I’m sure this next book is one you’ve all been highly anticipating (and if not, why not?). It’s also coming out at the perfect time for Halloween and all things spooky! If you want a book that’ll scare you out of your wits (and I’m not just saying this as a certified wimp), then this is the book for you.
So, sit back, give Alison a follow on twitter, and get yourself ready for the perfect spooky season read!
Debut voice Alison Ames delivers with a chilling, feminist thriller, perfect for fans of Wilder Girls and Sawkill Girls.
Moon Basin has been haunted for as long as anyone can remember. It started when an explosion in the mine killed sixteen people. The disaster made it impossible to live in town, with underground fires spewing ash into the sky. But life in New Basin is just as fraught. The ex-mining town relies on its haunted reputation to bring in tourists, but there’s more truth to the rumors than most are willing to admit, and the mine still has a hold on everyone who lives there.
Clem and Nina form a perfect loop—best friends forever, and perhaps something more. Their circle opens up for a strange girl named Lisey with a knack for training crows, and Piper, whose father is fascinated with the mine in a way that’s anything but ordinary. The people of New Basin start experiencing strange phenomena—sleepwalking, night terrors, voices that only they can hear. And no matter how many vans of ghost hunters roll through, nobody can get to the bottom of what’s really going on. Which is why the girls decide to enter the mine themselves.
To Break a Covenant
Alison Ames
Rep: lesbian mc, bi li
CWs: animal death, death of a parent, gore
Release: 21st September 2021
To Break a Covenant is a beautifully creepy and mysterious read, following a group of girls investigating paranormal goings-on in their town which centre on an old mine. It’s intense and compelling—I read the entire book in a single sitting, as soon as I could, and didn’t want to put it down for even a second.
Primarily, what drives the book is the relationship between the four girls: Clem, the main character, Nina, her best friend (and who she is also in love with), Lisey, a… strange girl, shall we say, who trains crows, and Piper, whose dad has come to the town to investigate the mine and becomes the centre of everything that’s happening. It’s these girls that you’ll fall in love with straightaway. It’s one of those intense friendships that sucks you in and keeps you absorbed in the story. The girls would die and kill for one another and that’s what, amongst the hauntings, makes the story so compelling.
I mentioned the happenings and, really, that’s the best part of the book. The world consumes you—it feels as though you’re right there with the characters. It also makes things a hell of a lot creepier. I read this book in the daytime and, honestly, I was so glad to have made that choice. This book would have given me nightmares if I’d read it at night (although part of that could have been because I’m easily scared). I think the sheer absorbingness of this book comes from the intensity of the friendship between the girls, the slowbuild of the mystery surrounding the mine, and the creepiness of it all. It’s like a chill up your spine, a tap on your shoulder, the unease of the book encroaches on you as you read.
I also loved the way the present day narrative interspersed with content from previous investigations into the mine, in the form of clips from shows, podcasts, and other reports. It helped to build the sense of unease in the reader that something was wrong before it started to build in the characters. In general, though, I really enjoy when books slot in different mediums within the story, and I think it was done very effectively here.
As someone who doesn’t read a whole lot of horror, I’d say that this book pretty well balances being scary and being creepy. I think it’s one that would suit both regular horror/paranormal readers, and ones who are here just because it’s gay (for which I can’t really blame you).
And if you’re still on the fence after all that, let me just say that this book is among the best I’ve read all year.
So, have I convinced you that you want to read this book?
