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Book Review of I Call Upon Thee by Ania Ahlborn 4/5

Welcome!

This book was recommended by a friend and I now owe that person cookies
If that isn’t a compliment.. I don’t know what is.

I wasn’t familiar with Ania Ahlborn before this book was gently but firmly thrust into my hands. Thankfully, I respect how aggressively passionate we readers can get and quickly accepted my friend’s silent but unavoidable challenge. Turns out this really was a great fit for me and I have a pretty good feeling that it might also interest a few of you.

So if you’re looking for a quick read that’s both dark and chilling.. this will do it.

Enjoy!

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I Call Upon Thee by Ania Ahlborn

Publication date: August 7, 2017
Pages: 168
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Suspense
Standalone

First line: “What the hell was that?”

Four Stars!

Characters: Well written. Believable.
Storyline: Dark. Compelling.
Pace: Steady.
Writing: Straightforward.
Cover: 3.5/5

POVs:
Maggie

Multiple timelines

Three sisters.
A father who died when they were young. A mother who was never the same
Neglect. Abuse. Trauma.

Maggie left right out of high school, unable to stay in that house, with that woman any longer.
Brynn, who had always been a little dark and a little strange, tucked herself away in their childhood home.. hiding from demons her sisters could never understand.
And Arlen, the eldest, made herself a family.

Maggie’s only returned once when a phone call from Brynn, a summons she can’t ignore, informs her that their mother has passed.
Now it’s Arlen’s call that beckons her home, home to bury their sister, home—and all it’s ghosts.

Do you believe in evil?
In things that wait in the dark?
Do you believe that these things can haunt us?
Maybe they already are..

This book reads almost like a campfire story. It’s not the characters, the writing, or even the storyline that will pull you in.. it’s the telling. The atmosphere. The creeping feeling that whatever’s between these pages might just be waiting for you to let your guard down. That there are things in the dark, terrifying things, and you may not be as safe from them as you’d like to believe.

“There was a sensation of something standing at the top of the stairs, just out of view, like a kid hiding out, watching the TV through the slats of the balustrade. Except the feeling coming from upstairs wasn’t curiosity; it wasn’t a sense of inclusion. It as heavy. Black. Swirling with menace.

I didn’t feel much of a connection to any of the characters, although, some were more interesting than others. Despite that.. they felt real. The relationships between the sisters, the dynamics, their reactions—they were believable—and that only increased the level of tension.

This is a short book and a fast read so I don’t want to say too much but I do encourage fans of horror/ghosts/possession/hauntings to check this out. It may start off a little slow but when it picks up.. it drags you right along with it.

“She couldn’t see it, but she knew it was there. A shadow in the darkness, darker than the night that surrounded it. Watching her. Waiting. An ever-present nightmare.”

I went through this author’s work and it looks like she has quite a few books that I look forward to checking out in the future.
Until then..

Thank you for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed my review!

Are you familiar with this author?

Stay safe, Be well, and Happy reading!

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