BOOK REVIEW: Thorne Manor ...And Other Bizarre Tales

I was recently lucky enough to review a couple of Diane Wing's books, the first being Thorne Manor...And Other Bizarre Tales.  I originally intended and expected it to take a while to read this book, with seven kids, time is not always on my side. After the kids went to bed, I opened the book to start on the first short story. When all was said and done, I had read the whole thing! Yes, I stayed up all night and read it from cover to cover.

Thorne Manor and other bizarre tales takes you on a journey through madness with haunted people and places. The reader enters a reality where the world only appears normal – underlying is a dark world of occult influence, dangerous beliefs, and fearsome energies.

The first short story turned out to be my favorite, which also is the longest of the seven stories in this book. "Thorne Manor" is about a young woman who is trying to separate from her old life, including an abusive ex-husband, and moving on towards her own goals and dreams. Her first step was to find a new home, that she could also run her business ventures out of.

With help from a friend and real estate agent, Heather decides that Thorne Manor is her perfect place to begin her journey. Even though her friend does everything to discourage Heather's choice, Heather is drawn to Thorne Manor. She will do anything to obtain possession of this home, no matter if there are unseen forces looming in the home or if she has to strike up a deal with her shady ex-husband.

Go ahead and read how Heather's dream home becomes her "dream house of nightmares"{quote taken from Chapter 5} Does Heather succeed in her mission of living in the home and having a successful business? Or does Thorne Manor and its "ghostly" habitants get the last say?

The next six short stories were just as fascinating as the first. Each of these short stories were only a few pages long. Amazingly, Diane was able to develop strong characters and plot in a short amount of time. The ability to do this is undoubtedly very difficult, being drawn into each story within a paragraph or two.

Here is a little about each of these stories, without revealing any surprises;

Guardian at the Gate is about a determined demon that surfaces to take over the world. The demon gets more than he bargains for, in this seemingly innocent barber-shop of horror. This short story makes me really question the simple things, like plywood lying in the street. 

The Black Sheep is a tale about a very troubled girl, named Amy, she decides that listening to her new spirit "friend" is better than her own psychotherapist. What danger can result in listening to her new "friend", changing her dress, and visiting the bar? See how Amy's life is changed forever with just those factors.

The Quiet Neighbors: This short story begins with an average housewife, that becomes a bit more annoyed by her husband as each day passes. The neighborhood complain and wonders why the housewife no longer keeping up the dilapidated home. What everyone learns in this story is "Reading ALL the directions" is very important when using witchcraft. Follow this housewife in her dealings with her first spell casting and pay close attention to the directions.

By Invitation Only: When a person loves and relies on their pet so much, it becomes too much to bare when these pets pass on. Loretta loved Toby this much, but see what happens when her dreams finally comes true. What comes of her dreams and wishes to see Toby again? Read and find out what Loretta is confronted with, is it evil or good? Only you can decide.

Dream State is where you meet Judith, you get to follow her transformation from meek to powerful. The power she gets from her dreams is life-changing, but are they only dreams?

Good Riddence is where Justin's hatred for cats becomes more than he can handle. See how Justin deals with this stray cat and the outcome of his actions.

By the time the last page was turned, bizarre is really a good word to use in the title of the book. Personally, I have yet to find an author that can develop a good plot and characters that you connect with in a few pages. Reading these short stories, you never know how they will end up, the guessing was half the fun.

Diane's books are available for purchased through the following venues:

Buy it for Kindle on Amazon

Barnes & Noble has it available for Nook

Buy it on Kobo

If your interested in more book, items, or services that Diane has to offer, I highly recommend visiting her website. On her website you can find books, Insight Stones, Candles, and much more!

Sign-up for her newsletter and receive a free copy of her new e-book "How To Release Your Inner Magik".  There is a bunch of interesting things to explore on her website.


****Disclosure I was given one or more products to review, usually stated within the review. The opinions and comments are entirely my own or my children's, our opinions of a product are not swayed by how we obtained the product. All views expressed are completely honest and truthful.