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A Wretched Little Book of Poems: Remastered by Allen Isom (Book Review)

This Wretched Little Book is a must-read for fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Where the Sidewalk Ends. It promises to leave you both delighted and frightened. Embark on a spine-tingling journey through the pages of this book, featuring 10 brand new poems and eerie illustrations crafted by artificial intelligence in this remastering of the original.

Explore the bone-chilling tales of the Man in the Mask, Squid Face Girl, and The Depths, as you immerse yourself in the haunting and poetic stories of this collection. With a perfect blend of macabre terror and spooky fun, these poems are bound to stay with you long after you finish reading.

So, beware of the Little Beasties and other malevolent entities that may be Waiting in the Woods. And, above all, never look Behind You! Each page is filled with dread and suspense, keeping you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

Get ready to uncover the horrors that lie within your closets and under your bed, and experience the thrill of this illustrated horror poetry.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery.  I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

We’ve all heard the familiar statement, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” I judged A Wretched Little Book of Poems: Remastered by its, and my assessment proved accurate. Every image would please horror, supernatural, paranormal, or occult fans. His poetry contained the right blend of suspense and horror, making me thirsty for more. 

My favorite selections revolved around the living dead. “The Deadwoods” was one of my favorite poems. I also enjoyed the horde of the “walking dead” image that followed “Zombie Town.” Each made me itch to watch a zombie flick. 

“Squid Face Girl” was hauntingly sad. Kali, the girl with tentacles on the lower half of her face, never felt love. She’s never been kissed. Kids were horrific towards her. Poor Kali was alone and only wanted someone to look past the squid face and see the beauty within. “Squid Face Girl” illustrates how the real monsters are the ones who look normal to the naked eye. 

“Dream Come True” was phenomenal. It gave readers a horrific twist on the power of a genie and how one should take great thought into stating a wish. The mother/monster image also scared the holy heck out of me! 

“Something Ate Me” gave me goosebumps, especially the line, “At least it cannot eat me twice.”

I’ll never look at my daughter’s rock collection after reading “Pet Rock.” NEVER! 

While many, MANY drawings sent shivers down my spine, one will definitely haunt my dreams tonight and many nights in the future. The severed head that accompanied “Old Severed Head” had a realness quality to it. It didn’t look like a creature straight from hellIt looked like an everyday man whose path crossed with the worst evil imaginable. Wait until you see the drawing…seriously, SHIVERS! Further into the book, the writer drew an axe-wielding man who reminded me of Jason from Friday the 13th. Again, images that show plausible monsters are the scariest (in my opinion). 

“What’s for Dinner” made me think of tall tales centering around “witches” capturing children to cook and eat them. The writer’s picture of the person sitting in the pot of boiling water made me shift nervously in my seat. His eyes seemed to stare at me, and I almost expected him to jump out of the book and grab me, bringing me into the bubbling cauldron with him. 

If you loathe bugs, you’ll want to avoid “Timmy’s Tummy,” “Creepy Crawlies,” and “Infestation.” The images are cringe-worthy! 

Allen Isom’s spine-tingling poetry book needs to be transformed into several 30-minute episodes. His creative mind designed drawings that any special effects artist (make-up and digital) would jump at the chance to bring to life. 

Poem after poem, drawing after drawing, each page is more haunting than the last. Evil lurks everywhere, even in space.  

Grab a copy of A Wretched Little Book of Poems: Remastered and step into the world of the strange, the frightening…YOUR worst nightmare!

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤

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Meet the Author

When Allen Isom isn’t conjuring up spine-tingling tales of terror, he can be found lurking in the shadows, cackling maniacally and muttering to himself. Born in a haunted house, Allen Isom has always had a fascination with the darker side of life. His writing is a twisted mix of horror and humor.

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Shelter for the Damned by Mike Thorn (Book Review)

 

While looking for a secret place to smoke cigarettes with his two best friends, troubled teenager Mark discovers a mysterious shack in a suburban field. Alienated from his parents and peers, Mark finds within the shack an escape greater than anything he has ever experienced.

But it isn’t long before the place begins revealing its strange, powerful sentience. And it wants something in exchange for the shelter it provides.

Shelter for the Damned is not only a scary, fast-paced horror novel, but also an unflinching study of suburban violence, masculine conditioning, and adolescent rage.

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(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique) 

 

Holy smokes, this book was a challenging read. Scenes were written exceptionally well, in painstaking detail, which made me want to gag at times. 

If the monster/presence in the shack were real, it would scare the sh*t out of anyone who had the misfortune to encounter it. I don’t want to give too much away about it or its evil intentions, but its actions are vile, sickening, gut-churning, and a thousand more adjectives along those lines. 

If I could change/add to Shelter for the Damned, it would be answering a few questions. Why did the Shack want Mark? Did it sense Mark’s anger? Was Mark a psychopath? What made Mark such an angry/problematic teen? I think understanding his past more would’ve helped me understand his draw to the Shack and it to him.  

With or without the added details, Shelter for the Damned is twisted AF and not for the faint of heart. 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤

 

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Mike Thorn is the author of the short story collection Darkest Hours. His fiction has appeared in numerous magazines, anthologies and podcasts, including Vastarien, Dark Moon Digest, The NoSleep Podcast, Tales to Terrify, and Prairie Gothic. His film criticism has been published in MUBI Notebook, The Film Stage, and Vague Visages. He completed his M.A. with a major in English literature at the University of Calgary, where he wrote a thesis on epistemophobia in John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness.

Connect with him on Twitter (@MikeThornWrites) or visit his website for more information: mikethornwrites.com.

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Death O Death Horror Collection Vol 2 by Ellie Douglas (Book Showcase)

Ten Horror Stories

Unimaginable monsters to take your breath away.
What you can’t see will horrify you.
You’ll be squirming in sheer terror.
Real and unseen-evil awaits. Watching. Lurking.
When you least expect, it will pounce and consume you!
Safety warnings: May induce a rise in blood pressure.
Don’t read alone.
Keep the lights on.

The question is: Are you brave enough?

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 ~ Anthology Content ~

Don’t Look Under The Bed
Bogeyman
Can You Imagine
Grounders
Infest
Junkyard
Point Of No Return
Siphon
Trick or Treat
Why Aren’t You Scared


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~ Excerpt from Don’t Look Under The Bed

When Sue tried to wriggle out of its grip, she could feel her hair being pulled from the roots. A surge of pain filled her skull and ran down her spine to the very bottom of her feet. Right at that moment she felt like she had been electrocuted. The creature yanked on a section of her hair so hard and fast, that she’d been left with a large bald patch and more searing hot liquid ran down her back. Sue let out a fox like scream before gritting her teeth in excruciating pain.

Each time the beast pulled and ripped sections of her hair out, she felt like she was the ocean floor being repeatedly pounded by an anchor. The weight she felt pushing her into the floor made her feel as though her ribs were going to be crushed at any moment.

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K.Z., Amazon Customer, 5⭐: Death O Death is definitely not a collection of bed time stories.
Ellie Douglas new anthology can scare the socks off the tin man! You’re not in Kansas any more, Toto! Leave the lights on.
Every story reaches just a little farther into the terrifying world of madness and gore, each tale unique and graphically written to send a new shiver down the spine with every turn of the page.
Any fan of bloody horror stories will love this new collection!

 

Mark, Amazon Customer, 5⭐: This is not simply another collection of horror stories. There is nothing simple about them AT ALL! Ellie’s imagination is unparalleled as she weaves shock upon shock, like an overcharged Electroshock Therapy treatment. Each story doubles the voltage and is liable to cause massive brain seizures!!
Be scared. Be VERY scared.
Five ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars for the Mistress of Murder & Mayhem.

 

Andrea, Goodreads Contributor, 4⭐: An impeccable anthology!

I don’t call Ellie Douglas ‘Horror Queen’ for no reason. She is a phenomenal writer. Anthologies might be tricky. There’s always one or another story that you might prefer that weren’t in the book. That’s not the case here. The author presents us ten impeccable short stories that will scare you to death.


In the description of the book, Douglas tells us what to expect. And she defies us – “Are you brave enough?” Believe me when I tell you, and I’m entitled to tell you because I’ve read horror a lot, you must be really brave. From the first story on you can already see that she’s right to warn us. And I dare you not be scratching your head reading ‘Infested’.


For me, what makes Douglas’ stories so good is the fact that she can turn ordinary facts into something so frightening and/or create stories which have already been told so many times into something totally new making us surprised and, of course, terrified.
I loved all ten stories, but, of course, I have my favorites: ‘Junkyard’, ‘Can You Imagine’, and ‘Point Of No Return’. All three of them leave us in ‘tense mode’ and it’s hard to see what is coming. Brilliant!


There is something really cool in this book – ‘Trick Or Treat’ and ‘Junkyard’ were starred by two real life people. And don’t think the author went easy with the characters because of it, because she didn’t.


I’ve already read a few books by this author and will certainly read all of Ellie Douglas’ books. As I said, I don’t call her ‘Horror Queen’ for no reason.

 

Read more Goodreads’ reviews here –> Goodreads Link  <—

 

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Born and raised in New Zealand, a mother and wife who donates what spare time she has into volunteer work with Autistic children.

Ellie Douglas is addicted to horror, everything about it she loves. She enjoys creating strong characters that rise to the top from ordinary lives.

Her love affair with horror has seen her produce three award winning horror books. With many more on the way.

Ellie is creative in all aspects with several adult coloring books and an online casino slot game under her belt. She is constantly striving to do more.

Ellie also makes professional book covers for authors and she makes websites, banners, and logos too.

Ellie’s ultimate aim is to give back, paying it forward and to constantly better herself. To give the audience amazing entertaining stories that she herself would read.

She would love to scare you…

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