Tag Archives: Paranormal

February 6, 2025 · 1:00 am

A Review of I Wish, I Wish

Book cover for I Wish, I Wish by C M Weller. Image on cover shows a wooden African mask whose dreadlocked-hair is actually made of spent bullet casings. It’s a cool and unsettling piece of art! Title: I Wish, I Wish

Author: C. M. Weller

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: October 4, 2016

Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Contemporary

Length: 10 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb:

They always say, “be careful what you wish for”, and Shannon knew that better than anyone. Yet, when the need is great, temptation looms. What would you do, if you had the chance for one wish to come true?

Content Warning: Bullying, destruction of property, and an unknown viral illness.

Review:

Justice comes in many forms.

Shannon was a likeable protagonist I immediately began rooting for. Not only was she significantly physically disabled, she was being raised by a low-income single mother who had limited help. There were so many things stacked against this family that I desperately wanted them to finally catch a break and have something go their way for one.  They needed a chance to thrive after all they’d been through together.

The paranormal elements of the storyline were subtle at first but grew stronger over time which was the perfect decision for this piece. I enjoyed seeing how Sharon slowly came to the realization that her wish might actually have been granted and that the plot twists were not a coincidence but were building up to something that both the protagonist and the audience would need to think about.

This tale had one of those glorious endings that made me say, “wait, what just happened?” I mean that in a good way as I immediately flipped back a couple of pages to see if my understanding was correct and if the final scene had really been wrapped up the way it had. In retrospect, it made perfect sense given everything that had happened before, but it also caught me off-guard a little due to how some of the earlier scenes played around with the audience’s expectations about what might happen next. It’s delightful to be surprised like that.

I Wish, I Wish made me question my assumptions about what I’d do to make the world a better place with just one wish.

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January 30, 2025 · 1:00 am

Winter Gloom: A Review of The Revenge

Book cover for The Revenge by Benjamin Parsons. Image on cover shows a black and white drawing of a pale-skinned and possibly white woman who has long, black dreadlocks that would drag on the floor if she’d let it do so. She is snarling and looking just up to the right of the viewer. She’s holding a folded-up rope in her left hand and some sort of weapon in her right hand. I shuddered when I looked at her. Very intimidating! Title: The Revenge

Author: Benjamin Parsons

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: March 20, 2023

Genres: Horror, Paranormal

Length: 32 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author

Rating: 4 stars

Blurb:

Who haunts the third floor of that shabby seaside hotel – and why? Do the dead thirst for revenge? And if they do – can they ever be satisfied?
In a run-down seaside hotel out of season, a ghost is seen haunting the third floor – a tempting treat for any idle supernatural enthusiast. But what drives the spirit to stalk through the night? What sort of tragedy has brought it back from the dead, hell-bent on revenge? Part of the collection The Green Lady and Other Stories.

Content Warning:

Review:

Gloomy days are perfect for a haunting.

The skeptical tone of this tale was one of my favorite things about it. The protagonist was intrigued by the rumours of a haunting that were being passed around the hotel, but he also had some understandable suspicions about what was going on. No, I’m not going to spoil anything by sharing whether or not his questions were valid or what various people might have actually witnessed. You’ll have to read this for yourself if you’d like to form your own opinions. What I can say is that it’s refreshing to read a ghost story – or maybe a “ghost” story – written about a character who think critically and doesn’t take much at face value.

While I believe I understand the chilling point the author was making, it would have been helpful to have more time to digest and comprehend the ending. Suddenly dropping off like that made me wonder if I’d missed something earlier. After reflecting upon it, I wonder if this was done intentionally to help the reader feel just as shocked as the narrator did, but I would have liked to have some confirmation that this was the impression I was supposed to walk away with. Understanding a storyteller’s perspective is so important, after all.

With that being said, I loved the way this piece captured the monotony of winter. Even though it was technically set in October, the dark, cloudy skies had already formed over the beach and seaside hotel. This could have easily occurred in January instead and it would have had the same damp and dark tone to it when every day like the one before it and there are months to go before its warm and sunny outside again.

I am hoping to review more of Mr. Parsons work in the future, so stay tuned.

The Revenge expects some audience participation…and I think that’s a good thing!

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January 23, 2025 · 1:00 am

Never Forgotten: A Review of Four New Ghost Stories

Book cover for Four New Ghost Stories by Nicholas Foster. There’s a lot going on in this image, so bear with me. The central figure in the image looks like how Buddhist monks - or maybe Buddha himself - were drawn in China several hundred years ago. He has very white skin, is sitting cross legged, is wearing a loose,comfortable white robe with blue trim on the collar and sleeves and an orange collar, and is holding his right thumb and index finger in front of his chest as if to steady his thoughts. He has a contemplative expression on his face and his hat repeats the same colour scheme as his robe except that it’s much more blue and has an orange trim on it. Behind him are two orange-brown skinned people who are also sitting cross legged. They are leaning out on either side of him as if to make their presence known to the viewers. They are wearing white robes with a large orange stripe on each one. There is an orange circle painted above the largest figure’s head. It’s not a halo, exactly, but it looks like one. This entire image looks weather beaten as if it’s survived several centuries of changing temperatures before you and I gazed upon it today.

Title: Four New Ghost Stories

Author: Nicholas Foster

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: October 25, 2024

Genres: Paranormal, Horror, Historical

Length: 59 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

Ghost stories more thoughtful than violent but where the past can meet the present in a sharp, sharp shock. Ghost stories for historians and ghost stories for the curious. These four stories (‘Raising a Ghost’, ‘The Menagerie’, ‘The Yorkshire Painter’ and ‘Acts of Kindness’) are a blend of history and crime where the emphasis is always on the characters and the lives they lead. They are stories as puzzles and stories with an after-life.

Content Warning: The 1918 flu. A human-ape chimera. Alcoholism. I won’t discuss any of these topics in my review.

Review:

A cold, dark winter day is the ideal time for a ghost story.

I love it when a collection is small enough for me to review every tale in it! Let’s dive in immediately.

An old family secret involving marriage was revealed in “Raising a Ghost.” As someone who has discovered a few surprises in her own family tree, I was intrigued by the protagonist’s desire to learn more about the woman in the long blue dress and finally uncover what their grandfather had been hiding for so many years. This felt like nonfiction to me at times because of how many details were left vague and how much work had to be done to discover even the basics about this woman and her life. Often the lives of ordinary people are only recorded in rare records and many of our questions about them must be patiently pursued with no guarantee that one will have them answered.

There’s something romantic about towns that have seen their best days but still trudge forward with a diminished population, and the descriptions of one such place in “The Menagerie” made me wonder what it was like in its heyday when more visitors came to visit the seaside in the summer. I struggled with the lack of detail here, especially when it came to what Giles discovered when his interview was cancelled and he found himself with an extra day to wander around town and explore old wonders that later generations were rapidly forgetting. More information about what was going on would have really helped.

Rachel’s criticisms of the fickle art industry were attention grabbing in “The Yorkshire Painter,” and they provided a memorable framework for discussing the life of a nearly completely forgotten eighteenth century painter named Conderton. I adored the twists in this one and would have happily read a full-length novel on the subject as Rachel shared what we know about this painter and how the art world decides who to celebrate and who to overlook until decades or even centuries after their death.

”Acts of Kindness” explored the life of Bishop Sawley, a kind old man who had served small parishes for decades before retiring at Lambeth House where he carried out occasional advisory duties for the Archbishop but otherwise enjoyed a well-earned retirement now that he was well into his ninth decade of life. When a group of Tibetan monks came to pay Lambeth House a visit, the Bishop’s fortunes suddenly changed. I enjoyed the questions this story brought up about how the past affects the present and how someone should react to the more difficult chapters of the past.

Keep an eye out for possible connections between these tales as you read. That’s all I can say without giving away spoilers, but it was fun to figure such things out.

Four New Ghost Stories was a satisfying read.

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January 2, 2025 · 1:00 am

A Review of The Reverse

Book cover for The Reverse by Benjamin Parsons. Image on cover is a black and white drawing of a white woman wearing an ornate dress that appears to be from the late Middle Ages. There is lace on her cuffs and collar and plants embroidered onto the bodice and skirt of her dress. Her lace collar is standing straight up around her head like petals on a flower. It looks stiff and uncomfortable, to be honest. This image has a green background. Title: The Reverse

Author: Benjamin Parsons

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: January 9, 2023

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Historical

Length: 18 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

An old man tells a tale of his youth, when one snowy night he accepted an invitation to stay in a remote castle. His lovely hostess is so charming that he forgets his broken heart and falls in love with her. But what is the uncanny secret of this ancient castle and its ancient family? Why do the seasons seem to change every morning when he awakes? And is his beloved really what she seems to be… or just the reverse? Part of the collection The Green Man and Other Stories.

Content Warning: Death. Broken engagement. Grief. Brief references to Candlemas, a Christian winter holiday.

Review:

Winter isn’t the best time for traveling.

There was some interesting lore here that required me to think about it carefully to put it together. I especially enjoyed the reactions of the townsfolk in one of the early scenes when they were asked for directions to find Belvay castle. Characters in general would be well served by slowing down and asking the opinions of locals before gallivanting off to find, in this case, a mysterious castle, but if they were sensible enough to do that we wouldn’t have half as many stories to read about what happens when one throws caution to the wind. I know I’m talking circles around the lore here, but I really do want everyone to discover it without any assumptions about what they’re about to read. Just know that it’s worth the time and effort in my opinion.

While the narrator had recently finished grieving a few tragic events in his life and was not in the right state of mind to be making big decisions about what he wanted to do next, I still found myself wishing he had gone into more detail about what was going on at Belvay castle. My impression of this piece was that it was a whirlwind of scenes that didn’t leave the reader much time for contemplation. There were good reasons for it to be written that way that I will allow others to discover for themselves, but this reader would have benefited from as little as one additional scene that provided more context for why things unfurled the way that they did.

The romantic themes in this tale were heavily tinged with grief, anxiety, and an impending sense of doom. This is something I’m mentioning in my review because I want to attract readers who are interested in such things and warn those of you who prefer every ending to be a happy one that this may not be what you’re expecting.  With that being said, this is the sort of romance I prefer to read if I’m going to dip my toes into that genre. Sometimes a situation feels odd for excellent reasons, and I enjoyed seeing how the unnamed old man responded to what should have been a happy moment in his life.

The Reverse was a wild ride.

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December 19, 2024 · 1:00 am

A Review of The Christmas Mourner

Book cover for The Christmas Mourner by Marian McCarthy. Image on cover shows a closeup painting of a few branches of a white Christmas tree decorated with red bulbs. You can see snow gently falling in the blue background.Title: The Christmas Mourner

Author: Marian McCarthy

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: December 10, 2021

Genres: Holiday, Paranormal, Contemporary

Length: 11 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

A lonely Christmas Eve turns lively for mortician Perrie Spock when a late-night mourner shows up at the Rose Funeral Home.

Content Warning: Funeral home setting. Death.

Review:

Christmas ghost stories are one tradition that should never die.

I adored all of the little moments in this tale that showed Perrie’s dedication to her work. She really seemed to be passionate about preserving the dignity of the dead and giving their loved ones a chance to say goodbye in a peaceful, healing place. Grief is never easy, but it can be less difficult if the people surrounding the mourners are kind and compassionate like Perrie was. Look for the small things this protagonist does when she thinks nobody is watching that demonstrate just how much this matters to her. One of the best ones happened shortly after she turned off the light in the viewing room and prepared for a quiet Christmas Eve.

While I understand that this is part of a series and I did not go into it expecting to understand every reference to past events, it would have been helpful for me as a new reader to have a little more backstory on Perrie. For example, why was she so nonchalant the first time a ghost spoke to her? Even a line or two about how maybe she’d had this happen to her before or she expected it for some other reason would have been enough for me to choose a much higher rating as this was a heartwarming read in general.

The world building was sweet and lovely. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of what it feels, looks, sounds, and smells like to interact with a friendly ghost. Anyone who is familiar with ghost stories, especially of the Christmas variety, will know just what to expect here, but that is not a criticism of this work by any means. Sometimes readers – or at least this reader – find comfort in tropes they’ve read many times before. It’s like eating a favourite meal or putting on a soft sweatshirt after a long day in the outside world and relaxing into the moment. That is to say, it’s blissful.

The Christmas Mourner made me smile.

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December 12, 2024 · 1:00 am

Winter Solstice Delights: A Review of Midwinter Magic and Mayhem

Book cover for Midwinter Magic and Mayhem edited by Frances Evelyn. Image on cover is a drawing of a pale-skinned woman who is standing outside in a snowstorm with no clothes on. (You can only see her face, neck, and a little bit of her shoulders). Her straight, dark blonde hair is swirling around her head and she is staring at the audience with a serious expression on her face as the snow blows around her. Title: Midwinter Magic and Mayhem

Author: edited by Frances Evelyn

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: October 15, 2022

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Holiday, Romance, Contemporary, Historical

Length: 199 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb:

Short stories for the darkest of nights
Midwinter fantasy from award-winning fantasy authors

Witches, demons, spirits and ghosts haunt these pages, tricking, trapping and seducing unwary mortals. Humans, meanwhile, are wielding magic and the spirits for their own ends, with no guarantee of good intentions or great success. Along the way, God and Lucifer wash their hands of us all.

Real-world and epic fantasy rub shoulders with fantasy romance and horror in this new collection of short stories by much-loved authors. Ration yourself to one a night to colour your dreams or binge through them all in search of your next favourite series.

Why so cheap? What’s the catch?
Don’t you worry about that. Just put out your hand and let us take you into the chill of a winter night. What could possibly go wrong?

Content Warning: Migraines. Ancient curses and ancient blessings. Characters drinking alcohol. Hypothermia. Death. I will not discuss any of these topics in my review.

Review:

Prepare for something delightful.

Galyna received warnings in her dreams from one of her ancestors about various forms of danger that were threatening her and those she loved “The Horse Woman.” This was something established pretty early on on in the storyline, so I don’t consider it a spoiler. What I found interesting about this tale is that Galyna’s ancestor had lived so many generations ago that nobody in the family knew anything about her other than these few sparse facts. Imagine getting warnings from someone so far back in one’s family tree. Where the storyline went from there surprised me and made it difficult to stop reading. What creativity! I’d read an entire book about these characters if such a thing existed.

“Daisy” showed what happened when Janie decided to adopt an odd little stray cat that showed up in her garden one autumn. There are so many details of this story that I can’t share without giving away the plot twists, but what I can say is that I loved Janie’s compassion for her new pet no matter how strange life became for the two of them. One of my all-time favorite tropes involves ordinary people performing acts of kindness for those who can’t possibly repay them. There is something so wholesome about someone who simply wants to make the world a better place in whatever small ways they can without any expectations of being noticed or thanked, and I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of reading about these quiet, sweet moments that happen regularly both in fiction and and in real life.

One of the things that frightens me the most about winter is the possibility of getting stuck outdoors in the cold for too long. After Jessica’s car died, she became so hypothermic she fell asleep and then woke up in a bizarre bar in ‘The Spirit of Winter.” Due to the dangerous beginning of this story, I was pleasantly surprised by where it meandered off to after Jessica’s exposure to the cold weather began to affect her so seriously. It was not at all what I was expecting, but it worked well for the characters and plot and gave me multiple hints about how it could be interpreted depending upon how a reader reacts to certain clues.

Midwinter Magic and Mayhem was the perfect read for the holiday season.

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November 14, 2024 · 1:00 am

Urban Magic: A Review of Bodega Botanica Tales

Book cover for Bodega Botanical Tales by Marianne Rodriguez Bross. Image on cover shows a preteen Hispanic boy who is wearing jeans, white sneakers, and a puffy black jacket standing in the doorway to a greenhouse. What’s interesting about this scene is that the door appears to be outdoors in an alley or urban street as you can see a brick wall surrounding it and some trash on the sidewalk nearby. The greenhouse is lush and filled with flowers and other healthy plants. Title: Bodega Botanica Tales

Author: Maria Rodriguez Bross

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: September 5, 2024

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary

Length: 46 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb:

Eleven-year-old Jose has always felt invisible, surrounded by problems no one seems to notice—an empty belly, neighborhood bullies, and a mysterious green-and-yellow bracelet given to him by the Bodega man. One fateful day, as Jose’s struggles reach a breaking point, he is rescued by a supernatural being who transports him to a magical bodega that transports him to a breathtaking, enchanted rainforest filled with magic and mystery. In this extraordinary world, Jose meets another supernatural being, named Don Wicho, who grants him a single wish that will change his life forever. Without hesitation, he makes his wish, desperate to escape his troubles. But once he returns to reality, the boundaries between fantasy and his own world begin to blur. As Jose grows older, he wrestles with the consequences of his wish. Was it all just a dream born of childhood anxiety or did it truly happen? When a chance meeting with someone from his past brings up traumatic memories back to the surface, Jose realizes he is not ready to confront the past. But every wish has a cost, and the consequences of that wish are confirmed. Bodega Botanica Tales- Jose’s Story is the first tale in a series of a magical, coming-of-age stories about courage, resilience, and the price of wishes. Perfect for readers who love fantasy, adventure, and magical bodegas.

Content Warning: Bullying, theft, mental illness, and a developmentally-delayed child.

Review:

Cities are full of secrets.

So much of the fantasy I’ve read was set either out in the woods or in tiny little towns near vast stretches of nature that it was refreshing to read something from an urban environment. Being surrounded by thousands of other people doesn’t mean someone can’t still feel alone or in need to guidance from paranormal sources, and I enjoyed the ways Ms. Rodriguez Bross explored how the unseen world might operate in such a setting.

The world building was strong and memorable. I loved the way the neighbourhood bodega was also a character of sorts in this short story. It influenced the lives of the people who visited it in all sorts of intriguing ways, both magical and realistic. Readers who have been lucky enough to live near a bodega will have a few extra treats to enjoy as they read this, but one doesn’t have to have that particular life experience in order to get something fabulous out of this.

Jose was a relatable protagonist who didn’t always know which decision was the right one to make but who did have good intentions in life. Yes, he was a preteen, but this didn’t feel like a middle grade story and that was part of the charm of it and of this character as well. The storyline was a little more serious and gritty than most middle grade fiction even though I’d agree that some kids may relate to those aspects and enjoy them just as much as adults can. In the end, I think the author was right in marketing this to adults, but I appreciated how easily Jose’s concerns about his family could cross over to younger audiences, too, as he decided how to handle everything from his sister’s physical health problems to his mother’s mental health problems and the bullying he was experiencing from other kids. Writing to more than one audience like this isn’t easy, so I appreciated the chance to view Jose from multiple perspectives as he grew older.

Bodega Botanica Tales made me yearn for a sequel. Bravo!

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November 7, 2024 · 1:00 am

A Review of Veterans of Love and War: A First World War Ghost Story

Book cover for Veterans of Love and War: A First World War Ghost Story by Steven Glick. Image on cover is a black and white photo of a young, white, male soldier who is wearing an old uniform and, oddly enough for this era, smiling a little. Title: Veterans of Love and War: A First World War Ghost Story

Author: Steven Glick

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: February 13, 2024

Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, LGBTQ, Historical

Length: 15 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb:

Dreams and reality merge in this fateful story of a World War One soldier’s homecoming.

Content Warning: Grief, war, and death. Nothing is graphically described,  but World War I was not exactly a cheerful era.

Review:

The destructive forces of war should never be underestimated.

Social conventions can change rapidly over the generations, so I appreciated how clearly Mr. Glick explained exactly what and wasn’t expected from men, women, spouses, and children in the late 1910s as far as how they behaved and what interests they were supposed to have. For example, men were expected to suppress certain emotions no matter what was going on in their lives. These details were important for understanding part of the reason why David, the young soldier who was coming home for a short leave, felt so out of place in the world.

In some other genres, the foreshadowing here would have been too strong, but for this particular tale it was perfect. Claire, David’s mother, had access to so little information about how the war was going or how her son was doing that readers needed these hints in order for her walk home from Christmas shopping to make sense. (It was roughly 1918, after all, and decades away from anything like the Internet to keep families connected during tough times). Figuring out the plot twists in advance wasn’t the point here in my opinion. Instead, I gently followed along as Claire bought some very last minute gifts and worried about her child.

The ending fit the themes of this story nicely. Interestingly enough, it also provided the most mysterious elements of this piece!, so keep reading if the beginning and middle don’t feel like a typical mystery to you. I enjoyed the way the author played around with the expectations of this genre and thought it blended in well with the paranormal and LGBTQ+ themes, too. Sometimes things need to be rearranged a little in order to successfully mix genres together, and it worked quite well here, indeed.

Veterans of Love and War: A First World War Ghost Story was poignant and beautiful.

 

(If you liked this review or want more paranormal World War I stories in your life, go check out my reviews of An English Heaven and The Last Photograph of John Buckley.)

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October 31, 2024 · 1:00 am

A Review of Old Forests and Older Things Within

Book cover for Old Forests and Older Things Within by Rudolph Kohn. Image on cover is a photo taken of a mountain range on a very foggy day. It’s so foggy, in fact, that this looks like a black and white photo! You can see pine forests growing on the smaller mountains (or maybe large hills) in the foreground, but the fog grows thicker as you look up. It’s an overcast day and only thin ribbons of sunlight make it through the clouds overhead. Title: Old Forests and Older Things Within

Author: Rudolph Kohn

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: August 9, 2024

Genres: Science Fiction, Paranormal, Contemporary

Length: 25 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 4 stars

Blurb:

Victor Martinez-Silva thought he was going to enjoy a leisurely vacation in Peru with his wife.

As they were hiking up to the ruins of Choquequirao, something happened to his wife, Amy–something Victor couldn’t explain, much less stop.

However, a stranger found them in the nick of time, and he seemed to know exactly what to do.

Enjoy this short story introducing Lawrence G. Samson, hunter of otherworldly monstrosities hiding on our planet, waiting for the opportunity to wreak havoc on humanity!

Content Warning: parasitic infection

Review:

Hikes are supposed to be relaxing, right?

Nature can be a little intimidating at times for some of us, so I appreciated the fact that Mr. Kohn leaned into this fear in order to set the scene. There’s nothing like a character being many miles away from help in an emergency to highlight just how quickly things can go wrong and how much courage it takes to race to safety when the unthinkable happens. If any outdoors readers check this tale out, I’d love to read your takes on the themes here as I’m sure they can be a read differently by experienced hikers and campers.

I would have liked to see a little more time showing the characters’ personalities. Obviously, the fast pacing and short length can’t leave a lot of room for exposition, but I’d struggle to describe the characters if someone asked me what it would be like to meet them other than to say that Lawrence didn’t always give the clearest instructions and Victor didn’t always comprehend what he was asked to do because of how panicked he was about his wife’s condition. This could have easily been expanded upon in a few more paragraphs, and I would have happily gone with a five-star rating if the author had made that choice. Everything else about it was well written.

One of my challenges as a book blogger involves figuring out how to talk about twist endings without giving them away in my reviews. The twist is this tale was something I suspected might be coming, but I’m not the sort of reader who has to be surprised in order to enjoy something. It was still fun to see how it played out once Victor had more information about what was happening. I suspect that he would have figured it out sooner under calmer circumstances as my first impression of him was of someone who is generally capable and smart.

Old Forests and Older Things Within was an atmospheric autumn read.

 

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October 10, 2024 · 1:00 am

A Review of I Found a Circus Tent in the Woods Behind My House

Title: I Found a Circus Tent in the Woods Behind My HouseBook cover for I Found a Circus Tent in the Woods Behind My House by Ben Farthing. Image on cover is a probably Ai-generated image of a large red and white striped circus tent that has been set up beside a dark and foreboding forest. You can see a few branches of an evergreen tree poking out in front of the tent almost as if the tree is about to touch this strange invader. There is light illuminating the tent that probably comes from the upper right corner of the image. Weirdly enough, though, the sky itself is grey and overcast. So this light almost appears to be emanating from the tent fabric itself because there’s no other logical place for it to originate from.

Author: Ben Farthing

Publisher: Self-Published (I think?)

Publication Date: January 23, 2023

Genres: Horror, Paranormal,  Halloween, Contemporary

Length: 106 pages

Source: I borrowed it from the library

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

Lost in a labyrinth of circus tents…

Dave and his four-year-old, Jacob, find a circus tent in the woods behind their house. A strange voice invites them through the dark doorway.

When they refuse, the tent swallows them.

What follows is a nightmare fleeing through a maze of circus tents. Strange performers lurk inside. They want Dave and his little boy to put on a show. The a shifting figure on a platform high above the trapeze wires.

With Jacob perched in the crook of his arm, Dave determines to outsmart the boss of this dark circus, and escape this horrifying tent.

Content Warning: Clowns. Blood. Murder.

Review:

The woods aren’t as safe as one might think.

It was interesting to see how parenthood had changed Dave. He gave several examples of what he used to do on the weekends before becoming a dad and how he had to give those hobbies and volunteer hours up due to having two young children to raise. Most of the fiction I read focuses on mothers, so I liked seeing what parenthood can feel like from a father’s perspective. Despite his other flaws, Dave seemed like an attentive and loving dad who was genuinely trying to give his children the best childhoods he could.

I struggled with the repetitive nature of this novella. Dave kept sharing the same thoughts with the audience over and over again, and he didn’t always make the most logical decisions. While I wouldn’t expect a character in his situation to be eloquent by any means, I did find myself wishing that he’d spend less time talking to the audience and more time either getting himself and his son out of that creepy circus tent or figuring out why the circus performers were so keen on luring humans into their world.  As much as I wanted to give this one a higher rating, this issue prevented me from feeling comfortable to do so.

With that being said, I did appreciate the writing style of this piece. It reminded me of an adult version of  the old television show Are You Afraid of the Dark. That is to say, it was a little cheesy in a good way and gave the characters plenty of opportunities to escape. The scenes that included scary moments were not emphasized the same way they probably would have been in, say, a Stephen King story. Honestly, I could see a preteen reader who loved horror being into this just as much as the adult audience it was written for, so it could be a good stepping stone into the horror genre for people who don’t mind brief references to blood but mostly want to be scared by imagining what might happen next.

This is the first instalment of a series that can be read in any order. If you do decide to read any of the books in it, though, be sure to check out the author’s explanations of where his ideas come from after the final chapter. The two I have read so far helped me to see their storylines in a new light and were well worth my time. (I will be reviewing I Found Puppets Living In My Apartment Walls in a few weeks, so stay tuned).

I Found a Circus Tent in the Woods Behind My House was a fun Halloween read.

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