Spine-tingling, fear-induced heart palpitations, and jump scares. Darcy Coates is a master at making a monster jump out at you. She makes it feel like you're the one facing a parasitic alien that just tore a kid's face in half.
Ms. Coates has become one of my new favorite authors. I have read Parasite, a sci-fi horror story, and Quarter to Midnight, a short story collection. What stands out to me, is she can make me feel like I'm in the same room as whatever monster is lurking in the shadows. She does it with a straightforward yet very descriptive approach. She can paint a vivid picture using very few words. She doesn't over-embellish or spend pages explaining the look of something. She does enough to get the point across and she does it in a way that scares you. That's a talent I wish to have someday.
I have acquired a few Darcy Coates novels over the months and I intend to collect more. Here is my TBR list for now.
The Whispering Dead (Gravekeeper #1)
Kiera can see the dead. She finds herself taking shelter in an abandoned groundskeeper cottage. The cottage is in an old graveyard where the dead roam. Kiera becomes the newest target of a dead woman. To put her to rest, Kiera has to investigate the spectral's past. Sounds fun to me. I will no doubt read the whole series.
Ghosts and monsters are scary enough, but let's put them at the bottom of the ocean. Cove and her team are to investigate the wreckage of the unsinkable ship, the SS Arcadia. But with limited oxygen and limited time, their simple mission becomes a fight. They have to survive whatever is lurking in the watery shadows.
I can imagine the claustrophobia and panic Ms. Coates will traumatize me with and I love it. I'm all in for this story.
A classic haunted house scenario, but with Ms. Coates driving the story it will be a good one. Adrienne inherits the old Ashburn House and thinks things will start looking up. But then things start to happen. Things move, messages are in the walls and the forest holds a grave and a secret. Now Adrienne has to survive what's in the house.
Darcy Coates has many more books out there. And if what I have read so far is any indication, I will be reading many of them.