Boogerman's House / Nightmare House (A Haunting Novella)

First title/cover

NEW title/cover!

Varley, D. (2015). Boogerman's House. Missouri City, TX: Garden Gate Press.

Young Adult / Horror / Paranormal / Novella

I gave this book 5 of 5 Stars

eBOOK ON SALE NOW FOR JUST $0.99!

It's the anniversary of the first of a series of murder-suicides that happened at Boogerman's House -- one of the most haunted spots in America. What better time for three teens to investigate it for themselves and then write-up their story in the Thornback High newspaper?  Dax Varley provides a quick, well-connected horror story reminiscent of an episode from The Outer Limits or The Twilight Zone. (cue the music) Be prepared to flinch.

What really makes this story rock is that there is the main plot with what the teens are doing, but then there are sub-plots and side stories of the dead that just add to the overall creepy factor.  Also, Varley has included some peculiar and spooky photographs that tie-in, and let's be honest: everyone loves weird pictures. As expected, the teens play a few harmless tricks on each other and one teen may even have a hidden agenda, but Boogerman's House is all about playing different games with the teens: mind games of the deadliest kind. 

From the very beginning, a sense of dread builds steadily and leads to some shockers, but some of the after-shocks are just as horrifying. The ending is just right, leaving plenty of questions but more in a mystical way than a frustrating one. Could there be a connected story down the road?  The writing is fast-paced and descriptive so that readers will be flipping pages and feeling like the proverbial fly on the wall.  The characters are realistic and so is the action, so sensitive readers, know that there is crassness, profanity, violence, gore, and sexual references.

I recommend this book for teens and anyone older who enjoys a whole lot of scary story in a tight, short presentation. Thank you to the author for giving me a copy (and a photo opp!) just 'cause she's awesome. And, yeah, I promised in return to give my honest review -- the only kind I give.

Check out this little teaser trailer:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 
Dax Varley writes the kind of young adult novels she wishes were around when she was a teen. She's a lover of humor, horror and all things paranormal.
When Dax isn't writing, she's collecting odd photos online, reading recaps of her favorite shows or kicked back with a good book. She lives in Richmond, Texas with her husband, a shelf full of action figures and about a dozen imaginary friends.
Real or imaginary, you can find her at the following locations: WEBSITE, TWITTER, FACEBOOK

The author with this book with me and the NEXT book to review!

ALSO BY DAX VARLEY:

Click for Hall Ways Review

Hope -- The Story of a Banana-Fish

Neumeier, D.A. (2015). Hope – The Story of a Banana-Fish. Self-published.

All Ages* / Fantasy / Adventure

I gave this book 5 of 5 Stars

In David A Neumeier’s Hope – The Story of a Banana-Fish, readers are taken on a wonderful underwater adventure seemingly inspired in part by Disney’s Finding Nemo but also by J.D. Salinger’s short “A Perfect Day for Bananafish.”  In Hope, the main character is a young female fish named Hope who, like Nemo, has physical characteristics that set her apart from the other fish in her community and cause her mockery and embarrassment.  Also, like Nemo, Hope gets separated from her school and her dad sets out to find her; however, the similarities end there.  As Hope finds strength in her differences and in her journey to reconnect with her parents and their school, she learns to trust her instincts and follow her heart – even when they are in opposition to the norm.   Neumeier has written a fast-paced, action packed story that will keep the youngest readers entertained and on the edge of their seats, while older readers reflect upon the deeper messages about society.

Neumeier’s writing is smooth and he has a real talent for storytelling, striking just the right balance between the dialogue and expository writing. The characters are rich and memorable, with enough details given for readers to connect. It is impressive that from a few lines in the tale by Salinger (that the bananafish will overfeed itself on bananas to the point it gets so fat it can’t escape from its hole and dies), Neumeier has created an entire underwater society and system which Hope turns upside down.  It’s an excellent illustration of how one person or event can be a huge catalyst for positive change.
  *While this book isn’t categorized for children, it absolutely is appropriate for kids and lends itself to many opportunities for teachable moments about tolerance, co-existence, fear, perseverance, safety, and so much more.   Hope – The Story of a Banana-Fish has all the right elements, including humor, heartache, and horror, to keep readers engaged to the final pages.

This book was reviewed for Readers' Favorite, which provided me an eBook copy in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give.  

Like Hope – The Story of a Banana-Fish on FACEBOOK