Book Review: An Evil Premise by T. Marie Vandelly

From the author of Theme Music, An Evil Premise offers an intriguing blend of possession, madness, and meta-fiction. The premise hooked me immediately: when Jewel’s famous sister falls into a coma after a bizarre accident, she discovers her sister’s unfinished, deeply unsettling manuscript—and decides to finish it herself. But as she writes, reality and fiction blur, her body betrays her with a strange rash, and the manuscript itself seems to be… writing back.

The plot had all the elements I love—creeping dread, psychological tension, and a story-within-a-story that promised to twist in unexpected ways. I even really enjoyed the characters.

However, I ultimately had to set this one aside before finishing. The writing style was heavy with metaphors—so much so that it often felt like each paragraph was competing to see how many could be crammed in. For me, this overshadowed the tension and pacing, making it difficult to stay immersed in the story.

That said, taste in prose is subjective, and I can see why others are enjoying it. The concept is sound, the atmosphere unsettling, and the layers of meta-fiction intriguing. If you enjoy richly metaphorical writing with your horror that plays with reality, it might be worth picking up to see for yourself.