A Flash Of Horror is prolific author Karina Kantas's latest release.

 

12 chilling and thought-provoking tales that will stay with you for nights to come.

Are you ready to delve into the dark side?

 

Available only as an Ebook.
Download  A Flash Of Horror for just $1
https://www.amazon.com/Flash-Horror-Electric-Eclectic-book-ebook/dp/B07XP8C5L6

 

 

This is just a quick (disturbing) reminder that if you want to get an exclusive (fast) read, you can download Clown Apocalypse and Other Calamities for free when you join my newsletter here.

 

Clowns - Michael Kamp Clowns was an interesting experience for me. The author had submitted it as a children’s horror, but when I started reading it, there were a few things that raised questionable flags. Namely, the amount of cursing in Clowns. I tabled the question about the cursing to ask the author about later, and continued to read the book. And I enjoyed it. This is the first book I’ve read by Michael Kamp, but I will definitely be checking out more of his work when it makes the jump to English.

In regards to the cursing, there’s definitely a cultural difference present. In Michael’s home country cursing is a lot more acceptable, so this would be a good book for 10+ there. Here, though, in America, booksellers would probably be publicly shamed if they tried to shelve this in the kid’s section. Clowns would be considered appropriate for a 12+ audience here, and not even that if your undies are kept in a constant bunch by the idea of kids reading foul language. There were one or two other things that made me aware that this was not a book written by someone who lived in America. Nothing as potentially offensive as the cursing was, just a “Hm. No chance of that happening here.”

However, for all the differences, a small town is a small town. And some things remain the same where ever you are. In this case, you have hooligans hitting mailboxes and pretending they’re big and bad. Gossip that spreads like wildfire. A tale of terror that ends in death. Finally, of course, there’s the mystery and the intrepid young survivor. Kamp takes familiar elements and, adding his own touch, gives readers a story of blood and guts.

Clowns was well-written and perfect for anyone who loved the movie Killer Klownz from Outer Space. While it doesn’t quite achieve that level of camp, Kamp’s Clowns channels that same absurd-horror feel. There are a few scenes that are so well imagined that the can easily get a great mental picture of them. Michael Kamp has the ability to put his readers so neatly into the story that you can practically smell the forest and face paint. Oh, and I loved the reference to Night of the Living Dead as well.

A few lines that made me laugh:

“The whole scary clown craze had started in the U.S. Because of course it did.”

and

“Oscar looked at him in silent amazement. Did adults realize how much their advice usually sucked? ‘Think about something else…’"

Overall, Kamp’s Clowns is a great piece of short fiction, coming in at just 92 pages. It’s definitely the correct length for a younger reader’s book, but parental discretion is advised. This would be a great gift to give to your family coulrophobe for Halloween (or Christmas, depending on how evil you are).

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author free for review consideration.

This series has become my favorite Henery Press series. I've always enjoyed reading about Ellison. While I do love this series, this latest installment had me feeling a bit letdown. Ellison still had her great sense of humor but even her humor couldn't save parts of this. 

 

Ellison has repeatedly told both Hunter and Anarchy that she isn't ready for a relationship but neither will listen to her. They both kept pushing her and it became really annoying when other characters kept telling her to choose. Why can't Ellison just be on her own for a little bit?

 

The mystery as to who was behind Brooks' murder didn't seem all that compelling to me. There were a few suspects but honestly no one seemed all that interesting (even Brooks' trashy wife Stormy). When the murderer was finally revealed I was only a bit surprised and didn't care all that much.

 

Thanks to Netgalley and Henery Press for the galley.