Undead

Dark Heart Chronicles #1-4

by Merrie Destefano

Librarian's Note: The ASIN B077HTX84J for this book was also used by "A Dark And Twisted Heart (Dark Heart Chronicles #1)" by Merrie Destefano.

For fans of Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King.

Katrina is so beautiful, she's almost perfect. She only has two flaws.
She's possessive...

And she's dead.

William adores Katrina, but he almost forgets about her when he meets Adelle, with her gentle smile and winsome ways.

So what's a poor boy to do? He certainly can't be faithful to a dead girl.

Even though he loves her so much that he visits her grave every day.

Even though she haunts him and constantly reminds him of the terrible thing he did.

Even though she might just drive him to do something terrible again. Very soon.

Set in medieval Germany, this series of horror short stories tell a tale of romance and revenge, of a girl who goes from life to death, from victim to victor. These are short reads, 30 minutes each. If you like spooky thrillers with unreliable narrators, Undead is for you!

Formally titled The Dark Heart Chronicles, Undead contains all 4 books in the series and is 120 pages long.

Genres: Fantasy

120 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 15, 2017

Reviews

[Carolyn Denman · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're into dark fantasy with fae themes, this one is for you. It has everything a dark faerie tale should: murder, jealousy, revenge, tricks and entrapment. And, of course, a seriously unhealthy love affair. I devoured this on a single train ride (albeit a long one). Actually, it may have devoured me. The only fault I have with it is that I was a little confused as to how Katrina was murdered (don't worry, that isn't much of a spoiler - it's revealed in the very first scene). The murderer must have fists made of titanium, and yet still not striking quite hard enough to finish the job, apparently. All good. It is fantasy, after all. With just the right level of horror. The ending was quite satisfying and the author did a terrific job of conveying the conflicting themes and motives of the characters without having to explain them outright, which I really respect. It reads well as a single story, and isn't too long or dragged out. It leaves you just a bit disturbed about the twisted nature of these three souls, which is delicious!

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well Written

Queen of the Night starts out very dark but is so well written. An intriguing look at the Dark Hunt.

[BELLE || of the || BOOKSHELVES · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌟🌟🌟🌟 ~ couldn't-put-it-down great

"I recognize His voice now and I'm grateful that He sings to us, for only He can bring hope to those who are in such a dark place."

Short but sweet, with a beautiful ending! This short story starts off as a ghost story, with love and murder at its core but slowly evolves into something much more with dark faerie elements and a self-sacrificing ending! The writing style was beautiful; everything flowed nicely with the perfect blend of detail and pacing! This is the first story I've read from this author, and I'll definitely be picking up more of her work in the future (I've already got my eye on her Frankenstein stories)!

Overall, this was the perfect short story for my lazy Sunday afternoon, spent by the fire 🔥 😊

[The Book Gawdess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a free ARC and am leaving this review voluntarily...

The plot sounded promising but the execution fell flat. I had some issues with this book. My main issue was the fact that a man killed two women and somehow remains friends with them even after death. How low does your self esteem have to be to remain friends with your murderer? There was no character development so everyone felt a bit flat.
The most interesting part of the book was the Faerie King. I liked the little twist that was thrown in between him and Katrina.
This author has a lot of promise, based on this book. She just needs to fine tune it a bit.
This book should be read by older teens and adults due to some imagery which may be disturbing for younger readers. 

[Crystal Denny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to like Ms. Destefano books but they are lacking. I can pin point exactly what makes me feel so indifferent about them. The premise sounds great but the execution keeps failing. I tend to get bored or feel the writing is...under developed. I see great potential but for now; they are only semi decent and not great. I tried to like this story and I liked the ending-ish... and I liked how Katrina became the Queen of the Night and was taking on the role to save the souls of the cursed wood. But that’s about it.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well written short story. It was fast paced, interesting, and unique. There wasn’t a ton of character development, and I could not figure out how anyone could stand to be friends with the person who killed them, but overall it was good for a short story.
I received a free copy of this book. This is an honest review.

[Karen Sebeika · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read story told from the ghosts perspective katrina who is killed by her boyfriend william becomes queen of the cursed woods but instead of trapping other ghosts she try to set them free only keeping souls that can t move on under her rule i received an arc of this book via booksprout in exchange for a voluntary review

[Hayley Briana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is great for a quick read and it keeps you guessing throughout. I love the twist and turns this book provided. However, I did find the story line a bit odd and all over the place. I am however curious how in the world all the big questions at the end are answered.

I recommend if you’re looking for a quick story to read or need something to get through a reading slump.