Witch Island, by David Bernstein

Over the past couple years or so, I’ve become a fan of David Bernstein’s. He’s one of the up-and-comings in the horror genre. I know there have been cries of horror dying out over the past couple of decades, but authors like David Bernstein are proving that wrong.

Margaret Rivers has been accused as a witch, and sentenced to death, although the local priest knows she is innocent. The mob has already killed her husband, and now take her to the stake to burn her. Before she dies, she curses the town and the descendents.

Centuries later, a group of high schoolers are spending graduation night on Witch Island. Even though they’ve been warned all their lives of the witch and her curse, they know the island is the perfect place to party away from the eyes of their parents. But although they have heard the legend all their lives, the kids believe it’s just a story the adults use to keep children in line.

Unfortunately, they are very wrong in their thinking. One by one the witch will take her revenge, not stopping until every teen on the island has been brutally murdered.

While Witch Island may sound like a teen slasher movie in book form, it’s so much better than that. It has all of the charm of an old 80s movie, and reading it will bring back fond memories of those nights spent at the theater. The action isn’t all “slice and dice,” though – there are definitely some creepy moments which adds depth to what could be just a serial killer story.

This would be the perfect book to take on a camping trip to read by campfire light. I guarantee sleep would be elusive to the reader. But wherever it’s read, Witch Island is a fun story that does justice to urban legend-type stories.

Review by Sheri White