God bless the little children
When sixteen-year-old Amanda Verner’s family decides to move from their small mountain cabin to the vast prairie, she hopes it is her chance for a fresh start. She can leave behind the memory of the past winter; of her sickly Ma giving birth to a baby sister who cries endlessly; of the terrifying visions she saw as her sanity began to slip, the victim of cabin … slip, the victim of cabin fever; and most of all, the memories of the boy she has been secretly meeting with as a distraction from her pain. The boy whose baby she now carries.
When the Verners arrive at their new home, a large cabin abandoned by its previous owners, they discover the inside covered in blood. And as the days pass, it is obvious to Amanda that something isn’t right on the prairie. She’s heard stories of lands being tainted by evil, of men losing their minds and killing their families, and there is something strange about the doctor and his son who live in the woods on the edge of the prairie. But with the guilt and shame of her sins weighing on her, Amanda can’t be sure if the true evil lies in the land, or deep within her soul.
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Daughters Unto Devils is a standalone, young-adult story of horror written by Amy Lukavics. This title is her debut novel and I found it very promising. Although some parts felt a bit too simple at times for my personal taste, I thought Ms. Lukavics excelled at creating a creepy and dark atmosphere which I thoroughly enjoyed. By setting this story in the 1800’s and isolating the characters from help when faced with a pretty constant threat of doom, my attention was easily held. Oh, should I mention the source of this doom is demons?? Yeah. Ms. Lukavics didn’t have to include gore or much action at all to create the urgency that comes with successful horror. Just thinking about what could be lingering on the next page was enough. I say well done to this new published author and I’m excited to see what else she has I store for her new fan base.
My favorite quote:
“It doesn’t matter what you think, sister. It matters what you do. If we were to be damned for every thought that ran through our minds, we’d all be Hell-bound. What matters is who you are.”
Amanda Verner has been meeting the postboy in the woods behind her family’s cabin. After the events of last winter, she thinks she’s going to hell anyway, so she might as well enjoy the sins of the flesh while she can. She realizes she’s pregnant at about the same time that her Pa announces they’re moving off the mountain and onto the prairie. Farmers are predicting an even worse winter this year and Pa hasn’t forgotten about last winter either. He knows his family of seven needs more room to breathe than the tiny cabin they currently inhabit affords them. But it’s too late in the year to build something bigger himself. Rumor has it that there are plenty of abandoned cabins for the taking down on the prairie. So the Verner family leaves the only home they’ve ever known.
But there aren’t as many cabins available as rumor would have it. They pass one that appears occupied and finally settle on the next one they find, a home with plenty of room for the family. But when they open the door, the furniture inside has been destroyed and everything is covered in blood….
Oh my goodness. This scared me to death! I got worried that I was going to have to put it aside. I gladly read most horror but one trope in particular seriously gives me nightmares and this book went there. I soldiered on though and holy cow, what a ride this was! I keep seeing it compared to a horror version of Little House on the Prairie so I started calling it The Little House on the Shining when I was telling my husband about it. That’s pretty apt!
I don’t want to say much more because half the thrill of the book was watching everything slowly unravel. What exactly did happen last winter? And what happened at the new cabin?
Jorjeana Marie’s narration was suitably creepy for this book. I’m curious if I just felt that way because of the content or if she’s that good at telling “spooky stories” as they say in the book. Either way, I can’t imagine anyone else reading it, so she did a fantastic job.
I definitely recommend this for anyone looking for some pretty serious horror. I’ll have to give my nerves a break for now, but I’ll look for more of Amy Lukavics’s work in the future.
Being a Harlequin book, I wasn’t certain Daughters Unto Devils would keep me interested. A horror story by a company that writes pure romance? Who would have guessed? Wow, I was in the wrong. I’m glad that I did pick it up. The creepy factor isn’t up in your face. However, there’s enough psychological bits and pieces that lets the reader put the puzzle of the mystery surrounding the Verner family and the prairie itself together.
I will say the only con about this novel is that there were filler scenes that I felt weren’t necessary to put into the book. For example, a highly detailed recount of their daily life right down to stooping down and picking things up. Those parts simply seemed unnecessary and added a bit of boredom to an otherwise satisfying prairie paranormal story.
Toward the end, there is a roller coaster of a ride to look forward to as the events reveal themselves to the fullest. My recommendation is to browse it for at least two chapters to get the gist of the novel. If by then you’re not pulled in then itmay not be for you. One more note, don’t forget that this novel definitely has its creepy, scary moments!
I thought this book was pretty good except that I really didn’t like the main character. I can sympathize with her to an extent, but she is so full of anger (and takes it out on those around her) that she is simply unlikeable. Couldn’t for the life of me understand how her long-suffering husband could put up with her! The book is a decent read but there are many I’ve liked a lot better.