What's All This?

Some of you might be surprised to find that Spinechills looks a little different. After a rather extended absence, I've decided to give it a bit of a facelift and to add a few new features: over the coming weeks I'll add some Best Reads lists and some Writing Tips.

I've decided to dust off the cobwebs to make it more in line with my HJ Harper blog - for all three of you who don't know, I also write children's books under another name, though since they weren't horror I'd decided to keep both worlds separate. But as I'm preparing to write horror books for kids, I thought it was time for these worlds to collide!

Please let me know what you think about the changes, and stay tuned for more Spinechills!

Scary Reads, Freshly Bagged!

It's Christmas in the bookshop, which means it's insanely busy, but I had a moment to snap some pics of these new horror releases from the last couple of months. 

For Older Readers (mostly 12+)

• Zom-B by Darren Shan: Shan is one of the undisputed masters of YA horror, and I'm halfway through this excellent book. Review coming soon.
• Oblivion by Anthony Horowitz: I've only read Raven's Gate, the first in this series, but it completely blew me away. Can't wait to get up to book 5, I love a horror story set in the ice.
• The Sacrifice by Charlie Higson: One of my absolute favourite series, and my favourite zombie apocalypse tale. Review coming soon.
• Unwholly by Neal Shusterman: SO excited to see this. Unwind (the prequel to Unwholly) has one of the most memorably horrific scenes I've ever read. 
• Haunters by Thomas Taylor: More time travel than horror, but still a great read. Review here.
• Spook's: Slither's Tale by Joseph Delaney: Wow. Where do I even begin? A new Spook's tale, but one that follows a Haizda mage called Slither. Possibly my favourite Spook's story yet. Review coming soon.
• Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick: Sequel to Ashes which I never quite got around to reading, but was highly recommended by friends.

Review - Infinity Ring

The Eulogy (From the Publishers):
When best friends Dak Smyth and Sera Froste stumble upon the secret of time travel -- a hand-held device known as the Infinity Ring -- they're swept up in a centuries-long secret war for the fate of mankind. Recruited by the Hystorians, a secret society that dates back to Aristotle, the kids learn that history has gone disastrously off course.Now it's up to Dak, Sera, and teenage Hystorian-in-training Riq to travel back in time to fix the Great Breaks . . . and to save Dak's missing parents while they're at it. First stop: Spain, 1492, where a sailor named Christopher Columbus is about to be thrown overboard in a deadly mutiny!

Spook's Blood Trailer

The Wardstone Chronicles is, I think, my absolute favourite young adult horror series - brilliant mythology, gripping plots and a cast of amazing characters. I never feel like I'm reading a book when I pick up the latest Spook's, more re-entering a world I love spending time in with people I hope don't meet grisly ends.

Needless to say I am very, very excited about Spook's Blood. Here's the trailer:

I'm putting off reading this latest one until I'm a little less busy, because I know I'm going to just want to read it all in one sitting. And for the rest of you who haven't ever read a Spook's book, hopefully this trailer will give you a little clue on what you've been missing out on!

Review - Haunters

The Eulogy (From the Publisher): 

Eddie, Adam and David have the same gift. Separated by generations, they are linked by their ability to time-travel. Using their dreams, they can appear like ghosts, wherever and whenever they want. The first is the genius who discovers dreamwalking. The second is a Haunter, a dream-terrorist, determined to change history for his own ends. The last is the novice dreamwalker who must battle to save his family, and himself, from oblivion.

The Epitaph (In a Nutshell): An interesting and atmospheric young adult novel that melds ghosts and time travel.

Dearly Departed, 

We are gathered here today to discuss Haunters by Thomas Taylor. I'm not the biggest fan of time travel - in fact, had I looked past the cover and title that seemed to scream 'GHOSTS!' and saw that it was about visiting the past, I might not have picked it up. However, I'm glad I did give it a go, because Haunters is one of the more original reads I've read recently.

Any author who is having trouble with their opening scene would do well to study Haunters, because it throws you right into the action from page one, as main character David attempts to save Eddie from a burning building. Throughout this opening chapter I was left with a very unsettling sense of disorientation, almost as though I was reading the final scene of a book, and it really sucked me in. 

As much as I did enjoy this book, I was expecting a scarier read. I couldn't really call this a ghost story; though there are ghosts, they're not really of the vengeful dead spirit variety, more a side effect of time travel. That said, the action is top notch, and I really enjoyed the original take on the time travel genre, so I'd definitely recommend this to any reader looking for an unsettling mystery tale.

Recommended for: Fans of time travel; Time Riders; Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children.