Centered around a young woman who returns to the town she once fled, Down Home by Steve L. Clark is a dark and foreboding tale about family secrets and a wicked creature that is coming for what they are due.
Let’s dive in!
My Thoughts on Down Home by Steve L. Clark
First things first, how awesome is that cover art by Matt Wildasin?! Extra shout-out to Matt as he is the one that got Steve and I in touch originally! This cover is beyond perfect for the content. The tree on fire is so chilling!
Now, about the story!
When Paula returns home, she plans on staying for the funeral of her beloved Aunt Candace, and then heading out. But when she reconnects with her cousin Angie and Uncle Larry, she realizes how much she had missed connecting with family after leaving town as soon as she turned eighteen.
Drinking on the porch that evening, the girls decide to walk to a spooky cemetery in the woods that was the scene of a childhood paranormal experience for Angie. Little do the girls know, there’s something waiting within those dark woods that is about to awaken as soon as Paula walks in.
The creature marks the girls and won’t rest until it gets what it wants, no matter who gets in its way.
I’m a huge fan of horror stories that have a focus on the woods. This one really brought the terror with not only the creature that was present, but also with all the mentions of how dark it was within the tree-line, and how difficult following the path was.
The is story starts out sad, we get a very brief uplifting bit, and then the story jumps right into the dread-filled, terrifying, and bloody! Impossible to put down, this book will hook you in immediately as you worry about how things will turn out.
My Favorite Passages from Down Home
Angie fought against her paralyzing fear and tried to comprehend what Paula said. She stared at the burning tree and realized Paula was right. No smoke rose into the air. She inhaled deeply. No smell of burning wood or leaves either. The flames crawled through the branches with unnatural slowness. The colors were wrong. Everything was wrong.
His shouts gave her direction, but she couldn’t see; she was chasing sound. She had not thought the woods could possibly be any darker, but the deeper they went, the thicker the blackness.
My Final Thoughts on Down Home
A must read for horror fans! After reading, you’ll certainly be a bit more weary of entering the woods…
Snag a copy through your local bookstore if you are able or feel free to use my Amazon affiliate link:
Thanks for reading!
And major thanks to Steve for sending me an early copy! I was so honored to get a sneak-peek of this one, and I was blown away to also have been mentioned in the Acknowledgements at the back of the book!
Related Reading:
Leave a Reply