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Kendra Temples: The Demonic Diaries #2
Hellcrafter
I’m obsessed with traveling to a hell dimension to stalk my dead ex-boyfriend. Getting in a float tank and transporting to a scifi-fantasy hellscape inside my head isn’t exactly a normal obsession for a girl in her early twenties—social media addiction would be an improvement—but I’m not exactly a normal girl. I’m Kendra Temples, a horror writer with a serious case of grief and PTSD from a real-life exorcism gone wrong.
And right when I was about switch to a hobby that won’t get me committed, something happened that made me question if this other dimension really is “just my imagination”. And if it’s not—that means he’s not really dead. To find out for sure, I’ll have to return to the mansion, where the most traumatic night of my life happened, and risk my current real-world relationship. Anyways, as always with my weird life: I’ll update you guys in my blog.
It's Buffy meets Jodorowsky's Dune… in hell!
Hellcrafter is book 2 in the Kendra Temples: The Demonic Diaries series. Book 1 is available for free on Amazon.
And right when I was about switch to a hobby that won’t get me committed, something happened that made me question if this other dimension really is “just my imagination”. And if it’s not—that means he’s not really dead. To find out for sure, I’ll have to return to the mansion, where the most traumatic night of my life happened, and risk my current real-world relationship. Anyways, as always with my weird life: I’ll update you guys in my blog.
It's Buffy meets Jodorowsky's Dune… in hell!
Hellcrafter is book 2 in the Kendra Temples: The Demonic Diaries series. Book 1 is available for free on Amazon.
- GenresHorror
128 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 12, 2020
8 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Eve Harms
10 books108 followersEve Harms is a writer of horror and bizarro fiction. Her trans body horror novella TRANSMUTED was featured in Sadie Hartman’s award-winning book 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered, and her other work has appeared in publications such as Vastarien Literary Journal, under Rayna Waxhead, and Creepy Catalog, under Kendra Temples.
In addition to her love for storytelling, her belief in art and the power of self-expression feeds her passion for zines, the creative commons, and the work of independent creators. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her children's book illustrator spouse and two cats.
You can find her on the web at eveharms.com
In addition to her love for storytelling, her belief in art and the power of self-expression feeds her passion for zines, the creative commons, and the work of independent creators. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her children's book illustrator spouse and two cats.
You can find her on the web at eveharms.com
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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March 21, 2021A light hearted but dark tale written in a breezy diary/blog post format.
I would advise reading the series in order. I didn’t and I was a wee bit confused at times.
I would advise reading the series in order. I didn’t and I was a wee bit confused at times.
February 12, 2020
I enjoyed the first book in this series, The Secret Name, so I was thrilled to see a sequel coming out. I liked the blog post style writing of the first book, and Eve Harms continues to make it work in this second installment.
Hellcrafter included all the things I liked about the first book - an irreverant, flawed and fun narrator/protagonist, lots of excellent research into demons and jinns, and humor mixed with horror in some supernatural encounters. There was even more to love in this one - Harms managed to finagle things to allow more action to happen in real time, instead of in exposition. The inclusion of some interesting new elements - float tanks, cheesy old sci fi novels that are more than they seem, lucid dreaming, and epic battles. It's a fast paced, enjoyable story, and though we're not left on a cliffhanger, there's some mysterious threads left out there that hint at an intriguing third installment. Looking forward to it!
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Hellcrafter included all the things I liked about the first book - an irreverant, flawed and fun narrator/protagonist, lots of excellent research into demons and jinns, and humor mixed with horror in some supernatural encounters. There was even more to love in this one - Harms managed to finagle things to allow more action to happen in real time, instead of in exposition. The inclusion of some interesting new elements - float tanks, cheesy old sci fi novels that are more than they seem, lucid dreaming, and epic battles. It's a fast paced, enjoyable story, and though we're not left on a cliffhanger, there's some mysterious threads left out there that hint at an intriguing third installment. Looking forward to it!
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
January 28, 2020
HELL CRAFTER is the sequel to 2018’s THE SECRET NAME by horror writer Eve Harms. As a result, this review contains spoilers for the first book. You’ve been warned. I did receive an ARC of this book for free for the purpose of giving an honest review.
HELL CRAFTER picks up where THE SECRET NAME leaves off, as Kendra Temples finds herself jobless and near broke after she inadvertently let an evil spirit named Mhaqal out in to the world, but at least she has her boyfriend Carlos, so something is going right. She takes a job at a float spa, which is comprised of sensory deprivation tanks that people can rent to get away from the world. One of the perks of her job is she can use the tank so long as it’s not taking time away from her other work and it’s not interfering with a client.
There’s a slight hitch, though, in that she tends to psychically project into a hellscape when she goes into the tank. There, she discovers that her former boyfriend (now deceased) is trapped there, skinless, with only a goat headed humanoid for a companion. What follows is Kendra’s quest to save her ex-boyfriend while trying to balance work and her relationship with her new boyfriend. It involves her going back to the house where all the trouble originated and digging deeper into the occult. Eve Harms does a fair amount of work detailing the djinn that inhabit the prison, and there are enough twists to keep the reader going.
Like the first book, HELL CRAFTER is constructed of a series of blog posts, so Kendra fully takes advantage of breaking the fourth wall to address the audience directly. While the more relaxed and casual tone works for the most part, it makes some of the action set pieces more questionable. Plus, the reader has to determine if the action is really what is happening or if Kendra is deliberately exaggerating her life and fabricating the more exotic details. Finally, since it is a series of posts, unless they suddenly cease (or another narrator somehow takes over) some of the narrative tension is lost because you know she has to survive to write the story.
All that said, HELL CRAFTER is a quick and enjoyable horror romp with a nice splatter of gore.
HELL CRAFTER picks up where THE SECRET NAME leaves off, as Kendra Temples finds herself jobless and near broke after she inadvertently let an evil spirit named Mhaqal out in to the world, but at least she has her boyfriend Carlos, so something is going right. She takes a job at a float spa, which is comprised of sensory deprivation tanks that people can rent to get away from the world. One of the perks of her job is she can use the tank so long as it’s not taking time away from her other work and it’s not interfering with a client.
There’s a slight hitch, though, in that she tends to psychically project into a hellscape when she goes into the tank. There, she discovers that her former boyfriend (now deceased) is trapped there, skinless, with only a goat headed humanoid for a companion. What follows is Kendra’s quest to save her ex-boyfriend while trying to balance work and her relationship with her new boyfriend. It involves her going back to the house where all the trouble originated and digging deeper into the occult. Eve Harms does a fair amount of work detailing the djinn that inhabit the prison, and there are enough twists to keep the reader going.
Like the first book, HELL CRAFTER is constructed of a series of blog posts, so Kendra fully takes advantage of breaking the fourth wall to address the audience directly. While the more relaxed and casual tone works for the most part, it makes some of the action set pieces more questionable. Plus, the reader has to determine if the action is really what is happening or if Kendra is deliberately exaggerating her life and fabricating the more exotic details. Finally, since it is a series of posts, unless they suddenly cease (or another narrator somehow takes over) some of the narrative tension is lost because you know she has to survive to write the story.
All that said, HELL CRAFTER is a quick and enjoyable horror romp with a nice splatter of gore.
February 15, 2020
This is the next instalment of the Demonic Diaries, I'd say book two but if you read the last one and joined the newsletter like I suggested you do.. you'll know there's a little bit of something in it for you so..... if you didn't, go get the book and read it, join the newsletter then come back!
If you're still here and didn't do as you were told, don't worry, you can pick up from here as there's a little bit of a nod to the first book in it so you won't be lost as to what's going on. You will however be missing out on a good first story so please consider it.
This book picks up about 6 months after the end of The Secret Name, there's some good ups and downs and it's a more in depth read than the first, although it's still in a super easy to read diary format so I still devoured it in one sitting!
The imagery in this book is fantastic, you're right back there like a fly on the wall indulging from a safe distance in someone else's diary. Someone else's woes and traumas and it's brilliant!
I really like the Demonic Diaries, I think Eve is on to something with these and I'm excited to keep reading. They're not a huge commitment but they're every bit as good as one and I think that's important. Manageable chunks of something that's otherwise probably a really heavy subject matter, all be it with it's own mix of humour thrown in.
If you haven't read anything by Eve Harms and are looking for somewhere to start, these books are the perfect introduction. Dive in!
If you're still here and didn't do as you were told, don't worry, you can pick up from here as there's a little bit of a nod to the first book in it so you won't be lost as to what's going on. You will however be missing out on a good first story so please consider it.
This book picks up about 6 months after the end of The Secret Name, there's some good ups and downs and it's a more in depth read than the first, although it's still in a super easy to read diary format so I still devoured it in one sitting!
The imagery in this book is fantastic, you're right back there like a fly on the wall indulging from a safe distance in someone else's diary. Someone else's woes and traumas and it's brilliant!
I really like the Demonic Diaries, I think Eve is on to something with these and I'm excited to keep reading. They're not a huge commitment but they're every bit as good as one and I think that's important. Manageable chunks of something that's otherwise probably a really heavy subject matter, all be it with it's own mix of humour thrown in.
If you haven't read anything by Eve Harms and are looking for somewhere to start, these books are the perfect introduction. Dive in!
June 13, 2020
Eve Harms author bio says she is a writer of freaky fun dark fiction, and I would have to agree. I enjoyed reading HELLCRAFTER: Kendra Temples The Demonic Diaries Volume Two, a dark, supernatural horror-comedy, wherein we follow the life and times of horror writer twenty-something Kendra, via blog posts, that centers around her obsession with traveling to a dimension of Hell to stalk her dead ex-boyfriend.
Kendra, the main character and narrator, is funny and at times, has a self-deprecating sense of humor that I found relatable, despite or because of her anxiety, depression, and the literal hell she finds herself in, again.
To fully understand how Kendra’s ex ended up in the pits of Hell, though Harms provides enough backstory for HELLCRAFTER to read as a standalone, I recommend reading Book One in this series, THE SECRET NAME.
Book Three in the series, SHADOW PUPPET, is available for sale now (And currently on my Kindle, Yay!).
Thank you, Eve Harms, for providing me with an eBook of HELLCRAFTER: Kendra Temples The Demonic Diaries Volume Two in exchange for an honest review.
Kendra, the main character and narrator, is funny and at times, has a self-deprecating sense of humor that I found relatable, despite or because of her anxiety, depression, and the literal hell she finds herself in, again.
To fully understand how Kendra’s ex ended up in the pits of Hell, though Harms provides enough backstory for HELLCRAFTER to read as a standalone, I recommend reading Book One in this series, THE SECRET NAME.
Book Three in the series, SHADOW PUPPET, is available for sale now (And currently on my Kindle, Yay!).
Thank you, Eve Harms, for providing me with an eBook of HELLCRAFTER: Kendra Temples The Demonic Diaries Volume Two in exchange for an honest review.
February 12, 2020
Just a heads up; I was given a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This one picks up awhile after the first book leaves off and it is just as fun, but for its own reasons. This installment has a much different style to it. Less of an Exorcist vibe and more of a Stephen King’s The Dark Tower feel mixed with Frank Herbert’s Dune.
Also, there is an anthropomorphized goat character that is absolutely amazing. Wonderful comic relief which helps balance out the tense thrills filling this story to the brim.
Please, do yourself a favor and pre-order this now, so that you can read it as soon as it is available.
This one picks up awhile after the first book leaves off and it is just as fun, but for its own reasons. This installment has a much different style to it. Less of an Exorcist vibe and more of a Stephen King’s The Dark Tower feel mixed with Frank Herbert’s Dune.
Also, there is an anthropomorphized goat character that is absolutely amazing. Wonderful comic relief which helps balance out the tense thrills filling this story to the brim.
Please, do yourself a favor and pre-order this now, so that you can read it as soon as it is available.
January 11, 2020
Got an ARC for this book and absolutely LOVED IT!! The blog style of this book just sucks you in. Kendra hasn't changed since the last book unless you count her being more determined to fix things. The way the author writes you almost feel like you're in Hellworld yourself. It is a little graphic at times so it's not for the faint of heart. I HIGHLY recommend this book. It's a perfect continuation to The Secret Name. Fingers crossed there will be more Kendra adventures in the future!
April 4, 2023
Hellcrafter is a bit darker than The Secret Name, the first Kendra Temples book. But it is also more meta, and I dig it. Kendra is back to her basically bumbling-through-life ways, and just when she thinks she is getting her life a bit back in order, the supernatural pulls her right back into the thick of it. We get a little bit more background on Kendra in this one, and I enjoy seeing what makes her tick.
August 10, 2021
I didn't like Hellcrafter quite as much as the first entry in the series, partly because I sorta expected Kendra to mature a little faster, partly because the book-within-a-book device used here involves a Burroughs-ish "planetary" sort of story that didn't really engage me. But I still liked it pretty well and it had a least one good twist.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews