When 10-year-old Lydia received a mysterious doll on her stoop, she never dreamed it would become the catalyst for a perilous adventure. Although new to town, and shunned by the locals, she can’t dispel their whispers of an ancient creature dwelling beneath the still waters. Some dismiss the creature’s existence, while others insist that the very fabric of their town, from its flora to its fauna, is under the influence of the Lurker. Faced with tragedy, Lydia’s doll becomes a beacon of hope. But who gifted it, and can it protect her from the town’s oldest resident? As Lydia grapples with the enigma of her doll and the dark forces that surround her, she forms an alliance with Jaxson, a cursed boy whose own destiny is entwined with the town’s secrets. Together, they embark on a journey to resist the otherworldly influence of the Lurker. Can Lydia and Jaxson defy the odds and unravel the mystery before succumbing to the sinister will of this ancient entity?
Dark bleatings, my wonderful tribe. Today I’m here to briefly summarise and comment on the story of a little girl called Lydia. Her homelife with her parents isn’t the greatest, especially after moving out to what is essentially a swamp. She finds a doll that looks just like her and takes it home, and her parents freak out and toss it. An old, mysterious lady, Mama LeFleur, turns up to protest this, and Lydia’s parents slam the door in her face.
Mostly, this story made me a bit sad. To me, it’s essentially about a lonely little girl. She lives somewhere murky, her parents aren’t exactly her best friends, she’s an only child, and when she finally does bond with another kid, his dad doesn’t approve and tells her to stay away. My heart was constantly breaking for this poor kid.
I enjoyed the mystery of the location, Mama, and the shady behaviour and attitudes of some of the characters, but felt this could have been tightened a little and possibly cut just a little bit shorter. It meanders just a tad in a few places, but for the most part it does plod along at a fair pace.
My favourite thing about it was the ending – which, if you’ve read this, you’ll probably think I’m an sick lunatic for – because I really appreciate an author that isn’t afraid to go to certain places in service of the story, and it goes where it feels like it should.
I’d recommend this to fans of creepy, mysterious, potentially supernatural horror stories. If you’d like to check out the book or the author, there are links below for you:
THERE’S SOMETHING HERE FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE
Bleeeeeeat!
Happy Goat Horror 
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