Genre: Horror
Length: 204 Pages
Publisher: Bloodshot Books
Release date: December 20, 2018
Synopsis: Victoria Menard has had a hard life. She’s an orphan and a thief… and perhaps even a murderer. Worst of all, her only friend is a talking spider named Chester that lives in her head.
For the last eight years, Victoria and Chester have traveled the world, seeing the sights, learning half a dozen languages, and terrorizing communities indiscriminately. Now sixteen, Victoria wants her independence. But the parasite inside her won’t let her go.
Chester has big plans, but Victoria’s brain may no longer be big enough for the both of them. How can a girl rid herself of an unwanted guest when that guest refuses to leave?
Victoria is a stand-alone novel set in the same universe as the EPIC award finalist novel, What Hides Within.
More About Victoria
Victoria, a coming of age novel, is a standalone creation within Jason Parent’s What Hides Within arachnid universe published Dec. 20 from Bloodshot Books.
The character of Victoria and the arachnid Chester cross-over from his previous novel, but the similarities end there. While What Hides Within is a horror novel with a mix of comedy and mystery, Victoria is a thriller with horror, mostly supernatural, elements. Fans of Parent’s supernatural suspense Seeing Evil would enjoy Victoria, as well as horror, thriller, and even young adult readers.
The beautiful cover for Victoria was created by artist Mikio Murakami, who also did What Hides Within, but they are two very distinct pieces of art. However, readers familiar with What Hides Within will notice how he creatively tied them in together!
Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review
Chester is back and causing more trouble than ever. Now Chester lives in Victoria’s head, Clive’s niece from the previous book, What Hides Within. While the books are standalone this could read as a sequel and would give the reader great in site about Chester and the evil little spider she is. In Victoria we get more back story about Chester and more clues about her species. Now we see what she wants, and it goes beyond just terrorizing people for fun. We find out she isn’t one of a kind, and that she is being hunted. Victoria was a fun read with the feel of ancient Roman times mixed with a bit of James Bond. I was hoping to learn more about her, and hear some conversations between her and the other spiders. Overall, Victoria was a good read and hopefully we will get a third book that will focus on Chester and her fellow spiders.
Jason Parent, biography
Jason is an author of horror, thrillers, mysteries, science fiction, and dark humor, though his many novels, novellas, and short stories tend to blur the boundaries between these genres. From his award-winning first horror/mystery novel, What Hides Within, to his widely applauded police procedural/supernatural thriller, Seeing Evil, Jason’s work has won him praise from both critics and fans of diverse genres alike. His work has been compared to that of some of his personal favorite authors, such as Chuck Palahniuk, Jack Ketchum, Tess Gerritsen, and Joe Hill.
Jason grew up near Fall River, Massachusetts, the setting for several of his novels. He has lived in New England most his life, currently residing in Rhode Island.
The Scary Reviews 