Book Review: "Rooted and Four Other Disturbing Stories"!

Lately I've been on a supernatural and human psychology kick. I'm watching documentaries, reading books, and just generally immersing myself into this genre. When I saw the opportunity to review a free copy of "Rooted and Four Other Disturbing Stories" by Shane Hall, I jumped at the opportunity and was ecstatic to see that I was approved for the promotion! The cover of the book intrigued me, as a film photographer. It looks like a double exposure of an angel statue's face with an eerie, leafless forest. The cover definitely drew me in. It's especially well done considering that Shane Hall is a first time author!

The book was a very quick read, which I didn't quite expect. I love for these stories to be drawn out and extremely detailed. There was plenty of detail there...but my only complaint is that the writing is SO good that I wish the stories were much longer. I finished the book in about an hour of on-and-off reading, with plenty of distractions. However, the story caught my attention and held it until real life beckoned. :) There are five stories within the book: "Vivian's Videos", "How to Satisfy the Keymaker", "John Adams Two", "A Friend in the Depths", and "Rooted". Some are shorter than others, but they all convey plenty of information. I think my favorites are "How to Satisfy the Keymaker" and "A Friend in the Depths".

In "How to Satisfy the Keymaker", the story reads as a how-to (obviously). It's very instructional and you get the eerie feeling that the author is directly talking to you. Without spoiling, it makes you think about what you would do - and who you would sacrifice for yourself in the given situation.

"A Friend in the Depths" is the story that left me wanting the most. The suspense is insane, and your curiosity is peaked. Along with that, the conversation with the two characters allows you to begin to get attached to them. Right at the most dramatic moment of the story, though....it's over. And that hurts my heart, SHANE HALL! (Yes...I'm yelling at you!) ;)

Really, though...this is an explosive start for a new author. The book is very well written with no grammatical or spelling errors, provides plenty of entertainment, and hooks your interest like a fish-human-creature that wants to eat you.  

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE add onto "A Friend in the Depths" and PLEASE write a 1000 page book. I cannot wait to see where these stories go and where Shane Hall is in the coming years! Congratulations on your debut and very best wishes!