S.E. Howard (Author of What Lies Unseen)

S.E. Howard wrote a new blog post My Two Cents: GHOST GLASSES by Rikki Goodwin "Ghost Glasses" by Rikki Goodwin is at times heartwarming or heartbreaking, but always, at its heart, about family. Not just the one we're born with, Read more of this blog post »
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S.E. Howard rated a book it was amazing Ghost Glasses by Rikki Goodwin (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
"Ghost Glasses" by Rikki Goodwin is at times heartwarming or heartbreaking, but always, at its heart, about family. Not just the one we're born with, but the family we make for ourselves, the people in life (and in this case, in the afterlife) who ma ...more
May 13, 2026 01:19PM · like · see review
S.E. Howard rated a book it was amazing They Looked Like People: A Blackwater Pines Mystery by K. E. Koontz	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I love found footage horror movies. Books that emulate that style are a secret guilty pleasure, too. I should qualify these statements by adding "when done well," because anyone who enjoys found footage knows they can be really, really good or really ...more
May 07, 2026 07:11AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of They Looked Like People by K. E. Koontz. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — They Looked Like People by K. E. Koontz <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
S.E. Howard rated a book it was amazing MANIMAL by A.C. Hessenauer (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I've read several books lately that have that classic detective-noir feel to them. It's becoming a horror subgenre I enjoy a great deal, especially when you throw in a splash of humor along the way. "Manimal," by A.C. Hessenauer is a fantastic exampl ...more
May 04, 2026 09:40AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of MANIMAL by A.C. Hessenauer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — MANIMAL by A.C. Hessenauer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
S.E. Howard rated a book it was amazing THE GHOSTWRITER: A Tiny Terrible Tale (Tiny Terrible Tales) by Sarah Jules (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sarah Jules is an auto-buy for me. I love her writing. Whether one of her longer works, like "You Invited It In" or her short "Tiny Terrible Tales," her stories are always taut, suspenseful, and genuinely spooky. Her latest entry into the Tiny Terrib ...more
May 01, 2026 01:07PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of THE GHOSTWRITER by Sarah Jules. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — THE GHOSTWRITER by Sarah Jules <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
S.E. Howard rated a book really liked it Fenek The Survivor by Nicholas Grady (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Zombies are a pretty standard trope in horror fiction, one that you could argue has been overdone. How many ways can the living dead be reimagined? You'd think that well had been mined bone dry, but over my past few reads, I've discovered that's defi ...more
Apr 28, 2026 08:37AM · 3 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Fenek The Survivor by Nicholas Grady. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Fenek The Survivor by Nicholas Grady <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
S.E. Howard rated a book really liked it Where the Tide Leaves its Dead by Bray Mattheson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I've had zombies on the brain lately, having written a short story to submit for KJK Publishing's new Zombies anthology that just released this week. At the same time, I was also reading "Where The Tide Leaves Its Dead" by Bray Mattheson which, coinc ...more
Apr 22, 2026 06:34AM · 2 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Where the Tide Leaves its Dead by Bray Mattheson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Where the Tide Leaves its Dead by Bray Mattheson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
S.E. Howard rated a book it was amazing The Shadow Beside Her: A Horror Novel by Elizabeth S. Devecchi (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
War is hell, especially for the innocent people caught in between the embattled, opposing forces. In Elizabeth Devecchi's upcoming novel, The Shadow Beside Her, readers are introduced to young Maria, one such unfortunate innocent. As the story opens, ...more
Apr 18, 2026 01:32PM · like · see review
S.E. Howard rated a book it was amazing Pumpkin Seeds by Tyler Downs (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Every year at Halloween, murdered private investigator Edward Crane is brought back to life for one week. During that time, Ed and his young partner Sam, along with the spirit of a woman named Wren work together to try and solve mysteries of a supern ...more
Apr 14, 2026 08:20AM · 2 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Pumpkin Seeds by Tyler Downs. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Pumpkin Seeds by Tyler Downs <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
S.E. Howard rated a book it was amazing Feral by John Ashley (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Anyone who has ever owned a cat knows their potential for pure evil. That being said, you will also likely understand and appreciate the underlying noble dignity possessed by every domesticated feline, the aloof but unmistakable, patient tolerance wi ...more
Apr 10, 2026 01:55PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Feral by John Ashley. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Feral by John Ashley <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

S.E. Howard wrote a new blog post

My Two Cents: GHOST GLASSES by Rikki Goodwin

"Ghost Glasses" by Rikki Goodwin is at times heartwarming or heartbreaking, but always, at its heart, about family. Not just the one we're born with, Read more of this blog post »

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Ghost Glasses
by Rikki Goodwin (Goodreads Author)

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"Ghost Glasses" by Rikki Goodwin is at times heartwarming or heartbreaking, but always, at its heart, about family. Not just the one we're born with, but the family we make for ourselves, the people in life (and in this case, in the afterlife) who ma "Ghost Glasses" by Rikki Goodwin is at times heartwarming or heartbreaking, but always, at its heart, about family. Not just the one we're born with, but the family we make for ourselves, the people in life (and in this case, in the afterlife) who make us feel needed, important, and above all else, remembered.

At the center of the story is Poppy, the ghost of a young woman killed in the 1960s when she is struck by a garbage truck on her way to work. Since that time, she has wandered the streets of Chicago, completely invisible to everyone around her. Not even her own mother realized Poppy's presence, no matter how desperately Poppy tried to be seen or heard. She can still touch objects, move them around, turn things on and off, but to the casual observer, these things go unnoticed or dismissed as coincidence. When the story opens, it's been 60 years since Poppy's untimely demise. Her mother is long-since dead and her childhood home now inhabited by strangers. Poppy had hoped when her mother died, they'd be reunited in the afterlife, but unfortunately, that didn't happen, and she's found herself as she's been all along: alone.

At least, almost. During her lonely wanderings through the city, Poppy encounters other spirits, hideous and terrifying monsters that frighten and chase her. She does her best to avoid them, but one day, a monster manages to follow as she flees across a subway platform and onto a train. The other passengers are oblivious as it stalks the narrow aisles, searching for Poppy -- until Poppy hears one of them scream, a young man who clearly not only sees the monster among them, but Poppy herself.

She tries to catch up to him as he bolts in terror, but is unable to. She becomes determined to find him again, and her search inadvertently leads her into the company of a long-haul truck driver named Buddy, in whose cab she hitches a ride. He's not a bad traveling companion, even though he has no idea she's tagging along, so she sticks with him a while, eventually ending up at his mother's house with him for the holidays. There, she's stunned to meet another ghost: that of Buddy's young daughter Addie, who was killed along with her mother, Buddy's wife, in a car wreck.

Addie is the one who names Poppy, because in the story, ghosts lose their memories over time, a conundrum Poppy has tried to combat in part by carrying a notebook with her, and writing down events and facts from her life to remind herself. Her name, however, was one thing she could never recall, and she's happy to accept the designation Addie picks for her.

As Addie and Poppy grow closer, she learns no one in the girl's family can see or hear her, either. Sometimes Addie says she has break-through moments with her grandmother, much as Poppy has had with Buddy, brief interludes in which they are heard, or glimpsed. These are all only too fleeting, however, and Poppy longs to find a way for them to communicate better with the living.

She realizes her chance when she discovers the man she'd seen on the Chicago subway is a psychic named August Waters. He's a rising internet celebrity who explores haunted places and tries to capture spectral phenomena to share with his viewers. Although it's a risk, Poppy tries to send him an email using Buddy's phone, explaining who she is, who she is with, and asking for August's help. By nothing short of blind luck, August receives this message, and within no time, he has his army of followers on the hunt to track down Poppy, Buddy, and his family.

From there, things get complicated. For one thing, Buddy doesn't believe in ghosts, and when August shows up at his mother's house, livestreaming, he grows angry and defensive. Even when Buddy begins to believe in Poppy's existence, as well as Addie's, the massive amount of attention August brings to his family and their private tragedy only enrages and alienates him further.

Along the way, Poppy discovers a horrifying truth: the things she considered monsters are really spirits like herself and Addie, ones whose memories have completely eroded away. With no sense of identity, belonging, or their pasts, these poor wayward souls are left twisted and deformed by their own loneliness and sorrow into grotesque caricatures of the people they once were. When a furious Buddy rejects Poppy, demanding that she leaves, she finds herself at risk of slipping into a similar state of despair, and of becoming one of the creatures she's so long feared.

Goodwin's narrative style is warm, comfortable, and engaging. The story goes to some pretty dark places, but she knows how to balance it with touches of lightheartedness and humor. She has a gift for descriptions, providing just the right amount of detail at just the right time for the reader to feel completely immersed in her world and characters. The monsters she's imagined are truly terrifying and unique, and it's gut-wrenching to read Poppy's point of view shifting as she slowly devolves into one, her thoughts slipping into morose, hopeless despair, her memories abandoning her one by one. And while the ending isn't exactly happy, it's definitely something hopeful, a promise that, if only for a short time, our lost loved ones can live again when we choose to remember them. ...more

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They Looked Like People: A Blackwater Pines Mystery
by K. E. Koontz

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I love found footage horror movies. Books that emulate that style are a secret guilty pleasure, too. I should qualify these statements by adding "when done well," because anyone who enjoys found footage knows they can be really, really good or really I love found footage horror movies. Books that emulate that style are a secret guilty pleasure, too. I should qualify these statements by adding "when done well," because anyone who enjoys found footage knows they can be really, really good or really, really bad. Like really bad.

"They Looked Like People" by K.E. Koontz definitely falls into the former category. It's a fantastic book, fast-paced, taut, and truly terrifying. Told from the perspective of a story within a story, it's the chronicle of a documentary film called 'Blackwater Pines: The Family that Left,' that investigates the mysterious disappearances of a trio of siblings--identical twins Bethany and Bailey Westpoint and their older brother Avi--in the Blackwater Canyon region of West Virginia. The twins vanished while hiking together, and Avi went missing shortly afterwards while searching for them. No evidence of what happened to any of the siblings has ever been found, except for a series of short, cryptic video messages Avi sent to his best friend, Caleb, on the night he vanished. In these, a distraught Avi is seen running through the dense woods, barefooted and only in his pajamas despite freezing temperatures and snow on the ground. He's calling out to someone or something in the woods that remains unseen and unheard, but that he insists is one or both of his missing sisters.

When official searches for Avi end with more questions than answers, Caleb turns to the paranormal investigative team behind a popular YouTube show, 'Strange and Bizarre' for help. The Strange and Bizarre team--pretty, perky Camilla; pragmatic Leslie; and cameraman Mike--agree to meet Caleb and follow him into the rugged forests of the Allegheny Mountains to search for clues into the Westpoint siblings' fates.

'Blackwater Pines: The Family that Left' documents that investigation, interviewing all three members of the Strange and Bizarre crew and utlizing footage they'd shot while traveling with Caleb, as well as a young woman named Sam, a friend of both Caleb and Avi, who had accompanied them.

Caleb is sure Avi's still alive, despite the fact the young man has been missing for more than a month in the stark wilderness in the dead of winter, with no supplies, coat, or even shoes. Caleb's determination to find him borders on desperation. Sam, on the other hand, believes Avi and the twins are dead and unlikely to be found. She's agreed to join in the Strange and Bizarre trek because she's worried about Caleb and hopes that through this endeavor, he'll find some semblance of closure.

What Caleb finds instead -- what they all find -- is something much darker, stranger, and far more chilling.

Koontz handles the complexities of this plot format expertly, jumping from the past to the present seamlessly, as well as from one character's perspective to another. She builds equally complex characters, each of whom is struggling to face ghosts from his or her respective pasts, some closer to the surface than others. As the team delves deeper into the woods, the tension and mystery mount, and with each new clue, each fragile splinter of hope they discover, that mystery only deepens.

At its heart, "They Looked Like People" is about grief and loss. Avi relentlessly searched for his sisters out of guilt and a misplaced sense of responsibility. Caleb searches for Avi for these exact same reasons. It's implied that there was more than friendship between Avi and Caleb, that Caleb's devotion to Avi extends well beyond what he's willing to admit aloud, and the reader spends much of the book wondering if that has driven Caleb to madness. Sam certainly thinks so, as do Leslie and Mike. Camilla is more willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, if only because of inciting incidents in her own past that have led her to want to learn more about the supernatural.

Throughout the story, the landscape itself becomes as much a character as any of the cast or crew, with Koontz's wonderfully descriptive prose drawing you into the midst of this shadowy, liminal setting and leaving you truly unsettled. She captures the quiet, disconcerting stillness that being deep within the woods evokes, that primal fear that we are no longer the apex predators once out of our natural elements, and have, in fact, become prey.

This is dark and powerful stuff. Be prepared to stay up way too late, reading long into the night, then thinking about what you've read well after that. This is the kind of fiction that haunts you in all the best ways. ...more

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MANIMAL
by A.C. Hessenauer (Goodreads Author)

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I've read several books lately that have that classic detective-noir feel to them. It's becoming a horror subgenre I enjoy a great deal, especially when you throw in a splash of humor along the way. "Manimal," by A.C. Hessenauer is a fantastic exampl I've read several books lately that have that classic detective-noir feel to them. It's becoming a horror subgenre I enjoy a great deal, especially when you throw in a splash of humor along the way. "Manimal," by A.C. Hessenauer is a fantastic example of why these elements mix together so well, resulting in a story that's quick-paced, witty, dark, and fun.

In "Manimal," police detectives Jack Quinn and August Sullivan are on the case, trying to find out who's responsible for a series of gruesome murders. In Hessenauer's reimagined Atlanta, where the story is set, the city is populated with humans, werewolves, vampires, and other monstrous entities, leaving Quinn and Sullivan to navigate through a host of colorful characters in their quest for justice. Included among these is the enigmatic and lovely Miss Vivienne Gray, a powerful clairvoyant with a penchant for driving recklessly, and who volunteers to assist the boys in tracking down the killer.

Sullivan is the brains, a former preacher turned reluctant vampire who hates what he's become, stubbornly refuses to feed on humans, and struggles to maintain a semblance of his own fading humanity. When he learns the murderer is targeting vampires in particular, sacrificing them in the name of a mysterious "Many-Legged King" demi-god, he finally begins to feel a sense of affinity for his kind, and a growing determination to stop the slaughter by any means.

Quinn is the brawns, a werewolf with a trigger-quick temper. He's a rip-out-your-throat, ask-questions-later sort of guy, but his instincts as a detective are usually spot on, and his resolve to find the killer is every bit as powerful as his bite.

Together, Sullivan and Quinn are a fantastic team (when they're not bickering with each other, as all good partners do), and the deeper they dive into the mystery surrounding the Many-Legged King and his murderous cult of acolytes, the greater the danger they find -- not just for themselves, but for Miss Gray, as well, as she, too, soon becomes an unwitting target in the killer's crosshairs.

"Manimal" is a fantastic read. Hessenauer takes familiar horror standards like old gods, lycanthropes, and vampires, and makes them uniquely her own, with characters that are as multi-dimensional and complex as they are likable, and a mystery that burns slowly at first, but quickly builds to a rolling boil as the victims and clues pile up. Add to this, the noirish ambience of 1930s pulp fiction a la Dashiell Hammett, (plus the occasional random severed hand thrown in to hilarious effect) and you have a damn near perfect read. ...more

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THE GHOSTWRITER: A Tiny Terrible Tale (Tiny Terrible Tales)
by Sarah Jules (Goodreads Author)

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Sarah Jules is an auto-buy for me. I love her writing. Whether one of her longer works, like "You Invited It In" or her short "Tiny Terrible Tales," her stories are always taut, suspenseful, and genuinely spooky. Her latest entry into the Tiny Terrib ...more

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Fenek The Survivor
by Nicholas Grady (Goodreads Author)

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Zombies are a pretty standard trope in horror fiction, one that you could argue has been overdone. How many ways can the living dead be reimagined? You'd think that well had been mined bone dry, but over my past few reads, I've discovered that's defi Zombies are a pretty standard trope in horror fiction, one that you could argue has been overdone. How many ways can the living dead be reimagined? You'd think that well had been mined bone dry, but over my past few reads, I've discovered that's definitely not the case. Between "Where the Tide Leaves Its Dead" by Bray Matheson, the new anthology "Zombies" from KJK Publishing, and most recently, "Fenek the Survivor" by Nicholas Grady, it seems fresh ideas, innovative takes, and creative twists on this familiar subgenre remain gruesomely abundant.

The title character in "Fenek the Survivor" isn't human. He's an Eastern cottontail rabbit, and while you might not have previously given much thought as to how a zombie apocalypse might effect the animals living in our midst, the author clearly has. The end of the world for Fenek begins in his own back yard, as he witness his littermates being mauled to death by a dog after they venture beyond the safety of their nest one fateful day. The dog's owner discovers Fenek in his hiding place and takes pity on him, and begins leaving food out for the frightened rabbit. A hesitant bond forms between them, as all the while Fenek waits for his mother to return to the nest. Before that can happen, however, he notices changes in his new human friend, as well as the world beyond the back yard fence. Strange sounds, like screams, gunfire, explosions, and groans become commonplace, and when the man who's been caring for Fenek one day attacks him instead, bloodthirsty and deranged, Fenek fears something terrible has happened. And he's right.

The story chronicles Fenek's journey both from kit to adulthood, as well across Minnesota, while he tries to stay one step (or hop) ahead of the relentless horde of the undead. In this zombie apocalypse, it's not just people who become infected. Animals can suffer the same fate, and for Fenek, that means enemies can come from any and all sides. He encounters friends as well as unexpected foes as he treks across the state in search of a safe haven they can all call home.

Any story with rabbits as central characters is bound to bring comparisons to "Watership Down." As with Richard Adams's novel, "Fenek the Survivor" definitely isn't for kids. There's some strong language, sexual situations, and the obligatory blood and gore you'd expect given the zombie theme. Fenek goes to some dark places (often literally) and demonstrates an earnest tenacity that makes him a likable, if not idealistically noble hero. Saslu, a young female rabbit he meets along the way, is mistrustful of him at first, but slowly warms as she realizes his good intentions. Another female, Tuzi, takes Fenek in after he flees his home nest, and while she's abrasive, she also teaches Fenek the skills he needs to survive, and becomes very much a second mother to him. The main antagonists in the story (besides the undead) are other rabbits, but there's also a scene early on in which Fenek encounters a tribe of sewer rats that's truly chilling. I wish we'd learned more about them.

Overall "Fenek" is enjoyable, and a clever new take on the zombie outbreak scenario. These aren't your cute and cuddly Easter Bunny variety rabbits, but you'll grow to love them nonetheless, and cheer them on until the last page. ...more

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Where the Tide Leaves its Dead
by Bray Mattheson (Goodreads Author)

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I've had zombies on the brain lately, having written a short story to submit for KJK Publishing's new Zombies anthology that just released this week. At the same time, I was also reading "Where The Tide Leaves Its Dead" by Bray Mattheson which, coinc I've had zombies on the brain lately, having written a short story to submit for KJK Publishing's new Zombies anthology that just released this week. At the same time, I was also reading "Where The Tide Leaves Its Dead" by Bray Mattheson which, coincidentally, also revolves around zombies.

"Where The Tide Leaves Its Dead" is a mix of dark humor, horror, and survivalism, set against the tropical backdrop of a south Pacific island in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. Not just any zombie apocalypse, however. The undead in this story come out of the sea, armed, aggressive, and relentless in their pursuit of the living, including the beleaguered hero Casey Jones. Casey is a transplant from Texas who now earns a dangerous living dispatching "sea corpses" and hacking off their lower jaws--or "jowls," used as currency--to cash in for supplies. As the story opens, his only companion is Puaka, his loyal "hell pig," that fights alongside him, but he quickly amasses new friends as he treks across the island in search of a fabled "war club," a last vestige of human survivors who are said to share strength in numbers against the undead. Through a series of harrowing misadventures, Casey soon learns that not all of his new allies are trustworthy, and the salvation in the "war club" may not be as promising as it first appears.

This is a wildly imaginative story with breakneck pacing and a colorful cast of characters. The exotic setting serves as a stark contrast to the bleak circumstances in which the island's ragtag human populace is forced to survive. The sea corpses, and in particular, their malevolent leader, Vaekoro, are menacing and terrifying, and the abuses Casey endures leading up to his final confrontation with Vaekoro are truly brutal. "Where The Tide Leaves Its Dead" reads like a movie adaptation, and it's easy to imagine this playing out on the big screen as you're reading. It's a great debut novel and a hell of a lot of fun, making Mattheson an author I'll be keeping an eye on for sure. ...more

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The Shadow Beside Her by Elizabeth S. Devecchi

The Shadow Beside Her: A Horror Novel
by Elizabeth S. Devecchi (Goodreads Author)

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War is hell, especially for the innocent people caught in between the embattled, opposing forces. In Elizabeth Devecchi's upcoming novel, The Shadow Beside Her, readers are introduced to young Maria, one such unfortunate innocent. As the story opens, War is hell, especially for the innocent people caught in between the embattled, opposing forces. In Elizabeth Devecchi's upcoming novel, The Shadow Beside Her, readers are introduced to young Maria, one such unfortunate innocent. As the story opens, Maria enjoys an idyllic life where she is doted on by her parents, as well as her extended family. She lives in a bustling village, but frequently visits the neighboring countryside, where her uncle owns a farm. It's here that Maria truly feels most at home, surrounded by the animals she adores (including Val, the family's loyal Maremmano-Abruzzese sheepdog, similar in appearance to the Great Pyrenees) and Gianni, her uncle's handsome young farmhand, upon whom Maria harbors a crush. She plans to marry Gianni one day and become a farmer like her uncle. Her life is filled with the carefree hopes and whimsy of youth, even though the world around her is deeply embroiled in war.

That darkness finds its way into Maria's world, with Nazi soldiers roaming both the village and farmlands, stealing supplies and searching for loose-knit bands of rebel forces known as "partisans." Maria knows to be wary around the Nazis, but she isn't necessarily fearful of them, at least at first. All of that abruptly changes one violent day, when the brutality of the warfront comes crashing headlong into Maria's otherwise quiet, comfortable life.

Forced to flee on her own from her home, Maria escapes to the farm, where she and Gianni plan an escape. Gianni, she discovers, like one of her uncles, is a soldier among the partisans who have risen up against the occupying Germans. She begins to suspect Gianni isn't fighting back against the Nazis on his own, however, and that he may have allied himself with something dark, powerful, and sinister -- an entity unlike anything she's ever encountered or imagined before, a shadow that has bound itself to her beloved Gianni's very soul.

I won't give more away than that, but suffice it to say, this is a poignant and powerful story, a cautionary tale about the risks inherent when you try fighting monsters with monsters. Maria's journey from an ingenuous child to world-weary survivor is a horror in and of itself, as time and again, she is forced to witness her family and friends brutalized by forces beyond her control. It's all too easy to understand why Gianni might be willing to barter his soul for the chance to fight back, and why Maria might feel tempted by the very same need. The shadow at the center of the story is portrayed like the serpent in the Biblical Garden of Evil: a gentle, seductive voice whispering promises that seem too impossible to be true, in exchange for something that seems of little consequence or concern -- until it's too late.

Devecchi's lush narrative is an undisguised love letter to Italy, and you can tell how much she loves the country, its language, people, and culture in nearly every scene. This is a beautifully written book with fully realized and realistic characters you'll fall in love with, root for, and cry over. The beginning may seem slow, but don't be fooled. It's important to see what Maria's "normal" life was like to fully understand her losses -- and her choices -- as the story moves along. Once it picks up speed, the plot barrels forward, with one twist after another. "The Shadow Beside Her" is a wonderful, immersive, and highly enjoyable read. It's available for pre-order now and releases July 7. ...more

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Pumpkin Seeds
by Tyler Downs (Goodreads Author)

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Every year at Halloween, murdered private investigator Edward Crane is brought back to life for one week. During that time, Ed and his young partner Sam, along with the spirit of a woman named Wren work together to try and solve mysteries of a supern ...more

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Feral
by John Ashley (Goodreads Author)

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Anyone who has ever owned a cat knows their potential for pure evil. That being said, you will also likely understand and appreciate the underlying noble dignity possessed by every domesticated feline, the aloof but unmistakable, patient tolerance wi ...more

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	What Lies Unseen: A Horror Novel 4.11 avg rating — 302 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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