Scan barcode
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Drenched in blood, occultism and claustrophobic levels of suspense and paranoia, Philip Fracassi’s Boys In The Valley was soo spine-chillingly creepy I’ve literally been forced to sleep with the lights on!
I’m not usually a huge horror reader (I’m actually a huge scaredy cat when it comes to anything remotely creepy) but when I saw this described as The Exorcist meets Lord of The Flies I couldn’t resist checking this out—and I’m soo glad I did.
It’s set in 1905 in a remote boys orphanage (St Vincent’s) in Pennsylvania, and follows 16 year old Peter, the ever watchful priests and fellow orphans who learn, work and worship until old enough to leave—or like Peter, train to become priests themselves.
Only, one stormy night, a badly wounded man with occultist sigils carved into him is brought onto the grounds (in hopes of saving him.) Unfortunately he dies— releasing an evil that begins to infect the residents of St. Vincent’s Orphanage, causing groups to form… leading to people turning up dead. Now Peter must choose a side, for his very life (and the lives of the children around him) are at risk…
The writing was phenomenally suspenseful and soo viscerally descriptive that I felt truly immersed (and terrified!) Not only by the demon possession/ slasher aspects of the plot, but by the sheer hopelessness we see these boys forced to endure, beaten and starved into submission.
Honestly, I was kind of an emotional mess before anything even remotely Exorcist-y even took place. Philip Fracassi does give us just enough time to start getting attached to these characters—before promptly throwing us into the emotional deep end to watch as the chaos inevitably unfolds.
And unfold it does, with one of the most brutal and viscerally gory scenes I’ve ever read. The creeping sense of dread also doesn’t really let up either and, with a Lord of The Flies-style mentality taking shape, absolutely no one is guaranteed safety.
I also really enjoyed the use of multiple POVs as it really helped to get into the minds of—as well as understand—the emotions and thought processes of our characters (specifically Peter, David, Johnson and Father Andrew.)
As I said before, I’m not usually a Horror reader so my frame of reference is pretty small. But, if you love folksy, rural horror with as much character development as there is blood soaked action, then you don’t want to miss this heart-poundingly terrifying story.
As always, given the themes and content of the book, readers should definitely check TWs before picking this up— and also invest in a night light, you’re probably gonna need it!
Also, a huge thank you to Nazia at Orbit Books for the physical copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Violence, Bullying, and Animal death
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Torture
More...