With Halloween sliding closer and closer, it's time to turn the creepy factor up with today's read. This is the latest in a series of books, and yes, I have read some of them already. (Wow, right?) So far, these have given me a bit of Goosebump vibes but with a slightly darker twist. Each one is very different, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that this latest addition seems to nod towards scifi.
But first.....
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I have an awesome cover reveal, I want to share with you (because the author is such a lovely person, too!) This one comes from Valinora Troy and her upcoming release, Lianna and the Hombit.
LIANNA AND THE HOMBIT
13-year-old Lianna has lost everything: her home, her friends, and most devastatingly, her beloved Papa. Sent to live with her uncle, Lianna is certain he will be cruel and unkind, for why else would Papa have run away when he was young? Robbed on arrival of her precious keepsakes, Lianna receives a worse-than-expected welcome from her uncle. His servants are hostile and even her grandparents seem to glare at her from their portraits over the fire.
When a magical creature resembling a small glass bird bursts into her life in a mix of sparks and fire, Lianna is eager to assist the hombit with its secret mission if it helps her return home. Which leads to Lianna undertaking a risky dive near perilous sea stacks known as ‘living rocks’.
When her dive goes wrong, she awakens a creature that seeks to rob her of her humanity.
To survive, Lianna must uncover the dark secrets of her father’s past. Now she faces a stark decision: does she save herself or the town that rejects both her and her father?
A heart-warming story of the healing power of friendship when all seems lost.
ALL ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Valinora Troy is a children’s fantasy writer from Ireland. She has a MA in Creative Writing Specialising in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and has served as a panellist for the CYBILS awards (elementary & middle grade speculative fiction category). Her short stories for adults have been in a number of publications. She is the author of ‘The Lucky Diamond’ trilogy, three middle grade children’s fantasy adventures. She has recently been shortlisted for the Staróg prize, and has served as a Reading Ambassador for Louth County Libraries.
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Okie dokie! Now, let's open up this spookier read and see what it holds!
NIGHTMARE ON SCUTTLER ISLAND
Between Dark and Light
by Chris von Halle
Upper Middle Grade & YA Horror
191 pages
ages 10 to 18
What if everything you knew about your life was a carefully constructed lie?
Thirteen-year-old Billy and his younger sister Megan have never seen the sun. Raised by their AI mother Darla two hundred feet underground, they’ve lived their entire lives in a two-room den—safe, comfortable, and completely isolated from the outside world. That is, until the power cuts out.
Armed with laser guns, protective gear, and a cryptic mission, Billy and Megan are forced to evacuate to the surface… and step straight into a waking nightmare.
The island above is cloaked in heavy, black mist. Withering trees line the roads. And massive black machines marked with an eerie corporate insignia patrol the streets—firing on sight. While dodging death at every turn, the siblings encounter other kids who also emerged from underground dens. But when the group uncovers the first clues about why they were hidden away, a terrifying truth begins to surface.
The world outside isn’t just dangerous—it was designed that way.
And the greatest threat may already be among them.
Perfect for fans of Stranger Things, The City of Ember, and Escape from Furnace, Nightmare on Scuttler Island is a pulse-pounding middle-grade horror adventure packed with high-stakes suspense, emotional twists, and unforgettable scares.
Between Dark and Light is a series of nonconnected children’s horror books featuring strange, eerie, supernatural events. Ages 10 and up!
Thirteen-year-old Billy and his younger sister Megan have never seen the sun. Raised by their AI mother Darla two hundred feet underground, they’ve lived their entire lives in a two-room den—safe, comfortable, and completely isolated from the outside world. That is, until the power cuts out.
Armed with laser guns, protective gear, and a cryptic mission, Billy and Megan are forced to evacuate to the surface… and step straight into a waking nightmare.
The island above is cloaked in heavy, black mist. Withering trees line the roads. And massive black machines marked with an eerie corporate insignia patrol the streets—firing on sight. While dodging death at every turn, the siblings encounter other kids who also emerged from underground dens. But when the group uncovers the first clues about why they were hidden away, a terrifying truth begins to surface.
The world outside isn’t just dangerous—it was designed that way.
And the greatest threat may already be among them.
Perfect for fans of Stranger Things, The City of Ember, and Escape from Furnace, Nightmare on Scuttler Island is a pulse-pounding middle-grade horror adventure packed with high-stakes suspense, emotional twists, and unforgettable scares.
Between Dark and Light is a series of nonconnected children’s horror books featuring strange, eerie, supernatural events. Ages 10 and up!
MY TIDBITS
Danger meets a dystopian world, where a dark mist hides not only secrets but death.
Billy and Megan have lived underground in tight quarters with an AI mother raising them. While they question what might lay beyond their home and what happened to their parents, they aren't necessarily ready to leave until the power shuts off and they're forced to head out into the unknown world beyond. The world outside is dark and dreary with a heavy mist hiding more than a few secrets. It quickly becomes clear that the world around them is patrolled by machines, which kill on sight. When Billy and Megan discover other children in the same predicament, they begin to piece the secrets together and slowly uncover the truth...one that darker than any of them could have ever dreamed.
Tension runs high in these pages as Billy and his sister do their best to survive. It centers mostly around Billy and follows him as he tries to figure out what is happening and deals with the situations as best as possible. The stakes are more than high, which doesn't leave tons of room for careful consideration or thought as every moment becomes a fight to live. The danger is more than clear as life hangs on a deadly edge. It makes for a very, quick paced read the entire way through.
This isn't a read to give much thought to the foundation, but rather, lets the adventure take over. Emotions run high as every move turns into a terrifying situation. The plot is well-laid and keeps the reader in the tale the entire way through. It isn't one for sensitive readers, either, but does carry violence and horrific moments to slide into into the tween and young adult category.
