Horror Book of the Week: The Root Witch

 

This week's HORROR BOOK OF THE WEEK is The Root Witch by Debra Castaneda.

The book was released in September 2022 by Second Rodeo Books.

The book currently holds the number three position on the bestsellers list for Ghost Suspense and Ghost Thrillers.

The user reviews are mostly positive, with many praising the book for having a tense atmosphere and likeable characters.

Quick Review (based on sample)

The book immediately pulls you in and get you involved in the story.

The writing flows well and the descriptions pull you in.

However, the first chapter doesn't offer anything new where horror is concerned.

You may have seen plenty of movie with the same opening.

Someone hears a noise. They either inspect it or choose to ignore it, only to walk straight into the clutches of the antagonist.

The next few chapters take some time to focus on the main theme but you will still find yourself engrossed and relate to the characters.

The Plot (Taken from Amazon.com)

A beautiful forest. A terrifying legend.

It’s 1986. Two strangers, hundreds of miles apart, grapple with disturbing incidents in a one-of-a-kind quaking aspen forest.

Knox is a new Forest Service ranger assigned to a vast, remote territory in Utah.

Sandy is a producer fighting for her place in a tough TV newsroom.

Both have heard about the shadowy figure believed to menace visitors to the forest. When a man disappears and reports of the Root Witch begin coming in, Knox and Sandy are plunged into a living nightmare.

Their lives converge on Halloween. Sandy sends a news crew to investigate the sightings. But when the team goes missing, and a shocking video surfaces revealing the ghastly truth, Knox and Sandy face the biggest decision of their lives.

This novel is based on a short story, "The Root Witch: An Urban Legend Caught on Tape."

Content warning: Animal death; anxiety; profanity.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debra Castaneda grew up in the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California. She wrote her first story in the fifth grade, a bloody murder mystery she handed in as an English assignment. After a career as a journalist in radio and TV, she now devotes her time to writing horror and dark fiction. Her novella, "The Monsters of Chavez Ravine", is an International Latino Book Awards gold medal winner. She's an active member of the Horror Writers Association.

When she’s not in her tiny office writing, you can find her taking long walks, making Mexican food, binge-watching creepy shows, and texting her two daughters. She lives with her husband in Capitola, California.

You can buy the book on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback formats.