Henni (Miss Lasko-Gross)

Release Date: January 20th 2015 

Synopsis:  
In a fantastical world where old traditions and religion dominate every aspect of life, lives a girl named Henni.
Unlike most in her village, Henni questions and wonders what the world is like as she comes of age.
Striking out on her own, Henni goes out in search of truth, adventure, and more!
Written and drawn my Miss Lasko Gross (A Mess of Everything and Escape From Special), Henni is a commentary on, religion, coming of age, and being yourself.

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review. 
The first thing that needs to be mentioned about Henni is the art, the illustrations, the color-scheme. Everything was so fascinating and completely set the tone for the entire story.
This was certainly a very engaging read, and to me it felt very personal. I connected with the main character, Henni, immmediately... she starts questioning everything, if what she is taught to believe is really all there is, and then leaves on a journey to find out the truth about the world and herself.
All through the story we get valuable life lessons. We can't help but wonder what we truly believe in, what is the right thing, and if it is our right to impose it on everyone else.
This touches very real and present themes that still exist all around us, in our so called 'modern society', in a very philosophical yet simple and understandable way.
I found this to be a genuinely inspirational journey about staying true to your beliefs and fighting for what you think is fair and right.
I definitely recommend this, especially for younger readers, particularly young girls starting to question their place in society.

The Boy Who Drew Monsters (Keith Donohue)

Synopsis:  
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Child comes a hypnotic literary horror novel about a young boy trapped inside his own world, whose drawings blur the lines between fantasy and reality.
Ever since he nearly drowned in the ocean three years earlier, ten-year-old Jack Peter Keenan has been deathly afraid to venture outdoors. Refusing to leave his home in a small coastal town in Maine, Jack Peter spends his time drawing monsters. When those drawings take on a life of their own, no one is safe from the terror they inspire. His mother, Holly, begins to hear strange sounds in the night coming from the ocean, and she seeks answers from the local Catholic priest and his Japanese housekeeper, who fill her head with stories of shipwrecks and ghosts. His father, Tim, wanders the beach, frantically searching for a strange apparition running wild in the dunes. And the boy’s only friend, Nick, becomes helplessly entangled in the eerie power of the drawings. While those around Jack Peter are haunted by what they think they see, only he knows the truth behind the frightful occurrences as the outside world encroaches upon them all.
In the tradition of The Turn of the Screw, Keith Donohue’s The Boy Who Drew Monsters is a mesmerizing tale of psychological terror and imagination run wild, a perfectly creepy read for a dark night.

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review. 
The Boy Who Drew Monsters is not a horror book and yet, at the same time, it is.
The biggest assets of this book were the atmosphere that surrounded it and the incredibly developed characters.
As for the fist, I found it to be just perfect for a story like this: mysterious and dark and impersonal. You were seeing it all happen inside your head and it messes up with your mind. You could sense the story slowly building up and becoming more and more like we expect it to be. The climax was so gory and surreal and grim I never saw it coming, at least not like it did.As for the characters, they were such an important part of this story in particular. We get to see this through the perspective of the parents, Tim and Holly, and the boys, Jack and Nick, and that made it possible to present the backstories of these characters, bit by bit, which completely enhanced the reading experience.
This was honestly a very emotional read: Jack Peter's disorder, the thoughts going through his parents minds and Nick's own struggles, they really got to me in a way I didn't expect.
The monster/fantastical part was spot-on. It was introduced gradually and obscurely enough that it completely got under my skin and kept me on the edge of my seat.
The side stories (the shipwreck, the priest, the Japanese housekeeper) they all came together so well with the main plot, and they turned this into a truly horrifying and creepy read.The only 'negative' thing I need to point out is not even negative: the pace was very slow, so it took me a while to read it, but, like I mentioned before, that really contributed to the atmosphere and general feel of the book.
And then came that ending! Never saw it coming and it hit my heart like a wall of stones. It was a beautiful conclusion to this incredible book.
I would definitely recommend this to read at night, under the covers with your lights out, but I would also mention that this is a bit more suitable for older readers, as it contains a bit of violence and gore.

Knife Fight and Other Struggles (David Nickle)

Synopsis:
A young man at loose ends finds he cannot look away from his new lover's alien gaze.
A young woman out of time seeks her old lover in the cold spaces between the stars. The fleeing worshippers of an ancient and jealous deity seek solace in an unsuspecting New World congregation.
In a suburban nursery, a demon with a grudge and a lonely exorcist face off for what could be the last time.
And when a big city mayor who delineates his mandate by the slash of a blade faces an unexpected challenger, it turns into a struggle that threatens to consume everything.
In Knife Fight and Other Struggles, David Nickle follows his award-winning debut collection Monstrous Affections with a new set of dark tales that span space, time, and genre.

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review. 
If you're thinking of reading this book, just prepare for a serious roller coaster of horrifying stories.
In the beginning, there's an introduction by Peter Watts that really sets the tone for the whole book. In it, Watts explains right from the start that the short stories in this book aren't exactly straight-up horror... and he's entirely right! They would be less terrifying if they were. They are the kind of horror that crawls under your skin and just lingers, keeping you up at night thinking about them. All of them cast a new light on things and really give you another perspective to look at reality, and that terrified me most of all. They are bold and fast and rude and don't leave you indifferent. Every one of them gave me something to think about and really meditate on what I would do if I ever found myself in those situations, and let me tell you that some of them were completely insane and crazy!
My favourite stories have to be 'The Nothing Book of the Dead' and 'Drakeela Must Die', which were also the two shortest stories. I really wanted more and if the author ever writes a full book based on those two (doubtful, but one can dream) I will read them for sure!
Also, at the very end we get a prelude to 'Volk', a book that is coming out in 2016 and that I will get my hands on as soon as possible! That story, entitled 'Orlok' said everything it wanted, leaving us there believing that all of that actually happened. Again, what a fearless and thought provoking piece of literature.
I highly recommend this book if you like being shocked and provoked with every turn of a page. Just read it, but know what you're getting into, because you won't be able to forget about it anytime soon!

The Field (Ed Brisson, Simon Roy - Illustrations)

Synopsis:
An underwear-clad amnesiac; an ex-bible salesman on a meth induced murder spree; a seedy biker gang on a revenge mission; and a group of cosplayers out to save the world.
What more do you need to know?
Collects The Field #1-4, and includes never-before-seen extras, including extra comics.

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review. 
Wow... This is my next favourite thing!
First of all, this was such a badass book. It messes with your head in ways you can't even imagine, so beware when you're going into it. To be honest , it's like waking up from a horrific nightmare you never want to see become reality, but that you think is a great idea for a book: this was it!
It was just so gory and violent and I absolutely fell in love with it from the very beginning... so much blood and death and unanswered questions: right up mu alley!
I was so hooked: I couldn't figure out what story to believe in, who I could trust and by the end I still couldn't figure that out.
The art, the colors, the plot, the way it was conceived, you could tell this guys know what they are doing... such a rich story and I wanted it to go on forever, but I also desperately wanted to know how this would wrap up!
That ending left me there not knowing what to do... I need to read more by the authors, like, right now.
Then, after 'The Field' itself, we were presented with some extras, and we got to find out how this story came to be and the process of doing the actual comics, which I think it's fascinating.
After all this, I can only assure you I will definitely be buying the physical copy as soon as I get a chance to do so!

Stuff You Should Know About Stuff: How to Properly Behave in Certain Situations (Tripp Crosby, Tyler Stanton)

Release Date: November 4th 2014 

Synopsis:
Do you know how to properly conduct yourself in a public restroom? What about while in the midst of a profoundly awkward silence? Have you perfected how to get out of helping your friend move?
If you answered no to those questions, then you need Stuff You Should Know About Stuff, the book that future anthropologists will no doubt call "the Rosetta Stone of handling trivial life situations."
From the guys who created the viral videos “Sh*t Nobody Says” and “Things You Can't Do When You’re Not in a Pool," Tripp and Tyler bring you the written word in Stuff You Should Know About Stuff, a guide instructing you how to navigate the treacherous waters of life’s extremely trivial situations.
There are even photos and illustrations for people who enjoy photos and illustrations and stuff like that. You can read it from cover to cover or you can choose to educate yourself only in conjunction with your bowel movements. Totally your call there.
Stuff You Should Know About Stuff places the priority on the trivial experiences of life, because that's where we spend most of our time; trying to recover from going for the fist bump when a casual acquaintance wanted a high five.

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review. 
Who says life doesn't come with instructions? We all know how we should behave at a funeral or a wedding (maybe), but what about choosing a picture for your Facebook profile or when it is inappropriate to say 'That's what she said' (spoiler alert: never)? These guys asked the perfect questions and came up with a manual for the trivial moments in life when we find ourselves wondering what to do, and they did in the funniest way possible.
I would say I related to about 90% of this book (the urinal part is not my forte) and that really helped to read through it in a sitting. I can't remember a single moment when I wasn't smiling or laughing hysterically or nodding in agreement.
On the other side, I kind of felt sorry for poor Neil in the examples and conversations used in this, but then a funny comic would appear to illustrate the point and I would be laughing so hard I forgot all about him.
The references in this were spot on and made this something incredibly special.
All this said, this is a pretty honest and useful book, an I can think of a great deal of people who could really do with a bit of these glorious tips...
I have since then researched more into the authors and I surrendered to their youtube channel. What a great time! Some of the parts in this book are from videos they made and I found the 'You're Doing Twitter Wrong' one just perfect!
I don't think everyone would enjoy this or find it funny, but I would seriously recommend this to anyone with a good sense of humour and that understands level 56 sarcasm.