A Box Full of Darkness, Simone St. James (Review by Kristin Kurek)

My Oura ring warns me that my sleep latency is poor and that I should go to bed earlier. So, what’s keeping me up at night? This terrifying tale by Simone St. James has me shaking in my boots and jumping at every noise.

Three siblings, Violet, Vail, and Dodie, live with the uncertainty of their little brother Ben’s disappearance during a game of hide-and-seek nearly twenty years ago. They receive news that the ghost of a boy has appeared at their childhood home and has asked that they “come home.” The three siblings meet at their childhood home to unravel the mystery of what happened to their brother. Upon returning, they begin being haunted by different visions and dreams that they experienced in childhood. The terror is connected to the house. What happened to Ben? Is he haunting them? Or are they haunted by something far more sinister?

The terror that I experienced while reading this book increased and decreased, but it was never “zero.” Even the story-building elements of the book were unsettling. Despite the constant horror elements in this book, the prose was absolutely beautiful. The vivid imagery drew me into the story such that I could feel the cold mist on my skin and smell the dark tepid water.

Horror is not usually a chosen genre for me, but this book was escapism at it’s finest. I could not stress about daily life while reading; I was completely engaged. This book is the second book by Simone St. James to take place in Fell, New York, but it is not a sequel. I did not read The Sun Down Motel before reading A Box Full of Darkness, but that did not impact the story. (You better believe that I’ll be reading The Sun Down Motel immediately!)

Pick up this stunning book and prepare to sleep with the lights on!