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patrickreads89's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
freezing_moon's review against another edition
4.0
CRUEL SUMMER is a book about the unwavering love of a parent for a child. It is also a book about the evil within humans and a much older darker evil that hides in the depths of the ocean. In lesser hands the balance between moments of familial love and extreme terror could come off as forced or fake. Thankfully, Wesley Southard is one of the better horror writers in the game. In this novel he is able to make the quiet and reflective moments breath like a calm ocean early in the morning and then turn on a dime and serve up some extremely suspenseful and harrowing passages like being stuck out at sea in the middle of a hurricane.
Melissa Braun and her son Patrick are taking a much need vacation to Florida with Melissa’s no-good boyfriend Hoyt. There have been plenty of great evil humans (NOT possessed by a spirit just genuinely bad people) in horror fiction over the years. Hoyt fits in with the likes of Henry Bowers in Stephen King’s IT, but even more vicious. In time Melissa and Patrick fight back against Hoyt, but in the process unleashes a darker and older evil. Southard then leads us through a mother’s struggle to continue to protect herself and her son from a suspicious detective, unusual aquatic creature behavior, a monster from the darker depths, and it all culminates with some of my favorite chapters in recent memory. I don’t want to give too much away, but you won’t find me anywhere near the ocean for a good long time.
I didn’t find the book lagged or got bogged down even when it turn to the personal relationship between Melissa and Patrick, or when Melissa reconnects with an old friend who she turns to for help later in the book. This is due in large part to Southard’s ability create characters that feel real — Patrick is perfect representation of a pre-teen and Melissa is a single parent who tends to second guess herself. The bond between mother and child, even when it is strained, is woven into the fabric of this book. All this makes the more horrific moments even more impactful.
Speaking of those horrific moments, Southard slowly builds the horror over the course of the book. You can feel the slow escalation and menace that follows Melissa and Patrick after the evil is unleashed. There is one section of the book that I thought couldn’t creep me out, but it did and now I can’t go anywhere near one of my favorite water-based creatures! The encounters with the evil element culminate in some very unique scenes of violence and gore which are described in stomach churning detail. Needless to say I loved every moment of it.
Wesley Southard has taken us down to the water in CRUEL SUMMER. That water might be calm at times, but when it turns dark and ominous there is no telling what might happen next. If you are a fan of horror fiction that blends the best of creepiness and gore with a tale about family then reel this one in right now.
A big thanks to Deaths Head Press and Sadie at Night Worms for the review copy of this book.
Melissa Braun and her son Patrick are taking a much need vacation to Florida with Melissa’s no-good boyfriend Hoyt. There have been plenty of great evil humans (NOT possessed by a spirit just genuinely bad people) in horror fiction over the years. Hoyt fits in with the likes of Henry Bowers in Stephen King’s IT, but even more vicious. In time Melissa and Patrick fight back against Hoyt, but in the process unleashes a darker and older evil. Southard then leads us through a mother’s struggle to continue to protect herself and her son from a suspicious detective, unusual aquatic creature behavior, a monster from the darker depths, and it all culminates with some of my favorite chapters in recent memory. I don’t want to give too much away, but you won’t find me anywhere near the ocean for a good long time.
I didn’t find the book lagged or got bogged down even when it turn to the personal relationship between Melissa and Patrick, or when Melissa reconnects with an old friend who she turns to for help later in the book. This is due in large part to Southard’s ability create characters that feel real — Patrick is perfect representation of a pre-teen and Melissa is a single parent who tends to second guess herself. The bond between mother and child, even when it is strained, is woven into the fabric of this book. All this makes the more horrific moments even more impactful.
Speaking of those horrific moments, Southard slowly builds the horror over the course of the book. You can feel the slow escalation and menace that follows Melissa and Patrick after the evil is unleashed. There is one section of the book that I thought couldn’t creep me out, but it did and now I can’t go anywhere near one of my favorite water-based creatures! The encounters with the evil element culminate in some very unique scenes of violence and gore which are described in stomach churning detail. Needless to say I loved every moment of it.
Wesley Southard has taken us down to the water in CRUEL SUMMER. That water might be calm at times, but when it turns dark and ominous there is no telling what might happen next. If you are a fan of horror fiction that blends the best of creepiness and gore with a tale about family then reel this one in right now.
A big thanks to Deaths Head Press and Sadie at Night Worms for the review copy of this book.
tiff_bb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
drakaina16's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
I ran the gamut of emotions with Cruel Summer. It's no secret from the blurb that a large part of the book centers around domestic violence and child abuse. Huge trigger warning for that - it's rough. The book is extremely well-written and gave me actual real-world anxiety, as the ending could have been taken from one of my actual nightmares. The ocean is scary anyway and Wesley Southard has managed to make it even more terrifying. 5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
phantomphan28's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
loser127's review against another edition
1.0
The more I think about this book the more I realize how dumb it was. It started out strong but then just… this wasn’t a horror book. It was adult Percy Jackson. I still don’t understand the ending.
the_restricted_section's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is my first read by this author, but will definitely not be my last.
Each character is so well developed. Deeply flawed in ways that make them so relatable.
The detailed descriptions of the locations and creatures read like a movie in my head. Though I am now deeply terrified of pretty much anything that comes from the ocean.
What really hit me are the underlying themes of abuse, grief, and family. How each character must find their own way through these particular obstacles of life that in some way or another we all must face.
Bravo!!
Each character is so well developed. Deeply flawed in ways that make them so relatable.
The detailed descriptions of the locations and creatures read like a movie in my head. Though I am now deeply terrified of pretty much anything that comes from the ocean.
What really hit me are the underlying themes of abuse, grief, and family. How each character must find their own way through these particular obstacles of life that in some way or another we all must face.
Bravo!!
pbanditp's review against another edition
4.0
Island vacation gone very wrong. Good unique story with some pretty terrifying scenes. If you have a fear of drowning then this one with get under your skin.
I did not connect with the characters so it was hard to be empathetic with them but the story was strong enough to keep it interesting
I did not connect with the characters so it was hard to be empathetic with them but the story was strong enough to keep it interesting
stefanie_duncan's review against another edition
5.0
AMAZING BOOK!
This book was recommended in one of my fb Horror Books and as usual I went in blind (and because of the gorgeous cover).
This book isn't straight up horror. I am not sure how to categorize it, but I feel like it does not need a box. This book mixes scary, some horror, some DV and and greek mythology into a beautiful tale of survival, a mothers love and our fear of water. Except this time the water and its inhabitants follow you.
Melissa, her not-so-nice boyfriend Hoyt and Melissa's son Patrick are making their way to a small town in Florida for a nice vacation. Except Hoyt has other plans because "nice" isn't part of his vocabulary. And when a particular incident happens everything we know about the ocean, the water and the sea creatures makes us want to go hiking in the mountains for a relaxing vacation. We all seen jaws and it kept many of us from swimming in the ocean for years. This book isn't helping getting some of us back into the water.
Mixing the genres for this book was very clever and well done.
This book was recommended in one of my fb Horror Books and as usual I went in blind (and because of the gorgeous cover).
This book isn't straight up horror. I am not sure how to categorize it, but I feel like it does not need a box. This book mixes scary, some horror, some DV and and greek mythology into a beautiful tale of survival, a mothers love and our fear of water. Except this time the water and its inhabitants follow you.
Melissa, her not-so-nice boyfriend Hoyt and Melissa's son Patrick are making their way to a small town in Florida for a nice vacation. Except Hoyt has other plans because "nice" isn't part of his vocabulary. And when a particular incident happens everything we know about the ocean, the water and the sea creatures makes us want to go hiking in the mountains for a relaxing vacation. We all seen jaws and it kept many of us from swimming in the ocean for years. This book isn't helping getting some of us back into the water.
Mixing the genres for this book was very clever and well done.