Epeolatry Book Review: The Night Road by Kevin Lucia
Disclosure:
Our reviews may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links in this article we may receive a small commission or referral fee. This happens without any additional cost to you.
Title: The Night Road
Author: Kevin Lucia
Genre: Horror
Publisher: Cemetery Dance
Release Date: April, 2022
Synopsis:
For most of her life, Grace Donaldson’s passion has been running. As a star in Cross Country and Track and Field, Grace ran to win, because losing wasn’t an option. For her, running was freedom, and she was only ever her true self when racing toward the finish line.
Her senior year, that all changed. Afterward, instead of running toward something, Grace started running away. From her pain, her anger, and her guilt. Now, as her younger sister lies on her deathbed from attempted suicide and Grace’s darkness threatens to consume her, she discovers The Night Road, and the chance to run toward something again, instead of away…if she’s willing to pay a terrible price.
Kevin Lucia gives an extremely sad story with a mystery pulling us to the last page. And all of this is wrapped in a tantalizing Irish folklore. Lucia opens with Grace, a star runner whose sister is recovering in the hospital after a suicide attempt. Apparently, Grace tends to run to avoid problems in hers and others’ lives. During one of her runs, she comes across a massive crow and a mysterious village just outside of town.
Each new revelation leaves us with more questions about what is really going on between the sisters and the world around them, both supernaturally and personally. Something damaging lingers deep in their past, and as the story continues, we slowly get to the bottom of things.
The novella is well written, and Lucia delivers the drip feed of mystery at the right speed all the way to the end. My favorite bits involve folklore, and I would’ve loved to have read more of that, but still, definitely a good book. The next time you want to switch off for an afternoon, grab yourself a copy of Kevin Lucia’s new novella, The Night Road.
/5
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Joe lives with his wife and son in the Pacific Northwest where the Cascade Mountains meet the Salish Sea. He enjoys writing in the weird, horror, and fantasy genres.
Growing up he enjoyed R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps books as well as classics like Dune, and Lord of the Rings. In college he discovered Stephen King, and later Mark Danielewski’s House of Leaves and authors like Clive Barker and Laird Barron.
Joe’s short story, ‘Gustav Floats’, was published in Dim Shores Presents Volume 2. In the spring of 2021 his story, ‘The Pigeon Lied’ comes out in Howls From Hell.
You can follow Joe on the following social media sites:
Twitter, Good Reads, Facebook, and Instagram!
