‼️BANGER ALERT‼️ 😱😱😱😱
Oh-my-gawd was this book PHENOMENAL! A hundred pages into this and I immediately ordered Theme Music, her last novel. What does that tell you??? That I was absolutely HOOKED!

A tragic hit and run accident leaves Jewel’s sister, Deidre, in a coma at the hospital. Deidre is a bestselling author, unlike Jewel, self-published, who wishes she was.

Jewel decides to stay at her sister’s apartment to be close. She gets a call from Deidre’s literary agent, who is frantic, about a manuscript that has a deadline. She asks Jewel to finish it. Can Jewel finish it in time?

As Jewel is reading the found manuscript, strange things start to happen. Awful horrors are coming to life as she reads them from the pages.

HOLY HELL, THIS WAS OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD AMAZING! The twists will blow your MIND! 🤯 A favorite of the year! Outright creepy, gory at times and evil! I was seriously creeped out. Also, there were times I literally laughed out loud! The satirical humor is absolutely BRILLIANT! This is, without a doubt, a MUST READ FOR HORROR FANS! Add this to your TBR.. pre-order your copy NOW! YOU MUST READ THIS!

A GAZILLION ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#AnEvilPremise #TMarieVandelly
#BlackstoneInsiders #HorrorBooks

At some point in this dark meta-story, one of the characters says how you wouldn’t want to spend time inside a horror novel. Well, this is probably one of the books where I’d like to spend the least amount of time. Truly horrific, powerful images that feel like a punch in the stomach made me cringe. Jewel returns home when her sister Deirdre, a successful writer, is run over by a car and is in a coma. Deirdre is also afflicted by a disturbing skin condition. At her sister’s bedside, staying at her sister’s apartment, meeting Deirdre’s neighbors or taking over her unfinished manuscript; Jewel’s world starts turning more bizarre and soon it’s hard to tell what’s real. Vandelly takes a bit from Stephen King’s use of the creative process as a basis for horror, adds a huge helping of American Psycho and populates it with the most unsettling images. There are a lot of unpredictable twists. I didn’t connect with Jewel or found her likable, but I was still rooting for her. Much of her inner dialogue is an analysis of writing, reading and the creative process. She is aware of the world of horror and tries to figure out what’s happening with a clear head, even if it’s not always possible. Again, I cannot stress how creepy some of scenes are. The Shining twins level of goosebumps. The final part was a little disorganized, but I think that it was on purpose. You may want to read this with all the lights on.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Blackstone Publishing.

Yes, it's early in the year, but An Evil Premise already has a strong claim to the Best Horror of 2025 Throne. The concept of the "book within a book" is expertly crafted here, with excerpts from the manuscript woven throughout, adding another incredible layer. Seeing fiction and reality blur for our protagonist makes this story so unsettling, and watching the pieces come together had me up all night so that I could binge this one from start to finish. If reading the preface alone doesn't hook you as a reader, then I dont know what will.

If you're not a fan of a slow burn, this may not be the book for you, but the payoff is so worth it. ((I love a good slow burn, and I think it adds to this particular story brilliantly, but I know it's not for everyone.)) But I would recommend this one for horror fans who like their unhinged characters with a side of possession and a sprinkle of light body horror. ((I'm also dishing out bonus points for creative kills.)) Come August 2025, I will absolutely be clutching a physical copy of this book in my greedy little gremlin hands, and I already can't wait to see what T. Marie Vandelly graces us with next!