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raforall's review
4.0
Review in the 11/1/17 issue of IndiePicks Magazine and on my blog: http://raforallhorror.blogspot.com/2017/10/31-days-of-horror-day-24-reviews-by-me.html
rock_n_reads's review
5.0
If you've been following my bookish adventures for awhile, you might know that stories about exorcism/demons are what the kids would call "my jam". You're also probably aware that Jonathan Janz is one of my favorite authors. So, imagine my excitement when I realized that he wrote a book about this topic! The copy that I have is actually the novel EXORCIST FALLS, combined with its prequel, the novella, EXORCIST ROAD. I'm so glad that these two stories are together in one place. Trust me when I say that you don't want to read the novella without having the novel on hand, as you'll be left wanting more of the story.
This story contains everything that I love about Janz's writing-- well-developed characters, excellent pacing, and moments of humor and heart mixed in among the jaw dropping horror. Janz writes some of the vilest villains I've ever encountered, and several of them are burned into my brain. All of his characters are memorable, however. The villains can be nasty, but they are usually balanced out by some relatable protagonists with redeeming qualities. EXORCIST FALLS has claimed the spot as my favorite Janz novel.
I don't like to include too many details of the story in my reviews, so I'll leave you with these final thoughts:
If you are a fan of the exorcism/demons trope, you need this book. If you're a horror fan in general, add this book to your TBR pile. Lastly, if you have yet to read any of Janz's work, remedy that now, and get ahold of this book. Once you are on the "Year of Janz" train, you will not want to give up your seat!
This story contains everything that I love about Janz's writing-- well-developed characters, excellent pacing, and moments of humor and heart mixed in among the jaw dropping horror. Janz writes some of the vilest villains I've ever encountered, and several of them are burned into my brain. All of his characters are memorable, however. The villains can be nasty, but they are usually balanced out by some relatable protagonists with redeeming qualities. EXORCIST FALLS has claimed the spot as my favorite Janz novel.
I don't like to include too many details of the story in my reviews, so I'll leave you with these final thoughts:
If you are a fan of the exorcism/demons trope, you need this book. If you're a horror fan in general, add this book to your TBR pile. Lastly, if you have yet to read any of Janz's work, remedy that now, and get ahold of this book. Once you are on the "Year of Janz" train, you will not want to give up your seat!
lynn_k's review
4.0
A quick and compelling read. Janz pulls no punches and this book, which contains a prequel novella as well, is definitely not for people just dipping their toes into the horror genre. There is language and gore and not many characters to root for, just like in real life.
readbyashleyd's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
4.5
While I did thoroughly enjoy this novel I do think the prequel novella is better. It had more of an OOMPH that really had me invested. But that’s not to say that the novel isn’t phenomenal as well, it just didn’t grab me in quite the same intense way. That being said, I do have to say I’m surprised by this story, it’s SO different from anything I’ve read by Janz before and I I’ve read everything by him except 1 novel now. It’s definitely his darkest and most brutal story and I loved that about it, it digs into deeper themes than any previous work. And while we’re on the topic of brutal, I do have to warn that this story is not for the faint of heart. It is gory as hell and there’s a lot of other potential triggers, all things I’m a fan of but I know not everyone is as limitless as me when it comes to horror. I love having my limits pushed and Janz definitely succeeded in doing that with this story!
vailynst's review
3.0
Notes:
The "starter" for the book, Exorcist Road was fun. The pulpy, campy 80's horror type of story that I expected. The full length novel? Eh. The Narration was fine, but the story was not a good balance of story & developments. This was more like a picture # of terrible stuff that spirals into more horrible stuff. Good material for a horror story, except there's a distinct lack of atmosphere. It's more like a blunt spill of graphic scenes for shock factor.
The "starter" for the book, Exorcist Road was fun. The pulpy, campy 80's horror type of story that I expected. The full length novel? Eh. The Narration was fine, but the story was not a good balance of story & developments. This was more like a picture # of terrible stuff that spirals into more horrible stuff. Good material for a horror story, except there's a distinct lack of atmosphere. It's more like a blunt spill of graphic scenes for shock factor.
blankj12's review
3.0
Pretty disappointed in this one. The characters made dumb decisions and I hated the ending. I didn’t expect it to have a happy ending but the ending we got just didn’t work for me. I’m giving it three stars because I enjoyed the beginning novella so much.
deadhighwaybooks's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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
4.0
theboldbookworm's review
4.0
This book contains a novella, Exorcist Road and then the book Exorcist Falls which is a continuation of the story. This is a great possession book with some nods to The Exorcist. There are some brutal, disturbing scenes which are so fitting for this type of book. I felt the story was original while focusing on the possession and the priests involved as well as The Sweet Sixteen serial killer. It's well-written and easy to read. If you like possession stories, you should definitely check this one out.
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