Synopsis:
“*Through the sins of man and the perversions of the wicked, darkness is born.*
James Crowley can sense sins. It’s a terrible burden and a horrible curse as he he sees the darkness in everyone he meets. Through terrible circumstance a being of darkness known as a shadow beast is unleashed upon the world and goes on a brutal killing spree as a harbinger of doom threatening all of humanity. The only person who can stop darkness from overtaking the world is the man tethered to it, James Crowley.
With the help of a hardened Police Detective he searches for the mentally unstable and vicious killer that unleashed the darkness while trying to figure out a way to stop it. Our sins add to the darkness, our rage and hatred the fuel that creates those that can kill us. Humanity is being threatened by an evil of it’s own creation, a darkness that will consume all unless James can find the power to save us all…
As Shadows Scream is a brutal, intense psychological thriller/horror that will keep you on the edge of your seat and up at night. It is the first book in the As Shadows Trilogy.” (Source: Goodreads)
Review:
As Shadows Scream by Kylen Coetzee is the first title I received as a request through The Ghastly Grimoire. Originally published on Wattpad, I’ve decided to approach this review a little differently than I typically do. First, because I do not have access to a final published copy, there is no way for me to tell whether or not the many grammatical errors I encountered were fixed. For those that haven’t used Wattpad, much of the work posted there does not go through the usual editing process from what I’ve read. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; however, it can negatively impact the story. That said, I’ve refrained from making my usual judgments on editing this time around and instead focused on the contents of this book.
Coetzee’s work, though flawed in some ways, brings to the table an interesting concept – one I feel could easily be adapted into a film. Throughout his book, Coetzee explores several mental illnesses, most of which deal with personality disorders. Whether or not this is intentional outside of the main baddie is hard to tell, but it gives an unexpected depth to the characters readers meet.
The pacing is quick and urgent, fitting given the content of As Shadows Scream. As usual, I feel that this book could have benefit from a bit more length, which would have allowed Coetzee to truly expand upon this world he’s created that is riddled with references of good and evil.
In regards to the death scenes – because all horror typically has at least one (though there are exceptions to this rule) – Coetzee does a beautiful job at rendering the scenes disgustingly gory. In fact, several times Coetzee shows moments of eloquence in the writing of his book, which speaks volumes to his ability to write. I think a little refinement would go a long way.
As stated at the beginning of this review, I chose to mostly overlook the glaring editing errors, thus giving the author the benefit of the doubt. If you’re interested in reading this tale, you can find it on Wattpad by clicking below:
Rating: 💀💀💀
