INFERNAL by Cheryl Low – Review

I received this book for free from the Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

INFERNAL by Cheryl Low – ReviewInfernal by Cheryl Low
Published by Grinning Skull Press on October 23 2018
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 224
Format: Finished paperback
Source: Author
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four-half-stars

The nitty-gritty: A familiar horror scenario gets a facelift in this well written, fast-paced tale. If you like your stories spiked with aggressive sharks, creepy atmosphere and violence, then Infernal was written just for you.

I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve had a copy of Infernal for several months, kindly sent to me FROM SWEDEN by author Cheryl Low, and I cannot believe I waited this long to read it. Infernal was a glorious, bloody and terrifying surprise, capped off by solid writing and perfect pacing. The story is a mix of many familiar things, but Low uses these as inspiration only and adds her own twists to come up with a story that ended up surprising me completely. With shades of Jaws, the Titanic disaster, Into the Drowning Deep and even Predator, this book was a blast from start to finish.

Val DeNola is a shark expert and spends much of her time in the ocean studying and photographing the dangerous creatures. Three years before the story starts, she was nearly killed when a Great White attacked her, but she emerged from the harrowing experience with only a missing finger and some scars to show for it. Now she’s back in the water and ready for her next adventure, which arrives in the form of an expedition to a mysterious, abandoned island called Isla de los Perdidos. The island has a long history of bad things happening to whoever goes there, but Val doesn’t scare easily, and besides, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. Joining her on the trek is her sister Julie and her fiancé Zach, both scientists; Henry and Megan, a couple of videographers who hope to capture the rare species who live on the island; a salvager named Oliver and his assistant Maeko, who are drawn to the many shipwrecks littering the waters surrounding the island; a shark enthusiast named Poppy; and Val’s estranged husband Felix, who is also an expert on sharks.

The crew arrives at the island where they plan to split up for several days. Julie, Zach, Henry and Megan swim to shore where, as the land crew, they will explore the flora and fauna of the island for several days and meet up with the rest of the crew later. Meanwhile, Val, Felix and Poppy drop shark cages off the side of the boat and study the local shark population, while Calvin and Megan take off for the reef area to investigate the shipwrecks. 

But it doesn’t take long for the crew to realize that things here are a little…strange. The sharks, for example, are huge, and Val is shocked to discover all sorts of different breeds who normally don’t hang out together. When Oliver and Maeko swim out to investigate the reef area, they are attacked unexpectedly by some smaller sharks. And when Val tries to reach Julie on her walkie talkie to check in with the land crew’s progress, the signal is bad and they can barely hear each other.

Things go from bad to worse when Val and her friends are forced to swim for shore. Stuck on the island without food, water or shelter, the scientists begin the trek to find the land crew. But someone—or something—seems to be watching their every move, and Val realizes their scientific expedition has just turned into a fight for their lives.

Low does a great job of creating an ominous atmosphere from the first page, and that sense of foreboding never lets up. As soon as you realize you’re dealing with characters who are drawn to danger and spend their time in the water with sharks, you know you’re in for one hell of a story. The island is shrouded in mystery, and legends of it being haunted are widely known, yet all the characters jump at the chance to join the expedition and explore it for themselves. I also loved the way the author drops little details that hint at the impending doom, even though those details seem insignificant. For example, Val notices that her diving watch—a watch she’s had for years and has used on countless dives—stops as soon as she makes it to the island. 

For such a large cast of characters, I was surprised how fleshed out each one was. At barely over two hundred pages, you would think there wouldn’t be enough time to get to know them, but by the time the bad shit starts happening, they have already worked their way under your skin. This was a great ensemble cast, full of clashing personalities and lots of bickering between people who are stuck in close quarters together. I loved the inclusion of an estranged married couple thrown together (The Abyss, anyone??). Val and Felix still love each other deep down, but there is a lot of tension between them. I also loved how passionate each character is about their field of study. Even after more than one brush with death, Val refuses to let her fear keep her away from the lure of the ocean and its marvels. The characters in this story have a purpose, a reason to go to the Isla de los Perdidos, which makes this scenario—going to an uninhabited island where hundreds of people have died—much more believable.

But let’s face it, folks. This is a horror story, pure and simple. There’s a reason the author gives us such a large cast of characters, because as you might have guessed by now, not everyone makes it off the island alive. In addition to the giant, aggressive sharks in the water, there are all sorts of strange animals on the island who don’t necessarily behave the way you might expect. Get ready for packs of howler monkeys with a taste for human flesh, crocodiles, jaguars and more. I loved how well Low developed the history and mythology of the island, which added a sinister layer to an already scary story. There’s a spooky supernatural element that ties in with this mythology that worked really well and scared the pants off me!

And how about that WTF ending!! I think the story benefited from being published by a small indie press, because to be honest, I don’t think a more traditional publisher would have let the author get away with that ending. I love to see authors and publishers take risks, and this is one that paid off, in my opinion. 

Horror fans are going to LOVE this story. I noticed that (at the time of writing this review) you can buy a Kindle copy for only $3.99. I highly recommend you take advantage of such a great deal. I’d love to see more reviews of Infernal, simply so I can gush about it with other readers.

Big thanks to the author for supplying a review copy.

Posted December 12, 2019 by Tammy in 4 1/2 stars, Reviews / 35 Comments

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35 responses to “INFERNAL by Cheryl Low – Review”

  10. Daniela Ark

    I love horror stories where there are a bunch of characters dying. So much tension! This reminds me of Hell Divers which I had for almost a year and then became one of my all time favs! 🙂 How many other wonders are waiting for us on our HUGE TBRs huh? 🙂

    Reply
  12. todd

    Thanks for a great reveiw of a book I’d likely never have heard of otherwise. A little horror never hurt anyone…. did it?

    Reply
  17. Sarah

    Forgive me for my MIA status. Life is hectic right now. This book sounds PERFECT for me- lol. It doesn’t how many times or in how many ways I am served a horror story with sharks- I’ll still devour it. Adding and maybe even prioritizing. Great review Tammy!

    Reply
  18. John Smith

    Hmmm… it’s almost as if the sharks have a *hive* *mind*, almost as if they’re…communicating among themselves!! It sounds like an excellent story of man vs. big ol’ shark!

    Reply
  19. Penny Olson

    Thanks for the review. I think I would love this. The zoological complexity, tension, the characters, horror and sharks.

    Reply

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