Graphic and gory at times, this highly descriptive sci-fi horror novel will make you shudder. Be a little patient, I was almost halfway through the story before it really reached out and grabbed me. With a sense of constant foreboding Margaret Carpenter discovers a phone on her doorstep that begins delivering eerie words from an unknown source . . . ongoing messages which seem like her friend Charity Atwater who has been missing for over a month. The contact provides information that only her dear friend would know and slowly reveals disquieting details of a traumatic event that took place before her disappearance. At times, it reads like a fever dream and you can sense damage, of mind and body, the trauma of lies and secrets . . . the palpable destruction of channeling rage and revenge.
I like the story’s inclusion of the science behind queen pheromones and the control it gives her. I recommend this book for any hardcore fans of horror.
I thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of The Queen for my unbiased evaluation. 3.5 stars
