Sorrow's Point Rates A 5 Star Review #horror

Congratulations Danielle. You managed to scare me half to death and I'm not joking.

My Five Star Review

Right off we are introduced to a policeman who witnesses the bloody stump of a neck and head lying in the sink of Blackmoor mansion. Then a man seated at the kitchen table munching on a human body. From there we fast forward and meet Jimmy Holliday, a defrocked priest who in no way wants to help his long lost buddy, Will Anderson. Will appears on Jimmy's doorstep a shadow of his former self. At least the one Jimmy remembers. Why? His six year old daughter Lucy is possessed and he is hoping Jimmy will help him.


Right off we are introduced to a policeman who witnesses the bloody stump of a neck and head lying in the sink of Blackmoor mansion. Then a man seated at the kitchen table munching on a human body. From there we fast forward and meet Jimmy Holliday, a defrocked priest who in no way wants to help his long lost buddy, Will Anderson. Will appears on Jimmy's doorstep a shadow of his former self. At least the one Jimmy remembers. Why? His six year old daughter Lucy is possessed and he is hoping Jimmy will help him.

A reluctant, but agreeable Jimmy is hauled back to Blackmoor, an estate the Andersons bought that came complete with a violent history. A former owner killed and dismembered his wife and child and ate them in the kitchen.The house itself is filled with mahogany which if you've ever been in a house with that much wood will give you the shivers just thinking about it. Seriously. I've been in them. Right away you can smell old wood, paste wax inside cracks and crevices though no one has touched them in years. You can see the yellow light of antique light bulbs making shadowy corners that allow demons to lurk unseen within the house's depths.

The possessed child, Lucy, daughter of Will and Tor, is just that and Jimmy must find a way to help her and the family. He must also recognize and accept the love he feels for Tabby, a witch he met when he was still a priest and who was the reason he became defrocked in the first place. She joins him in the fight to save Lucy. Lucy is able to communicate with Jimmy soul to soul and what a spiritual fight there is. No spoilers here. I found the use of wiccan magic and priestly reverence entirely compatible.


The writing is clear, the characters, believable, except I did get a little upset at Jimmy's reluctance at first, but who could blame him. It is usual for someone to appear out of nowhere and demand an exorcism. I felt sorry for Will but for his wife, Tor, she just seemed so unreachable, almost dead herself which is exactly how the author wanted her portrayed in the beginning.

Sorrow's Point gave me the shivers like Pet Cemetery and The Shining both my all time favorite horror novels. Sorrow's Point is perfect for a rainy day read. It was also interesting to learn how to go about requesting an exorcism from the Church, how logical and fanatical you have to be about details in the middle of a possession. Especially one with a child. Lucy did bring up memories of The Exorcist. Unavoidable when you are dealing with a female child and possession but it was OK to be reminded. Lucy changes in the novel which steers you away from The Exorcist. Asmodeus, as the demon, was enough to scare you half to death. I don't read too many exorcist books because they scare me. Just like this one did.

The ending leads you straight into the next book in the series. It seems our defrocked priest is the next demon hunter and even though demons scare me, I will be reading it as soon as it comes out.

Devor has done an outstanding job with Sorrow's Point. You won't be sorry you spent the money.

Blurb

When defrocked ex-priest, Jimmy Holiday, agrees to help an old friend with his sick daughter, he doesn’t expect the horrors that await him. Blackmoor, his friend’s new residence, rests upon the outskirts of the town of Sorrow’s Point. The mansion’s history of magic, mayhem, and death makes it almost a living thing – a haunted mansion straight out of a Stephen King novel. Jimmy must decide if the young girl, Lucy, is only ill, or if the haunting of the house and her apparent possession are real.

After the house appears to affect him as well with colors of magic dancing before his eyes, rooms warded by a witch, and a ring of power in his voice, Jimmy is met by a transient who tells him he has “the Mark”. Whatever being “marked” means, Jimmy doesn’t care. All he wants to do is help Lucy. But, helping Lucy means performing an exorcism.