Scratches

An uncomfortable tale of child abuse and loneliness meets one of things that refuse to stay still or in the dark. A quick read with compelling characters the only thing I didn't like about it was the way Connor talked which didn't seem quite right even for a somewhat parentified kid such as himself.

Much like descending into a dark and musty basement this story gets darker and more frightening as you progress. Descending into discoveries that just keep getting darker and darker and doesn???t let up. I was curious, then freaked out, then appalled, then angered, then scared for the characters life and my pulse quickened towards the culmination. Very well done with the atmosphere and the subtleties throughout.

This was a good debut novella by Joshua Marsella. It's about a 12 year old boy, Connor, living with his mother in her childhood home that has some dark secrets best left uncovered. Connor decides to move his bedroom down into the basement and things start to get a little creepy.

I gave this 4 stars, but it's really 3.5, it's 4 stars for the story, as it's a good story, and I think the characters and plot were interesting. However, the writing and dialogue had some issues, there was some awkward transitions in the narration and things of that nature, so I give the writing itself 3 stars, for an average rating of 3.5 stars. But overall I think Josh really did a fantastic job for a debut, it was a creepy story, and had a really good ending.

Josh is working on a prequel to this, and I'm looking forward to reading that. I would definitely recommend this if you like horror, it's a quick read and worth your time.