Ian ventures into the Florida Keys in P.D. Alleva’s Echoes of the Forgotten: Web of Malevolence and instantly wishes he’d stayed home with a cuppa and his cats.
TITLE: Echoes of the Forgotten: Web of Malevolence
AUTHOR: P.D. Alleva
GENRE: Horror
PAGES: 90
FORMAT: eBook
PRICE: eBook $2.99, Hardcover $22.99
G’day all, it’s Mr. ARC Reader here, who has once again fallen drastically behind in his reading. But hey, sometimes life gets in the way, and you’ve got to roll with the punches, no matter how many broken bones they may leave you with. Erm… Anyway, this week, I’m diving into some folk horror with P.D. Alleva’s Echoes of the Forgotten: Web of Malevolence, part of the Echoes of the Forgotten twelve-book standalone folk-horror series written by twelve different authors.
This is a creepy, fast-paced novella that packs a lot into its ninety pages. It opens with a content warning for graphic violence, gore, child endangerment, cannibalism, trauma, and possession, to name a few, which instantly caught my attention and had me bracing myself for an action-packed experience. And that is exactly what it gave me.
Set in 1971, the story follows Michael, a teenager who has tragically lost his parents in a horrific accident that is burned into his memory. He is being sent to live with his grandfather—a man he’s never met and didn’t know existed—in a small town in the Florida Keys. Adjusting to this new life is rough, but things brighten when he meets Lilith, a fellow teenager who is also new to the area and is instantly smitten with her. Then he starts hearing whispers of someone called Naia Tomes, a dangerous local witch who was supposedly killed and entombed in a cave many years before. Michael assumes it’s just a folktale, only to find out too late that it isn’t, and her return definitely doesn’t have sunshine and roses in store for those she targets.
Alleva’s writing is vivid and immersive, building up the legend of Naia Tomes in a way that makes her terrifying long before she appears on the page. When she does, well, let’s just say things get bloody, and that’s an understatement. Remember those content warnings? Yeah, those are there for a reason. Alleva also deftly puts flashbacks to good use, utilizing them for Michael’s trauma and Naia Tomes’ backstory.
Michael himself is a likable protagonist, and I genuinely felt for him as everything continued to spiral further out of control. Then there were some despicable characters that I couldn’t wait to see the end of. The ending? No spoilers, but I didn’t see it coming, and I loved it.
I give this 4.5 evil cave witches out of 5.
Ian Gielen is a writer of all things spooky and a horror fanatic. Ian embraces his inner geek with pride, his dedication on display in the intimidating collection of horror novels and video games that threaten to take over his living space. He is mad for all things Alien, Star Wars, and cats; his furry companions are always there to keep him company as he scribbles down his latest ideas. With the sheer number of furry and human companions in his life, it’s a wonder he isn’t a little crazier than he already is.
PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing, nor do the views of opinions of Crystal Lake necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or its staff. Thank you for understanding.
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