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Sinkhole
Could you learn to get along with a complete stranger - or even your worst enemy - to save your life?
A sinkhole swallows a girl in Michigan. Fire shoots into the sky in Pennsylvania. Deer attacks leave people hospitalized in West Virginia. And this is all just the beginning of a catastrophic series of global events that will make you question everything you think you know about the planet, nature, and humanity.
A harrowing tale of a world gone mad. Can anyone survive when Mother Nature unleashes her bad side?
A sinkhole swallows a girl in Michigan. Fire shoots into the sky in Pennsylvania. Deer attacks leave people hospitalized in West Virginia. And this is all just the beginning of a catastrophic series of global events that will make you question everything you think you know about the planet, nature, and humanity.
A harrowing tale of a world gone mad. Can anyone survive when Mother Nature unleashes her bad side?
220 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 8, 2019
About the author
April A. Taylor
10 books118 followersApril A. Taylor is an award-winning, multi-genre author and dark art photographer. Her debut novel, The Haunting of Cabin Green, was featured on:
Popsugar's '13 Most Chilling Horror Books of 2018.'
Inquisitr's 'Best Horror Books of 2018.'
Ranker's '2018's Scariest Horror Books.'
BoredPanda's '7 Books That Scared Me Half to Death.'
BLGM's 'Best Gothic Horror Books.'
Sinkhole: A Horror Story and Missing in Michigan received 5-star ratings from Readers' Favorite. Corvo Hollows was named a 5-Star Must Read Book by Reedsy.
Sinkhole: A Horror Story was featured on:
Grit Daily's 'Horror Continues to Thrive with the Scariest Books of 2019'
Medium.com's 'Celebrate Halloween with These Macabre and Progressive Horror Books'
BuzzFeed Community's '7 New Horror Books That Will Actually Scare You'
The Haunting of Cabin Green was the #1 Amazon best seller in the U.S. New Horror Releases category for three straight weeks. It went on to become a #1 Best-Seller in Gothic, Ghosts, U.S. Horror, and LGBT Horror. Additionally, it was the Top Vote-Getter in the Horror/Suspense category of The Kindle Book Review's 2018 Reader's Choice Awards.
April is a proud member of the Horror Writer's Association. She lives in Michigan with the love of her life and their two cats. If her life was a cartoon, she'd be Lisa Simpson.
Popsugar's '13 Most Chilling Horror Books of 2018.'
Inquisitr's 'Best Horror Books of 2018.'
Ranker's '2018's Scariest Horror Books.'
BoredPanda's '7 Books That Scared Me Half to Death.'
BLGM's 'Best Gothic Horror Books.'
Sinkhole: A Horror Story and Missing in Michigan received 5-star ratings from Readers' Favorite. Corvo Hollows was named a 5-Star Must Read Book by Reedsy.
Sinkhole: A Horror Story was featured on:
Grit Daily's 'Horror Continues to Thrive with the Scariest Books of 2019'
Medium.com's 'Celebrate Halloween with These Macabre and Progressive Horror Books'
BuzzFeed Community's '7 New Horror Books That Will Actually Scare You'
The Haunting of Cabin Green was the #1 Amazon best seller in the U.S. New Horror Releases category for three straight weeks. It went on to become a #1 Best-Seller in Gothic, Ghosts, U.S. Horror, and LGBT Horror. Additionally, it was the Top Vote-Getter in the Horror/Suspense category of The Kindle Book Review's 2018 Reader's Choice Awards.
April is a proud member of the Horror Writer's Association. She lives in Michigan with the love of her life and their two cats. If her life was a cartoon, she'd be Lisa Simpson.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
August 28, 2020
A blistering read, mostly because the chapters are about 3 pages long. Normally this would irk me, but it fits the story to a T.
The characterization is light, but you know as much as you need to in a way that serves the story.
You know where the scares are coming from, but most of them are still effective. Recommended but you have to be in the mood for a quick read.
The characterization is light, but you know as much as you need to in a way that serves the story.
You know where the scares are coming from, but most of them are still effective. Recommended but you have to be in the mood for a quick read.
Want to read
July 24, 2022
October 31, 2019
I was fully intending to give this book 4 stars because I truly liked the story. Unfortunately there were a few things that threw me off and resulted in me only giving it three. First off was one of my biggest pet peeves- "plyers". They are pliers. While I get this may not be a big deal to most folks things like that make me crazy and I couldn't stop thinking about it the entire book.
Secondly, at one point some of the characters are pulled over by the police after a pursuit and the cop makes them follow him to the police department. If you've ever witnessed a pursuit that is definitely not plausible! Also one of the characters remains in possession of a firearm AT the station. That wouldn't fly either.
There is also the highly annoying but totally expected "falling in love" angle for a couple of characters. I've said this repeatedly about every one of these kinds of books -in case of apocalypse I seriously doubt you're going to develop an attraction for someone you just met. You'd be too concerned about -SURVIVING!!!
Lastly, the ending felt a bit rushed. There is all of this action and then it goes out with a whisper not a bang.
Secondly, at one point some of the characters are pulled over by the police after a pursuit and the cop makes them follow him to the police department. If you've ever witnessed a pursuit that is definitely not plausible! Also one of the characters remains in possession of a firearm AT the station. That wouldn't fly either.
There is also the highly annoying but totally expected "falling in love" angle for a couple of characters. I've said this repeatedly about every one of these kinds of books -in case of apocalypse I seriously doubt you're going to develop an attraction for someone you just met. You'd be too concerned about -SURVIVING!!!
Lastly, the ending felt a bit rushed. There is all of this action and then it goes out with a whisper not a bang.
October 20, 2020
Summary
A string of natural disasters and vicious animal attacks leaves most of the world's population dead.
For the few survivors, they must do whatever they can to stay alive when both nature and animals try to reclaim the earth for themselves.
Personal Opinion
This was like a Mashup of The Happening (2008) and the 2012 movies.
I didn't really find it to be all that freaky despite it's claim of being a horror story. I did really like the concept and the fact that this could actually happen one day makes it a great apocalypse story.
While it starts off by jumping right into the action, I would have liked a bit more of a buildup with the main characters before all hell literally broke loose. The characters seemed just built up enough to play their parts, but I had a hard time connecting with or being sad when they died.
Overall this one is a shorter, fast paced read for apocalypse and nature lovers.
A string of natural disasters and vicious animal attacks leaves most of the world's population dead.
For the few survivors, they must do whatever they can to stay alive when both nature and animals try to reclaim the earth for themselves.
Personal Opinion
This was like a Mashup of The Happening (2008) and the 2012 movies.
I didn't really find it to be all that freaky despite it's claim of being a horror story. I did really like the concept and the fact that this could actually happen one day makes it a great apocalypse story.
While it starts off by jumping right into the action, I would have liked a bit more of a buildup with the main characters before all hell literally broke loose. The characters seemed just built up enough to play their parts, but I had a hard time connecting with or being sad when they died.
Overall this one is a shorter, fast paced read for apocalypse and nature lovers.
December 1, 2019
Scary
These kinds of books always scare me because the horror inside them is real. The things that happen could happen. They way humans behave is real. This is definitely an eye opener.
These kinds of books always scare me because the horror inside them is real. The things that happen could happen. They way humans behave is real. This is definitely an eye opener.
August 20, 2020
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
Sinkholes, inhabited by tentacles are opening up all over the Midwest. Idiots try to deal with them.
Woke horror. It's not scary if you don't care what happens to anyone.
Sinkholes, inhabited by tentacles are opening up all over the Midwest. Idiots try to deal with them.
Woke horror. It's not scary if you don't care what happens to anyone.
November 12, 2019
This felt like a good idea, but not quite well done. We are thrown into the middle of the catastrophe with no build up. Had no relationships with the survivors through most of the book I didn't care if they lived or died. In fact, just a few days after having finished it, I can't remember any of the characters names. I kept expecting the random groups we kept hopping around as readers to come together at some point...or a few of them if not all of them to cross paths. I put it aside for several weeks and didn't read it at all, but did go back and finish it when goodreads prompted me for a review. So, it wasn't bad enough to be a DNF but I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2019
If you’re after a very fast-paced, short and punchy adventure horror novel from the same playbook used by the likes of Michael Patrick Hicks, Eddie Generous or even Hunter Shea (when he is in mellowed mood), then Sinkhole: A Horro Story is well worth an evening of your time. It starts fast, picks up even more speed, has an outstanding change of direction halfway through and hurtles towards a controlled but satisfying finish. You will easily read all 200+ pages without drawing much of a breath or pause. Admittedly, there is probably not much on offer you have not come across before, but don’t hold that against April A. Taylor; she knows the genre and this over-the-top disaster romp has more than enough to keep readers eating up the pages.
You can read Tony's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
You can read Tony's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
February 19, 2020
I was behind on my annual reading challenge, so was looking for a quick read. Sinkhole is certainly a quick read, but it is also nonsensical and poorly written. Pretty much everything that any character says, does, or thinks is completely irrational. A neighbor who hates us and is currently shooting at us - let's go save him from a fire! A beloved twin sister is seriously ill - let's dump her at an overcapacity hospital that is not taking new patients, then try to flee the area for several hours, then go back to get her! A 70+ year old woman attempts to outrun a bunch of cops in a police station - sure! The writing is overstuffed with adverbs (distracting and unnecessary) and adjectives pulled from a thesaurus (who says 'mephitic' when 'foul' or 'noxious' do just fine?). If you are considering reading this book, I strongly recommend reading the first few pages first. That will be enough for you to know whether you will enjoy the writing and story-telling style. This one definitely did not work for me.
November 24, 2019
I admired how April Taylor managed to maintain the book's rapid pace and portray horror through the action scenes themselves. Ironically enough, as I finished this, an outbreak of an illness occurred and it had me thinking that the apocalypse was indeed coming by natural means! ;)
March 13, 2021
I received a free copy of this book and am leaving a review voluntarily.
The earth is rising against humanity in unexplainable ways across the world: Uncontrolled fires, sinkholes, and animal attacks are just the beginning.
Author April Taylor’s tale follows several groups of people as they navigate their frightening and ever-changing circumstances, including a small family, a trio of neighbors, twin sisters, an end-of-days cult, and more.
Overall I felt the book was decent because it kept me reading. Taylor did a good job with characterization, and the action kept the story moving forward. However, I did have a couple of issues with the novel.
First of all, the chapters alternated viewpoints between the author’s groups of protagonists. I normally don’t mind alternating viewpoints in chapters, but it took me at least a couple of moments each time to figure out whose story I had been thrust into once again. I think it would help immensely to title the chapters with the names of the individuals or group the reader is about to re-engage with.
Second, I would have liked to have seen a bit more explanation early on for the bizarre events unfolding. Only toward the end of the book was any type of reasoning hinted at, and even then the answer felt contrived and tacked on. Because the book was pretty short, there is a lot of opportunity for the author to delve into this part of the tale deeper. Without it, the story becomes more of a, "that's it?" thing.
Last, I do not feel this is a horror novel. As a long-time consumer of horror, this just didn’t do anything for me that way. There was tension and apprehension, but definitely nothing that would cause this to be labeled horror.
So, in closing, I’ll say the novel is decent for what it is, but don’t go into it expecting to get your socks knocked off from fear, because it just isn’t going to happen.
The earth is rising against humanity in unexplainable ways across the world: Uncontrolled fires, sinkholes, and animal attacks are just the beginning.
Author April Taylor’s tale follows several groups of people as they navigate their frightening and ever-changing circumstances, including a small family, a trio of neighbors, twin sisters, an end-of-days cult, and more.
Overall I felt the book was decent because it kept me reading. Taylor did a good job with characterization, and the action kept the story moving forward. However, I did have a couple of issues with the novel.
First of all, the chapters alternated viewpoints between the author’s groups of protagonists. I normally don’t mind alternating viewpoints in chapters, but it took me at least a couple of moments each time to figure out whose story I had been thrust into once again. I think it would help immensely to title the chapters with the names of the individuals or group the reader is about to re-engage with.
Second, I would have liked to have seen a bit more explanation early on for the bizarre events unfolding. Only toward the end of the book was any type of reasoning hinted at, and even then the answer felt contrived and tacked on. Because the book was pretty short, there is a lot of opportunity for the author to delve into this part of the tale deeper. Without it, the story becomes more of a, "that's it?" thing.
Last, I do not feel this is a horror novel. As a long-time consumer of horror, this just didn’t do anything for me that way. There was tension and apprehension, but definitely nothing that would cause this to be labeled horror.
So, in closing, I’ll say the novel is decent for what it is, but don’t go into it expecting to get your socks knocked off from fear, because it just isn’t going to happen.
December 30, 2023
I knew I’d struggle with this one from the get-go…
Let me ask you this: if your child almost died falling into a sinkhole that randomly appeared in your yard, would you…
A) phone the authorities in case the sinkhole widens and your house is at risk of falling in.
B) let your husband/family know what happened with your daughter and ask for direction on next steps.
C) completely ignore your child after saving them and also ignore the new sinkhole in your yard and just sit on the couch and watch tv until your husband gets home.
If you chose “C”, continue reading this story- apparently you are ok with nonsensical characters and their actions (or inactions).
If you chose “A” and/or “B”, just be forewarned that this book will frustrate you.
Let me ask you this: if your child almost died falling into a sinkhole that randomly appeared in your yard, would you…
A) phone the authorities in case the sinkhole widens and your house is at risk of falling in.
B) let your husband/family know what happened with your daughter and ask for direction on next steps.
C) completely ignore your child after saving them and also ignore the new sinkhole in your yard and just sit on the couch and watch tv until your husband gets home.
If you chose “C”, continue reading this story- apparently you are ok with nonsensical characters and their actions (or inactions).
If you chose “A” and/or “B”, just be forewarned that this book will frustrate you.
February 29, 2024
A post-apocalyptic horror novel that involves more than sinkholes; it also includes zombies, killer trees, wild animals, volcanoes, monsters, and crazy religious cults.
March 4, 2020
I was fortunate enough to be one of the few that was given this book by Ms. Taylor herself. What’s most interesting about this horror novel is that it is, in my mind, completely and totally relevant. And anytime a horror story, tv show, film can get into my head and show me that this is something that actually could happen, that’s when it’s the creepiest and scariest to me.
[Side Note: Things like IT, Nightmare on Elm Street, Puppet Master, Leprechaun, etc…those movies and stories don’t really scare me. In fact, fiction RARELY scares me, because well, it’s fiction. There’s usually some aspect of it that makes it a non-probable scenario. Take something like Trucks or Maximum Overdrive. Great stories, and I love Maximum Overdrive. But, totally not scary. In fact, almost comical because I have a hard time wrapping my head around inanimate objects coming to life with the sole purpose of wiping out human existence. To me, since they would need us to survive, it seems a little farfetched. However, you take this story here, Sinkhole, and it hit a creeped-out chord with me.]
I’ll start with sharing the blurb summary I was given that made me want to read the book.
“Could you learn to get along with a complete stranger - or even your worst enemy - to save your life?
A sinkhole swallows a girl in Michigan. Fire shoots into the sky in Pennsylvania. Deer attacks leave people hospitalized in West Virginia. And this is all just the beginning of a catastrophic series of global events that will make you question everything you think you know about the planet, nature, and humanity.
From an award-winning, Amazon #1 best-selling author comes this harrowing tale of a world gone mad. Can anyone survive when Mother Nature unleashes her bad side?”
Now, here’s what initially got me interested. There’s an actual sinkhole in my major metro area that the city has refused to fix for over a year. Then, you add to that the incredible awe factor of Centralia, PA.; a now near ghost-town wrought to desertion and devastation by what is called a coal-seam fire. That’s when there’s a large coal mine on fire underground. For a very over simplified example: Imagine a Pac-Man game board. Now, picture that anywhere dots can be either has been, is now, or will be at a later time burning coal that reaches a temperature of up to 1350 degrees Fahrenheit underground. At that temperature the asphalt splits and cracks open, sinkholes open up and swallow whatever is in its grasp, the climate in the area is affected, things won’t grow in certain areas, fumes and vapors seeping up through the cracks in the ground can be toxic and unhealthy, sometimes lethal. And the problem with such a kind of coal fire is there is no way to smother it or put it out. It’s coal burning in a coal mine. It just has to burn away all its fuel and then it will be over. Unfortunately, that can be decades upon decades. It all depends on how much coal is in the mine below the surface.
So, that’s the hook about sinkholes. But, check this out. Taylor has truly brought to life an idea that, while in a fictional novel form may seem a little outside the box, I see as something that could actually happen in a sense and most likely will with global warming now on steroids.
So, now picture this…
You’ve got the sinkholes dropping ground beneath people, places and things all over the nation. Now imagine that Mother Nature herself is EXTREMELY pissed off, and man do I mean pissed. I mean, we’re talking a whole new realm of pissed here. Like Mother Nature took “pissed off” into The Twilight Zone and unleashed a new dimension of hatred, frustration and vengeance upon the human race. And it’s not just the plants, the grass and the trees, the wind and the rain. It’s the animals too. It’s like every deer in the country has turned into Cujo, but without the rabies.
Got that situation in your head? I mean, the world very well could be ending. Can you see it?
Now imagine trying to survive that with your worst enemy, your total and complete nemesis, the one person that, when you see their face, you just want to smash it in with a Mack truck with barbed wire wrapped around it’s grill, covering the nine inch spikes imbedded in the front end at every square quarter inch as well to ensure full disfigurement. I mean, you have to try to survive all this and the person that you have to try to survive with is the one person who’s voice makes you cringe, their mere presence makes you want to nauseated and when they talk, you can’t help but vomit from the constant smell of bullshit coming out their mouths.
It’s one thing to have to try to survive this kind of ordeal with your significant other or your family, but your enemy? Hell, all would be difficult.
I will tell you this book is a very fast read. We switch back and forth between locations, which are all real places, by the way. The chapters are short and most have some kind of action in them. I will also tell you there is a character named Don who is a horrific poster boy for Donald Trump. It’s mortifying, terrifying and hysterical all at the same time. This author, April Taylor, is very good at giving you a variety of characters in this novel. That coupled with the different locations where many various things are happening simultaneously keeps the story alive, interesting and fast paced. It also keeps you on the edge of your seat because each next chapter is taking you slightly back to pick up that particular story and then give you more. Then you stop and move on to the next location and next set of problems. It keeps your complete attention and definitely gives you a few OMG moments.
I loved this book. Not only because I could relate to parts of the story but also because Taylor chose to use real places, thus making the story feel more real and true to life. Also, I’ve often wondered what it would be like (or if/when it will happen) if Mother Nature really just gave us all the finger. A version of that is coming with global warming, as I said earlier. When climates change, ecosystems change. That affects farming and the species living in those areas. All species have to start to adapt, which means that behaviors are going to change. Eventually, this is all going to trickle down to the human race. So, what’s Mother Nature gonna do to us for mistreating her all these years.
If you’d like to get one person’s very creative and, in my opinion, even possible ideas on what nature would do to us…get this book. You won’t regret it.
RATINGS
5/5 Stars
[Side Note: Things like IT, Nightmare on Elm Street, Puppet Master, Leprechaun, etc…those movies and stories don’t really scare me. In fact, fiction RARELY scares me, because well, it’s fiction. There’s usually some aspect of it that makes it a non-probable scenario. Take something like Trucks or Maximum Overdrive. Great stories, and I love Maximum Overdrive. But, totally not scary. In fact, almost comical because I have a hard time wrapping my head around inanimate objects coming to life with the sole purpose of wiping out human existence. To me, since they would need us to survive, it seems a little farfetched. However, you take this story here, Sinkhole, and it hit a creeped-out chord with me.]
I’ll start with sharing the blurb summary I was given that made me want to read the book.
“Could you learn to get along with a complete stranger - or even your worst enemy - to save your life?
A sinkhole swallows a girl in Michigan. Fire shoots into the sky in Pennsylvania. Deer attacks leave people hospitalized in West Virginia. And this is all just the beginning of a catastrophic series of global events that will make you question everything you think you know about the planet, nature, and humanity.
From an award-winning, Amazon #1 best-selling author comes this harrowing tale of a world gone mad. Can anyone survive when Mother Nature unleashes her bad side?”
Now, here’s what initially got me interested. There’s an actual sinkhole in my major metro area that the city has refused to fix for over a year. Then, you add to that the incredible awe factor of Centralia, PA.; a now near ghost-town wrought to desertion and devastation by what is called a coal-seam fire. That’s when there’s a large coal mine on fire underground. For a very over simplified example: Imagine a Pac-Man game board. Now, picture that anywhere dots can be either has been, is now, or will be at a later time burning coal that reaches a temperature of up to 1350 degrees Fahrenheit underground. At that temperature the asphalt splits and cracks open, sinkholes open up and swallow whatever is in its grasp, the climate in the area is affected, things won’t grow in certain areas, fumes and vapors seeping up through the cracks in the ground can be toxic and unhealthy, sometimes lethal. And the problem with such a kind of coal fire is there is no way to smother it or put it out. It’s coal burning in a coal mine. It just has to burn away all its fuel and then it will be over. Unfortunately, that can be decades upon decades. It all depends on how much coal is in the mine below the surface.
So, that’s the hook about sinkholes. But, check this out. Taylor has truly brought to life an idea that, while in a fictional novel form may seem a little outside the box, I see as something that could actually happen in a sense and most likely will with global warming now on steroids.
So, now picture this…
You’ve got the sinkholes dropping ground beneath people, places and things all over the nation. Now imagine that Mother Nature herself is EXTREMELY pissed off, and man do I mean pissed. I mean, we’re talking a whole new realm of pissed here. Like Mother Nature took “pissed off” into The Twilight Zone and unleashed a new dimension of hatred, frustration and vengeance upon the human race. And it’s not just the plants, the grass and the trees, the wind and the rain. It’s the animals too. It’s like every deer in the country has turned into Cujo, but without the rabies.
Got that situation in your head? I mean, the world very well could be ending. Can you see it?
Now imagine trying to survive that with your worst enemy, your total and complete nemesis, the one person that, when you see their face, you just want to smash it in with a Mack truck with barbed wire wrapped around it’s grill, covering the nine inch spikes imbedded in the front end at every square quarter inch as well to ensure full disfigurement. I mean, you have to try to survive all this and the person that you have to try to survive with is the one person who’s voice makes you cringe, their mere presence makes you want to nauseated and when they talk, you can’t help but vomit from the constant smell of bullshit coming out their mouths.
It’s one thing to have to try to survive this kind of ordeal with your significant other or your family, but your enemy? Hell, all would be difficult.
I will tell you this book is a very fast read. We switch back and forth between locations, which are all real places, by the way. The chapters are short and most have some kind of action in them. I will also tell you there is a character named Don who is a horrific poster boy for Donald Trump. It’s mortifying, terrifying and hysterical all at the same time. This author, April Taylor, is very good at giving you a variety of characters in this novel. That coupled with the different locations where many various things are happening simultaneously keeps the story alive, interesting and fast paced. It also keeps you on the edge of your seat because each next chapter is taking you slightly back to pick up that particular story and then give you more. Then you stop and move on to the next location and next set of problems. It keeps your complete attention and definitely gives you a few OMG moments.
I loved this book. Not only because I could relate to parts of the story but also because Taylor chose to use real places, thus making the story feel more real and true to life. Also, I’ve often wondered what it would be like (or if/when it will happen) if Mother Nature really just gave us all the finger. A version of that is coming with global warming, as I said earlier. When climates change, ecosystems change. That affects farming and the species living in those areas. All species have to start to adapt, which means that behaviors are going to change. Eventually, this is all going to trickle down to the human race. So, what’s Mother Nature gonna do to us for mistreating her all these years.
If you’d like to get one person’s very creative and, in my opinion, even possible ideas on what nature would do to us…get this book. You won’t regret it.
RATINGS
5/5 Stars
March 1, 2023
Non-stop, super fun read.
January 24, 2020
***NOTE*** I received a free copy of this e-book from BookSirens for an honest review***
I thought that this book started off really well. A lot of different and scary things started happening in different locations in North America. I liked that Centralia, Pennsylvania was used - the still-burning coal fires underground is a very creepy real-life phenomenon that was the inspiration for Silent Hill. I really enjoyed the tense, frightening, mysterious natural disasters that were happening to the introduced characters. But... somewhere towards the middle of the book, I felt that the author just wanted to finish. The cause of what was happening was explained, and then the book hurried through to the end. Those people I had begun to care about seemed to turn to cardboard and caricature - by the end, I didn't care if they lived or died. I gave 2 stars because of how much I really liked the 1st half.
*****SPOILER WARNING********SPOILER WARNING******SPOILER WARNING********
Maybe it is because I had recently read 'Wanderers' by Chuck Wendig, but this human extinction event seemed a bit silly to me. I didn't like how nature itself was anthropomorphized. The trees talking to each other, being glad they would get to kill people; the birds seeking revenge for their fallen loved ones; the owl not wanting to miss seeing the action. I think that one of the scariest things about real life natural disasters is that there is no motive - there is only science and instinct. This book gave human reasoning and desires to 'nature,' and I felt that just didn't work.
Also, the characters - I did start to feel involved with what was happening to them, but then everything got so rushed that nothing made sense and I stopped caring. And what about the cult? I think this was a major missed opportunity. I wanted to know more about this cult, and at first it seemed like they had a role to play in the story. But that never went anywhere either - which I did find quite disappointing.
I think that this book needed more - more time to develop, more character development, more time spent with the zombie deer disease (because that came out of left field and then never went anywhere). Maybe the author could have given us some vignettes - snippets of what what happening in China, in Russia, with the animal attacks, Thad's parents being attacked by pigs, the gas station attendant being attacked by a dog, etc. I say this because I enjoyed the scene where the sinkhole opens during the baseball game.
I really wanted to like this book, and I am sad to say that I think it missed the mark.
I thought that this book started off really well. A lot of different and scary things started happening in different locations in North America. I liked that Centralia, Pennsylvania was used - the still-burning coal fires underground is a very creepy real-life phenomenon that was the inspiration for Silent Hill. I really enjoyed the tense, frightening, mysterious natural disasters that were happening to the introduced characters. But... somewhere towards the middle of the book, I felt that the author just wanted to finish. The cause of what was happening was explained, and then the book hurried through to the end. Those people I had begun to care about seemed to turn to cardboard and caricature - by the end, I didn't care if they lived or died. I gave 2 stars because of how much I really liked the 1st half.
*****SPOILER WARNING********SPOILER WARNING******SPOILER WARNING********
Maybe it is because I had recently read 'Wanderers' by Chuck Wendig, but this human extinction event seemed a bit silly to me. I didn't like how nature itself was anthropomorphized. The trees talking to each other, being glad they would get to kill people; the birds seeking revenge for their fallen loved ones; the owl not wanting to miss seeing the action. I think that one of the scariest things about real life natural disasters is that there is no motive - there is only science and instinct. This book gave human reasoning and desires to 'nature,' and I felt that just didn't work.
Also, the characters - I did start to feel involved with what was happening to them, but then everything got so rushed that nothing made sense and I stopped caring. And what about the cult? I think this was a major missed opportunity. I wanted to know more about this cult, and at first it seemed like they had a role to play in the story. But that never went anywhere either - which I did find quite disappointing.
I think that this book needed more - more time to develop, more character development, more time spent with the zombie deer disease (because that came out of left field and then never went anywhere). Maybe the author could have given us some vignettes - snippets of what what happening in China, in Russia, with the animal attacks, Thad's parents being attacked by pigs, the gas station attendant being attacked by a dog, etc. I say this because I enjoyed the scene where the sinkhole opens during the baseball game.
I really wanted to like this book, and I am sad to say that I think it missed the mark.
October 22, 2019
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway. Sinkhole is a fast paced story. I appreciated the Michigan element as I'm a Michigander. There is plenty of action without getting into anything really gory or scary in case that is a concern. There is an element of fantasy regarding the explanation for why the events in the story line unfold. The end felt a little abrupt, but overall this is a highly enjoyable well written action tale that I had a great time reading.
October 22, 2019
April A. Taylor does it again with another fast-paced and multi-faceted horror novel. This time it's not ghosts, hauntings or psychopaths but good ole Mother Nature herself that's out to get us. This review will be spoiler free so I'll just say it starts with a sinkhole and escalates rapidly from there. Taylor juggles several storylines and characters with impressive skills and gives us a scary, fun and also downright chilling book.
November 30, 2019
What do you do when the earth itself turns against you?
This is a very easy, fast paced read that sucks you in from the first sentence and won’t let you put it down until its satisfying conclusion.
Taylor does a wonderful job creating tension in this horror novel that highlights some of the ugliness of human nature and the concept of how we are destroying our own planet, all while her characters are trying to escape the inescapable.
This is a very easy, fast paced read that sucks you in from the first sentence and won’t let you put it down until its satisfying conclusion.
Taylor does a wonderful job creating tension in this horror novel that highlights some of the ugliness of human nature and the concept of how we are destroying our own planet, all while her characters are trying to escape the inescapable.
May 18, 2020
Alright, this book was fun and well done for the most part. It got preachy towards the end, but it went with the story. I liked the fact that none of the characters were safe. The ending was a problem for me as it just ended rather abruptly. Overall I am glad I read it though.
October 12, 2019
Fast paced, quick read that doesn't waste time with filler.
July 5, 2020
Ok the cover really caught my eye , and my curiosity got the better of me ,. So let me discuss the cover , the more I starred at it the more it pulled me in , and encouraged me to read the first page of the excerpt to the book , and as I'm not to keen on horrors as I don't like how they make me feel during the read or after the read, or movie in fact , I tend to stay clear of them .
But I read the first page and it sounded interesting to say the least that's for sure , and I was pulled right back in to another book to read in full , You see the trouble with me is I need to be really sure because when I start a book I will really want to finish it weather I liked it all not , so far I have read all books in the reviews I have done,. And this ones No different .
So sinkhole sounded Fascinating as well as curious , I started the book and I was glad I did , the story is fully engaging and keeps you on your feet , and you are always trying to figure out what will happen next and , for sure you are either disappointed or relieved of the next turning pages , There are a few very sad parts of the story that really upset me , as I'm a emotional reader , so , I wish the author had not killed off certain members of the book , as I was really liking the characters and their story's too, Some even had an adventure together , and that was fun to see .
Mean while you are getting to grips with different families and different parts of the world and with their different stories and problems , and it was nice that it did have a few happy moments in sight . Some characters I was glad to see the back of , and some even now still lay in my mind and I think about them a day after I had finished the book , I needed time to adjust back to normality and then write this review , feeling myself again.
But the idea behind the whole book was very real and could happen even in real life today some of the stories in this book , I have actually read some real ones similar to those in the book , It makes you think of the bigger picture , not just in a book .
Overall , I would say a great book and great read , and the horror is like a kind of warning to humanity , other than that , that's all I can say .
Well worth the read and time , great book , great Author .
Certainly brings out some sort of emotions in reading this book .
But I read the first page and it sounded interesting to say the least that's for sure , and I was pulled right back in to another book to read in full , You see the trouble with me is I need to be really sure because when I start a book I will really want to finish it weather I liked it all not , so far I have read all books in the reviews I have done,. And this ones No different .
So sinkhole sounded Fascinating as well as curious , I started the book and I was glad I did , the story is fully engaging and keeps you on your feet , and you are always trying to figure out what will happen next and , for sure you are either disappointed or relieved of the next turning pages , There are a few very sad parts of the story that really upset me , as I'm a emotional reader , so , I wish the author had not killed off certain members of the book , as I was really liking the characters and their story's too, Some even had an adventure together , and that was fun to see .
Mean while you are getting to grips with different families and different parts of the world and with their different stories and problems , and it was nice that it did have a few happy moments in sight . Some characters I was glad to see the back of , and some even now still lay in my mind and I think about them a day after I had finished the book , I needed time to adjust back to normality and then write this review , feeling myself again.
But the idea behind the whole book was very real and could happen even in real life today some of the stories in this book , I have actually read some real ones similar to those in the book , It makes you think of the bigger picture , not just in a book .
Overall , I would say a great book and great read , and the horror is like a kind of warning to humanity , other than that , that's all I can say .
Well worth the read and time , great book , great Author .
Certainly brings out some sort of emotions in reading this book .
February 22, 2020
When choosing from a list of books to read for review, the information provided is often scant. It can be a brief synopsis of the story, or a copy of the blurb that will go on the back of the published book, or a couple of quotes from existing reviews – sometimes it’s a combination. On this occasion, it contained these statements:
“"Sinkhole should be part of every horror fan's TBR pile."”
“A sinkhole swallows a girl in Michigan. Fire shoots into the sky in Pennsylvania. Deer attacks leave people hospitalized in West Virginia. And this is all just the beginning of a catastrophic series of global events that will make you question everything you think you know about the planet, nature, and humanity.”
“"Not for the faint of heart... Sinkhole is an intelligent and terrifying triumph in the world of horror fiction."”
Sinkhole should neither be on “every horror fan's TBR pile”, nor is it “intelligent” or “terrifying” in any way. I’ve tried to think of a less blunt way to say this, but the book is dreadful - dreadful as in just plain bad, not as in inspiring dread. The writing is poor, the characters are barely two dimensional, and the actions of the characters are utterly ludicrous and so far beyond belief that they’re, well, unbelievable.
The description itself is misleading, which always annoys me. I’m never sure when this happens whether it’s through miscommunication at stages of publication, or whether the person who wrote it has only skimmed the reading material - it’s irritating either way. Even the title is technically misleading!
I do have one positive thing to say about Sinkhole, though. At around 220 pages, it’s a mercifully quick read.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“"Sinkhole should be part of every horror fan's TBR pile."”
“A sinkhole swallows a girl in Michigan. Fire shoots into the sky in Pennsylvania. Deer attacks leave people hospitalized in West Virginia. And this is all just the beginning of a catastrophic series of global events that will make you question everything you think you know about the planet, nature, and humanity.”
“"Not for the faint of heart... Sinkhole is an intelligent and terrifying triumph in the world of horror fiction."”
Sinkhole should neither be on “every horror fan's TBR pile”, nor is it “intelligent” or “terrifying” in any way. I’ve tried to think of a less blunt way to say this, but the book is dreadful - dreadful as in just plain bad, not as in inspiring dread. The writing is poor, the characters are barely two dimensional, and the actions of the characters are utterly ludicrous and so far beyond belief that they’re, well, unbelievable.
The description itself is misleading, which always annoys me. I’m never sure when this happens whether it’s through miscommunication at stages of publication, or whether the person who wrote it has only skimmed the reading material - it’s irritating either way. Even the title is technically misleading!
I do have one positive thing to say about Sinkhole, though. At around 220 pages, it’s a mercifully quick read.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 26, 2020
Less than 1 star. One of the most pathetic excuses for a book I have ever read. This 'horror pamphlet' is anything but. The first 5 pages are so excrutiatingly bad but somehow the book just gets worse and more clichéd with every pathetic chapter. No one calls the police, no one does anything even remotely believable, nothing.
I truly cannot believe this collection of words that barely suffices to illustrate human excrement was up for any type of award at all. There is no suspense, no surprise, nothing to make it worth anyone's time. The text barely suffices to make complete sentences, let alone paragraphs or chapters. Speaking of which, this awful waste of electrons is populated by the briefest of sad chapters, the next one even worse than the previous. It takes less than 2 hours to read owing to its abbreviated and sad structuring, especially as there is no decent character building nor sufficient plot building to justify even paying a penny for this awful excuse for fiction.
The entire book reads as if its a last minute screenplay that is being put together for a D-grade movie that has somehow received funding but only has a day to complete filming. I am infuriated at having wasted my time on this. Luckily I had maxed out my Kindle Unlimited subscription for this month because this garbage is not even worth a penny nor the time it would take to download a free copy. The author has no skills and I can assure you I will only strive to make sure none of her work ever crosses my path again.
I truly cannot believe this collection of words that barely suffices to illustrate human excrement was up for any type of award at all. There is no suspense, no surprise, nothing to make it worth anyone's time. The text barely suffices to make complete sentences, let alone paragraphs or chapters. Speaking of which, this awful waste of electrons is populated by the briefest of sad chapters, the next one even worse than the previous. It takes less than 2 hours to read owing to its abbreviated and sad structuring, especially as there is no decent character building nor sufficient plot building to justify even paying a penny for this awful excuse for fiction.
The entire book reads as if its a last minute screenplay that is being put together for a D-grade movie that has somehow received funding but only has a day to complete filming. I am infuriated at having wasted my time on this. Luckily I had maxed out my Kindle Unlimited subscription for this month because this garbage is not even worth a penny nor the time it would take to download a free copy. The author has no skills and I can assure you I will only strive to make sure none of her work ever crosses my path again.
July 17, 2020
Sinkhole is an amazingly fun plot-focused novel. The premise is compelling, and the writing is easy to read. Taylor has created an exciting situation around timely themes.
The writing style of this novel reminded me of serial stories like those shared in Victorian periodicals. It aided in elevating the tension, which can be a strength for horror. Each chapter was concise and easy to digest in minutes. They read like vignettes, where I could picture each chapter like it was in a movie.
The situation and world-building around the theme felt inconsistent. Sometimes it felt like the rules of this disaster worked one way, and then they tracked in a different direction. I think more development on the rules of this world and clarifying them in Part One would help enter Part Two and strengthen the conclusion.
The hardest element for me in reading this book was the underdeveloped character arcs. The beginning starts with exciting people in challenging situations. These characters don't change much as the plot moves forward. By the end, the conclusion didn't feel satisfying because there wasn't a strong resolution.
This novel doesn't go deep in the human condition or the man vs. nature conflict. However, if you want a fun novel that has a lot of amazing plot twists, this is the one to read. Once I got started I sped through the book. Taylor creates strong visual connections for the reader to picture each scary moment.
The writing style of this novel reminded me of serial stories like those shared in Victorian periodicals. It aided in elevating the tension, which can be a strength for horror. Each chapter was concise and easy to digest in minutes. They read like vignettes, where I could picture each chapter like it was in a movie.
The situation and world-building around the theme felt inconsistent. Sometimes it felt like the rules of this disaster worked one way, and then they tracked in a different direction. I think more development on the rules of this world and clarifying them in Part One would help enter Part Two and strengthen the conclusion.
The hardest element for me in reading this book was the underdeveloped character arcs. The beginning starts with exciting people in challenging situations. These characters don't change much as the plot moves forward. By the end, the conclusion didn't feel satisfying because there wasn't a strong resolution.
This novel doesn't go deep in the human condition or the man vs. nature conflict. However, if you want a fun novel that has a lot of amazing plot twists, this is the one to read. Once I got started I sped through the book. Taylor creates strong visual connections for the reader to picture each scary moment.
January 23, 2020
It’s a horror story where the Earth decides she’s tired of our crap and sets about culling us. There’s even a section of text where we hear the thoughts of various animals and trees and such as they cackle over getting rid of those awful humans. This makes the whole thing seem really silly. Without that section it would have been much creepier; this just made it laughable. Also, there’s no reason given for why individual sinkholes and sentient tree roots are the main route of this rout, given that the Earth could just move a few tectonic plates (or, as apparently happens in China, drown everyone with a ton of rain). There’s no reason given for why the Earth is content to kill off a fraction of the population rather than everyone. Also, what’s with the weird illness that everyone who’s bitten by animals seems to pick up, and that turns some (but not all) of them into quasi-zombies?
The characters are universally unlikable. I particularly couldn’t see how Crandall could possibly be charismatic enough to have all of his Devotees swooning over his every attention. He just didn’t come across that way at all.
The basic structure of people running away from animals and national disasters was good, but this book needed more than that.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/01/r...
The characters are universally unlikable. I particularly couldn’t see how Crandall could possibly be charismatic enough to have all of his Devotees swooning over his every attention. He just didn’t come across that way at all.
The basic structure of people running away from animals and national disasters was good, but this book needed more than that.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/01/r...
August 12, 2020
No Place to Run, Nowhere to Hide
The best quality of Sinkhole was that I felt caught up by the momentum from the first chapter. The author also knew to play upon the fears common to everyone and did a good job at describing the scenes, thereby ratcheting up the tension. Some plot elements in Sinkhole are causing real life anxiety attacks in concerned people today.
It's impossible to write a horror story that has no elements that have already been used in other books, especially if the story is inspired by actual scenarios from today's headlines. I believe that the author showed originality in the way she combined familiar tropes with other variables, particularly those involving human nature.
The main issue I was disappointed with was that, by being a short read, there wasn't enough time to really flesh things out and make things continue to pop all the way to the end.
All in all, it's a good read and I recommend it to horror lovers. I read an advance review copy given to me for free and these have been my own honest opinions.
The best quality of Sinkhole was that I felt caught up by the momentum from the first chapter. The author also knew to play upon the fears common to everyone and did a good job at describing the scenes, thereby ratcheting up the tension. Some plot elements in Sinkhole are causing real life anxiety attacks in concerned people today.
It's impossible to write a horror story that has no elements that have already been used in other books, especially if the story is inspired by actual scenarios from today's headlines. I believe that the author showed originality in the way she combined familiar tropes with other variables, particularly those involving human nature.
The main issue I was disappointed with was that, by being a short read, there wasn't enough time to really flesh things out and make things continue to pop all the way to the end.
All in all, it's a good read and I recommend it to horror lovers. I read an advance review copy given to me for free and these have been my own honest opinions.
December 5, 2020
The action begins with a bottomless sinkhole opening up in a the back garden of a rather dysfunctional family, nearly swallowing up their only, precious daughter. Soon, the phenomenon begins to spread.
This fast-paced tale of gore and schlock follows the fortunes, or rather the misfortunes, of three or four sets of characters as not only the earth itself but animals, birds and trees turn on humanity with extreme prejudice. And where this isn't enough to continue the destruction, other humans prove willing to murder each other, too.
So this is traditional horror at all its most graphic, with many meeting their ends in shocking, apocalyptic mayhem. Those who enjoy that kind of thing will know who they are.
There is also the added moral to the tale, that maybe, just maybe, mother Giaia could be capable of ridding the planet of a large number of the rather nasty, scourge humanity is. But there is grim and gleeful entertainment to be had from it all too.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This fast-paced tale of gore and schlock follows the fortunes, or rather the misfortunes, of three or four sets of characters as not only the earth itself but animals, birds and trees turn on humanity with extreme prejudice. And where this isn't enough to continue the destruction, other humans prove willing to murder each other, too.
So this is traditional horror at all its most graphic, with many meeting their ends in shocking, apocalyptic mayhem. Those who enjoy that kind of thing will know who they are.
There is also the added moral to the tale, that maybe, just maybe, mother Giaia could be capable of ridding the planet of a large number of the rather nasty, scourge humanity is. But there is grim and gleeful entertainment to be had from it all too.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 20, 2020
I really wanted to like this book, it had a promising start and I was ready to like the characters but I would say there wasn’t enough of anything. This was like the good start to a book but needed a lot more character development, build up, explanation of what’s happening and even horror to be the book that I wanted it to be.
The idea in the book is great, not new, but a good one. And I like the idea of so many different perspectives. I just didn’t like that not enough time was spent on any of them, and there was not enough describing of what was going on to give me a rich scary picture of the earth rebelling against humanity.
This book needs just more detail and specifics and also a slower build up to be a really good horror. Right now it’s more of a thriller than anything.
I received this book for free for my honest review.
The idea in the book is great, not new, but a good one. And I like the idea of so many different perspectives. I just didn’t like that not enough time was spent on any of them, and there was not enough describing of what was going on to give me a rich scary picture of the earth rebelling against humanity.
This book needs just more detail and specifics and also a slower build up to be a really good horror. Right now it’s more of a thriller than anything.
I received this book for free for my honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2020
well, why ever not?
This is a darned good book getting only four stars instead of the five it truly deserves due to the proliferation of the word ‘said’ in all the wrong places. Still, I’ve read worse in that regard so four it is. Why ever not? Why couldn’t it be just that way? It’s a social commentary yet when you read the book you’d not notice that about it. In short, I liked it. A really good read, short and to the point. Some might say a typical post appocolyptic story and yet it’s not really the appocolypse but something that nature simply has to since nothing else will cull the human race. Well done.
This is a darned good book getting only four stars instead of the five it truly deserves due to the proliferation of the word ‘said’ in all the wrong places. Still, I’ve read worse in that regard so four it is. Why ever not? Why couldn’t it be just that way? It’s a social commentary yet when you read the book you’d not notice that about it. In short, I liked it. A really good read, short and to the point. Some might say a typical post appocolyptic story and yet it’s not really the appocolypse but something that nature simply has to since nothing else will cull the human race. Well done.
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