SKIN was way out of my comfort zone, but I'm so glad I gave it a shot. It was amazing!

This is the story of two women, Tess and Bibi. Artists. Body Art. Performance Art. Body Horror. Body modifications. Cutting. Lesbians. Bisexuals. Heart. Sculpture. Welding. Feeling. Cult Mentality. Hangers-on. Groupies. Darkness. Death. Wish you were dead. Wish I was dead. And finally? Love. I love you.

Written in a prose that was sharp, stabbing, and staccato-like, SKIN takes some getting used to. I took a stab at it above, (get it? HA!), and it's much harder than it looks. (Or in this case, harder than it sounds, since I listened to this on audio.) I was amazed at how much the author was able to get across in so few words. Seriously, I was and still am astonished by it all.

I don't want to go into the plot too much, because it should unfold as the author intended. However, I did feel for these characters, I felt their pain and their need to be heard and loved. Though at other times I wanted to punch them both in the face. Either way, this book reached out to me and made me FEEL. Also, I feel like I accomplished something by surviving the experience, because this book was brutal at times.

At first I didn't care for the narration at all, but then I realized it was the prose that bothered me. As I said above, it takes some getting used to. Once I was more familiar with the writing style, the narration settled right into my head and this became more of a visual experience than a literary one. I'm not sure I'm making sense here, but looking at the other reviews, I don't think I'm the only one having trouble describing this book.

It's gory, heartbreaking, thrilling, cringe-inducing stuff. SKIN makes you think, it makes you face your fears, even as the characters attempt to face theirs. This tale isn't going to work for everyone, but it certainly worked for me!

Highly recommended!

*I was provided an Audible Audio code for this book by the narrator, in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*

I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing actor & audiobook narrator Matt Godfrey for Horror After Dark!

Have you every wondered if narrators read the book first before accepting a narration job? Have you wondered whether they just know how to pronounce everything or if they practice first? Your questions have been answered! I hope you'll take the time to check it out here.

 Young Erik Farrell is once again mixed up with Doctor Once in the most visually stunning issue yet!

Finding himself the subject of Doctor Once's experiments, Erik struggles not to give up and continues to fight to regain his memory. As Doctor Once tries to figure out the secret of Erik's strength, a few bits and pieces of Erik's past come to life and what a dark story it is.

The Only Living Boy series is beautifully illustrated and delivers some important messages about life, death and not giving up.

Recommended for young graphic novel lovers looking for adventure!

You can get your copy here: The Only Living Boy 3: Once Upon a Time

*I was given an advance PDF of this issue by the author to honestly review.*

After speaking with another blogger here last week, I realized that I have a lot more followers than I did about a year ago at this time. (Hello and welcome, new followers! *waving*) Being new to Char's Horror Corner might mean that you are not familiar with Valancourt Books or my love for them. 

For this reason, our interview has been re-posted at Horror After Dark and has been updated to reflect their October 2015 new releases! Click here to read it!

I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Mr. William Meikle for Horror After Dark.  

William Meikle is a Scottish writer, now living in Canada, with twenty novels published in the genre press and over 300 short story credits in thirteen countries. 

His latest novella just came out, and if you would like a chance to win an ecopy, click here.

If you're interested in our interview, click here.