Rating: 4.5 ‘Dr. Loomis’ Stars

Publisher: Darker Dreams Media

Genre: Horror

Tags: Contemporary, Christmas, Horror, Mystery, Some Gore, Serial Killer

Length: 306 Pages

Reviewer: Cindi

Purchase At: Amazon.com

Blurb –

No one in Holly Brook, IL has forgotten the horror that unfolded on Christmas Eve all those year ago, and now, as a terrifying blizzard descends upon the small isolated town, and teens begin disappearing one by one, it looks as if that gruesome night was just the beginning.

Review –

This is my second book by this author and I can definitely say I’m a new fan. You can see my review of my first, Jimmy, here.

“Death has come to your little town sheriff.” -Dr. Sam Loomis, Halloween

Ten years ago a family was brutally murdered in the small town of Holly Brook, Illinois. The words “Santa Took Them” had been written in blood on the walls. Michelle, who was eight at the time, was the only survivor but only because she’d been in her secret hiding place hoping to see Santa Claus. To say the killings were horrific would be an understatement. Michelle, after the killer was gone, showed up at a neighbor’s house carrying the head of one of the victims. The consensus around town was that young Michelle had slaughtered her family. If she didn’t, why was she allowed to survive? One detective made it his mission to convince everyone the little girl had been the murderer, becoming so obsessed with the case that it ultimately killed him.

One person in particular, Detective Hines, had been adamant about his theory that Michelle had been the killer that night, but others felt there was no way an eight-year-old could go so far as to sever the heads of four people, especially her own siblings, and then stab her mother.

Michelle was placed in a psychiatric home for kids after the murders. Fast-forward ten years and it’s time for her to leave because she’s aged out. Her therapist, Samantha Loomis, never believed the sweet, quiet child was capable of the things she’d been accused of by the cops and media. There was no proof she’d done anything other than hide. She surmised that carrying the head of one of the victims to the neighbor’s house was maybe a form of shock for the child.

I will admit that was pretty creepy.

If the name Sam Loomis sounds familiar, there’s a reason for it. I’ll come back to that.

After leaving the psychiatric home, Michelle moves in with her uncle, who did everything he could to help her, even though he was 16 at the time of the murders. Not long after moving in, the uncle and his girlfriend are both murdered in the same way Michelle’s family had been a decade before. Michelle is nowhere to be found and the words “Santa Took Them” are again written on walls in blood.

Of course, everybody is convinced that the newly released Michelle has struck again. The killings are too similar to the others and it doesn’t appear to be a copycat killing. Dr. Loomis is convinced Michelle is innocent, just as she’s always believed she was innocent of killing her family a decade before.

Then people start disappearing in Holly Brook. Dr. Loomis and law enforcement believe the house Michelle lived in – and that her family died in – is the center of the new murder investigation and the disappearances. It’s recently been purchased by a man named Henry, who has to fix it up and flip it or lose everything.

Henry’s an abusive jerk.

Then we meet Steve, Henry’s teenage son. Steve’s dating the obviously unstable Renee. She flies off the handle at the drop of a hat, accusing Steve of cheating on her with his ex, Hanna. Hanna is the daughter of the original detective in the murder investigation a decade prior that I mention above.

Like in Jimmy, there are a ton of characters introduced, all of which are important to the story. Listing them all would make this already too long review even longer. The entire story is based on things happening at the ‘murder house’ in Holly Brook and trying to figure out where Michelle is now and if she was/is the murderer most believe her to be.

While people keep disappearing, there are also things going on in the background involving Dr. Samantha Loomis.

The mystery of who the killer is wasn’t really that much of a mystery. Don’t get me wrong, the author did an outstanding job pointing in several different directions. I didn’t figure out for sure until around the 50% mark. This was confirmed not much further into it. Knowing who the killer was so early didn’t take away from the rest of the story. There was still a lot of action happening until the very end.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a good mystery that kept me guessing for awhile. I thought the ending, that some readers apparently hated if reviews are go to by, was brilliant. It was the perfect way to end the book. If I wanted everything tied up neatly in a red bow I wouldn’t be reading horror to begin with.

But…

There were a lot of questions unanswered and I’m not referring to the ending. Certain things happened or were mentioned in the book that I didn’t feel were elaborated on enough later. They obviously didn’t matter too much because I rated the book 4.5 stars. but they should be noted.

Horror fans will recognize the name Sam Loomis. Samuel Loomis was Michael’s doctor in the Halloween movies, hence the quote by him at the top of this review. Michelle’s doctor being Samantha Loomis in Santa Took Them obviously wasn’t a coincidence (duh). Fans of the Halloween franchise will see the similarities in other parts of the story as well. There are some between Michael and Michelle (similar names) but I didn’t find myself reading a knock-off of the original. I’m a huge fan of the Halloween movies (early ones, not later ones) so had I thought it was too close I’d be stressing that in this review. There were similarities but not so many that I didn’t see the originality in Santa Took Them.

I didn’t have a problem keeping up with the other characters (and there were quite a few) because the author gave each one enough page time to show their importance to the story as a whole. Some were more important than the others, but you have to read the book to see who they are and what I mean.

Jimmy and what he did was mentioned in this book, something I liked a lot considering I recently read his story.

Overall, another good read. The reader is kept wondering if Michelle is this monster killer child everybody believes her to be. The author does an outstanding job of keeping the reader guessing.

I have Nikki’s Secret and Daddy’s Little Girl on standby to read when time allows. And knowing how I am when I discover a (new to me) good author, I’ll probably go through all his books in the coming weeks.

]]> 5841 https://darkhintsreviews.com/garys-girls-an-extreme-horror-novella-sam-west/ https://darkhintsreviews.com/garys-girls-an-extreme-horror-novella-sam-west/#comments Thu, 07 Feb 2019 22:23:08 +0000 https://darkhintsreviews.com/?p=5447 Rating: 4 Stars

Publisher: Sam West

Genre: Extreme Horror

Tags: Contemporary, Extreme On-Page Violence, Gore

Length: 105 Pages

Reviewer: Cindi

Purchase At: Amazon.com

Synopsis –

Welcome to Sunnyside, a bed and Breakfast in the blackened, festering heart of Broadgate – an English seaside town famous for its sex shops, amusement arcades, high-levels of unemployment and sea the colour of a rung-out dishcloth. 

Meet Gary Brown, the homicidal, suicidal, lonely, sexually-frustrated proprietor of Sunnyside. Come join Gary as he waits for his first ever guests to arrive. You know what they say; women are like busses – you wait around forever and then four come along at once… 

Meet Kimberly Henry, a well-to-do socialite who stumbles across Sunnyside after a steaming row with her husband and a two-hour drive from Kensington… Bad luck for her, one could say. 

It’s going to be one HELL of a night. 

Review –

It’s been awhile since I’ve reviewed a Sam West book. You can check out my reviews of two of them on our sister site, On Top Down Under, at these links – Djinn and Victim. Each of those reviews starts with a warning. I’m also throwing out one here for Gary’s Girls. This is EXTREME HORROR and there are quite a few things that may disturb some. I’ve said this before and this book proved it… Sam West is the only author who has ever made me gag while reading a book and I’ve read thousands of books, a lot of them horror.

With that being said…

Gary is one warped human being. He’s recently inherited an old falling down Bed and Breakfast from his mother. It’s not in the best of areas, though Gary doesn’t care either way. He’s done some remodeling and opened it for guests for probably the first time in decades.

Gary has sick fantasies. I’m not talking a bit of kink here and there. Gary’s fantasies involve acting out what he sees (and masturbates to) on the dark web. He’s so obsessed with it when he does the remodel of the B & B he adds secret doors, video cameras that record in real time, and rooms with his sick gadgets. He’s now gone from just fantasizing to wanting to act these things out for real. The video cameras also stream live online to other sick men like him. His plan is to create his own snuff films for their viewing pleasure.

He just has to wait for the right women to show up wanting to rent a room for the night. Oh, he has no intention of actually renting rooms to anybody. He just needs to get the right woman or women in the door, talk them into ‘renting one’ and then he can act out his sick fantasies. He has no problem turning away those that he’s not attracted to. He simply tells them he has no vacancies.

Unfortunately, Kimberly shows up and she’s exactly who Gary is looking for. She’s just left her cheating husband and needs some time to think. She’s a bit too high class for Gary’s place but she’s tired and desperate. That turns out to be the biggest mistake of her life. Not long after she arrives, others do. This is when Gary’s sick ‘party’ begins.

I won’t say more than that.

This was a good horror story. I just know to be prepared going into one of her books because of the gross factor. There’s only one particular scene like that in Gary’s Girls but it’s something others might want to skim over. I can read gore without a problem usually. Gross, not so much. There was a bit of a twist at the end that I really didn’t see coming.

I do find myself wanting to know more about Tristian, a character who makes an appearance later. I know there’s more about him in another book The Dark Side of Red, that I’m sure I’ll read someday. I liked that he was mysterious, though I didn’t love him so much as a character.

It was nice reading another Sam West story. I recommend it to those who are good with what I mention in my warnings and the review.

Rating: 4.5 Star

Publisher: Slumberjack Entertainment

Genre: Revenge Horror

Tags: Contemporary, Graphic Violence, Psychological, Serial Killer

Length: 65 Pages

Reviewer: Cindi

Purchase At: Amazon.com

Synopsis –

On his graduation night something terrible happened to Ray Barber. Twenty years later he has returned to his home town of Haven Hills with only one thing on his mind. 
Revenge.

Review –

Don’t you, forget about me
Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t
Don’t you, forget about me… 

I can’t recall if I’ve ever started off a review with lyrics from a song (Don’t You Forget About Me by Simple Minds for those who don’t know), but those lyrics are important to this story.

Blades of Ray starts off with Ray’s first kill. There are no filler pages of miscellaneous details. The first death literally happens within seconds of the book starting.

Ray Barber is back in town.

Ray had a bad childhood in the small town of Haven Hills. He was heavier than the other kids and different in probably every way from his classmates. It didn’t help that his mother was an addict. Haven Hills is a town where everybody knows everybody and their business. Ray was bullied horribly all through school. If he wasn’t being beat up and bullied for his size it was happening because of who his mother was. He endured it because he didn’t have a choice.

Then graduation night happened.

It’s twenty years later and Haven Hills High School is about to have a reunion celebrating what has always been called the ‘Golden Year’ – called that because every person in the class of 1988 became successful, allowing the town to grow.

That is, except Ray Barber. Ray had left after graduation night and never looked back – or so the town thought.

The reader knows immediately that something horrible happened to Ray on graduation night. Exactly what happened isn’t revealed into long into the story. Little by little comes out with each kill.

Ray won’t be satisfied until every single member of the class of 1988 is dead.

That’s all I can say about that without giving too much away.

This is the third story I’ve read recently where I have sympathy for the killer and not so much for the victims. Every single person that Ray kills was either there on graduation night or had bullied him horribly over the years. From his classmates to even a few adults who should’ve done something – anything – but chose to take part in the bullying themselves.

When the secret comes out of what happened to Ray at the hands of all of these people you want to go back in time and save him. Sadly, people are bullied to this point daily and it breaks my heart. I know they don’t come back two decades later and do what Ray did – and I’m damn sure not saying they should – but Ray’s story proves that after the bullies go on with their lives the bullied person often can’t. It’s something they have to live with for the rest of their lives. It’s heartbreaking. And it angers me. Not much gets to me as bad as watching someone suffer as Ray did when he was a child.

The author says a lot in only 65 pages.

As much as I loved the story I did have a few issues with it, which is why I’ve knocked off a half star from my rating.

The editing. There were a lot of typos. I know it’s only a short story but ‘new’ where ‘knew’ should’ve been and ‘know’ where ‘now’ should’ve been. There are a few sentences where the punctuation was all over the place. Did that take away from the story? I still enjoyed it (obviously) but what I’ve mentioned (and a lot I didn’t mention) were glaring.

Another thing is that I wish I could’ve seen more about Ray’s life in the twenty years he was away from Haven Hills. Nothing is said about what he went on to do, where he lived, or anything else. I didn’t need more details about the townsfolk. The author handled that brilliantly. I just wanted to know more about Ray as an adult.

Overall, this is a really good horror short. I’ll be reading more by this author.

Rating: 5 Stars

Publisher: D.M. Wolfenden

Genre: Horror

Tags: Contemporary, Dark Humor, Past Abuse, Serial Killer, Graphic Violence

Length: 52 Pages

Reviewer: Cindi

Purchase At: Amazon.com

Synopsis –

Well, hello, Sugar, my name is Joanna… 
That’s the introduction that all my victims get. It’s nice to be polite. 
Even serial killers have manners. 

I know what I do isn’t normal, but I also know that I do the country a service. 
And the world is better off with me in it. You’ll understand. 
See, I was once the victim. 
Hurt by the one who should have taken care of me. 
Let down by the system that should have protected me. 
Now I vow to help others, and if I have to hurt people to do it. I will. 

Review –

This is another book where the reader knows exactly why the so-called bad guy, or girl in this case, is the way they are. Joanna’s entire story comes out slowly as you read the book. When you end it you know exactly what turned her into a serial killer. And, honestly? It’s hard not to sympathize with her.

Hell, it’s hard not to cheer her on. While I’m not saying what she does is right (it isn’t), but who hasn’t wanted to see horrible criminals get theirs?

Joanna only kills the worst of the worst – pedophiles, rapists, those who commit other horrible crimes. She doesn’t just go out and kill at random.

Joanna herself is a victim. At one point in her life she was forced to endure things that nobody should ever have to endure. The justice system doesn’t always work in a victim’s favor, as we see way too often in the real world. This is what happened with Joanna. Her abuser was prosecuted but she didn’t feel that his punishment was severe enough, hence her seeking justice of her own against those who harm others.

The violence Joanna inflicts is on page and it’s extremely graphic. If you’re squeamish this book isn’t for you.

This was an excellent horror short. While I may or may not agree with what Joanna does, I get it. She doesn’t want anybody else to be a victim. Her taking out the ‘bad guys’ is her way of saving others, one at a time.

The cover is perfect.

Note that the author lists victim resources at the end of the book.

Rating: 4 Stars

Publisher: Dark Void Press

Genre:  Horror

Tags: Creepy Doll, Gory, Graphic Violence, Psychological 

*** See Note At Bottom Of Review. ***

Length: 85 Pages

Reviewer: Cindi

Purchase At: Amazon.com

Synopsis –

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

Summer ends, Fall comes, and then Winter kills everything with snow, ice, and bitter winds.

The five tales of horror contained within these pages touch upon the worst of the season – from haunted Christmas presents to secrets hidden beneath a frozen forest floor.

So cozy up next to a warm fire, put on your fuzziest robe, and prepare to have your blood chilled.

Review –

The Toy

It all started with a toy; with the toy, my life ended.

That was disturbing.

Mike, Emma, and Teddy are the perfect family. Teddy is four and kind of a mama’s boy. I’m not saying that in a bad way by any means. He just relates more to Emma than Mike. It’s close to Christmas and Emma has to work on the day she’d planned to pick up the bulk of the gifts. Mike agrees to do it and to make a day of it with their son. Everything is going well until young Teddy spots a toy in the window of an old antique shop. This thing is ugly and more than a little creepy. Of course Teddy begs Mike to buy it for him. Anything to make his boy happy, you know? Unfortunately, buying the creepy toy for Teddy turns out to be the worst thing he would do in his life.

The toy obviously isn’t your average toy. When Teddy removes it from the box on Christmas morning weird things start to happen.

I’m huge on books about family. I always have been. Give me a story with a kid in it and I’m usually happy. I can’t say that about this particular story and I can’t say why. I knew from the first page what was going to happen. I just wish I knew in advance how it was going to happen.

This reminded me of the story of Robert, the ‘haunted’ doll in Florida, I think it was? If you’re not familiar with Robert, I suggest checking out his story. I’d add a link but Robert creeps me the hell out, so there you go.

The writing was good. The way the story was told was good. The ending was perfect.

Good horror short. Just take note of tags above and my ‘final thoughts’ at the bottom of this review.

A Few Steps Away

This was a breath of fresh air after The Toy. I can’t say much other than A Few Steps Away tells the story of a boy and his dog. From the time the boy is quite young until he’s twenty-one he and the dog have a special bond. This bond doesn’t disappear when one of them is no longer in this world.

I really enjoyed this.

Armed Insanity

The title for this is so fitting.

Charlie, 35, has just been through a rather bitter divorce after his wife cheated on him. He lost the wife and his young daughter to some guy named Sean.

A couple of months after the divorce is finalized Charlie makes the mistake of going out for a few beers after work with one of his coworkers. One bar turns into several and before he knows it Charlie is pretty wasted. It’s snowing hard but drunk Charlie decides to try to drive home anyway.

He doesn’t quite make it. What happens on the drive home is bad. What happens later is terrifying.

The Fridge

I’ll never look at a refrigerator the same again. Old, new, whatever, it doesn’t matter. I will now have nightmares of possessed refrigerators, gory deaths, and teeth.

Yes, teeth.

Anything I say beyond that will tell the whole, strange story so I’ll stop here.

The Edge of the World

This is an excellent horror story.

A young couple takes a walk through the woods on a cold, cold night. It’s only their third date. The girl is wanting to see a section of the forest known as the Edge of the World. There’s been talk of disappearances for decades involving the Edge of the World but it’s mostly been laughed off.

If ever there were woods foreboding enough not to enter, it was these. But see, I would’ve done anything for her. I would’ve followed her into hell, if she wanted me to.

The young man really doesn’t want to go but you know how it is with young love. He wouldn’t allow himself to show fear. What would she think of him then?

Unfortunately, the Edge of the World turns out to be more than just a section of the forest that warranted being laughed off. It was everything the ‘talk’ had said it was and more.

Excellent short. This is the type of story I look for when I want horror.

~~~

Final thoughts and Slight Spoilers 

This is a nice collection of quickie horror stories, but be prepared if you’re interested in reading this. One has the rather brutal death of a child and another one involves the violent death of a pet. Expect a little bit of gore and know what you’re getting into before picking up the book.

While all the stories were written well (even if parts bugged me), A Few Steps Away and The Edge of the World are my absolute favorites for two totally different reasons. Excellent short stories. As for the others, make note of my warnings if you go to read them.

I’ll be reading more by this author.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Publisher: Matt Shaw Publications

Genre: Revenge Horror

Tags: Contemporary, Horror, Revenge, Sexual Violence

Length: 64 Pages

Reviewer: Cindi

Purchase At: Amazon.com

Synopsis –

Critically acclaimed bestselling author, Matt Shaw – #1 bestseller in Horror Fiction with hundreds of 5 star reviews – brings you one hell of a messed up “romance”.

CHAINED

He is chained to her through his own choice.

She is chained to him through no choice of her own.

A thick chain linking the two of them together by their ankles and kept in place with heavy-duty locks.

She knows why she is there. He has explained that once – and only once. Each subsequent time she asks, he simply tells her that she knows the reason. She knows there is no way out until he says so.

For a time of his choosing, she is his prisoner and that is all there is to it. Yet – for the two of them – things could have been so, so different.

“There is a ferocity about Matt Shaw’s writing that is both welcome and also necessary when it comes to horror.” – Shaun Hutson, author of “Slugs”

Categories for CHAINED

• Horror
• Psychological Fiction
• Survival horror
• Serial killers
• kidnap horror
• Suspense horror
• Revenge horror

Review –

The first thing I have to say about this story is that it may contain triggers for some readers. Past and current sexual violence is on-page. See my tags above and those listed in the blurb.

I’ve always enjoyed Matt Shaw’s books. He’s one of the few authors who can say a lot in only a few pages. He does so brilliantly in Chained. The only problem is that it’s difficult to write a review because almost everything I say can be a spoiler.

The blurb says a lot about the story. What it doesn’t say is why. We know that a man has a woman chained to him against her will. At first the reader is led to believe that he’s this monster who kidnapped this innocent woman. He’s not a good guy by any means, but he has his reasons for why he’s keeping her captive. I’m not saying they’re good reasons, but in a sense you can see exactly why he feels that he has to do something to hurt her. That’s not me saying I agree with it – I don’t – but once the reader is given a glimpse of backstories for both characters it makes sense in a very warped, screwed up, and violent way.

I’m a big horror and dark thriller reader. When I read those types of books I’m usually trying to figure out exactly why the bad guys are the bad guys. What made them that way? A lot of times they’re just flat out evil and there’s no coming back from that. Other times there were events in their lives that led them to do certain things that they’ve done. In Chained there is zero doubt why the man does what he does. Do I agree with it? Not at all, especially considering some of the things he does to the woman. Does it make sense in a way? His want to punish her? Absolutely. She is a victim. She is being held against her will and being forced to do things she shouldn’t have to do. However, the captor is also a victim, made so by past events put in place by the woman.

I can’t say more than that.

This is classic Matt Shaw. Just when you think you have the story figured out he throws the reader for a loop. That’s exactly what he did in Chained.

Great short story.

Title: The Fairy Pond

Author: Jason Black

Publisher: Self-pub

Release Date: 12/19/2018

Heat Level: 1 – No Sex

Pairing: No Romance

Length: 29 pages

Genre: Fantasy, Horror, historical

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis

Nevan lives a simple life. He works hard in the fields with his brothers and his grandpa, and adores his mother wholeheartedly. He’s a good boy who usually stays out of trouble, but even when Grandpa warns him to stay away from the pond, he can’t help feeling curious about it…and the creatures that watch him whenever he’s near.

Excerpt

It had been a long day. Nevan had come out to the fields with lunch after helping with the home chores and stayed to work the rest of the day. He enjoyed this time alone with his grandfather. Each night they were the only ones who stayed awake for the ride home, Grandfather telling stories of times past while Nevan soaked it in like a sponge.

That evening, Grandfather was quiet, glancing around as if uneasy with the sounds of the coming night. Nevan turned to look out at the familiar shapes around them. In the distance, he saw the barn come into view and knew their destination wasn’t far beyond. As they finished rounding a grove of fruit trees, he could also see the small pond that sat next to the barn; home for geese, ducks, and fish. It also served as a cool respite on a warm summer day.

The lack of talk and the swaying of the wagon served to lull Nevan toward sleep. He let a shivering yawn pass his lips, his eyes again turning toward the pond. A splash, a movement. Nevan blinked, now fully awake, and squinted his eyes in disbelief.

“Grandpa?”

“Yeah, boy?” his grandfather answered in a hushed tone.

“There are people swimming in our pond!”

“T’ain’t no one out this late, boy. People be sleepin’.” Grandfather’s words had a finality to them that told Nevan not to argue.

Another splash and Nevan couldn’t hold his tongue.

“But… look!” His finger shot out toward the pond, now directly to the right of the wagon.

Nevan could clearly see the shapes of the figures in the water, even the gleam of eyes in the moonlight as they looked directly at them.

“Boy,” Grandfather said sternly, “Don’t look and don’t be talking about that no more.”

Purchase at Amazon

Meet the Author

Jason Black lives in Texas with his partner and two roommates. He cooks. He writes. He’s an okay guy.

Goodreads  email Twitter  Facebook

Rating: 4 Stars

Publisher: Indie

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Tags: Magic, Paranormal – Vampire, Werewolves, Other. Mythology, YA+, Series

Length: 181 Pages

Reviewer: Karen

Purchase At: amazon.com

Synopsis:

Dustin Graves goes on a rare night out with the boys from the Boneyard, but things go horribly wrong. Over a hundred revelers drop dead at a pop diva’s concert, bleeding from their eyes and their ears. Miraculously, Dustin and his undead associates survive.

But the troubles have just begun. Soon Dust is dealing with a bloodthirsty imp, a grizzled Scion, and a strange man covered in even stranger tattoos. Then Mammon, the demon prince of greed, comes knocking, eager to collect on Dustin’s end of the bargain…

If you like snarky heroes, snappy dialogue, and a bit of grit and gore, you’ll love the fourth book in Nazri Noor’s series of urban fantasy novels. Explore the Darkling Mage universe and discover Oblivion Heart today.

Review:

After a pretty full schedule for the boys of the Boneyard of late, Sterling’s love of Mona, a bubblegum pop princess, has their boss, Carver, telling them to have a night out at her concert in Valero. While Sterling’s choice of music fandom shocks Dustin, Sterling is a vampire in black leather with attitude, Dustin and Asher join him for the concert.

I looked over at Sterling, who was pumping his fists, accurately singing every lyric right back to Mona, and actually crying. Like, full tears, streaming down his face. I realized then that I hadn’t had so much fun in ages.

Dustin finds himself sucked in by Mona’s music as well, but wherever they go some mayhem’s going to happen. Honestly, Valero is like Eerie, Indiana, “the centre of weirdness for the universe,” and when Mona hits the high notes and the stage and her eyes turn silver, bleeding from the human fan’s ears and orifices is not a happy ending. But why would Mona kill her own fans? Is she a mage? If so, why didn’t Sterling know? Of course the Lorica turns up to investigate and take action, the Veil has to be protected at all costs and this is an epic flag for them. There are new faces at the Lorica, like Royce, a Scion – a powerful magical multi-tasker – who’s also a power-tripping a-hole and is less than pleasant or caring from the moment he meets Dustin after the deadly concert.

Dustin makes some new and unusual friends in Oblivion Heart, including Scrimshaw, a little imp (demon) who’s partial to some fries… and a dram of blood. He can’t be seen by humans. and it makes for a couple of interesting ‘is he okay?‘ conversations when Scrimshaw pops up and Dustin appears to be talking to himself. But that’s nothing new as Vanitas is an enchanted and telepathic sword that only Dustin can hear, a sentient instrument who is very loyal. Vanitas has his heroic moments but also seems to have been upgraded with a newer, gleeful menace about him courtesy of a demon’s do-over. There’s also Sam, the tattooed…. supernatural who happens to turn up where Dustin is, in libraries or at the Black Market, a new place Dustin discovers when he’s searching for the Tome of Annihilation.

Mammon, the Prince of Greed, also reappears. He’s come to call in his favour from Dustin for helping restore Vanitas. He wants the Tome as payment, not so easy as it’s flighty and doesn’t stay in any one place for any length of time. Mammon may want Dustin to retrieve it but it’s already on the hit list of a few other powerful parties. But Mammon adds a whole new dimension to what happens if Dustin doesn’t succeed on Mammon’s behalf –

Then there’s the mysterious silver light and malevolent voice threatening humans with ‘the culling’ which is not something the human race wants happening.

A shout out to the Esthers. It’s a long story, the short version is the name and the implication equals a fond memory for me.

A lot of the regular characters take a backseat in this addition and I missed Sterling, and Sterling and Dustin’s bicker-banter.

Dustin is developing his special powers further. His shadowstepping is more readily accessible and considered. The Dark Room is getting more powerful, his fire skill set is coming along nicely… but his scar? His heart? They potentially hold a lot of dark, powerful secrets.

This book is slightly darker once again than the previous books. Dustin’s entry into the arcane underground was murderous and the being who brought him through represents the darker side of this world. Having said that, there is also the familiar series humour, and the group camaraderie and necessary connection between the Boneyard and certain people in the Lorica is deepening further. I was so glad of the direction that Bastion’s character took in this book – even if it was via something pretty epic.

Niggles:

The three Sisters didn’t work for me, the other entities thus far have been far more interesting and far more important to the overall story than the Sisters were. Maybe there’s something more in relation to them later, they are the Fates, but I can only go off this book. There’s also quite a bit of cameo catch-up. I guess it’s working on a reminder of characters for readers, or maybe a reader drops in at book #4, I do get it, but in a 188 page book it does slow the flow down.

In the End: 

Although Oblivion Heart is book #4 this is the 5th book I’ve read in the Darkling Mage series – I started at Penumbra, the prequel, which is a freebie at the author’s site. I’m still enjoying the series a great deal. There’s always plenty of well paced action, and the world building continues to grow in every book, and not at ridiculous levels. It’s not always easy for me to find UF series that are well written, well edited, and don’t have at least some romance in the background – and this doesn’t – that are riveting, with characters I have an emotional investment in. and this series ticks all the boxes every time, it’s why I keep coming back. 4 Stars.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Publisher: Indie 

Genre:  Sci-Fi

Tags: Series

Length: 364 Pages

Reviewer: John

Purchase At:  amazon

Synopsis: 

Rat

Publisher: Indie 

Genre:  UF

Tags:  Magic, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mythology, YA/NA Up, Series

Length: 189 Pages 

Reviewer: Karen

Purchase At:  amazon

Synopsis:

Reports of arcane theft and violence are pouring in from all over Valero. They all have one thing in common: a perpetrator who looks exactly like Dustin Graves. But Dust has been hanging in the hideout, barely out of sight of his bloodthirsty companions.

An impostor is clearly on the prowl, and soon a vampire clan, the Lorica, and even Dust’s own allies are giving him hell for crimes he didn’t commit. There’s also the matter of finding an entity powerful enough to reforge Vanitas. But the darkling mage will pull through. Dustin always does. Well… except when he doesn’t.

If you like snarky heroes, snappy dialogue, and a bit of grit and gore, you’ll love the third book in Nazri Noor’s series of urban fantasy novels. Explore the Darkling Mage universe and discover Grave Intentions today.

Review:

Dustin Graves is settling into life working under Carver with not only Gil and Sterling but Asher as well – the necromancer they rescued/retrieved from the Viridian Dawn cult in Dark Harvest. Their team is growing. However, there’s also unsettled feelings around Dustin. Vanitas is in pieces, his spirit missing. He perceives Carver to be less interested in him and his burgeoning capabilities and more interested in Asher’s. Sterling seems a bit snarkier, the reality is that’s just Sterling, Gil has hooked up with Prudence, and Bastion is more than his usual level of angry. Then there’s the fact that Dustin is missing his father more than ever, his need to find where he is becomes ramped up even though it goes against the Veil. He would just like to see him again, to let him know he’s still alive, although alive is a relative term.

On top of the above, Dustin seems to have pissed off a bunch of vampires and their blood witch leader, Diaz, for reasons that make no sense to him. Diaz wants the Heartstopper back that Dustin stole from him. While Dustin is a thief of the arcane on behalf of his employers, first it was the Lorica and now it’s Carver, he has no idea what the Heartstopper is let alone actually stolen the object.

It turns out that Dustin is angering a lot of powerful people, and not just for his usual mouthy tendencies and his ability to freakishly shadow step. It’s because someone that looks exactly like Dustin is stealing possessions that powerful beings aren’t impressed about. A number of the arcane objects stolen belong to dangerous people, family of magical people he knows in some capacity. None of it makes sense until Dustin thinks of the one being who has the most to gain from upsetting him and his precarious balance over this side of the Veil. Could it be them? Or are there are other dark forces at play?

Grave Intentions has a few ongoing arcs, Dustin’s increasing need to seek out his father. His foot in two camps so to speak – the Lorica originally and now Carver’s crew. His desire to restore Vanitas at all costs. Dustin’s major talent of shadow stepping is getting more advanced and is an overarching theme of the series, as is the fact that there are latent talents he possesses that are only having their surface scratched right now. It’s frustrating for him to not quite reach the potential that’s expected of him. Carver is a litch, Sterling a vampire, Gil a werewolf, Asher is a necromancer, so their abilities are easily accessed and clearly defined, Dustin’s are ambiguous outside of the Dark Room, which becomes more involved and darker in this instalment, as does his steadily growing fire skillset.

My love of Sterling grows, he and Dustin bounce off each other so well. He made sure to drop that he had tasted Dustin’s blood, it’s nothing exciting but he likes to stir the pot – especially if it gets a rise out of Dustin or others.

“No. No.” Madam Chien shook her finger for emphasis. “You stay here with me, with Prudence. You help me clean up, close shop. Blood boy and his boyfriend can track down the peach.”

“I swear nothing’s happening – ”

“Come on, sweetheart,” Sterling trilled, slinging an arm over my shoulder. “Let’s go kill your doppelganger.”

I love how Dustin’s friends are loyal and like family, but that’s especially true of Sterling. I had the fright of my life in this book. Let’s just say some Kindle throwing nearly happened over Sterling. I will cut the author a bitch if anything happens to Sterling, it’s bad enough I’m missing Vanitas.

A demon possies himself into this book amongst the gods – Mammon, the demon price of greed – and now he wants a piece of Dustin too. The entities or gods of the previous books make appearances, including Hecate, Amaterasu, who brings her brother Susanoo. This pair do not like Dustin. He manages to keep on the front foot while they throw plenty at him. The wonderful Arachne pops out to play, with her eyes everywhere. Her teasing use of the word ‘sweetling‘ for Dustin is awesome. She does have a soft spot for him. Plus Arachne certainly appreciates a fine looking young man. I love her spy spiders. However, there is only so much a god will do for you without something being expected in return, sweetling or not.

This book has a darker tone than the previous books. Dustin feels a bit unsure of his place in this arcane underground he finds himself in the thick of now, in the Boneyard, the space that Carver’s crew live and hang out in behind Mama Rosa’s Filipino restaurant. Speaking of, Asian cuisine is almost a secondary character in this book. Maybe it’s because I love it so much and noticed,  but I think it’s more because it’s used quite a bit in the background… when people meet up or they need food or comfort.

Dustin starts out with the usual snark and while that never goes away completely, his overall demeanour and mood is shadowed. I can’t say much more because it spoils the story but let’s just say the homunculus don’t help.

In the End:

This is a good series. There’s always plenty of action and good world building in each book, and a bit of gore, and previous characters pop in. Herald plays a more important part this time around. Dustin is still a work in progress, but I enjoyed seeing more emotion from him. I liked the multi-faceted aspects of his nature creeping out. I understand snarky and snappy retorts help him process his life now, that’s Dustin, but I always expect layers of emotional depth, and much to my delight it’s developed more in book #3. I also like my UF with more kick, some more darkness, and Grave Intentions delivers. Definitely recommended for lovers of UF who enjoy good writing and a developing series they can get behind. 4.5 Stars.