Jonathan Janz

The Sorrows, an island off the coast of northern California, and its castle have been uninhabited since a series of gruesome murders in 1925. But its owner needs money, so he allows film composers Ben and Eddie and a couple of their female friends to stay a month in Castle Blackwood. Eddie is certain a haunted castle is just the setting Ben needs to find inspiration for a horror film. But what they find is more horrific than any movie. Something is waiting for them in the castle. A malevolent being has been trapped for nearly a century. And he's ready to feed.FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launching in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

The Sorrows

Becca Futrell

A big thank you to Flame Tree Press and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of The Sorrows by Jonathan Janz in exchange for an honest review! 

Gosh, I have been meaning to pick up a Jonathan Janz novel for the past couple of months; especially with all the hype that came with The Siren and the Specter (which, yes — this will definitely be my next Jonathan Janz read). So, I’m extremely thankful that I was given the opportunity to read & review the recently re-published The Sorrows. The Sorrows is Jonathan Janz’s first book & was originally published in 2012, but as of December 4th, it’s been re-published with Flame Tree Press.

Ben Shadeland and Eddie Blaze, have been given the job of a lifetime — Lee Stanley wants them to score his upcoming big-budget horror film. Unfortunately, Ben is feeling very uninspired after his divorce and custody battle that he hasn’t written a note of music. Maybe a month spent in Castle Blackwood, a property resting on the Sorrows, will trigger some inspiration. What they run into though is a lot scarier than any horror film they’ve seen.

Before we begin, I would like to place a disclaimer here that states that I don’t frighten very easy. I practically eat horror for breakfast, lunch & dinner — & it’s been like that for as long as I could remember. So, when entering a horror novel or film, I can’t rate it on the fear factor alone. However, if you are looking for a scream — I have heard from others (& very trusted friends) that The Sorrows is actually quite terrifying.

I, on the other hand, am looking more at the disturbing factor; which, yes, Jonathan Janz nails it in The Sorrows. & this is definitely not an insult, but instead very high praise coming from me. One thing I love about good horror is that it stays with you for days, sometimes even weeks or years. I know that for a fact, there are some scenes in The Sorrows that I’m going to keep thinking about & for that I say, good job Jonathan Janz.

There are some issues that I had with The Sorrows; I didn’t quite enjoy the journal entries/flashback scenes, but towards the end of the book, these scenes are very much needed to tell the story. Also, why were all the men complete pieces-of-shit?! I guess I’m not throwing this shade at Ben (get it? Shade.. Shadeland, okay bye), but more so at every other man that arrives on the scene. Specifically, I have so much hate & anger towards Eddie. But, alas, this was also needed to add to the story. & because of that, I again salute Jonathan Janz — because even the parts that left a vile taste in my mouth turned out really well.

On top of my opinion on the men in The Sorrows, we truly get to know all of the characters in this book; especially during the beginning. Although I can’t say this was my favorite portion (give me violence! give me action!), it did not feel as if it dragged at all, and before the conflict reared its ugly head, I felt as if I knew all of the characters personally.

In the final act of The Sorrows, there is so much occurring & so many antagonists come out to play. This is probably the last 40% of the novel, and quite easily, my favorite part of the read. When you think everything is fine & dandy, another issue arises from the corners & it just keeps going. During this time, you also see Claire grow in strength. When originally meeting her, she appears to suffer from low self-esteem, shyness, etc. etc. But, by the end, she a bad bitch & I absolutely love her.

— & to sum everything up, wow, I didn’t realize how passionate I was about The Sorrows by Jonathan Janz until writing this review. I strongly recommend this read for anyone who loves horror & being hella disturbed.

The Sorrows

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