“…somewhere in this house was a bottle containing his father’s soul. A fact of which he remained convinced. Somewhere behind a door, imprisoned in a never-ending darkness. Why else would he hear his voice at those moments when Tyler needed him most? He had crossed the line of denial and illusion, accepted the reality the house presented to him.”

After a childhood of fear and abuse, and an adulthood spent trying to drink it away, when Tyler’s grandfather finally dies it is nothing but a relief. But the old man has a stipulation in his will: Tyler will inherit everything if he spends one last night in the crumbling old family home with the equally ancient old housekeeper.

Depsite doubts and a good helping of trepidation, Tyler agrees. He’s got a contract to sell the house already in his back pocket and feels that surely as a grown man he can handle one night. The old housekeeper is just as creepy as before, the old house is just as spooky, and the bottles….they’re still there, too. Because you see, Tyler’s grandfather was a craftsman, creating intricate miniature scenes inside bottles, hundreds of them. Tyler’s childhood was filled with the joy…and terror of these bottles. And now as an adult, he will have to face the truth of what the bottles are, what they represent, and just exactly who his family is.

This book has the bones of a good story, and I do mean bones. A creepy house, a dark family secret, a battle against personal demons, an ancient curse, and yes…a fair share of bones. There were times I did feel myself drawn into the story, intrigued or grossed out or fearing for the main character. With a bit of polish this could be an excellent story.

But (and now for the bad news). The thing that kept me from really loving this story was the fact that it could have used a bit of revising and editing. Counting against it was the feeling that the author needed to do some work on “showing not telling”, and a dozen or so mistakes that could have easily been cleaned up by a good editor. Here’s where it gets interesting: the author bio tells us that Ms. Ellis is the editor of three anthologies and a magazine. Which means she should have been able to edit her own book to satisfaction, right?

And yet there are lines like these:
“As his alcohol-induced slipped away from him….” (his alcohol induced what?)
“…he stood at its threshold and seen a slight glimmer…” (seen? really?)
“…locked his own car and pushed opened the gate…” (that’s either ‘pushed open’ or simply ‘opened’)

And one glaring discrepancy: in Chapter Two, the grandfather’s coffin is described as “magnificent white walnut”, but in Chapter Ten that same coffin is, simply, “oak”.

Don’t let me throw too negative a light on this book, though. In need of a good editor, yes, but still a good story with an interesting and novel concept. Souls trapped in bone trapped in bottles trapped in a living house? If that sounds creepy enough to overlook a few editing errors, then give this book a try. At just 133 pages, it’s a quick read and worth a couple hours of time.

Bottled by Stephanie Ellis is published by Silver Shamrock Publishing and is available in print or as an e-book.

I received a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

(This review was posted to Amazon, Goodreads, Instagram, and my personal blog.)
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The writing isn't that good and distracts from the plot. The dialogue is flat and almost robotic, each time a character spoke it was described as "____ said" or "said ____"; not exactly a riveting conversation.

Bottled would've also benefited from another edit. The novella opens with the protagonist asking his son "Where did you get this?" to which his son replies, "Arrived yesterday." Not even a page later, in the same scene, the protagonist asks "When did you get this?" to which his son replies, "Arrived yesterday." I don't know if this was intentional on Ellis' part, if the protagonist wasn't listening, but it doesn't read that way.

Just not that good if I had to be honest. I was bored almost throughout the whole time reading the book. I have read stories on reddit that were much more enthralling and much more entertaining than this.

I got a free advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review. Thanks NetGalley and Silver Shamrock Publishing!

I loved the cover of this book. Bottled was an old-fashioned horror story and the feelings evoked throughout the book were showcased on the image in front of this book.

Tyler Torrence grew up without a father, something his bitter mother won't let him forget. However, his paternal grandfather stepped in as a male role model, or so his mother thought. Visits to his grandfather's house were mandatory, no matter how much Tyler detested them. His grandfather and housekeeper tortured him, with his only reprieve being the bottles. Tyler would spend hours getting lost in the tiny worlds contained within the bottles. However, he always suspected there was another sinister being present in the house and bottles. Now that he's an adult and his grandfather is dead, he is required to spend one night in the house. He doesn't think much of it. After all, he is way too old for childhood fears. But the house is not willing to let go of him now that it has finally got hold of him again.

The house had a gothic horror feel which I loved. If it was a movie, most of its scenes would have had an organ playing spooky music in the background. The plot moved quickly, which I expected considering it is a novella.

Tyler was not very likable. I was hoping he would redeem himself eventually but he was too attached to alcohol. Mrs Waites, the housekeeper, was right to call him a coward.

The only downside of the book for me was that the line blurred between dreams and reality. It made me take a bit longer to finish than I planned.

The book was exactly what a horror story should be in my opinion. The feeling of dread started at the beginning and did not let up until the end. I would definitely try more books by Stephanie Ellis based on this book

Suitable audience: Adults and older teens who enjoy horrors. Younger children should not read this because there are some very disturbing scenes.

Recurrent themes: Haunted house. Death. Necromancy. Black magic. The Devil. Evil

Violence: There was a gruesome scene with the housekeeper. There were also some disturbing scenes which involved beetles (that is all I can say. Read the book if you want to find out more).
Sexual Content: None
Profanity: Some instances of obscene language.
Religious Themes: There is mention of a deal made with the Devil.
Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: A character is an alcoholic

Memories of Tyler's childhood visits to grandpa were so horrific that spending one single night in that house in order to claim his inheritance caused his stomach to turn. If not for the pressure from his ex-wife and his mother he would have said "good riddance" and walked away. Instead, Tyler thought surely he could spend one night, put his demons to rest, leave in the morning and then have the god-forsaken place destroyed. Obviously this did not go as planned for Tyler.
The predictability ends there. Tyler's grandfather was a master at creating hand-carved, imaginative little worlds inside of glass bottles. The detail was exquisite. These bottles, family history, humanity, magic and escape....these elements weave through the story like weeds in a garden.
The premise is very unique and interesting. This is not your typical "one last night in a haunted house" story. Not one little bit. A slow burn yes...but then the dread really sets in and you're trapped, so to speak, in the story. Thank you #netgalley for sharing this ARC in exchange for my honest review. #Bottled