Book Review: Black Cairn Point by Claire McFall

Is Time Team still on TV?

Two Survivors, One Terrible Truth.

Heather agrees to a camping holiday with Dougie and his friends because she's desperate to get closer to him. But when they disturb a pagan burial site above the beach, Heather becomes certain that they have woken a malevolent sprit. Something is alive out there in the pitch-black dark, and it is planning deadly revenge. 

One year later Heather knows that she was very lucky to escape Black Cairn Point relatively unscathed, but she is still waiting for Dougie to wake from his coma. If he doesn't, how will she prove her sanity, and her innocence? 

Okay,  I'm not sure what this novel is trying to be. A horror thriller I guess.

This book is set in Scotland somewhere and it fun to guess where. They're leaving the city and going through Ayrshire countryside on the M77 and stop in Kilmarnock which is in East Ayrshire. The city has to be Glasgow because that's the only city on the West side of Scotland. Kilmarknock seems like a weird place to stop for booze if staying for the M77 a while longer so must be someone where before Ayr where the M77 stops and becomes the A77. Does anyone care? They going to Stranraer and if you got there in a hour from Kilmarnock you're probably be dead.

Random geography :Strangler isn't in Dumfrieshire.  It's in Wigtownshire. They not even next to each other. Also not a chance you could not successfully hitchkite to Glasgow, even to get to a town with decent public transport would take a while. He would have to find his way to Dumfries or get super lucky. There's are buses, but it's all nonsense.

Heather is bit too impressed by the ocean for someone who lives on an island. The ocean is an hour away and I haven't seen it for months either.

The boys became out being very dislikable, almost straight away...even the love interest. I didn't care much about the characters. I was mostly when do you all die and how?

The book is told in the POV of Heather, in Now and Then. This an affect to have an unreliable narrator in Heather. Except she not really. This is kinda spoilery so skipped if you don't want to be at all. It's just straight up lies and it's never clear what version of events we meant to be getting. It's not satisfying to be given account and then have the Twist on one page. There were meant to be hints, but not enough. It's just hur? I would want to have a proper recount of what actually went down, if this was what you're were going to do.

Overall, I give this book 3/5 stars for dumb fires. I own one of Claire McFalls's other books and still plan to t read it but I'm hoping it was better than this. This novel brings up a lot of questions, to give an obvious twist. It's just fine. 

Book Review: Fir by Sharon Gosling

Forests are obviously evil.

Moving from Stockholm to an isolated pine plantation in northern Sweden is bad enough, but when the snows come early and all links between the Strombergs and the outside world are cut off, it gets worse. With only a grudging housekeeper and increasingly withdrawn parents for company, there is nothing to do but to explore the old plantation house. Anything to stay out of the endless pine trees pressing in on them. But soon it becomes clear that the danger within the old plantation house is even greater than what lies outside…

A chilling YA horror, perfect for fans of Dawn Kurtagich, Juno Dawson and Stephen King.

I just want to comment on the Stephen King being added on to YA horror writers. Sure, they on the same level as King's horror (Well, I know I rather read Kurtagich or Dawson again. King though...?). So finally with this book I have read all of the released books of the Red Eyes series (I don't have connections to get a book five months, that has a preview in Fir so is probably finished. We can compare in April).

So this is unique setting of Sweden (though I know of another British Horror book out there that is set in Northern Sweden and involves the Forest. Stay out of the Forests in Northern Sweden I guess).

The book is told in the POV of a unnamed protagonist in sort of a diary form, with poem from the forest every second chapter, which is why is probably compared to Kurtagich with her 'Dead House'.

The parents are generic have their own issues going on so lets solve our problems by moving to nowhere without a support unit to run a business that they know nothing about it. We also have a guide and much of kids that part of programme to educate kids about the forests. Then there's the creepy old maid that's worked at the house her whole working life.

The forest is also personified with tales of creatures in it.  The house is spooky as well so the setting is great and the mystery side works.

Overall, I give this book 4/5 stars for secret hidey-holes... I'm now conflicted because this book levels with Frozen Charlotte or is better. It has similarity with isolation and supernatural beings messing with people. Also spooky child/ren. I would recommended if like that book and just if you like YA Horror.

Dis: This is the only Red Eye book that I have currently not gotten this for Review off NetGalley. Just saying so you know I didn't forget the disclaimer.

Buy.

Book Review: While the Others Sleep by Tom Becker

I slept like a baby after reading thing. Though, a baby with insomnia, but that's normal.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Alfie can't sleep. He's been sent to the sanatorium to "get better".

And it's a terrifying place.

Especially at night...when everyone else is asleep.

Alfie soon discovers that being awake is the most dangerous condition of all.

You'll find out why. But don't expect to sleep afterwards.

I liked this book, right till the end because I really don't get what going on there. The conclusion of this book is unsatisfying and confusing. There were questions raised I don't think were answered. The twists were dumb.

The writing seems to be too modern. I can understand this with this being YA and aimed at inexperienced readers but this story doesn't fully work in it's time setting to begin with. Asylums are talked about as if they are a thing of the distant past but this is going on right now, in the hell day of them being terrible. 

 Overall,  I give this book 2 out of 5 stars for night walking. This story was okay, but in terms of horror, it's not scary and is very cliché in a nonsensical way.  There is some interesting imagery but that's about it. ALSO WHO THE HELL SET FIRE TO THE HOUSE?