*I received a free copy of this book via BookSirens, with thanks to the author and Fedowar Press. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Blurb: Louis and Lovely just moved into their new house. When they find a mysterious treehouse nearby with a new book waiting for them inside, they are unprepared for what awaits them.
The brother and sister open the sinister book and discover a series of spine-chilling adventures within its pages. As they delve into the Frightful Tales, they unwittingly awaken a dangerous reality they must navigate.
With each twisted story, Louis and Lovely are forced to confront their fears and unravel the mysteries surrounding the book, their new town, and their family.
If they want to restore the world around them and keep their family safe, they must survive the dark twists and turns of all six stories within the Frightful Tales.
I picked this up on a whim, simply because I liked the character names and artwork, and I can whole-heartedly confirm that this story is 'frightful' in the good way - full of frights and utterly brilliant!
If you enjoy campfire horror stories, creepy urban legends and the Goosebumps or Point Horror books, then this is the middle-grade book for you, no matter how old you are.
The book starts with some teenagers messing about with a mysterious book of scary stories in a treehouse none of them had ever noticed before, and that is our first glimpse at the 'Frightful Tales' - creepy stories that write their reader in as characters unless they are brave enough to finish the book. Then we meet Louis and Lovely - a cute and relatable sibling duo - as they move into town and are immediately drawn into the ongoing creepiness.
This is definitely aimed at the older and braver end of the middle-grade spectrum, as some of the tales are pretty frightful indeed, including fiery deaths, domestic abuse and a nod towards the Five Nights at Freddie's style of game. As an adult, the book definitely got my heart thudding a little faster and I might just have jumped at a few shadows on the way to the bathroom the night after I finished reading. And there isn't even the comfort of reassuring yourself that the bad guys were vanquished by the end – a point which I will come back to in a minute.
My favourite aspect of the story is how the author cleverly links characters and plotlines within and around her book-within-a-book, until our main characters and the reader are unsure about which bits are fictional... the perfect atmosphere for a chilling urban legend to hook you into that lovely, imagination-fuelled fear zone.
In fact, I only have one bone to pick with the author, but it is a major one! Why oh why does the book have to end on a cliffhanger?! I want to keep reading! I want to know what happens next! I NEED to finish the story or ANYTHING could happen... what if Mr Richards is out there, right now, in the dark...?!
More please!
Welcome, to the Frightful Tales. Read at your own risk. Once you start reading, you cannot stop until you finish the story in its entirety. Failing to do so will cause you to become a Frightful Tale. Once all tales are read, please return this book to its rightful place.
Warning: Do not return the book until all tales are read aloud.
Time flies when you are having fun!
- Noelle Strommen, The Frightful Tales of Louis and Lovely
About the author
Noelle Strommen is an author and horror movie enthusiast. Noelle enjoys writing for the reluctant reader and often creates nontypical main characters. Her debut novel, The Frightful Tales of Louis & Lovely, mixes elements of spooky 1980s horror, that scared her as a child, with a fresh take on new urban legends. Her favorite authors are Stephen King and R.L. Stine.
When Noelle isn't writing, she enjoys playing video games with her son, reading to her daughter, listening to paranormal podcasts, illustrating, and binge-watching a good spooky series. The occasional glass of wine doesn't hurt either.
Website: https://www.noellestrommen.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/casparscottage/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorNoelle
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