What do you think?
Rate this book
The Hostile #1
The Hostile by Joy Mutter
In a rundown area of Manchester, inside a decrepit bathroom in a small terraced house overflowing with children and dysfunctional parents, an unfathomable, powerful entity befriends young Serena with disastrous effects. This enigmatic force not only dramatically affects introverted Serena’s life, but threatens the well-being of everyone she knows, especially those people who for some reason have earned the strange girl's displeasure. It soon becomes clear that nobody should ever upset Serena if they know what’s good for them. After reading The Hostile you will never look at D.I.Y. in the same way again.The Hostile is a contemporary thriller with a heavy sprinkling of paranormal. Available in paperback, Kindle and audiobook editions.
Paperback
10 people are currently reading
711 people want to read
About the author
Joy Mutter
30 books142 followersAuthor of Random Bullets, 4 books in The Hostile series, Her Demonic Angel, Living with Postcards, Potholes and Magic Carpets, The Mug Trilogy, The Trouble with Liam, The Trouble with Trouble, Trouble in Cornwall, Troubled, Nuru and his Crows, The Storms of Padstow, Punishing the Innocent, The Brothers Grimshaw, A Sunny Day in Oldham, Friends in Need, Chasing her Shadow, and Caravan of Nightmares.
Joy Mutter started writing books in 2007 but waited until 2015 to publish six of them on Amazon. More books soon followed. All her books are available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions. Nine books also have audiobook versions on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes.
Joy was born in Jersey in the Channel Islands and lived there for 18 years. After gaining a Graphic Design Degree at Coventry University, she lived and worked in Kent as a professional graphic designer for 20 years. She moved from Kent to Oldham in 2012 and has been writing, designing, and publishing her books full-time ever since.
Her first 3 books are third-person autobiographies and form The Mug Trilogy. Books in this series are A Slice of the Seventies, The Lying Scotsman, and Straws.
Potholes and Magic Carpets is a contemporary character-led novel.
Living with Postcards is her first non-fiction book.
Random Bullets is a psychological thriller with a paranormal twist.
Her Demonic Angel was published in early 2016 in Kindle, paperback, and audiobook. It contains fourteen of Joy Mutter's short stories written in various genres.
In 2016-2017, Joy published The Hostile Series of unusual paranormal crime thrillers. Books in the series are The Hostile, Holiday for The Hostile, The Hostile Game, Confronting The Hostile, and The Hostile Series Box Set. Each book in The Hostile series is available in Kindle, paperback, and audiobook editions.
The Trouble with Liam, a psychological thriller was published in 2018. Between 2019 and 2020, she published 3 erotic thrillers; The Trouble With Trouble, Trouble In Cornwall, and Troubled.
In 2021, Joy published Nuru And His Crows, a dark erotic thriller. Her first novella, The Brothers Grimshaw, was published in 2022 along with A Sunny Day in Oldham. In March 2023, she published her 20th book, The Storms of Padstow, book 2 of the Nuru and his Crows series. Punishing the Innocent, book 3 of the series soon followed.
She then wrote a third-person memoir called The Brothers Grimshaw, and a novel called Friends in Need.
In 2025, she published a thriller called Chasing her Shadow and her second collection of short stories called Caravan of Nightmares.
Joy is currently writing her third collection of short stories.
Joy Mutter started writing books in 2007 but waited until 2015 to publish six of them on Amazon. More books soon followed. All her books are available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions. Nine books also have audiobook versions on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes.
Joy was born in Jersey in the Channel Islands and lived there for 18 years. After gaining a Graphic Design Degree at Coventry University, she lived and worked in Kent as a professional graphic designer for 20 years. She moved from Kent to Oldham in 2012 and has been writing, designing, and publishing her books full-time ever since.
Her first 3 books are third-person autobiographies and form The Mug Trilogy. Books in this series are A Slice of the Seventies, The Lying Scotsman, and Straws.
Potholes and Magic Carpets is a contemporary character-led novel.
Living with Postcards is her first non-fiction book.
Random Bullets is a psychological thriller with a paranormal twist.
Her Demonic Angel was published in early 2016 in Kindle, paperback, and audiobook. It contains fourteen of Joy Mutter's short stories written in various genres.
In 2016-2017, Joy published The Hostile Series of unusual paranormal crime thrillers. Books in the series are The Hostile, Holiday for The Hostile, The Hostile Game, Confronting The Hostile, and The Hostile Series Box Set. Each book in The Hostile series is available in Kindle, paperback, and audiobook editions.
The Trouble with Liam, a psychological thriller was published in 2018. Between 2019 and 2020, she published 3 erotic thrillers; The Trouble With Trouble, Trouble In Cornwall, and Troubled.
In 2021, Joy published Nuru And His Crows, a dark erotic thriller. Her first novella, The Brothers Grimshaw, was published in 2022 along with A Sunny Day in Oldham. In March 2023, she published her 20th book, The Storms of Padstow, book 2 of the Nuru and his Crows series. Punishing the Innocent, book 3 of the series soon followed.
She then wrote a third-person memoir called The Brothers Grimshaw, and a novel called Friends in Need.
In 2025, she published a thriller called Chasing her Shadow and her second collection of short stories called Caravan of Nightmares.
Joy is currently writing her third collection of short stories.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 26, 2017
I have to say that as I started this book I wondered if it would be for me or not. It took a little while to get into the story, but once I did, I enjoyed it.
Serena is aware of the wrongs of the world. Aware of problems in her family, bullies causing heartache and misery at school, but powerless to do anything about it. That is until she begins talking to Tile X. As their relationship develops she sees Tile X may have the power she doesn't.
Parts of the story are dark, but these are balanced out with some humour and more light-hearted moments. Some parts of the tale also seemed quite philosophical in the way they got me thinking about the parts of my life I'm happy with or want to change.
This is a unique and original story and I wonder what's next for Serena.
Serena is aware of the wrongs of the world. Aware of problems in her family, bullies causing heartache and misery at school, but powerless to do anything about it. That is until she begins talking to Tile X. As their relationship develops she sees Tile X may have the power she doesn't.
Parts of the story are dark, but these are balanced out with some humour and more light-hearted moments. Some parts of the tale also seemed quite philosophical in the way they got me thinking about the parts of my life I'm happy with or want to change.
This is a unique and original story and I wonder what's next for Serena.
November 2, 2016
I listened to the audio version of The Hostile. It is bizarre & weird & so original. Such a good twisted tale. A young girl is so confused, school isn't fun, family isn't fun, so she spends lots of time in her bathroom. She listens to a voice & it seems to do her wishes.
This tale involves her family and their extended lives, her school mates & how her life takes turns.
I really enjoyed this tale, it's an original tale. Not the usual horror story.
This tale involves her family and their extended lives, her school mates & how her life takes turns.
I really enjoyed this tale, it's an original tale. Not the usual horror story.
December 28, 2017
New author for me and not of my usual genre, however the blurb intrigued me enough, which is why I decided to venture out of my comfort zone and give this book a go.
It was certainly a strange and weird read, like nothing I've read before but it kept me entertained right from the get go.
A young girl talking to a tile and said tile talking back to her. Definately not something I've come across in a book to date.
I very much enjoyed this story, never quite knew what was going to happen next, so those pages certainly got turned very quickly. The story itself was written well and very imaginative. The interaction between all of the characters was entertaining and easy to follow.
This is book 1 of 4, so now I'm off to read book 2.
It was certainly a strange and weird read, like nothing I've read before but it kept me entertained right from the get go.
A young girl talking to a tile and said tile talking back to her. Definately not something I've come across in a book to date.
I very much enjoyed this story, never quite knew what was going to happen next, so those pages certainly got turned very quickly. The story itself was written well and very imaginative. The interaction between all of the characters was entertaining and easy to follow.
This is book 1 of 4, so now I'm off to read book 2.
February 14, 2018
Be Careful What You Ask For
…especially if you’re a twelve year old girl in Manchester. “The Hostile” snuck up on me. Not my usual genre so I wasn’t quite sure if I would enjoy this work of reality meets a bit of science fiction but I was completely wrong. Enjoy it I did!
This is a carefully crafted work that delves into the everyday life of Serena, the aforementioned twelve year old, and the people around her. Her one “special” friend seems to be her own personal genie granting her wishes of the most peculiar types. You’re hooked from beginning to end and, fortunately for us, this is only book one of a series.
In addition to that I am a big fan of authors who read their own work. Yes, some of them are not “professional readers” (what that means) but they are the ones, after all, who crafted the words in the first place so who better to read them than the authors themselves. Bravo, Joy!
If you’re a fan of fiction, science fiction, mystery …. all of the above…”The Hostile” is user-friendly.
…especially if you’re a twelve year old girl in Manchester. “The Hostile” snuck up on me. Not my usual genre so I wasn’t quite sure if I would enjoy this work of reality meets a bit of science fiction but I was completely wrong. Enjoy it I did!
This is a carefully crafted work that delves into the everyday life of Serena, the aforementioned twelve year old, and the people around her. Her one “special” friend seems to be her own personal genie granting her wishes of the most peculiar types. You’re hooked from beginning to end and, fortunately for us, this is only book one of a series.
In addition to that I am a big fan of authors who read their own work. Yes, some of them are not “professional readers” (what that means) but they are the ones, after all, who crafted the words in the first place so who better to read them than the authors themselves. Bravo, Joy!
If you’re a fan of fiction, science fiction, mystery …. all of the above…”The Hostile” is user-friendly.
December 4, 2016
Some definite surprises to this book! First off, a main character isn't even animal or vegetable... and the author pulls it off beautifully. Good detail is describing the characters to us. The author takes us "inside the head" of these people. There are some rather spicy scenes, but they're well done and without being excessively explicit. Events happen fairly quickly once you get through the first few pages, so be prepared to spend some time... you won't want to put it down.
November 29, 2016
Like the monkeys paw of old, be careful what you wish for...
When a young girl with a bad case of Pareidolia summons a demonic power that will grant her any dark wish she wishes, she'll find that it's a power that is hard to put down.
I found this book to be an enjoyable read, but also found myself wishing for a more climactic ending.
When a young girl with a bad case of Pareidolia summons a demonic power that will grant her any dark wish she wishes, she'll find that it's a power that is hard to put down.
I found this book to be an enjoyable read, but also found myself wishing for a more climactic ending.
March 26, 2020
This was such an intriguing book and one that I found hard to explain to others. My best advice is to read it. Trying to get a hold of the second book in series now so I can continue on the adventure. The book is dark, mysterious and intriguing and sucks you into the mystical world and reminds us all to be careful what we wish for.
November 14, 2018
I quiet like this book a bit weird at times but still very enjoyable this author must have a wicked imagination to be able to write a book like this it ended as though there could be a sequel so we will have to see
September 12, 2018
I ordered all four books in the Hostile series and found each book held its own lure. I especially enjoyed Holiday for the Hostile. The series is well written with plenty of surprises along the way. A mixture of black humour, mystery, and captivating charm in a most macabre way.
April 10, 2020
I never cease to be amazed by the imagination of some writers and Joy Mutter proves to be no exception. The Hostile is about a young girl, Serena Drummond, and her relationship with a bathroom tile that she named Tile X, that brings about dark forces and sinister consequences.
This fantastic story is made all the more plausible by focussing on a child's susceptibility to discern ethereal beings from indistinct random abstract patterns. Something I remember well from my own childhood, and the hideous bedroom curtains I had that I could not look at depending on the way the light from outdoors played on the Paisley design. There were never good faces, only evil ones.
I'm so pleased that this is a series because there is more to this story, and I'm going to start on Holiday for the Hostile right now.
This fantastic story is made all the more plausible by focussing on a child's susceptibility to discern ethereal beings from indistinct random abstract patterns. Something I remember well from my own childhood, and the hideous bedroom curtains I had that I could not look at depending on the way the light from outdoors played on the Paisley design. There were never good faces, only evil ones.
I'm so pleased that this is a series because there is more to this story, and I'm going to start on Holiday for the Hostile right now.
November 1, 2021
This story is really great. I admit it starts a bit slow but once you are introduced to other character besides Serena you will be sucked in. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Already started book 3. This seems at first like it could be a young adult book but it definitely is not. Serena is definitely a chapter you do not want to cross. I love how she can have a heart and also be heartless at the same time. Her innocence is going fast.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Narration by the author is great. Books 2 & 3 have a different narrator.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Narration by the author is great. Books 2 & 3 have a different narrator.
December 12, 2018
A tale of the unexpected
Author Mutter has a way of drawing you right in to her dark books. This is a well-written very unusual horror. What is it with the disturbed Serena and the hidden powers lurking in the family bathroom? You will be glued to the bitter end.
Author Mutter has a way of drawing you right in to her dark books. This is a well-written very unusual horror. What is it with the disturbed Serena and the hidden powers lurking in the family bathroom? You will be glued to the bitter end.
December 16, 2017
I actually read book two before this first book in the series. The books can be read as stand alone, but I think it would be great to have all to read in order. Serena Drummond is a young girl, twelve going on thirteen, and has some family problems and also some problems at school. When she pours out her woes while in the bathroom, it is an evil entity trapped in the floor tile that hears her cries and decides to change Serena's life by getting rid of what bothers her. This is a different type of paranormal/supernatural read. It is well written and intriguing. I also can;t wait to see what else happens with the entity named Tile X.
October 10, 2017
Manchester, England. Serena Drummond (12, daughter/sister) suffered from constipation.
She was expected to watch over Lizzie Drummond (10, daughter/sister), Tristan Drummond (younger son/brother).
Emily Drummond (daughter/sister) took care of herself.
That didn’t happen.
Keith Drummond (husband/father), & Beatrice Drummond (2nd. wife/mother), enjoyed their MJ.
Keith & Carole (1st. ex-wife) divorced. They had twin boys, & a daughter, all in their 20’s.
Keith & Beatrice had quite the thriving/profitable drug business.
Tile X became Serena imaginary friend.
Serena’s left leg did not function right.
Neither did both of her classmate Seymour Lightfoot legs work right either.
Jake Forsythe (gang leader), & Patricia Blunt (12) picked on him all the time.
The class was told Jake had been hit by a car, suffered 2 broken legs & might be out the rest of the term.
Keith had been invited to Rachel’s flat.
Tony (neighbor, newsagent) knew what the 2 of them were doing.
Later what part of big surprise did Rachel have for Keith?
PC Denis Henshaw, & PC Maggie Vale came to see Beatrice.
Keith’s frozen decomposed body had been found in Saddleworth Moor.
Keith’s funeral/burial was held.
Carl (Keith’s BMF) & Beatrice started sleeping with each other behind Denise (Carl’s GF, colonoscopy).
Denise later died.
PC Maggie Vale came to tell Beatrice Carl died in a vehicle wreck.
Warning: This book is for adults only & contains extreme violent or graphic adult content or profanity &/or sexually explicit scenarios. It may be offensive to some readers.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A fairly well written creepy paranormal book. It wasn’t always very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish, but never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great paranormal movie, or better yet a mini TV series. I’m not sure I grasped the full story content so I will only rate it at 4/5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; Goodreads; MakingConnections; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
She was expected to watch over Lizzie Drummond (10, daughter/sister), Tristan Drummond (younger son/brother).
Emily Drummond (daughter/sister) took care of herself.
That didn’t happen.
Keith Drummond (husband/father), & Beatrice Drummond (2nd. wife/mother), enjoyed their MJ.
Keith & Carole (1st. ex-wife) divorced. They had twin boys, & a daughter, all in their 20’s.
Keith & Beatrice had quite the thriving/profitable drug business.
Tile X became Serena imaginary friend.
Serena’s left leg did not function right.
Neither did both of her classmate Seymour Lightfoot legs work right either.
Jake Forsythe (gang leader), & Patricia Blunt (12) picked on him all the time.
The class was told Jake had been hit by a car, suffered 2 broken legs & might be out the rest of the term.
Keith had been invited to Rachel’s flat.
Tony (neighbor, newsagent) knew what the 2 of them were doing.
Later what part of big surprise did Rachel have for Keith?
PC Denis Henshaw, & PC Maggie Vale came to see Beatrice.
Keith’s frozen decomposed body had been found in Saddleworth Moor.
Keith’s funeral/burial was held.
Carl (Keith’s BMF) & Beatrice started sleeping with each other behind Denise (Carl’s GF, colonoscopy).
Denise later died.
PC Maggie Vale came to tell Beatrice Carl died in a vehicle wreck.
Warning: This book is for adults only & contains extreme violent or graphic adult content or profanity &/or sexually explicit scenarios. It may be offensive to some readers.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A fairly well written creepy paranormal book. It wasn’t always very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish, but never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great paranormal movie, or better yet a mini TV series. I’m not sure I grasped the full story content so I will only rate it at 4/5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; Goodreads; MakingConnections; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
May 24, 2018
Thank You, Joy Mutter! You've handed one of your little ones over to the world and that's no small feat. Well done to you there!
Overall, I will say 'Well Done' about the book. I enjoyed reading it and I am eager to move to the next in the series.
I will say that the beginning took too long and the ending went too quickly. There was such a long list of all the pains in Serena's life at the beginning that came at me through exposition instead of through story... and it got to be little heavy.
Then there was the matter of the POV. Serena and Tile X had to share the main stage with a bunch of other characters that were not as vital to the story. I had the same problem with Serena's mother and her lover.
That said Tile X is a good and proper villain. There is no lacking of the macabre in this work, and the journey Serena takes in finding out who and what she is was well written! The climax between Serena and Tile X had me a little angry because there were no more pages. That certainly made me go and buy the next book!
Overall, I will say 'Well Done' about the book. I enjoyed reading it and I am eager to move to the next in the series.
I will say that the beginning took too long and the ending went too quickly. There was such a long list of all the pains in Serena's life at the beginning that came at me through exposition instead of through story... and it got to be little heavy.
Then there was the matter of the POV. Serena and Tile X had to share the main stage with a bunch of other characters that were not as vital to the story. I had the same problem with Serena's mother and her lover.
That said Tile X is a good and proper villain. There is no lacking of the macabre in this work, and the journey Serena takes in finding out who and what she is was well written! The climax between Serena and Tile X had me a little angry because there were no more pages. That certainly made me go and buy the next book!
November 26, 2016
The book started out quite humorously with the main character being a child who talks to a bathroom tile while being on the toilet. This, however, get stranger and scarier as the Tile's power grow in response to Serena's awareness of the things that are happening around her at school and at home. Apart from the main plot, the writer gives us an insight to the lives of people surrounding Serena. Reading parts about her cheating father felt like I was looking onto something perverse and yet, I had to keep reading.
The writing was wonderful; it was funny and witty at times but awfully cold and biting during others. I enjoyed this book completely and deem it worthy of a five star!
The writing was wonderful; it was funny and witty at times but awfully cold and biting during others. I enjoyed this book completely and deem it worthy of a five star!
June 11, 2017
Thank you to the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book, which I won in a Good Reads giveaway.
This a great little book, under 200 pages and really easy to read, so you can whizz through it in no time! I enjoyed reading about Serena's life with her dysfunctional parents and madcap house full of diverse siblings. The relationship that starts for Serena in the bathroom is offbeat but I love a bit of fantasy and the quirky element of this book appealed to me.
I would certainly look out for more novels by Joy Mutter as 'The Hostile' has piqued my interest to see what other imaginative stories she could come up with.
This a great little book, under 200 pages and really easy to read, so you can whizz through it in no time! I enjoyed reading about Serena's life with her dysfunctional parents and madcap house full of diverse siblings. The relationship that starts for Serena in the bathroom is offbeat but I love a bit of fantasy and the quirky element of this book appealed to me.
I would certainly look out for more novels by Joy Mutter as 'The Hostile' has piqued my interest to see what other imaginative stories she could come up with.
August 1, 2016
I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.
I really, really, really enjoyed this book! I enjoyed being part of lonely little Serenas thoughts. The story was a little out there, but not unfeasible. I enjoyed the drama that played out in between thoughts, it kept me wanting to more and I couldn't stop listening. The narration was good, and the ending was interesting...even though I was left with some questions, but nothing that will keep me up at night.
I enjoyed it!
I really, really, really enjoyed this book! I enjoyed being part of lonely little Serenas thoughts. The story was a little out there, but not unfeasible. I enjoyed the drama that played out in between thoughts, it kept me wanting to more and I couldn't stop listening. The narration was good, and the ending was interesting...even though I was left with some questions, but nothing that will keep me up at night.
I enjoyed it!
June 6, 2016
A goodreads win
Serena is a strange lonely middle child from Manchester makes friends with a evil bathroom tile.
This is a very imaginative story & deals with a troubled lonely girl trying to get through life & home and school.
At first I found it a difficult story to get into, but found once I had read about a third I was hooked & enjoyed reading it. It is refreshingly original & wanted to read more.
Serena is a strange lonely middle child from Manchester makes friends with a evil bathroom tile.
This is a very imaginative story & deals with a troubled lonely girl trying to get through life & home and school.
At first I found it a difficult story to get into, but found once I had read about a third I was hooked & enjoyed reading it. It is refreshingly original & wanted to read more.
September 19, 2017
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.
Was my first book of the author ! Joy has done a great job in narration too .. It took me a long time to get into story but once i was able to do that this was a very good one !
Was my first book of the author ! Joy has done a great job in narration too .. It took me a long time to get into story but once i was able to do that this was a very good one !
June 13, 2019
This was really bizarre and I still couldn't over the fact that there's a face in the bathroom tile that talks and has powers. I hope some of this is explained in the next book. Like, where did it come from, had it always been there, why did it start talking to Serena now?
Quick read. The paranormal/horror aspect wasn't too scary. Overall was an entertaining story even if it felt like it went off randomly at times. Also what was up with the ghosts? I didn't think that was really necessary... regardless, I will be reading the rest of the series.
Edited to add: Also this really bothered me, but only because I currently have a 2-year old at home, but Tristan has some amazing vocabulary for only being 18 months old (at the beginning) and around 2.5 at the end. I don't know ANY kid that age that can speak as well as that. Is it weird that I'm quibbling over this being "unrealistic" in a book about a possessed bathroom tile that kills people?
Quick read. The paranormal/horror aspect wasn't too scary. Overall was an entertaining story even if it felt like it went off randomly at times. Also what was up with the ghosts? I didn't think that was really necessary... regardless, I will be reading the rest of the series.
Edited to add: Also this really bothered me, but only because I currently have a 2-year old at home, but Tristan has some amazing vocabulary for only being 18 months old (at the beginning) and around 2.5 at the end. I don't know ANY kid that age that can speak as well as that. Is it weird that I'm quibbling over this being "unrealistic" in a book about a possessed bathroom tile that kills people?
March 20, 2025
Wickedly magical
The author combines wicked imagination with magical realism in the first book of their aptly named Hostile series.
Living in a cramped house with three other siblings and her parents, it’s little wonder young Serena prefers to spend her time in the quiet solitude, offered by the smallest room. Her imagination runs riot as her mind conjures up images in the floor tiles. Before long, she strikes up a friendship with the singled-out ‘Tile X.’ It appears, at last, she finally has someone to unburden her soul to. Someone that understands her, without judgement or fear. However, it’s not long before Serena begins to realise just how powerful her words can be.
This is an entertaining, uniquely crafted story with dark themes and pockets of humour. I can’t wait to read the next instalment. Brilliant.
The author combines wicked imagination with magical realism in the first book of their aptly named Hostile series.
Living in a cramped house with three other siblings and her parents, it’s little wonder young Serena prefers to spend her time in the quiet solitude, offered by the smallest room. Her imagination runs riot as her mind conjures up images in the floor tiles. Before long, she strikes up a friendship with the singled-out ‘Tile X.’ It appears, at last, she finally has someone to unburden her soul to. Someone that understands her, without judgement or fear. However, it’s not long before Serena begins to realise just how powerful her words can be.
This is an entertaining, uniquely crafted story with dark themes and pockets of humour. I can’t wait to read the next instalment. Brilliant.
September 11, 2017
"The Hostile" (2016) by Joy Mutter is an odd paranormal novel. Thirteen-year-old, socially inept Serena, a relatively poor girl living in Manchester, England, develops an unusual relationship with a bathroom tile; Tile X, as she calls him. Tile X speaks to her and can bring severe retribution to anyone who wrongs her, whether she wants it or not. Too much time is spent on the adults in Serena’s life, and the constantly shifting character points-of-view mid-scene became annoying. Mildly recommended. Audiobook provided free in exchange for an honest review.
February 20, 2017
I enjoyed reading The Hostile. It's not your average paranormal story, yet a nice, entertaining read with a top score for being different. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think this is horror. Whatever you want to call it, I’m looking forward to read the sequel ‘Holiday for the Hostile’ to find out what this evil tile is up to now.
September 18, 2016
Joy Mutter is a new author for me, and I have to admit I'm not quite sure how to review this book as it is a bit outside of my usual genres.
Let's start with "I liked it". It is a strange and quirky story with an unusual opening scene, an "unhealthy" dose of paranormal, and some Lovecratian elements to it. I found it to be a bizarrely captivating read, and for some reason it made me think of Kafka's Metamorphosis (although it has been many years since I read that particular story).
The writing itself flows well enough and is very descriptive when it comes to the characters, both at the physical and psychological/emotional levels. The author also does a very good job when it comes to the settings and she is very efficient at making the reader feel/see/experience the various home, relationship and friendship issues that populate The Hostile.
The title does not seem to reveal much about the book, but after having read it, I find the title to be quite clever.
I am curious to see what some of her other novels are like.
Let's start with "I liked it". It is a strange and quirky story with an unusual opening scene, an "unhealthy" dose of paranormal, and some Lovecratian elements to it. I found it to be a bizarrely captivating read, and for some reason it made me think of Kafka's Metamorphosis (although it has been many years since I read that particular story).
The writing itself flows well enough and is very descriptive when it comes to the characters, both at the physical and psychological/emotional levels. The author also does a very good job when it comes to the settings and she is very efficient at making the reader feel/see/experience the various home, relationship and friendship issues that populate The Hostile.
The title does not seem to reveal much about the book, but after having read it, I find the title to be quite clever.
I am curious to see what some of her other novels are like.
October 10, 2016
I really liked this book. Its really creepy to think what it would be like for a child to have so much power - especially when I think of the things I said in haste when I was the same age as the character. Yikes! I'm just glad this book is fiction! :-) I thought the story was well-written and the characters were really interesting and entertaining. I listened to the Audible audio version of this book narrated by the author. She did a really good job! I'm always impressed when authors can narrate their stories well. She didn't really do different voices for the characters that I noticed, but she was still good in that it felt like someone reading a story to me. Her inflection and pacing were good. The only criticisms that I have are that there is too much "dead time" between the chapters, and the quality of the recording was not as good in spots - like maybe the location of recording changed so there are different ambient sounds and echoes. Other than that, I really liked the story. If you like a good creepy book, I would highly recommend this one.
May 15, 2018
EDIT - Whole review did not originally post. My apologies to the author and narrator!
This may be one of the strangest stories I've ever come across. It was nice to have a storyline that was different from what most paranormal books and stories tend to be. I think that the beginning could have been shorter and the end longer if that makes any sense.
I love when authors narrate their own books because you know that you are hearing the material exactly as it was intended.
The sound of the audio had a kind of "far away" quality to it, but it didn’t really take away from the story for me because the story itself and the narrator were both engaging.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom.
This may be one of the strangest stories I've ever come across. It was nice to have a storyline that was different from what most paranormal books and stories tend to be. I think that the beginning could have been shorter and the end longer if that makes any sense.
I love when authors narrate their own books because you know that you are hearing the material exactly as it was intended.
The sound of the audio had a kind of "far away" quality to it, but it didn’t really take away from the story for me because the story itself and the narrator were both engaging.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom.
October 15, 2016
A young girl with digestive issues spends enormous amounts of time in the bathroom talking to the tiles on the floor.One in particular answers her and bad things happen when she complains about something.Joy Mutter wrote and narrates this.The sound was bad.It sounded like it was recorded in a can.Ms Mutter may want to spring for a narrator for her next book.I was provided this book free for review
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews