Amber Hollow by Edgar Swamp - Book Tour & Review + Giveaway
Amber Hollow
by Edgar Swamp
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GENRE: Horror
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BLURB:
On July 15, 1991, an isolated village in Northern Wisconsin is ground zero for an unprecedented, fiery tragedy. Of the community's 600 residents, there are only five survivors. Detailed accounts by the victims contradict each other; the only link is a man named Anthony Guntram, but because he is presumed to be dead, this claim can't be verified. Further investigations reveal a culture enshrouded in mystery. What are the survivors hiding?
Only the villagers know the secret of Amber Hollow, a place where sanity is checked at the town line and the parameters of reality become blurred. An unconventional horror story by design, Edgar Swamp delivers an action-driven page-turner that will keep readers guessing until the calamitous ending.
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EXCERPT
The call came when they were five blocks from St. Mary’s, blaring from the radio in a raucous hiss of static that made both of them jump. Sadie looked at Jeremy, and the confusion in her eyes would be almost comical if the situation wasn’t so dire. He grabbed the handset on the radio, pressed the button.
“This is Detective Jeremy LeFevre. Please repeat the transmission.”
“There is a ten fifty-six A in progress on the Tower Drive Bridge, I repeat a ten fifty-six A.”
“We’re two miles from that location,” he said calmly, although his nerves suddenly felt as if they were live wires spitting enough electricity to power the entire city. “We’re en route.”
“Ten four,” the dispatcher said, and Sadie flipped a switch on the dash that fired up the siren. She then grabbed the bubble next to her, rolled down her window, and tossed it onto the top of the car where the magnet on the bottom held it firmly in place. For some reason, she always felt like she was in an episode of Starskey and Hutch when she did that.
“You thinking what I’m thinking?” Jeremy asked his partner.
“What are you thinking?”
“I don’t know, maybe I’m jumping to more conclusions, but somehow I think this is one call we need to take.”
Turned out, he was right.
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MY REVIEW
Amber Hollow is a horror novel, but it's also kind of depressing. By the time I finished, I actually felt a pang of sadness for one of the characters. I felt bad for a few of the characters, but something about the ending for this one made me sad. The story almost reminded me a bit of Mama (the movie with Jessica Chastain) in terms of it being horror while also being depressing.
First off, the cover is awesome. Second, the synopsis is intriguing and makes you want to read the story to see what it's all about. Third, the title of the book is the name of the town, but it's also so much more.
While reading I had to keep reminding myself the story was set in 1991. Every time a character used a pager or mentioned the long boot-up time for their computer, I was like, uh... oh yeah, 1991.
There is so much about this story that I loved. It's a mystery. It's horror. It's a very small touch of romance. And it's a story of revenge, if you will.
Amber Hollow has some amazingly likable characters. Sadie and Jeremy, the two detectives sent to investigate the strange event in Amber Hollow, are so great. They had a camaraderie that instantly endeared me to them, and you can't help but smile when those two are together.
Plot-wise, the story is paced nicely, although a couple of spots dragged a little for me. I did enjoy all of the backstory, though, when it's finally revealed. There was a lot going on with that, but it was thoroughly detailed, and I quite liked discovering the truth behind it all.
The only thing that irked me (just a tad) was the one characters disdain for Richard Laymon. I, myself, am a fan of Laymon, although this character considers him a "hack" and only has teenage boys as fan. I know it was just a silly opinion from a fictional character, but I was just a smidge offended by it. I'm a weirdo, I suppose.
Overall, Amber Hollow is a fantastic horror novel that will keep readers hooked until the very end.
4.5 stars!
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Edgar Swamp is the author of the “Gyre Mission,” “Glitch in the Machine,” and “Blackout.” His short stories have appeared in Alienskin, Macabre Cadaver, and Urban Reinventors. When he isn’t holed up in his office playing online poker, he likes to dig up the recently deceased and make furniture out of their skin. He lives and works in San Diego, California.
LINKS:
Website: http://www.edgarswamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Edgaraaronswamp
This book is only $0.99 on Kindle
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Edgar Swamp will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner
via rafflecopter during the tour.
9 Comments
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
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ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to share your terrific book with us. I enjoyed reading about it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for allowing me to host, and I am actually a Richard Laymon fan! Gave that character that opinion because I was fooling around, seeing if anyone knew who he was. I was that little boy in the library, and his books were pure gold. Thank you for the nice review! I hope to begin working on a new book soon.
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome! :) And huzzah for being a Richard Laymon fan! Good luck with your new book!
DeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeletePlease try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.