Combustion

by Jyvur Entropy

Rachel lives in constant fear that she will burst into flames. She can feel the heat building in her gut. She keeps buckets of water under the bed. She keeps them to fend off the flames that her body may create. Autocombustophobia. That's what they say she has. No one will believe Rachel when she explains that she spontaneously combusted once before. That's why her body is covered in burns. Rachel's mother is the only one who knows what really happened to her. All she said was that it was an accident, before she disappeared leaving Rachel to live with her grandparents. When Rachel becomes reunited with her estranged mother, she struggles to uncover the truth behind her injuries. As Rachel spends time with the mother she has never known, she is thrown into a strange world of paranormal obsession, spells, and sage burning. Long buried family secrets are revealed and Rachel's fear of Spontaneous Human Combustion becomes unmanageable. There are some terrifying truths to uncover and a man on fire. He stands burning at the foot of her bed.

Genres: Horror, Fiction

260 pages, Hardcover

Published April 30, 2021

About the author

Jyvur Entropy is a multi-genre author, pessimist, and chaotic neutral. She has books available through wattpad, Kindle Unlimited, and Kindle Vella.

She enjoys book blogging, going to the library, listening to Die Antwoord, lurking on lolcow, and getting up to various kinds of trouble on the internet.

Jyvur doesn’t use social media, but you can keep up with her blog and youtube channel.

In her books, you can find a lot of angst, time travel, and shy men being dominated. There’s no brand here; just a loose collection of nonsense.

Reviews

[Jyvur Entropy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this book :P I'm very biased.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced, very different, thought provoking, gripping horror mystery about a young girl who bursts into flames at intermittant moments of stress. A modern take on social misfitting in America and a psychologically thrilling page turner.

[Nikita_Nian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Combustion is a novel that explores - first and foremost - the idea of fear, and how it can affect our lives.

The main protagonist of the story - ten year old burn-victim Rachel - has a crippling fear of Spontaneous Human Combustion; that is, the fear of being afraid of bursting into flames at random. This fear has manifested itself in bizarre rituals (keeping buckets of water under her bed, avoiding forks for looking like burning heads, etc.), and the horrid visage of a nighttime visitor. A man on fire, whispering horrors into Rachels dreamless nights.

Her fear alienates her from her friends, family, and even herself; as seen later on in a sequence where she experiences life out-of-body.

Fear - also - has a profound impact on Rachel's estranged mother, Helene, who is responsible for Rachel's accident. Helene is terrified - at first glance - of being hated by Rachel. Later on, it is revealed that Helene is moreso afraid - and ashamed - of being Rachel's mother.

The author does not shy away from showing us fear in its many manifestations; nor pull punches when it comes to illustrating how devastating unresolved fears can be.

Combustion is a must-read for any horror fan, and a novel I highly recommend giving a peek... if you can stomach your findings, that is.

[Hpbruvcraft · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very atmospheric and builds up the tension and supernatural atmosphere in the mold of classic Victorian horror. It's a gothic novel in a modern setting, and has very creative characters and plot events.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t quite sure how to review this book, that’s due to it being like nothing I’ve read before. This is a unique story from an author I’ve never heard of before and it’s a book that grips you as soon as you start reading so it becomes impossible to stop reading it. The author has a wonderful way with words and uses this talent to not only describe the scenes and the characters but to also get into the characters minds and mental states. At times I was sitting on the edge of my seat as the tension and suspense was building in the story. This is a book that you have to read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Aura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the strangest books I’ve ever read and I mean that in the best way possible. The world and characters are just so rich and unique that they’ll stick with you long after you’ve put the book down. Speaking of, you’ll never want to put the book down! Without exaggeration, I’ve read this book in one sitting because I was so engrossed in the wonderfully weird and fascinating storyline and how much I liked reading from Rachel’s perspective.

[Emily Hurricane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Combustion is a unique story that covers all kinds of uncomfortable themes. It's executed in an enthralling way and Jyvur doesn't shy away from the horrors of the human mind and condition. This book brought me into a constant state of building dread and kept me there until the very end. It is definitely a book that sticks with you long after you're finished reading it.

[Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Combustion was so cool! I loved how the author depicted her mental state changing over time.

[wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy fucking shit dude.

Four stars because, like my coding, the book contained an unhealthy amount of syntax errors. But don’t let that derail you from buying and reading it.

It’s a good book. Think Turtles all the way down by John Green and then actually do go all the way down, not just from the penthouse of American middle class life to the lobby of neurosis but really down to where there are no more turtles and only dirt and ash.

I want books to move me and this book did. There is a hopeful message here. You can conquer your fears. Unfortunately for so many people, they just don’t have the right army to do much conquering.

Anyway. Support your local indie authors. Read this book.