Thursday, June 4, 2015

Boogerman's House / Nightmare House (A Haunting Novella)

First title/cover
NEW title/cover!
Varley, D. (2015). Boogerman's House. Missouri City, TX: Garden Gate Press.

Young Adult / Horror / Paranormal / Novella

I gave this book 5 of 5 Stars


It's the anniversary of the first of a series of murder-suicides that happened at Boogerman's House -- one of the most haunted spots in America. What better time for three teens to investigate it for themselves and then write-up their story in the Thornback High newspaper?  Dax Varley provides a quick, well-connected horror story reminiscent of an episode from The Outer Limits or The Twilight Zone. (cue the music) Be prepared to flinch.

What really makes this story rock is that there is the main plot with what the teens are doing, but then there are sub-plots and side stories of the dead that just add to the overall creepy factor.  Also, Varley has included some peculiar and spooky photographs that tie-in, and let's be honest: everyone loves weird pictures. As expected, the teens play a few harmless tricks on each other and one teen may even have a hidden agenda, but Boogerman's House is all about playing different games with the teens: mind games of the deadliest kind. 

From the very beginning, a sense of dread builds steadily and leads to some shockers, but some of the after-shocks are just as horrifying. The ending is just right, leaving plenty of questions but more in a mystical way than a frustrating one. Could there be a connected story down the road?  The writing is fast-paced and descriptive so that readers will be flipping pages and feeling like the proverbial fly on the wall.  The characters are realistic and so is the action, so sensitive readers, know that there is crassness, profanity, violence, gore, and sexual references.

I recommend this book for teens and anyone older who enjoys a whole lot of scary story in a tight, short presentation. Thank you to the author for giving me a copy (and a photo opp!) just 'cause she's awesome. And, yeah, I promised in return to give my honest review -- the only kind I give.

Check out this little teaser trailer:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 
Dax Varley writes the kind of young adult novels she wishes were around when she was a teen. She's a lover of humor, horror and all things paranormal.
When Dax isn't writing, she's collecting odd photos online, reading recaps of her favorite shows or kicked back with a good book. She lives in Richmond, Texas with her husband, a shelf full of action figures and about a dozen imaginary friends.
Real or imaginary, you can find her at the following locations
: WEBSITE, TWITTER, FACEBOOK


The author with this book with me and the NEXT book to review!

ALSO BY DAX VARLEY:
http://kristinehallways.blogspot.com/2014/07/sleepy-hollow-severed-tale-of-sleepy_31.html
Click for Hall Ways Review

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