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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Solid. Very similar to Last Days by Adam Neville. Decent characters but suffers somewhat with inconsistent pacing. Good blunt prose that really reveals the scene without getting too self indulgent
I really wanted to enjoy this but felt the second half really dragged. It was fun but went on far too long.
If you love cult horror you won’t go wrong with Devil’s Creek! The writing is engaging and the setting of a small town stuck in the past is perfectly rendered. Jacob is a charismatic and terrifying villain as the head of a death cult intent on spreading his influence. This is a no holds barred, super dark read! The characters engage in the occult and Satanic rituals. Child abuse, sexual depravity, and incest all make an appearance. But the story has humour and heart as well.
The theme of fatherhood hangs like a shadow over the characters. The Stauford Six share the same father in Jacob but different mothers. Their struggle to reconcile where they come from with who they are is illustrated every time we spend time with them. I was rooting for Jack and the good guys to make it out alive!
I found the history behind the founding of the Lord’s Church interesting as the book touches on the racist past of the town and how it’s hidden like a dirty secret. However, I wish we get a clearer correlation to how it affected Jacob. I also found the book repetitive at times, and I wanted the ending to go all out. But overall, I really enjoyed this and it affirms my decision to not join any cults in the future!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy.
book blog | twitter | instagram
The theme of fatherhood hangs like a shadow over the characters. The Stauford Six share the same father in Jacob but different mothers. Their struggle to reconcile where they come from with who they are is illustrated every time we spend time with them. I was rooting for Jack and the good guys to make it out alive!
I found the history behind the founding of the Lord’s Church interesting as the book touches on the racist past of the town and how it’s hidden like a dirty secret. However, I wish we get a clearer correlation to how it affected Jacob. I also found the book repetitive at times, and I wanted the ending to go all out. But overall, I really enjoyed this and it affirms my decision to not join any cults in the future!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy.
book blog | twitter | instagram
4.5 stars. Rounded up for Goodreads because I think it deserves a 5 more than a 4!
“Give me that old-time religion.. it’s good enough for me.”
I LOVED this. A creepy town, cult antics, old world rituals and crazy human behaviour. Throw in a meth lab and things get hectic!!Completely up my alley.
For starters, I find cults and cult behaviour absolutely fascinating. The idea that one person can have enough influence and charisma to brainwash a group of people has always been interesting to me. What people are willing to do for the sake of a cult is something I find scary yet fascinating.
Devil’s Creek is set in the town of Stauford, Kentucky and begins in 1983 during the mass suicide of a cult, killing their Minister, Jacob and sparing a few children who become as you’d expect, traumatized. They think the nightmare is over until years later where they are faced with their demons once more.
The town of Stauford is developed very well by Keisling and for me was what made the story so great. Keisling took his time creating Stauford and for me this was what lent to the believability of the story. It felt real because the town felt read. I got lots of creepy vibes and found Keisling’s writing very atmospheric. Stauford was the perfect setting for some insane cult action to go down.
There are quite a few characters to keep track of in this story but I didn’t find it as hard as other books I’ve read with similar numbers of characters. For me I enjoyed the two protagonists Jack Tremly and his grandmother Imogene (Mamaw Genie). I enjoyed the book exploring the concept of trauma and how different people process it such as Jack and the way he channeled his pain and trauma into art and healing. Imogene was an absolute bad ass and I loved her.
The story is very original and there were lots of creepy, hair raising moments for me throughout. There were some parts I didn’t find as believable but that may just be me.
I only have one criticism and that is I wish the book went into more detail unpacking the cult leader Jacob, and why he became the person he was.
Some trigger warnings: this book does detail child abuse and some pretty graphic practices carried out within the cult.
This was a crazy read but I loved it and based on this book I’ll be sure to pick up other books by Keisling!
“Give me that old-time religion.. it’s good enough for me.”
I LOVED this. A creepy town, cult antics, old world rituals and crazy human behaviour. Throw in a meth lab and things get hectic!!Completely up my alley.
For starters, I find cults and cult behaviour absolutely fascinating. The idea that one person can have enough influence and charisma to brainwash a group of people has always been interesting to me. What people are willing to do for the sake of a cult is something I find scary yet fascinating.
Devil’s Creek is set in the town of Stauford, Kentucky and begins in 1983 during the mass suicide of a cult, killing their Minister, Jacob and sparing a few children who become as you’d expect, traumatized. They think the nightmare is over until years later where they are faced with their demons once more.
The town of Stauford is developed very well by Keisling and for me was what made the story so great. Keisling took his time creating Stauford and for me this was what lent to the believability of the story. It felt real because the town felt read. I got lots of creepy vibes and found Keisling’s writing very atmospheric. Stauford was the perfect setting for some insane cult action to go down.
There are quite a few characters to keep track of in this story but I didn’t find it as hard as other books I’ve read with similar numbers of characters. For me I enjoyed the two protagonists Jack Tremly and his grandmother Imogene (Mamaw Genie). I enjoyed the book exploring the concept of trauma and how different people process it such as Jack and the way he channeled his pain and trauma into art and healing. Imogene was an absolute bad ass and I loved her.
The story is very original and there were lots of creepy, hair raising moments for me throughout. There were some parts I didn’t find as believable but that may just be me.
I only have one criticism and that is I wish the book went into more detail unpacking the cult leader Jacob, and why he became the person he was.
Some trigger warnings: this book does detail child abuse and some pretty graphic practices carried out within the cult.
This was a crazy read but I loved it and based on this book I’ll be sure to pick up other books by Keisling!
Devil's Creek by Todd Kelsling
I didn't really enjoy this one. I felt it discusses lots of absurd stuff and tries to make them normal. It was very long and so a bit boring too. However it was really a horror at its best. The characters were interesting and that was what made me continue reading. There were lots of occultic stuff too, because the main plot focuses on Jack who is back to his town after being part of a cult at a young age.
I recommend this book if you're into chilling horror and intense books.
I didn't really enjoy this one. I felt it discusses lots of absurd stuff and tries to make them normal. It was very long and so a bit boring too. However it was really a horror at its best. The characters were interesting and that was what made me continue reading. There were lots of occultic stuff too, because the main plot focuses on Jack who is back to his town after being part of a cult at a young age.
I recommend this book if you're into chilling horror and intense books.
I've been looking forward to this ever since I read Keisling's short story Holes In The Fabric in Silver Shamrock's fantastic anthology Midnight In The Graveyard. There's actually a fun little nod to the prelude in Devils Creek for the keen eye.
I found the passages where Keisling switches in and out of character narration very effective. Particularly when their anecdotes begin in a calm daydream-like manner, ramping up into a horrifying nightmare only to snap you back into the present. It kept me unsettled, a quality I hope for in most horror novels.
The strongest feeling I can associate with Devils Creek is this - watching a horror movie where the victim is running hell for leather yet the monster approaches at a plodding unstoppable pace, knowing there is no escape.
A constant dread that death is inevitable and everything the characters do to escape will amount to nothing.
I knew going in that Devils Creek centred around a religious cult but was surprised and thrilled to discover this novel is also a cosmic horror.
Keisling pulled together everything I love about the genre, ticking all the boxes- small town backwoods America, cults, a hefty dose of body horror and other dimensions/gods combine to make this masterpiece.
I must note that child abuse and incest factor into the story but thankfully not in enough grim detail to turn me away. I have boundaries that were definitely met but not quite crossed within this novel.
The bonds between Jacobs surviving children The Stauford Six vary as do the lasting effects of their childhood and the choices they have made since but somewhere amongst the trauma and sickness Keisling still created moments of pure love, enough to make me care for the characters and invested in their plight.
Devils Creek is an immediate five star for me, I highly recommend to all horror fans and can't wait to see where Todd Keisling takes us next.
I found the passages where Keisling switches in and out of character narration very effective. Particularly when their anecdotes begin in a calm daydream-like manner, ramping up into a horrifying nightmare only to snap you back into the present. It kept me unsettled, a quality I hope for in most horror novels.
The strongest feeling I can associate with Devils Creek is this - watching a horror movie where the victim is running hell for leather yet the monster approaches at a plodding unstoppable pace, knowing there is no escape.
A constant dread that death is inevitable and everything the characters do to escape will amount to nothing.
I knew going in that Devils Creek centred around a religious cult but was surprised and thrilled to discover this novel is also a cosmic horror.
Keisling pulled together everything I love about the genre, ticking all the boxes- small town backwoods America, cults, a hefty dose of body horror and other dimensions/gods combine to make this masterpiece.
I must note that child abuse and incest factor into the story but thankfully not in enough grim detail to turn me away. I have boundaries that were definitely met but not quite crossed within this novel.
The bonds between Jacobs surviving children The Stauford Six vary as do the lasting effects of their childhood and the choices they have made since but somewhere amongst the trauma and sickness Keisling still created moments of pure love, enough to make me care for the characters and invested in their plight.
Devils Creek is an immediate five star for me, I highly recommend to all horror fans and can't wait to see where Todd Keisling takes us next.
Really cool concept and imagery of the “grotto”. It’s the kind of book you will think about every so often. But I didn’t like the ending.
Epic. If I had to sum up this novel in one word, "epic" would be it. This is undoubtedly a magnum opus from Keisling, whose book of small-town terrors set in rural Kentucky deserves all the accolades. It's an emotional roller coaster that centers around a cataclysmic event from years ago that rocked the town to its core and the after-effects have been spilling out, now culminating in the present day timeline as things that a turn for the even worse. I am having difficulty expressing how phenomenally good this novel is, how it tugs on the heartstrings, how it has the reader gasping "Oh no..." at several turns, and more. I think it should be on every horror best-of list this year. It's phenomenally good and Keisling has cemented his place as a master of horror.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Started off really strong, but became repetitive and a bit ridiculous towards the end. The last 150 or so pages were difficult to get through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia
Moderate: Animal cruelty