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.
The Maker's Box by David Barclay Published by Self Published on March 3 2022
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 100
Format: ARC
Source: Author
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The nitty -gritty: A short, bloody tale that explores the thin line between life and death.
I don’t often read self-published fiction, but once in a while I do like to see what’s out there, and I’m glad I had a chance to read David Barclay’s The Maker’s Box. This is a weird, gruesome little tale with a Little Shop of Horrors vibe, and at less than a hundred pages, it’s a quick read.
Emily is sixteen when her father Jack presents her with a strange gift: an old wooden box with a bloody, beating human heart inside. Emily is shocked at first, especially when Jack tells her she must take care of the heart by feeding it her own blood. But once she starts cutting herself in order to feed the heart, she begins to feel protective of the box. Emily also experiences odd dreams involving a magician simply known as the Magic Man, erotic dreams that are both disturbing and exciting.
When she notices the name “Lock” carved into the box, she asks her best friend Noah to help her research the name, hoping it will lead to the heart’s owner. But what she uncovers is far darker than she could have imagined, and Emily soon realizes the only way to keep the darkness at bay is to destroy the heart.
Barclay sets up several intriguing mysteries—who does the heart belong to? Why did Jack give the heart to his daughter? Who is Lock and what is his ultimate goal?—and the reader is immediately drawn into the story. I liked the backstory about Emily’s mother who died years ago, and how she fits into Jack’s plan to have Emily care for the heart. The author also does a great job of adding emotion to the story with the tense relationship between Emily and her father, as well as Emily’s feelings about her dead mother. There’s a sense of unease throughout that never really goes away, and I was on edge the entire time I was reading the story.
The story is pretty creepy and I loved the idea of a disembodied heart that needs fresh blood to stay alive. Emily starts out going along with everything her father tells her to do, but I was happy when she started to ask questions and think for herself. By the end of the story she’s made up her own mind on what needs to be done about the heart, and it was nice to see her character become so confident. Also, classic rock fans will notice some fun word play (“Heart” and “Magic Man”) in the story, which made me smile.
As for negatives, I had some problems with Noah, who for some strange reason talks in a very over-the-top British accent. At first I thought the story was set in England, but eventually the author explains that it’s just one of Noah’s quirks. However, every time Noah talked, I was pulled out of the story, especially since I had to try to translate everything he was saying. I’m not sure why the author made this decision, but it was sort of weird for me.
There was also quite a bit of high school drama among Emily and her friends, and it didn’t always mesh with the main plot. For me, the best parts of the story were the pure horror scenes, especially the final showdown between Emily, her father and Lock. There’s a nice twist at the end that gave me chills, and I thought it was a great way to wrap things up. Fans who like their horror weird and bloody will enjoy this short creepy story.
Big thanks to the author for providing a review copy.
This has such a creepy premise! A beating human heart in a wood that needs blood. Yeah, pretty sure that’s one of the freakest thing I’ve ever heard.
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Can’t-Wait Wednesday: In Defense of Witches by Mona Chollet
Ha ha hopefully it won’t keep you up at night!
This definitely sounds like a unique read. Bummer that the random accent was such a distraction but it still sounds pretty good overall.
Yes, that one thing would have made it ever better:-)
Sounds really promising, and also like a densely-packed story for such a short number of pages!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Yes, a lot happens in such a short book, but I thought he paced it very well.
I don’t think the over-the-top accent would bother me, but a lot of high school drama would. Still, it sound like a freaky, wonderful story. Good review, Tammy!
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…Priscilla Reviews Three Banned Books
Thanks Priscilla, “freaky” is a good word:-)
A bit too dark/extreme for me ( the erotic dreams mention is a turn-off LOL), but it does sound intriguing! Self-pub books have much more merit than people tend to give them. More often than not, they’re just books that don’t fit the publishers’ expectations/criteria about genre/plot…
Roberta R. recently posted…Tell Me Something Tuesday: If You Could Have Any Job in the World, What Would It Be and Why?
I believe this book was actually sold to a small press, but they went under before it could be published, unfortunately. I’m glad he went ahead and published it anyway:-)
This sounds good, with your slight reservations aside and the mystery of Lock is definitely intriguing.
Lynn 😀
It was a good mystery:-)
Glad to see you enjoyed this one. A beating heart in a box that feeds on blood is certainly an interesting element to the story. And that cover looks pretty good for a self-published book.
I agree, the cover is excellent:-)
OMG, I keep saying The Box Man, by Kobo Abe, is really weird, but it’s nothing compared to this one, lol! Yuk or eek, I guess this one won’t be for me, I’m glad you enjoyed, lol
Emma @ Words And Peace recently posted…Throwback Thursday: February 2012
Ha ha yes it was very weird, but good!
Man I always get way too distracted when an author writes in an accent like that, sounds like an interesting little story though!
Hannah @ Dragons and Whimsy recently posted…12 Books For 2022 Challenge
It was really my only complaint:-)
Okay, I think I’ll definitely look into this one! First of all, I loved The Little Shop of Horror both the original black and white and the musical. And then the word play you talked about with song titles, that is the exact type of thing I love to read in books! Thanks for bringing this one to my attention, off to add it to my Goodreads TBR!
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted…Blog Tour Review: Falling for the Competition by Jen Smith