It Came From the Flower Shop Down Under is book 2 in the It Came From series by Chris Heinicke and Kate Reedwood, and once again they have hit it out of the park with this creepy, crawly horror set in 1970s rural Australia. Although it’s part of a series, the story is standalone and does not depend on the original. If you’ve read other horror stories by these authors though, then one or two of the characters will be familiar.
Let me start by saying, if you are an arachnophobe then you’ll probably want to skip this book, and if you aren’t an arachnophobe when you start this book, then you probably will be by the end.
Fiona is on the run with a top secret creature that she rescued from the clutches of the government…a mind-controlling, venomous spider named Charlie. She ends up on a rural Australian sheep ranch where she meets the Thomas family, and their nephew, Ian who has been sent from the United States to work on his uncle’s farm as punishment. When Charlie escapes during a local festival, the real fun begins.
The story starts our relatively slowly, introducing us to all of the characters and setting the scene for us. That’s not to say it’s boring, it’s just not super action packed. Around the halfway mark though, the action starts to ramp up and by the end the story is racing along at breakneck speed with all the chaos I’ve come to expect from this duo. They know how to draw out the suspense and keep you on the edge of your seat.
In addition to their ability to keep you glued to the pages (or ereader in my case), I love how these authors are able to make you care for a character, even if you’ve only known them for a page or two. And when it comes to main characters you are always praying that they will be spared, but the authors are not afraid to kill off favourites, so no one is truly safe.
I’m a lightweight when it comes to gory horror, and although there are a few gory scenes that you may be thinking about for a while, there was nothing too over the top in my opinion.
Once again, the authors have been able to include a mix of horror, and humour which makes their story a delight to read. If you’re looking for something not too heavy, but that will have you itching every time you feel a light breeze for this spooky season then you can’t go wrong with It Came From the Flower Shop Down Under.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
It Came From the Flower Shop Down Under releases on October 24 2025.
Life, Tea, and Everything 