Tag: gothic horror

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Blog Tour – The Creeper by A.M. Shine

Welcome to my stop on The Creeper blog tour! Huge thanks to Head of Zeus for giving me the opportunity to take part in this! I was provided a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review. 

Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication Date: 15/09/2022
Length: 240 pages
Genre: Horror | Gothic Horror

CW: graphic depictions of death and violence, grotesque imagery

Blackwells.co.uk

Superstitions only survive if people believe in them…

Renowned academic Dr Sparling seeks help with his project on a remote Irish village. Historical researchers Ben and Chloe are thrilled to be chosen – until they arrive.

The village is isolated and forgotten. There is no record of its history, its stories. There is no friendliness from the locals, only wary looks and whispers. The villagers lock down their homes at sundown.

It seems a nameless fear stalks the streets, but nobody will talk – nobody except one little girl. Her words strike dread into the hearts of the newcomers. Three times you see him. Each night he comes closer…

That night, Ben and Chloe see a sinister figure watching them. He is the Creeper. He is the nameless fear in the night. Stories keep him alive. And nothing will keep him away…

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The Path of Thorns by A.G. Slatter

Firstly, a huge thank you to Titan Books for sending me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher: Titan Books
Publication Date: 28/06/2022
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Fantasy | Gothic | Horror

CW: animal abuse, domestic abuse, mentions of child abuse, graphic depictions of death

Blackwells.co.uk

Asher Todd comes to live with the mysterious Morwood family as a governess to their children. Asher knows little about being a governess but she is skilled in botany and herbcraft, and perhaps more than that. And she has secrets of her own, dark and terrible – and Morwood is a house that eats secrets. With a monstrous revenge in mind, Asher plans to make it choke. However, she becomes fond of her charges, of the people of the Tarn, and she begins to wonder if she will be able to execute her plan – and who will suffer most if she does. But as the ghosts of her past become harder to control, Asher realises she has no choice.

Dark magic, retribution and twisted family secrets combine to weave a bewitching and beautifully written gothic fairy tale.

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Cover Reveal – The Creeper by A.M. Shine

Last year I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Shine’s debut novel The Watchers which I loved. So when Aries reached out asking if I’d like to take part in the cover reveal for Shine’s latest novel, how could I say no?

Publisher: Aries
Publication Date: 15/09/2022
Length: 240 pages
Genre: Gothic Horror

Blackwells.co.uk

Superstitions only survive if people believe in them…

Renowned academic Dr Sparling seeks help with his project on a remote Irish village. Historical researchers Ben and Chloe are thrilled to be chosen—until they arrive…

The village is isolated and forgotten. There is no record of its history, its stories. There is no friendliness from the locals, only wary looks and whispers. The villagers lock down their homes at sundown. A nameless fear stalks the streets…

Nobody will talk—nobody except one little girl. Her story strikes dread into the hearts of the newcomers. Three times you see him. Each night he comes closer…

That night, Ben and Chloe see a sinister figure watching them. He is the Creeper. He is the nameless fear in the night. Stories keep him alive. And nothing will keep him away…

GoodReads

Drag to reveal the cover…

As well as the book, I also loved The Watchers‘ cover, so I’m thrilled that The Creeper is staying in the same style. It feels like the perfect wrapping for Shine’s novels with the stripped-back return to the classic Gothic Horror genre, where the characters are alone and isolated by the intense landscape – all highlighted through the minimalist design.

I also really love the touch of the landscape making up the silhouettes, to me it simultaneously shows how the characters can become ensnared by their surroundings yet also makes you feel as if the landscape is a character in the tale…!

What are your thoughts on the cover?

Interview with A.M. Shine
Read my Review of the watchers
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The Book of Baku by R.L. Boyle

Firstly, a huge thanks to Titan Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher: Titan Books
Publication Date: 15/06/2021
Length: 284 pages
Genre: Horror | Gothic Horror

CW: disturbing horror, child death, drug abuse, animal death, animal abuse

Blackwells.co.uk

Sean hasn’t spoken a word since he was put into care. When he is sent to live with his grandad, a retired author and total stranger, Sean suddenly finds himself living an affluent life, nothing like the estate he grew up in, where gangs run the streets and violence is around every corner.

Sean embraces a new world of drawing, sculpting and reading his grandad’s stories. But his grandad has secrets in his past. As his grandad retreats to the shed, buried at the end of his treasured garden, The Baku emerges.

The Baku is ancient, a creature that feeds on our fears, and it corrupts everything it touches. Plagued by nightmares, with darkness spreading through the house, Sean must confront his fears to free himself and his grandad from the grip of the Baku.

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Horseman by Christina Henry

Firstly, I just want to say a huge thank you to Titan Books for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher: Titan Books
Publication Date: 28/09/2021
Length: 336 pages
Genre: Gothic Horror | Retelling

CW: graphic depictions of death, mentions of abuse, alcoholism, attempted sexual assault

Blackwells.co.uk

Everyone in Sleepy Hollow knows about the Horseman, but no one really believes in him. Not even Ben Van Brunt’s grandfather, Brom Bones, who was there when it was said the Horseman chased the upstart Crane out of town. Brom says that’s just legend, the village gossips talking.

Twenty years after those storied events, the village is a quiet place. Fourteen-year-old Ben loves to play “Sleepy Hollow boys,” reenacting the events Brom once lived through. But then Ben and a friend stumble across the headless body of a child in the woods near the village, and the sinister discovery makes Ben question everything the adults in Sleepy Hollow have ever said. Could the Horseman be real after all? Or does something even more sinister stalk the woods?

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Near the Bone by Christina Henry

Firstly, a huge thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher: Titan Books
Publication Date: 13/04/2021
Length: 336 pages
Genre: Gothic Horror

CW: domestic violence, mentions of sexual assault, graphic depictions of death

Blackwells.co.uk

Mattie can’t remember a time before she and William lived alone on a mountain together. She must never make him upset. But when Mattie discovers the mutilated body of a fox in the woods, she realizes that they’re not alone after all.

There’s something in the woods that wasn’t there before, something that makes strange cries in the night, something with sharp teeth and claws.

When three strangers appear on the mountaintop looking for the creature in the woods, Mattie knows their presence will anger William. Terrible things happen when William is angry.

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