Book Review: "Graveyard Shift" by M.L. Rio

Every night, just around midnight, the five of them—Edie, Theo, Tuck, Hannah, and Tamar—gather in an old cemetery outside an abandoned and dilapidated church. It’s the only place on university property they can smoke.

They’re not friends but they’re not exactly strangers. They trade gossip, throw barbs at one another, but mostly they come, they smoke, they go.

But one night in October, they discover a freshly dug hole. The graveyard hasn’t been used in years, so who dug the hole? And what is it for?

When the man who dug the grave returns to fill it, several members of the group spy on him. What they find is creepy and confusing, but they can’t understand what it means, or why it’s there. So they follow the gravedigger to see if he’ll lead them to some answers.

The entire book takes place over the course of a few hours, and is seen from each of their perspectives. Is there a connection between the grave and other strange happenings?

I love dark academia so I decided to read this despite my usual fear of spooky stuff. This was creepy instead of spooky (and pretty gross in one or two places), and I never felt like the story took hold. I think there was a lot of potential here that wasn’t realized, so I’m not sure what the point was.

Book Review: "Hidden Pictures" by Jason Rekulak

Boy, this book sure was creepy and twisty!

You’ve probably seen this all over but I’ve been meaning to read it for months. I’m proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and reading something spooky, too!

Mallory, looking for her first job after rehab and recovery, gets hired by Ted and Caroline Maxwell to care for their five-year-old son, Teddy. Despite some stringent rules, Mallory quickly grows to love the job and becomes a part of the family. And Teddy is a loving child, shy but curious and creative.

Above everything, Teddy loves to draw. His pictures are sweet and childish, depictions of his family, Mallory, and the things he sees. But suddenly his drawings stark to take a sinister tone—one day he draws a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s body, and shortly thereafter he draws the man throwing her body into a hole.

Mallory is disturbed by these drawings, but when they evolve into more sophisticated, creepier drawings that a five-year-old couldn’t possibly have drawn, she starts to think he’s being controlled by a supernatural force, perhaps the spirit of the woman in the drawings. But Caroline and Ted believe Mallory must be using again, and suspect she’s the one drawing the pictures.

Mallory is determined to solve the mystery, but it’s far more complex than she can even imagine. While I was a little disappointed by the big twist in the book, I was hooked on this story, which has a surprising amount of emotion for this genre. And the pictures are creepy, so be sure to pick up a physical copy of the book, so you can see the drawings, too!!

Book Review: "Blackwater" by Jeannette Arroyo and Ren Graham

There’s something strange happening in the small town of Blackwater, Maine…

Tony is a handsome, popular track star. Sometimes he’s kind and friendly, and sometimes he’s drawn into pranks or bullying by his best friend, the football team’s quarterback. At the end of the day, what he wants more than anything is for his father to notice and appreciate him.

Eli has an autoimmune disease which lands him in and out of the hospital, and often makes him use a wheelchair. He is a complete outcast in school and his overprotective mother doesn’t want him to worry or get stressed, or he could get sicker. He just wants to have friends.

Despite the fact that his friend bullies Eli constantly, there’s something about him that intrigues Tony. But Tony isn’t sure what his feelings mean, and he’s certainly not going to let his guard down.

One night while on a hunting trip, Tony gets bitten by some animal. The next thing he knows, his temper flares up constantly and something seems to happen to him when he gets angry. There’s a mysterious woman in the woods who knows the truth but she refuses to help him. So it’s up to Eli to try and find answers—and perhaps he can figure out how to help the fisherman’s ghost that keeps following him.

Nothing like a combination of high school drama, ghosts, werewolf sightings, and tentative steps toward realizing who you really are! This graphic novel—which is co-written and illustrated—was a fun, slightly spooky read!