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emeelizabeth's review against another edition
4.0
A great suggestion
This book was suggested in a video on YouTube and when I saw that it was on Kindle I checked it out right away. Loved his voice and writing style, the characters were pretty relatable, and I could not put it down. There were even a couple of points that I was on the edge of my seat or uncomfortable (in a good way) by what was happening or being described. I will definitely read more of his work.
This book was suggested in a video on YouTube and when I saw that it was on Kindle I checked it out right away. Loved his voice and writing style, the characters were pretty relatable, and I could not put it down. There were even a couple of points that I was on the edge of my seat or uncomfortable (in a good way) by what was happening or being described. I will definitely read more of his work.
shivermepink's review against another edition
2.0
I thought this started out strong— the first few chapters are just hard hitting and engaging. I won’t say that this fizzled out, but it did mellow a little during the middle. Then it picked up the pace again although I never got that same feeling that I did during the beginning. I found it to be predictable.
colleen1122's review against another edition
5.0
Another great read
Always looking forward to what awaits with this author. Once again he does not disappoint and love how the ending leads way to a sequel.
Always looking forward to what awaits with this author. Once again he does not disappoint and love how the ending leads way to a sequel.
vane_reads95's review against another edition
4.0
In Highland Elementary a ton of horrible things have happened like kids killing each other, and teachers found dead out of the blue. A new teacher named Ryan is desperate to land a job and is aware of the reputation of Highland Elementary but still doesn't believe in any of those stories. Ryan begins to see weird things happening before his eyes and starts to have an effect on his health as well as having vivid nightmares. Ryan slowly starts to uncover little by little who is behind all the killings that have happened throughout the years.
The book cover was haunting me, I told myself I would stop reading after 10 pm because I didn't want to have nightmares and the strategy worked lol I was not expecting this book to be so engaging and hooking with suspense and cliffhangers. Although I felt the story was rushed, I enjoyed the creepy vibe this book brought. There are tons of graphic horrendous scenes that I wouldn't want to re-read them but nevertheless I enjoyed this read.
The book cover was haunting me, I told myself I would stop reading after 10 pm because I didn't want to have nightmares and the strategy worked lol I was not expecting this book to be so engaging and hooking with suspense and cliffhangers. Although I felt the story was rushed, I enjoyed the creepy vibe this book brought. There are tons of graphic horrendous scenes that I wouldn't want to re-read them but nevertheless I enjoyed this read.
cyisreading's review against another edition
4.0
**some spoilers**
I was drawn to this book by the cover. Everyone said it was a horror classic and some labeled it better than Stephen King himself. I will admit that listening to this was like watching a horror movie. While lengthy, I was missing something. I wanted more creepyness, more horror. I feel like most of it was about Ryan having a mission because he was the chosen one. At the beginning, I was expecting something more sinister. It was kind of disappointed that it was just dark magic. Dark magic being conducted by a heir of some evil woman 200 years ago. It's a 'been there done that' vibe which is why I suppose I wasn't all that impressed. However, that doesn't mean the book was bad or that the author did a bad job. It hooked me enough that I kept going back to know what the heck was going on. Even more to figure out who it was. But the end was just kind of meh. I just was expecting... more. But that's a personal thing!! I was wanting more sinister plot. But that doesn't mean Jeff Menapace didn't do an amazing job writing a book as great as this. Like I said, it was like having a movie playing in my head!
I was drawn to this book by the cover. Everyone said it was a horror classic and some labeled it better than Stephen King himself. I will admit that listening to this was like watching a horror movie. While lengthy, I was missing something. I wanted more creepyness, more horror. I feel like most of it was about Ryan having a mission because he was the chosen one. At the beginning, I was expecting something more sinister. It was kind of disappointed that it was just dark magic. Dark magic being conducted by a heir of some evil woman 200 years ago. It's a 'been there done that' vibe which is why I suppose I wasn't all that impressed. However, that doesn't mean the book was bad or that the author did a bad job. It hooked me enough that I kept going back to know what the heck was going on. Even more to figure out who it was. But the end was just kind of meh. I just was expecting... more. But that's a personal thing!! I was wanting more sinister plot. But that doesn't mean Jeff Menapace didn't do an amazing job writing a book as great as this. Like I said, it was like having a movie playing in my head!
pbanditp's review against another edition
4.0
Ryan was excited to get the job. Sure, he heard the tragic tales of the suicides of teachers and of students murdering other students. But this was an elementary school, these kids were too young to do anything so heinous, weren’t they? The school couldn’t really be cursed.
This was a good story with a familiar theme but a unique setting. There were a few tense moments and several spots that I was caught off guard. There were interesting characters and I would have loved to know them all some more. There is a lot of back story that could have been expanded upon but enough info was given to keep the book short and still feel the story was complete.
This was a good story with a familiar theme but a unique setting. There were a few tense moments and several spots that I was caught off guard. There were interesting characters and I would have loved to know them all some more. There is a lot of back story that could have been expanded upon but enough info was given to keep the book short and still feel the story was complete.
adora_belle's review against another edition
4.0
Great read! I really enjoyed Jeff Menapace's character dialogue, it felt very realistic and given the context was insanely funny. The story kept me reading, thats for sure. I was finished in 2 days. Super creepy but never excessive. Ya know that feeling when a horror writer is just trying to hard. Some of the visuals will stay locked away in my nightmares, which for me is the best compliment to a book. I ADORED Trish's character. I couldn't help but feel she was my kindred spirit in this book, I am also a cabbage patch doll who swears too much. Her character alone deserved an ovation. Overall, no complaints. Great quick read and the author won me over. I am looking into his Bad Games series next.
slimeandslashers's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book. I thought the disturbing imagery was well done, and the tone was very creepy. For some reason, I wasn't a huge fan of the Rebecca character. She didn't have an overall huge part in the story though, so that didn't bother me so much. I did figure out who the antagonist was going to be pretty early on, but that didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book. Overall, this was a quick read with lots of atmosphere that I'd definitely recommend for fans of horror fiction.
gingerbooklover22's review against another edition
5.0
Why did I wait so long to read this? It was on my TBR for gosh knows how long, but I finally picked it up and finished it in one night. I couldn't put it down. This is my first time reading anything by Jeff Menapace and I will not hesitate next time!
kjb718's review against another edition
4.0
The Good: This book is faced paced, and kept me on the edge of my seat. I wanted to know what was going on at Pinewood Elementary and what had happened in the past. Ryan Herb was an enjoyable protagonist who I thought was the perfect amount of skeptical to lead the reader through this nightmare of a horror story. Honestly I found most of the characters enjoyable, and genuinely felt upset when some came to harm. Finally, the gore. I have no problem reading about gore and violence, and felt that it added to the creepy atmosphere created by the author. But for those that don't like graphic descriptions or children involved in the violence would likely best skip this.
Now is the moment I get to be a bit of a geek. I fully admit that I tend to be the person who loves a great backstory. This is particularly true when it comes to crime and/or paranormal stories. Is there a creepy village with a dark history? You bet I wanna know as much details as much as possible. Got a ghost with a tragic death? Gimme, gimme, gimme those good details. So I found this novel thoroughly detailed accounts of the elementary school's dark past.
The Bad: Ok, there is a alarmingly large problem with this book. I can totally admit that it is what caused me to change my rating from the perfect 5 to a 4. The reveal of the evil source causing the troubles at Highland and eventually Pinewood became glaringly obvious long before it should have been revealed. I believe this was intentional by the author, as there was a reveal long before I anticipated. It does bring the fever pitch-like pace of the plot to a screeching halt. Its recovered, but I feel that it never reaches the same levels it had been at for a good chunk of the novel.
The In Between: The romance. It didn't take away from the plot, but I could have done without it. Just my personal preference with these types of books.
Overall: I can't lie, even with this books faults (and it does have one particularly large one), I absolutely loved it! I wish the reveal of the evil had been held of for a bit longer, as that would have made the book perfect to me. But I greatly appreciate what the author did and I'm glad that I read this book.
Recommended for: I would recommend this book to someone who enjoyed dark horror or thriller books. Those who enjoy or don’t mind graphic descriptions of crimes and like a deep history behind the supernatural elements would also enjoy this book.
Now is the moment I get to be a bit of a geek. I fully admit that I tend to be the person who loves a great backstory. This is particularly true when it comes to crime and/or paranormal stories. Is there a creepy village with a dark history? You bet I wanna know as much details as much as possible. Got a ghost with a tragic death? Gimme, gimme, gimme those good details. So I found this novel thoroughly detailed accounts of the elementary school's dark past.
The Bad: Ok, there is a alarmingly large problem with this book. I can totally admit that it is what caused me to change my rating from the perfect 5 to a 4. The reveal of the evil source causing the troubles at Highland and eventually Pinewood became glaringly obvious long before it should have been revealed. I believe this was intentional by the author, as there was a reveal long before I anticipated. It does bring the fever pitch-like pace of the plot to a screeching halt. Its recovered, but I feel that it never reaches the same levels it had been at for a good chunk of the novel.
The In Between: The romance. It didn't take away from the plot, but I could have done without it. Just my personal preference with these types of books.
Overall: I can't lie, even with this books faults (and it does have one particularly large one), I absolutely loved it! I wish the reveal of the evil had been held of for a bit longer, as that would have made the book perfect to me. But I greatly appreciate what the author did and I'm glad that I read this book.
Recommended for: I would recommend this book to someone who enjoyed dark horror or thriller books. Those who enjoy or don’t mind graphic descriptions of crimes and like a deep history behind the supernatural elements would also enjoy this book.