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sea_caummisar's review
4.0
Small town, monster in the water. A cult that worships monster. I've read this theme many times. I'd like to say it never gets old. This story had some redeeming qualities to it, and the characters were likeable (at least the ones that weren't racist), but the actual storyline felt awfully familiar.
It's still a good read. I just read so often that sometimes it feels like I've read this before, just with different locale and different characters.
It's still a good read. I'm sure there are plenty of people that enjoy this kind of cookie-cutter story. It's good enough that I would definitely read something else by this author
It's still a good read. I just read so often that sometimes it feels like I've read this before, just with different locale and different characters.
It's still a good read. I'm sure there are plenty of people that enjoy this kind of cookie-cutter story. It's good enough that I would definitely read something else by this author
drakaina16's review
It's just not very well-written and there's enough racism that it made me uncomfortable enough to DNF
horror_haus_books's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
3.0
In my head I pictured a B list sci-fi original movie. And there’s nothing at all wrong with that! Some of those movies slap.
I enjoyed the cultish backwoods vibe this story gave off. The monster itself sounded terrifying and I would’ve liked to have seen more of it.
It definitely could’ve been cut down a bit, and the characters could’ve used a little more depth but all around it was a decent story.
I still recommend checking this one out and as always, remember to support indie authors!
mindysbookjourney's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
3.5
James moves from Atlanta to small town Edington his senior year of high school, and Edington locals don't seem to like outsiders. James is thrown into danger after a local challenges him to a ATV race threw a backwoods area that reveals an ancient evil living in the pond. Now James must take on a cult that worships the creature to save himself and those close to him.
This YA horror book is the first in a series that has a lot of bite. There are some typical high school problems, but I would only recommend this book to very mature teens that can handle swearing and gore. There was some racism that was not fun to read. It takes a while to get going, but this book turns into a really great creature feature with a fantastic showdown in the end.
I would recommend this book to fans of creature features with cosmic elements.
bobmetal's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry and Murder
Moderate: Racism
jeremyfee's review against another edition
5.0
Disclaimers: The author provided me with an e-book of this novel, but this is an honest review. Also, I’m originally from Louisiana so crazy swamp cult stories have a special place in my heart.
If you enjoy teenage coming of age stories mixed with town-threatening primordial horror, then this is the book for you! I know I had a great time reading it. I never realized that in a horribly racist and sexist world that the worst insult you could throw at someone would be “carpetbagger,” but man did the cultists hate on the people they viewed as such. About 25% of the way through the novel I realized the real monster wasn’t the creature in the woods or the crazy cultists kidnapping and sacrificing people, but rather it was the economic downturn and housing crisis that caused the main character’s family to end up trapped in this small town.
I enjoy a good modern Cthulhu-esque horror novel written with good pacing; thus, The Thing in the Woods felt like a 4-star read for me when – about 30% into the novel a crazy cultist named Brother Zebulon entered the story and I realized this novel deserved to be bumped up at least half a star. I was already engrossed in the strange swamp cult meeting taking place and thinking that these small-town people couldn’t get any stranger when Brother Zebulon entered the page; his name told me so much about his life story, the type of crazy cultist parents who must have raised him, etc. without any need for an info dump backstory. Then the story got even better and I absolutely loved the climactic monster battle.
If you enjoy teenage coming of age stories mixed with town-threatening primordial horror, then this is the book for you! I know I had a great time reading it. I never realized that in a horribly racist and sexist world that the worst insult you could throw at someone would be “carpetbagger,” but man did the cultists hate on the people they viewed as such. About 25% of the way through the novel I realized the real monster wasn’t the creature in the woods or the crazy cultists kidnapping and sacrificing people, but rather it was the economic downturn and housing crisis that caused the main character’s family to end up trapped in this small town.
I enjoy a good modern Cthulhu-esque horror novel written with good pacing; thus, The Thing in the Woods felt like a 4-star read for me when – about 30% into the novel a crazy cultist named Brother Zebulon entered the story and I realized this novel deserved to be bumped up at least half a star. I was already engrossed in the strange swamp cult meeting taking place and thinking that these small-town people couldn’t get any stranger when Brother Zebulon entered the page; his name told me so much about his life story, the type of crazy cultist parents who must have raised him, etc. without any need for an info dump backstory. Then the story got even better and I absolutely loved the climactic monster battle.
armand_rosamilia's review
4.0
Very solid B-movie monster tale, and that's a compliment. I enjoyed the pacing and character development in this one. Will be reading more from this author, too!
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