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Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Victim Souls by Andrew Terech (Review + Giveaway)


Hey readers, Happy Tuesday! On top of today being full of awesome, I'm hosting a stop on the blog tour for Victim Souls by Andrew Terech, a thrilling YA Horror that was right up my alley! Here's a bit about the novel before we get to my thoughts!

Victim Souls by Andrew Terech
Publication date: November 8th 2014
Genres: Horror, Young Adult

Sometimes, only bad guys can beat the Devil…

The plan is simple: get the money and deliver the car. What could possibly go wrong?

What can’t?

Things start to go south when Sam Drake realizes that his brother Johnny is hiding something, a secret about Sam’s troubled childhood that goes beyond his most feverish nightmares…

Then Johnny’s girlfriend, Ash, starts sending Sam the kind of mixed signals that can only lead to big trouble…

As the trio of small time crooks falls deeper into an abyss of betrayal and violence, they will discover that the greatest danger they face is not of this world.

With everything he believes about himself and the world around him shattered, Sam will become the unlikely champion in a battle with true evil, a fight to save a soul that has already been forfeited to darkness.

His own.


Andrew Terech
Andrew’s a horror fiction writer who is also a massive fan of the genre. He’s been writing short stories and working on his novel for over 5 years. He has several short stories published, as well as some editing credits. He moderates a writing workshop in Phoenix, AZ where he’s been exposed to many different forms of fiction, which have broadened his influences. He aims to write stories that creep out his readers, while offering well-developed, rich characters they can sink their teeth into. He’s also a fan of experimenting with form and structure to create something uniquely my own.

Andrew grew up on Long Island in New York, and has lived in Arizona for the past 7 years. His professional background is in psychology where he’s carved out a nice career for himself. However, writing has always been his passion.

Currently, he’s hard at work, developing additional content to publish. He hopes to find an audience that loves the genre, and is up for a good scare.


*****
My Thoughts:

When it comes to the YA world, this is one genre that I am always begging for more of: horror. Writing horror for a young adult audience isn't easy. Many elements to a true horror novel just do not belong in YA literature, so writing a thrilling spooktacular tale for the young adult masses, isn't an easy feat. More often than not, when an author tries to accomplish it, their works ends up sounding satirical in nature. It takes a special writer and a special novel to combine horror with supernatural elements in a battle for the good of mankind. Thankfully, with Andrew Terech at the helm, we got just that.

I will not say that Victim Souls was completely without its' faults, but what I will say is that I was very impressed with the final product. Well written characters, a plot line that was not only interesting, but kept me itching for more, and just enough mystery to keep your eyes peeled, this novel has it all.

As I said before, writing a horror novel isn't easy in the YA genre, but Terech does a great job of it. Nothing is too scary, but it definitely keeps you on your toes. While this novel isn't full of the gruesome, nail biting horror that one may find from Stephen King, it definitely left me with an eerie feeling of 'what was to come'. This novel presents a lot of 'what ifs?' that also help to move the story along in a horror direction. Sometimes in a novel, the scariest thing is the unknown!

Terech's writing style was simple enough to follow and wasn't bogged down by an overabundance of the literary devices often implemented by horror writers. It was a quick, fun read, that I am glad to have had a chance to read!

All-in-all, I am granting Victim Souls by Andrew Terech as well-earned 4-star review. It was all I was looking for, and more! Appropriate for all YA readers, this novel covered all the bases and left this reader satisfied! Kudos to you Mr. Terech, I can't wait to see what's next for you!

*****


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Alright guys, that's all I have for you on the topic of Victim Souls by Andrew Terech, what do you guys think? Sound like your kind of read? I know I definitely enjoyed it! Be sure to add it to your TBRs and enter this awesome giveaway before you go! Until next time, Happy Reading!

-Ethan

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