“He told me he liked to bottle his spirits, see them build their own prisons. He wanted a collection such as ours. That was his price and I paid it willingly. For my husband, my children, their future, as any.”

2020 was a year that offered a significant amount of grim literature for ones taking. ‘Bottled’ is a somewhat overlooked novella that fits this category.

Tyler is an alcoholic who still lives with his mother, and much to his detest, is forced to accept his grandfather’s inheritance, which includes a freakish mansion in the English countryside. His grandfather’s request is that he spends one night in the old house and everything is his. There’s a lot of reluctance in meeting this demand-Tyler has dark memories of abuse and neglect that occurred inside the mansion-but is forced to partake in the horrific endeavor to satisfy is greedy relatives.

The illusory atmosphere presented in ‘Bottled’ is a blend of fairy tails, flashbacks, and silent horror. The overall tone is gray and gloomy, and becomes slightly spoiled only when Tyler becomes inebriated . I guess that’s where the purpose of his visit were truly revealed, and we learn about a family curse that keeps the story on pace, but there were moments where even I felt like I was drunk while reading this.

The ending was actually pretty damn scary and I can’t quite get the haunting visualizations that I discerned after finishing this.

Thanks to NetGalley and SilverShamrock publications for the free ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley & Silver Shamrock Publishing for providing me with a copy of Bottled in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 65%

I really didn't want to DNF Bottled, but it's a novella & it's been sitting on my currently reading for about a month & I have 0 interest in picking it up again. It's 2021, and I'm not forcing myself to finish something that I'm not enjoying this year.

There are some scenes that were fairly creepy & the idea was pretty original. However, I just didn't care about anything happening. I'm looking forward to trying out some of Stephanie Ellis' other work in the future.

this was a really spooky read that was perfect for Halloween time, the atmosphere is great and it gave me the chills. It was a really good read.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book to review.

Bottled
by Stephanie Ellis

Creepy Good Read !
Tyler's grandfather leaves him an inheritance that he dreads, an old family home filled with dark and disturbing secrets. After spending years drinking away his childhood memories of the place, he finally agrees to return back to claim his inheritance and uncover what his grandfather has hidden in those frightening bottles.
This was a unique story that kept me reading.

First, I’d like to thank Netgalley and Silver Shamrock for allowing me to read and review a copy of this novella.

I’ll start this out saying that Bottled wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. The premise was an original spin on a classic horror trope. Tyler, our protagonist, returns home after the death of his grandfather to discover that he’s inherited the very house he hated so much as a child. There are awful memories buried within that house, memories Tyler would rather not dig up. To his detriment, he decides to stay in the house one last time. What could it hurt, right? He really should have listened to that initial uneasy gut feeling that told him to stay away. There are more than just bad memories buried within those walls. Terror lives there and it has been waiting for Tyler to return.

So, while I didn’t exactly love this book, there were things that did stand out to me. The atmosphere Stephanie Ellis created is chilling and oppressive. The house is almost a character itself. Ellis has a talent for crafting a haunting setting, and she really puts the reader firmly with the story. Unfortunately, I never really grew to like Tyler. I find it difficult to really enjoy a story if I’m not inclined to root for the main character. Despite that, I would definitely read more from Ellis in the future.

I enjoyed this story. The characters were real. Tyler had problems but he was very realistic as was his wife and mother. The story flows easily. The writing is very good. I would sit down to just read a little and look up and it was a couple hours later. I liked the story. It was really interesting. I liked the some things were not explained. I would certainly read more by this author.

<b><i>Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review</i></b>

I didn't like this very much. It is the story of a man returning to his grandfathers old house. Once he arrives, strange things begin to happen and learns there is more to the house than he thought.

The ideas in this story are cool, but they aren't new. Houses as a living force are something I've seen several times before (e.g. the Shining, the Good House, White is for Witching, etc.), and that is the foundation to what we see here. In fact, the nature of the house felt similar to White is for Witching, by Helen Oyeyimi. That was more gothic than horror, but it was still creepier than Bottled. Not once did I feel more than mildly turned off (by "disturbing" scenes). Couple that with a series of characters I never grew to care about and we get a big waste of my time.

That sounds harsh, but it feels apt. This short novella, barely over a 100 page, felt overly long. How a novella should feel too long is beyond me. Time and time again I thought we were seeing a natural ending approaching, but Ellis continued to prolong the story. That is representative of her heavy handed story-line. Little to nothing is left to the readers imagination in this satanic tale.

I see a lot of good reviews for this, so maybe you will like it. Clearly it just wasn't for me.
2/5 stars

Bottled is a horror novella about a family that has a gift for creating life-like scenes within the confines of miniature bottles. It is a twisting and disturbing story which focus is on a family legacy that is forced upon each generation. Tyler is the main character, and he has inherited his grandfather’s estate. There is one condition: Tyler must stay a night in his grandfather’s cursed home. Once there, he revisits the nightmares that used to plague him when he was a child.

What I appreciated most is Stephanie Ellis’s descriptive writing. She sets up scenes that are both magical and horrific. There is a dreamlike quality to how she describes Tyler’s experiences within the house. However, if you are squeamish when it comes to bugs, you will want to steer clear. Those scenes affected me more than anything.

First off, i wanted to thank NetGalley for the ARC ebook edition....however,I am so so sorry i forgot to leave feedback! So here goes.

For this book only being a short 126 page Novella I was disappointed that it was not a 600 page book. Yes, the story of Tyler, his son Paul, his grandfather and his keeper; Mrs. Waites, hooks you in, then suddenly STOPS! This is a well, thought of but a slow burn horror story of a young boy, Tyler who is demanded to visit his grandfather as a child and he hates it....everything about it; the house, the house keeper, the grounds scare him, but the Bottles Dont! These 'bottles' each contain a different and amazing little scene or 'world inside' each one, which makes Tyler almost obsessed with them. When his Grandfather dies, Tyler inherits the house and it is mandatory that he spend a night in the Mansion which he dreads. This book never went where I thought it was going to go because i really think it was too short to expand on the characters inner horror and personal demons. Tyler is a mess of a alcoholic, and this was a disrupting point for me, and became so repetitive that i could suddenly care less about him. There is a 'deal with the Devil' and a quite creepy scene with the house keeper, but 'Bottled' just wasn't scary enough to me, it could have been extremely scary had it been longer.....and the dream sequences left out.

Tyler Vitrum wants nothing to do with his late grandfather's house or the collection of bottles filled with impossibly intricate scenes, some created by his grandfather and others created by family members who came before them both. But Tyler has inherited the house and his mother and ex-wife both have their eyes on what they think the estate must be worth. So he returns to spend a night, satisfying the terms of the will.



Bottled is a short, bleak read with what seemed to be an interesting premise. The secret lurking behind the house and bottles is, sadly, standard horror fare.

Review for 'Bottled' by Stephanie Ellis

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Silver Shamrock Publishing and IBPA

This is the first book that I have read by this author. I would be interested in reading more of her books.

I was originally drawn to this book by ite intriguing cover and fascinating blurb and after reading the book I feel they both relate well to it.

I was drawn straight into the plot and sucked straight in and couldn't escape like its characters. A unique storyline that really captures the imagination.

The book was very well written and its excellent descriptions brought it all alive.

The storyline is captivating and filled with horror, suspense, the paranormal and is creepy, morbid and gruesome....just my cup of tea!

The characters were realistic and believable, obviously to an extent. The only downfall I came across was the typical dead phone scenario... Does nobody take a charger with them when they are going away? However, as with most stories where this happens, events may not occur with a phone. I just wish they weren't always dead, maybe lost, broke, etc would be a better option?

I loved how the book ended and makes me wonder if this could be turned into a series by adding extra into the next novel?

Apart from the phone issue, which unfortunately I felt strong enough about that it loses a star rating, this book was very interesting, unique and perfect for fans of horror. It would be interesting to see it made into a movie.

I would recommend this book to fans of horror and the paranormal.

153 pages

Free on kindle unlimited or £3.05 to purchase. I think this is a good price for this book.

Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon.Com and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

Feel free to add me on Goodreads for more reviews

#Bottled #StephanieEllis #IBPA #SilverShamrockPublishing #NetGalley #BookReview
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https://m.facebook.com/Bookworm1986/?ref=bookmarksReview for 'Bottled' by Stephanie Ellis

From that magnificent cover to its fabulous ending, this is one of those books that takes you back to those summer holidays years ago when nothing was better than curling up to read a trashy horror novel. With "trashy' understood to be a compliment of the highest order.

No need to detail the plot, or the gruesome nasties that await inside that ramshackle house... just allow Ms Ellis to take you by the hand and hurl you into the darkness. A quick read, a wonderful read. And, by virtue of a few select passages, a rather disturbing read as well.... Again, in the best possible way.

Stephanie Ellis is an important new name in horror fiction. I enjoyed this brief book and look forward to much more by this author!

It’s a set-up we’ve seen before. A man returns to the place of his childhood trauma—in this case, the house of a late grandfather—for closure, and indubitably old wounds reopen as mysterious and horrific things ensue. Now, there’s nothing wrong with a rehash so long as it’s told well. And, for the most part, Bottled is pretty well told. Ellis definitely knows her way around a word processor. She also has a keen awareness for mood and atmosphere.

Unfortunately, her character development leaves much to be desired. It’s hard to get behind Tyler, the protagonist. As a reader, I do not need to like a character in order to follow them or find them interesting. Some of my favorite characters are flawed, troubled, or just plain bad people. But Tyler is kind of boring and pretty two-dimensional. So when awful stuff starts to happen to him, I wasn’t very invested in his wellbeing. He’s also far from being the most intriguing character in the story. That would be the house itself.

This setting—the house, that is—is so elaborate that it deserves to have its rich history acted out dramatically. I wanted to see firsthand how this home grew to be a possessed living organism that thirsts for blood and bone. Ellis eventually gives us the whys of it all—why Tyler has so much apprehension about returning, why he wishes to see the whole thing demolished, etc.—but it’s presented in too much of an outside eye way.

I just didn’t like this book to be honest and I struggled through it.

I didn’t feel any love for the characters and it just couldn’t hold my attention.

Sorry...

My thanks to Netgalley as ever though.

Review Copy

I really enjoyed BOTTLED once I got into it. The writing was precise and easy to read - I could picture it as one of the old Tales From the Darkside movies that I used to love. The beginning might lead you to believe that this is just another "spend a night in a haunted house" book, but you would be wrong. It's so much more.

There are a couple of particularly bone-chilling scenes that will remind you why you love to read horror. Keep the light if you're squeamish. There's an occult/paranormal bent that I especially like.\

All in all, BOTTLED is a terrific novella and makes for a nice couple of hours escape. Pick up a copy and enjoy.

Bottled by Stephanie Ellis tells the story of Tyler Vitrum, an unemployed 42 year old divorced father who blames his misfortunes on his recently deceased grandfather, Julian. Julian was a wealthy eccentric man who had a special talent to create beautiful and amazing miniature scenes in bottles. As a youth, Tyler would visit his grandfather and would spend hours staring into the bottles, dreaming of being inside the elaborate scenes. The bottles were the only reprieve that Tyler had from his grandfather, who could be cruel and abusive. After one particularly bad visit, Tyler refused to go back and visit Julian ever again. But now Julian is dead and Tyler is inheriting Julian's estate; however, the will has a clause which states that Tyler must spend one night in the house. Although Tyler doesn't want to go to the house at all, his ex-wife and mother pressure him into going to the house so that he can get his full inheritance. When Tyler enters the house, many of his childhood fears come flooding back to him as he recalls the abuse that he suffered at the hands of his grandfather. He decides to explore his grandfather's forbidden rooms which are filled with scores of the hand made bottles. What he discovers are the mysteries of his grandfather, the bottles, the house, and possibly a family curse handed down through the generations. Will Tyler be able to escape the house again or will he be doomed to repeat the cycle over and over again?
Bottled was a fast and entertaining read. I would have liked to get more information about the bottles and their history and magic. It felt like too much time was spent learning about Tyler and his personal demons (alcoholism, not literal demons) and he was not a very likable character. The ending also felt a bit rushed to me. Overall, I really liked the premise of the story.

“House and man glared at each other. Hard cold windows bore into angry grey eyes. The door, a tight silent slit of a mouth mirrored his own compressed lips. It was as if neither was prepared to yield as the long-dormant battle of wills resurfaced between them. Who would blink first?”

This is the first book that I have read by author Stephanie Ellis. It’s a solid 3.5 stars. It is about the Vitrum family who is haunted by this house. Tyler’s grandfather, Julius, and Mrs Waites are the current caretakers of the House, but what Tyler comes to understand is that the House owns his family. Tyler tries his best not to become a victim of the House.

This book was gruesome and Ellis did a very good job describing what was happening and making you feel like you were there. It was a bit of a slow burn, but worth the read.

“…somewhere in this house was a bottle containing his father’s soul. A fact of which he remained convinced. Somewhere behind a door, imprisoned in a never-ending darkness. Why else would he hear his voice at those moments when Tyler needed him most? He had crossed the line of denial and illusion, accepted the reality the house presented to him.”

After a childhood of fear and abuse, and an adulthood spent trying to drink it away, when Tyler’s grandfather finally dies it is nothing but a relief. But the old man has a stipulation in his will: Tyler will inherit everything if he spends one last night in the crumbling old family home with the equally ancient old housekeeper.

Depsite doubts and a good helping of trepidation, Tyler agrees. He’s got a contract to sell the house already in his back pocket and feels that surely as a grown man he can handle one night. The old housekeeper is just as creepy as before, the old house is just as spooky, and the bottles….they’re still there, too. Because you see, Tyler’s grandfather was a craftsman, creating intricate miniature scenes inside bottles, hundreds of them. Tyler’s childhood was filled with the joy…and terror of these bottles. And now as an adult, he will have to face the truth of what the bottles are, what they represent, and just exactly who his family is.

This book has the bones of a good story, and I do mean bones. A creepy house, a dark family secret, a battle against personal demons, an ancient curse, and yes…a fair share of bones. There were times I did feel myself drawn into the story, intrigued or grossed out or fearing for the main character. With a bit of polish this could be an excellent story.

But (and now for the bad news). The thing that kept me from really loving this story was the fact that it could have used a bit of revising and editing. Counting against it was the feeling that the author needed to do some work on “showing not telling”, and a dozen or so mistakes that could have easily been cleaned up by a good editor. Here’s where it gets interesting: the author bio tells us that Ms. Ellis is the editor of three anthologies and a magazine. Which means she should have been able to edit her own book to satisfaction, right?

And yet there are lines like these:
“As his alcohol-induced slipped away from him….” (his alcohol induced what?)
“…he stood at its threshold and seen a slight glimmer…” (seen? really?)
“…locked his own car and pushed opened the gate…” (that’s either ‘pushed open’ or simply ‘opened’)

And one glaring discrepancy: in Chapter Two, the grandfather’s coffin is described as “magnificent white walnut”, but in Chapter Ten that same coffin is, simply, “oak”.

Don’t let me throw too negative a light on this book, though. In need of a good editor, yes, but still a good story with an interesting and novel concept. Souls trapped in bone trapped in bottles trapped in a living house? If that sounds creepy enough to overlook a few editing errors, then give this book a try. At just 133 pages, it’s a quick read and worth a couple hours of time.

Bottled by Stephanie Ellis is published by Silver Shamrock Publishing and is available in print or as an e-book.

I received a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

(This review was posted to Amazon, Goodreads, Instagram, and my personal blog.)
www.quaintandcuriousvolumes.wordpress.com

I got a free advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review. Thanks NetGalley and Silver Shamrock Publishing!

I loved the cover of this book. Bottled was an old-fashioned horror story and the feelings evoked throughout the book were showcased on the image in front of this book.

Tyler Torrence grew up without a father, something his bitter mother won't let him forget. However, his paternal grandfather stepped in as a male role model, or so his mother thought. Visits to his grandfather's house were mandatory, no matter how much Tyler detested them. His grandfather and housekeeper tortured him, with his only reprieve being the bottles. Tyler would spend hours getting lost in the tiny worlds contained within the bottles. However, he always suspected there was another sinister being present in the house and bottles. Now that he's an adult and his grandfather is dead, he is required to spend one night in the house. He doesn't think much of it. After all, he is way too old for childhood fears. But the house is not willing to let go of him now that it has finally got hold of him again.

The house had a gothic horror feel which I loved. If it was a movie, most of its scenes would have had an organ playing spooky music in the background. The plot moved quickly, which I expected considering it is a novella.

Tyler was not very likable. I was hoping he would redeem himself eventually but he was too attached to alcohol. Mrs Waites, the housekeeper, was right to call him a coward.

The only downside of the book for me was that the line blurred between dreams and reality. It made me take a bit longer to finish than I planned.

The book was exactly what a horror story should be in my opinion. The feeling of dread started at the beginning and did not let up until the end. I would definitely try more books by Stephanie Ellis based on this book

Suitable audience: Adults and older teens who enjoy horrors. Younger children should not read this because there are some very disturbing scenes.

Recurrent themes: Haunted house. Death. Necromancy. Black magic. The Devil. Evil

Violence: There was a gruesome scene with the housekeeper. There were also some disturbing scenes which involved beetles (that is all I can say. Read the book if you want to find out more).
Sexual Content: None
Profanity: Some instances of obscene language.
Religious Themes: There is mention of a deal made with the Devil.
Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: A character is an alcoholic