Book: The Blogchatter Book of Thrillers

Author: Fifteen Authors from the Blogchatter Community

Genre: Thriller

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Readomania

Pages: 112

My Rating: 4.8/5 *

About the Book:

This is an anthology consisting of fifteen spooky tales that give you a thrill while reading. The stories are intriguing and fast-paced, and each and every story makes you feel chills in your spine.

Moreover, these stories don’t only scare you but also hit the bottom because many crucial aspects of society have been touched through these beautifully written stories.

And thus, when you finish reading this anthology, it leaves you ponder upon this thought: where does the evil reside? Is it inside our minds, or hearts, or within…or somewhere there is another world of dark?

Authors:

Rehana Sultana, Anuradha Shetty, Roma Gupta Sinha, Kajal Kapur, Deepti Menon, Chinmayee Sahu, Huma Masood, Nirmiti Narain, Tarang Sinha, Anushree Saha, Dr Alpna Das Sharma, Rahul Vishnoi, Harshita Nanda, Roshan Radhakrishnan, Suchita Agarwal.

Book Cover:

The book cover is going to grab your attention, whether you are a thriller lover or someone like me who prefers to stay away from this genre. Multiple elements in the book cover interpret the spooky vibes and paranormal presence in the other world, and thus, the design is perfectly justified.

The sepia tone and the window-like frame have added an extra layer of spooky feel that’s surely going to give you goosebumps when you stare at the book cover for a long time. Thus, the designer has done a great job of making the book cover the best suit for this anthology.

What’s Waiting Inside:

These fifteen tales cover themes ranging from illusion of mind, exploitation of power, superstitious beliefs, mental disorder, discrimination, slavery, sibling rivalry, depression, folk tales, betrayal, revenge, and more. There are ghosts who will scare you to scream (and you may close the book right away!).

There are wandering souls who keep you afloat in the middle of nowhere, only to celebrate your liberation from all kinds of bonding. There are psychopaths who are scary enough to give you a chill in your spine, and trap you in a fear of knowing the people around you deeper; who can say, if anyone is roaming around you in the disguise of a normal person?

Writing Style:

One of the best things about this book is the writing style. The authors are gifted writers and exceptionally talented in playing with words. Most of them have written the stories in such a way that gives you fear but also makes you ponder upon the protagonist’s life and situations that made them take the drastic step.

Some stories give you a personal connection because you can feel the pain and agony of the protagonist; sometimes you smile with them, you long for your love, and when they don’t show up, you feel sad, just like the characters of the stories.

They don’t only tell the story of the characters but they also resonate many voices that were lost somewhere amidst the darkness and thus, when darkness echoes their untold stories, they become a story of the other world. But, if they had been given a chance to live a normal life like others, their stories might have been different, and thus, it takes a U-turn by making them paranormal from an ordinary tale.

A Glimpse of the Book:

Though I liked reading all the fifteen stories from this anthology, some stories made me re-read them. I believe there’s something certainly in these stories, and hence, they will stay with me forever.

The Silver Anklet by Harshita Nanda tells the story of a girl who was deceived by her lover, and how she takes her revenge, makes it a must-read for all readers.

Similarly, The Encounter by Chinmayee Sahu, What Runs in Our Blood by Roshan Radhakrishnan, and The Secrets of Nandini Rutuja by Roma Gupta Sinha will leave you speechless with eerie feelings as the climax unfolds.

What Tomorrow Holds by Deepti Menon is a treat to every reader because of the metaphors used by this brilliant writer. Fragments of Yesterday by Huma Masood is another gem from this bunch; the storytelling skill of the writer will surprise you in every new paragraph. One Night by Tarang Sinha talks about mental health illness and highlights the conversations going on in the mind of a depression fighter. This is why, somehow it felt very personal.

But the story that made me awestruck at the exceptionally woven masterpiece, is Black by Dr Alpna Das Sharma. The more I read the story, the more I admired the writer’s storytelling style. In the entire story, Alpna has skillfully played with the word ‘Black’, and it will leave you mesmerized at every new turn of the tale. I was eagerly waiting at the beginning of every new turn, how the writer will interpret the word ‘Black’. From the very first word to the last word of this story, I was reading like a hypnotized reader because I was transcended to the world of the protagonist. Nonetheless, I closed the book after finishing the story and imagined the visuals offered by the writer, once again.

A Quote to Remember:

“Kindness could be cold if unaccompanied by gestures of affection.”

– From the story ‘What Tomorrow Holds’ by Deepti Menon

The X-factor:

Here you will have stories that make you scared even when a slightest movement is noticed in the balcony or a sound comes from the kitchen. However, these fifteen stories are far beyond these kinds of uncanny feels. They don’t only leave you awestruck at the writing prowess of the authors but also offer you a vision so you can transcend yourself to the characters’ worlds and see them talking, walking, and moving in front of you that quite seems like you are watching a thriller movie.

And yes, after reading every story, you are bound to give your mind a much-needed break to take you back to the story once again to feel what you felt and think about what the story conveys at the end.

My Recommendation:

If you are a thriller lover, then this book is certainly for you. Grab this read to give yourself a treat on a holiday (Halloween is approaching!).

However, if you are someone like me who prefers to stay away from thrillers and horror genres as much as possible, you can also pick this book to read in the daytime (preferably) and I can tell you, that this book will offer you much more than fifteen spooky tales.

Buy the book here.

(This review has been written as part of the Blogchatter Book Review Program. I received the review copy for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own.)