Bookseller Reviews
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Add this to your Horror TBR!
Wow! Itch is a ruthless combination of the occult, folklore, trauma and revenge!
I've been reading a lot of horror recently, but this specific type of h... READ MORE
A viscerally raw horror folktale, unflinching in its descriptions!
ITCH! is a hauntingly disturbing tale of folklore, the occult, trauma and the devastating toll mental and physical abuse can have. The plot follows Josie, ... READ MORE
A MUST read for your Halloween TBR!
ITCH! follows Josie, who returns to her tradition-obsessed small town after leaving an abusive relationship. Her recovery is put on hold when she stumbles ... READ MORE
Who's the Heretic Now
There I was sitting in my second hand armchair, a steaming mug of chai in my hands while a storm raged outside as I prepared to start this book. I have onl... READ MORE
A hauntingly grotesque tale of trauma, small town secrets and…. bugs.
After leaving her violently abusive marriage, Josie moves back to her small hometown on the edge of The Forest of Dean. What ensues after is not the escape... READ MORE
Thrilling Page Turner!
"She became newly convinced the dead body she found that afternoon in the forest did not belong to a woman called Laurel Howell at all. Instead, she has, i... READ MORE
Folk Horror perfection
A perfect blend of mysterious folk horror themes and complicated family dynamics. Gemma Amor’s writing is absolutely captivating as well. Perfect October r... READ MORE
disgusting, i loved it
As someone that spent a great deal of their youth in a small village with its own strange annual traditions, Itch was scary (ha) in its familiarity. I knew... READ MORE
A Brilli-ant folk horror tale!
A feminist folk horror bug book?
You know i had to read it.
The folktale aspects of this book were everything i wanted and more, I absolutely adored... READ MORE
Demons are made not born
A vivid community horror that blends olde English folklore with man’s ever present need to dominate and destroy. Filled with feminist rage, Gemma Amor has ... READ MORE
Synopsis
Josie is at rock bottom, living a haunted existence after returning to her isolated hometown on the edge of the Forest of Dean. But the tall, dense pine trees are not the only things casting shadows across her skin.
When Josie stumbles across a decaying, ant-infested body in the woods, she plummets into a downward spiral, facing uncomfortable truths about the victim and her own past - all whilst battling a growing infestation of her mind . . . and her flesh.
Desperate to solve the case, Josie scratches the surface of an age-old mystery - a masked predator stalks the forest around Ellwood, a place deeply gripped by folklore.
As the village prepares for its annual festival, Josie gets closer and closer to unveiling a monster, and begins to ask herself: Are these dark crawling insects leading her to uncover the truth? Or is she their next victim?
Publisher information
- Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
- ISBN: 9781399745406
- Number of pages: 352
- Dimensions: 194 x 128 x 24 mm
- Weight: 245g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allBuilt around a backbone of sinister folklore and trauma
Itch! is a story about dead girls, uncanny traditions and personal trauma. Taking place around The Forest of Dean, the story combines rural horror with a m... READ MORE
Makes your skin crawl
Well if you want a horror that will make your skin crawl this one is for you. ITCH! is very heavy in emotional, physiological and physical abuse so definit... READ MORE
Folk Horror at its Best
“I just walked straight into a swarm—and I want to go back.”
Josie Ashford didn't return to her childhood home looking for horror, but she found it wait... READ MORE
The PERFECT halloween read!
The day after a small village tradition of throwing a straw effigy of a woman from a tall cliff into the forest below, Jodie comes across the rotting corps... READ MORE
This folk horror will get under your skin…literally!
Following the traumatic ending of an abusive relationship, Josie returns to her small, rural, hometown of Ellwood, looking to rebuild her life, her confide... READ MORE
Murder Mystery with Ants
ITCH! was a bit of a mixed bag for me! The plot kicks off with Josie finding a dead body in the woods near her house. The traumatic discovery dredges up pa... READ MORE
“Autumn is trying to get in… can you hear her?”
This book got under my skin! Set deep in the Forest of Dean, Itch! follows Josie as she returns home after escaping an abusive relationship - only to find ... READ MORE
A gripping and flesh crawling yarn.
Gemma is a voice, new to me, but one I’ll be making sure to keep track of for the future.
A harrowing yet fulfilling journey filled with bugs, folk hor... READ MORE
Heartfelt and scary
I'm grateful to the publisher for giving me access to an advance e-copy of Itch to consider for review.
"It looked like something from a fairytale about... READ MORE
A great folk horror mystery
It took me a while to get into the story because I found Josie a little unlikeable at first, and difficult to relate to, but about a quarter of the way in ... READ MORE
An atmospheric horror set in the Forest of Dean
A beautifully written and atmospheric book with many threads. Murder and gore but also complex and interesting characters which keep you guessing to the e... READ MORE
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