Book Review: “Dark Isle”
Posted: April 18, 2025 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Dark fiction, Fiction, Ghost Stories, Gothic, Horror, Mystery, Review | Tags: Book Review, Curses, Dark Isle, David Longhorn, Ghosts, Gothic Mystery, Writing to be Read Leave a comment
About Dark Isle
Mark Stine is an American academic enjoying his year as a visiting professor at Cambridge University. But when he starts researching the long-dead English writer, Monty Summerskill, he quickly discovers that truth is stranger than fiction. Turns out Summerskill’s ghost stories were based on horrifying reality. One that caused the author’s shocking death.
Mark’s journey takes him to dark places, where he finds himself haunted by a ghost from his troubled childhood. But that’s nothing compared to the terrors that await as he heads towards the Dark Isle, where the solution to an ancient mystery lies.
Something far more terrifying than any ghost is on his trail. Awakened after decades of hibernation, it is deadly, unstoppable and hungry.
Hungry for blood.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Isle-Paranormal-Supernatural-Horror-ebook/dp/B01MRQZZL0
My Review
I purchased a copy of Dark Isle, by David Longhorn through FreeBooksie. All opinions stated here are my own.
It is interesting that I picked Dark Isle up now, while I’m in the midst of developing three stories about curses for the Curses anthology, scheduled to come out in September. As it happens, this story features ghosts, an ancient curse, and an ancient evil. I felt Longhorn did a spectacular job of putting readers in a dark and ghostly mood in the gloomy English setting. There are ghosts a plenty. Add to that the awakening of an ancient evil curse, and Dark Isle turned out to be just what I was looking for.
I loved the way the weather in the English countryside sets the perfect tone of doom and gloom, creating a lovely, eerie background mood throughout. The tale is built around a rich history of Mark Stine’s predecessor, Montague Summerskill, who met his demise under mysterious circumstances while traveling the area by bicycle in an attempt to solve the mystery and write a first rate paper to gain acclaim. What he discovered is an evil curse which Summerskill inadvertently uncovered in his travels, which has now been passed on to him. How does one thwart an ancient evil curse is then the question foremost in his mind, and Longhorn comes up with an interesting solution. No spoilers here though. If you want to know what happens, you’ll have to read the book.
A gothic mystery that will make your spine tingle. I give Dark Isle five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
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Book Review: Draakensky
Posted: March 14, 2025 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Dark fiction, Ghost Stories, Gothic, Horror, Review | Tags: Book Review, Draakensky, Gothic Horror, Paula Cappa, Writing to be Read 4 CommentsAbout Draakensky
**Readers’ Choice Book Awards Finalist
Jon R. Meyers at The Horror Zine writes “Draakensky is a powerful, timeless piece of dark fiction . . . beautifully haunting. A book that is unique and stands out loudly from the rest. Highly recommended.”
A murder. A wind sorcerer. A dark spirit. In the shrouded realm of Draakensky Windmill Estate—where magic dictates destiny—reality and the supernatural blur.
THE MURDER: Heida Mead is found dead in the thrashing Mianus River in Bedford, New York.
THE WIND SORCERER: Jaa Morland is the reclusive spinster of Draakensky estate, a commanding wind-witch and deeply attuned to ghosts—and, she knows the meaning of owl sorcery.
THE DARK SPIRIT: A ghost hurls whispers into the fabric of Draakensky, stirring up secrets of river magic and untold horrors.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Draakensky-Supernatural-Tale-Magick-Romance-ebook/dp/B0DCKBVQTV
My Review of Draakensky
I received a digital copy of Draakensky, by Paula Cappa in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.
This story has ghosts and witches and everything a gothic fantasy story needs, but the thing that captivated me the most about Draakensky is the owl imagery and lore. Cappa does an excellent job of weaving owl symbolism into the story, adding meaning and driving the story forward.
When Heida Mead is murdered under mysterious circumstances, Charlotte Knight is commissioned to complete the illustrations on the book of Rilke’s poetry that she had been working on under the direction of Heida’s sister, Jaa Moorland. She accepts and comes to the Draakensky windmill, in Bedford Village, New York, in hopes of launching a new path in her career, away from the hustle and bustle of Chicago and a cheating boyfriend.
But Jaa is difficult to deal with, at times seeming deranged and unreasonable, with Charlotte’s career hanging in the balance. With nothing left to go back to, Charlotte is determined to stick it out, even as strange events begin to occur which could be downright dangerous. Voices in the cottage, a foreboding groundskeeper, a strange white wolf, menacing owl attacks, and speculations about the murder around every corner. There is magick in the wind, and in the river, and in the very soil of Draakensky, and it controls the animals and the elements, even from beyond the grave.
An outstanding gothic horror mystery. I give Draakensky five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
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Book Review: The Hungry Deep
Posted: September 20, 2024 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Dark fiction, Fiction, Gothic, Horror, Review | Tags: Book Reveiw, Ghost Story, Gothic Horror, J.L. Murray, mystery, The Hungry Deep, Writing to be Read 2 CommentsAbout The Hungry Deep
Some places are abandoned for a reason.
When newlywed Rachel Corrigan agrees to accompany her husband, Tom, to his family estate before starting their lives together in the city, it is an opportunity to get to know him and to explore the manor where he grew up. But when Rachel arrives she finds Corrigan House strange, the nearby town empty, and her husband’s sudden cold demeanor increasingly frightening. She soon learns that one year ago, Tom’s first wife, Lavinia, took her own life in the twisted forest behind Corrigan House. The servants claim that her spirit resides there still, calling out from the wood, her voice as clear as the day she died.
In a desolate town where everyone harbors a secret, Rachel finds herself a prisoner in a place which is becoming increasingly treacherous. When the village priest is found savagely stabbed and on the edge of death, it becomes clear that the remaining townsfolk – witnesses to Lavinia’s demise – are being hunted down one by one. But Lavinia Corrigan is dead. Isn’t she?
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Hungry-Deep-Gothic-Folk-Standalones-ebook/dp/B0BHC9FV1T
My Review
I purchased a copy of The Hungry Deep, by J.L. Murray in a Freebooksie deal. All opinions stated here are my own.
The author does a good job of maintaining a level of tension and mystery throughout the steady unfolding of this tale. There is something amiss, but like the protagonist, Rachel Corrigan, you can’t quite put your finger on what it is, until little by little, all the pieces fall into place. The spirit of Tom Corrigan’s first wife, Livinia, haunts the memories of those who knew her. The entire town emptied out after her death and those who are left all bare secrets which may be best left buried. With murder, mayhem, and mystery, this tale promises to be one to keep readers on the edge of their seats, with a satisfying pay-off in the ending.
Mysterious and suspenseful, this gothic horror novel, will hold your attention until the last page. I give The Hungry Deep four quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
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Halloween: Scary, but Fun
Posted: October 31, 2018 Filed under: Dark Fantasy, Dystopian, Fiction, Gothic, Horror, Paranormal, Reading, Speculative Fiction, Stories, Thriller | Tags: Dead Man's PArty, Facebook event, Ghost Stories, Halloween, horror, marketing, Scary stories, Short Fiction Leave a comment
People love to be scared, especially within a safe environment. That’s why the horror genre will always be popular. Sitting around trying to scare one another by telling ghost stories or urban legends is a passtime enjoyed and induldged by young and old alike. It’s one of the reasons Hallowen is a favorite holiday for many, with haunted houses and ghost stories and a monster around every corner.
But telling ghost stories to pass the time on a stormy night isn’t any type of new passtime. In fact, two hundred years ago, on a damp and dreary night, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstien was created on just such an occassion, when a challenge was issued to see who could invent the best scary story. Today’s monsters may be digitally enhanced, but we still enjoy sharing their stories, searching for an inkling of fear or a rush of adrenaline to get our hearts pumping.
That’s why I hope you’ll all drop in and join in the fun at the Sonoran Dawn’s Dead Man’s Party today on Facebook, where myself and other authors will be reading scary stories, playing games and holding giveaways. Many of the authors from the Dark Visions anthology, which I reviewed this past month, including Writng to be Read team member Jordan Elizabeth, and AtA panel member, Dan Alatorre, who compiled and produced the anthology which climbed up the ratings for best horror anthology rapidly following its release. I gave the anthology five quills and it is well worth the read. I’m excited to be reading a few of their stories for them, as well as my own The Haunting of Carrol’s Woods, and can’t wait to hear the audio recordings of the other’s stories, too. I hope you will join us. It may be scary, but it will be fun.
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Starting Off the New Year with YA Author Jordan Hallak
Posted: January 1, 2018 Filed under: Books, Fiction, Gothic, Interview, marketing, Speculative Fiction, Steampunk, Stories, Writing, Young Adult | Tags: Author Interview, Gothic, Jordan Elizabeth, Jordan Hallak, Steampunk, Young Adult Fiction Leave a comment
I’m pleased to be able to start the New Year off with a YA author who I have interviewed for both my Book Marketing -What Works? series this past year, and my 2015 Pros and Cons of Traditional vs. Independent vs. Self-Publishing series. I’ve reviewed many of her novels, (Escape From Witchwood Hollow, Cogling, Treasure Darkly, Victorian, The Goat Children, Runners and Riders, The Path to Old Talbot, Wicked Treasure, Kistishi Island)as well as collections featuring her short stories, such as Darkscapes, Cast No Shadows, Under a Brass Moon, Chronology.
If you’re feeling a little confused right now, that’s okay, because all of the interviews and reviews were done for an author named Jordan Elizabeth, and in the very early reviews she was booked as Jordan Elizabeth Mierek. However, she’s starting off 2018 as Jordan Hallak, and we’ll hear an explanation for the different name soon. In addition to being the author of at least ten young adult novels and countless short stories, Jordan is a wife and mother, as well as often having a day job on the side. She runs a tight juggling act to keep it all balanced and still manages to craft some quality stories which are all quite entertaining. Join me in giving a warm welcome to Jordan Hallak today, on Writing to be Read.
Kaye: You’ve had a change to your last name. It threw me off and might throw of readers who know your work under the name Jordan Elizabeth. Were you recently married?
Jordan: I got married over a year ago, but I didn’t change my name right away. I still write as “Jordan Elizabeth,” but little by little I’ve been altering Mierek to Hallak. The most recent thing I changed was my name for my gmail account. Even though I signed things as “Jordan Hallak,” people were getting confused who Jordan Mierek was. I was getting documents for work to the wrong name!
Kaye: What are your secrets for juggling writing with family?
Jordan: Haha, I haven’t mastered it yet! Most nights now I’m too tired to do more than scroll through facebook. When I push myself, though, I have my husband watch the baby for an hour and I do all my writing. Once the baby goes to bed, then I do my marketing because it isn’t as emotionally draining. Writing leaves me breathless.
Kaye: Other than the last name, what do you think will be different for you in 2018, and why?
Jordan: My marketing budget is a lot different for this year. I’m only going to be using what I make off royalties. This might ruin my marketing plan, but we’ll see. 2018 is the first year where I won’t have a full time job starting out.
Kaye: What’s in store from Jordan Hallak in 2018?
Jordan: Other than my goal of landing a full time job, I want to write more novels and work on my marketing techniques. I usually fly by my seat for the year, but this time I want to concentrate on planning out all my marketing events. I’ve heard that’s better, so we’ll see.
Kaye: Is there anything unique or unusual about your writing process?
Jordan: I can’t plan. I start writing with a general sense of where the story will lead. If I try to plot, the book becomes a chore. It never follows the written storyline anyway.
Kaye: What is the working title of your latest book?
Jordan: My newest book will be Secrets of Bennett Hall. It is going to be a steampunk Gothic. I’ve always been entranced by Gothic novels, and I love the steampunk genre, so I decided to blend the two and see how it came out.
Kaye: How do you decide the titles for your books? Where does the title come in the process for you?
Jordan: The titles always come at the end. I usually call the book by the main character’s name as I’m writing, and then I see how it feels when I’m all done. Secrets of Bennett Hall started off as Adelaide. Adelaide is the main character who moves to Bennett Hall to work as a governess. Secrets from the past – both her past and the estate’s past – return to haunt her. Secrets of Bennett Hall had more of a Gothic ring to it.
Kaye: In my review of Runners and Riders, I identified the book as a part of your Treasure Chronicles Apparently, this isn’t the case, as it is the first book in a series of its own. Would you like to share how that came about?
Jordan: Runners and Riders features the same world as in the Treasure Chronicles. I called it a “companion” novel because of that, but it was mislabeled as a novella in many places. It is a full-length novel, and it was getting a lot of heat for being “misleading.” People who hadn’t read the Treasure Chronicles weren’t willing to give it a chance. It will now be book one in Return to Amston, with Secrets of Bennett Hall being book two. Secrets will be in the same world again, but with a new cast of characters.
Kaye: So, tell us a little about this second book in the Runners and Riders.
Jordan: Joseph from Treasure Darkly will make an appearance. Remember him as Amethyst’s spurned lover? I always felt bad about how things went down with the two of them and I wanted to give him his own story. As I started writing about Adelaide, he just fell into place as her love interest, and they are perfect for each other. He deserves a sweet, but strong, girl like Adelaide. In the novel, Adelaide loses her teaching job in Hedlund and finds a new position as a governess. Once she arrives at Bennett Hall, she meets its handsome occupant – Joseph – as well as some shady figures. People in the village warn her about the darkness on the estate, but it isn’t until she sees the Villain lurking in the forbidden wing that she begins to believe the rumors.
Kaye: A lot of your books are of the steampunk genre. What is it that appeals to you about steampunk?
Jordan: I love the nifty inventions paired with corsets and long skirts. I am obsessed with corsets and long skirts. You should see my closet!
Kaye: Most of your work has been published through Curiosity Quills Press, but it sounded like you might be striking out independently. Will this second book in the Runners and Riders series be independently published?
Jordan: Secrets of Bennett Hall will be published by Curiosity Quills Press. I haven’t decided to go the self-publishing route yet, but I might someday. I know people who have left their publishers to try self-publishing with great results. For now, I like having a publishing house behind me. The support I get has been awesome. I’m currently published by Curiosity Quills, CHBB, and Clean Reads.
Kaye: When will Secrets of Bennett Hall be available?
Jordan: Secrets releases January 30.
Kaye: What is the biggest challenge of being a writer?
Jordan: It is so hard to get your book out there. I know people are sick of me always talking about my books, but that’s the only way to spread the word.
Kaye: What’s the most fun part of writing a novel or short story? What’s the least fun part?
Jordan: The best part is actually writing it. I become lost in the setting and the characters become my best friends. I have an awesome time visiting this new world. The least fun part would have to be the marketing that comes after. When you have to push people to review and when you have to pay for ads, you start to doubt if your writing is worth it. Then you write a new story and remember how much it is worth it.
Kaye: If writing suddenly made you rich and famous, what would you do?
Jordan: I wouldn’t worry about money anymore! I would be happy being a stay-at-home mom and full-time writer. There would be a lot of traveling. I need fresh fodder for my stories.
I want to thank you, Jordan, for joining us on Writing to be Read to start the New Year off right. I wish you the best of luck in 2018, and I know Secrets of Bennett Hall will be a huge success.
Until next time, I want to wish you all a Happy New Year!
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