"Collecting seems to bring out that primitive instinct for the hunt in some of its devotees, who stalk their prey with skill." - Alicia Craig Faxon

a little girl is overwrought with grief and despair over the disappearance of her parents. alone, miserable and lost, she finds herself sold to the Doll-Maker who promises to reunite her with her loved ones in exchange for collecting skulls.

this was such a dark and gripping tale of innocence lost, exploitation and betrayal. the creepy setting, the macabre task the little girl had to go through each night, the mysterious Violinist and his murder of crows plus the Doll-Maker's bizarre doll-making methods only added to the strangeness of it all. yet it had its morbid appeal - albeit unconventional for the most part.

i found myself emotionally drawn to the poor little girl's plight, sympathizing with her ordeal and wishing i could wrap my arms around her to shield her from all the abuse the Doll-Maker inflicted on her. alas, i could only read on and wished for everything to end well for her.

although i found the ending a bit predictable, it was also a relief to note that our little girl's trauma and agony were finally over and the greedy, abusive Doll-Maker deserved what he got.

i have a few niggles though. sometimes i found the abuses too much and kept wondering how the little girl's frail body could have survived them all. the Violinist's behavior in the last few pages were quite confusing and i found his motive for doing what he did questionable. in other words, i was left to ponder on some details and was contemplating if they were truly resolved or not. maybe, it was the author's intention to leave things as they were and allow the reader to form his own conclusions.

despite these, i was fascinated by the whole story. maybe if i read it again, i would find details that i might have missed or i might be able to discern some answers that were there all along but were merely hiding in the shadows.

 

 

*received a copy for review

Vice and Exploitation - J.T. Hall Thanks to the author for the effort and participating in this event and offering this freebie.

I don't usually read ménage stories but this one was hot, sexy and fun to read, great job.

 

 

Read my full review: http://bit.ly/107JG4r

 

My opinion: This book was a tough read. Probably my toughest read of 2014 so far. On that note, White Chalk is an excellent read. Again, probably the best book I have read all year.This 250 page book is hauntingly disturbing in its storyline and, as a mother, was a very painful read. I found myself wanting to take Chelle in my arms and tell her that everything would be ok. I had moments of anger, particularly at her parents, followed by moments of somberness and sadness in reflecting back to my teen years and seeing some aspects of myself in her.

The characters in this book were superbly developed and Ms. Pavarti's ability to dissect the dynamics of an alcoholic dysfunctional family unit and the roles each member takes on were superb.  I have counseled numerous girls like Chelle. 

WARNING: This book is not a young adult selection. Aside from the descriptive sexual exploitation that happens to Chelle, this book deals with very adult topics. I would never say to ban a book, but as a parent and a former counselor, one better make damned sure that their teen could emotionally handle the topics within its storyline. Other than that, I would say New Adult and up.

 

Dead Trash perfectly captures the seventies style grindhouse films that it tries to emulate. The tone, style, and content set the right mood for the novel, which features two woman, Irma and Arkansas, who are incarcerated while a zombie apocalypse unfolds. They are able to break out of the prison as the zombies are storming the place. There they go on the run, first joining a biker gang, and then a man trying to keep his falling ghetto neighborhood intact. Their ultimate goal is to reach Irma's ex, an abusive creep whose supposed murder she was convicted for. When she finds out that he isn't actually dead, she makes it her mission to eliminate him from the crazed world they inhabit. They run across strong-willed characters who seem capable of handling themselves, but no matter where they go, their allies are overtaken either by the zombies or the nasty humans who are just as bad if not worse than the zombies themselves.

The strongest element of this novel is the writing itself. There isn't anything overly original about the plot. Zombie apocalypses have become fairly commonplace in literature, television, and movies. But the story moves at a fast pace with little wasted motion or words. The action never stops until the explosive conclusion. The characters are well-developed. Besides Irma and Arkansas, many of the minor characters are fleshed out and relatable. My only complaint is the lack of realism in the fighting scenes that can be found in the final part of the novel. Otherwise, this might just be the best zombie novel I have ever read.

Carl Alves - author of Blood Street

This story pokes all kinds of fun at seventies exploitation movies and was a blast to read. The scenes were gloriously over the top with characters that whilst weren't developed in any real way, were likeable.

My only problem with it was that the ending got a bit muddled. This didn't deter from it too much but some of the plot lines didn't go anywhere and questions over how some survived the zombies remained unanswered.

A fantastic fun read and well worth spending a few hours on.