This week's reviews are brought to you by both emotions and brutal gore. Enjoy!
HALLOWEEN SLAUGHTER by Sergio Gomez
1. I’m going to start off by saying I don’t usually prefer a sequel, but in this case, Halloween Slaughter absolutely crushed Camp Slaughter. That’s really saying something because Camp Slaughter was really freaking good! It was a great introduction to Ignacio and Varias Caras but in this sequel we get a much deeper look into who both are and what in Iggy’s past led him to where he is. What a can of worms that is. As if I didn’t feel bad enough for Iggy in book 1, which is problematic, here I am, both empathizing with him AND fearing him. What an awesome character!
2. Gomez also wrote much more robust ancillary characters this time around that made you really connect with them, unfortunately. Take that how you will, but it’s a slasher so this concept really shouldn’t be a spoiler, LOL.
3. THE DEATHS! Omg – so good! This book was full of brutal goriness that you should not read if you’re squeamish. Creative and dark.
4. Halloween Slaughter cemented Varias Caras as more frightening than Freddy Krueger or Michael Myers. He, to me, is the pinnacle of slasher villain. However, we may be starting to see the unraveling of his carefully curated persona and I cannot wait to see where this goes in ‘Final Slaughter’ (which releases 2/24/24). I’m willing to bet there’s going to be quite a bit of bloodshed before we see what eventually becomes of Iggy and Varias Caras.
Find it here: Amazon.com: Halloween Slaughter (Slaughter Books Book 2) eBook : Gomez, Sergio: Kindle Store
SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP by Kelvin V.A Allison
1. I’ve now added Kelvin to my list of Filthy Heart Murderers. This should be all you need to know, but since this is a blog post, I guess I’ll add more thoughts on this book. *still mad at you Kelvin!
2. This was a quick and brutal read. Super enjoyable, and includes a redemption arc as well as a not-so-gentle reminder you may not know even your best friends as well as you think you do. That’s a terrifying concept in itself, but when you add that along with a horror plot it’s ‘extra’. (did I use that right? I’m old)
3. I’ve spent most of my adult life working in some sort of customer service role. Even if it wasn’t, it was. IYKYK. BUT, in high school and early college, I worked at a grocery store. I love any type of customer service revenge story, but when it’s specific to grocery store employees it hits a special spot in my heart. It heals parts of me I didn’t know were broken. Yes, even while it murders my heart.