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The Acrimonious: Paranormal Fictions
Welcome to Bracken......a town where tales of demonic possession, haunted houses, man-eating plants, and cursed objects abound. Where witches live among ordinary people, and nothing is as it seems.Meet the Cobblestone witches who offer magical solutions to all problems mundane or supernatural. Mistresses of magic, purveyors of potions, and tellers of the tarot. With over three hundred years of combined esoteric experience, Circe, Mortencia, and Euphoria Cobblestone promise powerful results.Learn the cost of magic when a desperate woman is granted the power to make four wishes by a mysterious stranger, and discover the consequences of keeping ghosts as pets. Encounter a real estate agent trying to sell a house she knows is haunted and gets caught up in a battle for her friend’s life.Take a glimpse into the realm of the mysterious and unexplainable with this collection of 10 stories from one of the strangest places you will ever visit.Tread carefully through this book, for things await you that have escaped the realm of nightmares and have broken free on these pages.Buy it now.
366 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2021
4 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 16, 2026
Vivid, haunting and entertaining
Going into this book, I didn’t initially realise it was a collection of short stories, which influenced how I experienced the book at first (my fault for notreading the blurp). Once that became clear, the structure made much more sense, and I began to appreciate the way each story offers a distinct glimpse into a richly imagined world.
The writing and world-building are vivid and immersive, and I often felt as though I were in the room with these unfortunate souls as their stories unfolded. While the characters largely stand on their own, I did enjoy noticing moments of overlap between stories.
I would have liked those connections to be a little more clearly signposted or developed, as I found myself wanting the threads to feel more intentional and pronounced.
Even so, the book is entertaining and atmospheric. It felt like watching an episode of Desperate Housewives reimagined with ghosts, demons, and magical creatures.
Overall, while I felt like i wanted more (especially when it came to the soul garden and ghost pets), this book was still a solid and imaginative read, and it’s always exciting to encounter such vivid speculative fiction from a local author.
Going into this book, I didn’t initially realise it was a collection of short stories, which influenced how I experienced the book at first (my fault for notreading the blurp). Once that became clear, the structure made much more sense, and I began to appreciate the way each story offers a distinct glimpse into a richly imagined world.
The writing and world-building are vivid and immersive, and I often felt as though I were in the room with these unfortunate souls as their stories unfolded. While the characters largely stand on their own, I did enjoy noticing moments of overlap between stories.
I would have liked those connections to be a little more clearly signposted or developed, as I found myself wanting the threads to feel more intentional and pronounced.
Even so, the book is entertaining and atmospheric. It felt like watching an episode of Desperate Housewives reimagined with ghosts, demons, and magical creatures.
Overall, while I felt like i wanted more (especially when it came to the soul garden and ghost pets), this book was still a solid and imaginative read, and it’s always exciting to encounter such vivid speculative fiction from a local author.
November 25, 2024
Unlike Ephemera, The Acrimonious has longer chapter storytelling, which all interlace with each other in the town of Bracken. Amongst the sinister individuals of the mysterious town, we're also introduced to the Cobblestone witches, which are some of my favorite characters to follow along with.
Yet again, it is incredibly immersive and has such a unique writing style that makes the envisioning spectacularly crisp... and just makes it impossible to stop reading!
Ephemera & The Acrimonious are most likely going to become an annual Spooktober re-read for me, and I highly recommend them if you're looking for a cozy and humorously spooktacular time.
Yet again, it is incredibly immersive and has such a unique writing style that makes the envisioning spectacularly crisp... and just makes it impossible to stop reading!
Ephemera & The Acrimonious are most likely going to become an annual Spooktober re-read for me, and I highly recommend them if you're looking for a cozy and humorously spooktacular time.
October 7, 2023
This book was literally everything I needed for spooky season, it was filled with magical charm, scary monsters, haunted houses and suspense all around!
October 16, 2021
Guys and girls,
You. Need. This. Book. In. Your. Life!!!!!!!
@kweziferguson you are a brilliant writer. I LOVED this book from beginning to the last page. I loved this book even more than I did Ephemera, your first book.
The stories tie nicely into each other, due to the characters in the book.
I wish I could give this book infinite 🌟 rating, that's how good I found it.
I'm thankful that I stumbled on a giveaway from the first book, because I would surely be missing out.
My favourite story is the last one: Familiar. I squealed from laughter. Blow after blow, so funny.
Other stories I loved, in no particular order:
Hoard
Beyond Belief
Second Hand Magic
Tender Morsels
Devoured
Something Dark and Unnatural
I'm definitely going to read more Indie books.
You. Need. This. Book. In. Your. Life!!!!!!!
@kweziferguson you are a brilliant writer. I LOVED this book from beginning to the last page. I loved this book even more than I did Ephemera, your first book.
The stories tie nicely into each other, due to the characters in the book.
I wish I could give this book infinite 🌟 rating, that's how good I found it.
I'm thankful that I stumbled on a giveaway from the first book, because I would surely be missing out.
My favourite story is the last one: Familiar. I squealed from laughter. Blow after blow, so funny.
Other stories I loved, in no particular order:
Hoard
Beyond Belief
Second Hand Magic
Tender Morsels
Devoured
Something Dark and Unnatural
I'm definitely going to read more Indie books.
October 22, 2021
4.5 stars
I love this book so so much. The perfect Halloween read.
I love this book so so much. The perfect Halloween read.
July 28, 2023
This is hands down one of my favourite horror books I've ever read!
Unlike Ephemera, all the stories in this book are actually linked and are set within the same fictional town of Bracken, full of interesting, unique, and sinister individuals.
Since the stories in this anthology are longer, you really get a feel for these different characters and this very special little town that they inhabit. I loved how certain stories referenced other stories, and it really made for such an immersive reading experience; I honestly felt like I was really there! My favourite characters had to be the Cobblestone witches of course, who are actually recurring characters that appear in multiple stories. They're so much fun and have so much personality; I could honestly do with a book entirely about them! ;)
If you are a fan of American Horror Story, Guillermo del Toro, or just horror in general, you need to pick up this book!! I would give it a million stars if I could ;)
Unlike Ephemera, all the stories in this book are actually linked and are set within the same fictional town of Bracken, full of interesting, unique, and sinister individuals.
Since the stories in this anthology are longer, you really get a feel for these different characters and this very special little town that they inhabit. I loved how certain stories referenced other stories, and it really made for such an immersive reading experience; I honestly felt like I was really there! My favourite characters had to be the Cobblestone witches of course, who are actually recurring characters that appear in multiple stories. They're so much fun and have so much personality; I could honestly do with a book entirely about them! ;)
If you are a fan of American Horror Story, Guillermo del Toro, or just horror in general, you need to pick up this book!! I would give it a million stars if I could ;)
June 25, 2025
This book comes together so perfectly. It works not just as a collection of short stories (with not a single weak one in the pile) , but as a single whole narrative as well. It is not just stories of Bracken, but also the story of Bracken. You live and breath this city by the end. At times it is terrifying at others hilarious. A must read for horror fans. I hope we get to return to Bracken in the future.
June 2, 2024
Love the book! Great stories and love how most have a tie in with the Cobblestone family! Looking forward to reading more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2022
What a read!
I’m not really one for scary stories but I loved this book! It’s a collection of short stories that are all tied together by the same characters. The stories in this book kept me on the edge of my seat.
It’s the perfect book for anyone who enjoys witchy shenanigans, magic, horror and gore. It reminded me of American Horror Story Coven and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina but in a Twilight Zone setting.
Once I started one story I couldn’t put it down until I had finished it. I found the book freaky but thought provoking and also hilarious funny in some places.
I hope to read more by this author soon! Well worth the money for an awesome, thrilling and entertaining read. I’d buy it again.
I’m not really one for scary stories but I loved this book! It’s a collection of short stories that are all tied together by the same characters. The stories in this book kept me on the edge of my seat.
It’s the perfect book for anyone who enjoys witchy shenanigans, magic, horror and gore. It reminded me of American Horror Story Coven and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina but in a Twilight Zone setting.
Once I started one story I couldn’t put it down until I had finished it. I found the book freaky but thought provoking and also hilarious funny in some places.
I hope to read more by this author soon! Well worth the money for an awesome, thrilling and entertaining read. I’d buy it again.
March 5, 2022
What a unique read! The book is a collection of short stories all set within the same universe. The twist is that all the stories end up tying up somehow, making for a very unusual anthology collection.
And I was in stitches at some parts of the book... There is no writer that can do horror comedy like this writer can!
And I was in stitches at some parts of the book... There is no writer that can do horror comedy like this writer can!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews