I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
In this haunting sequel, author Jennifer Anne Gordon follows a man haunted by his past and traumatized by what could have been in the acclaimed novel, “When The Sleeping Dead Still Talk”, the second in The Hotel series.
The Synopsis
From the Kindle Award Winning Author for Best Horror 2020, author Jennifer Anne Gordon’s conclusion to The Hotel Series, with the sequel to From Daylight to Madness.
In one startling moment in the late summer of 1873 a tragedy fell like summer sun on the gray jagged shores of Dagger Island. Francis loses everything he thought his life was, and what it could have become. His heart breaks and his feet run, all the way back to his childhood home, he reaches for a past that may not exist.
He is there, in the little house in Dorchester Neck. A place haunted with missing time. He feels the comfort from walls that lean in too close, but then …He feels the trauma that ripped his life in two and in a blink of an eye he is back at the hotel. He can feel the memories fade as the cold fingers of winter wrap around him. He does not know how he got there, or indeed if he ever left.
Francis has lived his whole life veiled in the memories that are more alive than his present. The current days fade away before he can hold on to him. Everything he was or thought he could have been is gone. He realizes he may be a monster, and the person he has fallen in love with may not even exist. Francis holds onto the memories he thinks are real …until he is almost consumed by them.
Francis is isolated in a world of mesmerism, with his tormentor and healer Doctor Hughes.
Francis is a guest in this hotel with his past, his present, and who he believes to be his future. Isabelle. His world is a labyrinth … he feels her hand in his. The fingers intertwine and there is nothing left but her …
She is a memory, a ghost, and a hallucination.
He can almost remember the moment when his father’s glass shattered into his face…he can almost remember who he was before he was broken in two.
He can almost remember…
He can almost…
He can…
He…
The Review
A haunting, beautiful, and engaging sequel, author Jennifer Anne Gordon continues to wow and amaze me. A fantastic story that continues to explore the concept that our pasts can be just as haunting as the ghosts that roam in and out of our lives, the story really does a fantastic job of delving into Francis’s character.
A supporting character in the first novel, this book expertly highlights the impact the loss of a major character from the first novel has on him, while also showcasing the profound impact his past has had on him physically and emotionally. The psychological deep-dive into his psyche makes for some thought-provoking scenes.
What really stands out to me is the gothic horror-style writing the author employs here, utilizing atmosphere heavily to build suspense in a wholly original yet iconic way all at once. As a fan of recent series like The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor, the author has done a great job of capturing the essence of that style of storytelling while creating a story that draws the reader in and characters that highlight how sometimes the past and ourselves can be a whole lot scarier than the ghosts themselves.
The Verdict
A memorable, emotional, and deeply thought-provoking read, author Jennifer Anne Gordon’s “When The Sleeping Dead Still Talk” is a must-read gothic horror novel. The author does a wonderful job of crafting a narrative that draws the reader in deeper and deeper into the world they have crafted, while giving emotionally-charged scenes that highlight the depth of the protagonist, Francis, making for a complex and detailed read that fans of the genre will absolutely love. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy of this memorable read today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
Jennifer Anne Gordon is a Gothic horror novelist. Her work includes Beautiful, Frightening and Silent (2020) which won the Kindle Award for Best Horror/Suspense for 2020, and From Daylight to Madness (The Hotel book 1), and When the Sleeping Dead Still Talk (The Hotel book 2).
She had a collection of her mixed media artwork published during spring of 2020, entitled Victoriana: mixed media art of Jennifer Gordon
Jennifer is one of the hosts as well as the creator of Vox Vomitus, a video podcast on the Global Authors on the Air Network, as well as the Co-Host of the You Tube Channel “Talk Horror to Me”. She had been a contributor to Ladies of Horror Fiction, as well as Horror Tree.
Jennifer is a pale curly haired ginger, obsessed with horror, ghosts, abandoned buildings, and her dog “Lord Tubby”.
She graduated from the New Hampshire Institute of Art, where she studied Acting. She also studied at the University of New Hampshire with a concentration in Art History and English.
She has made her living as an actress, a magician’s assistant, a “gallerina”, a comic book dealer, a painter, and burlesque performer and for the past 10 years as an award-winning professional ballroom dancer, performer, instructor, and choreographer.
When not scribbling away (ok, typing frantically) she enjoys traveling with her fiancé and dance partner, teaching her dog ridiculous tricks (like ‘give me a kiss’ and ‘what hand is the treat in?’ ok these are not great tricks.) as well as taking photos of abandoned buildings and haunted locations.
She is a leo, so at the end of the day she just thinks about her hair.
https://www.jenniferannegordon.com/
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