Reviews

Devil's Creek by Todd Keisling

silenttwg's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

When six small children are rescued from the clutches of a small-town death cult, they are the only living survivors after the church is burned down. Even with the taunts and whispered fears of their fellow townsfolk, they have a chance at normalcy. But 30 years later, that all changes when something long buried under the earth begins to stir.

This book reminded me of many others before it, pieces of it inspired by other works, and yet it came together in a refreshingly new take. Many of the characters were given real voices and even though despicable, had intriguing stories and reasons behind their actions. I was immersed in this tale. 

I also loved, with the physical version at least, as the corruption sank deeper into the town and the layers were peeled back to show the true darkness, the parts of the book had darker and darker print. You can see it on the side and I thought it was a very clever use of the very paper the story was printed on. 

Towards the end, some of the actions got to be repetitive but it didn't bog the story down, just was a "and here we go again" moment. 

I enjoyed this quite a bit and given the use of the print on the pages, am tickled I own a physical copy. I do recommend it if you're a fan of good vs. evil, cosmic evil, and/or death cults. Or, if you just want something dark to dive into, this has it covered. 

mafaichney's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

rogergeis's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

barmyjen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The story starts with fast action, and then becomes a slow burn as it works its way to an inevitable conclusion. Focused on a religious cult and the supernatural, the characters are well written, with some you like and others to like to hate. The narrator is ok, and delivers an enjoyable story.

liviab13's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

thenextstephenking's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This dark book was a slow burn but in the best way. The action started down the line but there were subtle hints of horror throughout the beginning. This was a dark story excellently crafted. Tge force left readers wanting more. Despite the length of the book I felt I finished it quickly. I couldn't put it down for want of finding out the truth. This excellent book was crafted with the reader in mind. Offering hints of Darknes along the way. I enjoyed the unsettling aspects of the book. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who wants a page turner from start to finish. 

bkmckown's review against another edition

3.0

This book was all the things I love in a horror book. Gory and grotesque, making you want to avert your gaze, cults and demonic presence. It did get repetitive after awhile, one only needs a few gory, vile sex scenes before you lose interest. The book could’ve easily been 100 pages shorter and it still would’ve packed a punch. The overall story was fantastic but the gory, vulgar scenes were overdone to the point where it became mundane. It had the feel of a King novel but that doesn’t mean it needed the same length to get the point across. 

goobersmom57's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

• It’s been hard to keep my attention lately (adhd, stress), so being able to do so for such long periods of time with such a thick book is quite a feat! Keisling is up there with the top authors imo. He is a master of language. Not only did I want to wake up earlier to read this before work, I stayed awake longer, read on my lunch break, and anywhere else I could squeeze a few extra minutes in. The story had a natural flow, and just enough suspense to keep me turning the pages. The characters were all very real,  where I both loved and hated them and their actions. This was such a visceral and intense story. There was so much going on, and so many characters, but somehow I didn’t get overwhelmed. That is just how good Keisling is. 

lisa85's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

becstawas's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0