The Witches by Roald Dahl

I personally wouldn't let my child read this book. Goodreads tags it as a children's book, middle-grade book, and Young Adult book. So I think it's clear that there is a grey area as to who would enjoy this book. Again, as I said, I am a chicken. Maybe certain children would like it.  I really encourage parents to read a sample at least first and then decide if your child is old enough not only to appreciate these books but to understand that they are works of fiction.

Genres: Horror, Children's Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fantasy, Witches, Classic.

Trigger Warning: Witchcraft, Psychologically Distressing, Permanent Transfiguration, Death and Dying.

"A witch is always a woman. I do not wish to speak badly about women. Most women are lovely. But the fact remains that all witches are women."

This book is about witches, real witches! And how to spot them. They aren't as obvious as riding on broomsticks or wearing pointy hats or cloaks. They are much more subtle, more cunning and vile. They are trained to disguise themselves. They may look like ordinary ladies, but deep down they are detestable creatures. 

So how can you tell? Would you know if you came face to face with a real witch? 

If you don't know. Then you better find out. There is nothing a witch hates more than children. And she has terrifying powers that she will use to get rid of children for good. 

The Review

I am a chicken; I already admitted this last week when writing about the Goosebumps books. I mistakenly only planned four reviews this month and panicked when I realised Halloween fell on a Saturday. (I have a special book planned for Halloween.) So I went looking for another book. I thought I would look at a younger audience and see what was out here. And then I stumbled on Roald Dahl. I loved Roald Dahl when I was a kid: Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach! And of course my personal favourite, The BFG. So when I saw that he had a book called The Witches, I thought it would be a perfect choice. 

I hated this book. I made it halfway through the audiobook, and I just couldn't. I did search the ending, and I will admit it is a nice ending. But I really wouldn't feel comfortable sharing this with a young child. And I wonder if it is a little too juvenile for an older pre-teen. Again, it probably depends on the child - on how sensitive they are, etc. But I can say as a (sensitive) adult, I was put ill at ease while reading it, and I certainly wouldn't let my child read it. (I want to again make clear, though, this is an individual decision that should be made by parents with their child in mind.) 

 

I listened to this book through my local library (on the Libby App). 

Rating and Recommendation

I didn't write a "Spoiler Alert" section because I don't think there is any reason to really spoil what happens. I already wrote in the trigger warning a little about the "climax" of the story, so I just decided to continue on to my recommendation. 

As I already said, this book didn't do it for me. Which is fine. I also recognise I am not the target audience. First, I hate this type of stuff, and second, it is for children. Since I didn't finish the book and I am not the target audience, I decided not to rate it. I already gave my opinion about it, and about children reading it, I think that is enough. 

But I do want to say that I love Roald Dahl, and these really are the type of stories he is known for (this one is a little darker than what I was used to). So if a child enjoys other Roald Dahl books or even the movies, they may enjoy this one also (or grow into it depending on their age).  

I actually do own this book! I own a box set of Roald Dahl books because I love his writing in most cases. I probably would not have bought this book by itself. Especially now that I tried reading it. 

Conclusion

I can not stress this enough: each child is different. Some may enjoy it; others may have nightmares about it. I encourage any adult to read this book before allowing a child in their care to read it. Maybe the story is better and "funnier" in the book; maybe the illustrations make it less scary than the audiobook. I am not sure. That's definitely possible. And something to explore. 

You can find The Witches in its respective mediums below: 

 

* Book cover image retrieved from GoodReads. All rights belong to the author and/or publisher. 
* All the "stickers" in this blog were provided by Bookish (presented by NetGalley).
* Links in this blog may be generated through the Amazon Associates Program. By using this link, I may make a small profit (at no cost to you) from your purchase.

Night of the Living Dummy by R.L. Stine (Book 7 of the Goosebumps Series)

I would classify Goosebumps as a pre-teen book. These books are scary. They are meant to be creepy. I really encourage parents to read a sample at least first and then decide if your child is old enough not only to appreciate these books but to understand that they are works of fiction. Genres: Horror, Children's Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Mystery, Fantasy, Paranormal.

Trigger Warning: Younger children will be frightened by these books. Possessed dolls, talking puppets, mean and rude behaviour, scary, creepy. 

"She had only gone one step when Slappy reached up and grabbed her wrist."

Twins Lindy and Kris were inseparable, as most twins are. But like any siblings, they argued, and jealousy sometimes crept in. While exploring an abandoned house near their own home, Kris and Lindy find a ventriloquist's dummy abandoned in a Dumpster. The girls rescue the dummy, and they decide he should belong to Lindy. Kris becomes incredibly frustrated by this; the dummy, now called Slappy, seems like one more way that Lindy gets all the attention thrown on her. Wanting to make sure Kris doesn't feel left out, her father goes to a local pawn shop and buys Kris her own dummy, Mr Wood. 

While the two girls enjoy playing with their dummies and practising their ventriloquist acts, strange things begin to happen. But surely Mr. Wood and Slappy can't be the cause of all these nasty things. Could they?

The Review

I am a chicken. There is no way around it. I am a chicken. I hate scary stuff. I hate scary movies, am not a huge fan of Halloween, and really not interested in horror whatsoever. I have never been. Goosebumps was not my cup of tea, at all (and by that I meant I knew enough about them to decide without ever opening a single book that they would give me nightmares for a week). At the ripe old age of 30, I watched the movies for the first time. And it still kinda freaked me out even at thirty. So I know I made the right call. But I remember how popular they were in school. I think I was in the fourth grade when the boys mostly started borrowing them from the library. And then by grade five, a lot more people started fighting over them. (Not me, I was still perfectly happy with The Stinky Cheeseman!) 

There is no denying that these books were huge, especially in the 90s. They made TV shows inspired by them, movies- you name it, they cashed in on it. After listening to this book, I think I can see why. To me this would be the starting point for any young "horror" buff. Chances are if you liked Goosebumps as a kid, you read Stephen King now. But I can say that they are well written in my opinion, and I think most curious kids would enjoy them as long as they don't have overactive imaginations or sensitivities to these types of things (like myself). 

SPOILER ALERT

The book is about two girls who find these dummies. One dummy is mysteriously moving around and seems to be coming alive when no one is looking. One sister eventually confesses that it is her and that she was trying to freak her sister out (which works). But after reading a magic incantation in the dummy's pocket, the other dummy really does come alive! (Yes, it's terrifying.) The dummy seems unstoppable until he is finally "killed". 

 

I listened to this book through my local library (on the Libby App). 

Rating and Recommendation

Rating these books is always a tricky thing for me. This book's target audience is children who like horror, and I am neither. It is not my cup of tea. But as I said, it is well written, and it was the it thing before books like Harry Potter came around. Many people my age and a bit older will have grown up on these books, and it is not surprising that they were the books children learned to read with and found a love of reading because of them. So I highly recommend them for middle schoolers who enjoy being scared or these suspenseful, creepy-type stories.  

I do not own this book. I am a little old to be buying this book now. (I have a huge list of books that I already want to buy without adding some childhood books I don't own yet.) But if I saw the series (a box set) on sale, I would jump on it. That being said, I think it is a great investment if you have children. 

Conclusion

If your child likes creepy stories, spooky campfire tales, or is just starting to get their feet wet when it comes to horror. This is the series for them. There are a lot of books, and they don't necessarily follow (unless they say so), so jumping in with any book is easy to do. 

You can find Night of the Living Dummy in its respective mediums below: 

 

* Book cover image retrieved from GoodReads. All rights belong to the author and/or publisher. 
* All the "stickers" in this blog were provided by Bookish (presented by NetGalley).
* Links in this blog may be generated through the Amazon Associates Program. By using this link, I may make a small profit (at no cost to you) from your purchase.

Lover Eternal (Book 2 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series) by J. R. Ward

This book is considered Fantasy, Vampires, Romance, Paranormal, Supernatural, Slightly Erotic, Adult

Trigger Warning: 

This book deals with death, war, vampires, and fertility issues. 

"I mean, come on. He's kind of cute, in a Godzilla sort of way."

The war continues to rage on in Caldwell. The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a band of vampire warriors fighting to save their race from the Lessening Society. A group determined to slay the vampire population. 

Among the band of brothers, the most dangerous of them all is Rhage, son of Tohrture. Cursed by the Scribe Virgin, Rhage is forced to go through life with his beast - something that makes him not only the quickest to act on impulse but also the best fighter the Brotherhood has. However, when the dark side takes over, Rhage fears there will come a time that his inner dragon will turn on his brothers. Scared for the safety of those around him, Rhage tends to keep everyone at arm's length.  

Until he met her. 

Mary Luce is a volunteer at a suicide prevention hotline. She was living her life, coming to terms with the fact that she is dying. Leukemia. But that doesn't stop her from wanting to give something back before her time is up. A series of events throws Mary into the vampire world, and she has to rely on Rhage to protect her. But Rhage has much more than protection on his mind. 

The Review

I love Rhage and Mary's story. From what we know about Rhage, he is the typical playboy vampire. And with the curse, it seems like he is devoted to that life. To being kept at arm's length. But Mary just finds her way into his heart. From the minute he meets her, he bonds to her. She piques not only his interest but the beast's also. This sensation is unusual for Rhage. But still, he struggles with the what if: what if his beast hurts her, or worse.

But we soon learn that the beast loves Mary also, and he bows to her. He would never hurt her. And Mary Luce is not afraid of the dragon inside. In fact, she finds him kinda cute and enjoys that both Rhage and the beast are so fiercely protective of her. 

SPOILER ALERT

I was terrified that Rhage would not get his happily ever after. Mary has cancer, and she is dying. And these aren't the bite-you-and-you-turn kind of vampires. As her sickness gets worse, it looks dire. And even when Rhage goes to the Scribe Virgin to spare her, the devastating deal had me in tears. The Scribe Virgin would spare Mary, but Rhage would never be able to see her again. And in true love fashion, he agrees. (Even accepting that he would have to live with his curse for the rest of his life.) 

I thought I would throw the book out the window at this point. But thankfully, the Scribe Virgin changes her pact with Rhage once she learns that Mary is barren due to her chemotherapy treatments and can not have children. To the mother of the vampire race, infertility was enough of a trade-off for the two to be together. 

I own this book and read it in less than a week. 

 

Rating and Recommendation

I originally gave this book five stars; looking back, I still feel that way. In some ways, I liked Rhage and Mary's story more than Wrath and Beth. It was different: darker and more gut-wrenching. But it was worth the journey. And I think, even now, they are my favourite couple. They work together perfectly. And not just subconsciously, but spiritually. I think the beast talking to her really highlights that this is meant to be. And I think little corny things like this are always the cherry on top. 

I ran out and bought every Black Dagger Brotherhood book I could get my hands on at the time, and I continued buying them until the story got too far away from the original brothers. 

Conclusion

As I said with the review for Dark Lover, these books are a bit dated now. But I think as long as everyone keeps in mind that these are fiction and meant to entertain and not offend, a lot of people will enjoy it. If you liked Wrath and Beth, you will love Rhage and Mary. And it is a happy ending, so that is even better. It hits a lot of different elements, so I think a wide range of people can find something they like in it. Along with the love story, we also have vampires (enough said), and the war with the Lessening Society in the background. And of course, all kinds of fun drama here and there. 

You can find Lover Eternal in its respective mediums below: 

The Black Dagger Brotherhood has been adapted into a television series by PassionFlix. Lover Eternal will be represented in season two, coming October 29th. 

* Book cover image retrieved from GoodReads. All rights belong to the author and/or publisher. 
* All the "stickers" in this blog were provided by Bookish (presented by NetGalley).
* Links in this blog may be generated through the Amazon Associates Program. By using this link, I may make a small profit (at no cost to you) from your purchase.