Young Blood: Ten Terrifying College Tales by Chandrima Das

BLURB:

Bored roommates use a planchette to contact a legendary ghost that haunts Pune University. Will she answer?

Is the abandoned Khairatabad Science College in Hyderabad really haunted? A gang of students break inside to investigate.

Nirav and Pavi love each other . . . most of the time. Will exploring a forbidden place inside IIT Kharagpur bring them closer?

From strange sightings to urban legends, from haunted buildings to not-so-friendly ghosts, colleges in India have their fair share of spine-tingling tales, be it Kasturba Medical College in Manipal, St. Bede’s College in Shimla or Delhi University. Young Blood is a collection of ten tales that reimagine college urban legends and true first-person accounts, that promises to terrify even die-hard fans of horror.

You can purchase the book here

MY THOUGHTS:

I love reading horror books and when I read the blurb of this book I had to get my hands on it. Young Blood is a collection of ten short horror stories from various colleges in India. All the stories have different settings and plots. I loved reading each and every one of them but if I have to choose one, I would choose “The Benefits of Doubt“.

The characters are very well developed in the stories. Although the book is a collection of different stories, the author builds the characters very beautifully. Their emotions such as fear, regret, sorrow are very well depicted.

The stories are narrated from the first-person point of view. This helps in making the stories more realistic as well as appealing. The stories are well-plotted and are fast-paced. The author makes sure to keep the readers hooked to the book right from the beginning. The writing style is simple and easy to understand.

Overall, Young Blood is a wonderful collection of short horror tales. I would definitely recommend it to horror genre lovers!!!!

This book review is part of blogchatter’s bookchatter.

Review: Sherlock Holmes and the Singular Affair by M. K. Wiseman

BLURB:

Before Baker Street, there was Montague.

Before the partnership with a former army doctor recently returned from Afghanistan, Sherlock Holmes had but the quiet company of his own great intellect. Solitary he might be but, living as he did for the thrill of the chase, it was enough.

For a little while, at the least, it was enough. 

That is until a client arrives at his door with a desperate plea and an invitation into a world of societal scandal and stage door dandies. Thrust deep in an all-consuming role and charged with the safe-keeping of another, Holmes must own to his limits or risk danger to others besides himself in this the case of the aluminium crutch. 

MY THOUGHTS:

This is my first time reading a book by M.K Wiseman and surely this won’t be the last. “Sherlock Holmes and the singular affair” is set before Dr Watson entered Sherlock Holme’s life.

The story begins with Dr. Watson going through some old papers of Sherlock Holmes after his death. The story actually follows the early life of Sherlock Holmes before Watson came into his life.

Miss Clarke had approached Sherlock Holmes with a request to find her husband, Henry. She has a doubt that her husband has been replaced by some stranger. Sherlock embarks on a quest to find her husband unaware of the danger involved.

I love reading detective mysteries and this book is no exception. The book has it all – the mystery, the dangers, the adventures and (obviously) the excellent deduction skills of Sherlock Holmes. I loved that the author had included some characters from the original stories apart from Sherlock and Watson in this book such as Inspector Lestrade.

The character building is done very well. Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson very much resemble the original characters. The storyline is amazing. It seems confusing at first but as the story nears the end, all the deductions are put in front of the readers. The book is initially slow placed but as the storyline proceeds, it literally becomes unputdownable!

Overall, “Sherlock Holmes & the Singular Affair” is a captivating historical crime mystery perfect for all mystery lovers. I loved every bit of it and would highly recommend it to all my fellow Sherlock Holmes lovers to give it a try.

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Apple Books

AUTHOR BIO:

M. K. Wiseman has degrees in Interarts & Technology and Library & Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her office, therefore, is a curious mix of storyboards and reference materials. Both help immensely in the writing of historical novels. She currently resides in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Blog Tour Organizer: Rachel’s Random Resources

#Spotlight: You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus

Publisher: Penguin
Length: 336 Pages
Publishing: 30th November 2021

Amazon | Goodreads

BLURB:

From the author of One of Us Is Lying comes a brand new addictive thriller.

Ivy, Mateo and Cal used to be close – best friends back in middle school.

Now all they have in common is a bad day. So for old time’s sake, they skip school together – one last time.

But when the trio spot Brian ‘Boney’ Mahoney ditching class too, they follow him – right into a murder scene.

They all have a connection to the victim. And they’re ALL hiding something.

When their day of freedom turns deadly, it’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out . . .

It’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with murder, perfect for fans of One Of Us Is Lying and A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder. This explosive new thriller is impossible to put down.

AUTHOR BIO:

Karen M. McManus is the #1 New York Times and international bestselling author of young adult thriller/mystery novels, including One of Us Is Lying, One of Us Is Next, Two Can Keep a Secret, and The Cousins. You’ll Be the Death of Me will be her next novel, publishing December 2021. Her work has been translated into more than 40 languages worldwide. Karen lives in Massachusetts and holds a master’s degree in Journalism from Northeastern University, which she mostly uses to draft fake news stories for her novels. For more information, visit www.karenmcmanus.com or @writerkmc on Twitter and Instagram.