Infernal

by Cheryl Low

The locals call it Isla de los Perdidos - Island of the Lost. According to the legends, those who venture onto the shores of this cursed island never return.

Valarie DeNola and her sister Julie have chosen to ignore the legends and the warnings. They have been selected to lead a team of explorers to the island to discover the mystery surrounding it. But once ashore, they become cut off from the outside world, and what they discover is something they could never have prepared for.

Now they must fight against an unknown presence that is picking them off one by one. No one can be trusted, and when even nature rises up against them, all seems lost. Their one hope is the extraction team they know is coming.

But will any of them survive to see it arrive?

Genres: Horror

224 pages, Paperback

Published October 24, 2018

About the author

Cheryl Low might be a primeval entity, born from the darkness of the universe and vacationing on a forgotten island where she eats coconuts and the souls of stranded sailors.

…Or she might be a mundane human with a deep love of all things sugary, soap opera slaps, and horror flicks.

Find out by following her on social media @cherylwlow or check her webpage, cheryllow.com. The answer might surprise you! But it probably won’t.

Reviews

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free from the Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The nitty-gritty: A familiar horror scenario gets a facelift in this well written, fast-paced tale. If you like your stories spiked with aggressive sharks, creepy atmosphere and violence, then Infernal was written just for you.

I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve had a copy of Infernal for several months, kindly sent to me FROM SWEDEN by author Cheryl Low, and I cannot believe I waited this long to read it. Infernal was a glorious, bloody and terrifying surprise, capped off by solid writing and perfect pacing. The story is a mix of many familiar things, but Low uses these as inspiration only and adds her own twists to come up with a story that ended up surprising me completely. With shades of Jaws , the Titanic disaster, Into the Drowning Deep and even Predator , this book was a blast from start to finish.

Val DeNola is a shark expert and spends much of her time in the ocean studying and photographing the dangerous creatures. Three years before the story starts, she was nearly killed when a Great White attacked her, but she emerged from the harrowing experience with only a missing finger and some scars to show for it. Now she’s back in the water and ready for her next adventure, which arrives in the form of an expedition to a mysterious, abandoned island called Isla de los Perdidos. The island has a long history of bad things happening to whoever goes there, but Val doesn’t scare easily, and besides, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. Joining her on the trek is her sister Julie and her fiancé Zach, both scientists; Henry and Megan, a couple of videographers who hope to capture the rare species who live on the island; a salvager named Oliver and his assistant Maeko, who are drawn to the many shipwrecks littering the waters surrounding the island; a shark enthusiast named Poppy; and Val’s estranged husband Felix, who is also an expert on sharks.

The crew arrives at the island where they plan to split up for several days. Julie, Zach, Henry and Megan swim to shore where, as the land crew, they will explore the flora and fauna of the island for several days and meet up with the rest of the crew later. Meanwhile, Val, Felix and Poppy drop shark cages off the side of the boat and study the local shark population, while Calvin and Megan take off for the reef area to investigate the shipwrecks. 

But it doesn’t take long for the crew to realize that things here are a little...strange. The sharks, for example, are huge, and Val is shocked to discover all sorts of different breeds who normally don’t hang out together. When Oliver and Maeko swim out to investigate the reef area, they are attacked unexpectedly by some smaller sharks. And when Val tries to reach Julie on her walkie talkie to check in with the land crew’s progress, the signal is bad and they can barely hear each other.

Things go from bad to worse when Val and her friends are forced to swim for shore. Stuck on the island without food, water or shelter, the scientists begin the trek to find the land crew. But someone—or something—seems to be watching their every move, and Val realizes their scientific expedition has just turned into a fight for their lives.

Low does a great job of creating an ominous atmosphere from the first page, and that sense of foreboding never lets up. As soon as you realize you’re dealing with characters who are drawn to danger and spend their time in the water with sharks, you know you’re in for one hell of a story. The island is shrouded in mystery, and legends of it being haunted are widely known, yet all the characters jump at the chance to join the expedition and explore it for themselves. I also loved the way the author drops little details that hint at the impending doom, even though those details seem insignificant. For example, Val notices that her diving watch—a watch she’s had for years and has used on countless dives—stops as soon as she makes it to the island. 

For such a large cast of characters, I was surprised how fleshed out each one was. At barely over two hundred pages, you would think there wouldn’t be enough time to get to know them, but by the time the bad shit starts happening, they have already worked their way under your skin. This was a great ensemble cast, full of clashing personalities and lots of bickering between people who are stuck in close quarters together. I loved the inclusion of an estranged married couple thrown together ( The Abyss , anyone??). Val and Felix still love each other deep down, but there is a lot of tension between them. I also loved how passionate each character is about their field of study. Even after more than one brush with death, Val refuses to let her fear keep her away from the lure of the ocean and its marvels. The characters in this story have a purpose, a reason to go to the Isla de los Perdidos, which makes this scenario—going to an uninhabited island where hundreds of people have died—much more believable.

But let’s face it, folks. This is a horror story, pure and simple. There’s a reason the author gives us such a large cast of characters, because as you might have guessed by now, not everyone makes it off the island alive. In addition to the giant, aggressive sharks in the water, there are all sorts of strange animals on the island who don’t necessarily behave the way you might expect. Get ready for packs of howler monkeys with a taste for human flesh, crocodiles, jaguars and more. I loved how well Low developed the history and mythology of the island, which added a sinister layer to an already scary story. There's a spooky supernatural element that ties in with this mythology that worked really well and scared the pants off me!

And how about that WTF ending!! I think the story benefited from being published by a small indie press, because to be honest, I don’t think a more traditional publisher would have let the author get away with that ending. I love to see authors and publishers take risks, and this is one that paid off, in my opinion. 

Horror fans are going to LOVE this story. I noticed that (at the time of writing this review) you can buy a Kindle copy for only $3.99. I highly recommend you take advantage of such a great deal. I’d love to see more reviews of Infernal , simply so I can gush about it with other readers.

Big thanks to the author for supplying a review copy.This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Review originally posted HERE on Sci-Fi & Scary. Thank you to the author for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

From the first pages, Infernal is a tense, high-stakes novel that never slows down long enough for the reader to catch their breath. This is survival horror at its finest.

Let me start by saying: nature is terrifying as-is. Add in some supersized wildlife, aggressive predators, and an uninhabited island with the not at all ominous name of “Isla de los Perdidos,” and I was on edge from the jump. The book follows shark expert Valarie and her sister Julie as they film a documentary on this famously deserted island. While Val takes to the sea with her team of marine biologists and salvage experts (after all, what haunted island doesn’t have at least a few good shipwrecks under its belt?), Julie and her team explore the island. It doesn’t take long for both teams to realize that something isn’t quite right, and perhaps the local tales surrounding the island aren’t as farfetched as they thought. Infernal had my heart absolutely racing in places because it takes these plausible, natural occurrences like shark attacks and tropical storms, and cranks the dial up to 11.

Despite its relatively short length, Infernal had me very invested in its cast of characters. I was a bit wary at first as there are a LOT of characters to keep track of in the first part of the novel, but the events of the book take care of that pretty quickly. I loved that the book has such a prominent family element to it, with not just Val and Julie, but also Val’s estranged husband Felix, Julie’s fiancé Zach and the marriage between cameraman Calvin and the ship’s captain Lochner. These relationships added a lot of depth to the emotional stakes of this novel for me, and they all felt very realistic, not at all forced or one-dimensional.

Between the superbly written characters and the relentless terror this novel delivers, I was absolutely riveted. As far as survival horror with a supernatural edge goes, this is one of the best I’ve read in a long time. Hell, this is one of the best horror books, PERIOD, I’ve read in a while. If you’re after a fast-paced read that will keep you on your toes, this is definitely one I would encourage you to consider.

[J.D.]

Summary:

Val, a divorced shark enthusiast, agrees to go to an abandoned island with her sister and a film crew to get footage for a new show. What the group of 12, including Val's ex-husband, doesn't know is that the ghost stories of no one making it off of the island are all true.
After the animals begin attacking them and some of the group seems to lose their minds, they discover an even more sinister creature lurking in the forest. Will they be able to survive until help arrives or will they just become another legend of travelers who failed to escape the island.

Personal Opinion:

This was an addictive read with a good setting, some gory deaths and a cool monster.
Val and her team of shark chasers gave off a Twister (movie) vibe to me. Val and Felix, like Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton, chased after what they loved even when it put them in danger. Not to mention the story really takes off once they reach the haunted island.
Although I really enjoyed this book, I do have one complaint. When the boat is heading to the island, eight characters are introduced in a bit of a rush in 3 pages making it hard to remember who's who at first.
Overall, it's an exciting read with a great ending to top it off.

[Jill the Ripper · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing about this book is that it read perfectly like a movie. Like -- I could see it clearly, playing out, the moments where the tension would be stretched out by silence, or suspenseful music.

It opens with our MC, Val, on a shark exhibition with her husband, who is a charming adrenaline junkie who's come to love the ocean just as deeply as his marine biologist wife. They work well together and it's a familiar spot; there are familiar sharks around them, recognisable by markings and tags and scars.

And then it goes horribly, horribly wrong.

The thing I really loved about Val is that even though she experiences this terrible thing, she's not mired down in melancholy with it. She doesn't even blame the ocean. It is just an extraordinary thing that happened to her, that hasn't made her lesser, and hasn't lessened her love of the sea. Which is why we find her a few years later in the next chapter, on a boat, in the dark waters off of Isla de los Perdidos.

Her sister, Julie, is just as crazy about the dark deep heart of the jungle as Val is for the sea: with their combined interests and varying teams of expertise, Julie is hoping to crank out an amazing documentary/show about the Island and it's secrets. Avoided by the locals on the mainland, the Island is home to some terrible, terrible legends. Legends that the sisters - and their varying loved ones and workmates - are about to come face to face with.

The shark scenes in this are amazing. I felt claustrophobic, trapped underwater with Val. The land scenes are just as powerful as our characters find themselves surrounded by hostile wildlife bent on stopping them from leaving - from letting the evil on the Island escape.

It is an amazing book, with a tightly and well-told story. If you're into horror movies where the fear build up as everyone is relaxed and happy until it all implodes and goes to hell -- this is for you, a horror movie in book form.

[Neil Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Infernal opens with a motley group of people sharing a boat and preparing to do some filming. One group will film the sharks, another will investigate nearby wrecks, and the third will land on the nearby island, to investigate its flora and fauna. As in all good stories of this kind, they have been warned about the mythology and scare stories associated with the island, but if that stopped people we wouldn't have half the good horror stories we have. But they really should have listened. There is evil on the island, and in the waters surrounding it.

What lifts this story above many others of its kind are the characters. These are real people, and, on the whole, people I came to care about very quickly in the book. In particular, the main protagonist of the book, Val, is very believable and likeable, and as she is put through the ringer as the story progresses, I really did care about her. Even the evil in the story has a personality, a character of its own.

The other major thing this book has in its favour is the writing. It is very very nicely written, the characters (already mentioned), the description, the action and the horror are all handled impeccably. There are some truly creepy moments later in the book, and I don't read many stories that evoke that creepiness these days. Immerse yourself in this book, and prepare to be creeped out and scared.

A highly recommended book. Read it.

[Linn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a thrilling expedition!! This book starts out with this mystery island and a shark expedition. But not all is what ut seems. I loved this book! It was suspensful all the way to the end. And the end!! Loved it!! Do read!!

[Sara Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I woke my husband up by screaming while reading this book. Seriously, not for the easily spooked. Certain scenes leapt out and bit me. Loved the characters (especially Felix) and will never EVER go into the jungle ever ever in a million years. Such a scary read. Highly recommended for fans of horror and those hoping to have trouble sleeping. Not even kidding. Lovvvvvved this.

[Matt (TeamRedmon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 by Cheryl Low is about a nature documentary crew travelling to an abandoned island to film. There are two teams, a land team and a water team. The plan is to split up for a week and for each team to gather footage. The water team film some wild footage of sharks before a storm hits. When the boat sinks, the crew washes up on the island and sets out to find the land team to use their radio to call for rescue. Before too long, they find out that this island is creepy af. That's it. That's my summary. I've probably already said too much.⁣
⁣
This is a fantastic book that does the deserted island trope quite well. I enjoyed the shark focus that the beginning of the book provides. The characters are well done and likeable, and I wanted them to survive. I'm not going to tell you anything about the island but I loved it so much. At a crisp 208 pages, Infernal read very fast and I couldn't put it down. If you're looking for an island horror book, you can go wrong with 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 by Cheryl Low.⁣

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
a tale of a fateful trip..."

But this one doesn't end on Gilligan's Island. It ends on Isla de los Perdidos, Island of the Lost.

When shark expert Valarie DeNola and her sister are hired by the producers of a reality show to do a documentary on the mysterious island and its surrounding waters, they think it's going to be business as usual. While Julie and her team take to the shore, Valarie and her team start to explore the shark-infested waters. One part of her team will be filming the sharks while another part of her team will be exploring the wrecks consigned to the ocean's depths. Almost immediately Valarie knows something is wrong when she observes the erratic and hyper-aggressive nature of the sharks. It's almost as if the sea creatures are trying to keep them away from the island. The team exploring the sunken ships are likewise warned away by the denizens of the deep.

Meanwhile, on the island itself, Julie and her team aren't having any better luck. The forces of nature are working against them to keep them on the island while an unseen presence is turning them against each other.

When a storm blows in and capsizes the ship, Valarie and crew are left no choice but to join her sister on the island. They find evidence that one member of Julie's team was attacked and killed by a tribe of rabid monkeys. When they catch up to the other team's camp, they are given the cryptic message, "It's one of them. It's not me..." and "Julie says it's Zach, but Zach says it's Julie," which confuses Valarie all the more. Something weird has happened, and the only way Valarie will know what's going on is if she finds her sister. But is Julie really Julie?

When they are finally reunited, their goal is to get back to the beach and wait for the extraction team, but along they way, the island itself tries to stop them. It cannot allow them to leave. Why? You'll just have to read it and find out.

Low is a new author to me, and part of my failed goal to read at least one new published author a month during the course of the year. I am thrilled that she happened to fall into my lap when she did. With Infernal, she has created a cast of believable characters that you come to care for and placed them in an impossible situation that they need to extract themselves from. Given the nature of the "enemy," she does an amazing job of making her characters act realistically within the confines of the world she has created. Infernal starts on a slow burn that rapidly escalates to an edge-of-your-seat thriller you won't want to put down.

With Infernal, Cheryl Low has crafted a well-written tale of supernatural and environmental horror that fans of the horror genre would love. It takes the reader back to the days of those wonderfully cheesy "nature strikes back" films of the 70s (minus the cheese) and takes it one step further to a surprising climax. Cheryl Low is one author I will be watching. I can't wait to see what nightmare she conjures up next.

Infernal gets 5 out of 5 stars from me. Highly recommended.

[Terry and dog · Rating 5 out of 5]

My reaction if I was there.. ::runs, trips over roots, toque falls off, gets up and runs some more::
Killer sharks, howler monkeys, weird little deer, and a supernatural presence sounds like a good place to go film a show to me. This book was so exciting from start to finish. I DID NOT SEE THE ENDING COMING. I loved it.