The Watchers: A thrilling Gothic horror by A.M. Shine
Of course it had to be a horror book for this month! They’re not usually my go to reads as I often find them a tad too disturbing, but I thought I would give one a go. The book is set in the remote parts of Ireland and a dark wooded forest area – perfect, but cliched setting for a horror book. Shine builds atmosphere and tension with each chapter, urging the reader to continue and discover who the creatures are and what do they do with those who fail to reach the bunker?
Mina is the protagonist and finds herself (like many before her) stranded at edge of the forest after being promised €200 to deliver a bird. The promise of easy money looks beyond reach after her car fails her. A woman screams for her to take shelter as the forest belongs to the Watchers and is not on any map. As she takes refuge in the bunker, she hears terrifying screams and knows it is about survival and finding out who the ‘watchers’ are.
The Watchers feel like a quintessential Irish folklore creation, and they are horribly vicious and downright scary. Mina is a great character as she refuses to accept her fate and I love reading books with strong, independent female leads. The creatures try to claw their way through the glass walls which builds that much-needed tension for a good horror and creates such eeriness that you almost need to put it down and breathe! I don’t want to spoil the outcome of who The Watchers are, I will just say this is a must buy for all horror fans.
Shine has written a classic horror with prose that reminds me of horror classics such as Dracula and Frankenstein, but with a brilliant modern spin. It’s fantastically chilling and the tension is built from page 1, creating suspense and unnerves you to the core. I don’t want that to sound hyperbolic but, for me, it was a hide under the covers kind of horror and a real page turner.
Find the book on Amazon here.
Connect with A.M. Shine on Twitter here.