Disclaimer by Renee Knight

The Blurb On The Back:

When an intriguing novel appears on Catherine’s bedside table, she curls up and begins to read.

But as she turns the pages, she is horrified to realise she is a key character, a main player.

This story will revel her darkest secret.

A secret she thought no one else knew …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Renee Knight’s psychological thriller is a page-turning why-dunnit that kept me so engrossed that it wasn’t until after I finished it that I started to think about the flaws. Catherine is a believable character and I found myself caught up in the gradual disintegration of her character and career as she’s forced to confront not only her past but the apparent willingness of her friends and family to believe in the events as portrayed within the book. Stephen (who the reader knows from the outset is responsible for the production of the book) is equally fascinating – particularly the slow reveal of his relationship with his deceased wife and absent son and I enjoyed the slow unveiling of secrets that he’d rather keep hidden. Where the book fell down for me though was in the reaction of Robert to the revelations in the book. I could understand it in part because of Catherine’s refusal to discuss it, but then he equally shows no willingness to question her more forcefully to at least try and understand and that, combined with the viciousness that he demonstrates seemed too much of a jolt given what little we see of their marriage. I was equally unconvinced by Nicholas, who doesn’t get much development and is there primarily to reinforce the idea of Catherine being a bad mother. For all this though, I did keep turning the pages and I was genuinely invested in the resolution – so much so that I am really looking forward to reading what Knight produces next.

Suffer The Children by Craig DiLouie

The Blurb On The Back:

So many mouths to feed.

It begins on an ordinary day: children around the world are dying. All children, everywhere – a global crisis beyond any parent’s worse nightmare. Then, a miracle beyond imagining: three days later, they return. Shattered mothers and fathers see their sons and daughters happy and whole once more, playing and laughing as before – but only when they feed. They hunger for blood … and they can’t get enough upon which to feast. Without it, they die again. How far would you go to keep someone you love alive?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Craig DiLouie’s horror novel is a bone-chilling take on the old tropes of vampirism and the end of the world that taps into every parent’s worst nightmare. Although the three families are painted with a broad brush, DiLouie does well at giving each small details that emphasise their humanity and how much they’re willing to sacrifice the same. I particularly liked how each character’s response to the crisis differs and how they dovetail in with each other and go to different extremes, especially when compared with the pre-Herod family dynamics. There are some genuinely terrifying scenes, most notably the Officer Smiley scenes, which stuck with me for a long time. It’s not a perfect book – I would have liked some more scenes showing the reaction of teenagers to the crisis (all of the characters are parents) and I found the ending rushed, with the introduction of the children’s point of view coming a little too late and being a little too jarring. That said there was more than enough here to keep me turning the pages and if you’re into horror, then I think that this is a must-read.