BOOK DESCRIPTION
‘Whatcha crying for, sissy? Why don’t you grow a pair?’ Rosie says to her mother...‘Send me to school and I’ll rip off your arm! Beat you with the stump.’ Abandoned by her terrorised mother at the age of six, Rosie Shadow will do anything to win the affection of her father Archie, an undead cannibal in charge of Her Majesty's Prison Shortbury, now operating as a visitor attraction.
Clare is sent reeling into Archie’s arms with the grief of losing her boyfriend in a mysterious car accident when he collides with an ancient yew tree.The secrets in the Medieval dungeon beneath the prison are under threat when Clare becomes suspicious of Archie’s true identity and his progeny.
Rosie Shadow is the first book in The Black Tongue Series, a gripping horror thriller by the author of Rachel's Garden, The Entrepreneur, Willow Weeps and Distorted Days.' Readers of Stephen King, Ania Ahlborn and C.J. Tudor will love it!'
Omg - Rosie Shadow is one hell of a dark, spine chilling story that is narrated from the perspectives of numerous vivid characters including Claire, Rosie's mother Elly, Archie, Annie and Rosie. The child could have been the twin sister of Damien from the Omen films,she was pure evil in the guise of a six year old girl. She gave me the creeps every time she appeared throughout the book because her behaviour was so unpredictable,you had no idea what she was going to do next. Archie was also a character who's behaviour made my skin crawl and I didn't like Trevor very much either.
Throughout history there has been battles between the forces of good and evil and the representatives of good in this book were two feisty heroines called Claire and Annie. Claire was struggling to keep on top of her studies at University and also worked as a tour guide at Shortbury prison which was where Archie also worked. She was also struggling with her overwhelming feelings of grief and anger after the death of her boyfriend in a tragic accident near a ancient,monolith of a yew tree that grew at the side of the road into Shortbury. But she soon had cause to compartmentalize her feelings when she found herself caught up in living nightmare of death,ancient evil and horror. I really liked Claire, I also liked and felt a lot of sympathy for Annie, I could fully under her actions even though I knew they were morally wrong and went against everything that the word parent stands for. I also liked Detective Inspector Sheila Burns and her interactions with her work colleague Constable Webb, I loved the banter between them and how it added comedy relief to counter balance the dark and sinister atmosphere of the story.
The contrasts between the many sides of mother nature played a major part in the plot of this enthralling story. The symbolism between the beauty of the flowers that grew in Annie's garden and the pure evil that resided in Rosie's soul. The innocent looking ancient yew tree that was a character in it's own right and harboured dark secrets within it's roots
Rosie Shadow is a extremely well written, spine chilling, addictive read that had me captivated from the first page and glued to my kindle. It's perfectly paced,beautifully descriptive and had a cast of vivid, realistic characters. I would love to watch a film adaptation of this brilliant book. Worth all the stars and more and very very highly recommended
AUTHOR BIO
Louise Worthington lives in Shropshire and is the author of six novels. She writes across genres, including psychological fiction, horror and women's fiction. She takes inspiration for settings from Cheshire where she grew up, her local town of Shrewsbury and the surrounding natural landscape. As a teenager, she read until the small hours, enjoying the dark worlds conjured by Stephen King and Daphne du Maurier.
In June 2020 she signed with Bloodhound Books, leading crime and thriller publishers. 2021 will see the launch of book one of The Black Tongue Series, Rosie Shadow, a supernatural horror, and Dr Glass, book one of the Glass Minds Series, psychological thrillers.
Louise's debut novel, Distorted Days, was described by Kirkus Review as 'a formidable work'. Her novella-in-flash was longlisted by Ellipsis Zine and many of her short stories and flash fiction are published in the UK and America.
If you would like to get in touch please follow the links below.
Website: https://louiseworthington.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Louise-Worthington-105535434860475
Twitter: @louiseworthing9
PUBLICATION DETAILS...
- Language : English
- Paperback : 316 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1789728630
- ISBN-13 : 978-1789728637
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
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