06/23/2025 Recent Reads & Reviews
- Candace Nola
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Today, we have two short reviews, both were short stories, and well-worth the read.
First is GEMINI RISING by Justin Lutz, and the second is BURIED, by Sian B. Claven.
Enjoy!
GEMINI RISING
By Justin Lutz
For such a short novella, there’s a lot of story to unpack. Lutz’ delivers a thriller premise, with the heart of a mystery, wrapped in a cloak of horror. Following a journalist, Crash Winslow, that only “exists” as a byline, Lutz introduces paranoia, suspicion, and a slow descent into madness as Crash tries to understand the meaning behind a mysterious tape he received by someone that knows his true identity, what they want with him, and how his haunted past may be the key.
This kept me guessing from start to finish and I could easily see this being adapted into a fantastic Creepshow style show or movie.
Highly recommend!
BURIED
by Sian B. Claven
Buried by Sian B. Claven is a wild ride with a unique premise for a haunted house story that I immediately loved. An underground haunted mansion, to be exact. My mind instantly went to all the possibilities this story could have just based on the setting.
A team of paranormal investigators has had their eye on filming the infamous Jackson Manor for years, when it finally becomes possible. Wasting no time, they pack up their crew, drive to the hidden estate to meet the last living heir to the underground mansion and begin what was to be a week-long investigation of debunking the tales of haunted horrors that surround the estate, but the mansion has other plans for this eager team of non-believers.
I enjoyed this quite a bit. Though there were several rather graphic, extended adult scenes that I could have done without, it didn’t detract from the overall story for me. Just a personal preference. That being said, I still highly recommend to any haunted house fan.
I listened to this on Audible.
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