Tag Archives: horror

Oct11

Don’t Watch This Movie!

Posted on by
Standard
Don’t Watch This Movie!

Hello!! Johnny and I are working our way through the 31 in 31 challenge – AKA watching a scary movie every day of October. So far, we have watched a lot of movies that we have both enjoyed. This Monday, however, we watched quite possibly the WORST movie we have ever seen. It was called We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. I was drawn to the description of the movie, which talked about a lonely teen finding herself immersed in an online horror game. And, of course, we liked the fact that it was under an hour and a half long because we both had a long day. Despite its short length, this movie felt ten hours long and not in the good way. Let’s discuss in a spoiler free setting:

^^^ As always, I have no rights to this video!

Okay! Long story short, Casey joins in playing an online game called the World’s Fair. It is a horror role playing game that employs secret methods to gain entry. Once you are in, strangers dictate what you have to do and the players document the “changes” they undergo on video. As Casey goes through her days in a sad limbo, someone from the game contacts her with the concern that she might seriously harm herself or others. Will Casey take the World’s Fair too far? Please, please don’t watch to find out lol.

Let me first start off by saying, the plot of this movie was enticing to me. I love an internet horror story line. I also very much like artistic and thought provoking horror films. So why didn’t I like We’re All Going to the World’s Fair? Because it sucked lol. Johnny and I watched every agonizing minute of this movie hoping that it would get better. Unfortunately, all it did was get even worse and even weirder to the point that we were in stitches laughing about it.

We’re All Going to the World’s Fair was an impossibly slow burn without a big bang at the end. Every scene which could have lasted seconds took minutes because every action was shown – IE: A man walking through the entirety of his home to get to one room. Had there been anything particularly scary about this movie, maybe these lengthy scenes of movement would have felt more charged. Psychologically and visually, though, there was just no horror there. Rather, we were watching Casey’s pointless livestreams or watching pointless videos that she was watching. Whatever sense of anticipation was built at the beginning quickly crumbled because literally nothing happened.

I have seen SO many positive reviews for We’re All Going to the World’s Fair and it even scored a ninety percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The high tomato-meter score was part of why I chose it. It makes me wonder if I was watching the same film as the people who really enjoyed it because this should have been a movie I liked. If you are looking to waste an hour and a half of your life, put it on. I promise you that you are not missing out on anything if you skip on it!

What is the worst movie you have seen recently? What is your favorite kind of movie? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep29

Random Book Haul

Posted on by
Standard
Random Book Haul

Hello!! This past week, I visited Barnes & Noble on an outing with one of my clients. She was completely striking out and asked if I could take her to Ollie’s instead. I’m not sure if this store is just an Ohio thing, but Ollie’s is basically a catch all discount shop. This is only the second time I have been in there but they literally have everything but the kitchen sink – clothing, books, toys, cupboard grocery items, furniture, etc. Actually, they just might have the kitchen sink too lol. She was hoping to find some new books on the cheap and I was so happy that she did. Surprisingly, I ended up with several too and a little something for my sweet nieces. Check it out:

IMG_9231(1)IMG_9232(1)

I have always been an avid fan of graphic novels and recently got heavily back into them. I have honestly been too exhausted to commit to cracking open a new book and graphic novels give me the opportunity to still be able to read AND appreciate amazing artwork. It really is a win win. After finishing the Nailbiter series, I have an idea of what I’d like to start reading next. I do, however, have a handful of different series that I have already read but would like to add to my collection at some point. One of them being one of my all time favorite horror series called Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. Little did I know, that some point was going to be earlier this week!

While at Ollie’s, I clutched my pearls when I saw that they had Books Two through Four of Preacher. And, yes, I did scour the shelves to see if Book One was there too but it was nowhere to be found. While that was a bit disappointing, I still could not believe my good fortune. I paid eighteen dollars for two paperbacks and one hardback cover. In total, I spent less for three volumes than what I would have paid for just one at another store or online. As this series is one that I coveted for a long time, I was incredibly happy to get a jump on obtaining part of the collection for a song. 😀

And, of course, I had to pick up a little something something for both of my nieces too. My two tiny besties are most fond of coloring books and I couldn’t say no after seeing Gabby’s Dollhouse and Disney princesses – their two favorites. ❤ This impromptu shopping trip as per my client’s suggestion opened my eyes to an essentially new to me discount store. I absolutely plan on returning again to see what else I can add to my graphic novel library. GREAT SUCCESS!!

What is your favorite discount store? Have you scored any awesome deals recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep20

What To Read Next?!

Posted on by
Standard
What To Read Next?!

Howdy!! I have always been a huge fan of graphic novels and have gotten deeply back into them as of late. I recently finished a crazy adventure that was the Nailbiter series and am ready to sink my teeth into something new. During one of my hauls at JC Comics, the owner gifted me with five free first issues of other horror series that he thought I might like. It was so kind of him and with nothing else to read, I read all five of them in one day to determine what I should start next. I was pretty surprised by the conclusion I came to so let’s discuss each option a bit more (with a trigger warning for violent content):

set1set

Kill or be Killed: The first issue of Kill or be Killed was just okay. Long story short, the main character named Dylan tries to kill himself. Somehow, he survives and is visited that night by a demon with a message. Dylan’s life was spared, so a life for a life every month is the deal. If he can’t commit to it, Dylan will die instead… My main qualm with Kill or be Killed wasn’t exactly the story line and a majority of the artwork was cool. I just thought that the demon looked lame AF and I won’t stand for it lol. I also felt like the plot wasn’t capable of developing beyond the deal with the demon so it was a next for me.

Ice Cream Man: Speaking of lame, that brings us to Ice Cream Man. Yes, you guessed it – it is all about the neighborhood ice cream man who is actually a werewolf. This one was far too goofy for my liking and I am also not interested in werewolf stories either so this was a big fat NO.

Monstress: I hated Monstress almost immediately because I had literally no idea what was going on. However, I kept on reading and I am so glad as it was my favorite one from the batch. Maika Halfwolf was orphaned after her mother was killed in an ongoing war between powerful witches and the Arcanics (or monster kind). The Arcanics are now being rounded up and killed and it is up to Maika to avenge her mother’s death and save her tribe… Holy WOW did this first issue pack a punch. The story line is quite dense, but I liked that because it read like an actual story. The artwork was also magnificent and I was blown away by every panel. I was so sad after reading the last page because I wanted to know more!

Criminal: I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like Criminal and I was right because the first issue did nothing for me. Basically, a career criminal who is the best in the business is contacted to go on a major diamond heist by people who are just as seedy as him. Not my bag whatsoever so into the next pile it went.

w0rldtr33: After Monstress, w0rldtr33 came in second place. The plot goes like this – there is a corner of the dark web that can get people to commit horrible monstrosities merely by glancing at it. The original creators have kept it under wraps, but it has resurfaced once again and left terror in its wake. There are those that want to stop it and others who want to harness it to create a new and not improved world… I am a sucker for a dark web story so I was pretty interested in w0rldtr33. It didn’t catch my attention as much as Monstress but I still would like to see how this battle of good and evil plays out.

My plan is to get Volume One of both Monstress and W0rldtr33 and see what happens. Each of them had their merits but it’s too hard to tell which one to go with after only reading one issue. Either way, I’m excited about it!

What are you currently reading? Is there a local bookstore or comic shop in your neck of the woods that you love? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep17

R&R Weekend

Posted on by
Standard
R&R Weekend

Hello!! This past week was an incredibly busy one for yours truly. On top of my normal work schedule, I also worked two events for my boss, Tim. One to do a presentation for college students at Kent State University and another at the end of summer Misnyland picnic. Both were really fun to attend, but I was exhausted by the time I arrived home on Friday. All of my plans for cooking, cleaning, and weekend activities went out the window once I became one with my couch!

IMG_8609IMG_8603

Hanging with my plushie friend!

After a whirlwind picnic on Friday the 13th, Johnny and I deemed it necessary to have a weekend of R&R. And, in honor of said Friday the 13th, scary movies were in order! Normally, I like to do at least one activity with Johnny during the weekend and as nice as that is, it was so much nicer to laze about with my main squeeze. The only agenda being to actually agree on what horror movies to watch lol. I much prefer an atmospheric psychological thriller and movies to the likes of Saw. Johnny, on the other hand, loves ridiculous slashers like Scream and basically any B-list scary flick that has ever been made. Needless to say, we have very different tastes!

To satisfy both of our preferred horror, we compromised. As we should, we watched a Friday the 13th on the thirteenth. Then on Saturday we watched my pick followed by his. I chose an Australian movie called Run Rabbit Run which was pretty good. It was certainly a slow burn of a film and had some creepy vibes. Was it pure horror? Not especially, but I’m glad we watched it even though I wouldn’t watch it again. After the dreary aesthetic of Run Rabbit Run, we were definitely in the mood for something more fast paced, which brought us to Johnny’s selection…

As we browsed through our options on Netflix, one movie caught both of our eyes. It was called Thanksgiving. Because neither of us have ever seen a scary movie revolving around the holiday, Johnny wanted to give it a go. Even though I rolled my eyes about it, I’ve got to say – Thanksgiving was a total hoot. Long story short, a killer seeks revenge after a Black Friday massacre at one of the local superstores. It was goofy, it was cheesy, but it had the craziest kills that kept us jumping the entire time. We got scared, we had a ton of laughs, and I think Johnny’s pick blew mine out of the water.

As soon as September hit, Johnny and I shifted into spooky season mode. It is our tradition around this time of year to squeeze in as many scary movies as we can and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

What is your favorite scary movie? Have you seen anything in theaters recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep10

Lil Red’s Book Club: Nailbiter Vol. 8 “Nailbiter Returns” By Joshua Williamson Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Lil Red’s Book Club: Nailbiter Vol. 8 “Nailbiter Returns” By Joshua Williamson Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we will be discussing the final volume in the horror series, Nailbiter. From start to finish, Nailbiter was a wild ride and Nailbiter Returns did a good job of wrapping things up. Minus ending on a massive cliffhanger!! As of now, there are no new Nailbiters in the works and it is a shame because I’d love to see what happens next. But, I digress. Before we begin, I will be placing a trigger warning on Nailbiter Returns for graphic violence, gore, and disturbing content. Now, let’s get to it:

image_50410497(8)

Volume Eight of Nailbiter picked up right where Volume Seven left off: A high school game called the Buckaroo Brawl was made up by a young Crane and Warren. The game should have ended a long time ago but it has started back up again with look alike Buckaroo Butchers slaying citizens and harvesting their eyeballs for a new Master. Warren, Finch, Crane, and Alice return to Buckaroo at the end of Volume Seven to put an end to the new game where it all began. And Volume Eight begins.

Upon our ragtag team’s arrival in Buckaroo, they are almost immediately separated and Alice finds herself deep in the woods. As she tries to make her way back to the others, it begins to rain. Not regular old rain, but blood. Alice hallucinates nightmares before her very eyes until Warren tracks her down and leads her to where he knows they need to go. It isn’t an underground tunnel or a laboratory, rather it’s the home of Warren’s former high school fling whose ties to the Butchers go far deeper than just an appreciation.

In the house, one of the look alike Butchers hurls Warren and Alice into a dark room where Crane, Finch, and FBI Agent Danny are found in chains. A grand reunion is promised and it is there that they meet the new Master. This is a highly inconvenient time to be dealing with a bunch of cosplay serial killers as the Master has a plan: To rain blood all over Portland and let people experience horror as they never have before. With the Master and game in full force in Buckaroo and a catastrophe underway in Portland, decisions must be made for the safety of all. Can both be stopped? Read Nailbiter to find out!

If you recall, Volume Seven was my least favorite of the Nailbiter series. In my opinion, Nailbiter could have ended with Volume Six and that would have been fine. I’m not sure how I feel about Nailbiter Returns because I wasn’t privy to the plot of the Buckaroo Brawl to begin with. It felt like grasping at straws and that was disappointing as the series has always felt so confident in what it was. I did like the outcome of Volume Eight as well as the introduction of the Master. However, it seemed too little too late and I would have much preferred for this story line to have come forward earlier in the series. Then, these final two volumes wouldn’t have felt like such an afterthought.

While I didn’t much care for Volume Seven and Eight, I really did enjoy everything in the series leading up to it and I’m glad to have read it. Nailbiter is the first graphic novel series I have read that truly felt like horror. The plot of a small town with a double digit amount of serial killers is an instantly gripping one and I just had to know more. There were an abundance of jump scares, serial killers, and crazy twists and turns that any horror fan would appreciate. It was also very easy to get attached to the characters and that made every situation even more shocking. I wish there was more because the final panel of the series leaves A LOT more questions than answers!

Overall, I am going to rate Nailbiter Returns with a five out of ten stars. It was good, but not great. Don’t let this be a deterrent to not read the series, though! I still highly, highly recommend it.

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep7

Groovy Movies: Longlegs Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Groovy Movies: Longlegs Edition

Hello!! There haven’t been too many movies that have come out in theaters recently that Johnny and I have wanted to see. The only one was Longlegs. We had grand plans to have a Middle Class Fancy night on the town of dinner and a show a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, the movie wasn’t playing at any convenient times so we just went home. We both still agreed that we would like to see it sooner than later, so we ended up renting it this past weekend. I honestly haven’t stopped thinking about it since. In the good or bad way? The jury’s still out! But let’s discuss further in a spoiler free setting with a trigger warning placed on Longlegs for graphic violence, gore, and highly disturbing content. Here we go:

^^^ As always, I have no rights to this video.

Long(legs) story short… Agent Lee Harker has been assigned to a serial killer case that has gone cold. In the killings, entire families are annihilated with no rhyme or reason. In fact, physical evidence to place anyone at the scene of the crime is nonexistent. All that is left at every scene is a coded message signed by a person calling themselves Longlegs. A true game of cat and mouse between the FBI and the killer ensues and the only guarantee is that Longlegs will strike again. And soon. Lee Harker must dig deep into her mind and her past because the answers are all there, if she can remember them, of course. What happens next? Watch Longlegs to find out!

OKAY, so when we began our viewing of Longlegs, Johnny and I were SO in. The soundtrack was bumping, the first scene was shocking, and a wild ride of a movie seemed promising. I found Maika Monroe as Lee Harker to be very dull right from the jump and that opinion didn’t change. This was okay, though, because we were exclusively there for Nick Cage. Normally, I would say that that man couldn’t act his way out of a paper bag. As the titular character, however, he was masterful. Eerie, disturbing, and so disgusting to look at that you couldn’t look away. He had me completely hooked and I remained that way until I wasn’t.

The first half of Longlegs was purely procedural cat and mouse. This is mine and Johnny’s favorite type of story line and we were loving it. Then, it took a drastic turn and for the worse. What began as something that *almost* seemed plausible did a total one eighty as it shifted from real life to the demonic. This is when I found my interest fading and fast. Do I understand the delving into the paranormal? Sure. Did I like it? Not one bit. This huge change halfway through the flick seemed haphazard – like a cop out. The supernatural shift also felt incredibly flimsy, as if this was the first thing that stuck to the wall and the director said “okay”. We saw the movie through until the end but my opinion changed to “this was stupid” as opposed to the banner reception I had of the first half.

I feel very conflicted about Longlegs and I think I keep thinking about it because I wanted to like it more than I actually did. I plan on watching it one more time, but I wouldn’t call it a “must watch” by any means. I am going to give it five out of ten stars. Five for the first half and zilch for the rest!

What was the last movie you saw in theaters? What did you think about Longlegs? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug29

Lil Red’s Book Club: Nailbiter Vol. 7 “Nailbiter Returns” By Joshua Williamson Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Lil Red’s Book Club: Nailbiter Vol. 7 “Nailbiter Returns” By Joshua Williamson Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we will be discussing the seventh volume of Nailbiter called “Nailbiter Returns”. I am so sad because I only have one more volume to go in the series and have no idea what to read next! Volume Six of Nailbiter left off on a massive cliffhanger and, honestly, the series could have ended there. Nailbiter Returns was such a “but wait – there’s more!” move and I am glad to have read it. However, it definitely wasn’t as strong as its predecessors. Before we begin our chat, I will be placing a big fat trigger warning on Volume Seven for gore, graphic violence, and disturbing content. Now, let’s get to it:

image_50733825(4)

Volume Six of Nailbiter left us in a total bloodbath – both literally and metaphorically. It was bloody and in a bathroom lol. It was a fight to the death between former high school sweethearts and parents to Alice, Sheriff Crane and Edward “Nailbiter” Warren. There was no telling who lived or who died and that brings us right into Volume Seven. We meet Alice at the Butcher Bar in Portland, Oregon as Buckaroo got completely obliterated mere days ago. She returns home from her night out to find her mom missing and knows there’s only one person to go to in a situation like this – Nicholas Finch.

As it just so happens, Finch has to leave his cozy set up with his partner and child in Texas to head to Portland himself. There was a massive car accident which normally wouldn’t be cause to call Finch in. However, what was found in the trunk of one of the vehicles certainly requires his expertise – the body of a Buckaroo Butcher called Lucha Eliminador who has been dead for years. In fact, none of the Butchers except for the Nailbiter is currently alive. His whereabouts are unknown to everyone. Everyone except Finch anyways.

After reuniting with Alice, Finch brings her to daddy dearest who is residing in a glass box in a basement – exactly where Finch left him. Their reunion is short lived because Finch receives a call for a double murder and, as she does, Alice tags along. The scene they arrive upon is gruesome and it appears that the victims in the situation killed two Buckaroo Butchers – both of which should be dead. Before Finch can even question them, Alice is in the car with the victims – except they don’t look like the victims anymore. They look like the Clown Car Killer and The Blonde and promise to bring Alice to her mom if she takes them to where her dad is.

Alice guns it back to the basement where the Nailbiter is kept and Finch trails in pursuit. During their drive, we are introduced to more Butchers like the Silent Movie Killer and Terrible Two. They seem to be in on a game and want to have their sick idea of fun. The game? A bunch of look alike Butchers committing murders, stealing eyeballs for points, and gifting them to a new Master. The inventors of the Buckaroo Brawl? None other than Crane and the Nailbiter. In an intense final shootout, Alice is reunited with her mom and learns that the Warren who attacked her wasn’t Warren at all. Just someone who bears a striking resemblance. There are still several Butchers who are left in the game and there is only one place left to find them. In the final volume, the gang is heading back to Buckaroo: Where it all began.

I am not sure how I feel about Nailbiter Returns. In a way, I liked it. However, the bigger part of me wishes that the series ended with Volume Six and the ultimate cliffhanger – did Crane and Warren live or die? The “reincarnation” so to speak of the Butchers in Volume Seven seemed like grasping at straws to keep the story going. It was a good story and the Buckaroo Brawl is certainly an interesting idea. I also enjoyed getting to learn about more of the Butchers, even if they were just look alikes. But was it necessary? Not really, no.

Of course, I’m looking forward to the grand finale of Volume Eight. But, in my opinion, nothing trumps what I feel should be the original grand finale of Volume Six. All good things must come to an end – even your favorite series. Nailbiter Returns was highly entertaining and there’s no doubt about that. It’s never good to read something that feels like a last ditch effort to keep something going, though, and that’s what it felt like as I read Volume Seven. Maybe I’ll think differently with the series finale, but this was easily the most disappointing volume so far.

Overall, I am going to rate Nailbiter Returns with a five and a half out of ten stars. Was it good? Yes. Was it great? No. I have come to expect excellence from the Nailbiter series and this one fell totally flat.

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug24

Five Dollar Decor

Posted on by
Standard
Five Dollar Decor

Hello!! I live for this time of year as we transition into fall. Primarily because all of the spooky season decor and clothing hits the stores. Unfortunately, TJMaxx had a whole lot of nothing in the Halloween department during a recent visit. I did get a really cute candy corn plushie, though! After that shopping trip, I decided to let Halloween decor come to me. And it did! During a quick break at work, I stopped into Target to pick up a few birthday prezzies for my bestie. Right around where I was browsing was the five dollar and under section and I literally clutched my pearls when I found this absolute steal:

IMG_8907IMG_8908

Amidst the bits and bobbles of the dollar department, I stumbled upon the very last five dollar Frankenstein jar. Pastel Halloween decor is so on trend and I couldn’t believe my good fortune to have snagged it. Like I said, letting Halloween decor come to me really worked! Of course, the five buck price was not a shock as it was marked as such but it honestly was lol. As soon as I found it, I thought to myself that I would be paying at least double that if I found it at TJMaxx or elsewhere. It was the perfect, cost effective little treat and I couldn’t wait to bring it home to show Johnny and display it on our knick knack shelves.

What I love about my new Frankenstein jar is how different it is. Mine and Johnny’s spooky artifacts mainly feature black, white, and red so this pastel pop of color was a unique and welcome addition. This was my first time in Target in literally forever and it made me very curious about what other Halloween goodies were going to be available in store. In my ideal world there would be a full collection of pastel horror movie monster jars, but I would happily settle for just a Dracula. How cool would that be?!

There were no tricks about this little treat and my appetite for all of the spooky things has been curbed… Ever so slightly for the time being! 😀

Who is your favorite horror movie monster? What kind of Halloween decor do you have? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug23

Lil Red’s Book Club: Nailbiter Vol. 6 “The Bloody Truth” By Joshua Williamson Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Lil Red’s Book Club: Nailbiter Vol. 6 “The Bloody Truth” By Joshua Williamson Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club. In a spoiler free setting, as always, we will be discussing the sixth volume of the Nailbiter series called The Bloody Truth. As per ushe, I finished it in one sitting and spent a majority of my time audibly saying “oh shit” while reading. Lol, this was easily the most insane volume of the series and might just be my favorite one yet. Before we begin our chat, I will be placing a big fat trigger warning for gore, graphic violence, and disturbing content. Now, let’s get to it:

image_50402561(6)

The Bloody Truth begins with a whole lot of… blood. As a Christmas miracle, Edward “Nailbiter” Warren was shot, Finch is currently being tortured by a serial killer named the Book Burner, and Sheriff Crane was stabbed in her home by a rogue Agent Barker. As Alice rushes to the hospital to tend to her mother and avoid her serial killer dad, big things are happening in Buckaroo. It is the grand reopening of the Murder Store that is being operated by a Buckaroo Butcher named The Blonde. Sadly for the eager customers, they will never set foot in the store because in an instant, Buckaroo goes up in smoke.

Unsurprisingly, the Book Burner has a thing for fire and lots of it. He has placed explosives throughout the course of the underground tunnels that run through Buckaroo and it’s time for the big show. To keep the mystery of the Butchers forever a mystery, the explosives detonate and the city must be evacuated. It’s awfully hard for Crane and Warren to escape as they are unconscious in the hospital. While Alice struggles to get both her mother and father out, she gets a helping hand in the worst way possible. The Book Burner is there to take the happy family in its entirety and leads them straight into hell.

Crane, Warren, Alice, Finch, and Agent Barker all find themselves in the underground tunnels and meet The Master (And no, I can’t tell you who it is! What I can say is that he is no stranger.). We also finally learn the secrets of the Buckaroo Butchers, the experiments that turned people into killers, and what The Master was trying so desperately to protect. It doesn’t mean anything, however, if no one makes it out of the tunnels alive. As the explosives continue to detonate, there is a rumbling in the tunnels and our ragtag team must flee. Will anyone survive? Or will the mystery of the Buckaroo Butchers be forever buried underground? Read Nailbiter to find out!

Wow. Wow. WOW. After reading the fifth volume of Nailbiter, I knew that they were setting the stage for all hell to break loose in the remaining volumes. What I didn’t expect was for this to fully happen in The Bloody Truth, but it did and it was nuts. From the very first page to the last, there were twists, turns, reveals, and jump scares that left me completely shook. Each volume built tension that you could cut with a knife and it was simply thrilling to read of its release. There was a lot that I liked in every volume until now, but The Bloody Truth took the cake in a major way.

I consider myself an amateur detective when I read and have a fairly high success rate of solving grand reveals well before it happens. This was not the case for this volume of Nailbiter whatsoever. I had no clue who The Master was and the mystery of the Buckaroo Butchers had me stumped. There were so many red herrings that threw me off the scent and that’s okay! If anything, it was more motivation to keep reading because I hated not knowing. Joshua Williamson did a masterful job of using smoke and mirrors to cover up any inklings that I originally had and it turned flipping through a graphic novel into a full fledged experience. The Nailbiter series could have ended with The Bloody Truth but there are two more volumes left and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

I am going to rate The Bloody Truth with the coveted ten out of ten stars. This was, hands down, the best volume of the bunch and is sure to satisfy the readers who have been craving answers as soon as they started the Nailbiter series. Bravo!

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug19

Lil Red’s Book Club: Nailbiter Vol. 5 “Bound By Blood” By Joshua Williamson Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Lil Red’s Book Club: Nailbiter Vol. 5 “Bound By Blood” By Joshua Williamson Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to discuss the fifth volume in the Nailbiter series called Bound By Blood. Like its predecessors, I devoured volume five in one sitting. There are only three more volumes left in the series and I have been trying to exercise self control to draw it out. However, I just can’t stop reading once I crack open a new one – it’s that good! Before we begin our chat on Bound By Blood, I will be placing a big fat trigger warning for gore, graphic violence, and disturbing content. Now, let’s get to it:

IMG_8902

We can’t very well dive into Volume Five without recapping a few things. In Volume Three, we learned that Sheriff Crane is actually Alice’s mom and she put her daughter up for adoption. Any guesses on who the father is? If you said Crane’s high school sweetheart, Edward “Nailbiter” Warren, then you are spot on! We also experienced a shocking finale in Volume Four – the murder of Eliot Carrol by a one Agent Barker of the FBI. If you recall, Agent Barker, Finch, and Warren were working a case in Atlanta, Georgia. With Barker detained and the biggest lead on the mystery of the Buckaroo Butchers dead, Finch and Warren have no choice but to head back to Oregon and continue the investigation.

Back in Buckaroo, Sheriff Crane is still working the lead that Warren gave her about the town doctor – Doctor Glory who is almost certainly involved in the mystery of the butchers. She is assisted by Buckaroo’s mortician, Reverend Fairgold, and a very unlikely source – a freshly released Butcher whose name is Joy. She is much better known as The Blonde, though, and she offers insight, intel, and the hinting of even more information on Warren. We are also introduced to another Butcher named the Fatal Killer who has never been caught, dead or alive.

As Sheriff Crane is hard at work, Alice is struggling. After the news of who her father really is spread like wildfire, she was kicked out of her foster home and is terrorized by classmates. Dear old serial killer dad is back in Buckaroo and wants to help his daughter avoid a self fulfilling prophecy of becoming a killer too. Rather than take Alice to the tunnels under the serial killer graveyard, he takes her to school instead. The tunnels there don’t lead through underground catacombs but to a lab that is filled with tanks of blood.

In the laboratory, we learn exactly how Doctor Glory was involved and why, but there is no time for that now. The masked killer in black is hot on the tail of Alice and Warren as they have their father/daughter outing. The duo is forced to split up as the situation gets dicey. Warren gets away, but Alice ends up in the grips of the killer yet again. This time, he has other plans than to kill her. He wants to introduce Alice to The Master. Who or what is it? Keep reading Nailbiter to find out!

Bound By Blood was an exciting read because we received tons of missing pieces to solve the mystery of the Buckaroo Butchers. We gained a lot of intel, most importantly about the lab in the school that Warren took Alice to. Of course, we were only given as much as Joshua Williamson wanted us to have and it only intensifies the anticipation of Volume Six. There is the potential that these clues don’t mean anything or mean everything, but Bound By Blood really made me feel like we are on the right path for the first time in the series.

Volume Five also treated us to the tying up of several loose ends – primarily in bringing Sheriff Crane and Warren into present day as a mother and father. This is an especially intriguing point in the plot because there is no telling how Alice, their daughter, factors into it. In Bound By Blood we see her struggle between good and evil in real time, begging the question of where she will end up by the end of the series. There are so many possibilities and I have my theories. I can’t wait to see if I was right. 😀

One other point of interest that Bound By Blood brought us was the more formal introduction of two of the Buckaroo Butchers. We got to know The Blonde and the Fatal Killer in a more in depth way than just a few blurbs throughout the series. This is something that I have been hoping for as I work my way through Nailbiter as there are sixteen Buckaroo Butchers and we don’t know a lot about the majority of them. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Volume Six will allow us to better see the rest of the Butchers as our protagonists continue their investigation!

Overall, I am going to rate Volume Five of Nailbiter with an eight out of ten stars. I loved the different story lines, new characters, and information that we got out of Bound By Blood. I have a feeling that Volume Six is going to be the craziest yet as the series winds down!

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah