A fast-paced, supernatural horror story which I thoroughly enjoyed, check out In Darkness, Shadows Breathe by Catherine Cavendish.
The plot:
In a luxury apartment and in the walls of a modern hospital, the evil that was done continues to thrive. They are in the hands of an entity that knows no boundaries and crosses dimensions – bending and twisting time itself – and where danger waits in every shadow. The battle is on for their bodies and souls and the line between reality and nightmare is hard to define. Through it all, the words of Lydia Warren Carmody haunt them. But who was she? And why have Carol and Nessa been chosen?
The answer lies deep in the darkness…
Chilling, pacey and well worth the read
Although I try to keep my horror-reading away from the paranormal, I can’t believe how much I liked this. I’ve seen people saying that they struggled to get into the plot, but I got pulled in straight away – it gets intense very quickly and the first 50-odd pages was my sort of nightmare.
I often find with horror that the story lacks plot and is all gore and scares, and whilst this one does supply the scares (although I only found smaller aspects scary, the paranormal takes the intensity away for me), it also supplies a rich, well thought-through plot which I adored.
I loved how the time element was handled, and it’s split into two parts which intertwine together, which definitely left me wow’ed. It really got under my skin, especially as things just happened quickly for the characters.
The writing is superb. It’s incredibly pacey, and Cavendish has nailed it. There’s a good mix of short, blunt sentences, lots of conversation and haunting descriptions to bring the pages to life.
I did find that some of the chapters were slightly too long for me, and I really would’ve enjoyed more from Lydia herself near the end to make the whole picture.
I read the prologue again after finishing the book, which I highly recommend as it just all makes sense.
If, like me, you’re not a huge fan of the supernatural, I’d suggest giving this a try! It still covers the topic, but the plot is soooo rich in detail and complex.
A high 4-stars, bordering 5-stars. Chilling, pacey and well worth the read. I’ve got my eyes on other books by this author.
In Darkness, Shadows Breathe, Catherine Cavendish, RRP £9.95 (paperback); Book Depository
Pages: 228
Publisher: Flame Tree Press
Genre: Horror/ Supernatural
