Cool Ghouls Book Club

Where has Garrett Cook been all my life? This story, his writing, this book…it is one of the most engrossing books I’ve read in a while. I don’t know if all of his books are as well written as this one, but I plan to find out.

Shannon is an art student plagued by self-doubt brought on by life experience and interactions with peers and skeevy professors. She’s had to fight for recognition her entire life. One day her gross art professor brings a set of charcoals to class that is rumored to be made out of the cremains of the notorious artist Thomas Kemp, aka The Libertine. He spooks the class and then dares Shannon to pick them up and draw in front of the class. She does so reluctantly, but instantly finds she has gotten into something way bigger than she expected. She comes back to the professor to use the charcoals again and again and finds herself doing things she never thought she would do. Maybe there’s something to the legend of the Libertine and the charcoals he left behind. All that’s certain is that Shannon can never go back. Everything comes with a cost.

If you are into splatterpunk and extreme horror but yearn for something more literary, Charcoal might be right up your alley. I loved everything about this book, from the well written story to the Audible narration to the cover art.

I was gifted an Audible code from Fright Night Audio. All views expressed here are my own. Terri Lynne Hudson did a great job narrating this book. She effectively portrayed the Shannon’s inner turmoil, keeping me on edge right with her. I rarely have so few words to say about a book I loved so much. Go read it.