My week started on a happy note indeed, this week, when I was notified that I was one of the winner's in Ilse V Rensburg's giveaway on Instagram! No more blue Monday!

I received her short story, Blood Sipper, for my eReader, in very short order; here are my thoughts.

Please note: because it's a short story, I'll be using a 3 star rating instead of the 5 star rating I normally use.

"The scariest monsters are the ones that lurk within our souls..." ~ Edgar Allan Poe

Synopsis

In this short novelette, Victorian London has been plagued by numerous murders where the victims, all fallen women, have had their entrails removed and their throats slit. Five ghastly murders stand out, leaving one to wonder; does the devil walk among us?

This is not a story of the Canonical Five, this is a ghastly tale of the beast behind the murders and what becomes of him.

General Information

Genre : Horror / Thriller
eBook : 33 pages
ISBN13 : 9780620792738
Publisher : Sera Blue Publishing
Author : Ilse V Rensburg

Review

• SPOILER ALERT * SPOILER ALERT * SPOILER ALERT*

First, let me say that Ilse is a new author for me and that I absolutely love being surprised with excellent writing; being a fellow South African makes it even more special for me.

I couldn't take my eyes away from the story, except twice when I had to check on the pots bubbling away, and I devoured it right quick! I even read some of it twice, just to absorb the ambiance a little better or appreciate the drama more. The only problem I have with it, is that it was over way too quickly!

“My soul has been severed in two, like Yin and Yang, these parts interlace. Only, both are beasts.”

More than the story itself though, I felt totally drawn into the unnamed man's world; I felt the dado against my back, smelt the old cigar smoke on the air. The world in this story may be small, maybe a block or two, but it is truly well defined; by the end of the story, you don't really care where you are, though, because of what is happening.

There is just the right amount of thriller mixed with a good dollop of drama tinged by just a hint of curiosity; asking the question, "What's happening?"

The ending reveals the man in full, and we realise that there was indeed a hint or two in the story, and brings a powerful closure to a gripping story.

If you're a fan of Jack the Ripper, a hanger-on of Dracula, a scion for the darker side of nature, I highly recommend this story to you. I loved it!!!

Expect great things from this author!

From The Author's Mouth : Mini Interview

"Blood Sipper actually started as a short story for my degree. I wanted to write something that would truly wow my markers...

...and I needed to step out of my comfort zone, which is more Fantasy."

I asked Ilse what the inspiration and drive was behind the story and it, too, does not disappoint.

"Horror is really not my thing! Which is weird because my book I'm working on currently, Talisman (you heard it here first! lol), is also a Horror, lol."

"I've always been interested in unsolved mysteries and Jack the Ripper is definitely one. I love Vampire stories, the old kind - Anne Rice Vampires, etc. And so I decided that Jack could very well have been someone who suffered from a mental illness and who was turned in order to cure him, only it made his hunger worse and thus the Ripper was born."

Find Ilse on FaceBook & Instagram

I have also posted this review on our FaceBook pages, so please go round and leave a like or comment there, too.

I will most certainly be keeping my eye on this Author and I will bring you more whenever I can. Until next time...

Keep smiling.