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moonlit_shelves's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
adowryofbooks's review
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this book.
The first chapter had me intrigued, set thousands of years ago with some kind of human sacrifice and then it jumps to the present day. I personally didn’t think the remainder held the initial thrill. I liked the claustrophobic atmosphere of the caves and it reminded of the movie As Above So Below. I liked the multiple POV’s, I think it really fit the story and added suspense to the plot. Overall the book was written well and the main two characters, Garth and Cassie were written very well and made you hope for happy ending for the two. On the downside, I personally feel it was a bit slow to get into the action, it didn’t really pick up till about 60% through and it just felt like something was missing.
The first chapter had me intrigued, set thousands of years ago with some kind of human sacrifice and then it jumps to the present day. I personally didn’t think the remainder held the initial thrill. I liked the claustrophobic atmosphere of the caves and it reminded of the movie As Above So Below. I liked the multiple POV’s, I think it really fit the story and added suspense to the plot. Overall the book was written well and the main two characters, Garth and Cassie were written very well and made you hope for happy ending for the two. On the downside, I personally feel it was a bit slow to get into the action, it didn’t really pick up till about 60% through and it just felt like something was missing.
mollye123's review
3.0
Thank you NetGalley
This was just ok for me. It took me quite a long time to really get into the book and to get to the climax. It felt a little bit dragged going over and over everyone’s back stories and I was only interested in one or two of the characters. I wish we’d have been introduced to the ghosts and the White Woman earlier as the descriptions of her were extremely creepy and being set underground in the darkness and caves made me feel claustrophobic. I was rooting for Cassie, hated Fiona and Sienna! Garth was slightly weird. He’d only just met this girl, said 4 words to each other and all of a sudden he was in love with her??!
This was just ok for me. It took me quite a long time to really get into the book and to get to the climax. It felt a little bit dragged going over and over everyone’s back stories and I was only interested in one or two of the characters. I wish we’d have been introduced to the ghosts and the White Woman earlier as the descriptions of her were extremely creepy and being set underground in the darkness and caves made me feel claustrophobic. I was rooting for Cassie, hated Fiona and Sienna! Garth was slightly weird. He’d only just met this girl, said 4 words to each other and all of a sudden he was in love with her??!
bookishfates111's review
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this book.
The first chapter had me intrigued, set thousands of years ago with some kind of human sacrifice and then it jumps to the present day. I personally didn’t think the remainder held the initial thrill. I liked the claustrophobic atmosphere of the caves and it reminded of the movie As Above So Below. I liked the multiple POV’s, I think it really fit the story and added suspense to the plot. Overall the book was written well and the main two characters, Garth and Cassie were written very well and made you hope for happy ending for the two. On the downside, I personally feel it was a bit slow to get into the action, it didn’t really pick up till about 60% through and it just felt like something was missing.
The first chapter had me intrigued, set thousands of years ago with some kind of human sacrifice and then it jumps to the present day. I personally didn’t think the remainder held the initial thrill. I liked the claustrophobic atmosphere of the caves and it reminded of the movie As Above So Below. I liked the multiple POV’s, I think it really fit the story and added suspense to the plot. Overall the book was written well and the main two characters, Garth and Cassie were written very well and made you hope for happy ending for the two. On the downside, I personally feel it was a bit slow to get into the action, it didn’t really pick up till about 60% through and it just felt like something was missing.
bookishfates666's review
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this book.
The first chapter had me intrigued, set thousands of years ago with some kind of human sacrifice and then it jumps to the present day. I personally didn’t think the remainder held the initial thrill. I liked the claustrophobic atmosphere of the caves and it reminded of the movie As Above So Below. I liked the multiple POV’s, I think it really fit the story and added suspense to the plot. Overall the book was written well and the main two characters, Garth and Cassie were written very well and made you hope for happy ending for the two. On the downside, I personally feel it was a bit slow to get into the action, it didn’t really pick up till about 60% through and it just felt like something was missing.
The first chapter had me intrigued, set thousands of years ago with some kind of human sacrifice and then it jumps to the present day. I personally didn’t think the remainder held the initial thrill. I liked the claustrophobic atmosphere of the caves and it reminded of the movie As Above So Below. I liked the multiple POV’s, I think it really fit the story and added suspense to the plot. Overall the book was written well and the main two characters, Garth and Cassie were written very well and made you hope for happy ending for the two. On the downside, I personally feel it was a bit slow to get into the action, it didn’t really pick up till about 60% through and it just felt like something was missing.
the_coycaterpillar_reads's review
4.0
Enter the Darkness sucked me in from page one. Darkly claustrophobic, it takes your deepest fears and makes them a reality. Spooky season may be over but you’re going to want to get your buy now finger at ready!
Claustrophobia has always been a key factor in my nightmares. Wandering aimlessly in a place that resembles a maze is terrifying. The darkness, the air running low, and the silence would have my body gearing up to enter survival mode. Enter the Darkness is a story that enters the void with the ricochet of a bullet, you need to stay alert to the potential of being hit at any time. Sarah Budd draws a large red line between realism and fiction; jumping between the two is hazardous but oh-so-fun!
I am a complete sucker for horror novellas – give me the dilemma between the human condition and the things that are not easily explained and I’m a happy reader BUT…
Enter the Darkness is different from other horror novellas,
Enter the Darkness is unlike anything I’ve read in the genre.
Enter the Darkness forges its own way, its own path, albeit dark and abandoned, but you find yourself blindly feeling your way, unaware of what will be awaiting you at the end.
It’s not a big surprise to find out that I freaking loved this story.
I’ve always enjoyed Sarah Budd’s work. Her short stories rival some of the best. Her ability to put the reader into the centre of the story is unrivaled. She knows how to slide into her reader’s minds and set up home there. Inhaling their worst fears and translating them into her specific brand of horror. The story is fantastic but that’s only one part of the package – Sarah Budd’s immeasureable skill ensures that Enter the Darkness is the whole damn show!
How many times have you wandered over the streets of London and wondered just what lay beneath your feet? Well, for me it’s never because I’ve never been to London (I’m a small-town girl at heart) BUT I can appreciate the vast amounts of history that we are walking on. This is the beauty of Enter the Darkness; the history is at the character's fingertips, but a far more ancient evil is lurking in the shadows.
Four characters go into the cave system under the Pavements of London. Garth – a newly hired tour guide of the caves who’s willing to do anything to save the girl he has his eye on. Cassie – a girl who plans to use the cave system for her own emotive gain. Bill – Garth’s boss with more than a few skeletons in the closet and makes it his mission to save Cassie and Garth. Sienna – a girl whose conniving ways have finally taken a trip down karma alley and finds herself as a sacrifice. Each of the characters have their why for being down there and Budd really excels at writing morally grey characters. It’s her examination of the human condition that draws you in – the intricate and slippery ways of human behaviour in times of stress that had me enthralled.
Get prepared for the similarities between As Above so Below (which is one of my favourite horror movies, so I was delighted.) The action was just as jumpy and blood-pumping as the movie and I was on the edge of my seat during scenes. The pages got turned and soon time escaped me. I enjoyed Cassie’s character the most, she wore her emotions like armor, and I could feel her hurt and grief pouring through the pages. She’s lost someone extremely close to her and experiencing those relationships made me think and made me make a phone call. The blame she puts upon herself is what anyone with a conscience would do and it just made her more human. More relatable. I look forward to more work by Sarah Budd. She brings the horror and the human into a concoction of ratcheting tension.
Claustrophobia has always been a key factor in my nightmares. Wandering aimlessly in a place that resembles a maze is terrifying. The darkness, the air running low, and the silence would have my body gearing up to enter survival mode. Enter the Darkness is a story that enters the void with the ricochet of a bullet, you need to stay alert to the potential of being hit at any time. Sarah Budd draws a large red line between realism and fiction; jumping between the two is hazardous but oh-so-fun!
I am a complete sucker for horror novellas – give me the dilemma between the human condition and the things that are not easily explained and I’m a happy reader BUT…
Enter the Darkness is different from other horror novellas,
Enter the Darkness is unlike anything I’ve read in the genre.
Enter the Darkness forges its own way, its own path, albeit dark and abandoned, but you find yourself blindly feeling your way, unaware of what will be awaiting you at the end.
It’s not a big surprise to find out that I freaking loved this story.
I’ve always enjoyed Sarah Budd’s work. Her short stories rival some of the best. Her ability to put the reader into the centre of the story is unrivaled. She knows how to slide into her reader’s minds and set up home there. Inhaling their worst fears and translating them into her specific brand of horror. The story is fantastic but that’s only one part of the package – Sarah Budd’s immeasureable skill ensures that Enter the Darkness is the whole damn show!
How many times have you wandered over the streets of London and wondered just what lay beneath your feet? Well, for me it’s never because I’ve never been to London (I’m a small-town girl at heart) BUT I can appreciate the vast amounts of history that we are walking on. This is the beauty of Enter the Darkness; the history is at the character's fingertips, but a far more ancient evil is lurking in the shadows.
Four characters go into the cave system under the Pavements of London. Garth – a newly hired tour guide of the caves who’s willing to do anything to save the girl he has his eye on. Cassie – a girl who plans to use the cave system for her own emotive gain. Bill – Garth’s boss with more than a few skeletons in the closet and makes it his mission to save Cassie and Garth. Sienna – a girl whose conniving ways have finally taken a trip down karma alley and finds herself as a sacrifice. Each of the characters have their why for being down there and Budd really excels at writing morally grey characters. It’s her examination of the human condition that draws you in – the intricate and slippery ways of human behaviour in times of stress that had me enthralled.
Get prepared for the similarities between As Above so Below (which is one of my favourite horror movies, so I was delighted.) The action was just as jumpy and blood-pumping as the movie and I was on the edge of my seat during scenes. The pages got turned and soon time escaped me. I enjoyed Cassie’s character the most, she wore her emotions like armor, and I could feel her hurt and grief pouring through the pages. She’s lost someone extremely close to her and experiencing those relationships made me think and made me make a phone call. The blame she puts upon herself is what anyone with a conscience would do and it just made her more human. More relatable. I look forward to more work by Sarah Budd. She brings the horror and the human into a concoction of ratcheting tension.
cyanide_latte's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Well, that was...something. The author certainly made some choices (especially with a lot of the wording and grammar.) I'm not even sure I'd call this entertaining, I'm sad to say. It just sort of exists and I read it, but it was quite underwhelming. I'd been looking forward to this one, I'd at least hoped it would give me that claustrophobic, trapped-underground-in-the-dark feeling but largely I spent my time saying "okay then" whenever anything happened.
kirstycarson1's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
torgiepie's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Cassie. Garth. Bill. Sienna.
Four people enter the caves underneath London and all of them will have to battle their inner demons and outrun the White Lady if they want a chance to survive.
If you aren't currently claustrophobic, you will be after this. It gives big As Above So Below and the Descent vibes. Horror fans who are afraid of the dark will greatly enjoy this.
Four people enter the caves underneath London and all of them will have to battle their inner demons and outrun the White Lady if they want a chance to survive.
If you aren't currently claustrophobic, you will be after this. It gives big As Above So Below and the Descent vibes. Horror fans who are afraid of the dark will greatly enjoy this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
pbanditp's review
4.0
“There was no joy down here, only waiting. If death was a realm you could visit, this would be it.”
The past and the present are never that far apart. One place that this is quite apparent is the Chislehurst Caves in London where pre-Christian’s conducted rituals of worship to the Old Ones.
Garth felt a strong connection to the caves ever since he started going on the tours as a young boy with his mum. Now he works there and he gets to start giving the tours himself.
There are over 20 miles of dark tunnels, a Druidic altar, and many secrets that must remain buried.
This was an interesting book dealing with growing up, regret, human sacrifice, and love. It felt like a character study as you really get into several character’s heads as they search the quiet tunnels alone.
Enter The Darkness is all over the place when it comes to how it makes you feel. You’ll be all dark and tense, then you’ll be pining away about a lost love, followed by shrinking away from a splash of gore.
“_____ hadn’t deserved to die like that, to have your heart eaten in front of you as the world turned black for good.”
The past and the present are never that far apart. One place that this is quite apparent is the Chislehurst Caves in London where pre-Christian’s conducted rituals of worship to the Old Ones.
Garth felt a strong connection to the caves ever since he started going on the tours as a young boy with his mum. Now he works there and he gets to start giving the tours himself.
There are over 20 miles of dark tunnels, a Druidic altar, and many secrets that must remain buried.
This was an interesting book dealing with growing up, regret, human sacrifice, and love. It felt like a character study as you really get into several character’s heads as they search the quiet tunnels alone.
Enter The Darkness is all over the place when it comes to how it makes you feel. You’ll be all dark and tense, then you’ll be pining away about a lost love, followed by shrinking away from a splash of gore.
“_____ hadn’t deserved to die like that, to have your heart eaten in front of you as the world turned black for good.”