The Worst is Yet to Come by S.P. Miskowski #bookreview

For most of her fourteen years, Tasha Davis has languished in the rural-suburban town of Skillute, Washington. Her parents offer plenty of comfortable—if stifling—emotional support, but what she needs is a best friend.

In her final year at Clark Middle School, Tasha meets a strange, new classmate. Briar Kenny is the self-styled rebel Tasha wants to be, and the Davises are the kind of close-knit family Briar covets. A moment of unexpected violence spawns a secret between the two girls and awakens a mystery from the past.

Unknown to Tasha and Briar, their secret also attracts something monstrous from a forgotten corner of Skillute. The town is haunted by its history, scarred with the lingering spirit of broken and scattered families, abandoned real estate ventures, and old scores never settled between neighbors. But there’s more to the place than memory and legend. Beneath the landscape something malignant rages, and it will stop at nothing to find a route into the physical world.

Title: The Worst is Yet to Come Author: S.P. Miskowski | Publisher: Trepidatio Publishing | Pub. Date: 2019-22-02  | Pages: 208  | ISBN: 9781947654464 | Genre: Horror  | Language: English  | Triggers:  None | Rating:  4 out 5 | Source: Received a copy from author for review consideration

The Worst is Yet to Come Review

I have a deep and abiding love for beautiful and clever book covers. Yes, I know – the story is important – but when they are well done, so much is added to the overall experience of reading. The cover art created by Mikio Murakami is remarkable. After reading, I saw the subtle connections between the cover and what unraveled in the writing.

This book is set in the town of Skillute, Washington,  a place that Miskowski has used for several other stories as well. I have heard it is unnecessary to read others to fully experience this story, and I certainly didn’t feel as if I was left in the dark by any means.  I do want to explore the other Skillute titles because I enjoyed this story and I take delight in finding little connections and nuances between books based in the same universe

Miskowski’s writing isn’t gimmick-y and even in the early form of the novel I experienced, it is a smooth read. Characterization is spot-on – the teenage girls, Tasha and Briar, are portrayed true to life. Even the most despicable characters (here’s looking at you, RAY) are lifelike, convincing, and their actions suit the person we come to know. As a reader, this is important to me. Nothing pulls me out of a story faster than established characters behaving in ways that are the complete opposite of who I know them to be.  Thankfully, as crazy and wild as things get in TWIYTC, Miskowski retains this sense of creepy realism she has so carefully crafted.

There are a couple of places in which the narrative lost something for me.  In particular, there is one chapter regarding the politics of two different areas, Seattle and Skillute. It could be intended to add to the sense of “otherness” the Davis family has. It DID work, but the way it was laid out removed me from the storyline a bit.  I struggled to see why it was presented in this way while everything else is woven in so delicately.

Finally, as I compose this review, I have been flipping back through the story to check character names and quotes I previously highlighted. In doing so, I caught myself skimming over sections, re-reading them in a sense, and I am picking up a mountain of hints that lead to the major points of this novel. I caught none of them when I first read the novel because it is so carefully crafted. I think a re-read may be in my future just so I can marvel at how this storyline comes together. It boasts an insidious horror that is personal, societal, psychological, and supernatural.

This book releases on February 22, 2019 – be sure to get your hands on this one.

This book is available (for pre-order) at: BetterWorldBooks | Kobo | Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N | Waterstones