Book Review: The Watchers by A.M. Shine

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge, from Aria and Aries Publishing via #Netgalley, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it, all opinions are my own

You can't see them. But they can see you.

Synopsis:

This forest isn't charted on any map. Every car breaks down at its treeline. Mina's is no different. Left stranded, she is forced into the dark woodland only to find a woman shouting, urging Mina to run to a concrete bunker. As the door slams behind her, the building is besieged by screams.

Mina finds herself in a room with a wall of glass, and an electric light that activates at nightfall, when the Watchers come above ground. These creatures emerge to observe their captive humans and terrible things happen to anyone who doesn't reach the bunker in time.

Afraid and trapped among strangers, Mina is desperate for answers. Who are the Watchers and why are these creatures keeping them imprisoned, keen to watch their every move?

Perfect for fans of Francine Toon, Paul Tremblay and Andrew Michael Hurley.

Review

It IS October, so it's only right to include a proper Irish Gothic horror mystery on Mystery Monday!

I generally love all the faere and folklore that can be brought into a proper Irish tale, but I think in the beginning, this book gets caught up in being Gothic and atmospheric, and some readers might have a hard time keeping with it. It's hard to talk much about the book, without giving away too much info...My suggestion is to read it bits and hang on, as the last third of the book is where the true horror book comes out, and where the reader will keep interested, and the final part may produce some shock and surprises, as a proper horror book should!

About the Author:

A.M. Shine is a writer and advocate of the Gothic horror tradition. Born in Galway in the west of Ireland, there he received his Masters Degree in History before sharpening his quill and pursuing all things literary and macabre. His stories have won the Word Hut and Bookers Corner prize. He has published two collections, Coldwood: The Haunted Man and Other Tales and 13 and is a member of the Irish Writers Centre. The Watchers is his first full-length novel and his second, The Creepers, will be published in 2022. @AMShineWriter www.amshinewriter.com