Review Time! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Watersnakes by Tony Sandoval

This post contains affiliate links for Amazon.com (USA.) I earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Title: Watersnakes

Author: Tony Sandoval

Genres: Graphic Novel, Fantasy*, Young Adult, Magic Realism, LGBTQ+ (F/F), Horror*, Ghost Story* (*ish) 

Buy Now USA

Friday Fics Fix - Murder House Party!

“You guys seem really chill about all this,” observed Ben. “By this point most people are running around screaming.”

“Occupational hazard,” said Klaus.

“I’ve lost a lot of blood,” said Diego. “I’m just accepting everything at face value right now.”

If there's one thing that Netflix has got me obsessed with as much as Umbrella Academy, it's American Horror Story.

(Only on season 2 #NoSpoilersPlease!)

Friday Fics Fix - He's a Phantom!

'Most of the lesson was spent in silence, with the usual crash outside followed by Danny's hand shooting up and asking to go to the bathroom; reappearing later on when the ghost fight was over, claiming to have gotten stuck under some debris from the fight.'

I miss Danny Phantom.

I really hope that at least some of you have heard of, and/or watched this cartoon, because if not it's just an injustice!

(Also, it ended over a decade ago and I feel very old now.)

And a shout-out is due to the awesome Carrie @ Cat on the Bookshelf, who got me in a Danny Phantom mood!

Nerd Church - My Real-Life Ghost Stories

It's Halloween on Wednesday... let's make this week's Nerd Church spoopy!

Do you believe in ghosts?

I do...

Kind of.

(You know nothing is ever simple with me!)

Comics Wrap-Up - Setting Fire To The Sky

Graphic Novels

This week, I reviewed Rendez-Vous in Phoenix by Tony Sandoval (UK - USA ) a generally great graphic novel about a young man crossing the border into America.

There are some issues with the representation of black people, which I went into further in my review, but overall it's a great book.

You can check out my full review here.

Other Stuff

I read a fairly damn cool ghost-based webcomic called 'The Auntie' by Alyssa Wong and Wendy Xu.

You too can read it - FOR FREE - on Tor's website.

-0-

Over on Women Write About Comics, Sergio Alexis wrote an awesome post about queer rep.

Alexis, quite rightly, points out that The Big Two (Marvel and DC to those who don't speak hard-core nerd,) are cr*p at selling queer comics, but that queer comics do sell elsewhere.

It's a really interesting piece, so give it a glance :)

Like this post? Give these a try:

• Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) Rendez-Vous in Phoenix by Tony Sandoval
• Friday Fics Fix - Tis The Season
• Comics Wrap-up - Lego Time!

Welsh Halloween Traditions

Stop the presses! She's talking about Wales again!

Look, I know, I talk about Wales a lot but that's because

a) I'm Welsh,
b) this is one of the most beautiful and magical places on the planet,
c) you guys seem to know very little about my lovely country/principality, and
d) WE ARE NOT ENGLISH AND I WANT THE WORLD TO UNDERSTAND THAT.




So, humour me a little more, and let me tell you about Welsh Halloween traditions. Most of which, unfortunately, are now passed over in favour of trick or treating and parties.

I never went trick or treating, but that's because my parents are socialist hippies who viewed it as a disrespectful form of begging.

And I'm vegetarian and most of the sweets were made with gelatine.

(I did go trick or treating with two of my mates as a teenager - I told my parents we were just having a party at one girl's house. I'm such a rebel, lol.)

Pumpkins

My mother tells me when she was young, they would carve swedes for Halloween. Yes, swedes. Not pumpkins.

Pumpkins actually aren't native to the UK, and in the 60s and 70s, it was easier to get hold of swedes instead (though definitely more difficult to carve!)

Also, Jack o'Lantern is an old British (yes, that includes non-Welsh Britain,) word for a Will o'th' Wisp - a dancing light sprite/fairy/spirit thing that tempted travellers into dangerous places like swamps and hidden pools.

Nos Galan Gaeaf

The Welsh version of Halloween is Nos Galan Gaeaf (not to be confused with Nos Galan - New Year's Eve.)

Nos Galan Gaeaf is the night before the first day of winter. It was thought to be Ysbrydnos - a night when spirits are abroad and able to gather at places where the worlds are close together like graveyards, stiles, crossroads, bridges, etc.

Divination

Halloween has always been the perfect time for divination here, because the other world is close. It's also one of our most important Halloween traditions.

One form of divination involved hanging clothing/underwear on a washing line at midnight.

Some stories tell of young women hanging their knickers on the line; the spectre of the man she was to marry would appear and touch them (I know, this story sounds considerably dodgy.)

Some stories say that the future was revealed by whatever ghostly image appeared by a person's clothing - a crib, for example, meaning the person would have a child soon.

The spookier stories tell of coffins appearing above a person's clothing, and death soon after.

Then there's the rocks, placed in a fire, with the names of the people in the household written on them.

If the rocks were gone in the morning, that person would die within the year. This was mainly a North Welsh tradition, I think, so I don't know much about it.

In honesty, there seem to be as many divination rituals here as there are families.

Everyone seemed to have a different method of telling the future, though even within the last 50 years it's gotten less and less.

Apple-bobbing was also a divination method; that's how it started. The first girl to actually bring up an apple was the next to be wed.

And of course, they would then peel the apple, in as long a strip as possible. You then drop the peel, and whatever letter it seems to make will be the initial of the person you are to marry (this one is still relatively popular.)

Mari Lwyd

Still occasionally carried out, mari lwyd ('the grey Mary') is a traditional costume and/or effigy using a horse's skull, garlands, and a sheet. 

It's now usually used around Christmas and New Year, but originally was used at Halloween too. It chases people (in modern times, the people have agreed to this!) around their homes in exchange for money and/or food.

No-one actually knows why.

Goblin/ghost funerals

This isn't a phenomena specific to Halloween, but I think it's probably worth mentioning here, as the worlds being closer together ups the chances of it occurring.

There are numerous stories here of processions of the dead - sometimes this is the people who will die within the year, all marching through country lanes, sometimes it is the portent of a funeral to come - complete with the mourners who will be there.

Sometimes it's a procession of Y Tylwyth Teg - the Fair Folk, (the Grey Folk, the Ladies and Gentlemen, the Old Ones, etc.) carrying out their own funerals.

(Always speak respectfully of the Grey Folk, and never thank them - they don't like it. Also an alcoholic beverage, or some sugar, or some dairy produce, will go a long way. And potentially make the local cats very happy.)

Look, we have a lot of folklore - and I read a ridiculously large amount of local folklore books, ok? ;)

Month in Review(s) - September 2016

September was the month that various sh** hit various fans.

In case you're not caught-up on all the goings-on of the bookish online community, let me briefly summarise:

• Some people questioned authors about the lack of diversity in their books (no matter your opinion on this, those people had the right to ask the questions.) This resulted in trolling.

• There was a video on BookTube (the bookish portion of YouTube,) by a horrible person who sees diversity as a dirty word, and is generally a bigoted jerk. She then took offence when it turned out a lot of people didn't agree with her.

• White supremacist & Nazi trolls decided to spread their racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic, etc. hatred by trolling members of the online bookish community. Most of these people were also Trump supporters.

• A US library magazine called VOYA showed some of the worst customer service you can imagine in their response to criticism of their apparently bi-phobic reviewing.

...I think that covers most of it. It was an... interesting month.

But we, as a community, are pulling through this... I hope.

As far as my blogging stats go this month, things have been good :)

I discovered an acronym for my blog which had been staring me in the face the whole time - DORA. Which I will now be using when Diary of a Reading Addict is too long-winded.

I passed 30k page-views for the first time (!!!!) and now see between 100 and 300 page-views on a typical day :)

I gained a handful of followers on BlogLovin and Twitter, though not as many as I would've liked.

I also noticed something in terms of my Twitter followers, which kind of upset me.







Whenever I tweet about anything to do with LGBTQ+ issues, I lose 2-3 followers; that's per tweet where I mention queer issues, characters, books, etc.

via GIPHY

At first I thought it was just coincidence - but after that it became too regular, and I couldn't believe it was coincidence any more.

It's not like I tweet about LGBTQ+ an excessively large amount... is it? I don't think I do.

Anyway, I figure I'm better off without followers like that. As upsetting as that is.






But I just want to thank all the people who do read this blog, like and RT my tweets, comment on my posts, and continue to follow me.

I love you. Each of you is worth 1000 of those homophobic a*sholes.

In a month of trolls, bigotry, and bad news, there were two high-points - my birthday, and you guys.






So, to the books I reviewed this month:

Young Adult

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova - Fantasy, Witches, LGBTQ+

As I Descended by Robin Talley - Ghost story, Horror, LGBTQ+

Adult

The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer - Contemporary

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - Classics, Crime

Comics

The Sun Dragon's Song #1 - Kids, Fantasy

Last updated: 11th Feb 2026

Review Time! - As I Descended by Robin Talley

**This post contains Amazon.com affiliate links, which allow me to earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.**

**Please only use my affiliate links for .COM purchases, as I do NOT earn from other Amazon sites**

Title: As I Descended

Author: Robin Talley

Genre: YA, Ghost Story, Horror, LGBTQ+ (F/F and M/M)

Release Date: 6th September 2016

A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.

A young adult re-telling of Macbeth. In a boarding school. With LGBTQ+ protagonists. Hell yes!

I sooo wanted to read this - so much so that when my request to receive an eArc was declined on Edelweiss, I marched myself straight over the NetGalley to see if it was listed there.

And on NetGalley I was approved!!!!!!! XD XD

Happy book nerd all around!!!!!!!

Month in Review(s) - June 2016

We're half-way through the year folks! Which is kind of rocking, really, because it means we're that much closer to Christmas.

(I love Christmas!)





Anyway, back to the summer-ish-ness of June, and I can honestly say I read a little bit of everything this month.

Plus it was a pretty fab month blog-wise: I reached over 750 Twitter followers, over 15k blog page-views (ARGH!!!!!) and over 30 Bloglovin followers.




AND JUNO DAWSON LIKED MY TWEET!!!!!!

(I'm a massive Juno Dawson fan - so this was kind of a fantabulously big deal to me.)

So catch up on all my reviews this month with this handy link-list (and I've added cover images, because I spoil you.)

Kids

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke - Fantasy

Young Adult

Say Her Name by Juno Dawson - Horror, Ghost Story

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly - Historical Fiction, Crime

Adult

Life Blood by V M Black - Romance, Paranormal, Vampires, Novella

Landline by Rainbow Rowell - Contemporary, Chick Lit, Magic Realism, Romance* (*ish)

Graphic Novels

Codename Baboushka, Vol: The Conclave of Death - Spy, Gangster, Thriller, Crime

Klaw, The First Cycle - Young Adult, Fantasy, Superhero*, Paranormal* (*ish - there are shifters of various types and somewhat of a superhero origin story.)

Review Time! - Say Her Name by Juno Dawson

Title: Say Her Name

Author: Juno Dawson

Genre: YA, Horror, Ghost Story

Amazon: UK - USA

A few starting notes:

I read Hollow Pike (UK - US) by Juno Dawson ages ago because a paperback copy in my local library had purple-edged pages.

So I picked it up because, y'know, I'm easily amused/attracted by pretty colours. Lucky for me, that book rocked.

So, since then, I've wanted to read the rest of Dawson's books - and I eventually got around to this one! (Again, lucky for me!)

Premise:

People fool around with it all around the world - say 'Bloody Mary,' five times, in front of a mirror, at midnight, by candlelight.

Then her ghost is meant to show up... apparently.

People do it all the time. Nothing ever happens... right?

So, when Bobbie and her friends agree to it as a dare, nothing will come of it... right?

Or so they think. But time's running out.

In five days, she will come.

Best bits:

I loved this book - hands-down loved it!

It could have been soooo clichéd - but instead, every time it started to ever-so-slightly veer in that direction POW! - a new twist.

(Yes, I just used 'POW!' - In a book review. Deal with it.)

The characters were fab, believable, and not intensely stupid. (Which is always good.)

Bobbie? I loved her. She was really relatable and quite bookish (yay!) without being pretentious.

She's also really sweet - which is always nice - but not boring, which was a relief (yay for nice-but-not-boring characters!!!!!)

(Yes, I've had coffee. Coffee is good.)

The plot a) keeps you guessing, and b) refuses to be held down by all the urban legend Bloody Mary stuff that came before, while also not ignoring it.

(Which is skilful - and impressive. *Nods approvingly.*)

This was one of those books which was like: one more chapter - just one. And six chapters later, you're still there, and still reading.

And while it is creepy, it's not so creepy that you want to give up half-way through. (But then, I like horror, so other people may have a different opinion.)

I'll say it again: I loved it ;)

Not so great bits:

There's not a lot of things I can really argue with here...

It does deal with subjects that a lot of people may find distressing: references to self-harm, abuse, murder, suicide, etc. etc. But it doesn't feel overly-heavy with it.

And if you have a mega-fear of ghost-girls, mirrors, and/or ghosts in general, this is probably not your book.

There's some mild violence, gore, etc.

There's also some mild swearing (cr*p, etc.) Honestly, I doubt it'll bother anyone, but if I don't mention it, someone's bound to come back on me about it. Because that's usually how my luck goes.

Oh, and there's some references to sexy-times, but nothing overtly graphic.

I guess my only real issue is the whole absentee-parents thing that YA gets away with a lot.

But as that trope goes, I really can't argue with the way it's handled here - the boarding-school deal-y neatly sidesteps the issue.

Verdict:

I loved this book - it's fresh and original where it could've been clichéd and rusty, it draws you on, it has great characters...

Basically, this is a great YA horror. And I definitely recommend it.

Buy Now UK – Buy Now USA – Goodreads – Author's Site

Liked this post? Try these:

• Review Time! - Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
• Mini-Review - One by Sarah Crossan

Books On My 'To-Buy' List

Do you have a 'to-buy' list?

My 'to-buy' list isn't quite the same as my tbr - if I bought everything on my tbr I wouldn't have any money left for things like... food.

Some of them are on my tbr, obviously, but a lot are books that I've already read but want to own so that I can re-read them, or just because I want to know I have them (Don't judge me!)

I really want these books... I'll just have to save my pennies!



Straight James/Gay James by James Franco (UK - US)

You may have noticed, but I really love this book. That's why I want to own it. I want to have a nice paperback copy in my hands :) That came out decidedly weirder than how I intended it to sound.





Crimson Peak: The Official Movie Novelization by Nancy Holder (UK - US)

I've seen the film (UK - US) (Tom Hiddleston - yes, please!) but have heard very good things about the novelisation - which caught my attention, because normally people are a bit like 'Ehhhh...' when it comes to novelisations.







20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill (UK - US)

I've read this twice from the library. I love Joe Hill. I love short stories. I love Joe Hill short stories. I really want this book.







Locke & Key: Welcome To Lovecraft by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (UK - US)

Joe Hill + graphic novels = one happy reading addict!






Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane (UK - US)

Another book I've borrowed from the library not once but twice, and one I was first inspired to read by the Leo DiCaprio film (UK - US) (yes, sometimes I watch the film without having read the book - please don't hurt me!)


It also started my Dennis Lehane addiction; Leo has a lot to answer for.






Live By Night by Dennis Lehane (UK - US)


Another Lehane book to feed my junkie habits. This is book #2 of the Coughlin series (you can read my review of book #3 'World Gone By' here.)

I love Joe Coughlin; I shouldn't because he's a gangster. But I love him.






Like this post? Try these:

• Review Time! (Oh Yeah!) - Straight James/Gay James by James Franco
• Review! (Woo!) - World Gone By by Dennis Lehane
• Book or Film? The debate continues!

This is Halloween! - Top 5 Spooky Hidden Gems

'Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange?'

I thought that for Halloween I'd highlight some books that either get overlooked or unfairly forgotten. I'm something of a fan of all things horror and gothic - so I'm going to give you fair warning that these books are not for those who scare easy. If you've got the stomach for it, then read on...

1. For the Rock Fan - Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Judas Coyne is an old rocker with a thing for collecting macabre and occult objects. He may have just bought the real deal.


This was the first book I read by Joe Hill. This was the start of my love of his work. I adore this book. It may be too scary/spooky/grim for some - Hill has horror running through his veins - but for anyone up for a walk on the darker side of life, I seriously recommend this. The quality of the writing speaks for itself; this is easily one of my favourite books.


2. For the Scandi-Noir Fan - Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

1981. Sweden. A bullied twelve-year-old, Oskar - finds a friend, Eli. Eli is not all she seems. And people are dying.


This is not a book for the faint-hearted. Fair warning. These are not the vampires who sparkle - these are the kind of vampires based in the gritty realism of Scandinavian winter. It also involves some fairly uncomfortable social problems - including a character who is a paedophile. While Lindqvist's deftness with difficult topics is evident even through the translation, this is still highly disturbing fair.

3. For Your Inner Goth - Florence & Giles by John Harding

New England in 1891. Neglected by their guardian, Florence and Giles have made their own entertainment. But then there's what happened to the last governess, and Florence's suspicions of the new one.


This book has a fabulous twisted feel to it - truly gothic. Inspired by The Turn of the Screw, and devilishly readable, all fans of spooky period drama, and things that go bump in the night, will be thrilled. This isn't particularly long, and has quite a fast pace to it; plus some real page-turning credentials.

4. For the Movie Fan - The Crow by J O'Barr

Eric Draven has a score to settle. The Crow has brought his spirit back to wreak his vengeance.


Born of grief, and plagued by it's own mythos, The Crow has developed something of a life of its own. Long before the film which would be Brandon Lee's last, there was the graphic novel. This is not a happy book. It is graphic. It is violent. There is rape, drugs, and murder. For all that, there's something about which is sublimely beautiful - it's a piece of art. I had the great pleasure of meeting James O'Barr once (one of my heroes, if you must know) - and he is a genuinely lovely person, despite everything he's been through in his life.

 

5. For All Horror Fans - NOS4R2/NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

Some people creates worlds in their heads. Vic McQueen has her bridge, Charlie Manx has Christmasland.


You can find my full review of this novel here. This is another fantastic book from Joe Hill. It's long, but very much worth the read. I do recommend that if you're not ok with having your childhood memories possibly irreparably ruined, you read this at any time except Christmas. I'm just saying.

Reviewing the Evidence! - Printer's Devil Court

Title: Printer's Devil Court (US Link)
Author: Susan Hill
Genre: Horror, historical fiction, ghost story

A few starting notes:

This is a novella from modern master of the period ghost story, Susan Hill - author of similarly spoopy (I'm sorry purists - I, of course, mean spooky) tale, The Woman in Black.

Premise:

Hugh Meredith is a medical student at the turn of the last century (I think - it's never made all that clear to be honest,) when his fellow students suggest something which usually ends so well - raising the dead. Cue poop hitting fan and ghostly goings-on.

Best bits:

The atmospherics are pretty damned awesome here - this is something that Susan Hill can do. Gothic setting? Check. Shiver down my back? Check. Ghosties? Check.

It's also illustrated - giving it an authentic-style old-timey feel in its mimicry of the old plate illustrations in Victorian/Edwardian books/periodicals.

The entire thing is inherently readable - short, illustrated, and gothic. Awesomeness.

Not so great bits:

There's no excuse for the degree of typos folks, there's just not. You say there are two other doctors and then name three? It will jar you right out of the story. It's just not on, and I hope it's different in other editions.

The time-frame is never made all that clear - and I have some time perception issues that would've benefitted from clarity. Also, what level of technology and setting are we supposed to be imagining? Time period makes a difference when you're writing historical fiction - you can't leave it all fuzzy-wuzzy and up in the damned air!

Also, given the subject matter, I would've expected some mention of Mary Shelley - whose book Frankenstein was definitely in print at the time in which this is set; bit of an ever-loving heffalump in the room.

Verdict:

I enjoyed this - if it wasn't for the practical problems (typos, fuzzy time-periods, etc.,) I would've looked on it far more kindly, but it is inherently a very good book. Any fan of gothic horror and/or ghost stories will love it.