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kenza_ysfi's review against another edition
4.0
The writing is beautiful, simple and fluid.
At the beginning, dialogue takes over and there aren't too many descriptions and details and I really appreciate that. I don't need details about the school structure or unnecessary information about baseball.
As the story goes on, there are more descriptions because the scenes and events happening aren't common. You don't meet a murderer or a scary fantastical creature every day... And once again, the author did a great job with describing the places, the creatures, and people. Not too much but just enough to get a clear image in your mind.
The main character, Will Burgess, is such a well-written and well developed character. He has this compassionate personality we get a glimpse of in the first chapter and it just never leaves him. His decisions follow it so well, it seems realistic!
Generally, I liked the story. It was fast-paced and it leaves you wanting more. I read more than 200 pages on the first day and didn't feel it at all! The tension and horror are present and they do not disappoint.
What takes away one star off the rating and doesn't make the reading experience perfect are the last chapters. Somehow, the events started to feel repetitive and having predicted most of what would happen, I read for the sake of completing the book and not enjoying it. I think the last chapters (excluding the last one) could've been a lot better!
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
Yeah, it's a lot more complex than that but it's hard to write a teaser than encapsulates teenage love, a serial killer, and supernatural horror without making a mess of things.
Children of the Dark is a coming of age horror tale in the tradition of [b:Boy's Life|11553|Boy's Life|Robert McCammon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1314302694s/11553.jpg|16685995], [b:The Traveling Vampire Show|613605|The Traveling Vampire Show|Richard Laymon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1321692829s/613605.jpg|600059], [b:Bay's End|13481307|Bay's End|Edward Lorn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1334985157s/13481307.jpg|19014151], and, of course, [b:The Body|11574|The Body|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328182521s/11574.jpg|2334601]. Can it hang with the big dogs of the sub-genre?
Yes. Yes, it can.
In Will Burgess, Jonathan Janz crafts a sympathetic lead. Will's father died years ago and his mother is a pill-popper, leaving Will to raise his six year old sister, Peach. On a side note, Peach is adorable. Will plays baseball, has a couple of good friends, and is ass over tea kettle for Mia, the girlfriend of his arch-enemy.
When Carl Padgett busts out of jail, the whole town goes into lock down. It just so happens that this coincides with the time Mia invites Will to hang with her and her friends in the woods. See where this is going? I haven't even mentioned the titular Children of the Dark yet!
After seeing a strange creature in the woods, Will's friend Barley tells him of The Children, giant evil monsters supposedly living underground in the cave system below Shadeland. They reminded me of eight foot tall versions of Gollum from Lord of the Rings.
Anyway, Janz does a great job juggling the suspense of having a killer on the loose, the creeping horror of monsters in the woods, and the everyday horrors of being a teenager in love. When everything finally comes together, the book goes into survival horror mode and no one is safe!
As I read this on the plane to San Francisco, I kept looking at the other passengers, wondering why they were so calm with monsters on the loose and a serial killer serial killing people.
Apart from a twist I saw coming about ten pages into the book, I have nothing bad to say about this book. It's a gripping read and well worth the kindle price of only $2.99. I'll definitely be reading more Jonathan Janz. Four out of five stars.
billmill19's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
mariesreads's review against another edition
4.0
redshoe's review against another edition
4.0
victoria80's review
4.0
This was my first read by Jonathan Janz and I wasn’t disappointed. I’ve been seeing him everywhere on Bookstagram so I choose this one to start with because of the cover, yip that’s what I did!! 🤷🏻♀️
This book was a great read, almost like an old school horror with plenty of gore.
An enjoyable coming of age story with interesting characters and a well developed plot. I could feel a sequel being laid up nicely. Which I’ve heard from Mr Janz is definitely on its way!
A good read for horror story nerds like me 💀
Next Janz for me will be The Sorrows.
Don’t you just love finding a new author, thank you Bookstagram