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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Gross. Spooky. Fun.
Lovecraft meets I Know What You Did Last Summer with a soundtrack from your favorite 90s alternative radio station.
I imagine Andrew Van Wey throwing dust on the Are You Afraid of the Dark campfire and telling this horror story love letter to the 90s. No reference left behind. Every cliche lovingly written.
I am not normally a horror reader. Atmospheric ghost stories? Yes, please! But this kind of bizarre monstery horror? Not so much. I really enjoyed this book. I had no idea what to expect and was pleasantly surprised by each twist all the way to the grown up Goosebumps ending.
Lovecraft meets I Know What You Did Last Summer with a soundtrack from your favorite 90s alternative radio station.
I imagine Andrew Van Wey throwing dust on the Are You Afraid of the Dark campfire and telling this horror story love letter to the 90s. No reference left behind. Every cliche lovingly written.
I am not normally a horror reader. Atmospheric ghost stories? Yes, please! But this kind of bizarre monstery horror? Not so much. I really enjoyed this book. I had no idea what to expect and was pleasantly surprised by each twist all the way to the grown up Goosebumps ending.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It took me a little bit to get into the story, but about halfway in I became a lot more invested, and by the end I was feeling great about it.
The answer to the main questions in the book (“What happened to Oksana and how was Megan involved?”) are asked early and you don’t find out any answers until late, but it definitely kept me turning pages.
Good body horror, light cosmic horror vibes in a few parts, a little hint of crime novel in a couple spots; it all blended together very well.
Did not predict the ending, but it made sense.
I enjoyed the story overall. I would recommend this book to most horror fans.
The answer to the main questions in the book (“What happened to Oksana and how was Megan involved?”) are asked early and you don’t find out any answers until late, but it definitely kept me turning pages.
Good body horror, light cosmic horror vibes in a few parts, a little hint of crime novel in a couple spots; it all blended together very well.
Did not predict the ending, but it made sense.
I enjoyed the story overall. I would recommend this book to most horror fans.
This is not scary, just gory. It doesn’t have any atmosphere, characters are super uninteresting, including the living head that was fished out of the ocean. The fact I’m imagining it to look like one of a monster toys from Toy Story is not helping either.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
DNF @ 45%
Gonna give this one a 2.5 rounded up to a 3 because there isn't really anything technically wrong with it, I'm just still not interested in it almost halfway through. Basically I got sucked in by the whole 'horror book set in the 90s with the title of a Nine Inch Nails song' thing and unfortunately for me this isn't really delivering on the 90s nostalgia the way I want it to and also the actual plot isn't interesting enough for me to stick around for that either.
If you're just really into mermaids you might like this but for me it jumps around too much and didn't really do anything to make me care about any of the characters and the only thing that even really dates it to the 90s is that they'll randomly mention a song playing on the radio or a type of technology that would be considered outdated today. Probably a fine read if you're just looking for a run-of-the-mill horror book but I was hoping for something that leaned a bit more towards My Best Friend's Exorcism with the nostalgia factor.
Gonna give this one a 2.5 rounded up to a 3 because there isn't really anything technically wrong with it, I'm just still not interested in it almost halfway through. Basically I got sucked in by the whole 'horror book set in the 90s with the title of a Nine Inch Nails song' thing and unfortunately for me this isn't really delivering on the 90s nostalgia the way I want it to and also the actual plot isn't interesting enough for me to stick around for that either.
If you're just really into mermaids you might like this but for me it jumps around too much and didn't really do anything to make me care about any of the characters and the only thing that even really dates it to the 90s is that they'll randomly mention a song playing on the radio or a type of technology that would be considered outdated today. Probably a fine read if you're just looking for a run-of-the-mill horror book but I was hoping for something that leaned a bit more towards My Best Friend's Exorcism with the nostalgia factor.
Yeah, I was a sucker for the cover. It was an ok read. Not fantabulous.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Over the past year, Andrew Van Wey has quickly become one of my favorite authors. My introduction to his work was By the Light of Dead Stars during the Books of Horror Indie brawl, which served as my first real dive into cosmic horror—and I absolutely loved it. I devoured the sequel, Tides of Darkness, as soon as it was released. So when Tom Jordan, the talented narrator of Van Wey’s audiobooks, offered codes for Head like a Hole, I jumped at the chance. And let me tell you—this book did not disappoint.
The story begins with the grisly discovery of a young woman’s torso and head pulled from the ocean by a fisherman. From that moment, darkness creeps onto the shore, threatening Megan Monroe and her group of friends. As the sinister events unfold, buried memories and long-hidden secrets begin to resurface, forcing Megan to confront the fractures in their friendship before its too late.
Head Like a Hole feels like a perfect blend of I Know What You Did Last Summer, It, and The Thing. Van Wey weaves a chilling narrative filled with visceral body horror, graphic gore, and relentless terror. It’s a story that pulls no punches, making it a thrilling, albeit intense, read that’s certainly not for the faint of heart.
Overall, Head Like a Hole is a dark and unforgettable journey into the heart of fear and fractured friendships. Andrew Van Wey’s storytelling prowess continues to impress, and this book earns a well-deserved spot on my bookshelf.
Tom Jordan has also outdone himself with this story as well. Each character was unique and brought to life with his narration. There was never a question of which character was talking, each character was flawlessly brought to life.
If you are a fan of unrelenting horror, this one’s for you.
The story begins with the grisly discovery of a young woman’s torso and head pulled from the ocean by a fisherman. From that moment, darkness creeps onto the shore, threatening Megan Monroe and her group of friends. As the sinister events unfold, buried memories and long-hidden secrets begin to resurface, forcing Megan to confront the fractures in their friendship before its too late.
Head Like a Hole feels like a perfect blend of I Know What You Did Last Summer, It, and The Thing. Van Wey weaves a chilling narrative filled with visceral body horror, graphic gore, and relentless terror. It’s a story that pulls no punches, making it a thrilling, albeit intense, read that’s certainly not for the faint of heart.
Overall, Head Like a Hole is a dark and unforgettable journey into the heart of fear and fractured friendships. Andrew Van Wey’s storytelling prowess continues to impress, and this book earns a well-deserved spot on my bookshelf.
Tom Jordan has also outdone himself with this story as well. Each character was unique and brought to life with his narration. There was never a question of which character was talking, each character was flawlessly brought to life.
If you are a fan of unrelenting horror, this one’s for you.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my thoughts in any way.
Head Like A Hole by Andrew Van Wey is a delightfully creepy, fast paced horror novel that really pushed my 90’s nostalgia button, hard. I’m not sure how to review this book without spoiling any of the twisty surprises. I’ll just say that an unfortunate fisherman pulls something out of the water that would be better left there. Bad stuff happens. I really enjoyed this story and I look forward to reading more by this author.
Head Like A Hole by Andrew Van Wey is a delightfully creepy, fast paced horror novel that really pushed my 90’s nostalgia button, hard. I’m not sure how to review this book without spoiling any of the twisty surprises. I’ll just say that an unfortunate fisherman pulls something out of the water that would be better left there. Bad stuff happens. I really enjoyed this story and I look forward to reading more by this author.