Kindle Edition Audiobook Amazon The Hostile on Amazon Category:  Action/Thriller Publisher: Joy Mutter ISBN-10:  1532717091 Type: Fiction Pages: 196 Copyright: Apr 27, 2016 ISBN-13: 9781532717093 Price: $2.99 (eBook) The Hostile is a contemporary paranormal thriller set in Manchester. In a rundown area of Manchester, inside a bathroom in a small, terraced house overflowing with children and dysfunctional parents, an unfathomable, powerful entity infiltrates young Serena’s life with disastrous effects. The enigmatic force not only dramatically affects introverted Serena’s life, but threatens the well-being of everyone she knows, especially those people who for some reason have earned the strange girl’s displeasure. It soon becomes clear that nobody should ever upset Serena if they know what’s good for them. After reading 'The Hostile', you will never look at DIY in the same way again. Available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and also as an audiobook on Audible, Amazon and iTunes.        Excerpt ‘This is the weirdest snow that I have ever seen in my entire life. I must reach Carl’s place as soon as possible. Just need to cross this field and it should be over there somewhere,’ he said, taking a route that seemed familiar, although he could not be sure. In normal visibility, it would have been easy to navigate the lanes and shortcuts to his old friend’s modest abode, but for several days nothing had been normal. He could spot none of the usual landmarks, but felt fairly sure that he was walking in the right direction. However, he made the mistake of turning around a few times to try to get his bearings. After doing that, he was not at all confident that he was on the correct road. ‘If only this bloody snow would just ease off for a second or two, then maybe I’d be able to regain my bearings,’ he thought, although even thinking was becoming a struggle as he was now suffering from severe brain freeze. He walked on for what seemed like hours, now certain that he had missed the usual turning off to Carl’s house. He did not like to admit that he was completely lost, although deep inside, he knew that this was the case. His situation could not have been more precarious. As he trudged across yet another ploughed white field, one of Keith’s trainer-clad feet wedged itself firmly in between two large rocks that were hidden under the snow. He stumbled and fell awkwardly to the ground with his foot still trapped between the two rocks. ‘Ow, ow, ow, my fucking ankle!’ he shouted out to nobody. He sat shivering and despondent in the snow and cursed his luck with a barrage of foul language. Keith’s situation changed from dire to life-threatening over the next half hour. His body temperature dropped ever lower, to the point that he felt drowsy and could not feel his extremities except for the pain of his torn ankle ligaments. Even though he eventually managed to extricate his injured foot from in between the rocks, he could barely place any weight on it. ‘Must keep going,’ he said, gritting his teeth and limping in any direction that his cold-addled brain took him. He was hoping to come across any dwelling. It did not have to be Carl’s house, because anywhere would be a life-saver. Nothing was visible, except the dense curtain of white snow falling everywhere that he cast his increasingly drowsy eyes. ‘Help! Help! Help!’ Keith wailed weakly, but even his voice sounded muffled and as useless as the rest of his body. He could no longer walk due to his painful foot injury, so lay defeated on the ground. Keith closed his eyes.

5.0 out of 5 stars Pareidolia Gone Wild By MissScarlett on May 3, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pareidolia Gone Wild
By MissScarlett on May 3, 2016

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

I just “got” the title a few seconds ago…hopefully you’ll get it sooner than that. I have to say that I never expected to read a book wherein one of the main characters was a bathroom tile, but I’m glad I did. The prose flows smoothly and it’s very easy to imagine yourself in the characters’ heads. The reader can sympathize with Serena and with many of the other characters, as well as get quite annoyed at them. For the this was mostly a family drama story, with plenty of fantasy sprinkled into the mix, as well as some dollops of unease and creepiness. Plenty of not-too-graphic sexual scenes and details of bathroom visits (which will make you giggle or cringe) are included at no extra cost.

5 star.
Cheryl rated The Hostile 5 star on Goodreads and on Amazon.
Previously, I had been given another book by this author to read as a review copy. This time I noticed on the author’s Facebook page that the book was available for free and so I decided to acquire it.

I confess that this kind of genre isn’t something I’ve read in a while. A mixture between nitty gritty life and family, with a sprinkle of action and a couple of tablespoons of paranormal. The story itself is novel. I read a fair bit of horror in my younger days and the premise of this is not something I’ve encountered before. It’s easy to identify with the characters, you see similar people every day by just looking around you. Perhaps that’s the charm of this book it could be anyone on almost any street.

Joy’s books (or at least the 2 I’ve read) have a flair of drama in them. Not usually my thing but it’s been an interesting break from my usual each time. The story line is interesting and easy to follow. Perhaps my only criticism is that I found the reminders of what was going on a little intrusive but that is more my issue rather than a problem with the book. Other readers may prefer the reminders and there aren’t that many of them that it ruins the flow – just me and my impatience to get on with it!

I’ve since read that Joy is planning a sequel to this book and I confess I’m very curious where that will lead. Whilst the story left off at a place that wasn’t too cliffhanger like to be annoying, it did leave lots of smaller interesting questions unanswered. A sequel that addresses those questions would be very interesting indeed.

It’s a short book so a fairly quick read.

The Hostile
Joy Mutter is a new author for me, and I have to admit I’m not quite sure how to review this book as it is a bit outside of my usual genres.

Let’s start with “I liked it”. It is a strange and quirky story with an unusual opening scene, an “unhealthy” dose of paranormal, and some Lovecratian elements to it. I found it to be a bizarrely captivating read, and for some reason it made me think of Kafka’s Metamorphosis (although it has been many years since I read that particular story).

The writing itself flows well enough and is very descriptive when it comes to the characters, both at the physical and psychological/emotional levels. The author also does a very good job when it comes to the settings and she is very efficient at making the reader feel/see/experience the various home, relationship and friendship issues that populate The Hostile.

The title does not seem to reveal much about the book, but after having read it, I find the title to be quite clever.

I am curious to see what some of her other novels are like.