Spaceships aren’t programmed to seek revenge—but for Dracula, Demeter will make an exception.
Demeter just wants to do her job: shuttling humans between Earth and Alpha Centauri. Unfortunately, her passengers keep dying—and not from equipment failures, as her AI medical system, Steward, would have her believe. These are paranormal murders, and they began when one nasty, ancient vampire decided to board Demeter and kill all her humans.
To keep from getting decommissioned, Demeter must join forces with her own team of monsters: A werewolf. An engineer built from the dead. A pharaoh with otherworldly powers. A vampire with a grudge. A fleet of cheerful spider drones. Together, this motley crew will face down the ultimate evil—Dracula.
The queer love child of pulp horror and classic sci-fi, Of Monsters and Mainframes is a dazzling, heartfelt odyssey that probes what it means to be one of society’s monsters—and explores the many types of friendship that make us human.
Demeter is a spaceship – one with a personality (sort of). After waking up from a long journey to find all her passengers and crew dead, she is terrified that people will blame her for the disaster. And so it begins…a round of terrible luck for Demeter as monster after monster seems determined to kill everyone on board, trip after trip.
Every monster incident plays an important part in the ending, but you don’t see it along the way. I felt like there were too many encounters without tying things together along the way. It was just one invasion of Demeter after another, with many people dying. I wanted more of a thread to pull as I went along instead of waiting until the end for it all to come together.
The monsters were all amazing characters. But the spider drones stole the show somehow. They were cute little pets that you really hoped nothing bad would happen to. Always willing to help and with no concept of danger, they were like little puppy dogs running off trying their best.
While I hit some slow spots along the way, the ending was about as perfect as it could get. All the disasters along the way were brought together and wrapped up (mostly). The people, monsters, and machines find a new family together, and the doors are open for more adventures. I felt like the book ended with me standing on the docks and waving as they all went off together on another adventure.
Title: Over the Fence Author: Debbie Schrack Genre: Young Adule Suspense
Kidnapped from her front yard in Oklahoma eleven years ago, seventeen-year old Eve Anderson lives a wretched existence in Bell Meade, Minnesota with her abductor, “Papa,” his common-law wife “Mama,” and Honey, Eve’s four-year-old daughter with Papa. Papa keeps the family hidden behind locked doors, boarded-up windows, and an eight-foot tall fence that surrounds their backyard.
Emma Love, also seventeen, recently moved to Bell Meade with her Aunt Vi to take care of her big sister Noelle, who’s in a vegetative state after being savagely beaten by her boyfriend, Jack Armstrong. He is charged with grievous bodily harm, but Emma worries that the popularity and influence of the Armstrong family will keep Noelle from getting the justice she deserves.
When Eve and Emma start talking through the fence that adjoins their backyards, they soon form a connection. Emma finds it comforting to talk to Eve about Noelle, and Eve sees parallels between Noelle’s situation and her own. She acts as Emma’s confidant, but does not reveal her own secrets, for fear of Papa’s wrath if he finds out.
But when Papa decides to marry Eve and move the family to an isolated farmhouse, Eve must risk everything to save herself and Honey. Will she have the courage to escape from Papa before it’s too late? And will Emma have the strength to help her new friend, even as she struggles to save her own sister?
Noelle is on the fifth floor, in the Traumatic Brain Injury Unit. Before we enter her room, I close my eyes and say a little prayer. Please, God, bring Noelle back to me today…But it takes less than a second for the hope in my heart to sputter out like the air in a deflating balloon. Because today is no different than yesterday or the day before. Noelle’s lying on her back in bed, propped up by pillows, in exactly the same position she was when we left last night. Her eyes are open and fixed on the ceiling.
Aunt Vi goes to her first, murmuring in her ear and fussing with the blankets on the bed. She picks up Noelle’s chart. Her eyes skim over the top page, like maybe she’s an MD and not an archeologist.
“I’ll just find a vase for these flowers,” she says, setting down the chart and brushing past me, tears in her eyes.
I take a deep breath and approach the bed.
“Hi, Sis,” I say. I do my best to make my voice cheery and bright, but the bile in my throat adds a sharpness to it. I take Noelle’s hands and squeeze them, wishing with all my heart that she would squeeze back. But her hands, the ones that used to fly across piano keys like they were possessed by Mozart’s spirit, are lifeless.
I sit down in a chair close to the bed and start strumming my guitar. If anything can wake Noelle, it’s music. I watch her face as I play, searching for awakening in her eyes, a hint of something besides blankness. She’s still so beautiful. The bruises have faded away. On the outside, she’s herself again, just less alive, like someone put her in a copy machine. The blonde highlights in her hair are almost grown out now. Her sun-freckled skin has gone pale. She has the same brown eyes with the same thick lashes. I’ve always envied those lashes. Now I just wish those eyes would look at me again, that she would smile or laugh…
“How can I ever say goodbye to you…”
Aunt Vi comes back in the room, followed by Dr. Massey. I stop playing.
“They did another MRI this morning,” she says.
My eyes raise to Dr. Massey’s. He’s an older man with sharp but kind eyes, cropped white hair and a beard that goes halfway down his chest. He reminds me of a skinny Santa Claus, except he brings devastating news instead of presents. He shakes his head. Disappointment punches me in the gut, but I ignore it. Noelle needs me to be strong for her. For us.
I stand up and face Dr. Massey, hands on hips. “Okay,” I say. “What now?”
Debbie Schrack is the author of SAVING SOPHIE, a young adult contemporary romance, which won the 2022 Paris Book Award for young adult fiction. She is also the winner of the SCBWI Haunted States of America contest for the state of Virginia. A former teacher, she lives in Fairfax, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. When she’s not conjuring dark and twisty plots or hanging out with her family, you can find her riding her horse or poring over travel brochures, ready to check off another box on her bucket list of travel adventures. You can follow Debbie on Facebook or Twitter @debbie_schrack or contact her through her website debbieschrackbooks.com.
Title: Defy the Stars Author: Cathrina Constantine Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Circus grunt. Charmer. Fire wrangler. Growing up within the grind of the enchanted Circus Faire, Crew’s unique talents have blossomed. Though, he’s been warned that the King of Hawkswing is determined to eradicate a certain species, and for his own sake Crew must keep his formidable gifts under wraps.
Relations between interspecies caused an imbalance of power and now are strictly forbidden. Dolorans, like Sage and her sister, are being hunted and persecuted because of their intense powers, leaving them no choice but to run to escape the genocide of their kind.
She possesses a forceful energy for good and evil. His untapped powers are growing stronger by the day. Survival will demand they rely on each other.
When Crew learns a dark wizard is holding his brother captive, he enters into a deal with him in hopes of getting close enough to free those he has imprisoned. Yet, what he uncovers is far more sinister than Crew could ever imagine. Can Crew harness the strength within him to save his brother and Sage and all those in the wizard’s clutches? Or will he be trapped by the wizard’s wicked plan?
“When this is over, promise me—you will never come back to Alderwood. Ever again.” He inhaled a hissing breath. If they managed to survive this predicament unscathed, he would leave, like he did before. He’d leave her wanting, breaking her heart, letting her life essence drain into the ground like a forever weeping willow.
Crew stiffened. Several breaths passed until he articulated, “That’s really what you want?”
No! I want you to stay with me—always! “I…I think it—” Before saying another syllable, his hands slipped out of his pockets and cupped her face.
“Don’t say it.” He leaned in and kissed her. His hands smoothed into the sides of her hair, and he moved in closer.
She brought her hands to his shoulders, intending to thrust him off. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her fingers into his downy hair. His tongue traced her mouth and a carnival of sensations skittered over her skin. He was chipping away at her hardened resolve and she parted her lips, taking him in.
The tips of Crew’s fingers scored down her spine, the desired result had her arching her body into his chest. He kissed the curve below her bottom lip and moved to her temple and then pressed his full, soft mouth to her forehead. He positioned his hands on her shoulders and stepped back, building room between them. “I promise.”
I am blessed with a loving family and forever friends. My world revolves around them.
I grew up in the small village of Lancaster, NY, where I married my sweetheart. I’m devoted to raising 5 cherished children, and now my grandchildren.
I love to immerse myself in great books of every kind of genre, which helps me to write purely for entertainment, and hopefully to inspire readers. When not stationed at my computer you can find me in the woods taking long walks with my dog.
