A riveting novel with indelible, sympathetic characters battling vicious bloodsuckers.
In Ross’ supernatural tale, a music-festival weekend turns into a fight for survival when vampires attack.
Alix Summerlin plans to spend three days partying at the Garlic Groove Music Festival in Oregon. She’s with a small group from Nevada State University including her best friend, Zoe Danvers, and her heartbroken ex, Logan Ward, whom Alix dumped just days prior when he brought up marriage. In the midst of loud music, beer, and a bong hit or two, a stranger wearing black catches Alix’s eye. He’s Kade, the “handsomest person” she’s ever seen, and an enigma; he seems indifferent to Alix, a beautiful young woman who’s grown accustomed to guys fawning over her. But the festival crowd suddenly erupts into panic, and people start disappearing. Vampires, Alix and friends quickly learn, have targeted the festival-goers, devouring some and capturing others. The NSU pals, along with Kade and a local named Ethan “Frog” Park (who knows quite a bit about vamps in the area), search for a refuge before they become someone’s next meal. Ross immediately sets the mood for this horror-themed outing as multiple characters ominously warn Alix to be careful. The vibrant cast demonstrates distinctive personalities: Alix is considered an “Ice Queen” for ruthlessly breaking off relationships, Zoe is the group’s much-needed peacekeeper, and Frog provides helpful vampiric intel (like the three “stages” of vampires’ formidability). Punctuated by bursts of action, much of the narrative unfolds like an apocalypse has already hit as the once-blaring festival grows “eerily silent” and Alix and others pass farms with no humans or animals in sight. This approach makes for a slow pace, leaving plenty of time for potential romance between Alix and Kade to develop. Things really pick up in the final act, courtesy of one person’s courage and several plot turns that, while exciting, are also predictable.
A riveting novel with indelible, sympathetic characters battling vicious bloodsuckers.Pub Date: April 30, 2024
ISBN: 9780988256866
Page Count: 330
Publisher: Ic13 Books
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fever dream about despair and regret that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.
When an unreleased cult movie is rebooted, the surviving member of the original film’s crew grapples with psychic whiplash.
Even though it’s not steeped in horror lore like the bangers being cranked out by Stephen Graham Jones or Grady Hendrix, this captivating take is tailor-made for fans of Stephen King and Jordan Peele alike. A cautionary tale with elements of indie movie darlings The Blair Witch Project, Blue Velvet, and River’s Edge, this chronicle of hometown kids trying to make a cheap slasher flick is shockingly memorable and deeply disturbing. Our unnamed narrator is the last survivor of the eponymous movie, filmed in the summer of 1993. Their Horror Movie concerns teens who torture one of their own—the narrator’s role is that of the Thin Kid, akin to the Slender Man of urban legend—and suffer the consequences. In the mix are the film’s obsessive director, Valentina; a handful of cast and crew; and the film’s ethereal screenwriter, Cleo, whose presence is most fully felt within the pages of her unusually personal screenplay. After a bewildering tragedy, the film was never released. Decades later, Valentina uploads a few scenes, some stills, and the screenplay to the internet, inspiring the modern-day reinvention. With his crewmates long dead by mostly natural causes, the narrator reluctantly agrees to capitalize on his infamy, eventually agreeing to participate in a hot horror reboot. Revolving between the original production and the big-budget reimagining, Tremblay deftly sidesteps genre tropes and easy laughs for a truly disturbing experience inside some very troubled heads. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s going to be a great movie,” cautions our Thin Kid. “You’re all going to see it. Most of you are really going to like it.…Will the movie be something you take with you, that stays with you, burrows into and lives in a corner inside you? That, I don’t know.”
A fever dream about despair and regret that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.Pub Date: June 11, 2024
ISBN: 9780063070011
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
A unique story of transcendent love.
An aimless young musician meets the girl of his dreams only to have his newfound happiness threatened by several inexplicable—and possibly supernatural—events.
The story opens as Leeds Gabriel meets with a detective while his girlfriend, Layla, is restrained in a room one flight above them. Through the interview, readers learn that Leeds was wasting both his time and his musical talent playing backup for a small-town wedding troupe called Garrett’s Band when he spied Layla dancing her heart out to their mediocre music at a wedding. When Leeds approaches Layla, their connection is both instant and intense. A blissful courtship follows, but then Leeds makes the mistake of posting a picture of himself with Layla on social media. A former girlfriend–turned-stalker wastes no time in finding and attacking Layla. Layla spends months recovering in a hospital, and it seems the girl Leeds fell for might be forever changed. Gone is her special spark, her quirkiness, and the connection that had entranced Leeds months before. In a last-ditch effort to save their relationship, he brings Layla back to the bed-and-breakfast where they first met. When they get there, though, Leeds meets Willow, another guest, and finds himself drawn to her in spite of himself. As events unfold, it becomes clear that Willow will either be the key to saving Leeds’ relationship with Layla or the catalyst that finally extinguishes the last shreds of their epic romance. Told entirely from Leeds’ point of view, the author’s first foray into paranormal romance does not disappoint. Peppered with elements of mystery, psychological thriller, and contemporary romance, the novel explores questions about how quickly true love can develop, as well as the conflicts that can imperil even the strongest connections. Despite a limited cast of characters and very few setting changes, the narrative manages to remain both fast-paced and engaging. The conclusion leaves a few too many loose ends, but the chemistry between the characters and unexpected twists throughout make for a satisfying read.
A unique story of transcendent love.Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5420-0017-8
Page Count: 301
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
