Rating: 5 stars
Headline: A triumph of indie-publishing, this haunting thriller will have you completely hooked
Review:
The Lovers by Dana Willow is, at its core, a thriller/horror, filled with passionate romances and supernatural occurrences. Think Gone Girl, with hints of The Lovely Bones, a chilling story where the central female characters are both victim and perpetrator.
The plot follows two women: Olivia, a knowledgeable bookshop owner and Violet, a spiritual being stuck in a form of purgatory while witnessing events in the immediate aftermath of her death. While on the surface the needs and drivers of Olivia and Violet seem to be completely separate from one another, when Olivia enters into a budding relationship with the charismatic and charming car mechanic John, all bets are suddenly off. Despite initial impressions, it would seem there is more than meets the eye to the relationships between the living and the dead, especially when dark magic and tarot cards are involved.
I absolutely loved this book. The writing quality is flawless, the descriptions and sense of place beautifully presented in every page. In each scene you feel very much planted in the location, from the haunting woodlands to the bustling bars next to Olivia’s thriving bookshop. With two female characters sharing a lot of personality traits my concern was whether the tone of voice would be able to adapt, yet Willow as an author conquers this huddle with finesse. It is the first self-published title I have read in a long time where I genuinely could not tell the quality difference between it and any competing traditionally published title in the same genre. It is also one of the few books where I reading quicker than I could turn to pages! As an overall package it really does the independent publishing community proud.
The Lovers is a book I would recommend to anyone who enjoys reading thrillers. Whether you believe in superstition and ghosts or not, this title will have you completely hooked. 5 stars, a must read.
AEB Reviews
Links:
Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “The Lovers” by Dana Willow
Purchase Link: “The Lovers” by Dana Willow (Amazon)
Author Website: https://www.writerdanawillow.com/
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My Housemate's a Mermaid 