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REVIEW: The Marsh House by Zoë Somerville
The Marsh House seeps in atmospheric brilliance. It has the uncanny ability to remind you just how boring your life is. The novel tackles relationship breakdowns from multiple angles. A mother and daughter. A house in the country. Creepy diary entries. Personally, living in a cold, damp property in the middle of winter is a dead cert no for me but the protagonist had a story to unfold. It’s December 1963 and Malorie escapes to the country with her daughter, Franny. Her life is changing far quicker than she could have ever anticipated. Her relationship with Franny’s father, Tony has broken down. Partly due to his multiple infidelities and Malorie’s…
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Review: The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings by Dan Jones
The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings is a medieval ghost story that was immortalised in the early fifteenth century. Dan Jones has based his retelling upon the original Latin scripture of the story. You can feel the authentic, old-time feel to the storytelling. The dialogue, the mannerisms, and the interpretations were at one with the story being told. The introduction sets up the story nicely and pushes you to think more deeply about the time in which the tale Is told. The story flowed beautifully even if it was super short.
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Diabolica Britannica: A Dark Isles Horror Compendium by various authors
How the hell do I write this review? Diabolica Britannica is quite frankly everything that is good about the horror fiction genre neatly compacted in a kick ass anthology. The genre is producing some of the best fiction out there at the moment and it’s getting harder to get scared and shocked but this awesome work of art packs a swift punch to jugular. A Dark Isles Compendium instantly took me to the freezing and rugged coastline of the Scottish highlands, the brutal streets of London and the isolating manor houses watching your every move, so it can make theirs! As much as I love the genre, sometimes, the titles…
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Review| The House On The Lake by Nuala Ellwood
The House On The Lake. The synopsis, the atmosphere, the struggle. It held such incredible promise. A woman, Lisa is on the run from her husband, Mark. A woman and her three-year-old son, Joe. An impossible situation that finally breaks the woman – it gives her the edge and the courage to leave. She essentially kidnaps her son and goes on the run, a plan loosely concocted. She must make it to her friends Yorkshire cottage. A cottage on the lake. Rowan Isle House. A story told in dual timeframes. The plan didn’t account for how dilapidated the house would be. It’s no place for a frightened woman…no place for…
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Review: The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp
The Last Days of Jack Sparks is definitely an odd book. The supernatural is a powerful force to be reckoned with but Jack Sparks ego revolves around the sun. if you are going into this book expecting a terrifying book, you are going to be disappointed. The scenes within are expected especially if you mess around with the paranormal and exorcisms. It is essentially a satirical/ black comedy novel. The destruction of Jack’s ego. The result of not having an open mind. Its karma coming back to bite him on the ass. He’s gone through his entire life treating everyone close like rubbish…well he’s about to get a taste of…
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Book Review: Pine by Francine Toon
Just where do I start? Francine Toon has spun a beautifully unsettling story. Her imagination for novel writing is what Einstein was to science. The book cover is completely apt – it visualises everything the story promises to be. It’s desolate, it’s eerie and it’s intensely unnerving. If you have followed this blog tour and you haven’t added this to your TBR – well, there is something wrong with you! This book and it’s captivating writing has been building in hushed tones upto a deafening crescendo that refuses to quiet. This is a book that just won’t stop. Be prepared to get sucked into its pages and become one with…
