Thanks to Tammy of Books, Bones & Buffy for her review of my novella, Ormshadow, which is out from Tor on 15th October 2019. I LOVE her banner design.
If you are intrigued by stories that excel in character development and “slice of life” vignettes, then you’ll love Ormeshadow. The format is a bit unusual. It’s divided up into short, titled chapters that are almost individual stories themselves, yet each is seamlessly woven together to form a whole. Sharma focuses on big and small moments that happen on the farm between family members, and even though some of these moments seemed insignificant at the time, I found each to be profoundly important by the end of the book.
Sharma’s tale is a claustrophobic one, full of darkness punctuated only by candlelight at night and a cold sun during the day. Ormeshadow sits near the cliffs, and harsh winds, muddy fields and uneven, rocky ground lie in wait to make the characters’ lives miserable. Even worse is the anger and jealousy that simmers between the characters, ready to explode at any moment. These emotions were palpable, and I loved reading a story where the thing that made me keep turning pages wasn’t exciting action, but the terror of seeing just what these characters were capable of. There’s an unsettling feeling of isolation and being trapped, and I felt for Gideon and his mother, who have no way out of their situation. Books, Bones & Blood Review
Thanks to Lou Pendergrast of More2Read for interviewing me about my collection, “All the Fabulous Beasts” and soon-to-be-released novella, “Ormeshadow”, as well as Toni Morrison, Angela Carter, and my favourite small presses.
priya sharma fiction 