Reviews

The Cursed Among Us by John Durgin

aseneth's review against another edition

3.0

I really loved the concept of this story. The setting and atmosphere was well established. The town had a nice feel to it and enjoyed the overall arc of the story. I wish there was a continuation of this story or town, I would be happy to read more in this universe.
My complaints are largely with the writing style and re-use of common words, such as everything was oozing pus even when it didn't make sense for that object. The narrative style is done through multiple characters first person view. This was done at seemingly random spots which led to transitions between characters feeling rushed or disjointed. Lastly, I would like to see more of our core group have fleshed out back stories. Some minor characters received better history than our core group of boys.
For transparency I listened to the book on audible. I enjoyed the narrator. I would love to see more from this author when he has had time to increase his skill as I feel his ideas are good and make for an enjoyable story.

jellybean_gene's review against another edition

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Sentimental & fun romp to an 80's supernatural horror. While the book itself didn't have anything wildly original in its plotting, it served up a fun bit of nostalgia in the vein of Monster Squad where a group of kids in the 80's wind up fighting a malevolent spirit. 

It was fun in that none of the cast appeared to be safe. The characters were well fleshed out and given room to be known. I enjoyed the book. 

malykaofhearts's review against another edition

4.0

Thank you to John Durgin for a copy of this novel in exchange for review.

To get the bad out of the way, the narrator is not for me. It seems like I'm a rarity here. This is my fourth audiobook by the performer and they just can't take me to the place I need to go with this type of novel. Sorry!

I switched from audio to written once I realized it would enrich my experience tenfold, which is exactly what happened. A bunch of teen boys hunting evil in the woods? Yes please!
I fucking love serial killer books like this. Set in the 90's? Even better. The book did not disappoint. The second the prologue ended I knew I was in for a brilliant, bumpy ride.

This is my second read from the author, and I found the pros and cons very similar between the two. Intriguing all the way through. Strong characters with history and connections. Insane villians. The repetitive nature behind certain sections remains a bit of a sore spot(repeating the how/who of someone passing away just a few chapters earlier).

I look forward to reading more from the author.

viktoria_rosalynn's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

ramunepocky's review against another edition

3.75

 “The hard truth was that there were real life monsters that would never go away.” 

I enjoyed The Cursed Among Us a lot; it was very atmospheric and spooky, which, admittedly, it isn’t that hard to freak me out. But this really did freak me out so much and I couldn’t read it the second that it got dark because I was convinced I could see glowing orange eyes in every reflection and was constantly anticipating being murdered. There was a good amount of deaths too, varying from some tamer deaths to some really gross and gnarlier ones. I enjoyed the variety of deaths too; no two people died the same way and it was nice to see some variety rather than everyone just being stabbed to death. The writing was a little bit clunky, which was sometimes quite jarring, but not enough to take me out of the story or ruin the overall atmosphere of it. 

I liked the main characters and the four friends. Howie and Cory in particular reminded me of the Stranger Things kids as they had that kind of bond and those kinds of vibes. It was really sad to see Howie suffering through his father’s abuse and being more afraid of him than dealing with the unleashed evil plaguing the town. It was sad too that the only real father figure that he’d had in their film teacher, is the first person to be murdered. 

I don’t really think that I had a favourite character in this book as I never really formed that bond, or got too attached to anyone. Part of that was due to the fact that there was a rather large cast, and another part of that was due to the fact that most characters we got introduced to died in the same chapter, or a few chapters later. I did think that it was very sad though that Ryan lost his father, aimed to take revenge on her killer, whilst thinking his friends had deserted him, when in actuality, they were giving him space to grieve, and then dying himself before ever getting the chance to talk to them again or make amends. The same goes for Todd; he just died so unceremoniously without ever having the chance to make what he’d done under possession right.  

It was interesting to learn about the town and the coven there, and WHY there was a curse and how the woman who had become the demon was tied into it. It is so typical of the people responsible to try and act like they shouldn’t be accountable, and just bury what they’d done instead. They all got what was coming to them tbh, and maybe if they’d been more open about the curse and what had happened then the kids wouldn’t have stumbled upon her grave and let her out. 

I also really liked the open ending and how it built up to be like oh, it’s finally over…. Or is it?? That was a cool little feature, and I imagine that every single person in that little town is now six feet under. 

Overall, it was a very atmospheric and creepy book that I enjoyed reading. 

moerod's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? No

4.75

A fun great read, witches, demons, gore, action, town cover up, great story, great writing, I'm a Durgin fan now

mlivings8's review against another edition

5.0

This is a great read for anyone that enjoys a good story but also for people growing up in the 80's and 90's. We never had adventures like these friends but it takes me back to hanging out with my buddies back home! Can't wait for more from this Author!

macronicole's review

5.0

I really enjoyed this debut novel. Interesting story and nice character development, nice little cliffhanger at the end too!
Like others mentioned it really reads like a slasher movie- it’d make a perfect horror movie adaptation!

rosepage's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

mmsanford's review against another edition

4.0

Definitely a fun read, reminded me of Stranger Things except with a demon instead of monsters from the upside down. It’s also really nostalgic for anyone born in the 90s. Overall good characters and good story telling