We Are Monsters: Brian Kirk #bookreview

"We're sick. We're all sick. But we can be cured. And we can be kind. And we don't have to let our lives be ruled by the shadows of the past. Not if we act through love."

Synopsis: Sugar Hill mental asylum is home to tortured souls, the criminally insane, as well as elements of our worst nightmares. One of it's most notable residents is serial killer, Crosby Nelson. The knife-wielding terror is now in the hands of Dr. Eli Alpert and Dr. Alex Drexler, who do not always see eye to eye on their preferred method of treatment. One prefers a more holistic and natural approach drawing on the influence of Buddhist spiritualism, while the other is a front runner in the development of the latest drugs to treat patients of schizophrenia. Regardless of intentions, the line is crossed and patients are used in the testing of said treatments leading to disastrous results.  When a particular treatment is used, it backfires opening the patient's "third eye" and the inner demons pour out. But is it the patients or doctors who are harboring those inner demons? Once they are released the horror begins inside Sugar Hill and the sanity of everyone is questioned.

My Review: While a captivating psychological horror story, this novel is also a deep and multi-faceted examination of the issues that surround mental illness. We are all fascinated by mental asylums and the schizophrenic mind, and we all want to be taken on a psychological thrill ride but we never imagine that ride being within ourselves. It is a refreshing twist to see the staff at Sugar Hill asylum discover their own unknown inner demons while scrutinizing the ones of their patients. We also feel a sort of vindication because the terror begins after the doctors begin experimenting on patients. It is interesting that Dr. Drexler's aggressive form of treatment, as well as Dr. Alpert's laid back approach, have both compromised patient care. There is a fine line in medicine between too much and not enough when dealing with each individual patient.

Human emotion is such a deep and difficult subject to analyze, but Kirk does an excellent job of expressing the inner turmoil of the human psyche. No matter what walk of life we come from, we all have something from our past that changed us whether for good or worse. However, most of us ignore or bury those things and refuse to acknowledge the fact that the events made us who we are today. As the book illustrates, the inability to deal with these scars can lead some people to do unthinkable things. Knowing this, as a society, we make an effort to force people to "get help" from various levels of institutions. The methods by which that "help" is achieved are laid open for a deep analysis in this book. How far is too far? Who really needs help and who doesn't? Maybe some people want to stay in the world of their imagination. What exactly is normal?

Besides inciting the reader to ponder on the aforementioned issues, this novel is extremely well written. All of the characters, even those who play an insignificant role are well-fleshed and incite a large emotional response from the reader. They are relatable and totally plausible unlike those imaginative psychopaths in many horror novels. The reader can really understand and gather insight from the description of their pasts and grasp the reasoning behind their current positions. It must be admitted that there is some initial lagging in the buildup of the plot, but once the peak is met the pace quickens and the reader is taken on a real roller coaster ride of fear and emotions. The wording of the novel doesn't make it a difficult read but the depth of the subject matter involved may be something that new readers may find difficult to follow. Overall, it is a highly recommended read especially for, fans of psychological horror, as well as those interested in human psychology or in a medical profession. Being that this is Brian Kirk's debut novel it is assumed that his future works will be something to look forward to.
Note: Trigger warning for sexual violence and child sexual abuse.

My rating: 4.5 Stars

About the Book:
Add to Goodreads
Author: Brian Kirk
Published Date: July 7, 2015
Publisher: Flame Tree Press

Dorothy and the Glass Key: Christopher J Finn #bookreview

Synopsis: Dorothy and the Glass Key is the sensational and other-worldly tale of three children who find keys that act as portals into another alternate reality. This reality seems like a temporary hiatus from their trauma plagued lives. We have an American named Dorothy whose mother died in a fire in the 80s, Ragesha in a tumultuous pre-uprising India of the 60s, and Charlie struggling in post war London of the 40s, yet their paths all converge in another time and place when they are all 14 years old. While the boys use their keys comfortably and travel through the worlds freely there is something different about Dorothy's relationship with her key, almost like it rejects her. Maybe the problem isn't with the key but with Dorothy herself. 

The temporary respite they find in their separate world is soon destroyed by the presence of a soul sucking entity who feeds on their pain by absorbing their memories potentially leaving them as a vacant shell of their former selves. Dorothy soon realizes that she must stop this threat and launches on a campaign to save the boys, but it will come at a severe cost to herself. Her fight with this evil force will leave her currently in a vegetative state and housed at an upscale rehab facility in the hands of Ellen, the administrator. Ellen is tasked with bringing Dorothy back to reality with the help of a mysterious benefactor. Once Ellen learns the whole story of how Dorothy came to her facility she begins to realize that all these characters and worlds, including herself, are intertwined in a way she could never imagine. 

My review: In his debut novel, Christopher J Finn spins a remarkable tale that prods the mind into pondering the vague line we place between fantasy and reality. Dorothy and the Glass Key forces us to confront the struggle of children dealing with post traumatic stress, and the human tendency to find something to drown the pain. Predominantly the story deals with the issues of these children but there is also an undertone of the same struggle among adults. Dorothy is the victim of an alcoholic father whose actions lead to the disturbing death of her mother. Charlie is an innocent casualty of the Blitz of London, who's father was killed in the battle and mother turned to alcohol to soothe her pain. Ragesha, an Indian boy surviving the death of his father as a result of disputes prior to a rebellion. All these children have one thing in common. All have found a key that astoundingly transports them to another place and time where they can all be together as children in a seemingly perfect world. 

Through their journey they encounter increasingly dark forces and eventually realize that the evil plaguing their new world is slowly devouring their very essence. With this analogy we are reminded that in our lives the temporary bandages we use to mask our traumas are doing the same. The characters presented are a mirror of the reality that so many people face in the world. We are so eager to escape to some other place where these thorns do not exist but we don't always realize that these experiences make us who we are. This book goes so much deeper that just the fantastic tale of these three children. 

A unique twist is presented when Dorothy has a different reaction to her key than the boys, or rather the key reacts different to her. In her story line a moment in time, a chance encounter, can have such an intense effect on the future of her existence. This shows us that every moment of our lives whether good or bad serves its purpose in the end. Finn presents this story with an excellent prose which flows smoothly and examines such intense issues without becoming too verbose or difficult for the reader to process. The ending is not entirely a cliff-hanger but the revelation leaves the reader both astounded and in eager anticipation of a continuation. It is clear that Christopher Finn will soon be a well-known author in the fantasy genre.

My Rating: 5 Stars

About the Book:

Add to Goodreads

Publishing Date: August 28,2019

Publisher: Austin MacCauley Publishers LLC

The Search for Alice: Amy Koto #bookreview

Synopsis: We all come to a point in our lives where we feel like we should chase after our own white rabbit. For Kallie Bennett, this moment seems to slap her in the face. Trying to find her place in life as a confused teenager is complicated by the fact that she has an alcoholic and often abusive mother. Her escape from this reality is brought about by her own chase of the white rabbit; both literally and figuratively. She is plunged into what seems to be the Alice in Wonderland story straight from the old tale,  but we are soon exposed to several interesting and often dark twists. Kallie leads us through her tale where we are introduced to a handsome and sensual vampire, a witch-queen with a desire to cut off heads, and party-goers in a smoke induced stupor. Kallie must navigate this world of good and evil in order to find out how to defeat the Queen and get back to her own world. Her struggle will awaken something within herself that will enable her to overcome the battles of her life in the real world. Every choice she makes will come at a cost and in the end she may have to leave the one whom she loves the most.

My Review:  The Search for Alice, first in the Dreaming of Wonderland series, is a refreshing retelling of one of the best classics we know. Alice in Wonderland has captured the hearts of many children and no doubt this retelling will do the same for those children who are now grown up. We can look at the main character, Kallie Bennett, and reminisce about our own challenge to find ourselves in a confusing world. We have all been in her shoes at one point in our lives. We can see that Kallie, like many teens, is at a huge risk of shutting herself out of the world and falling into depression and despair. She is alone, confused, and not necessarily the most popular kid in school. More than just a fairytale retelling, this story is a retelling of the struggle of a teenage introvert. Further along, the tale mirrors issues a teenager has faced or will face in their navigation of life including addiction in family members, shady love interests, and risky party environments.
     Initially the book moves slowly and seems to follow the story line of Alice in Wonderland a little too closely but once the new characters are introduce one is quick to notice their differences as well as confirmation to the original characters. Once it picks up the pace we are quickly surrounded by some rather sinister plotlines. Interestingly, Amy Koto has added evil twists and characters that we have come to know in dark fantasy such as vampires and witches. This makes the tale feel a little more risky than the original cartoon fantasy we knew as a child.
     Overall, the book does have a few moments in the plot that seem to drag for a few pages but it is quick to pick up the pace again. Characters are interesting but could use more development which I hope to see in the second installment of this series, Embracing the Looking-Glass. Kallie gained a newfound confidence in the first book and I am sure this will be developed in the upcoming. This was a very enjoyable tale and has taken a well deserved spot in the Young Adult Fantasy niche.

My Rating: 4 Stars

About the Book:
Add to Goodreads
Author: Amy Koto
Publish Date: July 14, 2018
Publisher: Independently Published

Zodiac Academy: The Awakening, Caroline Peckham and Suzanne Valenti #bookreview

Synopsis: Twin girls Tory and Darcy are tossed from family to family in the foster care system after losing their parents to a house fire while they were babies. Just as they escape this system after turning 18 they are greeted by a shadowy stranger claiming to be a Professor and informed that they possess magical powers. Deciding that they have nothing to lose, the girls agree to attend a university in another realm, Solaria, and soon learn that the are the rightful heirs to the throne. But everything is not as cut and dry as it seems and they are forced into a battle of good and evil.
My Review: Anyone who was captured by the Harry Potter series as a child and has since grown up will be similarly entranced with this series. This is the slightly risque, dark, and mysterious compliment that we have been waiting on to continue our dive into the world of fantasy and magic. The added twist of including the astrological aspects like star signs makes it more interesting and gives a refreshing change from other academy focused novels. Everything is there that we expect from vampires, werewolves, and dragons to more mysterious creatures that we don't hear about often in fantasy novels like hydras, sirens, and medusa. Zodiac Academy is pulsing with all kinds of creatures who are ripping at the seams with unbridled power and desire. Literally feeding off of each other and in a constant struggle to maintain power all the characters have quite an interesting stake in the whole story.
We are first introduced to our main characters, twins Darcy and Tory, who are living in our normal world until they are suddenly thrust into the world of magic and told that they are rightful heirs to the throne of a mythical world called Solaria. Opposite them in the struggle of good and evil are The Heirs, who are the sons of the currently appointed rulers. The Heirs are four exquisitely handsome young men/creatures who are bursting with power and masculinity. Throughout the book we are presented with characters with mysterious traits who are eventually revealed as creatures such as sirens, vampires, and even a pegasus. There is such a mystery surrounding which of these creatures are good and which are evil that we are constantly left on the edge of our seat as we watch the twins navigate their world. As we watch Tory and Darcy attempt to master their powers, accept their fate as rulers, and also figure out just what kind of creature they are we become more attached to them and their distinct personalities.
Towards the ending as the negative powers circulating become more evil and deadly we are shown that Solaria is in such a dangerous situation that it needs Tory and Darcy to rise to the occasion and accept their throne. But there are those, like The Heirs, determined to get them out of the Academy and it seems like there may be some darker and more powerful players standing behind them. The big questions we are left with is just who is good and who is evil and also just what kind of creatures are Tory and Darcy themselves. This book moves at a fast pace and is rather easy to follow but the reader must pay attention to the switch in point of view between Tory and Darcy throughout the book. Overall this was an excellent read, hard to put down, and surely every reader will be hungry for the next book of the series.

My Rating: 5 stars

About the Book:
Add to Goodreads
Author: Caroline Peckham and Suzanne Valenti
Publish Date: August 2, 2019