For just a moment, can we step back admire the artistic endeavor that is the cover to Bottled by Stephanie Ellis? Drink it in, pun very much intended. Now onto the chilling vintage within.

This is something of a quiet horror novel, at least until it's not anymore. Our main character is Tyler, who finds himself needing to spend one night in his grandfather's house, as part of a stipulation in his will. We've definitely been down this road before in some way, shape, or form. I anticipated early on that the lion's share would take place during that one night, and Stephanie Ellis would be taking me through a Dickensian series of events to either shape or destroy the protagonist.

The atmosphere that Ellis creates here is bleak and tense, but also very thoughtful. From the outset of Bottled, we understand that Tyler's grandfather was not a good person and the grandfather-grandson relationship is necessarily complicated. As we make our way through the house, we encounter themes of fate, destiny, family, and evil. Our journey is rife with hallucinogenic horror, and leaves us questioning, and at times, doubting our narrator in a way that doesn't resort to tropes revolving around unreliable narrators.

The third act of Bottled doubles down on the grim, dreary tones explored early on. It then leaves the reader with a sense of desolation, as well as some seriously gruesome imagery that will imprint itself upon your psyche. Stephanie Ellis has crafted, top to bottom, a consistent portrait which fits nicely into the sub genre of gothic horror.

I was given an e-book of this title by the publisher for review consideration.