Official Review: Mad Bess Wood by Nicci Rae

[Sieron1]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Mad Bess Wood" by Nicci Rae.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Mad Bess Wood by Nicci Rae is a piece of investigative fiction, which comes mainly under the horror genre. It is the third edition of the story under the same title, but the fourth edition edition overall. The very first edition was published under the name The Six Bells in 2012.

The story is about a lonely divorced college teacher, Augusta 'Gus' Traherne, who loses her best friend under circumstances unexplained in the beginning. The friend was practically the only real connection she had to humanity and her loss causes her to start spiraling into a deep well of depression as her life revolves between dull classes and her late friend's ailing mother. But then a strange turn of fate and events sees her travelling to England and to a sleepy little English town where haunting secrets lie buried. Pitched headlong into a maelstrom from the past, Gus races to uncover the truth in order to leave the place alive.

Mad Bess Wood is an amazing new take on a very traditional story line. The way that Nicci Rae brought about the culmination of a hundred seemingly disconnected events to an exciting and spine-tingling climax is especially interesting. The story is written in the first person, and yet is so well written it feels very natural and not at all basic and childish as many stories written in the first person view tend to be. In fact, it makes us feel a deep connection to the main character as seemingly unnecessary descriptions of events in a rambling fashion, serve to enhance her personality in the long run. By the end of the story we see not a two dimensional character in a book, but a three dimensional person with feelings, wants, and instincts.

Rae gives a person chills, not with obvious blood and gore, but with the subtle creeping horror of darkness and strangeness. It definitely makes a bedtime book for the brave and leaves you with a few unexplained questions that have you checking the shadows at night. Rae's lighter brushes of horror, instead of that with a heavier hand, leaves one with a lingering sense of having lived through the fear of a real haunting. This a feeling that is lacking in many modern day horror stories. It was also an interesting bit of information to find that Mad Bess Wood had its core based on real facts.

The end of the story does leave a few matters to the imagination, but in spite of that Rae gives a well rounded book that flows smoothly without any hitches even during the inevitable time skips that any piece of fiction has. Personally, I loved the style of writing and most important of all, I know that Mad Bess Wood in particular is a story that will remain in my memory for decades, to jump out to the forefront of my mind at the most inopportune moments. I rate Mad Bess Wood 4 out of 4 stars for a definite must read. I would also like to thank Nicci Rae for an incredible and unforgettable reading experience.

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Mad Bess Wood
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Like Sieron1's review? Post a comment saying so!

[gali]

Sounds intriguing. Thanks for the nice review!

[niccirae2003]

Many thanks for such a lovely review, made my day!

[bluemel4]

This is a very insightful and well written review. Great job!

[bookowlie]

I enjoyed reading your review. I like how you pointed out all the subtle things you liked about the book.

[Tanaya]

The friend was practically the only real connection she had to humanity and her loss causes her to start spiraling into a deep well of depression as her life revolves between dull classes and her late friend's ailing mother.

Sounds like a complex character. Though after reading this line, I certainly wasn't expecting what follows. I forgot it was under the horror genre. The fact that this is a horror story with a three-dimensional protagonist is impressive.