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deb_o_rah's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 a lot of story, a lot of characters, a lot of horror.
sally_jernigan's review against another edition
3.0
This book is WILD ride. I read Cutter’s horror novel, The Troop a few years ago, and I have to say this one is even better.
It starts with a kidnapping. A monster (like a real, live, terrifyingly evil monster) takes a girl named Petty from her house by playing a flute and luring her pied piper style into the woods. But the monster isn’t really looking for her—it’s trying to lure her father, Mitch. According to the monster, Mitch owes him a debt.
The book jumps back in time, and we meet Mitch, Minerva, and Ebenezer fifteen years earlier—three hired guns who take on a job to find a boy named Nate. Nate has been taken to live in the Little Heaven community (read: cult) deep in the forest. But getting there requires surviving the creatures that stand guard in the darkness. And if they survive the journey, the evil waiting for them at Little Heaven might be even more sinister than the nameless monsters in the woods.
Listen, I love a cult story. I love a horror story. I love a monster story. So, for me, this ticked many boxes. I have a few gripes with the ending, but if you don’t mind blood and gore, and horror is your thing, check this one out.
It starts with a kidnapping. A monster (like a real, live, terrifyingly evil monster) takes a girl named Petty from her house by playing a flute and luring her pied piper style into the woods. But the monster isn’t really looking for her—it’s trying to lure her father, Mitch. According to the monster, Mitch owes him a debt.
The book jumps back in time, and we meet Mitch, Minerva, and Ebenezer fifteen years earlier—three hired guns who take on a job to find a boy named Nate. Nate has been taken to live in the Little Heaven community (read: cult) deep in the forest. But getting there requires surviving the creatures that stand guard in the darkness. And if they survive the journey, the evil waiting for them at Little Heaven might be even more sinister than the nameless monsters in the woods.
Listen, I love a cult story. I love a horror story. I love a monster story. So, for me, this ticked many boxes. I have a few gripes with the ending, but if you don’t mind blood and gore, and horror is your thing, check this one out.
alanawest's review against another edition
4.0
This is probably the darkest and heaviest and most disturbing book I’ve ever read.
ms_greenwitch's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this but it's definitely not for everyone. This has a very Lovecraftian feel to it, and it can get pretty brutal with its upsetting and gory imagery. I listened to the audiobook, and the reader did a really great job of conveying not just the characters, but also the noir feel of the story and its deep sense of unease. Cutter seems to be hit or miss for me. I really enjoyed The Acolyte, thought The Troop showed promise, and really didn't enjoy The Deep. But, this is his best work so far.
avamaes's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
fayziekaywolf's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I am so in love with the way Nick Cutter writes. It is so descriptive and immersive. I can taste the tastes, smell the smells, and feel the sensations so vividly.
This book was a bit of a "slow-burn" for me personally, but it was a great read.
Thank you, Nick. You are truly one of my favorite authors.
This book was a bit of a "slow-burn" for me personally, but it was a great read.
Thank you, Nick. You are truly one of my favorite authors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
gildaylw's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 rounded down. This was probably my least favorite of the big 3 from Nick Cutter, but mostly just because the size. It took so long to actually get going, once it did it was wild, gross, and often hard to read - all the things I love from a Nick Cutter book. Buuut overall just a lot of back story that made this feel like 2 books cramped into one. Still happy I read it though, worth it to say I can put it on my shelf along the deep and the troop.