From These Dark Abodes by Lyndsie Manusos SFINCs3 Book Review
- Tabitha Tomala
- 17 minutes ago
- 2 min read
This review is part of the Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship (SFINCS). SFINCS, pronounced “sphinx”. This is a yearly competition to recognize, honor, and celebrate the talent and creativity present in the indie community. It’s a sister competition to both SPFBO and SPSFC, and it highlights greatness in the novella format in all areas of speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, horror, etc.).
To see more information on my team TBR check out this post!
Blurb for From These Dark Abodes
St. Edah’s, a house without exit: Lethe and Petunia are mortal prisoners, servants to immortal creatures who unzip from their skin each night and party as skeletons.
Lethe has no memory of how she came to be trapped in this nightmare, only that despite the tenderness she feels for Petunia, she must escape. Together, they traverse the infinite house, searching for passage while finding evidence of their former lives—lives that are not what they believed them to be.
Lethe must decide: join the immortals in their revelry or escape St. Edah’s once and for all.
From These Dark Abodes Review
From These Dark Abodes introduces readers to a world where characters leave their worries behind with their skins. All but Lethe and Petuni, who are trapped serving the skeletons of the immortals. Night after night, the skeletons overindulge in revelry, though their bones need no sustenance. And night after night, Lethe and Petunia struggle to remember who they are, and search for an escape to their endless servitude.
The visualization of characters removing their skins and organs was terrifying. And yet the writing is able to grant grace and beauty as well. There is both a tenderness in how the skeletons intertwine with one another and a sharp realization of the horrors one must endure to serve them. But it isn't just the visualizations that will enthrall readers. The story readers believe they are reading will twist and break free just as the skeletons do. Taking readers in completely new directions and exposing how the revelry came to be and the betrayal that took place to bring it to life.
With From These Dark Abodes Lyndsie Manusos has captured a physical manifestation of stepping out of our lives and the responsibilities we carry. But in the end, escaping responsibilities is just a brief moment of reprieve, for they come calling sooner than later. This is a must for readers who enjoy gothic horror.
To Purchase: Author's Website
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