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anmonsinme's review against another edition
4.0
After reading 7 other books by Jonathan Janz, I think this is the most violent and gory book I have read yet. Non-stop action from start to finish, just the way I like it!
I personally feel you should start with book 1 (The Sorrows) before reading this because there is a wide cast of characters; even more introduced in Castle of Sorrows, with very different personalities that you’ll be more familiar with if you have read the first book, although there are flashbacks to connect them. There are lots of character development here, each characters’ past and how those things came back to haunt them and some are just pure hateful which makes you want to cheer for their deaths.. or maybe that’s just me
I personally feel you should start with book 1 (The Sorrows) before reading this because there is a wide cast of characters; even more introduced in Castle of Sorrows, with very different personalities that you’ll be more familiar with if you have read the first book, although there are flashbacks to connect them. There are lots of character development here, each characters’ past and how those things came back to haunt them and some are just pure hateful which makes you want to cheer for their deaths.. or maybe that’s just me
rock_n_reads's review against another edition
4.0
If you follow me on social media, you might’ve noticed me coveting this book for some time now. I scoured the internet to no avail trying to find a previously-released copy for a reasonable price. Thankfully, my whining ended when the Flame Tree Press version arrived a bit early. It might seem trivial to others, but having this long-awaited book from a favorite author arrive when it did was a blessing in disguise. I lost my dad a week before receiving this book, and it provided an emotional escape that I needed at the time.
CASTLE OF SORROWS is a solid follow-up to its predecessor. Like all Janz novels, it’s packed with unforgettable characters, excellent pacing, and bits of humor and heart. I was rooting for the protagonist, appalled by some of the villains, and left hoping that this storyline will become a trilogy.
As with all of the Janz novels I’ve read before, this one was difficult to set aside once I started reading. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a third book in this series, and will continue singing this author’s praises as I await what comes next.
CASTLE OF SORROWS is a solid follow-up to its predecessor. Like all Janz novels, it’s packed with unforgettable characters, excellent pacing, and bits of humor and heart. I was rooting for the protagonist, appalled by some of the villains, and left hoping that this storyline will become a trilogy.
As with all of the Janz novels I’ve read before, this one was difficult to set aside once I started reading. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a third book in this series, and will continue singing this author’s praises as I await what comes next.
readbyashleyd's review
5.0
If the rest of Janz’s novels are anywhere near as good as this one and House of Sorrows then I am a fan for life and will read anything written by him. I thought House of Sorrows was fantastic but this book is on a whole other level of greatness and I still can’t quite get over how good it was. This is the kind of horror I crave, brutal and fucking gory but with a lot of heart that hits me right in the feelings and this book had that in spades. It was the perfect sequel, even better than I could have hoped for and it had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. I just couldn’t put it down, I had an almost compulsive need to find out how it would all end. This is one hell of a horror story and you’d be missing out if you don’t pick up this book and its predecessor!
mayhappily's review against another edition
4.0
This was actually the third book by Jonathan Janz that I read in a streak.
The first book by Janz that I read (House of Skin) was addictive in its gruesome and gory glory and so I immediately, upon finishing it, went on to The Sorrows), which was equally good, if not better as I hadn't the slightest clue what to expect when I picked up House of Skin and therefore had some mixed feelings after finishing it.
In my opinion, Janz belongs to the same category of author as Poppy Z Brite, by whom I've read (and honestly didn't like) Lost Souls and Exsquite Corpse, with his carnal, graphical and at times completely gratuitious violence.
I've said it before; I'm not a fan of violence just for the sake of it - and there were times where I felt that Janz also used violence a tad too generously - but overall I think that the violence in all aforementioned Janz-books served a purpose and brought something to the stories.
So. Now that my praising of Janz is out of the way: on to the book at hand.
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[A quick "FYI" before I get into the Castle of Sorrows: I had meant to review The Sorrows and had actually written about half when I, in a fugue state of the mind, closed down the browser. Without saving. As this is the sequel to The Sorrows, having had completed that review could maybe have helped any potential reader of this review. Sorry 'bout that.]
In Castle of Sorrows we're re-introduced to Ben Shadeland, one of the hottest movie music composers of the day, his (now) wife Claire and their son, Joshua. We also get to meet Julia, their newborn daughter.
After the previous Summer, Ben and Claire are happy. As happy as they can be having just barely survived the horrors of The Sorrows, a privately owned island haunted by both ghosts and gods.
But not all is bliss. Ben and Claire are the sole survivers out of ten people - including the very wealthy owner of the island, Robert Blackwood, his son, Chris, the famous movie maker Lee Stanley, Ben's ex wife and her new fiancée - who visited the island the year prior. Ben claims he doesn't remember much of what happened on the island, but the FBI agents assigned to the case don't believe him. Neither does the private investigator hired by Christina Blackwood, the widow and mother of the two deceased Blackwoods.
But it's not until the unthinkable happens, when Julia is kidnapped, that Ben is willing to face the demons of the past. He knows who took her, and he knows where she's been taken.
And so Ben agrees to return to The Sorrows with the FBI agents, to once again face the horrors of the island and its cruel master, Gabriel.
Castle of Sorrows feels very contemporary and while I usually have a higher tolerance for that when it comes to horror than I do with fantasy, I'm still not the biggest fan of a "modern tale". That being said, I was sucked in by Janz' story from the start and it didn't bother me that the setting wasn't that of the 19th century England.
There is a lot of focus on the sexual, and if you're sensitive to sexual violence, heads up! There's plenty of it. There's also plenty of graphical descriptions of violence.
I actually thought that The Sorrows was sliightly better than this sequel, but this was still a great read and I'm already off to find a fourth Janz book to devour.
The first book by Janz that I read (House of Skin) was addictive in its gruesome and gory glory and so I immediately, upon finishing it, went on to The Sorrows), which was equally good, if not better as I hadn't the slightest clue what to expect when I picked up House of Skin and therefore had some mixed feelings after finishing it.
In my opinion, Janz belongs to the same category of author as Poppy Z Brite, by whom I've read (and honestly didn't like) Lost Souls and Exsquite Corpse, with his carnal, graphical and at times completely gratuitious violence.
I've said it before; I'm not a fan of violence just for the sake of it - and there were times where I felt that Janz also used violence a tad too generously - but overall I think that the violence in all aforementioned Janz-books served a purpose and brought something to the stories.
So. Now that my praising of Janz is out of the way: on to the book at hand.
---
[A quick "FYI" before I get into the Castle of Sorrows: I had meant to review The Sorrows and had actually written about half when I, in a fugue state of the mind, closed down the browser. Without saving. As this is the sequel to The Sorrows, having had completed that review could maybe have helped any potential reader of this review. Sorry 'bout that.]
In Castle of Sorrows we're re-introduced to Ben Shadeland, one of the hottest movie music composers of the day, his (now) wife Claire and their son, Joshua. We also get to meet Julia, their newborn daughter.
After the previous Summer, Ben and Claire are happy. As happy as they can be having just barely survived the horrors of The Sorrows, a privately owned island haunted by both ghosts and gods.
But not all is bliss. Ben and Claire are the sole survivers out of ten people - including the very wealthy owner of the island, Robert Blackwood, his son, Chris, the famous movie maker Lee Stanley, Ben's ex wife and her new fiancée - who visited the island the year prior. Ben claims he doesn't remember much of what happened on the island, but the FBI agents assigned to the case don't believe him. Neither does the private investigator hired by Christina Blackwood, the widow and mother of the two deceased Blackwoods.
But it's not until the unthinkable happens, when Julia is kidnapped, that Ben is willing to face the demons of the past. He knows who took her, and he knows where she's been taken.
And so Ben agrees to return to The Sorrows with the FBI agents, to once again face the horrors of the island and its cruel master, Gabriel.
Castle of Sorrows feels very contemporary and while I usually have a higher tolerance for that when it comes to horror than I do with fantasy, I'm still not the biggest fan of a "modern tale". That being said, I was sucked in by Janz' story from the start and it didn't bother me that the setting wasn't that of the 19th century England.
There is a lot of focus on the sexual, and if you're sensitive to sexual violence, heads up! There's plenty of it. There's also plenty of graphical descriptions of violence.
I actually thought that The Sorrows was sliightly better than this sequel, but this was still a great read and I'm already off to find a fourth Janz book to devour.
bookertsfarm's review against another edition
4.0
I first have to admit that when I committed to reading this book, I didn't realize it was a sequel. I honestly wish I'd read the first one, partly because I'm anal about things like that and secondly so I could provide some sort of comparison. However, that being said, I really felt like I was able to jump into "Castle of Sorrows" rather quickly and that in the beginning, enough backstory was slowly provided so that the book made sense and I didn't feel like I was missing anything.
Due to some incidents that happen early on, Ben heads back to Castle Blackwood. He travels under the direst of circumstances which is exactly what was needed to make him face the demons, both literally and figuratively, of his past. Along for the ride are Widow Blackwood, a medium, a PI, several FBI agents and a gang of mobsters.
Castle Blackwood has a life of its own and it feeds on people, their darkest secrets and their scariest emotions. It makes people do unimaginable things and Janz has done an excellent job of making the setting an atmospheric character of its own. Just this week I had mentioned how I needed more spooky castle settings in books and behold, "Castle of Sorrows" is just what I was talking about.
Janz's book is full of colorful characters and little by little, we learn more about them. In the end, as a reader I was cheering some on to succeed, and yearning for the downfall and demise of others. Any true horror lover needs to pick up a Janz novel, whether it's this one or some of his others, and give him a try. He has quickly become an auto-read author for me so bring it on Jonathan! I'm ready!
Due to some incidents that happen early on, Ben heads back to Castle Blackwood. He travels under the direst of circumstances which is exactly what was needed to make him face the demons, both literally and figuratively, of his past. Along for the ride are Widow Blackwood, a medium, a PI, several FBI agents and a gang of mobsters.
Castle Blackwood has a life of its own and it feeds on people, their darkest secrets and their scariest emotions. It makes people do unimaginable things and Janz has done an excellent job of making the setting an atmospheric character of its own. Just this week I had mentioned how I needed more spooky castle settings in books and behold, "Castle of Sorrows" is just what I was talking about.
Janz's book is full of colorful characters and little by little, we learn more about them. In the end, as a reader I was cheering some on to succeed, and yearning for the downfall and demise of others. Any true horror lover needs to pick up a Janz novel, whether it's this one or some of his others, and give him a try. He has quickly become an auto-read author for me so bring it on Jonathan! I'm ready!
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