A review by yvo_about_books
Hinton Hollow Death Trip by Will Carver

4.0

Finished reading: June 25th 2020

"Everyone is now two people. The physical person. And the online persona. The trouble is that nobody is fully their physical self nor their online alter ego."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

Spoiler

Okay... Where do I even start when describing my reading experience with Hinton Hollow Death Trip?!?! I already knew I was in for reviewing trouble after a mindblowing experience with Good Samaritans earlier this year, but even days after finishing Detective Sergeant Pace number three I'm still lost for words. Please bear with me while I try to make sense of the mess this story left my brain in... Because I can guarantee you one thing: this book will hit you with a sledgehammer.

Shocking. Mindboggling. Mental. Extremely unique. Provoking. Infuriating. This book doesn't follow the rules and isn't afraid to step on more than one toe along the way. Hinton Hollow Death Trip is under no circumstance your regular thriller, and instead delivers us a completely unique story and perspective that will blow your mind regardless of the fact if you actually enjoy reading the story itself. Sure, this book might not be everyone's cup of tea, and I confess that I didn't enjoy it as much as others myself this time around, but you cannot help but feeling intrigued and applaud its sheer originality. Told by Evil itself in person, Hinton Hollow Death Trip is a story about how a whole town is affected by its touch and how multiple lives change forever in a very short time. Talk about an unique perspective and premise!

A little note: the first book of this series, Good Samaritans, still stands out above the rest for me. It might have been because I preferred the serial killer POV and tone in that one (although the next two books were plently deadly too), it might be that I'm just not in the right mindset for his writing right now... I still can't put my finger exactly on the reason behind this feeling, although I do have to say that I still mostly enjoyed my time with Hinton Hollow Death Trip. I'm taking a guess here and say that my main issue with this story probably involved the fact that a few elements rubbed me the wrong way. The innecessary animal cruelty, the cheating, the sexy scenes, the tone in certain parts... I know this story is ment to provoke and anger, but I guess I just wasn't in the right mindset for this kind of read.

That said, both the premise and perspective of Hinton Hollow Death Trip really made this story stand out far above the average thriller. You all might remember a certain popular YA story narrated by Death, but this story is narrated by Evil instead, and boy do you notice the difference. This book is dark, this book is disturbing, this book is twisted... It really shows what evil things humans are capable of with just a little nudge in the 'right' direction. Hinton Hollow Death Trip is narrated by Evil, but we get to know a wide variety of inhabitants of the little town along the way as Evil focuses on them. This change in focus and POV helps enrich the plot further and will have you occupied juggling the different storylines and characters while you wonder just how far out of control things will spin.

The plot itself is brilliantly constructed, and designed to escalate, shock as well as send you on the wrong track. Evil things are happening in Hinton Hollow, and you won't understand the full scope and connections between the different events until it's too late... And those final reveals will most likely make your jaw drop right to the floor. Oh yes, Hinton Hollow Death Trip will leave you absolutely flabbergasted and staring at that final page wondering if you really understood what just happened... Is it true? Is it another trick? I'm still not sure myself, but what I'm sure of is that Will Carver sure knows how to handle that sledgehammer. What a read!

Hinton Hollow Death Trip is an extremely unique, mindboggling as well as infuriating read that will manage to blow you away regardless of the fact if it's really your cup of tea or not. While there were a few elements that just didn't do it for me, I simply applaud the sheer originality and wow factor of this story.

P.S. Find more of my reviews here.