HIDDEN GEM DISCOVERY – SPINE CHILLING – “THE HAY BALE”

February 19, 2022 Mar

Welcome to another “HIDDEN GEM DISCOVERY” post, where I tell you about lesser known books I recently discovered in the BOOKIVERSE, like “The Hay Bale“!

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Contemporary Southern Gothic meets weird horror in this new novelette from Priscilla Bettis. Professor Claire Davenport yearns to be a mother. After suffering four miscarriages, the university microbiologist tries and fails to qualify as an adoptive mother. Then Claire’s husband leaves. Alone and emotionally wounded, Claire takes a summer sabbatical from her microbiology classes and escapes to rural Virginia to heal. There, she meets local farmers with strange agricultural practices. Claire moves into the historic manor house she rented for the summer, and an abandoned child greets her. Is the child real, an answer to her prayers? Or is he a figment of her tormented emotions? Perhaps the tight-knit locals are playing a trick on the science lady from the city. Whatever the boy’s origin, Claire is determined to find the truth, but the truth may be bloody.

5 stars!
Oh wow! This story was something ! It was as flawless as it was dark and wonderfully horrific. A hidden gem I was fortunate to find! Such a unique horror story!

CW: Child abuse, torture and death; religious cult, cannibalism, emotional abuse, mental illness.

Well first of all, this story was SO WELL WRITTEN, so well described, and paced, and so well plotted! And the characters are so realistic!

So atmospheric, and so eerie, and so suspenseful and creepy and spine-chilling and and ghostly, and gory and.. all the “ands” and all the wonderful ugly dark things the best horror stories are made of!

I can’t believe it was all only 42 pages!

I was still thinking about for days. I cannot wait to read more of this talented author! A full book by Priscilla would be just fantastic!