libraryofstarrs 's review for:

Into the Wolves' Den by Jon Athan

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i genuinely don't know how to rate this. into the wolves' den is, without a doubt, the most disturbing, depraved, and disgusting book i have ever read. there were times where i debated continuing any further. we follow keith, a cop whose daughters, carrie and allie have gone missing after walking home from school. what keith doesn't realize initially is that carrie and allie have been kidnapped by a deranged group of men who make snuff films and engage in sex trafficking. jon athan goes way beyond the limits of horror, in my opinion, TOO far. granted, too many people are desensitized these days, so i assume that athan was wanting to disturb EVERYONE that picks up this book. genuinely, if you read this book and WEREN'T disturbed in any way, i would be concerned.

what i did enjoy about this book is the message i got from it, and the portrayal of psychopathy. what i gathered from the storyline is how many people in hollywood, despite being recognized as charming and endearing, are actually HORRIBLE individuals. all of their poor, gruesome actions can be covered up with hush money, because they are filthy rich. as a psychology student, i can appreciate the accuracy in jon athan's psychopathic character (i won't name because i won't spoil). the grandiosity, the lack of empathy... he really nailed it right on the head. now, this doesn't go to say that ALL psychopaths have killer or violent tendencies, but this story was a great depiction of the psychopathic individuals that are.

the ending was VERY bittersweet. there were certain aspects of it that i would've preferred to be different, and others that had me cheering. it was emotional whiplash, to be completely frank with you. if you're one for horror books that have "happy" endings, i would steer clear from this one.

PLEASE, for the love of God, check trigger warnings before reading. i'll provide a list below, but i guarantee you that this is not all of them. it's important to note that jon athan does not gloss over intense scenes or do the whole "fade to black" thing. he goes into vivid detail to the point where it's like it's happening right in front of you.

tropes:
- revenge story
- body horror
- remote cabin in the woods
- cannibalism
- mask-wearing killers
- psychopath

trigger warnings:
- r@pe
- kidnapping
- extreme torture (physical AND psychological)
- brutal killings
- HEAVY violence towards children (in all forms)
- guns
- alcoholism
- p3d0ph!l!a
- human trafficking
- violence against homeless people
- death of a family member
- pr0st!tut!0n
- death of a friend
- c@str@t!i0n
- graphic description of snuff film content