“A cynical twentysomething must confront her unconventional family’s dark secrets in this fiery, irreverent horror novel from the author of Such Sharp Teeth and Cackle.”
Horror is a genre that I love to dabble in from time to time, and while I do love the gore and creepy factor of it, there is something to be said about a horror novel that can not only terrify you, but also make you think. For me, that is exactly what Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison did for me.Truthfully, I wasn’t 100% sure what I was getting myself into when I started this book and I can honestly say I was taken by surprise.
In this book we follow a young girl in her twenties named Vesper. Cynical (and maybe even slightly depressed) Vesper sort of trudges along in life after fleeing the home of her overly religious and “unconventional” family back she was 18, vowing never to return. But then one day an envelope appears at her front door, bearing an invitation to her cousin Rose’s wedding. Something compells our heroine to attend the the wedding, although that means being reunited with her toxic family.
When we think of a cult, we normally do tend to think of religion. Black Sheep takes this concept and our expectations and essentially turns it on its head. There were quite a few twists in here that I think most people would enjoy and I can definitely see thing being regarded as a “cult classic” (pun intended).
I found the concepts that were talked about very interesting and I felt that there were some good arguments made when it came to the topic of religion as a whole. The fact that this book managed to maintain it’s creepy, yet humorous tone while having this important discussion definitely is a plus in my book.
I will say that the first portion of this book was a bit slow, but when it picks up, things start to get intense. Each sinister reveal that was uncovered gave me goosebumps and an overwhelming sense of doom which of course, if you’re like me, you absolutely love to experience while reading a horror book.
Black Sheep releases in September, so be sure to mark your calenders and be on the look out!⠀
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