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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
His skin peeled and burned as soon as he touched the tire. Blood splattered on the rear bumper and Riley's face. Riley felt the vibrations of Dwight's skull across his hands and arms. He tightened his grip on his head and placed more pressure on it. The stench of burning skin meandered into his nostrils, causing him to lick his lips in delight.
Damn. What an utterly unpleasant experience that was. Good Lord, this book is absolutely gnarly. I actually hated reading this thing, not because it was a bad book - not by any means, but because it was absolutely horrific and upsetting and utterly sickening. Every little moment of torture, every ounce of cruelty, every bit of nastiness is all described with an intense, grandiose vividity. This is a work of extreme horror, meaning the gore is dialed right up to 11. It's over the top and gratuitous to a point that I wanted to scoop out my own eyes while reading it.
Into the Wolves' Den is... An extremely difficult novel to get through, at times, the level of hideousness within the story is absolutely enraging, like the very best tales in the extreme horror genre, this one offers some pause to readers. It forces you to take a step back and really examine the evil of this story. It's an ugly, devastating and nauseating novel. This is extreme as the genre gets without becoming edgy for the sake of it. Into the Wolves' Den might just be one of the most graphic and disturbing things I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Honestly, this thing absolutely rocked.
Damn. What an utterly unpleasant experience that was. Good Lord, this book is absolutely gnarly. I actually hated reading this thing, not because it was a bad book - not by any means, but because it was absolutely horrific and upsetting and utterly sickening. Every little moment of torture, every ounce of cruelty, every bit of nastiness is all described with an intense, grandiose vividity. This is a work of extreme horror, meaning the gore is dialed right up to 11. It's over the top and gratuitous to a point that I wanted to scoop out my own eyes while reading it.
Into the Wolves' Den is... An extremely difficult novel to get through, at times, the level of hideousness within the story is absolutely enraging, like the very best tales in the extreme horror genre, this one offers some pause to readers. It forces you to take a step back and really examine the evil of this story. It's an ugly, devastating and nauseating novel. This is extreme as the genre gets without becoming edgy for the sake of it. Into the Wolves' Den might just be one of the most graphic and disturbing things I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Honestly, this thing absolutely rocked.
"The prisoner groaned, bloody drool dripping from his mouth. His eyes were distant, gazing into the afterlife. He was alive, living off foreign adrenaline, but his soul passed on. He was only waiting for his body to die with him."
It's not often that a novel leaves me so speechless, it's not often that the brutality of a story makes me want to vomit and tear my skin to pieces. I'm someone who prides themselves on being able to read absolutely anything, to stomach the most extreme content the genre has to offer. Something about this novel though, this particular story, hit me hard. It has a certain quality, no matter how ridiculous the violence gets, it feels so very real. That's maybe the most beautiful thing about this novel, it's so deeply affecting.
The flame burned through his flesh, leaving bloody craters across his hand. His bones, muscles, and tendons were visible in the wounds. Through the blood - the deep red blood - he saw white, yellow, and brown. Charred bits of flesh crumbled from his hand and spiraled down to the small puddle of blood under the chair.
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read The Groomer, Into the Wolves Den, and The Abuse of Ashley Collins over the last two days. I've seen quite a few posts about Jon Athan in varying thriller groups, and wanted to give any help I could to those still on the fence.
Are these books gory, and graphic? Yes. If you have a TW, just don't read them. Whatever your particular trigger, it's probably in here somewhere. I can give details if you need them, as some people's triggers are über specific, but otherwise, just assume it's rough.
Do you know what else they are? Crushingly, unapologetically, brutally emotional. An intense study of the naïveté of a child. The unending will to survive of a child. The unfathomable love of a parent. The abyss that is the hatred of a parent.
If you can handle splatterpunk, and if you can handle the severe reality of child abuse, in multiple forms, these books are ones that will stick with you.
Are these books gory, and graphic? Yes. If you have a TW, just don't read them. Whatever your particular trigger, it's probably in here somewhere. I can give details if you need them, as some people's triggers are über specific, but otherwise, just assume it's rough.
Do you know what else they are? Crushingly, unapologetically, brutally emotional. An intense study of the naïveté of a child. The unending will to survive of a child. The unfathomable love of a parent. The abyss that is the hatred of a parent.
If you can handle splatterpunk, and if you can handle the severe reality of child abuse, in multiple forms, these books are ones that will stick with you.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
i genuinely don't know how to rate this. into the wolves' den is, without a doubt, the most disturbing, depraved, and disgusting book i have ever read. there were times where i debated continuing any further. we follow keith, a cop whose daughters, carrie and allie have gone missing after walking home from school. what keith doesn't realize initially is that carrie and allie have been kidnapped by a deranged group of men who make snuff films and engage in sex trafficking. jon athan goes way beyond the limits of horror, in my opinion, TOO far. granted, too many people are desensitized these days, so i assume that athan was wanting to disturb EVERYONE that picks up this book. genuinely, if you read this book and WEREN'T disturbed in any way, i would be concerned.
what i did enjoy about this book is the message i got from it, and the portrayal of psychopathy. what i gathered from the storyline is how many people in hollywood, despite being recognized as charming and endearing, are actually HORRIBLE individuals. all of their poor, gruesome actions can be covered up with hush money, because they are filthy rich. as a psychology student, i can appreciate the accuracy in jon athan's psychopathic character (i won't name because i won't spoil). the grandiosity, the lack of empathy... he really nailed it right on the head. now, this doesn't go to say that ALL psychopaths have killer or violent tendencies, but this story was a great depiction of the psychopathic individuals that are.
the ending was VERY bittersweet. there were certain aspects of it that i would've preferred to be different, and others that had me cheering. it was emotional whiplash, to be completely frank with you. if you're one for horror books that have "happy" endings, i would steer clear from this one.
PLEASE, for the love of God, check trigger warnings before reading. i'll provide a list below, but i guarantee you that this is not all of them. it's important to note that jon athan does not gloss over intense scenes or do the whole "fade to black" thing. he goes into vivid detail to the point where it's like it's happening right in front of you.
tropes:
- revenge story
- body horror
- remote cabin in the woods
- cannibalism
- mask-wearing killers
- psychopath
trigger warnings:
- r@pe
- kidnapping
- extreme torture (physical AND psychological)
- brutal killings
- HEAVY violence towards children (in all forms)
- guns
- alcoholism
- p3d0ph!l!a
- human trafficking
- violence against homeless people
- death of a family member
- pr0st!tut!0n
- death of a friend
- c@str@t!i0n
- graphic description of snuff film content
what i did enjoy about this book is the message i got from it, and the portrayal of psychopathy. what i gathered from the storyline is how many people in hollywood, despite being recognized as charming and endearing, are actually HORRIBLE individuals. all of their poor, gruesome actions can be covered up with hush money, because they are filthy rich. as a psychology student, i can appreciate the accuracy in jon athan's psychopathic character (i won't name because i won't spoil). the grandiosity, the lack of empathy... he really nailed it right on the head. now, this doesn't go to say that ALL psychopaths have killer or violent tendencies, but this story was a great depiction of the psychopathic individuals that are.
the ending was VERY bittersweet. there were certain aspects of it that i would've preferred to be different, and others that had me cheering. it was emotional whiplash, to be completely frank with you. if you're one for horror books that have "happy" endings, i would steer clear from this one.
PLEASE, for the love of God, check trigger warnings before reading. i'll provide a list below, but i guarantee you that this is not all of them. it's important to note that jon athan does not gloss over intense scenes or do the whole "fade to black" thing. he goes into vivid detail to the point where it's like it's happening right in front of you.
tropes:
- revenge story
- body horror
- remote cabin in the woods
- cannibalism
- mask-wearing killers
- psychopath
trigger warnings:
- r@pe
- kidnapping
- extreme torture (physical AND psychological)
- brutal killings
- HEAVY violence towards children (in all forms)
- guns
- alcoholism
- p3d0ph!l!a
- human trafficking
- violence against homeless people
- death of a family member
- pr0st!tut!0n
- death of a friend
- c@str@t!i0n
- graphic description of snuff film content
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
I needed several breaks while reading this book. It really is 'that b*tch.' Dark, depraved, and gruesome.
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes