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dark
funny
mysterious
tense
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
A wellness retreat is the perfect place to find yourself…but also to lose your life.
Ever since she lost her fiancé that day one year ago, Hannah’s been trying to keep her life together and not spiral apart. When her best friends bring up an opportunity to spend a week at a wellness retreat in the remote California desert to unplug and reconnect, Hannah thinks it’ll be the perfect opportunity to get back to herself and destress from normal life.
As the week goes on, she starts to realise that’s not the case, and something more sinister is waiting in the shadows.
—
YES. I love horrors, and have really high expectations for them, meaning I get disappointed easily. But this was fantastic in every sense.
I loved the rawness of Hannah’s experiences, and the goriness of the kills. The detail was excellent, and so cleverly described?! The fact everyone was a suspect in my eyes, and when I thought I’d worked everything out? That twist got me. I did NOT see that coming.
And I loved that.
Brian has crafted an absolutely exceptional mystery slasher thriller, with full-bodied characters, complex moral decisions, and beautiful homages to the jewels in the horror crown. I especially loved his mini love letter/author’s note at the end of the book, and his love and devotion to the horror genre was sweet and something I thoroughly related to.
This was an absolute pleasure to review, and I cannot thank NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and the author enough for this ARC.
Ever since she lost her fiancé that day one year ago, Hannah’s been trying to keep her life together and not spiral apart. When her best friends bring up an opportunity to spend a week at a wellness retreat in the remote California desert to unplug and reconnect, Hannah thinks it’ll be the perfect opportunity to get back to herself and destress from normal life.
As the week goes on, she starts to realise that’s not the case, and something more sinister is waiting in the shadows.
—
YES. I love horrors, and have really high expectations for them, meaning I get disappointed easily. But this was fantastic in every sense.
I loved the rawness of Hannah’s experiences, and the goriness of the kills. The detail was excellent, and so cleverly described?! The fact everyone was a suspect in my eyes, and when I thought I’d worked everything out? That twist got me. I did NOT see that coming.
And I loved that.
Brian has crafted an absolutely exceptional mystery slasher thriller, with full-bodied characters, complex moral decisions, and beautiful homages to the jewels in the horror crown. I especially loved his mini love letter/author’s note at the end of the book, and his love and devotion to the horror genre was sweet and something I thoroughly related to.
This was an absolute pleasure to review, and I cannot thank NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and the author enough for this ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Murder
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Five star horror ride with pop culture sprinkled in to get you in to understanding the characters/ situations more. This book is extremely well written. The death scenes were amazing. No spoiler but, the one that happens at the end of Chapter 21 was so apropos. I was so convinced I knew where the book was headed as far as who the killer was and I was so wrong! Which shows you even more the strength of the writers talent. #CampNetGalley
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Racism, Sexual content, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Minor: Vomit
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
God, I love a fun horror novel.
This is the first time I’ve picked up a book and felt like I was watching a classic slasher film. I enjoyed every second, and I truly didn’t see the twisty end coming until it was right there in front of my face. I read the entire book in two days, squinting at different lines and highlighting away like I was a little detective. There are so many juicy clues casually dropped into the actual word choices and in the behaviors of the characters. I felt so sure I knew what was going on the whole time, but I was wrong - and that’s my favorite way for horror stories to go.
The writing style is witty and often pretty funny. I saw a lot of myself in the attitudes of multiple characters, and that just cracked right me up. The death scenes were creative and disgusting too, just how I like them. I even threw my phone down once and yelled for a quick second, just to release the abject horror I was experiencing while reading through the descriptions in this novel (the snake, man… the snake…). I think the author, much like myself, loves a perfectly curated death scene.
I think this story is a lovely callback to all the things horror watchers, readers, and writers love about the classics. It has an interesting setting that I haven’t really seen done before and approaches the subject matter in a serious but also satirical way that was exciting to see. The flaws of the characters aren’t sugar coated, and often times their flaws are almost too glaring and off-putting… but there’s always more to the story than that, isn’t there?
Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this - and that’s what matters most to me. I love a story that can scare me and make me giggle at the same time. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good scary movie. What’s a little fear amongst friends anyway, eh? Pick this one up and have a little fun. Signing off with the funniest line I’ve ever read, as the author so aptly says: in the name of the Freddy, the Michael, and the Jason Voorhees - slaymen.
This is the first time I’ve picked up a book and felt like I was watching a classic slasher film. I enjoyed every second, and I truly didn’t see the twisty end coming until it was right there in front of my face. I read the entire book in two days, squinting at different lines and highlighting away like I was a little detective. There are so many juicy clues casually dropped into the actual word choices and in the behaviors of the characters. I felt so sure I knew what was going on the whole time, but I was wrong - and that’s my favorite way for horror stories to go.
The writing style is witty and often pretty funny. I saw a lot of myself in the attitudes of multiple characters, and that just cracked right me up. The death scenes were creative and disgusting too, just how I like them. I even threw my phone down once and yelled for a quick second, just to release the abject horror I was experiencing while reading through the descriptions in this novel (the snake, man… the snake…). I think the author, much like myself, loves a perfectly curated death scene.
I think this story is a lovely callback to all the things horror watchers, readers, and writers love about the classics. It has an interesting setting that I haven’t really seen done before and approaches the subject matter in a serious but also satirical way that was exciting to see. The flaws of the characters aren’t sugar coated, and often times their flaws are almost too glaring and off-putting… but there’s always more to the story than that, isn’t there?
Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this - and that’s what matters most to me. I love a story that can scare me and make me giggle at the same time. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good scary movie. What’s a little fear amongst friends anyway, eh? Pick this one up and have a little fun. Signing off with the funniest line I’ve ever read, as the author so aptly says: in the name of the Freddy, the Michael, and the Jason Voorhees - slaymen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use