55232345._sy475_Rashell’s brother has vanished. When the local villagers express no concern, she enlists the help of a stranger from a faraway city to find Teth.

Investigator Derrik discovers the people worship a massive stone known as the Amethyst. Even more bizarre, an ancient relic of a mummy fuels their reverence.

Given limited time, Rashell and Derrik confront these mysterious elements at play, all the while striving to uncover what happened to Rashell’s brother.

Source Format Pages Publisher Genre Publication Date
Storytellers on Tour ebook 133 indie Fantasy (New Weird) September 24th, 2020

Welcome, welcome! You have reached a book tour stop for Amethyst by Jesse Nolan Bailey via Storytellers on Tour. For all of the stops on this journey [CLICK HERE]

If I can ever resist a book cover with an ominous feel and a skull, hell will freeze over. Thus, with my visual senses tempted, I dove into the story and… well, it definitely was an episode of a creepy kind.

Reverence has a big place at the core of this story. Reverence towards Amethyst and the associated existing supernatural, in this weird village, in this dedicated cult. The whole place boggles the mind, and yet, there are those who would do its bidding. Heck, protect it. Even though it clearly is harmful. It is this place that oozes ominous, that the story takes us.

Teth, brother to Rashell, is missing. And as she gets no answers as to where he has gone, nor any help from any of the villagers to help her locate him, Rashell invites a paranormal investigator in. Through investigator Derrik’s eyes the reader is then introduced to the whole bizarro vibe of the village and its population, and the ways in which they live. A population which in its entirety is a cult, headed by a strict leader. Newcomers aren’t really welcomed and are heavily distrusted until they go through some kind of rituals which are bordering on the otherworldly and completely terrifying.

The forthcoming rite would be a holy pain. A blessing to be one with the Oracle’s mind. A sign of loyalty to the Amethyst.

Obviously, I cannot say more about the investigation or details surrounding it, because that would just be spoiling the story. But I can say more about the overall feel:

Scenes and moments within the story were described in flourishing detail. This detail amazed me, because it told me that Bailey has some incredible visual material to base his settings on. The descriptions weren’t rushed and their true purpose was indeed to create this weird otherworldly vibe. In fact, the more I let myself truly imagine what author had intended, I was positively creeped.

Due to the shorter nature of this story, we do not get the whole kit and caboodle of all the characters, the world where the village exists but make no mistake, there is something seedy and harmful happening. We will find out some interesting facts about the sibling relationship in between Rashell and Teth – the importance of her finding him, the motivation driving her.

There were a few moments where Rashell and Derrik both aggravated me for various reasons which pushed the dialogue and story flow into repetition or slowness. These being the only setbacks of the story that didn’t gel with my personal preference. It felt like the obvious was staring our investigation in the eye, and yet no dots were connected. But. Having said that, it’s not the process of investigation that is the core of the story. It’s the purpley haze of the village, dragging you into a nightmarish zone pulsating with tons of ominous vibes. And once we realize the fate of Rashell’s brother, something much, much bigger will take place.

When nature rages, it often can be a beautiful fury.

The last quarter or so of the story picks up pace in noticeable strides and becomes a sort of frenzy of horrific glimpses of death and survival and future truths. Ultimately, there are winners and losers in this particular village, the surrounding forest and the cult revels in these parts. But who will walk away from the endgame this time- the victim or the monster?