. Jade has never met a person at whom she wasn’t willing to spout random facts that they have exhibited no interest in. She can bring ANYTHING back around to connect to her hyperfixation which is, coincidentally, slasher movies. And she is the most vivid, alive, real-to-me protagonist I have ever encountered. Because of the way she hyperfixates and info dumps, not in spite of it. (Which surely says something about me but again, I am among friends on this webbed site!)

Jade makes completely normal, totally hinged choices like:

(When we the audience are first introduced to her) Going up to a group of construction workers having a trash fire in the middle of the night and being like, “If we were in a slasher right now, this is what the plot line would be. Also, have some random slasher movie facts.” (Their response: Are you okay? You seem like you are not okay.)

Writing extra credit essays for her history teacher about the tropes and conventions of the slasher genre. For four years. Not what he asked for, but what he got. (These essays are included in the book and are a godsend for those of us who are not already slasher fans! They literally help the reader understand the story beats as they unfold, while simultaneously giving life to Jade’s voice and helping us understand what makes her tick.)

Deciding the New Girl At School has all the qualities of a Final Girl, the slasher film trope in which there is one girl left alive to confront the killer and stop the slasher cycle.

Trying to warn the New Girl At School that she is going to be The Final Girl, by putting a VHS copy of the 1971 slasher Bay of Blood and all of Jade’s slasher extra credit essays in her mailbox. With a note. A note that says that she is going to be The Final Girl in a slasher cycle that seems to be starting up. (Jade is just trying to help! So helpful.)

Of course, the core of this novel is: What is going on with Jade? After all, she actually wants a slasher cycle to start in her town. (She also wants the slasher cycle to be stopped at the proper moment, to ensure that the vengeance of the slasher is balanced by the justice of the Final Girl.) She does not see herself as a possible Final Girl, but she is willing to help the richer, prettier, more appropriate classmate who she thinks is that girl. Why, why, why?

To be clear, the novel does not posit that something must be wrong with a person to be intensely, obsessively interested in something or for that thing to be horror- even slashers! But Jade’s behavior is, like I said, not entirely hinged, even for a slasher fan. Something must be up.

The novel gives us all the clues we need to peel back the layers of what’s really happening, and when truths are revealed, everything just *clicks.* Themes are introduced and then reinforced on multiple levels. There is a bear. 🐻 (The bear is the not the slasher.)

And throughout, Jade gets to be fully-human and fully seven-fucking-teen. Even though she is on the cusp of adulthood, she is still a child, and a wounded one at that. (Her wounds in no way fucking diminish her.)  Her judgment is often impaired. Her actions are often questionable. Her hair-dye jobs gets so bad, even she thinks its gross. She is so alive, and so deserving of love. 🥹 

I love her.

I would fight for her.

I desperately want to make soup for her, and let her tell me about the Scream franchise (I do not care about the Scream franchise), and give her a safe place to sleep. Even if doing so makes it way more likely that I’m about to get murdered.

Jade Fucking Daniels. My chainsaw-hearted, info-dumping hero protagonist. I salute you, my final girl.

[sofipitch]

Hi my name is Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way and I have long ebony black hair (that's how I got my name) with purple streaks and red-

[tarmac-rat]

What Horror Trope Are You?

I wasn't tagged by anyone but this one looked fun and I wanted to try it for Riley. Quiz used can be found here

Riley Aldana -- The Final Girl

you're very tired, aren't you? thrashing and fighting and trying to survive– it has taken its toll, but that has not stopped you. you'll continue to gnaw and scream and bare teeth until you can free yourself from this mess, even if it means being the last one left. there is rest at the end of this hard battle, i promise you. there is a time when the fight will be over– but fighting is all you know, isn't it?

Tagging @ghostoffuturespast @shadesofchaoticenergy @clusterfxckedbysirens @skippygiraffee @beammeupbroadway @seraphfighter @neon-pink-witch @lets-jam @ladykatie512 @glitchinginthegarden @trashcatsnark and anyone else who wants to swing it! (And apologies in advance if you've already been tagged alright byeeeee)

[classichorrorblog]

Have you played or are you a fan of any type of horror themed board games?

Yes. A lot of them are really fun. Some of my favorites have been the various Horrified games, particularly The Universal Monsters verison.

Betrayal At House On The Hill is a lot of fun if you can get enough people. And a spin off from that is a game called Betrayal Legacy which is a lot of fun with creating a history for your setting and characters and continuing throughout the story.

Arkham Horror The Card Game is a good experience once you know what you're doing. I've only ever played it solo, but I really like the lore that already comes with the game and the characters. I think I have two full expansions of that? But even if you don't like games, I would recommend reading up on the story and characters, they have novels and they even put the events all throughout other types of games. Many of which I haven't played.

I have a few different Zombicide games. I've never actually played them though. I mostly buy them because I find painting the miniatures to be kind of calming. It looks good though.

Cthulhu: Death May Die is another one that I have where I enjoy painting the miniatures. I only have the base box, but I ordered the last Kickstarter so I plan on actually playing that when it arrives.

And I also really like to play Final Girl, especially if you have multiple "films". Its fun to mix up the final girls with the different killers and locations. Even though most of the films and final girls are generic versions of the famous ones you love, I like how each killer and location has their own different rules that make it more unique. I would recommend watching videos on this one, because it can be really enjoyable. And another plus for it is that you can use their website to create your own final girl card. You can add their images and what you think their health and special skill might be. I've made a few like Laurie Strode and Sidney Prescott. But also, I did one with Ash from The Evil Dead movies as well as Jade Daniels from The Indian Lake Trilogy, specifically My Heart Is A Chainsaw.

[setaflow]

Tagged by @glitchinginthegarden, thank you!

So I decided to not pull anyone from my 10 characters, 10 tags list of favorites to spice things up, which means this could be considered an ammended top 15 favorite characters of all time list

Tagging @holybatgirlz @callmeguacamole @skippygiraffee @beammeupbroadway @trashcatsnark if you wanted to try it out!

Rules: Make a poll with five of your all-time favorite characters and then tag five people to do the same. See which character is everyone's favorite!

[lucyfrostblade]

unreleated to any complicated feelings i have about angry women and teen girls in fiction

my heart is a chainsaw: jade daniels is obsessed with slashers and one starts to unfold in her small town so befriends the girl destined to be the final girl and tries to get her ready to save the town

they never learn by layne fargo: once a year scarlett clark kills the worst man on campus. when the body count ends up drawing attention, she inserts herself into the investigation.

[mylifeinfiction]

The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones

Scars proved you lived.

I admittedly have a pretty serious love/hate relationship with Jade Daniels. Her papers throughout My Heart Is a Chainsaw really tested my patience, and her immaturity throughout the events of that book seemed a bit too much. But the person she begins to grow into by the end of Chainsaw and throughout the events of the all-around masterpiece that is the middle book of this trilogy, Don't Fear the Reaper , is so interesting and complete that I couldn't help but fall in love with Jade Daniels and every blood-soaked thing for which she stands.

"...the cool thing about trilogies is you get to use every last part of the buffalo."

Stephen Graham Jones's The Angel of Indian Lake isn't quite the all-around horror masterpiece that Reaper is, but it is a wholly worthy final chapter in The Indian Lake Trilogy, or: The Savage History of Proofrock, Idaho. Throughout the trilogy, we've seen Jade Daniels go from immature, delusional slasher fantasist, to begrudgingly badass final girl, to hesitant horror historian. Best to call it the The Violent Coming-of-Age of a Reluctantly Willing Final Girl. It's an authentically compelling character arc that relishes the romance of the final girl without ever shying away from the traumatic weight of the role and the cyclical nature of violence throughout the history America.

She's right. In the rock/paper/scissors of horror, chainsaw always wins. Cops and guns don't work against slashers, trucks and fire are big fat fails, but a chainsaw? If you've got a chainsaw, you're pretty damn golden.

The Angel of Indian Lake ties the trilogy together so beautifully, so viciously, that even its flaws are fascinating. SGJ makes the risky decision to close out Jade's story by throwing us headfirst into her mind, writing Angel in an (often stream-of-conscious) first-person narrative. Jade's mind is a chaotic, damaged landscape that can often create pacing issues due to her unfocused, rambling narration, but it also gives us a deeper look into the root of these horrific events, bringing the many disjointed storylines together in a brutally bloody, emotionally exhausting and thematically cathartic manner.

And the plotting itself is even more risky, bringing together every last piece of this epic horror saga in a batshit crazy onslaught of slaughter. But thankfully, SGJ's vision is complete, and he conducts these exceedingly insane displays of slasher carnage in a way that only ever enriches the overarching themes; and more than makes up for the lulls between. The climactic massacre is so dam wild, and I loved every bizarre, messy minute of it. Jade and those she loves are seriously put through the wringer, here, but it all comes together for such a fitting, bittersweet ending that brings Jade to exactly where she needs to be.

Despite those pacing issues and some moments of feeling completely lost among all those players and plot-points, SGJ sticks the landing, delivering a third installment that does indeed "mash that pedal to the floor until it gets stuck", and thankfully never loses traction.

It's supposed to mean Proofrock's slasher days are over.

8/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

[marypsue]

For a variety of reasons, I probably won't write this out in any more finished a form than this. But it's been living in my mind rent-free for a year or more, so I finally had to just bite the bullet and see what it wanted to be. So. Have a summary for a fic I'll never write.

...

Jennifer Daniels is dead.

Well. Presumed dead. She's been missing for seven years. The manhunt's been over for six. Nobody really believes that Jennifer could have survived the fire and flood that nearly wiped out the little town of Proofrock, Idaho. Or if they do, they're not saying anything.

So Jennifer Daniels is dead by the time Jade Loomis, homeless, penniless, and a little burn-scarred, ends up stranded, unable to scrape together enough for a bus ticket or hitch any more rides, halfway through Indiana.

While flipping through ancient microfiche in the library basement, trying to avoid the suffocating heat of summer, Jade starts to realise that maybe it's no coincidence that she's stuck here in Hawkins. The town seems placid (as Lake Placid) on the surface, but it's got a history as full of myth and murder as Proofrock. Or maybe even more. Local legend comes complete with killer chemical spills from secret government experiments, demon-haunted mass murderers with gruesome calling cards, and a mall-destroying disaster from the eighties straight out of Stephen King, that's still whispered about having secretly been some kind of Satanic ritual sacrifice.

If there was ever a place in Middle America where a slasher - another slasher - was going to rise from the dead, Hawkins is it. And Jade already has a couple of solid theories about just who it might be. She just has to study up on the lore, locate and train the final girl, and then disappear into the background like mysterious wandering mentors tend to do, before anybody starts asking too many questions.

But it's hard to pinpoint who's going to be the final girl, when you're a grown-ass adult and technically a wanted woman and so can't really get within five hundred feet of the local high school. And the more Jade digs, the more questions she unearths. People in Hawkins seem...almost unusually dedicated to making sure that the past stays in the past. And Jade can't be certain, but she's pretty sure she's being followed.

Maybe most concerning of all, though, she's starting to think the abandoned boathouse where she's been crashing might actually be haunted.

The visitations Jade's getting, along with the wall of silence from every resident over the age of forty and her own research, are starting to make her doubt everything she thinks she knows about the town's lore. And maybe more importantly, making her reconsider her theory about just who - or what - exactly is rising here in Hawkins. And why.

After all, what kind of name for a slasher even is Eddie?

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

Invictus Masterlist

[ HARRY POTTER A-K ] [ HARRY POTTER L -Z ]

Read it on AO3 HERE | FFnet HERE | Wattpad HERE

Name: Alexander Rosier

Story: Violent Delights

House: Slytherin

Face Claim: Dominic Sherwood

Love Interest: Marlene McKinnon

Name: Andrew Diggory

Story: The Captain Of My Fate

House: Hufflepuff

Face Claim:  Asher Angel & Gregg Sulkin

Love Interest: Ernie Macmillan

Name: Atlas Black

Story: The Captain Of My Fate

House: Slytherin

Face Claim: Lucas Jade Zumann & Logan Lerman

Love Interest: Cedric Diggory

Name: Aveline Rosier

Story: Violent Delights

Face Claim: Eva Green

Love Interest: Octavius Rosier

Name: Cassia Potter

Story: The Captain Of My Fate

House: Gryffindor

Face Claim: Elle Fanning & Danielle Rose Russell

Love Interest: Dimitri Aleksander Volkov

December 1981, two months after Voldemort’s defeat, Severus Snape introduced his daughter to the world.  Cassia Lily Snape, his daughter with Lily Evans who’d been kept a secret to protect her from both Voldemort and Lily’s husband, now a year old and living at Hogwarts with her father.Despite her father’s emotional absence, Cassia had never lacked in love, building a family of her own within the castle she called home.  The older she got, the more questions she had about her life and her mother, but she had long since accepted that they would remain unanswered.  But when she turned eleven and finally, finally, becomes a student herself, it’s not Cassia Lily Snape who’s called to be sorted.  It’s Cassia Alice Potter, a girl said to have disappeared ten years earlier.

Name: Dimitri Aleksander Volkov

Story: The Captain Of My Fate

House: Durmstrang; Slytherin

Face Claim: Aidan Gallagher & Thomas Doherty

Love Interest: Cassia Potter

Name: Elliot Rosier

Story: Violent Delights

House: Slytherin

Face Claim: Matthew Daddario

Love Interest: Jocelyn Selwyn

Name: Eulalia Rosier

Story: The Captain Of My Fate

House: Slytherin

Face Claim: Kacey Rohl

Name: Feliks Volkov

Story: Violent Delights

House: Durmstrang

Face Claim: Freddy Carter

Love Interest: Verona Rosier

Name: Jocelyn Selwyn Rosier

Story: Violent Delights

House: Slytherin

Face Claim: Poppy Drayton

Love Interest: Elliot Rosier

Name: Octavius Rosier

Story: Violent Delights

Face Claim: Colin Firth

Love Interest: Aveline Rosier

Name: Sebastian Rosier

Story: The Captain Of My Fate

House: Beauxbatons

Face Claim: Alex Fitzalan

Name: Verona Rosier

Story: Violent Delights

House: Gryffindor

Face Claim: Millie Bobby Brown & Zoey Deutch & Natalie Portman

Love Interest: Sirius Black; Regulus Black; Feliks Volkov

Verona Rosier had her entire life planned out from the day she was born.  Just like her brothers, she would carry on the family legacy and be sorted into Slytherin, she would maintain perfect grades, and, when the time came, she would marry Sirius Black, just as her father decreed.  She would produce perfect pureblood heirs and be the perfect pureblood wife.  Every moment was meticulously planned out, and Verona had accepted that — but when the Sorting Ceremony comes, and the Hat, barely even touching her head, shouts “Gryffindor!” her perfectly planned life shatters in an instant.

Name: Zenais Rosier

Story: The Captain Of My Fate

House: Slytherin

Face Claim: Sadie Soverall

Love Interest: Pansy Parkinson

[gretavanbear]

She

Part two.

You'd follow her band from the start. Each show, each era, you were there. Was she ever going to see you as more than just a groupie?

Fem!Reader x Woman Jake Kiszka

[a/n : short chapter, sorry about that. i’m trying to find motivation to write some more. i love u guys so much. plz send feedback about this fic!! i want to know if i should continue it!]

The Night of the Record Signing. A year after the first night.

“Lovey, you’ll never guess the phone call I just received.” Josie said as she placed her hand on your shoulder.

You looked up at her with curiosity, what could she possibly mean by that? Josie really enjoyed your company, from what you could see. She’d often invite you out to come to the bar with them, and she’d ask you to come with her every time she’d get her nails done. She said girl time is important to her, and having close friends is a great value in her life.

“What?” You’d respond. She climbed over the couch and sat next to you, bringing her knees to her chest.

“So you know how we had a show last night?”

You nodded, waiting for her to continue.

“One of the guys in attendance is friends with someone from a recording label. He recorded us playing and sent it to his buddy. We have an appointment with them later!” She clasped her hands together.

“Oh my god! Josie! That’s amazing! I’m so proud of you and the band.” You smiled and pulled her in for a hug. She immediately held you closer as she giggled.

“I’m so excited and nervous. I really hope they sign us, lovey. Will you come with us? Be our manager or something.” she chuckled.

“They will. And of course.” You nodded, squeezing her shoulder.

⋆✧☆✧⋆

The five of you walked outside of the huge building. The anticipation was building as the band had not told you if they were signed or not.

“Let’s get margs.” Josie said, twirling her necklace as she looked at you and then the group.

“Cmon…. don’t leave me hanging” You sighed, shooting them a hopeful look.

“Should we tell her?” Samantha said, biting her bottom lip as she waited for a response from Jade.

This was Jade’s band. She always got the final word. She looked at you and ruffled her hair, looking at her twin and then back at you.

And she didn’t have to say anything. The smile that appeared on her lips was your answer.

⋆✧☆✧⋆

“Cheers to the amazing musicians and singers in front of me!” You smiled, holding up your margarita. They all cheered with you as you celebrated together.

“I can’t believe it. We’re a band with a contract. We’re signed by a record label.” Jade spoke as she twirled her straw in her drink.

“I’m so proud of us.” Danielle said, and Samantha nodded in agreement.

“You’ve all come so far, really.” You spoke, taking a sip from your drink.

“Couldn’t have done it without ya, dear lovey.” Josie giggled and Jade left out a sigh before taking a sip of her drink before turning her head to face her twin.

“You gotta stop calling her that, Jos.” Jade said softly, mixing her drink with her straw.

“Oh come on, I don’t think she minds.” She smiled. “She must know why we call her that, no?” She turned her head a little with curiosity. Her eyes kind yet… almost challenging.

“I.. um I don’t.. Actu-” You start.

“We all see your lovey dovey eyes on Jade. Cooonstantly.” Sam giggles. You feel your heart sink. “I mean sure she's pretty I guess, but you're like, obsessed with her.” She continued. You looked down at your drink and avoided eye contact.

“Oh.” You replied, but you don't think any of them heard you.

“Jade don’t you remember after that first show? ‘it’s like she’s never seen a female guitarist before, so weird’ remember?”She laughed. No one else at the table laughed.

“Let’s get some water in ya, hm?” You heard Jade say, and the scrape of her chair against the wood floors of the old bar. You drank the rest of your drink in three sips, wiped your mouth with your napkin and looked at Josie.

“I’m tired. Gonna head home. Night, ladies.” You spoke quickly, not wanting them to hear your voice crack. They said their goodbyes, their voices soft except for Samantha who was still giggling.

JADE

“What the hell is wrong with you, Sam!” You raised your voice a little, thanks to the loud ambiance of the bar you weren’t causing a scene.

“Oh come onnn, she had to know.” She giggled as you handed her a glass of water.

“There could have been another way of informing her, don’t you think?” You sighed, resting your back against the bar, your head turned to Sam which sat on a stool.

“I mean… don’t you find it creepy? I thought it bothered you.” She said, taking a sip of her water.

“I guess.. At first it bothered me, but now I’ve grown to quite like it..” You sighed, looking over to her as she stood up from your booth and walked out the door. “Maybe a little too much.” You said, under your breath.

{@sarakay-gvf @positivegvfthings @brokenbells11 @krystalm98 @shutupdevvie @jordierama @​​maddie-van-fleet @writingcold @gretavanfleas @jakes-eyebrows @spark-my-nature @lek-gvf @rad-space-princess @joshkiszkatoothgap @hippievanfleet @objectsinspvce @gvfficrecs @ageoffleet @welllauragvf @weightofstar @groupiegirlie08 @fwzco @nicoleghost18 @andromeda-raine-gvf @sarrrahhh @ren-ni @zoe-tally06 @hellowgoodbye @aminaalilyy @spinthehemmo @hippievanfleet @streamofgvf @ohgodthefeeling-gvf @gvfpal @gvfmarge @jakeygvf21 @Timeless—classics @mackalah @myleftsock @bubblyjake @valvebone @lexii-nv-c @mp0801 @girldonttryme @risingwiththeheatabove @fakeplastiqtree @beckahvanfleet}

[buildarocketboys]

For the @sweetspicybingo prompts hypothermia to good night's sleep AND emergency room to "It's okay, let it out." - managed to squeeze two of them into this one!

It's my favourite final girls, Jade and Letha, in a coda of sorts to Don't Fear The Reaper:

Fandom: The Indian Lake Trilogy

Relationships: Jade Daniels & Letha Mondragon, Jade Daniels/Letha Mondragon

Characters: Jade Daniels, Letha Mondragon

Warnings: Implied/referenced child abuse, injuries, hypothermia, frostbite (nothing particularly graphic especially considering the canon but just in case)

[swiftzeldas]

Top 5 final girls

SIDNEY PRESCOTT MY UTMOST BELOVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

jade daniels (indian lake trilogy by stephen grapham jones)

tree gelbman (happy death day)

nancy thompson (a nightmare on elm street)

laurie strode (halloween)

[haveamagicalday]

Books read in 2023

Here is a list/short reviews of the books I read in 2023! My top ten can be found here.

4 Stars

All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham - A year prior to the start of our story, Isabelle's beloved toddler was stolen in the night while she and her husband slept. Since then, Isabelle rarely sleeps and won't rest until her son is found. When a podcaster comes to town looking to interview her about the case, Isabelle sees this as a chance to dig up new clues that may lead her to her son. This is a great follow up to Willingham's debut and I loved the setting and overall vibes of the book.

Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine- What's interesting about this book is it was released about a month before American Horror Story premiered their season that is based on it. So I don't know if it was commissioned to be written for that purpose or if Ryan Murphy got wind of it prior and sought to make the adaptation or what. I have not seen the new season and I've heard it isn't that good but I really ended up liking this book! Anna is a young actress determined to have a baby. After many rounds of IVF it finally happens. But then tragedy strikes and Anna miscarries the baby, or so she is told. She can still feel the baby inside her and the doctor's confusing answers and explanations are just a further mystery to the phenomenon. As her miracle pregnancy goes along, threats to her safety and strange instances  build up to a shocking conclusion. I was expecting it to be kind of silly but it was an engaging read with a surprisingly happy ending. It did not go in the direction I thought it would and I was pleasantly surprised by that. Would not recommend it if you are pregnant or trying to be though.

The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R.M Romero- Illana, a biracial Jewish girl, is sent to Prague to live with her aunt for the summer. Illana discovers a Jewish cemetery behind her aunt's house where she meets the ghost of a long dead boy, named Benjamin. The two become friends but their happiness is threatened by a mysterious man with no shadow that also takes a keen interest in Illana. Written in prose, this is a hauntingly beautiful fairytale.

Greymist Fair by Francesca Zappia- I didn't realize going in that this would be divided up into a collection of short stories rather than a linear story. However the stories are all connected and often explain things that may have happened in the previous stories and there is a conclusion at the end. I really enjoyed the take on some of these lesser known fairy tales. My favorite was Doctor Death and the Prince's Riddle.

I Will Find You Again by Sarah Lyu- This is Lyu's second book and I have to say that she does toxic relationships really well. Both of her books have a mystery to be solved but they both read more like a character study and deep dive into a tumultuous relationship that the MC has. Chase and Lia are best friends that are estranged but when Lia goes missing, Chase's world is turned upside down as she follows a trail of secrets and betrayals to find out the truth of what happened.

The Legacies by Jessica Goodman- Another fun teen thriller from Goodman! Eight students from a prestigious prep school are selected to join New York City's exclusive Legacy Club. But tensions rise the week leading up to their induction Ball leading to a shocking death. There are moments you have to suspend your disbelief but that doesn't take away from the story. My only complaint is that it is told in first person with three different narratives and at times they don't sound much different from one another. I still flew through this one and look forward to the next book from Goodman!

Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban- Jade is off on the adventure of a lifetime, a semester at sea visiting 11 different countries. But the presence of her ex boyfriend, now dating her ex best friend, leads to an obsession which spirals until a shocking murder takes place. Now Jade must clear her name and try to stop the killer from murdering again. I honestly enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. It was a page turner that was a lot of fun. I read after that it is apparently a loose retelling of Death on the Nile but for me it felt like murderous version of Suite Life on Deck lol

The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall- Eden attends a boarding school haunted by a river that takes all who fall in. All but Delphine who fell in six years prior and somehow survived. Now Delphine lives isolated in quarantine for a mysterious illness and Eden is tasked with being her companion. But the more time Eden spends with Delphine, the more she feels haunted by a dark presence. This was a very engrossing ghost story with some gothic vibes. There was a sweet love story and I loved the complexity of Eden and her relationships with her friends. There were a few creepy twists throughout but the most interesting aspects were the human relationships, especially between Eden and Delphine. A real fun spooky read!

Out of the Ashes by Kara Thomas- This is going to sound bad but I really don't remember this book but I gave it 4 stars so I guess I enjoyed it. This is Thomas's first Adult novel and focuses on Samantha, whose home was burned down and her entire family murdered years prior. However, renewed interest in the cold case reveals the shocking revelation that Samantha's baby sister may have made it out alive. This turns Samantha's world upside down as she desperately seeks answers. I do remember the ending of this and it was pretty satisfying

Royal Blood by Aimee Carter- Evan is the secret illegitimate daughter of the King of England in an alternate history. Circumstances force Evan to spend the summer with the father she never met before and her secret is quickly found out. What was supposed to be a fun night out with her half sister and others turns deadly and Evan finds herself the main suspect. This is another book I enjoyed more than I thought I would. It's like the Princess Diaries if it were a thriller. I also love that despite being a series, the mystery and storyline was wrapped up in the end

The Sandman by ETA Hoffman- I had no idea the ballet Coppelia was based on this! The ballet is so cutesy and this is so dark and creepy. I would love to see a version of Coppelia that followed The Sandman more closely.

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher- This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty that tells the tale of Toadling, the fairy that was sent to bless the princess on her birth. Now that the princess is asleep, Toadling guards the tower but in a shocking twist, she is determined to keep everyone out of it. A fun and interesting take on a classic fairy tale!

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins- This is an interesting retelling based not on Frankenstein, but the story behind the novel's creation. Emily and Chess are two friends that are spending the summer in Italy at a beautiful Villa. The Villa just happens to be the same place that famed rock star Noel Gordon spent a summer in 1974. Along with Noel is Pierce Sheldon (an up and coming rock star), his girlfriend Mari, and her stepsister Lara. The summer turns deadly for the group which inspires Mari to write a prolific horror novel and then disappear from the limelight for the rest of her life. Now Emily is determined to discover what really happened that summer by using clues from Mari's novel. This was a really fun read and while the big mystery was honestly not that solid, the characters and unique premise were interesting enough to hold the plot.

3.5 Stars

Mister Magic by Kiersten White- A mystery children's show called Mister Magic was canceled and nearly erased from history 30 years prior to the start of the novel. Val was a child actor on the show but has no memory of it. When her fellow castmates find her, they bring her along for a reunion which is bound to expose dark secrets along the way. So, this had to be partly inspired by Candle Cove, no? I really enjoy all things to do with lost media and was super excited when I read the blurb for this book! For the most part, I think it lived up to expectations. The ending wasn't a let down but it did leave me wanting more. There was also an reveal about two thirds of the way through which I wish would have been made sooner. It wasn't really a twist or anything but it did add a lot of context that could have been used earlier. Otherwise it just felt really thrown in at the end.

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay- At the end of 1999, four teens are attacked during their shift at a Blockbuster. Only one survives and the killer is never found. Now it is 15 years later and a similar crime takes place at an Ice Cream parlor. A solid thriller.

The Quarantine Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot- A welcomed return to the diaries of Princess Mia. This was a fun read but it was also kind of tough to read about people dealing with the beginning of the pandemic. Not the best of memories to be honest.

Where He Can't Find You by Darcy Coates- When I started this I was expecting more of a mystery/thriller based on the blurb but it became apparent pretty quickly that this is a supernatural horror novel instead. A small Midwest town is haunted by a mysterious figure known as the stitcher. When someone goes missing, the town knows that there is no hope of ever finding them until the stitcher wants them to. And they'll always find them in pieces. When Abby's younger sister goes missing she is determined to find her no matter the cost. It becomes a race against the clock to find her with the help of Abby's friends. This was very reminiscent of horror like It or Stranger Things. TW: Body Horror, Gore

You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard- I flew through this one but in retrospect, it was very cheesy and what I would deem a Fast Food Thriller. Fun, but you really have to dispense your disbelief throughout. Summer and Leo are best friends who swindle and pickpocket. Leo makes the mistake of going after a self made millionaire and when he offers her the chance to visit his exclusive island, she jumps at the chance. When Leo doesn't return, Summer is determined to infiltrate the island to get her friend back.

3 Stars

The Blackhouse by Carole Johnstone- I loved Johnstone's Mirrorland but this one was a let down in comparison. The book takes place in a small island town and I could not keep all of the townspeople straight. Plus the mystery just wasn't that interesting and it dragged in a lot of places.

Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie - A ghost hunting reality tv crew decides to make their thirteenth episode about the infamous Paranormal Research Foundation. Written as journal entries and transcripts, things get creepy real quick for the crew. I felt like this book started off strong but faded as it went along. I was not a fan of the last third but recognize that others might like the direction it went.

Loved by PC Cast- The first book in the Night of House sequel series. I decided to read this because the tumblr blog: @houseofzoey was making me feel nostalgic. It was not good but it was fun to revisit the characters and world. As always, the stakes are high but the conflict is resolved ridiculously easy. Zoey continues to be one of the worst characters in existence but the others are enjoyable in a dumb way.

Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill - This was kind of a tough one to get through. I love the author's later work and this had the same style of writing but felt lacking in comparison. I found both The Lonely Hearts Hotel and When We Lost Our Heads oddly whimsical despite the heavy subject matter but this was definitely just bleakness with no hope in sight TW: Child Abuse/Neglect, Pedophilia, Drugs/Alcohol

Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead- Ruth is the preacher's daughter in a small southern town. Ruth's only friend as a teen was the bad boy Everett who she was bonded to with a dark secret. Now as adults, bodies are being found in the swamp and Ruth and Everett want to get to the bottom of things. This book had such a great premise but did not deliver. The religious town is portrayed as cult-like but the messaging behind this book was confused and all over the place. We are clearly supposed to root for Ruth and Everett but by the end of the book, I wasn't rooting for them either. Also there are way too many references to Twilight. At one point Ruth seriously thinks that Everett is a vampire and I don't know if that was just to be funny or if we were actually supposed to believe that as well.

Nothing but Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw- People on Goodreads hated this. It has one of the lowest ratings I've ever seen and I really don't think it deserves that. It's not the best but it's not that bad. A lot of people were bothered by the "purple prose" but I didn't mind it (I also hate that phrase). However, it was somewhat confusing and anticlimactic.

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno Garcia- Garcia's last few books since Mexican Gothic have been really disappointing to me. I was expecting a lot of spooks with the cursed film premise but there really wasn't much of it. When we finally did get some magic towards the end it was pretty cheesy. Neither of the characters were really likable and the ending with them was weird. Overall not my favorite of Moreno-Garcia's but also not the worst.

This is Why We Lie by Gabriella Lepore- I'm going to be honest, this was one of my first reads of 2023 and I don't remember a single detail. Two teens find a body in the lake and mystery ensues!

To Make Monsters Out of Girls by Amanda Lovelace- This was not my favorite of Lovelace's. I'm starting to notice she writes a lot of her poetry based on a past relationship and at this point it's like, girl move on!

We'll Never Tell by Wendy Heard- Another book I really don't remember. The official blurb describes it as a whodunit doused in Hollywood lore. I remember it being a fun little read but apparently not that memorable.

Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham- The idea behind this was really fascinating but it lost its appeal one third of the way through. Three friends visit the island that an author wrote and based a children's book on in a similar vein to Watership Down or The Wind in the Willows. To their surprise, the characters in their beloved book are real and they want their visitors to celebrate the famed Harvest Day with them. Pretty quickly things fall apart and the majority of the book is the characters being hunted and it got old pretty fast. There were definitely parallels and themes of colonization but the colonized and mistreated characters were also the villains seeking revenge so... make of that what you will

Wolfpack by Amelia Brunskill- Written in prose this book is about nine girls who live together in a cult commune. It was a very quick read but nothing really happened. One of the girl's goes missing and the rest of the book is trying to figure out what happened. The book's biggest problem is that it's told from 8 different perspectives and they all blend together. When the reveal comes at the end it leaves little impact because we don't know or care about these characters.

2 Stars

Daphne by Josh Malerman- Daphne is a local boogeyman. A seven foot tall, denim clad woman who always has her face painted like Gene Simmons. That image alone was too ridiculous for me. Kit is a teen on the basketball team whose teammates start disappearing one by one. She believes Daphne is the culprit. The book was more so a metaphor for mental health struggles but it was just too silly and boring for me to enjoy. I couldn't picture any of the scary stuff that was happening very well and people seemed to under react to a lot of things. Plus I learned way too much about basketball.

Unrated

The Little Book of Manifestation by Astrid Carvel- I was going through it when I read this lol. Whether you believe that you can actually manifest things in your life or not, I do think positive thinking goes a long way and this was a nice little reminder of that.

Brother by Ania Ahlborn - Just a big bummer all around. I read this in one sitting but looking back some of it was kind of boring? The book was much tamer than how it was advertised to me. Don't get me wrong, there was a lot of implied gore and horror but we didn't see much of it. To give some background, the main character lives out in the Appalachians with his murderous family. He helps kidnap women, the mother tortures them and then they eat them. With a premise like that you think this would be horrifying. We are given very little backstory as to why they do this. Well, it turns out to be rather boring as Michael (our lead) spends most of the book feeling sorry for himself and trying to woo a girl at the record shop. He also has a tumultuous relationship with his abusive older brother, who he fears but craves approval from. Not much happens for the majority of the book and then we have an explosive ending in the last 1/3rd. And it's just a huge bummer. TW: Rape, Murder, Gore, Cannibalism, Attempted Incest, Abuse

Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Flops by Ken Mandelbaum - A look into Broadway flops over the past 40 years. The flops are categorized oddly and usually there is only a page or two dedicate to each one which made it really repetitive. I think would have preferred a detailed deep dive into maybe 10 or so Broadway flops.

Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness, and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls by Kathleen Hale - This book doesn't focus so much on the crime but the aftermath. For those who don't know, Morgan and Anissa, two preteen girls, stabbed their friend (who lived) in an attempted sacrifice to please the popular Creepypasta character, Slenderman. Of course, all the coverage of this case focused on Slenderman and the dangerous of the internet but really this is a case of severe mental illness that went untreated for a long time. Anissa did the stabbing but ultimately it was Morgan that concocted the whole plan. Morgan showed signs of schizophrenia (a disorder her father was also diagnosed with) at a young age but this was ignored by the adults in her life. After the crime took place, Morgan was denied any kind of treatment or medication during her time in prison prior to her sentencing. Morgan was left to live in her delusions and hallucinations for over a year before she was finally given help. In a harrowing section of the book, Morgan describes "waking up" from her psychosis only to be flung into a nightmare where she had committed a terrible crime against her friend. No where am I saying that Morgan does not deserve the prison time she was given but the prison system's treatment of mental health was really highlighted here and was horrifying to read about.

[mermaidsirennikita]

who are your top favorite fictional characters from the horror genre?

YES!!!

--Rosemary Woodhouse from Rosemary's Baby. Curse Roman Polanski directing this, because I do feel it's one of the finest horror movies ever made. I think what makes me love Rosemary is Mia Farrow's incredible performance (the final scene??? "What did you do to his eyes?" HER eyes when she sees the baby? One of the best expressions in cinema, she conveys the absolute horror and the scariest moment in the movie simply through her face.) I also really love her optimism initially, her desperation to make it through this, how jaded she becomes... and something about the fact that she ultimately falls victim to the societal forces she struggles against though the entire film is so tragic and so compelling at the same time.

--Grace Le Dolmas from Ready or Not. WHAT A FINAL GIRL. She's funny, she terrified, she's wounded, she's absolutely badass. All in a wedding dress! Delivers one of the best strings of expletives I've ever seen in any movie. Samara is such a mini scream queen, she needs to do more horror (and more in general).

--Ginger Fitzgerald from Ginger Snaps. I mean, I love a bad girl, I love a girl undone by her own transformation, I love a girl falling prey to forces beyond her control, I love a MONSTER girl.

--Chris Washington from Get Out. I recently rewatched Get Out for the first time in a while, and God, Daniel's performance is OUT OF THIS WORLD. And I really forgot how funny Chris is? The expressions, the sly smirks, the knowing even as he kind of denies his own suspicions? I really came away from the moving loving him s a character,

--Winona Ryder's Mina from Bram Stoker's Dracula. HEAR ME OUT. I hate Gary Oldman being Dracula in this, but Mina is so??? Funny? She like, sticks her tongue down Jonathan's throat before he leaves and is like "come back IMMEDIATELY so we can MARRY I am SUFFERING". She kisses Lucy because she just can't stand it and is obviously bi. She almost gets herself and everyone she knows killed because she needs to breastfeed from a vampire, even tho he isn't nearly hot enough for her. My CHAOTIC girl!!!!