Happy Halloween folks! I think I am going to start a tradition of reviewing a spooky read at Halloween each year. Last year I loved the wonderful Pine by Francine Toon. But this year, the 5 Star paddle is coming out with an absolutely terrifying read which I'm super excited to share with you. I have to credit @fictionaddictionangela over on Instagram with pointing me towards this one.

Read my review of Pine by Francine Toon

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned that I had been on a hen-do. The hens stayed in an apartment in the centre of Manchester that had trams and revellers on the doorstep. I had a single room in the apartment and worked out that I had not slept alone for well over 2 years, in fact probably a whole lot longer. Why oh why then did I pick the most terrifying novel to read over the weekend?!!!!! I'm not going to lie, at 2am in the morning, I nearly knocked on one of the other hen's doors to ask if I could sleep with them. But heavens, this book was good.

The Plot

Wicked phenomena strikes the isolated campus of Calisade Mountain College. A homeless man sees his dead son in an abandoned dormitory, pursues the boy inside and meets his demise.

In the dark of night, a student witnesses a man plumet from a high rise - a surefire suicide - but the detectives find no body.

A campus police officer suddenly develops a taste for rape - and a homicidal hunger.

The Townspeople always sensed an intangible wrongness on the mountain...even before the evil enigma was afoot.

My Thoughts

Well folks, if you want to be terrified out of your wits this Halloween then I would suggest picking up a copy of Ungodly by Braedon Riddick. You know when you watch a horror movie and there is always the person who is frozen with fear, even when you are screaming at the television for them to run, or move, or do something. Well I felt like that person frozen with fear about this book. But I enjoyed having the fear.

I don't tend to read a lot of horror at all. But when I do, I find that the scariest horror is that which gets you to think about the unknown. The part in Dracula when the crew start to disappear for no reason on the Demeter. The start of the The Stand when people are going about their everyday business aware that there is something wrong and something is coming.

Riddick has taken these principles and written a great story. The action builds slowly, quietly - a drunk harassing a female visitor to the town about her life choices, a Police Officer who is unhappy in his marriage, a University Student who decides to rebel against the sorority house system. Each of these seemingly random events, start to take a different turn and slowly come to mean something to each other. Something is coming.

And it has happened before. Punctuating the text are reports of strange historic occurrences. Each of these add more to those goosebumps and causing the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up.

Once the scene has been set, the action becomes relentless. The author being almost clinical in the writing he employs and the characters he despatches. This all leads to a very tense, and equally intense ending.

In conclusion, if you are a fan of horror, or like me don't read that much but quite fancy being a bit scared for Halloween then please give this a go. An excellent 5⭐️ read. I loved being scared half to death....but maybe only once a year eh?

Next week, will look a little different on the blog as we are moving house! I'll be back tomorrow (Monday), when I will be wrapping up October. I'll then return on Friday (internet depending!) with the October Miss Read read. Have a great Halloween.