Woohoo! I've completed all 25 squares-

BLACKOUT!! : )

Read by Candlelight or Flashlight- The Factory by Mark West

Magical Realism- The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig

Witches- Rise of the Huntress (The Last Apprentice series- #7) by Joseph Delaney

          22. Genre: Horror- The Apartment by S.L Grey

Black Cat- The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe

Diverse Authors- Lost Labyrinth by Zoraida Córdova

Ghost Stories & Haunted Houses- The Signalman by Charles Dickens

Young Adult Horror- One Was Lost by Natalie Richards

          23. Scary Women (Authors)- Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Reads with BL Friends- Ammie, Come Home by Barbara Michaels

Grave or Graveyard- Suicide Forest by Jeremy Bates

Genre: Mystery- Crowned and Dangerous by Rhys Bowen

Free Space- Bookburners (Episodes 13, 14, 15 & 16) by Max Gladstone et al.

Gothic- The House by Michael McDowell; The War by Michael McDowell

Creepy Crawlies- The Call by Peadar Ó Guilín

         24. "Fall" into a Good Book- Rage of the Fallen by Joseph Delaney

Locked Room Mystery- The Third Bullet by John Dickson Carr

It was a Dark & Stormy Night- Stranded by Bracken MacLeod

          25. Set in New England- The Shunned House by H.P. Lovecraft

Full Moon- Cold Moon Over Babylon by Michael McDowell

Vampires vs. Werewolves- Silver In The Blood by Jessica Day George

Supernatural- Storm Front by Jim Butcher

Classic Horror- Sweetheart, Sweetheart by Bernard Taylor

Pumpkin- Trick or Treachery by Donald Bain

Set on Halloween- The Worst Best Halloween Ever by Barbara Robinson

The Shunned House by H.P. Lovecraft is a novella about an actual house in Providence, Rhode Island but Lovecraft's inspiration to write the story came from another house in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The story is about a doctor and his nephew. They've been fascinated with this house because so many strange things have occurred there over the years and so many people have died or became sick after staying there. In hopes of getting to the root of the evil, they both stay overnight in the house with dire consequences...

So this story was ok. It took me a little while to get into it and use to the old style of writing. I appreciated the scientific vibe of the haunting and story the most. It made me question for a second whether this strange house and all of its happenings really existed. The ending was also pretty good. It was a little faster paced and had the most action, so to speak. The story wasn't scary though but it did have a little creepiness to it. It was a quick read and good for getting in the Halloween spirit.

*I read this for my 2016 Halloween Bingo: ~Set in New England~ square

 "Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life."

"Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world."

"The story's shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget."

When I saw this was published by James Patterson's new imprint and his name was on the front cover, as usual, my first thought was- oh no, really! I know, I know- he didn't write it, lol, and I shouldn't judge but I still wondered what the hell I was getting myself into. I'm almost embarrassed to say though, I honestly loved it and thought it was fantastic! : )

I especially liked the story's foray into forensic medicine, although it was a little gruesome, but I didn't think it was too bad. I listened to the audio version though and missed out on all of the graphic pictures and detailed footnotes that I heard were included. The narrator was really good but I would still like to see the book at some point. If you have a weak constitution though, the audio route might be the way to go.

I also absolutely loved the main characters, Audrey Rose and Thomas Creswell. Audrey's strong willed and determined to study forensic medicine no matter what the cost. She wears what she wants to and does what she wants to do- screw the rules of society and she stands up to her father and anyone else in her way. She's my kind of girl!

Thomas is also studying forensic medicine. Him and Audrey end up as partners in detection as well as falling for each other. He's smart, sarcastic and so very blunt -it's hilarious! He comes across sometimes as cold and harsh but I loved his personality.  The dialogue between the two was absolutely priceless. I really hope to see more of both him and Audrey. I'm definitely going to keep my eye out for the sequel.

I read this for my 2016 Halloween Bingo: ~Scary Women (Authors)~ square

Rage of the Fallen is the 8th book in The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney. Tom, the Spook's apprentice, has made a lot of enemies in his three years fighting the dark. One of his enemies, Morrigan -the goddess of witches has told him not to ever set foot in her homeland of Ireland but the war is still raging in their own country so Tom, the Spook & Alice must flee there anyways. His other very powerful enemy, the Fiend, is also still hunting him in hopes of catching him unguarded. The Spook decides that it's time to go on the offensive and bring the Fiend down so Tom joins forces with Grimalkin- the witch assassin, who trains him and helps him battle and bind the Fiend once and for all. 

After eight really well written books I'm starting to run out of things to say! All of them have been so good and this one was no different. The audio narrator, Evan Welsh, is just marvelous! I think it would be extremely hard to talk like a witch or demon or boggart etc. but he does it so effortlessly and he sounds just like what you'd expect a creature of the dark to sound like. If you're a fan of these type of stories, then you can't go wrong with this series. It's perfect for older kids as well as adults. 

*I read this for my 2016 Halloween Bingo: ~"Fall" into a Good Book~ square

Vol. 3: Locked Room Puzzles consists of four locked room mysteries...

The Third Bullet by John Dickson Carr-  5 stars

I liked it a lot. It's about a judge that's found murdered in his study which no one had access to. There was also 1 gun found, 1 suspect in the room & 3 bullets from 3 different guns so where did the other 2 bullets come from??  It was a fun locked room mystery and I didn't figure it out until the very end after all of the clues were pretty much announced already. : )

Booktaker by Bill Pronzini- 5 stars

This was a favorite of mine particularly because the setting was a bookstore. Some one had been stealing rare and valuable maps, prints & documents from the store during the hours of 11-2. The owner, Mr. Rothman, was at a loss to who was committing the thefts because the store had a faulty alarm system, sensors, locked windows and fire doors and he had taken back the two keys to the antiquarian room after the first theft occurred. So Mr. Rothman hires a private investigator to pose as an employee in hopes of catching the thief. 

From Another World by Clayton Rawson- 5 stars

In From Another World, a very wealthy man that's been murdered and an unconscious psychic apport medium, are found inside his study which has been sealed from the inside. Merlini, the famous magician, was asked in by police to help discover how the murder was committed. I liked this one a lot because of its paranormal and magic undertones. It was pretty entertaining and a challenge to figure out.

Day of the Wizard by Edward D. Hoch- 2 stars

This mystery features one of Hoch's leading characters, Simon Ark, who is said to be a two-thousand year old Coptic priest. He is asked to "solve the mystery of a wrecked plane in the desert and its strange cargo, an enigmatic magician and a drugged blonde. This one started out pretty good but I didn't care for how it ended and the multiple threads weren't tied together very well it seemed like. I just felt confused when it ended instead of satisfied. 

I read this for my 2016 Halloween Bingo: ~Locked Room Mystery~ square.