Blog Tour - Castle of Sorrows

So I'm really excited to be part of a blog tour for another Janz novel.  Many thanks to Flame Tree Press, the author and the publicist for including me. 

TITLE: Castle of Sorrows (Sorrows #2)

AUTHOR: Jonathan Janz

PUBLISHER: Flame Tree Press

PUBLISHING DATE: July 25, 2019

FROM GOODREADS: For nearly a century Castle Blackwood lay dormant on the Sorrows, a lonely island in the Pacific. Last summer, the evil that resided within its walls was awakened. Movie music composer Ben Shadeland was lucky to escape the island with his wife and young son, but he'll soon realize that the terror is far from over. Because a godlike beast named Gabriel and the ghosts who live on the Sorrows are hungry for revenge. They will stop at nothing to bring Ben back to Castle Blackwood, and they will strike at those closest to him to fulfill their sinister plans. Accompanied by three federal officers, an L.A. detective, the newly-widowed owner of the island, a professor specializing in the occult, and a voluptuous psychic, Ben must return to the Sorrows in order to save someone he loves. Ben thought he knew what true horror was. But the new visitors have brought with them their own personal ghosts. And the beast of Castle Blackwood won't be sated until it has feasted on the blood of Ben Shadeland and everyone dear to him.  

MY THOUGHTS: I first have to admit that when I committed to reading this book, I didn't realize it was a sequel.  I honestly wish I'd read the first one, partly because I'm anal about things like that and secondly so I could provide some sort of comparison.  However, that being said, I really felt like I was able to jump into "Castle of Sorrows" rather quickly and that in the beginning, enough backstory was slowly provided so that the book made sense and I didn't feel like I was missing anything.

Due to some incidents that happen early on, Ben heads back to Castle Blackwood. He travels under the direst of circumstances which is exactly what was needed to make him face the demons, both literally and figuratively, of his past.  Along for the ride are Widow Blackwood, a medium, a PI, several FBI agents and a gang of mobsters. 

Castle Blackwood has a life of its own and it feeds on people, their darkest secrets and their scariest emotions.  It makes people do unimaginable things and Janz has done an excellent job of making the setting an atmospheric character of its own.  Just this week I had mentioned how I needed more spooky castle settings in books and behold, "Castle of Sorrows" is just what I was talking about.

Janz's book is full of colorful characters and little by little, we learn more about them.  In the end, as a reader I was cheering some on to succeed, and yearning for the downfall and demise of others.  Any true horror lover needs to pick up a Janz novel, whether it's this one or some of his others, and give him a try.  He has quickly become an auto-read author for me so bring it on Jonathan!  I'm ready!

RATING: 4 PAWS

COYER CHALLENGE UPDATE:  Read a book with a castle on the cover.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Jonathan Janz is the author of more than a dozen novels and numerous short stories. His work has been championed by authors like Joe R. Lansdale, Jack Ketchum, and Brian Keene; he has also been lauded by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and School Library Journal. His ghost story The Siren and the Specter was selected as a Goodreads Choice nominee for Best Horror. Additionally, his novel Children of the Dark was chosen by Booklist as a Top Ten Horror Book of the Year. Jonathan’s main interests are his wonderful wife and his three amazing children. 

Follow Jonathan on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.