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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
sad
slow-paced
A creepy and terrifying read that kept me hooked. Great atmosphere and world building, excellent storytelling and well thought characters.
It's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
It's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Jacob Masters was a child molesting cult leader who demanded human sacrifice in worship of his nameless god. Fire may be cleansing, but when the Church Of Holy Voices burned after the dramatic rescue of 6 children, the evil did not die. The 6 children grew up, and as children do, some flourished and some flailed. These days, some people think the old stories of Jacob Masters and his church are just empty tales of the boogie man to scare each other with over s'mores around the campfire. Now that Jack Tremly has come home the town is about to find out there's more truth than legend to the old stories. I love small town horror, and Devil's Creek delivers it's share of villains among the few brave heroes. It's graphic and gory with huge helpings of anxiety inducing suspense, and supernatural terror. I would recommend it to all horror fans.
I received an advance copy for review
I received an advance copy for review
Horror fans, take note! Devil's Creek is the real deal.
In October I read horror. All year long I save up my creepy books to binge during the lead-up to Halloween. Inevitably a few mislabeled titles sneak in, making me wonder how in the world they ever got classified in the horror category. You know the ones - haunted houses that aren't really haunted, vampires more concerned with love than blood, a monster that just needs a hug. But Devil's Creek? True horror alllll the way.
The novel quickly draws you in with the first chapter's vivid depiction of a death cult ceremony. From there you'll be taken on a bleak journey of the survivors and their small town in its aftermath. The story is scary, and the imagery is very disturbing. Really really gross stuff here, for those who are into that sort of thing. Like pearl-clutching, screw-up-your-face-in-disgust gross.
My personal issue with the book can be found right in the synopsis. Following a mass suicide (that's compared to Jonestown), "their ordeal is all but forgotten... a scary told around campfires." Um???? No. If a load of people committed suicide in the US (taking their kids with them), that event would not be forgotten. I just couldn't get beyond that unrealistic premise, so that disbelief hung over all 405 pages for me.
Still, I would absolutely recommend Devil's Creek to anyone looking for a story by an up-and-coming horror author. Todd Keisling may get lost on the shelf next to King and Koontz, but he's definitely worthy of a place beside them.
My thanks to the author, Silver Shamrock Publishing, and NetGalley for the digital review copy.
In October I read horror. All year long I save up my creepy books to binge during the lead-up to Halloween. Inevitably a few mislabeled titles sneak in, making me wonder how in the world they ever got classified in the horror category. You know the ones - haunted houses that aren't really haunted, vampires more concerned with love than blood, a monster that just needs a hug. But Devil's Creek? True horror alllll the way.
The novel quickly draws you in with the first chapter's vivid depiction of a death cult ceremony. From there you'll be taken on a bleak journey of the survivors and their small town in its aftermath. The story is scary, and the imagery is very disturbing. Really really gross stuff here, for those who are into that sort of thing. Like pearl-clutching, screw-up-your-face-in-disgust gross.
My personal issue with the book can be found right in the synopsis. Following a mass suicide (that's compared to Jonestown), "their ordeal is all but forgotten... a scary told around campfires." Um???? No. If a load of people committed suicide in the US (taking their kids with them), that event would not be forgotten. I just couldn't get beyond that unrealistic premise, so that disbelief hung over all 405 pages for me.
Still, I would absolutely recommend Devil's Creek to anyone looking for a story by an up-and-coming horror author. Todd Keisling may get lost on the shelf next to King and Koontz, but he's definitely worthy of a place beside them.
My thanks to the author, Silver Shamrock Publishing, and NetGalley for the digital review copy.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
2.5 stars to Devil’s Creek-a dark horror novel about a small town, a cult and the survivors left behind.
•
This book was not what I expected based on the synopsis and reviews and I think that coloured my opinion on it a bit. I found it to be a bit of a slog and a bit too long for me.
•
First I want to mention what I liked. I loved the setting and atmosphere. It was so well done that it felt almost like a whole other character and it really enhanced the story. I also really liked the general idea (I’m a sucker for cult stories), and I found Jacob to be a great villain.
•
As for what I didn’t like; I would have liked if it had stayed with only a couple characters instead if jumping around between so many, it made it lose focus for me. I also didn’t realize it was going to lean into Lovecraft type horror and it just isn’t for me. I also found it a bit longer than it needed to be.
•
If you like cosmic horror and cult horror I would recommend this one.
•
This book was not what I expected based on the synopsis and reviews and I think that coloured my opinion on it a bit. I found it to be a bit of a slog and a bit too long for me.
•
First I want to mention what I liked. I loved the setting and atmosphere. It was so well done that it felt almost like a whole other character and it really enhanced the story. I also really liked the general idea (I’m a sucker for cult stories), and I found Jacob to be a great villain.
•
As for what I didn’t like; I would have liked if it had stayed with only a couple characters instead if jumping around between so many, it made it lose focus for me. I also didn’t realize it was going to lean into Lovecraft type horror and it just isn’t for me. I also found it a bit longer than it needed to be.
•
If you like cosmic horror and cult horror I would recommend this one.
To be honest, I don't know what to say about this book. The only thing that I'm struggling with is the length of the book, but that is a personal struggle which is not related to the story or the author's writing. Another difficult thing for me is to catch up with the large cast of characters due to the story is based on a small town.
I'm a big fan of Stephen King, and it's hard to find another author as good as him nowadays. But to be frank, this story is quite close to Stephen King's storytelling style. The detailed and lengthy descriptions to create the horror atmosphere and reading this story gives me the feeling of reading classic horror stories dated back in the 80s or 90s. This kind of story is hard to find these days. I strongly recommend this book if you love cult or horror stories based on small towns. Hopefully, someone is interested in making this story into movies or tv series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Silver Shamrock Publishing for providing me with a free review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Book Review: Devil's Creek by Todd Keisling.
I'm a big fan of Stephen King, and it's hard to find another author as good as him nowadays. But to be frank, this story is quite close to Stephen King's storytelling style. The detailed and lengthy descriptions to create the horror atmosphere and reading this story gives me the feeling of reading classic horror stories dated back in the 80s or 90s. This kind of story is hard to find these days. I strongly recommend this book if you love cult or horror stories based on small towns. Hopefully, someone is interested in making this story into movies or tv series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Silver Shamrock Publishing for providing me with a free review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Book Review: Devil's Creek by Todd Keisling.
slow-paced
4.5. Such a good horror read. There was a plot device that wasn’t developed quite as much as I would have liked. But otherwise really entertaining and gross.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Blood, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gore, Incest, Misogyny
Minor: Addiction