A Blackened Heart, A Blackened Soul

De: John Ward

Narrado por: Derek Austin

Evil walks among us. It watches. It waits.

John Tinsley’s life was shattered as a child when he lost his mother in a tragic car accident—but that was only the beginning. From that moment, a dark entity marked him, one intent on destroying everything and everyone he loves. Haunted by visions, hunted by shadows, and carrying the scars of his childhood, John must now confront the darkness as an adult, facing a malevolent force that has followed him into every stage of his life.

A Blackened Heart, A Blackened Soul is a gripping tale of supernatural horror and psychological suspense, chronicling one man’s lifelong battle against a being determined to consume his life, his love, and his very soul. Will John survive, or will the darkness finally claim him?

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The best indie horror release of 2026

John Ward makes a cannonball splash into the adult horror scene with his novel A Blackened Heart, A Blackened Soul. The first part of the novel scared the life out of me and was one of the most terrifying setups I have ever read. The stakes only get higher as our MC gets older in part two. John’s proven his merit time and again with his middle grade Scareville series, but his adult debut shows he’s absolutely one to watch out for in the horror scene.

A Blackened Heart

Story moves a little slow but I enjoyed it once the pot started to boil. Fantastic narration really brought the characters to life.

A great audio version to a great book

This book rips your heart out and stomps on it. It is written incredibly well. The narration really brings it to life.

Loved how the author’s personal paranormal investigative experiences influenced the story.

I love a good attachment haunting, especially how the effects change throughout a lifetime. The main character goes from a haunted childhood, through a lull where he actively delves into the paranormal, and eventually suffers the attachment’s evil once again. I also loved all of the little nods to horror stories I grew up reading. The narrator wasn’t my favorite, but his performance in now way distracted from the story, it was simply a preference obstacle.

This was a great debut into adult horror, but I’m also thrilled for today’s youth that he will still be very active in maintaining the middle grade Scareville series. Great job Mr. Ward! Keep ‘em coming!!

Charred black

This was a very bleak and effective tale of loss, torment, and unabated evil. John Ward pulls you into a downward spiral, stirring a well of dread that never lets up and makes good on its threats. The combination of Ward's great writing and Derek Austin's talented voice to bring it to life seared this story into my brain. 5/5 across the board!