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billymac1962's review against another edition
4.0
I very rarely accept friend requests from authors. Most of them are looking to expand their visibility, and I don't begrudge them that: it is their livelihood after all. I'm just not interested in being used like that.
However, when I checked out Jonathan Janz's profile, he was not only an author, but an active Goodreads reader and reviewer of books. And we had the same tastes, and he did not offer free material for 'honest review'.
So I never felt obligated to read him. I hate being obligated to read anything.
Then a few weeks ago I was listening to Brian Keene's horror podcast and he mentioned Jonathan Janz's Dust Devils as one of his top 10 favourite reads in 2014. Well, the name sounded familiar and lo and behold, hey, this guy friended me on Goodreads last year!
So I checked him out a little closer and discovered that Keene had also raved about his first, The Sorrows. So that did it, I slapped it on my to-read list.
Now the obvious dilemma: What if I don't like it? I have to maintain my integrity as a reviewer (I was THE Bill of Bill's Brutally Honest Book Reviews website, don't you know), and he seems like a really good guy.
So I threw the dilemma to the wind and started reading it.
And, oh shit...this really wasn't working for me. This revelation happened on a Friday night, and with my favourite reading morning a mere eight hours away, I decided at 30% that I was no longer interested in it, and I would start Saturday morning with something new. I'd just delete the book and not review it at all.
The morning came and, undecided on what to read next, thought I'd read just a couple of more pages to give it one last chance.
And got severely hooked.
Janz had a couple of story arcs going at this point, and each were intense and very very absorbing. I could hardly put it down. This, to my delight (and relief), was destined for a five star rating.
So what happened to the five star rating? Well,
Janz had me in his grip until he crashed the helicopter onto the island, which struck me as the literary equivalent of throwing everything into the pot and turning up the heat to max.
Once this happened, all of the brooding suspense and unease vanished. The story devolved into an Action movie, lots of gunfire, ANOTHER helicopter, just so no one is left out, and some unrealistic feats of heroism despite near fatal wounds.
Incidentally, earlier in the novel Eddie dove into the ocean and his lungs filled with water. Not only did he not drown, but it seemed to be something he shrugged off easily. I'm a stickler for things like this, so this really bugged me and was one of the reasons I was going to drop it.
Anyhow, the whole action filled climaxing will work for a lot of people, but I much preferred the tone of the 30-75% of the novel.
I was going to give this three stars overall. But he was so stellar for a good chunk of the novel, I think he deserves better than that. So four it is, and I will likely read him again.
However, when I checked out Jonathan Janz's profile, he was not only an author, but an active Goodreads reader and reviewer of books. And we had the same tastes, and he did not offer free material for 'honest review'.
So I never felt obligated to read him. I hate being obligated to read anything.
Then a few weeks ago I was listening to Brian Keene's horror podcast and he mentioned Jonathan Janz's Dust Devils as one of his top 10 favourite reads in 2014. Well, the name sounded familiar and lo and behold, hey, this guy friended me on Goodreads last year!
So I checked him out a little closer and discovered that Keene had also raved about his first, The Sorrows. So that did it, I slapped it on my to-read list.
Now the obvious dilemma: What if I don't like it? I have to maintain my integrity as a reviewer (I was THE Bill of Bill's Brutally Honest Book Reviews website, don't you know), and he seems like a really good guy.
So I threw the dilemma to the wind and started reading it.
And, oh shit...this really wasn't working for me. This revelation happened on a Friday night, and with my favourite reading morning a mere eight hours away, I decided at 30% that I was no longer interested in it, and I would start Saturday morning with something new. I'd just delete the book and not review it at all.
The morning came and, undecided on what to read next, thought I'd read just a couple of more pages to give it one last chance.
And got severely hooked.
Janz had a couple of story arcs going at this point, and each were intense and very very absorbing. I could hardly put it down. This, to my delight (and relief), was destined for a five star rating.
So what happened to the five star rating? Well,
Spoiler
Janz had me in his grip until he crashed the helicopter onto the island, which struck me as the literary equivalent of throwing everything into the pot and turning up the heat to max.
Once this happened, all of the brooding suspense and unease vanished. The story devolved into an Action movie, lots of gunfire, ANOTHER helicopter, just so no one is left out, and some unrealistic feats of heroism despite near fatal wounds.
Incidentally, earlier in the novel Eddie dove into the ocean and his lungs filled with water. Not only did he not drown, but it seemed to be something he shrugged off easily. I'm a stickler for things like this, so this really bugged me and was one of the reasons I was going to drop it.
Anyhow, the whole action filled climaxing will work for a lot of people, but I much preferred the tone of the 30-75% of the novel.
I was going to give this three stars overall. But he was so stellar for a good chunk of the novel, I think he deserves better than that. So four it is, and I will likely read him again.
debtat2's review against another edition
3.0
A cast of complex characters in a wonderfully haunting setting, atmospheric and completely engrossing.
shawn_of_the_read's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
zarco_j's review against another edition
4.0
The Sorrows, an island off the coast of northern California, and its castle have been uninhabited since a series of gruesome murders in 1925. But its owner needs money, so he allows film composers Ben and Eddie and a couple of their female friends to stay a month in Castle Blackwood. But what they find is more horrific than any movie. Something is waiting for them in the castle. A malevolent being has been trapped for nearly a century. And he’s ready to feed.
Wow wow wow... This is absolutely spooktacular!
Yes, it's a reissue with a different publisher of the author's debut novel but don't let that put you off. It's an honest-to-goodness ghost story perfect for long winter nights.
Thanks to The publisher and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Wow wow wow... This is absolutely spooktacular!
Yes, it's a reissue with a different publisher of the author's debut novel but don't let that put you off. It's an honest-to-goodness ghost story perfect for long winter nights.
Thanks to The publisher and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
zooloo1983's review against another edition
5.0
After a particularly rubbish day yesterday, I picked this book up at 8pm and at 12:30 I had finished! I may have had a little doze in between! Jonathan Janz is fast becoming my go-to author for horror for sure, with such a huge back catalogue I am not going to be bored and a squeal to The Sorrows to read well see you later! As you all know I ADORED The Siren and the Specter (see review here) for the ghost story and where that book chilled me to the bone, The Sorrows was more about the brutality and the gore.
What do both books have in common? Jonathan and a huge slicing of CRAZY TOWN, and not the kind you would see me hanging about in!!
Like his other book, I felt like that this could be on the big screen, Rob Zombie style maybe, or 80’s throwback to the Hammer horror or even my favourite American Horror Story. The gore, abuse, sex, the horror!
Ben, the hero, is a composer with a type of creative block and his partner Eddie, the jock, the arranger, have plans to travel to Castle Island also known as The Sorrows. They need to complete their composition for the infamous Lee Stanley’s new movie. Eva, the hot vixen, also Lee’s “assistant” and Claire, the wholesome heroine, a new intern travel with them to the foreboding island.
There are a few storylines in this novel, all keep you the edge of your seat with bated breath waiting to see what would happen next! We have a diary from the past talking about a mysterious little boy called Gabriel and the wrongdoing and terror that occurred on the island in 1925.
Whilst the foursome are the island, things start off being just a little bit spooky. Strange sightings take place, violent apparitions, voices are heard and take control of people, mirrored walls and secret passages, the brutality of some of the characters, and finally the goat hooved beast of the island.
Then tension builds in the books with little tidbits of supernatural, and I swear when I was reading this in, late at night as I do, I heard music, the sweet haunting of piano music and I don’t have a piano!! Anyway back to the tension, it was palpable as you delve further into the mystery of the island and the past. A couple of things I felt were a bit too inconceivable and unexplained but I think it that it added to the magic of the book, because let us be honest when you watch films the unexpected always happens!
Jonathan knows how to keep his audience hooked. This book too is his debut!! You can tell he is learning the trade in this book but what a belter for a debut. So dark and twisty and my cup of tea. I really cannot stop thinking of this book as a film on the big screen. It would be a combination of some of the fabulous and the cheesy 80s horror films. There would be plenty of spine-chilling scares and the damn right terrifying too.
And what did I love the most, apart from needing to read the next book….there is no respite at the end!
HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!!!!!!!!
dnemec's review against another edition
4.0
Ben Shadeland and Eddie Blaze are a great team. They’ve made a name for themselves creating music for movies and are highly in demand. But Ben is in a slump since his wife left him and took their son, Joshua. He can’t seem to write a note. Eddie is desperate to get Ben writing again, as there is a deadline looming for an upcoming horror movie, House of Skin. In the past, Eddie has taken Ben to spooky places to inspire him, and he has an idea for a great place that would definitely put Ben back on his game.
Chris Blackwood is also having a rough time. After watching the Warriors loose, Chris realizes he is up to nearly $500,000 owed to his bookie. Desperate to repay the money and not ask his father for help, he rents the family island, The Sorrows, to Eddie. Chris hopes the infusion of funds will get his bookie off his back for the time-being until he figures out how to get the rest of the money. Eddie hopes the island will inspire Ben to finish the score for the movie. Not only is Castle Blackwood, the only home that stands on the island, an eerie place, but there is also a locked tower, a pit, and an intriguing unsolved mystery. It also has a recording studio from the island’s original owner and Chris’s ancestor, Robert Blackwood.
Ben, Eddie, Claire (a young promising composer) and Eva (the movie director’s assistant) fly to the island, where they will be left for a month, no less. While there are plenty of provisions for the group, there are no means of communication. No cell phone coverage, no internet, nothing. They are stuck, for better or for worse.
There is some bad history on the island from the original owner’s days, relayed to the reader through the journals of a former caretaker that is peppered through the story. Chris had a horrible experience as boy in the castle. There were also a bunch of academics that visited in the late 1970s and met with an unhappy ending.
This is much more than a haunted house story. The story was enjoyable with plenty of atmosphere and weirdness. Almost as soon as the group arrives on the island, strange things began happening. My only complaint is the end. I could have done without some of that. I don’t want to spoil anyone’s read, but as we closed in on the climax, something occurred. Then something else occurred, at which point I was like – really?! Aren’t we done yet? And then something else went wrong. At that point, I was just wanted to finish the damn book already. Overall though, I really enjoyed the book. The end just soured things for me a bit.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This is it!
Chris Blackwood is also having a rough time. After watching the Warriors loose, Chris realizes he is up to nearly $500,000 owed to his bookie. Desperate to repay the money and not ask his father for help, he rents the family island, The Sorrows, to Eddie. Chris hopes the infusion of funds will get his bookie off his back for the time-being until he figures out how to get the rest of the money. Eddie hopes the island will inspire Ben to finish the score for the movie. Not only is Castle Blackwood, the only home that stands on the island, an eerie place, but there is also a locked tower, a pit, and an intriguing unsolved mystery. It also has a recording studio from the island’s original owner and Chris’s ancestor, Robert Blackwood.
Ben, Eddie, Claire (a young promising composer) and Eva (the movie director’s assistant) fly to the island, where they will be left for a month, no less. While there are plenty of provisions for the group, there are no means of communication. No cell phone coverage, no internet, nothing. They are stuck, for better or for worse.
There is some bad history on the island from the original owner’s days, relayed to the reader through the journals of a former caretaker that is peppered through the story. Chris had a horrible experience as boy in the castle. There were also a bunch of academics that visited in the late 1970s and met with an unhappy ending.
This is much more than a haunted house story. The story was enjoyable with plenty of atmosphere and weirdness. Almost as soon as the group arrives on the island, strange things began happening. My only complaint is the end. I could have done without some of that. I don’t want to spoil anyone’s read, but as we closed in on the climax, something occurred. Then something else occurred, at which point I was like – really?! Aren’t we done yet? And then something else went wrong. At that point, I was just wanted to finish the damn book already. Overall though, I really enjoyed the book. The end just soured things for me a bit.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This is it!
jayfr's review
4.0
The Sorrows, an island off the coast of northern California, and its castle have been uninhabited since a series of gruesome murders in 1925. But its owner needs money, so he allows film composers Ben and Eddie and a couple of their female friends to stay a month in Castle Blackwood. But what they find is more horrific than any movie. Something is waiting for them in the castle. A malevolent being has been trapped for nearly a century. And he’s ready to feed.
Wow wow wow... This is absolutely spooktacular!
Yes, it's a reissue with a different publisher of the author's debut novel but don't let that put you off. It's an honest-to-goodness ghost story perfect for long winter nights.
Thanks to The publisher and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Wow wow wow... This is absolutely spooktacular!
Yes, it's a reissue with a different publisher of the author's debut novel but don't let that put you off. It's an honest-to-goodness ghost story perfect for long winter nights.
Thanks to The publisher and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
always_need_more_books's review against another edition
4.0
This is my second book by Jonathan Janz having enjoyed The Siren and the Spectre earlier this year. The Sorrows is actually his first novel, and was named by Brian Keene as "the best horror novel of 2012". Recently reissued by Flame Tree Press, I was lucky enough to be invited on the blog tour.
The Sorrows is an island off the coast of California. The castle has been empty since a series of gruesome murders in 1925, but the owners needs money to pay off gambling debts, so allows movie composers Ben and Eddie, along with some female friends to stay for a month in Castle Blackwood. Totally cutoff from the outside world, Ben is hoping the isolation and the spooky location will inspire him to come up with a film score. But they soon discover something is waiting for them at the castle, a malevolent being that has been trapped for nearly a century and wants to feed.
Ben and Eddie have been friends for a while and work together on film scores. Ben is morning the loss of his marriage and lack of access to his young son. Eddie is a playboy who wants Ben to get on with the score to meet their deadline to horror movie maker Lee Stanley. With them is Claire, a music intern and Eva, who is sent along by Lee Stanley to keep an eye on them.
Janz is excellent at hitting the ground running with his stories. Almost as soon as they arrive on the island, things get spooky with each of the members having strange dreams. The horror is gruesome and quite discusting in places (but I don't mind that being a lover of all things horror). There is also lots of sex and swearing.
I also liked the way we see the history of Blackwood Castle and discover the origin of the horror that occurs there.
Intense and entertaining, this is definately a book for grown up fans of horror! I look forward to readings more books from Janz!
The Sorrows is an island off the coast of California. The castle has been empty since a series of gruesome murders in 1925, but the owners needs money to pay off gambling debts, so allows movie composers Ben and Eddie, along with some female friends to stay for a month in Castle Blackwood. Totally cutoff from the outside world, Ben is hoping the isolation and the spooky location will inspire him to come up with a film score. But they soon discover something is waiting for them at the castle, a malevolent being that has been trapped for nearly a century and wants to feed.
Ben and Eddie have been friends for a while and work together on film scores. Ben is morning the loss of his marriage and lack of access to his young son. Eddie is a playboy who wants Ben to get on with the score to meet their deadline to horror movie maker Lee Stanley. With them is Claire, a music intern and Eva, who is sent along by Lee Stanley to keep an eye on them.
Janz is excellent at hitting the ground running with his stories. Almost as soon as they arrive on the island, things get spooky with each of the members having strange dreams. The horror is gruesome and quite discusting in places (but I don't mind that being a lover of all things horror). There is also lots of sex and swearing.
I also liked the way we see the history of Blackwood Castle and discover the origin of the horror that occurs there.
Intense and entertaining, this is definately a book for grown up fans of horror! I look forward to readings more books from Janz!
vespurr's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. I found the setting and imagery of this story to be fantastic and I loved the idea of the castle itself. Honestly? I sort of want to go there. I don't even care if I might die a horrible death. I just want to go check this place out for myself! I'm a sucker for a good 'haunted house' story, you just can't keep me away. The atmosphere and the setting in this book were so on point and I have to say, I love the way Janz writes.
On the other hand, I was not entirely sold on these characters or their motivations. I could have done without the hyper-sexualization of the entire situation, and I struggled to care about anyone's motivation for going to this haunted mansion of doom.
Some parts of this story really worked for me and others didn't. I will say, though, that I had a hard time putting it down. I was definitely intrigued to find out what came next.
Overall this wasn't my favorite Janz book. (I am still working my way through his backlist, but I will keep directing everyone I know to The Siren and the Specter!) That being said, it was an enjoyable book and I look forward to reading more by this talented author.
On the other hand, I was not entirely sold on these characters or their motivations. I could have done without the hyper-sexualization of the entire situation, and I struggled to care about anyone's motivation for going to this haunted mansion of doom.
Some parts of this story really worked for me and others didn't. I will say, though, that I had a hard time putting it down. I was definitely intrigued to find out what came next.
Overall this wasn't my favorite Janz book. (I am still working my way through his backlist, but I will keep directing everyone I know to The Siren and the Specter!) That being said, it was an enjoyable book and I look forward to reading more by this talented author.