Lee Allen's Blog - Posts Tagged "werewolves"

The Lediar Monster by Bethany Russo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A bloodthirsty werewolf horror chiller.

Down on his luck and seeking an anchor, Stephen takes a job at the Lediar Hotel in his local town.

Legends abound that a werewolf stalks the park surrounding the hotel, coupled with the proprietor's warning to never leave the hotel after dark.

As a full moon approaches, Stephen comes face to face with the truth of the Lediar Monster, threatening to tear his life limb from limb.

'The Lediar Monster' is a horror novella by Bethany Russo, a gory, fast-paced tale, brimming with stalk-and-slash scenes, splashes of violence, and lashes of dark humour, all driven by character arcs and engaging, visceral plotting, at its centre a mythic, supernatural creature from the folklore of old, sewn into a thrilling and entertaining narrative.

At the centre of Russo’s story is Stephen, returning to his hometown and childhood home after struggling to pursue a career in acting. An immediately endearing character, one most of us can easily empathise with as he finds himself feeling he's hit a brick wall with his plans and aspirations, he is trying his hardest to get by and make the best of things, while also being trodden down by his childhood friend, Josh, who only seeks to mock and belittle him and refuses to take life seriously. Taking a new job as a stop gap, Stephen hopes to turn his life around and continue to pursue his dreams.

The owner of the Lediar Hotel, Albert, becomes somewhat of a mentor to Stephen. The hotel has been in Albert's family for generations, and he may hold the secrets to unravelling the mystery of the werewolf. At first, Stephen dismisses the stories, but soon begins to wonder if there may be more truth to them than he dare imagine. Meanwhile, the ramblings of Stephen's grandfather, Clive, may not be the conspiracy theory and senility they are believed to be, as danger awaits deep in the shadows for anyone who dares to wander the park at night.

From its bloodbath opening chapter in 1984, setting the scene for the history of deaths and legends surrounding Lediar Park, into the 2020s and Stephen’s story and the ensuing chaos, through to its familial-pivoting conclusion, this is an old-school classic were-creature thriller, centred on the old, traditional hotel and the ancient woodland park surrounding it, brewed with a sense of nostalgia and a core of emotion, peppered with an underlying theme of folklore and urban legends, cast in the hues of a classic monster movie and a feel-good spooky atmosphere running through the blood-spattered tale.

Brutal and relentless, ‘The Lediar Monster’ is a fun and bloody horror story; a short, sharp tale with a deep bite and voracious appetite.



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