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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
sad
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:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
'90s nostalgia is here! This is one of three horror/thriller books this year alone with a VHS tape on the cover set at least partially in the '90s (see also: [b:Horror Movie|200101541|Horror Movie|Paul Tremblay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1700239629l/200101541._SY75_.jpg|203154630] and [b:Home Is Where the Bodies Are|194020321|Home Is Where the Bodies Are|Jeneva Rose|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1699642386l/194020321._SY75_.jpg|195595109]).
In this horror novel, Clifford Island, an isolated smal island in Wisconsin's Door County, is trapped in a perpetual 1994. The inhabitants of the island have kept their lives in stasis since 1994 to ward off some mysterious evil. In the modern day, sports reporter Harper arrives on the island searching for his missing sister, Willow. She had disappeared after only five weeks on the island, having gone to try to learn why the name of the island was carved onto the floor of her recently dead son's room.
In the acknowledgements, Juliano writes of how his manager helped him evolve this book from a short story to a novella to a novel. That's a shame, because this would have made for an excellent novella. As a novel, it's at least 100 pages too long.
The premise is killer and Juliano has some good moments of tension. The mixed media (texts, interviews, etc.) really work for this kind of book and were my favorite parts. I am excited to try another Juliano horror book, as I believe he will continue to develop as a writer. There were three main problems with this book: (1) Willow and Harper's POVs were duplicative; (2) teenage Lily was an incredibly frustrating character and nearly cost this book another star; and (3) the ending/reveal was underwhelming.
Willow and Harper both fulfill the same role in the story. They are the audience stand-in: strangers in a strange land who are trying to piece together what is really going on. Having Willow uncover answers and then Harper uncover the same answers a few weeks later is tiresome. The underlying theme of this book is grief - it is clearly stated that both Willow and the island are "stuck" in their grief and are prevented from moving forward because of it (using horror to explore larger themes is one of the best points of the genre; I wish this had been delved into more deeply instead of staying at the obvious and surface-level view). Therefore Willow is the required POV. Harper could still be utilized as the compiler of what Willow discovered - smuggled to him by Lily perhaps - without going to the island himself to rehash Willow's revelations.
Lily should have suffered more severe consequences than she did. Lily knows that the adults on the island are adamant that everyone must pretend it is 1994. This has been drilled into her since childhood. Lily feels constrained and wants to assert herself, as teenagers do, and believes that the adults are full of it (as teenagers often - and sometimes rightly - believe). So she tries various schemes to "expose" the truth by going against all the rules to prove that there is no evil force on the island that will cause murderous havoc if the rules are broken. And no one stops her! The adults (including her father) believe what they are doing is life-or-death and Lily repeatedly puts others in danger and she somehow does not get mobbed by the entire island. Why wouldn't they just ship her off to boarding school or something when she started formenting rebellion? Even when she starts realizing that maybe there is some monstrous evil on the island, she does not feel guilt for her selfish, rash actions. Lily was the worst and I am even more upset that she was treated like a "good guy" that we should be rooting for. She was a brat who was acting out in a way which could have led to the deaths of potentially everyone on the island.
Lastly, the underwhelming reveal/ending. More on that under the spoiler tags:
It is also unclear how a small group of islanders has such influence and control over people on the mainland. I thought for sure there must be some government involvement, because how else would all information be quickly scrubbed from the internet and no rumors get picked up by Buzzfeed or anything? But, no, somehow despite a small, now isolated population, Clifford Island has the power and connections of the Freemasons in the minds of conspiracy theorists.
In this horror novel, Clifford Island, an isolated smal island in Wisconsin's Door County, is trapped in a perpetual 1994. The inhabitants of the island have kept their lives in stasis since 1994 to ward off some mysterious evil. In the modern day, sports reporter Harper arrives on the island searching for his missing sister, Willow. She had disappeared after only five weeks on the island, having gone to try to learn why the name of the island was carved onto the floor of her recently dead son's room.
In the acknowledgements, Juliano writes of how his manager helped him evolve this book from a short story to a novella to a novel. That's a shame, because this would have made for an excellent novella. As a novel, it's at least 100 pages too long.
The premise is killer and Juliano has some good moments of tension. The mixed media (texts, interviews, etc.) really work for this kind of book and were my favorite parts. I am excited to try another Juliano horror book, as I believe he will continue to develop as a writer. There were three main problems with this book: (1) Willow and Harper's POVs were duplicative; (2) teenage Lily was an incredibly frustrating character and nearly cost this book another star; and (3) the ending/reveal was underwhelming.
Willow and Harper both fulfill the same role in the story. They are the audience stand-in: strangers in a strange land who are trying to piece together what is really going on. Having Willow uncover answers and then Harper uncover the same answers a few weeks later is tiresome. The underlying theme of this book is grief - it is clearly stated that both Willow and the island are "stuck" in their grief and are prevented from moving forward because of it (using horror to explore larger themes is one of the best points of the genre; I wish this had been delved into more deeply instead of staying at the obvious and surface-level view). Therefore Willow is the required POV. Harper could still be utilized as the compiler of what Willow discovered - smuggled to him by Lily perhaps - without going to the island himself to rehash Willow's revelations.
Lily should have suffered more severe consequences than she did. Lily knows that the adults on the island are adamant that everyone must pretend it is 1994. This has been drilled into her since childhood. Lily feels constrained and wants to assert herself, as teenagers do, and believes that the adults are full of it (as teenagers often - and sometimes rightly - believe). So she tries various schemes to "expose" the truth by going against all the rules to prove that there is no evil force on the island that will cause murderous havoc if the rules are broken. And no one stops her! The adults (including her father) believe what they are doing is life-or-death and Lily repeatedly puts others in danger and she somehow does not get mobbed by the entire island. Why wouldn't they just ship her off to boarding school or something when she started formenting rebellion? Even when she starts realizing that maybe there is some monstrous evil on the island, she does not feel guilt for her selfish, rash actions. Lily was the worst and I am even more upset that she was treated like a "good guy" that we should be rooting for. She was a brat who was acting out in a way which could have led to the deaths of potentially everyone on the island.
Lastly, the underwhelming reveal/ending. More on that under the spoiler tags:
Spoiler
So there is some kind of unknown ancient evil which IS easily fooled into believing that time has not moved on since 1994. It is unclear how it is hoodwinked by clothes, music, and unchanging technology and never realizes that the population of the island has aged/died. The evil has shape-changing parts of itself which can take on the appearance and memory of dead loved ones. Again, wouldn't the psychic evil being pick up on the fact that time has passed when it reads the islanders' thoughts/memories?It is also unclear how a small group of islanders has such influence and control over people on the mainland. I thought for sure there must be some government involvement, because how else would all information be quickly scrubbed from the internet and no rumors get picked up by Buzzfeed or anything? But, no, somehow despite a small, now isolated population, Clifford Island has the power and connections of the Freemasons in the minds of conspiracy theorists.
I really enjoyed the mixed media storytelling in this one. Text conversations, letters, recordings and regular prose style writing to tell this story. The reveal was a bit too far fetched (or predictable) for me. I expected a bit more. But overall a fun time!
Wow! I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did! I absolutely loved the storytelling! I listened to about half on audio and the audiobook is absolutely fantastic. I was nervous since I don’t typically read horror but this was not gory at all and just the perfect level of creepy. Definitely recommend!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I definitely picked up this book because the cover caught my eye. Too spooky to read right before bed, but very hard to put down. I enjoyed the various characters relaying their story.
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Review: Dead Eleven by Jimmy Giuliano
Since I’m on a year-long low-buy book ban, I’ve only allowed myself five book purchases so far in 2025. Dead Eleven was one of them—a completely random find at a Barnes & Noble in Miami. The premise immediately intrigued me: an isolated island where residents are obsessed with 90s pop culture, a newcomer who vanishes under mysterious circumstances, and an eerie supernatural presence lurking beneath the surface. Unfortunately, while the concept was fantastic, the execution didn’t quite live up to its potential.
The novel unfolds as a slow-burn mystery with multiple perspectives: Willow, the newcomer who arrives on Clifford Island seeking solace but soon realizes something is deeply wrong; her brother, who comes to the island searching for her after she disappears; and Lily, a local teenager who has grown up within the island’s unsettling traditions. Through their eyes, we slowly uncover the strange reality of this isolated community—one where residents seem trapped in the 1990s and any deviation from their rigid way of life is met with suspicion and hostility.
One of the most intriguing elements of the story is how the island’s residents have essentially been tricked into reliving 1994—the same year as a past tragedy known as the “culling,” which resulted in the deaths of eleven people (hence the novel’s title, Dead Eleven). This event is deeply tied to the supernatural force that looms over the island, compelling the residents to uphold a bizarre status quo in an effort to keep it at bay. Willow’s perspective is particularly compelling in this regard—she arrives on Clifford Island as a grieving mother, devastated by the loss of her child, and is unknowingly targeted by the islanders to become a soldier in their war against this being. Much of her journey is about coming to terms with this reality while also wrestling with the personal grief that makes her vulnerable to the island’s manipulations. In her final confrontation with the entity, she ultimately accepts her fate—not out of fear, but because it allows her to be reunited with her son in some way. This emotional undercurrent adds a tragic yet fascinating depth to the novel.
Giuliano’s writing is immersive, and the setting—a chilling, fictionalized take on Door County, Wisconsin—is one of the book’s strongest aspects. The island’s geography and folklore are woven into the narrative in a way that makes the supernatural elements feel eerily plausible rather than overtly fantastical. There’s an undercurrent of dread that builds steadily as we begin to understand just how trapped the residents are—not just physically but mentally, bound to an existence that seems dictated by forces beyond their control.
However, while the atmosphere and world-building were well executed, the pacing was a challenge. The story is methodical, unraveling its mysteries piece by piece over the course of 14 hours in audiobook format. It wasn’t the slowest book I’ve ever read, but combined with the novel’s length, the gradual progression made it difficult to stay fully engaged. The story does eventually converge, revealing the true nature of the island’s inhabitants and their eerie devotion to the past, but the journey there felt unnecessarily drawn out.
The biggest issue for me was the climax. After all the buildup, I found the conclusion to be frustratingly ambiguous. Without giving too much away, the “entity” at the heart of the mystery remained vague, which I assume was intentional, but it left me feeling disconnected rather than unsettled. I even replayed the pivotal encounter between Harper and the entity to make sure I didn’t miss anything, but I still struggled to fully grasp what was happening. While I appreciated the final reveal regarding the island’s ongoing “mission,” the resolution felt underwhelming given the strength of the premise.
Overall, Dead Eleven is a novel with a gripping concept and an effectively eerie setting, but its slow pacing and ambiguous conclusion left me with mixed feelings. If you enjoy atmospheric horror that leans heavily into psychological dread and small-town cult-like communities, this might be worth checking out—but be prepared for a slow burn and a finale that may not provide all the answers you’re hoping for.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes