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Amalina and the Secrets of the Wailing Castle: Episode 1 in the Count at Play & Slaughter series
*** WINNER of the 2021 INDIES TODAY BEST HORROR BOOK AWARD ***
Amalina breaks one simple rule in her village and is swept up into the mysterious plans of an ancient, evil entity. She must keep her wits to survive while she plots a way out of his lonely castle in the mountains ... But what if her only escape means his -- or her -- death? The darkest, most dangerous time in Amalina's life begins!
" ... A sharp horror novel that is a brilliant throwback to all the beloved classics ... (while) the story manages to remain clever and original ... All the chills, tingles and frights you could want ... definitely a page-turner ... with plenty of freaky twists!" Five-Star Review Nicky Flowers, Indies Today
" ... this book takes us back to old fashioned vamps in stuffy old castles and I loved every minute of it ... the entire book is written exceptionally well." Five-Star Review Julia, CuriosityBoughtTheBook. com
"Evoking the atmosphere of a classic horror tale, Amalina's is an original, compelling story of dealing with powerlessness in the face of an unrelenting force. With dark humor, suspense, and new takes on genre tropes, it quickly grows to surprising, epic proportions (but it starts here in Amalina and the Secrets of the Wailing Castle)." -- Bad Hound Press
Amalina breaks one simple rule in her village and is swept up into the mysterious plans of an ancient, evil entity. She must keep her wits to survive while she plots a way out of his lonely castle in the mountains ... But what if her only escape means his -- or her -- death? The darkest, most dangerous time in Amalina's life begins!
" ... A sharp horror novel that is a brilliant throwback to all the beloved classics ... (while) the story manages to remain clever and original ... All the chills, tingles and frights you could want ... definitely a page-turner ... with plenty of freaky twists!" Five-Star Review Nicky Flowers, Indies Today
" ... this book takes us back to old fashioned vamps in stuffy old castles and I loved every minute of it ... the entire book is written exceptionally well." Five-Star Review Julia, CuriosityBoughtTheBook. com
"Evoking the atmosphere of a classic horror tale, Amalina's is an original, compelling story of dealing with powerlessness in the face of an unrelenting force. With dark humor, suspense, and new takes on genre tropes, it quickly grows to surprising, epic proportions (but it starts here in Amalina and the Secrets of the Wailing Castle)." -- Bad Hound Press
- GenresAudiobook
Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2022
2 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 31, 2022
Amalina ends up in service of Count Takeshi (unsure of spelling), who turns out to be much more than a man. Indeed, he may very well end up being an ancient evil. Though Amalina does not know how she does know that she must escape or, failing that possibility, kill him - which seems more of an impossibility than escaping.
This book is billed as a horror, but the violence is so limited and handled in such a manner that I think it fits Dark Fantasy, or perhaps Gothic Fantasy, though there is a little too much comedy for either of those categories to truly fit. Indeed, though the material, the setting, the characters, the storyline - indeed, most of the aspects of the book - are dark, the author uses comedy and comedic timing in such a way as to prevent the tension from getting too high.
I was thankful for that, because I do not typically enjoy really dark fantasy, and I typically eschew all things horror. I enjoy my sleep too much to allow it to be disturbed by nightmare-inducing horror stories. LOL.
I liked how the mystery of who the Count is was revealed a little bit at a time through his interactions with Amalina, and then his interactions with other people when the visitors arrive. Through it all, though, Ginatti (again, unsure of spelling) has a theory as to who his master is, I don't know whether I believe that theory, but he surely believes it.
Even knowing this book was the first in the series, I was still frustrated by the ending. For Amalina to be so close, and yet so far, and then to find out what Ginatti really meant... disappointing and frustrating.
For this book, I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Andy Stevenson. Stevenson gave a wonderful performance, using different voices that made it easy to tell who was speaking, and injecting wonderful use of tone for the build-up and dispelling tension, as well as great comedic timing. I will definitely be listening to the audiobook for future books in the series if I get the chance.
This book is billed as a horror, but the violence is so limited and handled in such a manner that I think it fits Dark Fantasy, or perhaps Gothic Fantasy, though there is a little too much comedy for either of those categories to truly fit. Indeed, though the material, the setting, the characters, the storyline - indeed, most of the aspects of the book - are dark, the author uses comedy and comedic timing in such a way as to prevent the tension from getting too high.
I was thankful for that, because I do not typically enjoy really dark fantasy, and I typically eschew all things horror. I enjoy my sleep too much to allow it to be disturbed by nightmare-inducing horror stories. LOL.
I liked how the mystery of who the Count is was revealed a little bit at a time through his interactions with Amalina, and then his interactions with other people when the visitors arrive. Through it all, though, Ginatti (again, unsure of spelling) has a theory as to who his master is, I don't know whether I believe that theory, but he surely believes it.
Even knowing this book was the first in the series, I was still frustrated by the ending. For Amalina to be so close, and yet so far, and then to find out what Ginatti really meant... disappointing and frustrating.
For this book, I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Andy Stevenson. Stevenson gave a wonderful performance, using different voices that made it easy to tell who was speaking, and injecting wonderful use of tone for the build-up and dispelling tension, as well as great comedic timing. I will definitely be listening to the audiobook for future books in the series if I get the chance.
August 2, 2021
Spine tingles and Vampires
This has crisp writing and engaging dialogue but the story itself seems like the kind I’ve read many times before so it didn’t strike me as very groundbreaking. But still a pleasant read for anyone who especially enjoyed the children of the night.
This has crisp writing and engaging dialogue but the story itself seems like the kind I’ve read many times before so it didn’t strike me as very groundbreaking. But still a pleasant read for anyone who especially enjoyed the children of the night.
October 23, 2021
Also reviewed on www.curiosityboughtthebook.com
A 5 Skull book:
Amalina and the Secrets of the Wailing Castle is the first book or episode in a series titled “The Count at Play and Slaughter Series”. It follows a young baker’s daughter by the name of Amalina through her peculiar journey to stay in an old castle. The owner of this castle is a count, who is feared throughout the land. She finds herself there scared and frightened, but finds a friend in the count’s servant.
As this is a vampire story, I was a bit hesitant at first. Vampires in movies/books have become very odd throughout the last few years, but this book takes us back to old fashioned vamps in stuffy old castles and I loved every minute of it. It did take me a good minute to finish the book, as it is pretty long, but I never found myself bored or tired of it. The author does an excellent job writing the book in a narrative style. And the entire book is written exceptionally well.
Amalina is a likeable character, and I even found a soft spot for the “mean” count.
Thanks to the author for the review copy!
A 5 Skull book:
Amalina and the Secrets of the Wailing Castle is the first book or episode in a series titled “The Count at Play and Slaughter Series”. It follows a young baker’s daughter by the name of Amalina through her peculiar journey to stay in an old castle. The owner of this castle is a count, who is feared throughout the land. She finds herself there scared and frightened, but finds a friend in the count’s servant.
As this is a vampire story, I was a bit hesitant at first. Vampires in movies/books have become very odd throughout the last few years, but this book takes us back to old fashioned vamps in stuffy old castles and I loved every minute of it. It did take me a good minute to finish the book, as it is pretty long, but I never found myself bored or tired of it. The author does an excellent job writing the book in a narrative style. And the entire book is written exceptionally well.
Amalina is a likeable character, and I even found a soft spot for the “mean” count.
Thanks to the author for the review copy!
December 11, 2023
Not for me.
Even though I read the entire book, I didn't like it. At times, I forced myself to continue. Which is quite a shame considering how I was lured into the book after reading the prologue.
I wish this novel was a standalone, rather than the start of a series.
For a story like this, closure is necessary. I do not feel motivated enough to continue reading the rest of the saga. I'm not saying that I will not read the next book in the series, but there are too many unanswered questions left remaining with this novel.
The beginning chapters introducing Neku Jonker were bad and I hated them - minus one star. The fight against the wolves was unrealistic - subtract another star. The Count's invincibility and immortality were unexplained - take away two more stars. Genadie is a pest and I loathed his character. I was annoyed with Amalina deciding whether or not she should kill the Count. He was vicious, evil, and abominable - all good reasons to wholeheartedly find ways to dispose of him, seeing as he is the one that caused her all of her misfortune. The ending with the discovery of the wailing... let's not even go there, OK? Overall, I was not happy with the conclusion of this book.
I am disheartened that I was not granted a satisfying ending after everything this book put me through. What I mean is this text is a harrowing, psychological horror. Everything that Amalina faces as a young child is quite extraordinary, and unusual.
I would have preferred for this book to have been over 500 pages, versus what I am feeling right now.
I updated the rating to two stars because I finished the book.
Even though I read the entire book, I didn't like it. At times, I forced myself to continue. Which is quite a shame considering how I was lured into the book after reading the prologue.
I wish this novel was a standalone, rather than the start of a series.
For a story like this, closure is necessary. I do not feel motivated enough to continue reading the rest of the saga. I'm not saying that I will not read the next book in the series, but there are too many unanswered questions left remaining with this novel.
The beginning chapters introducing Neku Jonker were bad and I hated them - minus one star. The fight against the wolves was unrealistic - subtract another star. The Count's invincibility and immortality were unexplained - take away two more stars. Genadie is a pest and I loathed his character. I was annoyed with Amalina deciding whether or not she should kill the Count. He was vicious, evil, and abominable - all good reasons to wholeheartedly find ways to dispose of him, seeing as he is the one that caused her all of her misfortune. The ending with the discovery of the wailing... let's not even go there, OK? Overall, I was not happy with the conclusion of this book.
I am disheartened that I was not granted a satisfying ending after everything this book put me through. What I mean is this text is a harrowing, psychological horror. Everything that Amalina faces as a young child is quite extraordinary, and unusual.
I would have preferred for this book to have been over 500 pages, versus what I am feeling right now.
I updated the rating to two stars because I finished the book.
May 13, 2022
An Epic Tale
Clocking in right around 13 hours – this one was a longer book by my standards but one that didn’t really feel like it was that long. Usually, right after 11 hours (in my opinion), there are scenes that could be cut or things that just are overexplained – but Holmes does a good job staying away from that while avoiding different issues with the tropes that were included in Amalina and the Secrets of the Wailing Castle.
I checked out another review because I wasn’t sure if I was the only one who was hesitant to jump into another vampire story – but there were other reviewers that felt the same way. That being said, this wasn’t one of “those” books. It was well thought out and done in a way that felt honest and true to the older vampire stories that we’re familiar with. (I say that knowing that I love the vampire series from C.T. Phipps because it was the opposite of that – funny and almost blasphemous to the genre).
I think the thing that surprised me the most from this one was that it was much more of an epic tale than a horror story that most vampire stories are. Holmes did a great job of building this world and the characters in it to epic proportions and really made the whole thing as much about the lore and the history as it was about the horror and the “bad” things associated with them.
Overall, I thought that this was an interesting and unique story. One that I definitely enjoyed.
Clocking in right around 13 hours – this one was a longer book by my standards but one that didn’t really feel like it was that long. Usually, right after 11 hours (in my opinion), there are scenes that could be cut or things that just are overexplained – but Holmes does a good job staying away from that while avoiding different issues with the tropes that were included in Amalina and the Secrets of the Wailing Castle.
I checked out another review because I wasn’t sure if I was the only one who was hesitant to jump into another vampire story – but there were other reviewers that felt the same way. That being said, this wasn’t one of “those” books. It was well thought out and done in a way that felt honest and true to the older vampire stories that we’re familiar with. (I say that knowing that I love the vampire series from C.T. Phipps because it was the opposite of that – funny and almost blasphemous to the genre).
I think the thing that surprised me the most from this one was that it was much more of an epic tale than a horror story that most vampire stories are. Holmes did a great job of building this world and the characters in it to epic proportions and really made the whole thing as much about the lore and the history as it was about the horror and the “bad” things associated with them.
Overall, I thought that this was an interesting and unique story. One that I definitely enjoyed.
July 14, 2022
Amalina and the Secrets of the Wailing Castle earned the Indies Today Best Horror Book Award of 2021, and boy, was that enough to tempt me! Many other horror fans were tempted when they heard that news.
Amalina has fallen into a trap that befell many before her. She's trapped in the service of an evil entity. Amalina must find a way to free herself from the castle to save her life and soul. Or better yet, find a way to bring down the entity for good.
Ohh, if you're looking for a dark and twisted tale full of danger, you've got to check out Amalina and the Secrets of the Wailing Castle. Better yet, it's the start of a series (which will be told in five parts), so there's plenty of time to see how Amalina's story will pan out.
Some parts of Amalina's story felt familiar – I think it was the foundation upon which the rest of the story was built. That made it oddly...comforting? I'm not sure that is the right word. It created an odd mix of emotions while I read, which helped enhance the story's unsettling vibe.
I'm very much looking forward to seeing how the rest of this story unfolds. Here's to you, Amalina!
Read more reviews over at The Book Review Crew
Amalina has fallen into a trap that befell many before her. She's trapped in the service of an evil entity. Amalina must find a way to free herself from the castle to save her life and soul. Or better yet, find a way to bring down the entity for good.
Ohh, if you're looking for a dark and twisted tale full of danger, you've got to check out Amalina and the Secrets of the Wailing Castle. Better yet, it's the start of a series (which will be told in five parts), so there's plenty of time to see how Amalina's story will pan out.
Some parts of Amalina's story felt familiar – I think it was the foundation upon which the rest of the story was built. That made it oddly...comforting? I'm not sure that is the right word. It created an odd mix of emotions while I read, which helped enhance the story's unsettling vibe.
I'm very much looking forward to seeing how the rest of this story unfolds. Here's to you, Amalina!
Read more reviews over at The Book Review Crew
June 8, 2022
“Amalina and the Secrets of the Wailing Castle” is the first book in a series called “The Count at Play & Slaughter”. It introduces Amalina, a young baker’s daughter who finds herself drawn to a mysterious castle with an even more mysterious owner.
Overall, I was a little torn by this story. The pacing was tough for me. Some of the scenes were really creative and intriguing. The scenes with the graveyard and Neku highlighted this aspect of the book. However, there were other parts that were drawn out like a long conversation about beards. Amalina was an enjoyable lead character- strong, determined, and realistically frightened about the situation she’s in. But the count was not as well developed as I would like for him to be. Find the full blog post at heatherlbarksdale.com
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
I split platforms of PDF and Audible for this review and absolutely loved the narrator! Great voices, accents, and acting.
Overall, I was a little torn by this story. The pacing was tough for me. Some of the scenes were really creative and intriguing. The scenes with the graveyard and Neku highlighted this aspect of the book. However, there were other parts that were drawn out like a long conversation about beards. Amalina was an enjoyable lead character- strong, determined, and realistically frightened about the situation she’s in. But the count was not as well developed as I would like for him to be. Find the full blog post at heatherlbarksdale.com
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
I split platforms of PDF and Audible for this review and absolutely loved the narrator! Great voices, accents, and acting.
November 16, 2024
This story was good enough to listen to, but anything but Riveting. Storyline was alright, a little slow at times. I just could not get into the character or story.
Narrator does a Fair job with this Audible book.
Narrator does a Fair job with this Audible book.
November 25, 2022
Thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The start of this book was really exciting for me, it felt magical, like a fairytale and I'm sure the narrator did that for me too. What a great man that is!
After the intro, the story fell a bit flat for me; I felt myself wandering off with my thoughts, which is always a bit of a red flag for me in Audiobooks.
This review wast first posted @ BiteIntoBooks
The setting for this book was great, and that's what made it most interesting for me, in combinatoin with the narrator. The creepy wailing at night and Amalina wandering this dark castle. If you're into a dark fantasy/vampire book, I'd recommend this one! I'm not sure if I'm continuing this series; so many books, so little time!
The start of this book was really exciting for me, it felt magical, like a fairytale and I'm sure the narrator did that for me too. What a great man that is!
After the intro, the story fell a bit flat for me; I felt myself wandering off with my thoughts, which is always a bit of a red flag for me in Audiobooks.
This review wast first posted @ BiteIntoBooks
The setting for this book was great, and that's what made it most interesting for me, in combinatoin with the narrator. The creepy wailing at night and Amalina wandering this dark castle. If you're into a dark fantasy/vampire book, I'd recommend this one! I'm not sure if I'm continuing this series; so many books, so little time!
Want to read
November 8, 2022Five-Star reviewed and recommended: Indies Today
" ... Amalina and the Secrets of the Wailing Castle by C.L. Holmes is a sharp horror novel that is a brilliant throwback to all the beloved classics ... (while) the story manages to remain clever and original. The narrating voice reads like the most captivating campfire storyteller you’ve ever heard, compelling readers to look at just one more chapter, then another, then another. In fact, the prose is so velvety smooth and evocative that it is reminiscent of poetry ... All the chills, tingles and frights you could want in a refined horror novel, but with none of the heavy affectation, this dark vampire tale is definitely a page-turner ... Amalina and the Secrets of the Wailing Castle is a terrific late night read with plenty of freaky twists!" excerpt Five-Star review, Nicky Flowers, Indies Today
" ... Amalina and the Secrets of the Wailing Castle by C.L. Holmes is a sharp horror novel that is a brilliant throwback to all the beloved classics ... (while) the story manages to remain clever and original. The narrating voice reads like the most captivating campfire storyteller you’ve ever heard, compelling readers to look at just one more chapter, then another, then another. In fact, the prose is so velvety smooth and evocative that it is reminiscent of poetry ... All the chills, tingles and frights you could want in a refined horror novel, but with none of the heavy affectation, this dark vampire tale is definitely a page-turner ... Amalina and the Secrets of the Wailing Castle is a terrific late night read with plenty of freaky twists!" excerpt Five-Star review, Nicky Flowers, Indies Today
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews