BOOK REVIEW | STOLEN TONGUES | FELIX BLACKWELL

STOLEN TONGUES - FELIX BLACKWELL

BOOK DESCRIPTION

A romantic cabin getaway doesn’t go exactly as planned. High up on the windswept cliffs of Pale Peak, Faye and Felix celebrate their new engagement. But soon, a chorus of ghastly noises erupts from the nearby woods: the screams of animals, the cries of children, and the mad babble of a hundred mournful voices. A dark figure looms near the windows in the dead of night, whispering to Faye. As the weather turns deadly, Felix discovers that his terrified fiancée isn’t just mumbling in her sleep – she’s whispering back.

Originally a contest-winning story on reddit.com’s horror community NoSleep, Stolen Tongues has received widespread acclaim and is now being adapted into a feature film.

REVIEW

Everyone knows that when you go to a cabin in the woods in a horror novel, things ain’t going to work out that well, and Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell is no exception.

Faye and Felix are offered a weekend at Faye’s parents’ cabin, which they plan to have a nice relaxing getaway. However, things take a nightmarish turn when they are besieged by something in the woods. They hear the cries of children and the voices of dead relatives.

Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell immediately starts with strange occurrences that is full of tension. The two main characters are obviously scared out of their wits by the ghastly goings on and Felix Blackwell immediately jumps into the action with barely an introduction and the story keeps moving at a rate of knots till the end.

I have to admit, I don’t mind the old cabin in the woods trope, especially when it is done well. I was gripped immediately with Stolen Tongues, trying to work out what was happening at what was at the centre of the mysterious happenings. I have got to say, that I did not expect it to be what it was.

Stolen Tongues is the debut novel by Felix Blackwell, but it didn’t show as the writing was so good. He kept the pace up throughout the book right until the very end.

There were a couple of niggles that I had with the book, the main one being the ending, which I thought was quite abrupt and as a result fell a little flat. However, I can certainly forgive that as I enjoyed the rest of the book immensely.

Whilst not perfect, Stolen Tongues is a good read for when the nights are drawing in closer and you want something to creep you out.