They Feed, by Jason Parent, is one of those wham bam thank you ma'am no holds barred horror novels.

No one is safe and nothing is sacred here. In just the first few pages, the reader realizes that they're in for a gruesome and pulse-pounding ride...and I promise you, it doesn't let up!

I was happy, however, that it wasn't just about the screams and the chompy, chompy bloody bits! Parent has a deft hand with characterization. At times, this hurt since I just knew that some characters I loved likely wouldn't survive the carnage.

My first read by the author, but definitely not my last!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

Different kind of story. Creepy, scary and contains some surprises. Can't say enjoyable because it scared the hell out of me but it was good! Story stayed with me long after I finished it. Sometimes I got annoyed with characters and what they did but soon realized it was the author pushing my buttons. Kinda of a " what would you do? " in that circumstance. And the author was very good at that! I would recommend it.

Jason Parent has written a fantastic story for those of us who enjoy a good creature feature story with gore, monsters and a claustrophobic setting.

Tyler is trying to lay some old ghosts to rest after his release from prison (convicted on a manslaughter charge). He goes back to the scene of the crime, where there is more than one horror awaiting him. A series of events leads to a group of people, including Tyler, locking themselves in a cabin in the middle of the woods while being attacked by monsters - you are left worrying, who will survive until morning?

You are thrown into the middle of this story right from the first chapter, and once it gets its teeth into you, it wont let go. It is a fast-paced and well written story. I really enjoyed reading this book, even though creature features are not what I normally like to read, I still thought that this was a great story. Tyler was a great main character and I loved reading about him, being sympathetic and just someone who you wanted to win in the end. There are a few characters that definitely get what was coming to them and it was incredibly satisfying to read about (if a bit filled with gore). There are a number of horror film style action sequences which are fun to read about, with the twist at the end surprising me. I did not see it coming although I got my suspicions.

My only comment with this book is that the identity of the monsters (whilst not fully explained) was introduced too early in the book. I think it would have been more interesting to have the reveal later on, as having a physical element to them meant that some of the potential atmosphere was lost.

All in all a great read that was well written, funny and at times genuinely creepy. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review

Jason Parent books are almost always a good time. This one was fun. A few likable characters, plot twists, and bad guys who I was soooo happy to see them get eaten in deliciously horrible ways! "By sh*t pancakes!" Ah, good times! While the storyline didn't scare me so much as to make me stay out of the woods, I did have quite a few tense moments. I do have an urge now to grab my pole and tackle box and go fishing! My thanks to Netgalley for the arc. This is one creature feature that I'd recommend.

Every so often it’s just time for something disgustingly entertaining. And this was perfect for that sort of thing, a B movie literary equivalent extravaganza where there is indeed a lot of feeding going on. Creature features are usually fun, especially with creatures affectionately described as sh*t pancakes. Slimy oversized menace that ought to make you rethinking a camping trip. Then again, even without reading this book, camping trips should be rethought until abandoned altogether. What a terrible idea…denying all the modern conveniences civilization took centuries to come up with for the dubious pleasure of sh*tting in the woods. Right, anyway, back to the book…I’ve read the author before and had a pretty good idea of what to expect, Parent has a certain level of quality (which is somewhat above average for the genre) and he maintains it like a pro. I appreciate that. Nice to know what you’re getting. But apparently this isn’t a universal opinion, since his bio (kinda…let’s kindly say audaciously) suggests some A list author comparisons. Really? I’m surprised. I read a fair amount of scary books and would like to think myself able to discern between literary and just cheesy gorefest fun and at no known instance has found Parent to be leaning toward the former. The guy seems comfortably B, but apparently there are aspirations. Something about those comparisons was just like…when someone’s friend or family sees their crappy low budget play and compares it to Broadway production. Like it’s nice, but just really really inaccurate. Anyway, comparisons aside, this was a fun ride. Well written (for what it was, not Man Booker), entertaining and had an enjoyable twist in the end, which elevated the story. Pretty much checked all the boxes for a good creature feature. So stay out of the woods and may your pancakes be of a regular variety exclusively. Thanks Netgalley.