THEY FEED, my latest read from Jason Parent that pays homage to the fun, popcorn-munching, creature features of the 80s, seemed like it would be right up my alley.

Tyler, an awkward teenager with a broken home life, is out in the woods hunting when he accidentally shoots Stevie, a former classmate, that wanders into his line of fire as he’s trying to take down a deer. Stevie’s body suffers from a plethora of strange wounds outside of the single shot from Tyler’s rifle. After Stevie dies, these other wounds seal Tyler’s fate with the authorities and he spends the next six years in prison. Upon his release, the woods draw Tyler back to where the accident occurred, and that’s when all hell breaks loose.

Parent is a wonderful and talented author. WHERE WOLVES RUN, WHAT HIDES WITHIN, and the short story collection, WRATHBONE, are some of my favorites of his. But even a finely tuned dragster can struggle on any given day. The first one-third of the book struggles to find its footing. Awkward sentence structure, plot holes, and the overall delivery slips and slides, affecting the flow of the story. The middle part of THEY FEED is where Parent gains traction and kicks it into high gear. Here we that wonderful homage to movies such as The Thing, The Blob, and Night of the Creeps. The twist ending doesn’t really work for me. It felt more rushed and convenient than shocking.

All in all, THEY FEED had some fun moments. But I think the lack of editing held this story back. The beginning needed more heavy lifting and a reworking of the ending would’ve transformed THEY FEED from a good story with promise to a great one.

3 mind-altering shit pancakes out of 5

Jason Parent has written another 5 star book that did not disappoint. Full of monsters, revenge, and ravenous appetites there is something for everyone. I am a little late on my review but I read this one 2 times because it was so intense. The writer does an amazing job with how the story plays out with the main characters as well as the mean monsters......📚 ❤️

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve seen plenty of horror movies, read plenty of horror stories to know not to go to into the woods. Ever. Not ever. No no. And after reading They Feed by Jason Parent just reinforced my feelings. This book is crazy good, crazy scary, bloody and crazy. I absolutely loved it.

Tyler goes into Galveston State Park before sunset. Dakota follows him. Abigail and KY are just hiking but they are found by a ranger when they get lost. Mark, Bo, Luc and Frosh just want to have fun. Their lives changes in one single night of terror.

This book is highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Jason Parent for my copy.

*thank you to Netgalley, Jason Parent and BooksGoSocial for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 stars.

This was paced nicely. It wasnt amazing in my opinion, but it was still a decent horror story that I was in the mood for. It kept my attention and was well written. It also had that 'old school' horror feel to it which I rather liked. It's pretty creepy and a good one to read in the dark if you like to be scared!

You can find this review and all of my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com

This book follows a few different POVs. The most prominent is Tyler, a man recently released from prison after a six year stint, he was put away because he was found guilty of murdering a young man in Glaveston State Park. Though the wounds were extensive and Tyler only shot the gun that ended the man's life, he was found guilty of not only murdering the poor man, but also the disappearances of several other people across the years. The city needed a scape goat, and Tyler was their chosen one. In the present day we follow a few different people at the state park on the same day and night. All of them are thrown into a whirlwind of turmoil when they start getting attacked by strange black blobs with razor shard spines and teeth. No one knows exactly what the creatures are, besides the fact that they resemble giant leeches, and no one knows where they came from. It's a race against the clock as they try and work together to all get out of it alive, but will they succeed?

This story was very fast paced and was go, go, go pretty much from the start. It jumps point of view ever now and again, sometimes showing us characters that are completely away from each other, other times, showing us characters POVs when they're all in the same room. This style gives us a unique look into the different ways that all the characters perceive the situation they're in, as well as into their thoughts and feelings about the situation, as well as each other.

The creatures were interesting, seeing as they are basically giant, mutant, monster leeches, there is definitely some ick factor involved. As for me personally, normal leeches creep me out, as I'm sure they do most everyone else. So having giant ones with teeth and a bloodlust that seemingly can't be sated adds brings the shudder inducing, creepiness that all good horror stories can benefit from.

I would definitely class this as a horror story. There is swearing, gore, violence, hate, revenge, and redemption involved, it's a gritty telling of a young man who feels like the world has finally given up on him, as he tries to come to terms with the guilt that he feels about basically his whole life. Enter Dakota, the little sister to the guy that Tyler was convicted of killing, and we have a whole other dimension to the story. We get to see if from her view which I really enjoyed. She's gone off the rails since her big brother was taken from her, and the only thing she's been able to focus on the past six years is revenge. She wants to make her brother's killer pay for what he did, for everything that happened because he took her brother from her, he took her protector away and now her life has gone down one massive fucked up slope of anger, hurt, rage and despair. She blames Tyler for all of this. But when she is faced with the possibility that he wasn't responsible for what happened, he whole life is turned on her axis as everything she thought she knew could be a lie.

I enjoyed the characters. We had got to have a look into a view different kinds of people, the rage filled little sister, the man responsible for her downward spiral of life after killing her brother, the frat boys who just want to party and chase tail, the married couple where the love seems one sided these days, and the park ranger who is just going about his job and wants to help people. I found the characters well rounded and each of them was necessary, there was no character added just as extra padding to the cast list, so to speak.

One thing that did irk me a little with this story was the constant dropping of comparisons in the writing. They felt forced and as though they were added to bolster the word count, which I honestly don't believe is true, that's just how it felt to me. Each time I came across an unnecessary comparison sentence, it kind of jolted me out of the story a bit. I don't know why they irritated me so much, I honestly believe it was just that they seemed unnecessary to me. One example is something along the lines of "Mark is splattered with blood, the blotches remind him of those arsehole painters who get paid millions for just throwing paint on a canvas" that is not a direct quote as I can't remember it exactly, and I know it'll take me ages to find it in the book again. But this is just an example of the kind of comparisons. There were a lot of them. I don't mind the author dropping them in order to give the reader a good idea on how the character was feeling, but I just felt that there were too many pushed into the story, and that they felt forced, as I said earlier.

All in all, this was a good story, I did enjoy it and it was fast paced. I didn't see the revelation coming near the end and I thought it was brilliant, and it actually made me go "Oh wow. Okay." I'd still like to know where the hell those creatures came from, but maybe it's more unsettling NOT knowing.

Thankyou to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial and the author, Jason Parent, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of They Feed in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion of the book.
I was so excited to receive a copy of this book to review. I have to admit, the premise of this story had me excited. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the storyline failed to deliver what I thought it promised. I just felt that it was slow and predictable.
I am the first to admit, I am very fussy on what a good horror novel entails. While this book didn't work for me, it may work for others.
If you enjoy the genre, give it a try. Make up your own mind. I will certainly try reading this author again.

I'll Never Camp Out Again

I never get tired of good horror stories, and this is one of them. Mr. Parent writes with such skill, reading it was a walk in the park (in the woods, in the dark, barefoot).

His characters, even those with brief roles in the plot, had depth, leading this reader to root for their survival, feel loss if they died, and cheer if their behavior merited a gruesome ending and it was delivered.

That being said, this book contains violence and adult themes that might disturb some readers. When it comes to monsters, human beings can be the worst.

If you like edge-of-your-seat terrorific suspense, I guarantee you will enjoy this book.

Tyler goes deer hunting, but kills someone instead. After he gets out of jail, he goes back to the woods where the death occurred. While there, he runs into young men from a fraternity. After he leaves them, he is captured by a girl with a vendetta against him. Several campers have disappeared over the years. No one knows what happened. When a couple is rescued after being lost, things start falling on the truck. It's everywhere, but the question is what is IT? Looks like dark spots with teeth? All the survivors are in the same cabin with Tyler and the girl who captured him. Whispers in the dark are are confusing their minds. The pieces can change to a whole. Who will survive? You will run with all the people thru the whole book. At the end, a twist I never saw coming. Great book. Loved it. I received this book from Net Galley and BooksGoSocial for a honest review. The opinions expressed are my own.

They Feed by Jason Parent was received direct from the publisher. A creature driven novel taking place in the woods, how awesome can you get. I am a 1980's, Grade B horror movie aficionado. As such, I loved this book, mostly. I say mostly because other reviewers have talked about this book being character driven, to me, that means boring at timers, which causes me to skim thorough, which I did in this book. However creatures with big teeth and gore will cause me to recommend this book to those who like those type of stories, especially if you are going camping anytime soon.

4 Stars

I really thought this book would be something I would enjoyed based on the synopsis, but it wasn't as gripping as I hoped. The creature the author created were creepy but I was just hoping for more. I think I have very high hopes for horror books and most do not do what I think. I want to be scared and creeped off my feet and I was not with this book either. *This book was given to me for free at my request from NetGalley and I provided this voluntary review.*

The night uncovers all we wish not to see.

A troubled man enters a dusky park before sunset. A young woman follows, hidden in shadow. Both have returned to the park to take back something the past has stolen from them, to make right six long years of suffering, and to find justice or perhaps redemption—or maybe they'll settle for some old-fashioned revenge.

But something evil is alive and awake in those woods, creatures that care nothing for human motivations. They’re driven by their own insatiable need: a ravenous, bottomless hunger.

The campgrounds are full tonight, and the creatures are starving. Before the night is over, they will feed.

Tyler returns to the scene of the crime after being released from Prison on a manslaughter charge, he believes he was innocent and can’t deny the pull of the woods that set the rest of his life in motion.
What follows is a creepy, atmospheric slaughterfest, which includes some likeable characters, some very dislikeable characters, witty one-liners and a whole load of gore, thanks to some other worldly beings that are definitely not normal creature.
The setting of the forest and mountains is eerie, and feels claustrophobic at times especially in the cabin.
There is a cracking twist atthe end which I did not see coming and it was a bit sad really, a good book though, with all the right ingredients for a horror.

Geez.. This book…
I was super stoked to read this book because 1. It’s horror and 2. I heard good things about it. I saw many mixed reviews but I decided to read it anyways based on its synopsis.
Personally, I am not a fan of stories that involve woods and camping because it’s pretty predictable and we all know what happens when a story starts with camping in the woods, it never ends well. This book proved my point. It was another cliche of campers getting mauled by an unexplained creature and surprisingly this book ends with survivors.
I struggled a lot with finishing this book. The only thing that kept me going was the length of the book, I knew it wasn’t a lengthy book but this took me forever to finish. Towards the end I just started skimming and skipping to get to the end.
The one part that actually intrigued me was how the creatures of the lake were getting into people’s heads, that was a twist I really wasn’t expecting but it wasn’t enough for me to like this story.

A good quality read that held my interest all the way. Easy writing style and decent story line to keep you going from beginning to end

A thrilling read that will keep you entertained throughout. Would recommend reading this authors work

Don't be afraid of the dark. Don't be afraid of to take a swim in that murky lake in the woods. You never know what friends you'll make in the dark woods at night or what might latch on to you in those dark waters. This was a wonderful tale, like a dark ménage à trois between Alien, The Blob and Body Snatchers. I love a good twist, and this story has that as well. The characters are introduced gradually and quite dynamic. It was interesting to see how they evolve during the night that this story takes place. This would be a "delightful" little book to read during a camping trip at an isolated lake in the woods....just be sure to bring plenty of lanterns because you don't want to sleep in the dark.
#theyfeed #netgalley

Tyler is freshly released from jail when he decides to head to the park, back where all his troubles first started. He's not alone.There's also a woman with a grudge against him, and some other unsavory characters. There is something else in the woods at Galveston State Park. It's hungry, and it's evil, and it's anxious to welcome Tyler home. I'm really not sure what the hell it is but it looks like slugs and can take on the form of it's victims. It reminded me a little bit of The Ruins by Scott Smith, although that had talking vines that could infect your body and mind, and this has slug like creatures with unusual abilities.
Stories like this are why my idea of camping involves renting a house on a lake with a door that locks and not being a sitting duck in the forest with nothing but a flimsy tent for protection. They Feed is full of gory fun.
4 out of 5 stars

I’m not by usual means a horror fan, but They Feed interested me with its classic-sounding title. What I found pleased me with a story that was chilling and well-written. Worth the read.

Jason Parent is at the top of his game! I didn't know what to expect going into this book. I know Jason Parent can write, but I didn't know the premise when I opened this book. I couldn't put it down. I love when authors use clever book titles, such as this one. The cover catches your eye and the title intrigues you. I just had to know who "they" were. I was also curious about the cabin at the top of the hill. I love camping and the outdoors.

The night uncovers all we wish not to see.

Tyler has spent the last six years in prison for accidentally killing a boy. He returns to the site of the accident, which is at a campground in Kansas. Tyler is being followed by Dakota, the dead boy's sister. Dakota is out to get revenge, but her plan is thwarted by other campers. The unlikely characters must join forces to face the monstrosities that are surrounding the cabin.

THEY FEED is one of the best creature features I've read in quite some time. Jason Parent explores a few horror tropes in this blood-soaked book. The creatures are smart and horrifically savage–a deadly combination if you ask me.

Jason Parent delivers horrendously disturbing scenes that enhance the reading experience. The characters are well developed and interesting. The author does a great job of exploring their backstories while keeping the storyline nice and tight. The character reveals and connections are one of the best parts of the book.

There is an incompetent authority figure in this book that will make you laugh and yell. I was trying to tell the character to do this and do that, but he just wouldn't listen.

The scenes are brutally vivid. The dialogue feels real. There aren't any loose ends or hiccups dealing with the storyline. The characters are solid and the grotesque monsters are enough to satisfy any horror fan.

I think I'll settle for a tent fort and smores in my living room this summer. After reading this book, I don't want to go near the woods for a while.

Grab some popcorn and a soda because this one reads like a movie!

Highly Recommended!

5/5 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book presented some especially nasty kind of creature that made my skin crawl every time they (strength in numbers!) appeared. But that was only part of it: the story is mainly character-driven, and most of the people in here have some serious issues to deal with. Put together, the author wove a brilliant creature drama. Oh, and the ending was a really clever surprise that really put the icing on the cake. In short: I loooved it!

Very entertaining read. This was one of the better horror books that I've read all year. I won't be taking any strolls through the woods any time soon. Recommended.