Much like the manuscript in this story, every time I picked it up this book I felt like more pages had been added. I kept reading and just wasn't getting anywhere. I found this book to be daunting, convoluted and just a big mess.

When I first started this book I was enthralled thinking this was absolutely going to be a 5 star read. I loved the opening, the premise the mystery, the MUSE! but unfortunately, I just couldn't connect to any of the characters- several of which acted in the most bizarre ways imaginable ( which was addressed, eventually.) The more I read the less I liked. Then when the ending and the twists and big reveals happened it was just too absurd.

I did really enjoy the excerpts from the manuscript and honestly would have much rather read that book.

I feel like this was a really cool idea, but the execution just didn't work for me.

Wow, this book was crazy, it totally had me hooked. I just finished it, 10 minutes ago and may have to go back to the last chapter just to make sure I read it correctly. The writing at times was a bit confusing with big words, but I blame that on the fact that English is my second language, good thing kindle has a dictionary. The main character was very interesting, the story had me guessing and trying to figure out what the heck is actually going on. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good thriller with a crazy twisting story. Seriously good, now I'm off to read her other book.

The storyline of this novel was unlike anything I have ever read. While at times it was confusing, it was also brilliant, layered, and beautifully written. I honestly couldn’t put it down!

The lead, Jewel, comes from a family of writers. Her mother and sister both write as well, but only her sister has found success and fame. When that sister ends up in a coma, Jewel is handed the opportunity of a lifetime… or is it?

The twists and turns in this story completely blindsided me and kept me hooked until the very last page. The characters were so well developed, the hints so subtly placed, and that ending… wonderful. BRAVO.

Standing ovation and a solid 5 stars from me. An Evil Premise was a wild ride, and I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

WOW. First, please do not judge this book by the lame cover. It does not do this jaw-dropping story justice. You know that feeling when you’re at a concert, where it’s loud and crazy, then you step outside where it almost feels like a different world, and you feel sorta disoriented? Now imagine that feeling as a book, and it is An Evil Premise. You’ll think something is happening one way, just for the very next sentence to have you like “whoa, what?” in the BEST WAY. The development and writing are wild, unique, and so well done. Not to mention, this book was absolutely terrifying. One of the scariest books I’ve read in a very long time. I found myself putting it down while reading in bed at night because it had me looking over my shoulder. I loved everything about this and was always jonesing to pick it back up. I felt like I really got to know the characters. I could clearly visualize them, get their personality, and feel their vibe because T. Marie Vandelly wrote them so well. I knew I’d like this because I really liked Theme Music, but this was better than TM by a mile. If you’re a fan of horror, this is a must read for 2025. I promise you don’t want to miss this one.

When a bizarre accident leaves author Deidre in a coma, her estranged sister Jewel stays at her sister's apartment. Jewel stumbles upon an unfinished manuscript. When Deidre's agent calls in a panic, Jewel, a writer herself, desperate for a break, suggests she can finish it by the deadline. But the story is unsettling. Jewel is determined not to be scared off, but swears she can hear someone typing when she's not at the desk. Terrified of losing her sanity, Jewel tries to find a story somewhere in the carnage. Did the manuscript drive Deidre mad? Jewel finds herself hoping her sister never wakes up and fearing what will happen if Deidre does.

"An Evil Premise" is a chilling horror story that is sure to leave you feeling uneasy, as though you might become possessed by reading this manuscript. Following a hit-and-run accident that has left Deidre in a coma, her estranged sister Jewel takes up residence in Deidre's home with the intention of completing her book. However, Jewel is soon to discover that she will experience a series of unnerving events that will lead to deadly consequences.

Jewel was an unlikable protagonist who could care less about her sister. She came across as self-absorbed, unstable, and rather erratic. Connecting with Jewel and the other characters proved to be quite challenging, as the experience often felt akin to a fever dream. As the narrative progressed, the creepy energy intensified, leading me to feel a sense of anxiety, as if a malevolent presence might emerge from the shadows.

Overall, I found the premise to be quite unique and brimming with potential, although, regrettably, it did not fully resonate with me. While I found the plot to be somewhat disjointed, the twist was decent. By the end, the final sentence confused me. Perhaps I missed something? It pains me not to love this one since Theme Music was top tier, but I have hope that Vandelly will grace us with more heart-pounding horror stories to come!

Well damn. I think I’m still processing this one. Fairly standard possessed item vibes, but throw in a pair of sisters who have always despised one another and you’ve got a story that goes pretty far off the rails. Neither Deidre nor Jewel are very affable but that’s seems to be intentional on Vandelley’s behalf. I have an extremely contentious relationship with my own brother with whom I haven’t spoken in twenty years so I definitely related to the psycho sibling aspect.

The ending is ambiguous and leaves the reader to choose an interpretation, which I appreciated. An Evil Premise employs a certain trope that is generally pretty hit or miss for readers. If you like books that will leave you constantly questioning sanity then this is a solid option.

The story at its surface is that of a pair of sisters. They live hours apart and when the older sister, Deidre, is hit by a car Jewel heads home to handle the situation. Deidre is a successful fantasy writer and Jewel is compelled to help finish her latest work at the insistence of Deidre’s agent. When people begin dying Jewel quickly realizes she’s in over her head.

If you vibe with books that leave more to the imagination then this is one I’d recommend. It’s likely going to be pretty polarizing within the horror community due to the trope employed but I liked it. It’s more of a slow burn but the ending had me unable to quit reading. Theme Music was great and it seems like Vandelley seems to have more up her sleeve.

Ooof...After reading Theme Music by this author, I was so excited for this book! But I am sad to say that this one wasn't for me. I found it to be such a slow burn with so much inner dialogue from the main character that I just became bored at times.

There were some creepy and gory parts, and the pace eventually picked up over the last few chapters. I did enjoy the twists at the end!

✍️ My review is an unpopular opinion as this book has a 4.42 rating on Goodreads with lots of glowing reviews. So if this sounds good to you, definitely give it a try!

An Evil Premise by T. Marie Vandelly is gripping and utterly chilling.

It had me on the edge of my seat, turning the pages on my kindle so fast that I’m surprised I didn’t get friction burn, 

This book was fantastic! It was engaging and it draws you in, you just want to settle in and rip through the pages.

If you ever wondered what a present-day, far more unhinged, possibly demonic, meta version of Misery would look like, you'd probably be in the ballpark of T.
Marie Vandelly's An Evil Premise.

Following a terrible accident, Jewel is tasked with potentially finishing her sister's, Deidre, manuscript, a horror novel her publisher is eager to get their hands on. Having always lived in the shadow of her sister's success, Jewel wrestles with the decision, especially when something seems to be inhabiting Deidre's apartment that Jewel is staying in. Something that smells terrible, that moves in the shadows. Something awful.

Okay, this was so much fun. Truly, there's no telling up from down with this novel, and Vandelly made sure to load this thing up with twists galore. It's dark, gritty, and full of suspense. Fiction about writing fiction is always fun, especially when there are tones of darkness painted throughout. T. Marie Vandelly paints this picture in all black as we wonder where fact and fiction really deviate for Jewel and Deirdre.

And the ending!!! Unhinged! Insane! Chaotic! SO MUCH FUN. If you're a horror fan who isn't afraid to get wild with these ideas of reliability, evil, creativity, and responsibility, you've gotta spend some time with this novel.

After how much I adored this author’s debut novel, Theme Music, this was a must read for me! It has been a long time since I read a book that left me so confused and full of questions in a good way. This is maybe the most paranoid book that I’ve read and reading it before bed definitely led to some crazy dreams for me. I am going to try and be as vague as possible with my review here because this one is certainly one that you don’t want spoiled before you get a chance to check it out!

This was ultimately a very meta novel about book writing and finding inspiration for art in everyday life. This book really turns the basic possession story on its head and creates something much more chilling than most of the possession stories that I’ve read. This is a very graphic and gross book at times with some truly horrific scenes of body horror, particularly relating to a rash that our main character and her sister both acquire. The author is so descriptive with these ghastly scenes that I could picture everything in my head in startling detail.

This is also a book where it is almost impossible to determine who to trust, including the narrator. Trust me, I am with a lot of others that are kind of over the unreliable narrator trope. But this one is done so well that you truly don’t know if she is reliable or not, along with every other character in the novel who seems like they might not be who they say they are. This is a psychological thriller/horror novel done right as it keeps you guessing until the very end (and even once you think you have it figured out, it takes a totally different turn). The book within a book trope really added another layer of tension and confusion here and made this such a unique read.

This is a must read for horror fans, particularly those who love possession stories and don’t mind having their minds completely devoured and bamboozled. I will be recovering for some time to come

Jewel, a struggling self-published writer, discovers a disturbing, unfinished manuscript in her sister Deidre's apartment after she is admitted to the hospital in a coma after a mysterious accident. As Jewel attempts to finish the story for Deidre's agent and reclaim a sense of purpose, the manuscript begins writing itself. It's word count is increasing every night while Jewel sleeps and it's terrifying events are bleeding into her reality. As the lines between fiction and truth blur, Jewel must confront the darkness within the pages and within herself, before the story consumes her entirely.

Dark, disturbing, and completely addictive, An Evil Premise is a standout in psychological horror and metafiction. T. Marie Vandelly has crafted a deeply unsettling tale that gets under your skin like an itch you just can't scratch. The slow unraveling of Jewel's sanity, paired with the creeping supernatural dread of the manuscript had me hooked and unable to put it down! Brilliantly written, emotionally layered, and genuinely terrifying, An Evil Premise is an absolute five star must read!

Thank you to NetGalley, T. Marie Vandelly, and Blackstone Publishing for both the eArc and physical ARC! Publication date is August 12th 2025.

An Evil Premise is an intriguing, well-plotted, and insidious horror novel full of jump scares and goosebump-raising chills. I really wish that was enough to make me like it, but it wasn’t. This book felt slow, repetitive, tiresome, and ultimately so long I questioned why I kept sticking with it when I didn’t want to keep reading it. Normally I’d just DNF such a book, but I kept hoping it would get better or that it would kick into a higher gear, but it didn’t. By the end, I found myself really wishing I had taken the hint my mind had been giving me to DNF far earlier in the book and not wasted my time. It just wasn’t for me. 2⭐️


I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. All reviews rated three stars or under will not appear on my main social media channels. Thank you.

This one was creepy and unsettling for sure. Some parts dragged and felt extra but the dark, twisted craziness kept pulling me in. The tension was enough to keep me reading and overall, I enjoyed it.

I was jumping up and down when I got the approval from Netgalley to read this arc. I loved Theme Music and recommend it to everyone. It's been 2 years and I'm sᴛɪʟʟ thinking about it!

An Evil Premise is a slow burn, atmospheric, gothic horror that creeps up on you. It's about possession, the spiral into insanity, and what one author will do to find inspiration as the lines between insanity and the paranormal blur. It's also quite darkly humourous at times. It's the type of story that gets under your skin, with a unique plot and plenty of intriguing twists

Vandelly knows how to write about a person's decent into madness and I loved being in Jewel's mind watching it happen,even though it was a tad unsettling.

I enjoyed the idea of a cursed object and the manuscript was a genius idea...and having excerpts from the manuscript throughout the book just added another level of dread.

This book was creepy, smart and very creative and will linger in your mind long after you finish it. If you enjoy meta stories about sibling rivalry, authors, book within a book trope, and unhinged horror then you need to grab An Evil Premise.

Thanks to Netgalley and @blackstonepublishing
My review and opinions are my own.

I hesitate to give too much of a description of this book because I truly believe if you know too much, some of the fun will be stripped from the reader experience. It starts out with Jewel finding out her sister, Deidre is in a coma. Their childhood home has been converted into apartments and Deidre, a popular author, has been living there. While in her sister’s apartment, Jewel answers a call from Deidre’s publisher. Her current manuscript can’t miss the deadline and will Jewel write the ending, please?

I definitely had a fun time with this book! Its (evil) premise is fairly unique. While other books have done the book within a book thing, the way Vandelly has done it is new to me. Just as I said knowing too much will make the book less fun, I also believe that trying to figure it out and guess the twists will do the same. Really, just let the suspense and confusion build. I wouldn’t say this about many books as I enjoy parsing out clues in thrillers, but in this case it was way more entertaining to look back on the clues after.

There are some gory and gross passages- and the best part is they seemed to hit at unexpected times. Not super shocking, but sometimes surprising. The one thing that nags at me is I feel like a few times in the story, the author goes just one step too far. Like, a little overboard at times. Overall, I enjoyed my time with this book and (maybe not the popular opinion), I liked it way more then her first book!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of this book!

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

What in the actual unhinged horror ride did I just get off of?! This was my first book by our author and I can say for a fact this will not be the last ever. The writing in this book is spectacular, the characters and storyline/plot are fantastic and the way the writing style just flows, it’s wonderful. I was obsessed with the synopsis and I knew it was going to be wild. We have a sister who ends up being taken to the hospital and in a coma and she is a huge mess, our sister is an author by the way, currently writing a horror novel. HER sister comes to help our and take care of things as she recovers and she’s realizes that she has an unfinished manuscript and this novel needs to be completed. Odd thing is….IS…that this manuscript seems to be a little too familiar. Things are turning out to not be as they seem and a little too close to the page…. This book was WILD y’all, there were moments I had to sit and think to myself if I really read what I just read! The way it twists and turns and your brain is really going through it processing what’s going and you may say you’re going to read a bit here and there but lies….you’re going to binge read this because you wont be able to sit it down. This will bend your mind, have you questioning all things and you will have to pick your jaw up off the floor at the end. This was the best little read to devour and I already wish I could read it again for the first time. Gimmmmeee MORE.

𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Horror, Twists, Darkness, Slow Burn, Psychological, Cursed Object, Fever Dream

Large thank you to our Author, NetGalley as well as Blackstone Publishing

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This was really unexpected? but not in a bad way? definitely freaky. I did feel like some of the writing could've been honed a bit (lots of metaphors and descriptions) but still, so good.

Even as I write this I have a hard time deciding how I feel about this book, but kind of in a good way? The first half of this book I wasn't really sure how I felt. In the moment I felt that it was going to slowly, but even then I could still appreciate the build up of these eerie things happening to our MC and side characters doing it saying things that just felt a little suspicious and sinister. You realize almost immediately that you're dealing with an unreliable narrator, which leads you to question every word that's said and every interaction. By the middle of the book I was completely enthralled in watching this story's mad descent into darkness.

My biggest complaint would be part of the writing style. It got to the point where it just felt like every sentence was so heavily full of descriptors and metaphors, I started glazing over it. It was just too much and unnecessary when it was clear the author is already good at writing.

Ok this is totally not what I expected in the best way possible.

You have to go into this as blind as possible, just know it’s an extremely dark tale of family secrets, demonic possession, and a manuscript “muse” that has been pulling all the strings.

This is especially terrifying for all us bookish people, a book that can ultimately possess you and control your actions? No ty!!! Vandelly takes us down the slow descent into madness and by the end, I was feeling just as crazy as our characters.

This was freaky, truly. I loved it.

“An Evil Premise” is wild fun. I wavered between 3.5 and 4 stars for this one. When a famous writer ends up in a coma her failed writer sister steps in to try to finish her manuscript she was working on and all hell breaks loose. While it is a bit messy in its execution there’s no denying what a fun read this book was. You will tear through these pages. I love a “cursed object” story and the idea of cursed manuscript just brings a smile to my face. I smiled through most of this cause it’s just clever and silly and thrilling. My biggest gripe is that most of the dialogue is atrocious and some of it made me giggle. Still, that doesn’t take away what a good time this book was. And the twists will either have you grinning in delight or throwing the book across the room. Overall, a good time and a quick read. Give it a shot! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.