the faulkner's apprentice by val muller

Title: Faulkner’s Apprentice
Author: Val Muller
Published: April 30th, 2013
Content Warning: Suggestive themes, non-graphic sexuality, and mild violence
Summary:
Lorelei Cecelia Franklin broke a twenty-year streak of bad luck when she won the L. Cameron Faulkner fiction contest. Apprenticed to the reclusive and famous author, Lorei will spend three weeks with the master of horror himself in the secluded mountains of Virginia. On her way to Faulkner's mansion, Lorei meets a leathery man who snares souls that desire too much, and everything in the mansion screams warnings against him. But with her lust for Faulkner, her appetite for fame, and her wish to protect her ailing mother, Lorei's chances for escape are slim.

My Say:
It is quite a long time since I've read such a chilling story. The Faulkner's Apprentice is actually will keep you up all night and assure you that you wont switch off your light while you're sleeping. At first I though loving dark places is such a weird and odd way to embrace creativity and inspirations. I love the character, Lorelei because she's willing to do anything to save the one she loves and achieve her dreams. It's quite a journey but I was intrigued by the storyline as well as the creativity of how the author relates the whole story and the characters. Sometimes I felt it was quite dragged a bit, but overall the story is good. I fully recommend to whoever loves horror book.

About the Author

English teacher by day, writer by night, Val grew up in cold and haunted New England, which seems to have colored her works with a tinge of the macabre. She currently lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and two corgis, a rambunctious and curious dog named Leia, and a kind and obedient (yet terrified) dog named Yoda. Val writes for children and adults and, when not performing her day job as an English teacher, attends book events and elementary schools to conduct writing workshops.

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the red church by scott nicholson

Title: The Red Church
Author: Scott Nocholson
Pages: 182 (e-Book, pdf)
Rating: 3.5/5

Summary (Amazon):

For 13-year-old Ronnie Day, life is full of problems: Mom and Dad have separated, his brother Tim is a constant pest, Melanie Ward either loves him or hates him, and Jesus Christ won't stay in his heart. Plus he has to walk past the red church every day, where the Bell Monster hides with its wings and claws and livers for eyes. But the biggest problem is that Archer McFall is the new preacher at the church, and Mom wants Ronnie to attend midnight services with her.

Sheriff Frank Littlefield hates the red church for a different reason. His little brother died in a freak accident at the church twenty years ago, and now Frank is starting to see his brother's ghost. And the ghost keeps demanding, "Free me." People are dying in Whispering Pines, and the murders coincide with McFall's return.

The Days, the Littlefields, and the McFalls are descendants of the original families that settled the rural Appalachian community. Those old families share a secret of betrayal and guilt, and McFall wants his congregation to prove its faith. Because he believes he is the Second Son of God, and that the cleansing of sin must be done in blood.

My Say:

First of all, the church in this book really is red. I thought it just portrayed as a dark and horror about it. I have to admit I never read a horror genre books. Maybe I've read RL Stine's Goosebumps or Christopher Pike's Witch before, but it was hardly a horror like Scott Nicholson. When Scott emailed and asked if I'm interested to review his book, I think I have to grab the chance. If I don't have that kind of motivation, I don't think I'll read a horror books nowadays. And Stephen King is never on my list. Maybe I easily chicken out.

My Opinion:

This is a brilliant horror story that I ever read. The story is very engaging and I was left wanting to know more. Honestly, I stop reading for a few days nearly at the middle of the read because I have to pull my guts to continue reading it. There's a lot of mysteries and supernatural horror incidents in the story, it really creeps me out a few times.

Apart from religion's faith and believes, I found the book very original and Scott's writing style is very good. He really did it very well to relate the past and present's setting along with the characters and it sounds so believable. Ronnie's and Frank's character are very strong and I like how he portrayed their characters. And other than creepiness, the book also a page turner, a fast pace read and if you are strong enough, you wouldn't hold on for a few days like me. And all the horror scenes are just that horror! Sometimes I don't remember I hold my breath for so long that I nearly sweat. (May be I am just that scaredy-cat).

I can't compare the book with any other horror books as this is actually my first time reading a 'true' horror book. Nonetheless, I really recommend you guys to read the book and enjoy the creepiness of it. See how your it gets your spine. And just for the record, I read this only during day time, just to get me out of nightmares.

Disclaimer:I received the review copy courtesy of the author, Scott Nicholson. Though I received the book in exchange for fair review, these are my honest opinions and in no way will ever reflected my review.

Note: The review is linked up with CEP. For more information, heads to YA Addict.