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bryanhmoyer's review
4.0
Great Page Turner
The only element of horror that truly gives me the shivers is creepy kids. Foster does a fantastic job of creating these chilling little monsters. Throw in changelings and a quest for revenge, and the book takes off and keeps going. A healthy dose of violence and gore makes it an even more twisted horror tale. One book, and J.Z. Foster has become a new author for me to follow, and I'm looking forward to reading more.
The only element of horror that truly gives me the shivers is creepy kids. Foster does a fantastic job of creating these chilling little monsters. Throw in changelings and a quest for revenge, and the book takes off and keeps going. A healthy dose of violence and gore makes it an even more twisted horror tale. One book, and J.Z. Foster has become a new author for me to follow, and I'm looking forward to reading more.
olewis01's review
5.0
When Daniels son dies his world changes. True for anyone who loses a loved one. For Daniel, the loss opened a whole new world where he finds himself at war. Perhaps his greatest enemy is himself. This book is an amazing exploration of the human psyche and how our minds who is deal with loss, whether it's a loved one or ourselves. An excellent read!!
georgey1809's review
4.0
This is J Z Foster's second novel and just like his debut I loved it!
Daniel Tanner's life is insane. A mysterious disease came to claim his son, seemingly pulling him into the grave with cold fingers named misery and hopelessness.
Now a stranger has come calling with an even stranger tale of monsters—horrible things that take children in the middle of the night and leave their own, things that crawled out of the fairy tales our barbarous ancestors used to tell, things that they tried to warn us about.
We didn't listen.
Because monsters aren't real, are they? There's no reason to fear the dark, no reason at all to believe the old tales about creatures with a taste for human meat.
That would be insane... wouldn't it?
I went into this book comparing it to Witch Hunter: Into the Outside and I shouldn't have. This novel is the complete opposite; it's grittier, darker with hints of classic horror.
I love J Z Foster's writing style; it never feels a strain to read his novels as he's so descriptive. It's not hard to imagine what he's writing and I love an author who can do that. I like the hint of backstories for each of the monster hunters especially for Rebekah.
I really hope there's going to be more in this series, I think he set it up well so there could be
Daniel Tanner's life is insane. A mysterious disease came to claim his son, seemingly pulling him into the grave with cold fingers named misery and hopelessness.
Now a stranger has come calling with an even stranger tale of monsters—horrible things that take children in the middle of the night and leave their own, things that crawled out of the fairy tales our barbarous ancestors used to tell, things that they tried to warn us about.
We didn't listen.
Because monsters aren't real, are they? There's no reason to fear the dark, no reason at all to believe the old tales about creatures with a taste for human meat.
That would be insane... wouldn't it?
I went into this book comparing it to Witch Hunter: Into the Outside and I shouldn't have. This novel is the complete opposite; it's grittier, darker with hints of classic horror.
I love J Z Foster's writing style; it never feels a strain to read his novels as he's so descriptive. It's not hard to imagine what he's writing and I love an author who can do that. I like the hint of backstories for each of the monster hunters especially for Rebekah.
I really hope there's going to be more in this series, I think he set it up well so there could be
hstr's review
4.0
Fast paced action horror with more than a touch of folklore.
I liked this book. It had quite a range of moods to it as you progress through the story. It starts out rather slow, but not in a bad way, rather it's a depressed, melancholic opening with our protagonist, Daniel, having lost the most important people in his life. After this the book begins picking up speed, with Daniel meeting a team of people hunting nightmarish monsters that are infiltrating his town. By the middle of the book it's a full speed rush to the end with battles being fought in both the real world as well as a surreal dreamscape. Daniel grows from a timid person who can't believe anything he's seeing into a formidable monster hunter, willing to do whatever it takes to stop these creatures.
But here lies where things are a bit deeper than they might initially appear. There are questions asked by this book. Does one have to become a monster to defeat monsters? Do the end justify the means? Is there redemption for those who lose themselves along the way? This is a fast moving book, but those questions keep it from being one of those books you read in an afternoon and forget by dinner, the characters stick with you. The imagery in the dream sections is bizarre and vividly described, don't rush through these parts, picture it all in your mind as you read it. The climax is even more so.
My only real complaint, isn't necessarily anything wrong with the book, it's just my own taste. Near the beginning of the book a nightmare is described where Daniel is lying in bed, unable to get up as he sees a monster crawling along the hallway and into his room. I would like more scenes like this. Creepy and suspenseful with the protagonist having no way to fight back. But, again, that's just my personal taste. The fast paced, action horror is also very good, and very popular, so don't take my opinion as a real knock against the book.
I definitely do recommend this book. If you like fast paced, action horror with touches of folklore and enough violence and gore to comfortably call the book horror, but not so much as to be overwhelming, this is the book for you. I can also see this book appealing to fans of tv series such as Angel or Grimm, only with a big dose of horror added in.
I liked this book. It had quite a range of moods to it as you progress through the story. It starts out rather slow, but not in a bad way, rather it's a depressed, melancholic opening with our protagonist, Daniel, having lost the most important people in his life. After this the book begins picking up speed, with Daniel meeting a team of people hunting nightmarish monsters that are infiltrating his town. By the middle of the book it's a full speed rush to the end with battles being fought in both the real world as well as a surreal dreamscape. Daniel grows from a timid person who can't believe anything he's seeing into a formidable monster hunter, willing to do whatever it takes to stop these creatures.
But here lies where things are a bit deeper than they might initially appear. There are questions asked by this book. Does one have to become a monster to defeat monsters? Do the end justify the means? Is there redemption for those who lose themselves along the way? This is a fast moving book, but those questions keep it from being one of those books you read in an afternoon and forget by dinner, the characters stick with you. The imagery in the dream sections is bizarre and vividly described, don't rush through these parts, picture it all in your mind as you read it. The climax is even more so.
My only real complaint, isn't necessarily anything wrong with the book, it's just my own taste. Near the beginning of the book a nightmare is described where Daniel is lying in bed, unable to get up as he sees a monster crawling along the hallway and into his room. I would like more scenes like this. Creepy and suspenseful with the protagonist having no way to fight back. But, again, that's just my personal taste. The fast paced, action horror is also very good, and very popular, so don't take my opinion as a real knock against the book.
I definitely do recommend this book. If you like fast paced, action horror with touches of folklore and enough violence and gore to comfortably call the book horror, but not so much as to be overwhelming, this is the book for you. I can also see this book appealing to fans of tv series such as Angel or Grimm, only with a big dose of horror added in.
motherhorror's review
4.0
I'd like to thank the author for giving me a free, signed book in exchange for an honest review.
I got to buddy read this with my friend, Emily. We both got the book around the same time and agreed to read it "soon" but she messaged me on Friday and said we should read it over the weekend because this book is due to come out on February 13th, 2018. I'm so glad we didn't wait!
This book is exceptional in a lot of ways. I love the characters, the pace of the story and the demonology (a new take on demon lore--mixing some fae legend with demonic mythology).
I don't want to describe the main plot line or threat here but it was very thrilling and the stakes were very high. I'd say this reading experience was a whole new level of intensity. The author never really let up on me and I'm not sure that made for a completely enjoyable journey--it was rough 99.9% of the time. High level intensity, lots of scares and creep outs and tons of gore. There was even some emotional attachments that I wasn't expecting AT ALL.
I think maybe the reason this wasn't a five is that there wasn't any levity really. The only thing I can compare how I'm feeling is to say it was like watching a particularly grim episode of the Walking Dead--miserable characters under extreme duress struggling against impossible odds and it makes you yearn for the comic relief that some of the characters, like Glen, bring to the table.
But there wasn't any comic relief here and that's OK, seriously, I'm not saying that should in anyway deter anyone from reading this book because it's just my own, personal preference. It's my understanding of human nature, that even in the bleakest situations, humans who want to survive--who want to hold on to some hope--they try to find joy or humor or something "light" in order to counteract all that darkness. But, you know, to each their own and J.Z. Foster is a skillful, bad ass writer of which I am really excited to read another book of his. (I own the The Witch Hunter) So my recommendation is that if you love horror books with great characters, plenty of scary demon activity and a high octane climax, you should add this one to your list.
If you've read this book, here's a little PS "pet peeve" I feel I need to add, but only read this if you've read the book:
I started hating the fact that almost every time a demon comes on to the scene they go, "Ha-ha" or "Heh heh heh" I think the author could have just as easily went with the description of the demon laughing instead of the Ha-Ha quotes. It almost always sucked the menacing quality right out of what was being said. For me, anyways.
I got to buddy read this with my friend, Emily. We both got the book around the same time and agreed to read it "soon" but she messaged me on Friday and said we should read it over the weekend because this book is due to come out on February 13th, 2018. I'm so glad we didn't wait!
This book is exceptional in a lot of ways. I love the characters, the pace of the story and the demonology (a new take on demon lore--mixing some fae legend with demonic mythology).
I don't want to describe the main plot line or threat here but it was very thrilling and the stakes were very high. I'd say this reading experience was a whole new level of intensity. The author never really let up on me and I'm not sure that made for a completely enjoyable journey--it was rough 99.9% of the time. High level intensity, lots of scares and creep outs and tons of gore. There was even some emotional attachments that I wasn't expecting AT ALL.
I think maybe the reason this wasn't a five is that there wasn't any levity really. The only thing I can compare how I'm feeling is to say it was like watching a particularly grim episode of the Walking Dead--miserable characters under extreme duress struggling against impossible odds and it makes you yearn for the comic relief that some of the characters, like Glen, bring to the table.
But there wasn't any comic relief here and that's OK, seriously, I'm not saying that should in anyway deter anyone from reading this book because it's just my own, personal preference. It's my understanding of human nature, that even in the bleakest situations, humans who want to survive--who want to hold on to some hope--they try to find joy or humor or something "light" in order to counteract all that darkness. But, you know, to each their own and J.Z. Foster is a skillful, bad ass writer of which I am really excited to read another book of his. (I own the The Witch Hunter) So my recommendation is that if you love horror books with great characters, plenty of scary demon activity and a high octane climax, you should add this one to your list.
If you've read this book, here's a little PS "pet peeve" I feel I need to add, but only read this if you've read the book:
exorcismofemilyreed's review
4.0
4.5⭐
"They say that when you look into the abyss, it looks back into you. I never really understood what that meant...what you could become...I thought I could handle it. I thought I wouldn't be like this. I didn't know I'd become like them."
I'm in an online horror group with the author, and he asked if anyone wanted to review his book. I decided to take a chance, and I am SO happy that I did! I read this as a buddy read with Sadie.
The Wicked Ones was a fantastic story. This is a wonderfully creepy monster book, and I really enjoyed reading it. It was nice to read about a monster that isn't all over popular culture, yet was still creepy enough to hold my interest.
This book offered well-rounded characters - you didn't learn everything about them, but you learned enough to help you understand and feel compassion for them. I liked the main group of characters in this book.
The Wicked Ones has some pretty gruesome parts, so I wouldn't recommend reading it if you're squeamish. There's some nasty body horror stuff happening, but it's a fun level of being grossed out.
This one gets a 4.5 because I think it spent a little bit too much time on the dream portions, and at times it got confusing. I got mixed up on the timeline a few times, but it wasn't anything too distracting.
I like how the ending wrapped everything up - it wasn't too happy, and it wasn't too sad. I felt like it went really well with closing out the story that had just been told.
Overall, I really loved this book, and I am so excited to read more from JZ Foster. I have The Witch Hunter on my shelf, and I'm excited to dig into that one. The Wicked Ones will be out on 2/13! Thank you so much for sharing your book with me, JZ Foster!
"They say that when you look into the abyss, it looks back into you. I never really understood what that meant...what you could become...I thought I could handle it. I thought I wouldn't be like this. I didn't know I'd become like them."
I'm in an online horror group with the author, and he asked if anyone wanted to review his book. I decided to take a chance, and I am SO happy that I did! I read this as a buddy read with Sadie.
The Wicked Ones was a fantastic story. This is a wonderfully creepy monster book, and I really enjoyed reading it. It was nice to read about a monster that isn't all over popular culture, yet was still creepy enough to hold my interest.
This book offered well-rounded characters - you didn't learn everything about them, but you learned enough to help you understand and feel compassion for them. I liked the main group of characters in this book.
The Wicked Ones has some pretty gruesome parts, so I wouldn't recommend reading it if you're squeamish. There's some nasty body horror stuff happening, but it's a fun level of being grossed out.
This one gets a 4.5 because I think it spent a little bit too much time on the dream portions, and at times it got confusing. I got mixed up on the timeline a few times, but it wasn't anything too distracting.
I like how the ending wrapped everything up - it wasn't too happy, and it wasn't too sad. I felt like it went really well with closing out the story that had just been told.
Overall, I really loved this book, and I am so excited to read more from JZ Foster. I have The Witch Hunter on my shelf, and I'm excited to dig into that one. The Wicked Ones will be out on 2/13! Thank you so much for sharing your book with me, JZ Foster!
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