Scan barcode
thecwis26's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
petercounter's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
theesotericcamel's review
5.0
A very impressive long-form debut! The pacing was fast, and kept me wanting to find out what would happen next. Rather than going for a straight forward horror using beasties, this one takes a more abstract and psychological approach. There are no tentacles or claws in this story... But there is a disturbing loss of the sense of time and place. Set in the north eastern regions of Canada... This book could be seen as a modern rendition of Canadian Gothic. What gives the story more weight and believability is the complicated and strained relationship between the main characters. All whom happen to be blood related. The story is as much a family tragedy as it is a supernatural horror. And the supernatural elements seem to compliment the later. It's about how we keep looping the failures and disappointments in our life more than the positive ones. And also how those loops become distorted with time as well. A very solid first effort, and I look forward to her longer works.
donaldinho's review
4.0
There sure is a lot in this little book. Fantastic writing with some genuinely scary moments.
exhaustedtech's review against another edition
5.0
When The Ring has a one night stand with The Blair Witch Project, you get Agony’s Lodestone.
Aggie, Alex, and Bailey’s sister goes missing and they set out to find her….in the local woods.
Short and bittersweet (and I mean bittersweet) lost in the woods story. Has some creep factor parts to it as well as showing what the community perceived as a “perfect family” being dysfunctional like everyone else which leads up to the sister’s disappearance.
Aggie, Alex, and Bailey’s sister goes missing and they set out to find her….in the local woods.
Short and bittersweet (and I mean bittersweet) lost in the woods story. Has some creep factor parts to it as well as showing what the community perceived as a “perfect family” being dysfunctional like everyone else which leads up to the sister’s disappearance.
shmis's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ellasreadingnook's review
5.0
This was an eerie, emotional read! Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this story to provoke so much emotion from me, but Keating did such an incredible job of writing sibling dynamics that I could easily see me and my siblings in the characters’ places.
Although this novella is full of horror and mystery, it really focuses on the unbreakable bonds some siblings can have, how far people are willing to go for their loved ones, and what grief can look/feel like. I found Aggie to be a very relatable main character and everything was so eloquently written that you can tell how much thought was put into this book with every line you read.
The concept was extremely creepy and intriguing. It reminded of Grave Encounters mixed with Coherence, but also with the setting and aspects of The Blair Witch Project. I LOVED it. The creepy vibe was kept up until the end and the plot moved along so quick - I really didn’t want the story to end!
Overall, this was a fantastic read and I’ll definitely be looking out for more of Keating’s work!
Thank you Tenebrous Press for providing me with the eARC!
Although this novella is full of horror and mystery, it really focuses on the unbreakable bonds some siblings can have, how far people are willing to go for their loved ones, and what grief can look/feel like. I found Aggie to be a very relatable main character and everything was so eloquently written that you can tell how much thought was put into this book with every line you read.
The concept was extremely creepy and intriguing. It reminded of Grave Encounters mixed with Coherence, but also with the setting and aspects of The Blair Witch Project. I LOVED it. The creepy vibe was kept up until the end and the plot moved along so quick - I really didn’t want the story to end!
Overall, this was a fantastic read and I’ll definitely be looking out for more of Keating’s work!
Thank you Tenebrous Press for providing me with the eARC!
hauntedorchid's review
5.0
“Graves could be visited, ashes scattered or held. But a disappearance rips a hole in the world the size of a life, and through it sighs a terrible and uninvited wind, repeating a single note: Gone.”
Twenty years ago, Aggie’s older sister Joanne went for a walk in the woods… and vanished from the face of the earth. When finally a videotape surfaces that might hold a clue to Joanne’s unsolved disappearance, Aggie and her brothers set off to the forest in the hopes of finally discovering what happened to her.
Part found-footage horror, part survival story, part meditation on grief, Agony’s Lodestone is by turns chilling, mysterious, and moving. I was hooked and fascinated by the twists and turns of this unique novella, which is short and compelling enough to read in a single sitting. Tenebrous Press has an eye for great stories and this one is no exception. Perfect for fans of Laurel Hightower and Catherine McCarthy.
Twenty years ago, Aggie’s older sister Joanne went for a walk in the woods… and vanished from the face of the earth. When finally a videotape surfaces that might hold a clue to Joanne’s unsolved disappearance, Aggie and her brothers set off to the forest in the hopes of finally discovering what happened to her.
Part found-footage horror, part survival story, part meditation on grief, Agony’s Lodestone is by turns chilling, mysterious, and moving. I was hooked and fascinated by the twists and turns of this unique novella, which is short and compelling enough to read in a single sitting. Tenebrous Press has an eye for great stories and this one is no exception. Perfect for fans of Laurel Hightower and Catherine McCarthy.