Happy Wednesday, fellow weirdos! The brawl is raging as we near the semi finals. Reading the brawl books has been a really great experience for me, regardless of who comes out on top.
Today's review is Slashtag by Jon Cohn.
“Welcome to Slashtag , the most immersive horror reality competition series in history! Tag along as seven of America's favorite celebrities step into the infamous Propitius Hotel, home to one of the most prolific serial killers in history - Arthur Wilson. Arthur built and operated the Propitius Hotel from 1905 until 1928 when dozens of bodies were found in his hotel, along with countless hidden torture rooms throughout the hotel. Arthur disappeared, seemingly never to be caught. He then returned - nearly 40 years later - under the guise of a priest leading a congregation of 100 people back to his hotel, where he once again committed mass murder. Enter Tawny Howlett - a top-tier lifestyle influencer who is in the midst of the crappiest week of her life. Her brand new health drink turned out to be tainted, and now thousands of her followers want nothing more than to see her social media empire crumble. In order to rehabilitate her image, she's agreed to take part in "Slashtag: The Ultimate Horror Experience". At first it's all fun and games, until the team of seven celebs discover that the ghost is very real, and out for blood. In order to survive the three-day live-streamed event, Tawny and her fellow contestants must band together to try and send the spirit of Arthur Wilson straight to hell.”
Since this was my first read by Cohn, I wasn't sure what to expect and with a name like Slashtag I was even more unsure. I thought this might be one of those shallow slasher-type stories where the characters don't really matter because they are just going to get picked off one by one. This is not that kind of story.
The "slasher" for one, is a ghost. A terrifying, no-remorse-mass-murder type of killer. And the characters are realistic and have depth. Once they are locked in the mansion, I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen to them. Would any of them survive...?
Something to note about me is that I am not usually a fan of the main character in stories. I'm often drawn to the secondary characters, or even background characters that are not part of the main plot at all. I was a big fan of Tawny's sister, who is bound to a wheelchair and is a total badass. Every one of the character's get a back story that helps us understand why they are asked to be part of the show.
As the tension builds and people start getting separated, shit hits the fan. No spoilers, of course, so if you want a nail biter that will keep you guessing while keeping you turning the pages, this is the book for you!
Before you start, ask yourself: would I agree to go on the show if in a similar predicament? And then once you are finished, ask yourself again... I wonder, will your answer be the same?
Where to find Slashtag by Jon Cohn: Amazon https://a.co/d/4xDPmFo
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