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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
What follows is my personal opinion, and is no way representative of any orgs I'm involved with. Thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book so much. The opening scene sets up a difficult expectation to follow through with, but the author does a fantastic job of building to a crescendo that walks the line between supernatural horror and light gore without feeling gratuitous. The protagonists were not only believable, but more or less likable throughout.
Light ending spoilers in paragraph to follow.
My only real gripe is how neatly things seemed to be wrapped up in the end - it might have just been the build to get there, but I wanted to see more. There is also a somewhat trite bait-and-switch that didn't seem to make any sense for it's placement in the story, which seemed to have no real gravity in the ensuing pages.
End of spoilers
Dagger Hill is definitely a great book for teens and 20somethings looking to graduate from the light horror they're used to into a more genre-driven story. I hope the folks I recommend this to enjoy it as much as I did.
I loved this book so much. The opening scene sets up a difficult expectation to follow through with, but the author does a fantastic job of building to a crescendo that walks the line between supernatural horror and light gore without feeling gratuitous. The protagonists were not only believable, but more or less likable throughout.
Light ending spoilers in paragraph to follow.
My only real gripe is how neatly things seemed to be wrapped up in the end - it might have just been the build to get there, but I wanted to see more. There is also a somewhat trite bait-and-switch that didn't seem to make any sense for it's placement in the story, which seemed to have no real gravity in the ensuing pages.
End of spoilers
Dagger Hill is definitely a great book for teens and 20somethings looking to graduate from the light horror they're used to into a more genre-driven story. I hope the folks I recommend this to enjoy it as much as I did.
Very slow to start, mildly annoying with the 5(!) different narrators. Action only picked up in the last third of the book. Really interesting premise but spent too much time on the lives of the teenagers instead of the mythology of the anomalies.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I received this book from the publisher/Xpresso Tour Hosts in exchange of an honest review.
I am always looking around for spooky and scary horror and I definitely got my fill with this AMAZING book! It was a bit of a slow start at first, getting to know the characters, the town, but quite soon things just went into a maelstrom of everything and I just couldn’t, wouldn’t put the book down. I am going to try to write a review but BOY I got so many feels about this epic book. It may be chaotic. Haha.
The author wrote this book so so good, I mean, at points it felt like I wasn’t reading… I was actually there. With the plane crash, really, the time stood still for these kids but it felt the same way for me. It was as if I was on that clearing. Watching everything, helpless to do anything. There are many other scenes that had this and I just love it when authors are able to do this. It definitely doesn’t always happen. It definitely made everything even scarier~
We have a group of friends as our MCs, but we also get to see some interludes in which we see some other characters. As the time goes on and things get more and more harried we see some more of the town people. I definitely loved those interludes and loved seeing how things got more and more scary in the town.
The main MCs, Gabe, Charlie, and Sonya, and in the beginning also Kimberley. I really liked them a lot, though, haha, I kept confusing Gabe and Charlie constantly. No clue why given that they were wildly different. One was a goofball and the other more serious. I loved Sonya especially as she was such a kick-ass girl (with some cool coding/hacking skills) who was determined to do whatever she could to get her girl back. Yep, you read that right! I was so happy to read about this! I was rooting for Sonya (and in more than one way given she hadn’t told Kimberley about her feelings).
They weren’t superficial characters at all, which is what sometimes happens in books with multiple POVs. I really liked reading about each character, about their future plans, about how they felt about their friends (and one of them should have seen the hints), about their friendship, and more. I was invested in each of these characters.
I was rooting for all of these characters, because as we learn more about the history of the town, about the anomalies, we know that the plane crash and the military aren’t the scariest things to come.
I loved learning more about the town, about Dagger Hill, about the anomalies. There is a lot more to this story and I was squeeing happily each time we got some new bit of information. The anomalies were well written, and while at first I was scared to bits about Bug Man, we later see that he is one of the good guys, which may sound weird but is absolutely 100% the truth. While he still scared me shitless I was also looking forward to seeing him again, see what his next step in the plan is to help these kids and their town.
Haha, can I say that I am not sure who is worse: The anomaly that is with Dagger Hill or Higgins? Lord. Higgins was just pure evil. I don’t see this as a spoiler, I got bad vibes from that person from the very start. I won’t say much more than that, but I was kind of hoping throughout the book that Higgins would just get eaten or disappear magically. XD
The ending, WOW, what a trip that was. If you thought the book couldn’t get any better than there is the ending with tons of excitement, scary moments, but also relief. It was just the perfect way to end this book!
All in all, I could probably talk and talk more and more about this book but I don’t want to make things too long, so I will stop here and just say this: READ THIS BOOK!! NOW!!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I am always looking around for spooky and scary horror and I definitely got my fill with this AMAZING book! It was a bit of a slow start at first, getting to know the characters, the town, but quite soon things just went into a maelstrom of everything and I just couldn’t, wouldn’t put the book down. I am going to try to write a review but BOY I got so many feels about this epic book. It may be chaotic. Haha.
The author wrote this book so so good, I mean, at points it felt like I wasn’t reading… I was actually there. With the plane crash, really, the time stood still for these kids but it felt the same way for me. It was as if I was on that clearing. Watching everything, helpless to do anything. There are many other scenes that had this and I just love it when authors are able to do this. It definitely doesn’t always happen. It definitely made everything even scarier~
We have a group of friends as our MCs, but we also get to see some interludes in which we see some other characters. As the time goes on and things get more and more harried we see some more of the town people. I definitely loved those interludes and loved seeing how things got more and more scary in the town.
The main MCs, Gabe, Charlie, and Sonya, and in the beginning also Kimberley. I really liked them a lot, though, haha, I kept confusing Gabe and Charlie constantly. No clue why given that they were wildly different. One was a goofball and the other more serious. I loved Sonya especially as she was such a kick-ass girl (with some cool coding/hacking skills) who was determined to do whatever she could to get her girl back. Yep, you read that right! I was so happy to read about this! I was rooting for Sonya (and in more than one way given she hadn’t told Kimberley about her feelings).
They weren’t superficial characters at all, which is what sometimes happens in books with multiple POVs. I really liked reading about each character, about their future plans, about how they felt about their friends (and one of them should have seen the hints), about their friendship, and more. I was invested in each of these characters.
I was rooting for all of these characters, because as we learn more about the history of the town, about the anomalies, we know that the plane crash and the military aren’t the scariest things to come.
I loved learning more about the town, about Dagger Hill, about the anomalies. There is a lot more to this story and I was squeeing happily each time we got some new bit of information. The anomalies were well written, and while at first I was scared to bits about Bug Man, we later see that he is one of the good guys, which may sound weird but is absolutely 100% the truth. While he still scared me shitless I was also looking forward to seeing him again, see what his next step in the plan is to help these kids and their town.
Haha, can I say that I am not sure who is worse: The anomaly that is with Dagger Hill or Higgins? Lord. Higgins was just pure evil. I don’t see this as a spoiler, I got bad vibes from that person from the very start. I won’t say much more than that, but I was kind of hoping throughout the book that Higgins would just get eaten or disappear magically. XD
The ending, WOW, what a trip that was. If you thought the book couldn’t get any better than there is the ending with tons of excitement, scary moments, but also relief. It was just the perfect way to end this book!
All in all, I could probably talk and talk more and more about this book but I don’t want to make things too long, so I will stop here and just say this: READ THIS BOOK!! NOW!!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I think this is a book that would really do well as a miniseries or as a movie because some of the descriptions were so creepy that they would lend themselves well to visuals! Some of the writing gets bogged down in the middle (especially with the descriptions of what happened on Dagger Hill). It's a little paranormal, a little sci-fi, a little horror. Not bad!
This was a horrible novel.
Aside from the fact it's written in the first person (which I don't like.) It's written in present tense first person 🤮😅
On top of that, there are four main characters talking in present tense first person. Each one of those characters has zero personality, they're just names. The only mildly interesting one vanishes at the beginning.
It was unbelievably slow and repetitive. All four characters babble on endlessly about the same thing, over and over again. There was a decent story in there, but it only gave you fragments between all the padding and babble-speak and overly long, painful to read descriptions, which were so unnecessary.
You could edit out all the padding and you might be left with a fast paced YA Stranger Things type story, which is what this was supposed to be. Huge fail. I'd rate it zero if I could.
Try My Best Friend's Exorcism, Dead Flip or Video Night for excellent "set in the 80s" Horror/Sci-Fi vibes instead of this snoozefest.
Aside from the fact it's written in the first person (which I don't like.) It's written in present tense first person 🤮😅
On top of that, there are four main characters talking in present tense first person. Each one of those characters has zero personality, they're just names. The only mildly interesting one vanishes at the beginning.
It was unbelievably slow and repetitive. All four characters babble on endlessly about the same thing, over and over again. There was a decent story in there, but it only gave you fragments between all the padding and babble-speak and overly long, painful to read descriptions, which were so unnecessary.
You could edit out all the padding and you might be left with a fast paced YA Stranger Things type story, which is what this was supposed to be. Huge fail. I'd rate it zero if I could.
Try My Best Friend's Exorcism, Dead Flip or Video Night for excellent "set in the 80s" Horror/Sci-Fi vibes instead of this snoozefest.
third book on my netgalley arc mission before 2021 ends :))
Best friends Gabe, Sonya, Charlie, and Kimberly are preparing for their last summer together before senior year. The four of them are about to graduate from their small Pennsylvania hometown and go their separate ways across the country to college.
The group thinks leaving each other and unrequited romance; the normal things teenagers deal with- are their only problems. Come to soon find out, it’s the absolute least of their problems.
While on a picnic and in the middle of making a promise to always stick together no matter what happens in the future, an airplane crashes over them. The crash splits up the group and instantly wreaks havoc and chaos. Everyone is hurt and Kimberly goes missing. The group is left reeling with weird things happening and even more unanswered questions.
“The nightmare has to run its course.”
The group is under surveillance and tight control at the hospital and even once they’re let out. The town is plagued by eerie visions, nightmares, and cryptic messages. They realize something sinister is at play and someone may know more than they are letting on. Gabe, Charlie and Sonya quickly find out that they can’t trust the doctors, the army, and maybe not even their own parents.
“It knows your fear.”
Reminiscent of Strangers Things and Stephen King, Dagger Hill is one of the best young adult books I’ve read this year. Perfect for fans of different tastes in genres such as horror, science fiction, and a little bit of mystery. It is severely underrated, and I encourage everyone to pick up a copy and make it their next read. The chapters are short, and fast-paced. Some of the scenes are grossly disturbing and weird but so vivid. It can be a little creepy and may leave you watching the shadows for bugs and monsters. You can feel yourself immersed into the story, panicking with the characters, and trying to figure out what is happening.
Friendship also remains a prominent theme throughout the book. The group’s wholesome friendship never waivers. Each other’s safety is their priority no matter the circumstance.
“Even on the coldest days growing up, wherever we went, we always seemed to carry the sun around with us.”
Needless to say, I was hooked up until the very end. This would make an excellent movie and I can’t wait to see more from Devon Taylor in the future.
check out my original review on https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/dagger-hill/
Best friends Gabe, Sonya, Charlie, and Kimberly are preparing for their last summer together before senior year. The four of them are about to graduate from their small Pennsylvania hometown and go their separate ways across the country to college.
The group thinks leaving each other and unrequited romance; the normal things teenagers deal with- are their only problems. Come to soon find out, it’s the absolute least of their problems.
While on a picnic and in the middle of making a promise to always stick together no matter what happens in the future, an airplane crashes over them. The crash splits up the group and instantly wreaks havoc and chaos. Everyone is hurt and Kimberly goes missing. The group is left reeling with weird things happening and even more unanswered questions.
“The nightmare has to run its course.”
The group is under surveillance and tight control at the hospital and even once they’re let out. The town is plagued by eerie visions, nightmares, and cryptic messages. They realize something sinister is at play and someone may know more than they are letting on. Gabe, Charlie and Sonya quickly find out that they can’t trust the doctors, the army, and maybe not even their own parents.
“It knows your fear.”
Reminiscent of Strangers Things and Stephen King, Dagger Hill is one of the best young adult books I’ve read this year. Perfect for fans of different tastes in genres such as horror, science fiction, and a little bit of mystery. It is severely underrated, and I encourage everyone to pick up a copy and make it their next read. The chapters are short, and fast-paced. Some of the scenes are grossly disturbing and weird but so vivid. It can be a little creepy and may leave you watching the shadows for bugs and monsters. You can feel yourself immersed into the story, panicking with the characters, and trying to figure out what is happening.
Friendship also remains a prominent theme throughout the book. The group’s wholesome friendship never waivers. Each other’s safety is their priority no matter the circumstance.
“Even on the coldest days growing up, wherever we went, we always seemed to carry the sun around with us.”
Needless to say, I was hooked up until the very end. This would make an excellent movie and I can’t wait to see more from Devon Taylor in the future.
check out my original review on https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/dagger-hill/
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Man, did I enjoy this book. It had great pacing and kept me interested throughout. Loved the idea and the concept. I can't say I found it scary because I'm a terrible judge for horror, but I think someone else might.
I can definitely say I have a crush on the Bugman.
Man, did I enjoy this book. It had great pacing and kept me interested throughout. Loved the idea and the concept. I can't say I found it scary because I'm a terrible judge for horror, but I think someone else might.
I can definitely say I have a crush on the Bugman.