Following the death of her husband in Iraq a year earlier, Susan and her six-year-old daughter Christine move to Porter Mines in Maryland for a fresh start. At first everything seems idyllic as Susan gets to grips with doing up her new home. But Christine soon becomes unsettled and frightened after claiming to have seen a witch outside her bedroom window one night.

Susan too begins to experience strange phenomena inside her house — a flash of movement from the corner of her eye; a shadowy form in the hallway. She begins to realise she's unwittingly placed her daughter's life in terrible danger.

With an appealing book cover that literally jumps off the shelf, I really enjoyed Cursed by Richard Schiver. I thought it was cleverly plotted and well-paced. I should point out that even though the text contains numerous malapropisms, I didn't find them too distracting.

Characters were developed to a good degree and despite stereotypes creeping in, most were believable. The story wasn't scary (or perhaps I'm too hardcore lol) and it certainly wasn't gory. But here's the thing — I really didn't mind! It stood up on its own without the bloodshed and carnage I've come to expect from this genre. It was very entertaining and reminiscent of the 1980s horror I read as a teenager.

This spooky story is definitely a chilling tale. After the death of her husband Susan decided to have a new start with her daughter Christine, moving from house to house to a renovated farmhouse in Porter Mines. Christine knew something was wrong and no one believed her when she started coming up with stories of seeing a witch. The witch kept trying her to open the window... eeek!

Every town has their secrets. This town has many of them. Or should I say, many unsolved mysteries. Many children over the years are missing, no bodies, and no leads. The 60 year old sheriff is stressed and tired but still finds the urge to try and solve these cases. They haunt him. He knows that many years ago when children slowly started to disappear that there were rumors of a witch. He figured they were just rumors started by parents to get kids to listen to them. "You better listen or else the witch will come and take you away." Little did he know that legend is true. A cursed witch is out for vengeance against all those who hurt her. Can Susan save her daughter from the past? This story was just what I needed for Halloween time. It was creepy and exciting. I felt like I was Christine at parts and my adrenaline was high. I also felt for Susan and all anxiety she felt.

This title is to be released on October 20th and I would definitely recommend it for a great spooky Halloween story. Curl up on the couch with this book, a cup or hot chocolate and some comfy blankets. Make sure the lights are on. And behave, or else...

One, two, the witch is due.
Three, four, she’s at the door.
Five, six, who will she pick?
Seven, eight, at night she waits.
Nine, ten, don’t let her in.

Porter Mines is a New England town with some history. Many of the town’s inhabitants can trace their roots back to the original founders of the outpost at the edge of the wilderness that began as Porter Mines. Gossip, superstition, and accusations riddle the founders to do an unspeakable deed that will cost them for generations to come.

The story centers on Susan and her daughter, Christine. Susan is looking for a fresh start after the loss of her husband to the war overseas. She decides to move back toward her childhood home to start fresh and raise Christine. She soon recalls the tale of The Witch of Porter Mines and feels she has to do whatever she can to protect Christine as the Witch collects her due.

This is a fantastic story! Richard Schiver knows how to build a world to immerse the reader and then throw in the suspense to catch you off guard! There were a few chapters I had to put the book down and catch my breath. This is a page turner that’s was extremely hard to put down.