Just a friend of the family . . . isn’t he? Uncle Zeedie by Colm Field #bookreview #UncleZeedie #TheBloodTexts

Uncle Zeedie is weird, but at least he’s rich and his house is amazing. That’s what George and Lacey tell themselves when they arrive at his isolated mansion in the Welsh woods. Only, something here is worse than weird. Uncle Zeedie seems unhinged, serving them rotten food, and skulking around at night. The house is decaying, blood stained, and stinks of sour milk. And George is seeing kids that aren’t there. They’re dead, these kids. And if the rumours are right, Uncle Zeedie is the one who’s killing them.

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Hi and welcome to my review of Uncle Zeedie!

Uncle Zeedie is the second instalment of The Blood Texts, a horror anthology for teens to rival Point Horror and Fear Street, after last year’s You’d Better Watch Out. Admittedly, my teen years are long gone, but I still have a soft spot for YA horror.

Uncle Zeedie is a family friend and when Lacey and George’s parents, who are going through a messy divorce, need someone to watch the kids for a couple of days, who better to ask than said Uncle Zeedie. He might not be a people person, or to say it bluntly: he might be a weirdo, but he’s a kind man, a good guy. Or is he?

Tiny villages in dark woods will always get bonus points from me, and Uncle Zeedie definitely nails that eerie atmospheric setting that’s just off-key enough to creep you out even if nothing scary is actually happening. Add a mansion that really is too good to be true, a kid with a sixth sense and a couple of night creatures, and you got yourself a delightfully creepy horror story that my teenaged self would have adored, and as it stands, my forty-something self happily devoured, too.

Overall, Uncle Zeedie is an entertaining and suspenseful horror tale for teens and older readers alike and one I’d happily recommend to help you scratch that YA horror itch. I’m already looking forward to the next Blood Texts instalment!

Uncle Zeedie is out now in digital formats and paperback.

Thanks to Fox and Ink Books and Graeme Williams for the digital review copy. All opinions are my own.