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A review by foxygma
The Hobgoblin of Little Minds by Mark Matthews
4.0
Werewolves are my favorite horror monster, but it seemed their days of popularity had waned and were reduced to sexy, shirtless puppy boys in modern books, so I moved on to other horror. When I had the privilege of reading The Hobgoblin of Little Minds as an ARC, it reignited my faith in modern werewolf stories and was the fresh take I had been looking for.
Matthews uses poetic phrasing in a way that can twist a terrifying scene into something still so beautiful in its complexity you can’t stop reading. There were a few scenes that truthfully gave me chills; a certain creature reveal in the lower levels of the old psychiatric hospital come to mind. I had to re-read them so I could take in the luscious word choices, even in such horrifying, cruel descriptions. This book definitely did not disappoint in its horror moments thanks to his skill in descriptions that hit the core of emotion and didn't lean too much on cliche.
While the idea of combining mental health and horror has been done before and makes sense, there has been a shortage of the connection in werewolf stories. Luckily, Matthews was here to apply his expanse of knowledge in his working field with his love and talent for writing, giving cerebral horror fans what they may not have known they wanted. Peter Driscoll lives with bipolar disorder and that comes with struggles on its own for his family life or lack of. Mixing that idea with being the element that creates a better werewolf and you've elevated a metaphor that will carry the story to new heights. You can tell he knows what he is talking about with the medical side of things in the story and, as someone who also lives with mental health conditions, that touch of realism mixed with fantasy gave the best horror aspect.
I loved that the female protagonist, Kori, was not weak. She was opinionated, stubborn, and a character with motives and emotions that fit her backstory and the world around her. She was enjoyable to read and you could relate to her. There also wasn’t a single love interest or unnecessary love triangle forced in to weigh down a story that had no place for it. Huzzah! This story has depth and connection and it hurts. I felt the struggle of emotions between Kori and her father in this tale, even when I had not experienced their situation in my life….the not having my father, not that my dad is a werewolf. I really liked that we got to see his perspective too in chapters. His voice was obviously different from hers in a way that felt visceral when read. You could see the shift in his voice between flashbacks and the now, as he is transformed over time. There were places where I missed Kori after switching to other characters for a while and that is how I knew she was a good character. Every main or secondary character had a well-rounded emotional pull to what was happening in the story. They expressed parts of themselves that were real and flawed, but also caring, sympathetic parts that made you understand them, even the “villains.” “Villains” are my favorite kind.
This book is an emotional ride that doesn’t shy from tough topics or rawness. You’ll want to read it in one sitting and will be sad when you have to put it down for a spell. My only gripe is that the ending left me feeling that Hobgoblin deserves a sequel and I’m craving for it, so I hope to read more about this world from Matthews in the future.
Matthews uses poetic phrasing in a way that can twist a terrifying scene into something still so beautiful in its complexity you can’t stop reading. There were a few scenes that truthfully gave me chills; a certain creature reveal in the lower levels of the old psychiatric hospital come to mind. I had to re-read them so I could take in the luscious word choices, even in such horrifying, cruel descriptions. This book definitely did not disappoint in its horror moments thanks to his skill in descriptions that hit the core of emotion and didn't lean too much on cliche.
While the idea of combining mental health and horror has been done before and makes sense, there has been a shortage of the connection in werewolf stories. Luckily, Matthews was here to apply his expanse of knowledge in his working field with his love and talent for writing, giving cerebral horror fans what they may not have known they wanted. Peter Driscoll lives with bipolar disorder and that comes with struggles on its own for his family life or lack of. Mixing that idea with being the element that creates a better werewolf and you've elevated a metaphor that will carry the story to new heights. You can tell he knows what he is talking about with the medical side of things in the story and, as someone who also lives with mental health conditions, that touch of realism mixed with fantasy gave the best horror aspect.
I loved that the female protagonist, Kori, was not weak. She was opinionated, stubborn, and a character with motives and emotions that fit her backstory and the world around her. She was enjoyable to read and you could relate to her. There also wasn’t a single love interest or unnecessary love triangle forced in to weigh down a story that had no place for it. Huzzah! This story has depth and connection and it hurts. I felt the struggle of emotions between Kori and her father in this tale, even when I had not experienced their situation in my life….the not having my father, not that my dad is a werewolf. I really liked that we got to see his perspective too in chapters. His voice was obviously different from hers in a way that felt visceral when read. You could see the shift in his voice between flashbacks and the now, as he is transformed over time. There were places where I missed Kori after switching to other characters for a while and that is how I knew she was a good character. Every main or secondary character had a well-rounded emotional pull to what was happening in the story. They expressed parts of themselves that were real and flawed, but also caring, sympathetic parts that made you understand them, even the “villains.” “Villains” are my favorite kind.
This book is an emotional ride that doesn’t shy from tough topics or rawness. You’ll want to read it in one sitting and will be sad when you have to put it down for a spell. My only gripe is that the ending left me feeling that Hobgoblin deserves a sequel and I’m craving for it, so I hope to read more about this world from Matthews in the future.