Monday, November 26, 2012

Charla.

Title/Author: Charla by Alexander Beresford.

Genre: Horror.

Publisher: Black Bed Sheets Books.

Source: Purchased.

Favorite character: Charla.

All in all: A creepy and unsettling read.

Synopsis: A mother. A daughter. A demon.... Charla kept her unsettling hatred towards her daughter Amelie a secret for so long, but over time it became harder for her to quench her morbid impulses without raising concerns. One lonely dawn, Charla ...divorced, pained, unhappy... ignited events which invoked a horrible demon to disrupt her twenty-five year old's picture perfect life. She put her terrifying scheme into action ... and the demon began its wave of hell. ~Goodreads.com.
My Thoughts:
I love when stories explore a screwed up relationship between moms and their children.  There are so many levels and layers to explore.  So when Darkeva recommended Charla I put it on my TBR pile right away. 

I think that Charla, the mom in this book is a fascinating character.  She is dark and selfish and hates her daughter Amelie, who she feels has had an extremely easy and priveledged life, which is in direct contrast to her harsh upbringing and past.  She does things to punish her daughter including pulling her hair when she's asleep to hitting on her fiance.  Finally, she conjures a demon to torment Amelie.  It's very heart wrenching when the person who is supposed to love and protect you the most is the one who causes the most damage. 

I enjoyed the scary aspects to this story and I think the horror will appeal to lovers of the genre.  The unsettling feelings that Amelie experiences to the sinister thoughts and deeds of Charla.  The demon that Charla conjures starts his (or mayber her) terror slowly and then as the story progresses so do the horrific events until the final culmination that is a dire warning to those who think they can really control outside forces.  I have to say, I really loved the ending. 

I was also surprised that the author was male because he wrote the female characters (especially Charla) with an honesty that came naturally.  This is an example of just writing the character without worrying about whether a female would really do A, B or C.  Charla is just Charla. 

I just had a few issues with the writing.  At times I could see the honed skills shining through and then at times I felt the story could have been more polished with just a few more scenes and dialogue re-visited.  However, this is a story that I really enjoyed and the creepy parts and dynamics between Charla and those in her life are fascinating. 

You can check out Darkeva's review of Charla HERE.


8 comments:

Kate @Midnight Book Girl said...

Wow, this book sounds messed up, in a good way! Moms in particular are supposed to love their children more than anything else, but there are women (and probably some men) that feel competitive towards their children, and I definitely like the demon aspect to the story line. Might have to check this one out!

fakesteph said...

OMG YES! I love mom/daughter stories where the relationship is not all "My mom is my best friend la la la..." I'm like seriously, what???

Jenny said...

Just looking at that cover tells me this book is not for me. *shudders* I'm such a wuss. The mother/daughter dynamic is really intriguing though, there's just something fascinating about that relationship in general, and even more so when it's twisted into something dark:)

Unknown said...

Thank you for reading Charla!

And thank you for the review!

Unknown said...

Just came across this!!!!! Wow scary! Now I have to read it! Charla Stephenson

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