Book Review: Evil Imminent by Maryann Weston

Title: Evil Imminent
Author: Maryann Weston
Genre: Horror / Paranormal Short Story Collection
Age Group: Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

A horror/paranormal anthology that lures, grips and exhilarates, leaving the reader demanding more.

‘Normal’ will never be the same after reading Evil Imminent.

In Maryann Weston’s exciting new anthology, mundane becomes extraordinary.

• Nate is unable to cast off his past;

• Gabby is devastated by grief;

• Sal will do whatever it takes;

• Sybilla’s arrogance leads her to a deadly risk;

• Dutton’s yearnings become an obsession;

• Bella is consumed by her disrespect for culture;

• Michael searches for redemption.

Unresolved dysfunction can have terrifying consequences.

“She fled back through the house and out the front door into the comfort of the suburban street. She gulped in the cool air and focused on one thought. Something had gone wrong. It had gone horribly wrong.”

Is anyone surprised my first read for the new year is a horror collection? Since it’s my favorite genre, I can’t say that I am.

Anyway, Evil Imminent proved to be an interesting collection of short horror stories, and if you ask me, a great read to start the new year. The collection starts out with a short introduction where the author explains the appeal of writing and reading horror. Then starts the first story, “Monsters in the Mist”. The story is about Nate, a single man with an unhealthy relationship with his mother. The construction company he works for just unearthed three bodies, and he witnessed the gruesome discovery. What happens next was definitely surprising and scary – but I won’t spoil it for you. Let’s just say it was my favorite part of the collection, and a great start for the book.

The second story, “The Bonding” talks about Sally who bought a large, historical mansion, rumored to be haunted, and finds out for herself what secrets the mansion harbors. “Love Outlasted” is about Gabby, a woman devastated by grief after her husband went missing in action. This story wasn’t that scary, but it definitely qualified as dark fiction. “Dark Star” is about Dutton’s yearning to find his mother, “Trinity of Terror” talks about an overconfident ghost hunter and what could go wrong by being too arrogant, “On the Edge of Darkness” talks about Bella, who disrespects other cultures and may get punished for doing so, and the collection ends with “From the Book of Redemption”, the story of Michael, who seeks redemption but might never receive it.

The stories are all vastly different, yet they match well together. We get psychological terror as well as supernatural horror. My favorite story, as I mentioned, was “Monsters in the Mist”. My least favorite would be “From the Book of Redemption”, since it wasn’t that scary. Overall, all the stories were enjoyable and they make for an intriguing collection.