Series: The Sorrows #1
Published by Flame Tree Press on December 1, 2018
Genres: Horror
Pages: 288
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Also by this author: The Siren and The Specter, Old Order, The Nightmare Girl, Savage Species, Wolf Land, The Dark Game, House of Skin, Dust Devils, The Raven, Blood Country
Ben Shadeland and Eddie Blaze are the hottest young music composers in Hollywood. Fresh off an Oscar nomination, they've just been chosen to score a big-budget horror movie by Lee Stanley, the most demanding director in film. But Ben, the creative half of the duo, hasn't written a note since his wife divorced him and got custody of their three-year-old son. Chris Blackwood is the gambling-addicted heir to the Blackwood fortune, which includes the Sorrows, an island off the coast of northern California. The island and its castle have been uninhabited since a series of gruesome, unexplained murders in 1925, but Chris needs money, and to get it he allows Ben, Eddie, Claire Harden (an aspiring composer), and Eva Rosales (Lee Stanley's gorgeous assistant) to stay a month in Castle Blackwood. Eddie is certain an eerie, isolated setting is just what Ben needs to find musical inspiration for a horror film. But what they find is more horrific than any movie. FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launching in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.
After a particularly rubbish day yesterday, I picked this book up at
What do both books have in common? Jonathan and a huge slicing of CRAZY TOWN, and not the kind you would see me hanging about in!!
Like his other book, I felt like that this could be on the big screen, Rob Zombie style maybe, or 80’s throwback to the Hammer horror or even my favourite American Horror Story. The gore, abuse, sex, the horror
Ben, the hero, is a composer with a type of creative block and his partner Eddie, the jock, the arranger, have plans to travel to Castle Island also known as The Sorrows. They need to complete their composition for the infamous Lee Stanley’s new movie. Eva, the hot vixen, also Lee’s “assistant” and Claire, the wholesome heroine, a new intern travel with them to the foreboding island
There are a few storylines in this novel, all keep you the edge of your seat with bated breath waiting to see what would happen next! We have a diary from the past talking about a mysterious little boy called Gabriel and the wrongdoing and terror that occurred on the island in 1925.
Whilst the foursome are the island, things start off being just a little bit spooky. Strange sightings take place, violent apparitions, voices are heard and take control of people, mirrored walls and secret passages, the brutality of some of the characters, and finally the goat hooved beast of the island.
Then tension builds in the books with little tidbits of supernatural, and I swear when I was reading this in, late at night as I do, I heard music, the sweet haunting of piano music and I don’t have a piano!! Anyway back to the tension, it was palpable as you delve further into the mystery of the island and the past. A couple of things I felt were a bit too inconceivable and unexplained but I think it that it added to the magic of the book, because let us be honest when you watch films the unexpected always happens
Jonathan knows how to keep his audience hooked. This book too is his debut!! You can tell he is learning the trade in this book but what a belter for a debut. So dark and twisty and my cup of tea. I really cannot stop thinking of this book as a film on the big screen. It would be a combination of some of the fabulous and the cheesy 80s horror films. There would be plenty of spine-chilling scares and the damn right terrifying too
And what did I love the most, apart from needing to read the next book….there is no respite at the end!
HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much to Anne at Random Things Tours for the tour invite and the author and publisher for a copy of this book in return for my honest and unbiased review
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
jenchaos76 says
I don’t know how you do it, but you make books sound so good
Zoe says
Ha Ha! Do I?! Well I am glad that I do. Phew!! Words are not my strongest point, I work with numbers lol
Lainy McSwan (SMBSLT) says
Oh I will so be checking this author out. Been lucky too be on a few tours for Flame Tree Press and really liked some of the stuff they are putting out xxx
Lainy http://www.alwaysreading.net
Zoe says
Yeah I adore this author. This is his debut and the siren and the Specter I read earlier this year was fantastic. I am loving his work. They have some fantastic books! Xxx
likeherdingcatsblog says
Inherent read a good old horror for years but i love multiple storylines .
Zoe says
Oh try and check if him out you know if you have a spare 5 minutes lol his books are so good!!
likeherdingcatsblog says
I will. The only problem.with being in the blogging community is I just can’t fit in all the books I’m made aware if. Xx
Zoe says
I know that feeling! I just keep adding and adding lol xx
annecater says
Thanks so much for this AMAZING blog tour support Zoe x
Zoe says
Thanks Anne! It’s always a pleasure x