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Tuesday 21 August 2018

THE MOUTH OF THE DARK by Tim Waggoner

Jayce’s twenty-year-old daughter Emory is missing, lost in a dark, dangerous realm called Shadow. An enigmatic woman guides Jayce through this bizarre world, and together they search for Emory, facing deadly dog-eaters, homicidal sex toys, and a monstrous being, the Harvest Man. Can Jayce find Emory, and still keep himself from becoming a monster?


This is the third Flame Tree Press ARC I've read, and it's just as impressive as the first two. I'm loving how awesome and different every horror title has been so far.

Jayce Lewis is a simple man with a complicated past, but right now all he cares about is finding his 20-year-old daughter. Emory is missing and although Jayce's ex doesn't seem very concerned, he decides to print up some flyers and hits the street.

The only problem is that from the moment he steps into CrazyQwik--where Emory worked--his whole life is turned upside down.

His daughter seems to have stumbled into a shadowy world only a select few can actually see. And while searching for her, Jayce starts noticing macabre images and meets a bunch of very peculiar people.

Now that Jayce has opened his eyes to a new and very dangerous reality, he also manages to open his mind wide enough for a bunch of hidden memories to resurface.

Although the danger he's facing is very real, he might turn out to be the biggest threat of them all...

Wow.  What a trip through Shadow!

This book gripped me from the Prologue and refused to let go. I was instantly captivated by Jayce's voice and dragged into Shadow as quickly as he was.

The level of wicked weird in this narrative is totally amazing, off the charts. I'm not squeamish, so I found myself getting caught up in everything that was going on even when it bordered on the odd and uncomfortable.

There are a few gross scenes featuring the missing Emory, the kind of stuff parents should never see or know, but it's all essential to the core of the story and Jayce's final destination.

Told mostly in Jayce's POV, there are several scenes featuring other characters. Plus there are a bunch of flashback chapters that complement the events of the present. They blew me away, especially one of the later ones which reveals a vital piece of the puzzle.

This is such a clever story.

As for the characters, I really liked Jayce. He was such an honest guy with the best of intentions, even though everything goes askew. I also thought Nicola was just the right amount of helpful and mysterious, a pretty good guide. And I was totally intrigued by the Harvest Man. Oh, and the Ohio Pig was hilarious. Creepy, but funny.

The only character I didn't completely warm to was Emory. She just seemed so bratty and distant, which is probably why she got caught up in this mess in the first place.

The Mouth of the Dark is a unique horror story with an intriguing mystery at its core. It's full of wicked imagery, outlandish creatures, depraved desires and vivid situations that have you seeing odd stuff from the corner of your eye.

It's original and isn't shy about delving into weird. It's not afraid to explore the sexually depraved. It's a highly imaginative exploration of self-discovery. And delves into the lengths a father is willing to go to in order to find his child.

Asides from everything else, I had a LOT of fun spending time with this colourful cast of characters and monsters. And the cover is so creepy cool.

It's also a story that will stay with me for a while. I loved every single seedy detail. 😄

I'm enjoying these ARCs so bloody much. I need to read more!




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