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probably_reading_right_now's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun summer horror read. The writing style really made it feel like a coming of age story told from the viewpoint of the young people experiencing it. It’s set in a small (ish?) town in the late 90’s and as we all know nothing ever good happens when a story is set in a small town. Man’s greed awakens a malevolent forest spirit that feeds on the dreams of the town’s people especially the children and it’s up to them to stop her. I really enjoyed the storyline and the flipping viewpoints made me want to keep reading to find out what happened in each story.
wellwortharead's review against another edition
4.0
It's all fun and games until the mother of dead dreams wants to play.
What begins as a scavenger hunt ends in a fight for their souls.
There is a lot going on in this larger than life coming of age tale. Hazardous waste dumping, a town built on abduction and assault, a supernatural entity. Now one after another the children are being diagnosed with cancer.
The author weaves this all together in a spellbinding story of epic proportions.
"From Almost every street corner, you could smell something rotten in the air, a fetid stink of a town gone wrong."
There are lots of characters here, the high school kids, middle school kids, chemical plant workers, a couple of sets of parents, a mom in a mental institution, a teacher and principal. It was a little overwhelming at first to keep track of them all, but they each have such strong personalities and all brought a unique element to the story.
Some of the residents of Hooperstown have succumbed to the evil, some have embraced it willingly.
Now it's up to Doug and his friends to save themselves, and maybe the world.
Not since the Losers Club have I been so invested in a group of kids, I even developed sympathy for one of the bullies after her bleak home life and abusive, drug addled parents were revealed.
Clear some space, the mother of dead dreams is coming to visit you this Malignant Summer.
I received an advance copy for review
What begins as a scavenger hunt ends in a fight for their souls.
There is a lot going on in this larger than life coming of age tale. Hazardous waste dumping, a town built on abduction and assault, a supernatural entity. Now one after another the children are being diagnosed with cancer.
The author weaves this all together in a spellbinding story of epic proportions.
"From Almost every street corner, you could smell something rotten in the air, a fetid stink of a town gone wrong."
There are lots of characters here, the high school kids, middle school kids, chemical plant workers, a couple of sets of parents, a mom in a mental institution, a teacher and principal. It was a little overwhelming at first to keep track of them all, but they each have such strong personalities and all brought a unique element to the story.
Some of the residents of Hooperstown have succumbed to the evil, some have embraced it willingly.
Now it's up to Doug and his friends to save themselves, and maybe the world.
Not since the Losers Club have I been so invested in a group of kids, I even developed sympathy for one of the bullies after her bleak home life and abusive, drug addled parents were revealed.
Clear some space, the mother of dead dreams is coming to visit you this Malignant Summer.
I received an advance copy for review
fallenprincess's review against another edition
4.0
A grand coming of age story with some paranormal horror at the center of it. It was a perfect summer read. It was like It or Summer Of Night.
I found this to be enjoyable, but the middle third could have been shorter as there were some repetitive elements to it
That being said, that end third was fantastic.
I found this to be enjoyable, but the middle third could have been shorter as there were some repetitive elements to it
That being said, that end third was fantastic.
errantdreams's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
5.0
In Tim Meyer’s horror novel Malignant Summer, it’s 1998. High school students Randall and Alphie are hiding clues for the annual Great Hunt, in which a bunch of students try to solve a clue hunt. After having a very creepy encounter in a graveyard, they seem to disappear. A little later, they’re seen by various kids looking… wrong. Like they have growths on their skin, little roots poking out. Like there’s some dark fluid seeping from their eyes. Their lungs make crackling noises and their eyes turn gold. When one team of students makes it to the graveyard during the hunt, they have a horrible encounter that leaves some of them traumatized and others sick. Meanwhile, a cancer is spreading through the town’s children, and people are sure it’s because of dumping from the local chemical plant. 14-year-old Doug and his friends Grady and Jesse become the unlikely heroes trying to save their town. Working together with them are Maddie and Abby, and local bully Jewel becomes involved from a different direction.
This plot is a fatal cross-contamination between a historical atrocity from the time of the colonists, an Old God from the Land of Dreams, and an eco-horror toxic dump site tale. It all intertwines in fascinating ways. At first the narrative felt a little awkward and confusing, but it picked up very quickly. Doug has a particular role to play, because his mother tried to kill him and his father years earlier to “save them” from what’s happening now. Now he’s hoping his institutionalized mother might have useful information. It becomes difficult as time goes on to recognize the distinction between reality, dreams, and hallucinations, but it never becomes too surreal.
One of the better details is the incredibly dark take on what is essentially Mother Earth. The Mother of Dead Dreams (the Old God has several names) was a creator god on Earth, until she was sent to the land of dreams. She’s angry. She’s infectious. And she wants to get rid of the humans who are wrecking the world she made. It’s a great take on the topic.
There’s a sequence where it seems like we’re going to get the stereotypical Native wise man saving the day, but I’ll just say it happily doesn’t take that well-trodden path.
This is a really fun horror novel with plenty to it. It’s a coming-of-age novel in which not all of the kids in the town will live. It’s creepy and enjoyable and well worth the read.
Content note: racism, bullying, body horror, animal harm/death, domestic violence and drug use, suicidal ideation, monstrous pregnancy.
This plot is a fatal cross-contamination between a historical atrocity from the time of the colonists, an Old God from the Land of Dreams, and an eco-horror toxic dump site tale. It all intertwines in fascinating ways. At first the narrative felt a little awkward and confusing, but it picked up very quickly. Doug has a particular role to play, because his mother tried to kill him and his father years earlier to “save them” from what’s happening now. Now he’s hoping his institutionalized mother might have useful information. It becomes difficult as time goes on to recognize the distinction between reality, dreams, and hallucinations, but it never becomes too surreal.
One of the better details is the incredibly dark take on what is essentially Mother Earth. The Mother of Dead Dreams (the Old God has several names) was a creator god on Earth, until she was sent to the land of dreams. She’s angry. She’s infectious. And she wants to get rid of the humans who are wrecking the world she made. It’s a great take on the topic.
There’s a sequence where it seems like we’re going to get the stereotypical Native wise man saving the day, but I’ll just say it happily doesn’t take that well-trodden path.
This is a really fun horror novel with plenty to it. It’s a coming-of-age novel in which not all of the kids in the town will live. It’s creepy and enjoyable and well worth the read.
Content note: racism, bullying, body horror, animal harm/death, domestic violence and drug use, suicidal ideation, monstrous pregnancy.
tracyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Miscarriage
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