Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - Camp Damascus

While I did think some of the plot points were a little wacky and there seemed to be an element of sheer dumb luck, I thoroughly enjoyed this and read it very fast! Don’t usually laugh out loud at horror so this was a welcome surprise. If you like campy horror with some genuine heart, this is it.

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snerp_reads's review

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emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Felt a little slow in the beginning, and a bit cliched, which made me struggle to finish it in a reasonable time. However, once I picked it back up and got to the last bit, I really enjoyed it. The concept and world building is interesting,

and makes me want to know more about the demons and their world, and just how the church obtained them in the first place.

I loved the incorporation of Rose's autism into the narrative of the story, and it was used in a way I've never seen in a novel before. The Rose biblical verses interspersed were also nice and added to the overall themes.

All in all, I think it's a good YA novel, and if you like the YA genre, give it a read!

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queergoth_reads's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

Wow! That was so intense. I knew I would enjoy it but I was very blown away. The mixing of the real life horror of conversion therapy and the supernatural really made this book. Also had some very hellraiser vibes in parts. It was so tense.

I do with we'd got to know a bit more about Saul though!

I also think it's worth mentioning how well done and inter sting it was to see the way Rose and Saul's relationship to their faith differed despite them both going through the same horrors at the hands of their church. Even though I'm not religious myself I think it is good to see someone being able to keep their faith, like Saul, even when the main church hates him. And it's good to see him find that space for himself.

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cuddlygryphon's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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gman4757's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

3.75

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megan_harper's review

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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

4.5

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bites_of_books's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This is Chuck Tingle's first adult horror novel and I am very pleasantly surprised! We follow Rose Darling, a young woman who is starting to notice that things in her very religious town aren't all that they seem but also that not everything she thought about herself aligns with said community. Her town is known for housing a 100% success conversion camp for queer youth and she hasn't thought twice about this until she starts feeling a certain way about another young woman in her school. Her therapist and parents are incredibly supportive so she's pretty sure she'll be able to figure things out, except her own curiosity is starting to peel back at the given truths around her until she finds.... way more than she expected to find...

A true horror book that starts a bit slow but escalates to an ending that was deeply satisfying. I did almost wish for it to be multi-POV so that I could see things from the other character's perspectives as well, I'm super curious about their lives!

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the_vegan_bookworm's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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