Reviews

Exorcist Road by Jonathan Janz

moviesnob1979's review

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5.0

I couldn’t put this down! AMAZING!!!

shrikekali's review

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3.0

EXORCIST ROAD by Jonathan Janz gets 3 3/4 stars from me. It was a quick jolt of terror infused into my system that gave me just what I needed. I’ll probably pick up the extended storyline featured in EXORCIST FALLS so I can experience the full impact of the story.

I thought the ending seemed a little rushed with some twists that I need to look back on to see if they make sense, but I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a horror thrill ride.

bookish_satty's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.0

When I started laughing at the typical possession tropes from the Exorcist movie I finally realized that sadly I'm losing interest in possession stories because it's always the same and nothing changes at all. I'm not saying this story is bad because it's quite gory and tense and that ending will shock you no doubt but for the majority of the portion especially the part involving exorcism I spent giggling and snorting which was quite bizarre for my mom to witness who knew that I was reading a gruesome horror book! Lol!
When horror stories stops scaring you then it becomes quite boring to slog through a book. I would definitely recommend it for those of you who still loves possession stories. This is one of the good ones in this sub-genre no doubt. 

theremightbecupcakes's review

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

readbyashleyd's review

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dark tense fast-paced

5.0

Hot damn, I was not expecting this novella to be as good as it was! I mean I had a pretty good idea I’d enjoy it because I adore Janz as an author but I definitely didn’t think I’d enjoy it quite so much. This is by far one of the best exorcism horror stories I’ve ever read other than The Exorcist itself. It’s incredibly sinister and creates a deep unease that settles into your bones. It gets quite grotesque at times and I’m not very easy to disturb but certain scenes had me closing my eyes and cringing and feeling almost physically ill. The story had a lot of different little sub stories going on and I’m very much looking forward to reading the full length novel that follows this novella, especially with that cliff hanger of an ending! 

paperbackstash's review

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4.0

Jonathan Janz doesnt' disappoint. When I say possession, I mean we get all the frills pulled out without holding any punches. Right away - bam, bam. But the interest in the story wasn't in it being about possession per se - it was about a paranoid town tormented by a serial killer, a house full of people keeping secrets, priests with hidden desires, cops pushed to the limits of sanity, imperfect parents. Great stuff, a gem in the possession sub-genre, which isn't even something I usually enjoy. On to the next, Exorcist Falls. Full review to come.

barnsey's review

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4.0

An excellent novella for those who like to stay up late reading until the small hours. Unpredictable and gripping! I highly recommend.

rodsreads's review

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dark tense

4.0

charshorrorcorner's review

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5.0

4.5/5 stars!

I read this on audiobook as it was included with the novel Exorcist Falls. Here's a link to my audiobook review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1915455079?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

craigwallwork's review

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4.0

It’s hard not to draw comparisons to Blatty’s great novel when someone writers about an exorcism. It’s like a book about a shark terrorising a small island and attempting to block out the iconic composition of John Williams. Janz’s real skill here is two fold: First is pace. Yes, it’s a novella so by its very limitations you can’t afford to meander. You have to keep things very tight. Janz does this by hitting the boards running when Father Crowder attends the house of a 15 year old boy showing signs of demonic possession. We’re then thrown into a literal Hell before we have time to blink. The second is plot. Sure, there’s every exorcism trope thrown in here, but running parallel is a second story, that of the Sweet Sixteen Killer. The town has a serial killer roaming around targeting 16 year girls. Weaving this storyline into the exorcism presents us with a extra dynamic; who is the Sweet Sixteen Killer? And more importantly, are they one of the characters in the house during the exorcism? Now we have a “who dun’it”. This is why Exorcist Road gets four stars instead of three. It’s that extra layer needed to differentiate it from its predecessor. Yes, you could say it’s more a homage to The Exorcist and Legion, whereby again, in the latter we are presented with the Gemini killer, but Janz dodges skilfully the obvious connection by making his story very claustrophobic (pretty much one setting throughout the novella) and exchanging those deep philosophical questions present in Blatty’s work for more wince-inducing gratuitous fun.