Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Emma will be paying for my therapy after reading this!
Brutal and disturbing in so many ways, but I could not put this down. At times it was difficult to stomach, it was heartbreaking and just absolutely devastating, especially when you realise that this kind of thing really happens all over the world. To think that anyone could go through anything like this is just gut-wrenching. Thankfully, unlike The Groomer, the SA towards the children isn't in detail. While there is some detailed scenes of violence towards children, most of the really in depth violent scenes are about adults.
As always with this authors work, remember to check the TWs. This is splatterpunk, so it is not for everyone.
As always with this authors work, remember to check the TWs. This is splatterpunk, so it is not for everyone.
challenging
dark
tense
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:
Yes
This is a very hardcore extreme/splatter horror novel, so don’t even go there or even bother reading the rest of this review if you know you’ve got even just a high threshold - because even that won’t be enough (that’s why it’s called ‘extreme’.) It’s a seriously brutal, depraved and vile story of child abduction and abuse and vengeance.
The story was ok, a bit jarring at times. I easily prefer Athan’s Blender Babies to this one. It may be that this one crept awfully close to some boundaries (always interesting to discover you may actually have them!)
The lower rating is because I found the writing a bit lacking (it's not exactly the most original idea), and there was some sloppy editing (example: “Keith made his way through the archway and entered the dining table.” Seriously.) There was an absurd amount of unnecessary and distracting italicised words, some very muddy POV bits, and a significant but very awkward time-jump that kind of took me out of the narrative. I think Athan’s writing has undeniably improved over the last few years since this one though.
So yeah, the story overall was alright. But if you think you want to give this a try you really need to understand what extreme horror and splatterpunk are before you do because you will be tested.
The story was ok, a bit jarring at times. I easily prefer Athan’s Blender Babies to this one. It may be that this one crept awfully close to some boundaries (always interesting to discover you may actually have them!)
The lower rating is because I found the writing a bit lacking (it's not exactly the most original idea), and there was some sloppy editing (example: “Keith made his way through the archway and entered the dining table.” Seriously.) There was an absurd amount of unnecessary and distracting italicised words, some very muddy POV bits, and a significant but very awkward time-jump that kind of took me out of the narrative. I think Athan’s writing has undeniably improved over the last few years since this one though.
So yeah, the story overall was alright. But if you think you want to give this a try you really need to understand what extreme horror and splatterpunk are before you do because you will be tested.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence
dark
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
My first Jon Athan book, but will definitely not be my last!!! This book grabs your attention from the start and never lets up. Definitely hope we get more from the Wolfs Den 🙌🏼
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
VERY GRAPHIC. Hard to read. Good revenge plot. Doesn’t go into a lot of detail with the girls (thank goodness) but there’s torture that’s really detailed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping