Tag: book reviews

A Cinefessions Video – Book Review – Branden Chowen on The Institute by Stephen King

Branden gives his spoiler-free thoughts on Stephen King’s The Institute from 2019. If you enjoyed this video review, please consider subscribing to Cinefessions on YouTube! You can also enjoy 60-days free (for new members) of Scribd, where you can read The Institute for free, by clicking right here. Please note that if you use this…


Book Review – Branden Chowen on The Baby-Sitter II by R.L. Stine

Title: The Baby-Sitter II Author: R.L. Stine Published: 1991 Publisher: Scholastic — The Baby-Sitter II is a much different book in tone than the original, but, at the same time, follows a familiar path when it comes to the story beats. My biggest surprise throughout was the realization that, contrary to my belief, I had…


Book Review – Branden Chowen on The Baby-Sitter by R.L. Stine

Title: The Baby-Sitter Author: R.L. Stine Published: 1989 Publisher: Scholastic — The Baby-Sitter series holds a special place in my heart, even though I’ve never actually read through all four entries. Much like I do today, when I was younger, I felt the urge to own all four of these books after reading just one….


Book Review – Branden Chowen on The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie (The First Law Trilogy #1)

Title: The Blade Itself (The First Law Trilogy #1) Author: Joe Abercrombie Published: 2006 Publisher: Gollancz Audiobook Narrator: Steven Pacey — I don’t often find myself reaching for an adult fantasy novel, but this dark fantasy trilogy has gotten so much love on Booktube that I had to pick it up during an Audible sale…


Book Review – Branden Chowen on Carnevil by J.H. Reynolds (MonsterStreet #3)

Title: Carnevil (MonsterStreet #3) Author: J.H. Reynolds Published: 2019 Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books — I happened across the MonsterStreet books while browsing the children’s section at Barnes & Noble a couple months back. I was looking for another middle grade horror series (which I hope to review in 2020) from a different author when I…


Book Review – Branden Chowen on Chase Darkness With Me by Billy Jensen

Title: Chase Darkness with Me: How One True Crime Writer Started Solving Murders Author: Billy Jensen Published: 2019 Publisher: Sourcebooks Audiobook Narrator: Billy Jensen — Billy Jensen set out to make his hero proud, and he has done just that. Jensen tells stories about how his father would show him the latest crime stories in…


Book Review – Branden Chowen on In a Dark Place by Ray Garton

Title: In a Dark Place Author: Ray Garton Published: 1992 Publisher: Villard Audiobook Narrator: Todd Haberkorn — Ed and Lorraine Warren have gained a lot of fame thanks to the Conjuring film universe, which is one of the better horror franchises going today. These demonologists claim to have helped many different families, including the family featured…