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A review by spooky_librarian
The Blackening by Seán O'Connor
4.0
(3.5⭐️ rounded up for Goodreads!)
“Behold the Dark....Behold the Dark...Behold the Dark.”
I think it’s safe to say this book was a pretty decent start to my new year!
Sean O’Connor’s THE BLACKENING is a cosmic horror set in beautiful Iceland—specifically the black sand beaches of Reynisfjara and the small village of Vik. There’s a dark, slimy evil lying in wait, tourists gone missing, and an unsuspecting village in peril. When hot tempered, disgraced cop John Ward suspects a growing danger to be a possible threat to the Northern Lights Festival, he takes on the heavy duty of protecting the innocent no matter the cost.
I’ll be honest. Going into this book, I did not like the protagonist. I found him a bit cliche as the angry cop with the sad past. And the other characters needed a bit more depth and development as well. Personal relationships escalated a little too quickly, making emotional interactions a little hard to believe. Basically the book was off to a rocky start.
But that didn’t discourage me from pushing forward. Before I knew it, the story started gaining momentum and I found myself flipping through pages of exhilarating chaos. There was no going back, like the moment you reach that dizzying first peak on a roller coaster. I’m talking blood, guts, and plenty of gore contrasting with rich Icelandic landscape, vibrant northern lights, and fathomless black caves. I couldn’t help but feel like this would’ve been a terrifying, cinematic beauty if ever adapted to the big screen.
What truly won me over was the monster. It was both familiar while still unique in such a way that I don’t want to give away too much of its description so readers can go into it as blind as I was. But trust me, you’ll be left squirming and squeamish!
Fans of cosmic horror should definitely give this one a try!
(Special thanks to Night Worms and author Sean O’Connor for this #NightWormsBookParty review copy)!
“Behold the Dark....Behold the Dark...Behold the Dark.”
I think it’s safe to say this book was a pretty decent start to my new year!
Sean O’Connor’s THE BLACKENING is a cosmic horror set in beautiful Iceland—specifically the black sand beaches of Reynisfjara and the small village of Vik. There’s a dark, slimy evil lying in wait, tourists gone missing, and an unsuspecting village in peril. When hot tempered, disgraced cop John Ward suspects a growing danger to be a possible threat to the Northern Lights Festival, he takes on the heavy duty of protecting the innocent no matter the cost.
I’ll be honest. Going into this book, I did not like the protagonist. I found him a bit cliche as the angry cop with the sad past. And the other characters needed a bit more depth and development as well. Personal relationships escalated a little too quickly, making emotional interactions a little hard to believe. Basically the book was off to a rocky start.
But that didn’t discourage me from pushing forward. Before I knew it, the story started gaining momentum and I found myself flipping through pages of exhilarating chaos. There was no going back, like the moment you reach that dizzying first peak on a roller coaster. I’m talking blood, guts, and plenty of gore contrasting with rich Icelandic landscape, vibrant northern lights, and fathomless black caves. I couldn’t help but feel like this would’ve been a terrifying, cinematic beauty if ever adapted to the big screen.
What truly won me over was the monster. It was both familiar while still unique in such a way that I don’t want to give away too much of its description so readers can go into it as blind as I was. But trust me, you’ll be left squirming and squeamish!
Fans of cosmic horror should definitely give this one a try!
(Special thanks to Night Worms and author Sean O’Connor for this #NightWormsBookParty review copy)!