Bending Reality

by Cory DeAn Cowley

A psychological rollercoaster that embarks down a pathway to horror. Follow the events of Cory—a beautiful, thirty-year-old woman with a desire to escape her past, and an appetite for change. Her life takes an ultimate turn as her secretive allure to darkness puts her in the path of a power hellbent on pure evil. With an already weakened constitution, she travels through worlds and soon finds out that her fate has been determined. The change she so wanted, is the change she will receive. Embark on a story that tells of love lost, escapism from pain, and moral choice. The desires we want, are sometimes the choices to decisions we regret. Can she stop evil and save herself? Or, will she succumb to the voice that has given her the ultimate sentence of pain. Based loosely on actual events.

229 pages, Paperback

First published September 23, 2020

About the author

I was born and raised in Hendersonville, TN. Growing up, I have always had curious interest in spirituality and the occult. With an extensive background of theatre, I have shot a multitude of videos, as well as acted, wrote, and produced plays. It was my dream to pursue writing--in which I have now successfully written my first work. My goal is to maintain the art of literature, and keep authenticity alive. My works are a testament to the meaning of soul.

I currently live in Delray Beach, FL, with my partner, Jim. Together, we adopted two guinea pigs, Metis & Harry.

My works are an amalgamation of contemporary themes, mixed with old-school horror. Inspired by the writing style of authors such as: Clive Barker, H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, and Dante Alligheri.

Reviews

[Laura De breuil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinary book, esp por a novel author. Cory is very descriptive and analytic, letting the reader the work of choosing the emotions to feel, instead of naming them -something that I loved. The characters are very interesting, and you can tell that the author used all of herself, blood and tears, to write all of it. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the darkest and deepest places of the human soul.

Would be great for an audio book, TV show or movie.

[Two Bluestockings Podcast & · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I opened Bending Reality by Cory Cowley, I was not sure what to expect. The cover of the book gives you heavy Clive Barker vibes, and the description of the book does as well. This book is brutal, poetic, and leaves you feeling like you are being covered in the proverbial slime and sulfur the book wants to expel.

This book is one of those that will stay with you even when you close your page to go on about your day, making you come back again and again to find the next demon, the next leap into the unknown. This book does need to come with trigger warning for those who are easily impacted. There are descriptive scenes of torture, self-inflicted acts, violent sexual encounters, and sexual thoughts of the main character, as well as abusive relationships and drug use. This is right on par with Barker, so if you love his books, or read to fill that perverse curiosity, this book is for you.

Aarika Baxter
Two Bluestockings Podcast Co-Host

[Bookreadersclub · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘She knew she was hurt, but there was no more evil entity than the evil that existed within herself.’

The protagonist Cory battles with the unruly and unfortunate happenings of her past and that lay several setbacks in her present life. Her desires, quests, needs battle with the difficult times, the times when she had hallucinations when she struggled with relationships. Her friend Deb, being her only companion with their daily ablutions and knick-knacks being her only solace. There were dreadful moments when the demons would be her gory reflection in the mirror making her abhor her existence. The gross imagery would creep in her own skim and make her feel disgusted and question reality.

While she was battling with her own life, where she desired to set herself free from hate, guilt, hopelessness and anxiety, she held myriad questions about reality. Having lost her once innocence and filled with optimistic self, she had only fear and trauma held within and she craved for love, care, happiness and a life filled with true virtues. She believed she is made for a better life, a life with more weightage and importance. She held an interest in one book belonging to her aunt which had many mentions about the dark forces, creatures, magic or even necromancy.

One such face-off with one of her acquaintances, who was also her boyfriend turns ugly when he starts abusing her physically. The abuse goes as far and brutal which causes her to breathe her last. This is a turning point where she wakes up to another world, and meets different people and unleashes dark and unholy secrets of their world that dates back to ages before.

Will she be able to dig out the truth herself? Will she be able to solve the mystery or apprehend her existence? Will she be able to discover and rediscover herself?

I found the entire plot pretty unique. It has various points to ponder, the narration lucid and blatant enough to bewilder you. It is recommended to readers (18+) who can comprehend dark mysteries, fantasies and various such elements.

[litandcoffee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cowley uses vivid, intelligent prose to construct an elaborately dark world occupied by both humans and otherworldly, weaving a portrait of the surreal and grotesque in her engrossing latest paranormal thriller.

Struggling with PTSD and issues of a past traumatic relationship, thirty-year-old Cory longs to escape the mundane existence of her life. When a horrible incident throws her in the path of darkness, presenting her with the choice to follow darkness or lose her life, Cory finds her resolve weakening and enters the world of darkness. But the escape she was looking for is nothing like she imagined it to be.

Cowley handles complex topics of identity issues, trauma, PTSD, escapism, love, friendship, and family bonds with sensitivity, and her portrayal of her characters’ interpersonal relationships, particularly Cory’s bond with Deph and her mother is rooted in reality. The narrative is fluid, prose assured, and the pacing smooth. While the heartening, hopeful ending may disappoint the lovers of deeply unsettling horror, there’s no denying the fascinating darkness that lingers at the heart of this imaginatively told thriller.

Readers will be captivated by this fast-paced supernatural thriller, which doubles as a meditation on the all-consuming power of darkness and evil along with a poignant portrait of human resilience.

[BooksCoffee · Rating 5 out of 5]

With vivid prose and an intriguing cast of characters, this exhilarating horror from Cowley tells the tale of one woman’s journey to death and beyond.

Thirty-year-old lovely Cory is living a troubled existence, owing to her traumatic past and allure for all things dark. When a meeting with an ex turns violent, Corey finds herself following the darkness and traveling through worlds.

Cowley’s keen psychological insights and thorough worldbuilding allow the reader to truly enter her imaginatively crafted paranormal world. Her sharp observations and engrossing storytelling make her protagonist’s winding journey come alive, and she adeptly uses monologue to highlight the pain and suffering underlying the latter’s darkest moments.

Rich prose, the deeply realized interplay between various characters, and haunting accounts of the protagonist’s foray into the void add rich texture throughout.

A gripping tale of horror and suspense, this is sure to wow.

Lovers of darkly intriguing supernatural thrillers will be wise to pick this one.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was a WILD read! A very compelling horror story with epic characters and imagery. Cory pours her own real life pain and trauma into this book, which makes it pretty heavy to read at parts, but she does it in such a creative and resolute way that it is worth it in the end. It is horror after all, it’s not meant for the faint of heart. The book pulls you into a complete alternate reality, with scenes of brutal gore, supernatural occurrences and sex along the way that any Clive Barker and H.P. Lovecraft fans would appreciate. I would highly recommend to any fans of horror/occult literature.

[Jeremy Megargee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reads like a dark adventure fantasy with strong occult elements, and I get the feeling that Clive Barker is a big influence on Cowley because her prose is reminiscent of his, and I love seeing that. Cowley has a gift for the grotesque, there are some nauseating moments, and the descriptive storytelling is great. I hope that this author continues to write & create, and I think she has a bright future in fiction.

[Penny Jacobo · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a lot of potential here. The story was interesting enough to keep me reading despite the numerous gramatical errors, misspellings and just trying too hard to use language that is more complex than it needs to be. I would definitely read more from her but only if the book was taken to an editor before publishing.
There are a few scenes that were very disturbing, but that is why I started reading the book in the first place.

[Jeremy Vink · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a dark book that will leave you feeling unsettled check this out its great

[Patricia Krüger | miss.amanogawa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are longing for love and belonging, for acceptance and loyalty, would you give up on yourself in order not to be alone anymore?
And if your mind is playing tricks on you, can you still trust yourself?

We accompany Cory, a self-confident and tough woman, on the search for her real self and her place in this often despicable world.
Haunted by her shadows and demons, fears, self-doubt and depression, she struggles through everyday life. She finds encouragement and help from her friend Deborah and her mother Lisa.
Due to their past relationships, trust in the opposite sex is becoming increasingly difficult. Yet there is a mysterious man in her life that she is drawn to.
The shadows take over and feed on her loneliness. And Cory follows a voice she'd better ignore.

It's getting dark, bloody and sadistic. And i love it. Like a splatter film, only more profound. Excrement, viscera, decaying body parts mixed with occult and the spiritual themes.
This story shows how desperation can drive us into the arms of evil. How easy is it to manipulate people when they hear the right words and are shown the right pictures? What is reality, what is just a facade? What is love? Is it worth sacrificing yourself to be accepted?

For our protagonist, giving up is not an option. She fights against the hallucinations, against her enemies, the cult of Orobas, against the call into the absolute darkness. If not for yourself, then at least for the fate of all the innocent souls that surround you.

We all carry darkness within us. But also light. The great art is to find the balance so that we don't lose ourselves or our loved ones.
And only we choose the path we want to go. We can be our own gods.

A successful, exciting, poetic and obscene first work. There are small stylistic flaws here and there, but they hardly distract from the grandiose story.