This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Dee Williams for Readers' Favorite
Andrew Herold's Starving Things is not a standard haunted house story. While the decrepit Holt House, with its associated history of violence and disappearances, certainly provides the atmospheric backdrop of gothic horror, the monster in this case is far more psychological and sinister. The novel effectively utilizes the house as a symbol of Nan Wickwyre's demons, her alcoholism, and the tragedy that seeps into a very real, almost sentient entity that must be placated. Herold builds suspense skillfully, slowly revealing the sinister reality about Holt House and its role in Nan's fractured brain. The tale expertly intertwines the external threats – the bizarre vanishings and the history of the house – and Nan's crisis, so that it is impossible to know what is real and what is supernatural. The "voice" that haunts Nan is magnificent, its orders growing increasingly chilling, reflecting the faltering desperation of Nan's situation.
The novel is not a jump-out-at-you scary story, but it creates a sense of overall tension and paranoia that hangs around long after you have read it. Andrew Herold's prose is vivid, bringing out intense images of the decaying house and Nan's deteriorating mind. Overall, Starving Things is a highly readable, creepy novel of mourning, shame, and the destructive power of addiction. It's a chilling read that will haunt you long after you've turned the final page. This is for readers who like psychological horror, atmospheric fiction, and morally ambiguous characters. It's not for those wanting shallow scares, but it is a deeply unsettling exploration of the darkness within and what consumes us.
