4 out of 4 stars
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Kind Nepenthe is an emerging dark horror story written by Matthew Brockmeyer. Featuring a cast of 5 main characters, this story has twists and turns that will be a true pulling factor for thriller readers everywhere. With a building suspense, this novel gets darker and darker as the pages turn.
This story takes place deep in the hills of Humboldt County in modern-day Northern California and bounces back and forth from one story to another, all the while conjoining the two in a twisted relation. Rebecca seems to be the spotlighted main character, and is a hippie, plain and simple. Determined to teach her daughter how to live off the land, she moves with her boyfriend, Calendula, and daughter, Megan, to grow marijuana until they have saved enough to purchase their own land. Coyote is the owner of the pot-growing land, with doubting feelings about continuing with the business due to a decline in sales. Diesel and DJ, father and son, feel that they are owed a significant amount of money from Coyote, as the land is rightfully theirs.
The intertwining story that pulls these characters together is full of twists and turns. From the title, “Nepenthe” means sorrow or trouble, and that’s exactly what comes along with the daring story brought to light by Brockmeyer. Along with some troubling characters and their past experiences, there are also some lingering ghosts present on their fertile land, and those ghosts are refusing to leave. From extensive drug use to explicit sexual depictions, this story is certainly not for the faint-hearted. Things quickly start to turn from bad to worse, and the supernatural beings seem to only enhance the darkness that follows these characters on their journey.
I was pleasantly surprised with how the flow of this story was structured. There were no lagging chapters or parts that I felt like rushing through to get to the “good stuff.” The slow burning build of suspense allowed time to know the characters and become interested in their endeavors. Although I didn’t feel a connection to any of the characters in the story, they were all well-depicted and each given their own specific personality. I was also pleased with the editing of the story, as I found no errors throughout my read.
As I have said multiple times, I’m a huge fan of thriller stories and Kind Nepenthe did not disappoint. I’m happy to rate this book 4 out of 4 stars and would gladly recommend it to other readers who enjoy dark and twisted thriller stories. It’s also a good choice for readers who enjoy ghost stories, but would like something a bit different than the traditional stories told.
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Kind Nepenthe
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