Dark Cathedral - Freda Warrington
For all of their childhood, young Beth Herne and her brother Luke have lived in fear - beaten and terrorized because of their mother's religious beliefs. Until one summer, staying with her grandparents, Beth discovers independence. And her descent into darkness begins...
Rhianwen Rhys, although known in the village as a witch, seems kind and protective. Through her Beth learns the power of a woman's spirit, allowing her to break free. Yet Luke stays with his mother, convinced that the Devil works through Rhianwen. While Beth begins the love affair that threatens to destroy them all...
To Beth, Rhianwen's son Morgan is irresistible, a beautiful demon seducing her into forbidden delights. She pays for her sins, bearing his child in lonely terror. But even from birth, Eirian is more than a beloved daughter. She can see things. Hear things. And even foretell a future in which the inhabitants of the dark cathedral will rise up to claim their own...
OK, so I read this book ages ago, and certain aspects of it just stuck with me, so I wanted to revisit it. It's even more horrifying than I'd remembered. What's awful about that is that I remembered it being pretty horrifying, and had very clear memories of certain specific things. But a lot of it I'd completely forgotten. Including the worst of the horrifying stuff. My brain must have just outright blocked that or something, because... woah. I don't really want to get into it, partly because it's just not fun to talk about, and partly because I wouldn't want to ruin anything for anyone who might want to read this book.
And it's actually pretty good, and worth the read. There's a little more actual magic in it than I remembered, and I'm not sure that's a good thing or not, but I guess the book is considered fantasy, even if much of it is solidly grounded in reality, so I guess the magic is OK. I guess I just feel that realistic horror is so much scarier than fantastical horror, and in my head I kind of consider this book more horror than fantasy, so maybe a part of me just wanted it to be more realistic, to make all that scary horror that much better. On the other hand, like I said, it's pretty atrocious as is, so perhaps the fantastical element keeps it from being just too much to handle. I don't know.
In any case, I'm not sure it's a book that can really be discussed very much with someone who hasn't read it, so I don't really have all that much to say about it. Decent read, though, if you're into religious based fantasy/horror. A part of me wants to try and track down the sequel, but I was just on the author's site, and even she's not really happy with how the sequel turned out, so I probably won't bother.
Next up: The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, by Patrick Lencioni
Rhianwen Rhys, although known in the village as a witch, seems kind and protective. Through her Beth learns the power of a woman's spirit, allowing her to break free. Yet Luke stays with his mother, convinced that the Devil works through Rhianwen. While Beth begins the love affair that threatens to destroy them all...
To Beth, Rhianwen's son Morgan is irresistible, a beautiful demon seducing her into forbidden delights. She pays for her sins, bearing his child in lonely terror. But even from birth, Eirian is more than a beloved daughter. She can see things. Hear things. And even foretell a future in which the inhabitants of the dark cathedral will rise up to claim their own...
OK, so I read this book ages ago, and certain aspects of it just stuck with me, so I wanted to revisit it. It's even more horrifying than I'd remembered. What's awful about that is that I remembered it being pretty horrifying, and had very clear memories of certain specific things. But a lot of it I'd completely forgotten. Including the worst of the horrifying stuff. My brain must have just outright blocked that or something, because... woah. I don't really want to get into it, partly because it's just not fun to talk about, and partly because I wouldn't want to ruin anything for anyone who might want to read this book.
And it's actually pretty good, and worth the read. There's a little more actual magic in it than I remembered, and I'm not sure that's a good thing or not, but I guess the book is considered fantasy, even if much of it is solidly grounded in reality, so I guess the magic is OK. I guess I just feel that realistic horror is so much scarier than fantastical horror, and in my head I kind of consider this book more horror than fantasy, so maybe a part of me just wanted it to be more realistic, to make all that scary horror that much better. On the other hand, like I said, it's pretty atrocious as is, so perhaps the fantastical element keeps it from being just too much to handle. I don't know.
In any case, I'm not sure it's a book that can really be discussed very much with someone who hasn't read it, so I don't really have all that much to say about it. Decent read, though, if you're into religious based fantasy/horror. A part of me wants to try and track down the sequel, but I was just on the author's site, and even she's not really happy with how the sequel turned out, so I probably won't bother.
Next up: The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, by Patrick Lencioni