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Warding by Kev Harrison | Book Review
Kev Harrison proves he can put his magic to anything, whether that’s writing about European Folklore or in the case of Warding, a story of supernatural proportions. As always with Harrison’s work I was intrigued by the premise but let me tell you – nothing prepared me for the intensity and claustrophobia that would have me enthralled. He is the master of uneasiness and reading Warding was no different. It’s a novelette but incredibly fast paced with a small bunch of characters that are instantly relatable with values and working moral compasses. Warding has done the impossible. How on earth can you pack in bucket loads of emotion, heart and…
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Shelter for The Damned by Mike Thorn | Book Review
Shelter for the Damned spins a tale of teenage rage and angst mirrored with the events occurring in the shack. Set the scene…A shack in the middle of a field, it has an exorable pull to the protagonist, Mark. It almost calls to him like a voice in the wind, a siren call. Thorn has a cutthroat ability to reel you in, a writing style so sharp and penetrating that it threatens to tear you open, layer by layer. It is a brutal examination of the emotions and turmoil that teenagers battle with. Shelter for the Damned felt like the lovechild of Barker and King. I’m not a huge fan…
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Shadows of Hell by Duncan Thompson | Blog Tour Review
Sometimes, just sometimes, you know instantly when a series is going to become a favourite. The Shadows series by Duncan Thompson is just that. Shadows in Hell is the sequel to the brilliant Shadows in the Woods novel. Features Dante’s Divine Comedy – Check A battle of good vs evil – Check Hard hitting themes such as grief and forgiveness – Check Thompson once again utilizes the short sharp shock in delivering at times a hilarious but dark installment. One event changed several people’s worlds, but one person’s actions saved the world. It paints a vivid picture of how the strands of connection between characters is unbreakable, even when in…
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Halloween Fiend by C.V. Hunt | Book Review
Halloween Fiend is a seriously creepy tale. The residents of Strang (yup, Strange without the E) know not to go out after sundown. The streets are eerie and quiet, but that’s not the only thing that is wrong with this town. They are haunted by an entity that prowls the streets. The only thing that stops them being killed is the sacrifice of small animals being left on their doorsteps. Apparently, guinea pigs and the likes are a tasty snack for the creature that is called Halloween. Once a year however, someone gets the dot – a term for a randomly selected resident to satiate the monster for another year. …
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Venus in the Blind Spot by Junji Ito | Book Review
Venus in the Blind Spot is my first ever Manga novel. It isn’t something that I would have necessarily picked up but I received it in an Abominable Book Box. It certainly won’t be the last. The artwork and the storytelling is both horrific and awe inspiring. There is tales of misadventure, Japanese lore, and the undercurrents of love and suffering constantly being the backbone of the collection. Darkness has seeped into these stories and it’s a set of stories that aren’t likely to be forgotten in a hurry. The characterization was spot on. On first meet you think these people have the perfect lives, perfect families and perfect lifestyles…
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Deity by Matt Wesolowski | Blog Tour Review
Make sure you are sitting down, and you have your seatbelt properly connected. Deity is a frank and brutal look at the evil within. It’s shocking and it is an investigation on how celebrities are put upon a pedestal, they become godlike, a deity. They rely upon fans to be their shield; their security fence and money and infamy makes them untouchable. Their depravity goes under the radar and accusations can easily disappear behind the wall of yes men, the best lawyers that money can buy and loyal fans that will attack anyone that says anything discriminatory against their idols. It’s a twisted and intelligent story that makes Matt Wesolowski…
