The Festering Ones: S.H. Cooper
Reviewed By Steve Stred
The Festering Ones just came onto my radar and it absolutely was something I snagged because of that outstanding Elderlemon Design cover. Elderlemon continues to create stunning covers and this was another one that snagged my interest and I’m glad I did.
After reading the synopsis, I knew I was in for a fun ride.
If you’ve ever read anyone my reviews or even any of my own releases, you’ll know I have a large spot reserved in my soul for stories set in the woods, with creepy creatures and monsters. I have an even bigger spot for those stories that involve elder gods, other worlds and redemption/revenge stories.
This one checked all of those boxes.
After witnessing her dad be killed by a creature she dubs ‘the spider-armed lady’ on a hunting trip, Faith has lived with the truth for years, while everyone around her declared it to be the ramblings of a PTSD suffering child.
After her mother dies, Faith finds out there is more going on and decides to investigate, which prompts a return visit to the small town she’d never thought she’d return to again.
Cooper writes creepy alongside the best out there and her deft prose sucked me in within chapter one and had me hooked. I would have read this in one sitting if I didn’t have two other books currently on the go.
Faith is a great character and the two others that join her in her quest work really well. I’m going to remain spoiler-free so I won’t name them, but when you read it, you’ll see how they aid in pushing the narrative nicely.
This would have easily been a five star read for me, except the ending.
Now don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a horrible ending at all, it just felt unresolved and minimized after what we’d just been put through. I’m hoping it was set up like that for another book in the series, which I would absolutely read, but I still think that could have been accomplished with a slightly longer, drawn-out conclusion. Just how I feel, friends! Some of you may love the ending!
Wrapping this up – well done S.H. This was a book I wasn’t expecting to grab me so hard and I couldn’t stop reading it. People are going to love this and that cover is bang on perfect for the creatures but also the atmosphere!
The Festering Ones
A monster lurking in the mountain.
A mysterious cult seeking a doorway.
An otherworldly evil waiting to be unleashed.
Faith York was a young girl when she saw her father dragged into the ground by a spider-armed woman, never to be seen again. Twenty years later, the events of that day continue to haunt her, and her need for answers has only grown stronger with time. After her estranged mother’s death forces her to return home, old wounds are reopened and Faith finally decides to face her demons. What started as a search for closure soon pits her against a shadowy cult known as The Gathered and the eldritch beings they worship. With reality becoming more blurred by the day and the thousand eyes of an alien deity fixed on her, Faith must decide if the dark secrets of White Crow Mountain are really worth losing herself over.
You can buy The Festering Ones from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Steve Stred
Steve Stred writes dark, bleak horror fiction.
Steve is the author of the novels Invisible & The Stranger, the novellas The Girl Who Hid in the Trees, Wagon Buddy, Yuri and Jane: the 816 Chronicles and two collections of short stories; Frostbitten: 12 Hymns of Misery and Left Hand Path: 13 More Tales of Black Magick, and the dark poetry collection Dim the Sun.
On September 1st, 2019 his second collection of dark poetry and drabbles called The Night Crawls In arrived. This release was specifically created to help fund the 1st Annual LOHF Writers Grant.
Steve is also a voracious reader, reviewing everything he reads and submitting the majority of his reviews to be featured on Kendall Reviews.
Steve Stred is based in Edmonton, AB, Canada and lives with his wife, his son and their dog OJ.
You can follow Steve on Twitter @stevestred
You can visit Steve’s Official website here
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