I received a paperback copy of Unseemly, authored by Jason Parent, cover art by Tenebrae Studios, and published by Corpus Press, for review consideration. What follows below is my honest consideration, freely given.

I rated this novelette 5 stars. A perfect story for me: paced well; the information given (needed outside the main plot) revealed just enough without bogging down the flow. Characters were what I call “recognizable as human”; there were all sorts represented in a natural feel for the genre of the novelette. The creatures/cryptids I could, terrifyingly, see existing, and that’s the type of thing to keep you up at night.

Novella and novelette formats are just so freaking impressive to me when the story comes together right, as here with Unseemly. There is no room for error, to circle back and expand on an idea or round out a characters flaws and give them a couple hundred pages to figure themselves out. The fat is trimmed, gone my friend.

I liked that the reader’s introduction to Peter and his intent in Scotland was coupled with, partially understood and mentioned in bits of conversations, an established past relationship with his ‘co-workers’ for this adventure. He set the tone; showing he respected us enough to keep up with a swift pace from out the gate.

The title is a play on a word I think, a term used for one type of what they think they are searching for on this beach. Very clever. I’m not saying more because no spoilers. Sorry.

We have all been amazed by nature’s ability to betray our eyes, yes? Flowers that look like little naked men, caterpillars that resemble a snakes head, or even a spider that perfectly mimics a blob of bird poop. Sometimes it calls to prey, appears beguilingly to attract a specific target. I don’t like to think about why they look like they do on the cover of this novelette, but I get it.

I also felt that the author let the story go where it needed to go, didn’t try to lessen any blows or alter the reality of the situation; I love when I get to read a story that goes where it should. In short, a perfect read. ( )

My full review is available on the facebook page for Books & Quills Magazine

Review ( )

3.5*

A man named Peter travels to an island in Scotland to meet his less than respectable friend, Dervish, to discuss some probably illegal shenanigans. He's got a bad feeling from the get-go and he should have listened. That's all I can say about the plot of this novella.

The guy's going to an island in Scotland, so you already know this isn't going to turn out well. Scotland is home to how many scary legends and myths? Why, oh why, would you go despite your bad feelings about the situation? Of course horror stories almost all consist of someone doing something despite having a bad feeling about it, so that's cool.

Where the story didn't quite deliver for me was where Peter was concerned. I didn't much care for the guy, therefore I wasn't yelling at him, (other readers do that, right?), "Don't go, don't do it!", I was just "You should think about this" and moved on.

Unseemly was a quick reading novella that was a fun adventure with some shudder-causing twists that I didn't expect. For that reason I recommend it to fans of creature features and myth-based stories.

*I received a free review copy from Corpus Press in exchange for an honest review. This is it.* ( )

What stood out the most for me in Unseemly was the setting, imagery and storytelling. I could easily visualise the scenes and the environment, and the atmosphere and tension really drew me into the story. You get the sense almost right from the outset that something is not right and you think you know what is ahead but things are certainly not what they seem to be, or anywhere near what you could have imagined.

The use of the lore and legend of the sídhe really captures the imagination and creates a magical aspect to the story that kind of lulls you into a false sense of security. What you imagine is going to happen is nowhere near the horrific situation the characters find themselves in. The author creates twists and turns that pull the rug out from under your feet and shows that not all fairytales have a happy ending.

I'm a huge fan of horror and of Scottish lore, legend and fairytales so this was a perfect mix for me.

Unseemly is storytelling at it's best.
Highly recommended. ( )

While this was a fast read, the pace of the story was not - which in this case is not meant as criticism. Of course, the action traveled in high gear, but several descriptive scenes appeared like in slow motion, where you are able to notice every little detail in perfect clarity. Another well-working constrast of the story was between the mystical cute little fairies and the horrendous otherworldly creatures. (The first image that came to mind was the cuddly little Blawp from Lost in Space - caused by some weird mental short circuit I guess.)

While I did not care much for the colorless main character, and not at all for his shady companions, I loved the descriptions of the secret world they entered on their mission to find some real fairies or at least some valuable treasures. The ending was nasty of course, but somehow it managed to do so with a weird kind of grace. This novella conjures some very beautiful images to tell a not at all beautiful story...

(I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review) ( )