This was such an interesting book. The plot was extremely different than other things I have read. I did find most of it to be slow, and figured out the ending ahead of time. I think there will be a lot of people who love this one.

Revelator by Daryl Gregory

Told in dual timelines with fascinating characters and written by a talented author, REVELATOR is full of quick words, an incredible gothic atmosphere, deep religious family roots, and a fast-paced mystery is set at the heart.

This book is said to be horror, but it read more like a mystery to me with Southern Gothic roots. The writing reminded me a little of Jennifer McMahon, so fans of hers should definitely check this one out. The religious aspects and folk-lore elements were unsettling, but this is not a scary or horrifying book. It is more odd than anything else. But I like odd!!

I thought there were names (GHOSTDADDY) that were comical and scenes that were almost whimsical, like ALICE IN WONDERLAND, but in a really twisted way. I don’t recommend this book to everyone. There were parts that were slower than others, and if you are not allured by the magic of it, you may not totally get it. However, if you’re a reader that enjoys the journey as much as the destination, then I recommend picking this one up.

And just a little heads up. You’re going to be seeing this book everywhere. It's Jordy’s Book Club pick for August, and I bet a lot of people are going to be talking about who their GHOSTDADDY is!

I really enjoyed this one, and I’ve put in my pre-order for this beautiful book!
Have you seen the cover???

Special thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing and Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy of this book!

4 Stars

Another weird and wonderful world from Daryl Gregory. I would definitely love a prequel and a sequel for these characters.

This was a first for me. This is the first time in my life where hitting the final page, the final sentence, I involuntarily clamped my hand over my mouth, dropped my iPad, and stared at the ceiling for I have no idea how long.

That’s it. That’s the review.

No but actually—this is an incredible story, and coming from Tennessee it was particularly relatable, in an unsettling way. I truly did not know where it was going to go, yet I never once felt lost in a vague, secretive plot. It absolutely nailed the confusion that religion can create, the rules that make no sense and no adult will explain them to you, and the god… the god is just SUCH good creature horror.

Highly recommended for anyone who loves horror, especially with a religious bend. I want to reread it ASAP, just to see what else I can catch the second time around.

*bigggg thank you to netgalley for this ARC*

QUICK TAKE: I'm a huge fan of Daryl Gregory, and SPOONBENDERS is one of my favorite books, so I've been counting down the days to REVELATOR, Gregory's latest, and boy is it freakin' WEIRD. Set against the backdrop of the Smoky Mountains in the 1930s, the story follows a young woman who has broken free of her family and their strange religion, only to be pulled back home when she discovers the family matriarch has passed away. To give more away about this one would spoil the fun, but I guarantee you haven't read anything like REVELATOR. Scary and hypnotic, the book blends scifi and religion in new and exciting ways and I can't wait to talk more about this one in the weeks to come!

I absolutely devoured this book. It’s a southern folklore tale set in the 30s and 40s and the characters are some I will never forget, especially Abby. Everyone needs an Abby in their life.

I would recommend this to anyone interested in 1940s small town America, anyone interested in cults and deity worship, and anyone who simply will get a laugh out of the word “ghostdaddy.”

In 1933, nine-year-old Stella was left in the care of her grandmother, Motty, in the backwoods of Tennessee. The mountains are home to dangerous secrets. Soon after she arrives, Stella wanders into a dark cavern where she encounters the family's god, an entity known as the Ghostdaddy.

Years later, after a tragic incident that caused her to flee, Stella—now a professional bootlegger—returns for Motty's funeral and checks on the mysterious ten-year-old girl named Sunny that Motty adopted. Sunny appears innocent enough, but she is more powerful than Stella could imagine—and she’s a direct link to Stella's buried past and her family's destructive faith.

I wasn’t sure what to think going into Revelator. It was one of those books where one word made me question why I even thought to request it. That word? Ghostdaddy. You want your gods to inspire fear to control the masses properly, so I wasn’t sure where this would go with that kind of name. How wrong I was. Revelator doesn’t need a big scary god so much as it needs mostly blind followers searching for eternal life. That’s always more of the issue than the actual omnipotence. Add strong female characters, and you’ve got a killer story.

I ended up being incredibly impressed with this story and the writing style. Stella, our main character, is headstrong and self-sufficient. I can’t think of many characters I’ve enjoyed more lately. She makes this book impossible to want to put down. The supporting characters are all incredibly well written, too. Stella is an even better character due to her supportive and understanding friends. The other, more despicable characters build upon Stella’s resolve, which makes her even more badass. Revelator is an unexpected 5-star book, but a 5-star book nonetheless. I recommend preordering or picking this novel up upon release.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have read several books by this author, and loved every one. This one I enjoyed because I love southern folklore. The characters really stick with you. I adored Absolam ( Abby). Definitely will recommend this to everyone I know.

I’ll be totally honest. The reason I requested an arc of this book is because I read the synopsis and “ghost daddy” made me fall over laughing so obviously I had to find this on netgalley. That and the fact I’m a sucker for horror novels about family secrets and creepy cults. But yes my motivation for requesting this book up was “ghostdaddy” I mean come on. The author had to know what he was doing when he picked that name 😂

Despite the name, ghostdaddy is a pretty creepy entity. It’s manipulative, messed up, and has this entire community of people fooled. I had so many questions, and the author was really good about giving us just enough information for us to want to keep reading, but not have all the answers yet. This is a great writing tactic, especially since staying focused on what I’m reading is something I struggle with. I cannot tell you how many horror novels are boring with nothing happening for the first 80% then decide to drop everything in the last 20%. Dropping hints and interesting details periodically and frequently is a MUCH better writing tactic and my short attention span appreciated it!

What’s so fascinating about this family is they genuinely believe that they are the chosen ones, called the Revelators. This reminded me so much of cult behavior, where people have become so twisted that they can’t even see what’s wrong with sending a child to a cave to be pricked by some strange unknown entity. Then having this passed from generation to generation? These people are seriously demented.

My only real complaint was that this book wasn’t scary. It may be categorized as horror but it was super tame. An interesting read, but not scary at all. It was a decent enough read, but not unique or entertaining enough for me to want to give it higher than a 3/5 rating.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf Publishing for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

I really wanted to like this book, but I ended up not liking it. There were aspects to it I did enjoy,but overall I wasn't into it.

This was my first NetGallery ARC! And what a one to start with. Where do I begin?

This might be one of the most unique books I’ve ever read. I will admit this book started out a bit slow for me. There was a lot of mystery that was unknown which did make it hard for me to completely understand the plot at times. I would highly recommend taking some notes to remember tiny details.

However, as the story unfolded, it answered so many questions. And they were not at all the answers I expected. There was so much to be learnt about almost every character. I did not see the twists coming throughout most of the book.

Stella was a strong and powerful character to route for. Her relationships with characters such as Abby, Motty and Alfonse were some of my favorite scenes. Watching Motty develop was an incredible character arc. She really showed who she was, and it wasn’t at all what I thought ay the beginning. Stella was a great MC and her welcome protection of Sunny was extremely commendable. Also, she’s a absolute bad ass.

I really did enjoy the ending. This was one of those stories where it seemed like the ending was happening, and then something else would happen, all the way up until the last second. And I did NOT expect the last sentence to be what it was. Not sure if a sequel is planned, but it really leaves you in anticipation for something to follow. I really enjoyed that.

Overall, it was well crafted story and plot. Once you got through some of the back story and information, the key elements began to stand out and you could really dive in. I would recommend this to any cult/thriller lovers out there.

Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Of course, I never saw a "Ghostdaddy" while I was there. That might have changed my attitude toward the place.

Revelator takes place during the time when the farmers where slowly moving out of the area after the National Park Service bought the it, 1930's-40's. One strange family is reluctant to move away because they've got themselves their own god living in one of the caves. Add copious amounts of corn liquor, unfortunate sows, a lady protagonist moonshiner who curses like a sailor (maybe curses more than a sailor,) and long lines of unusual, red-speckled girls and you have quite a story. A lot of interesting characters, including one who thinks he'll get rich off the mysterious "Ghostdaddy." Religion and money; dang if people don't get in trouble over combining the two. It certainly causes trouble in Cades Cove.

An exciting romp through the Smoky Mountains. If the "f-word" bothers you, it's used a lot, sometimes several times on one page. It seems excessive for the time period this was set in, but I guess that was part of the main character's personality. The story seems set up for a sequel.

Thanks to Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Far from a desert 🏜 of disinterest, the past week or so has showered me with a plethora of literary Horror excellence, set in Idaho, rural Michigan, and the Smoky Mountains of Eastern Tennessee. Stephen Graham Jones' MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW; Josh Malerman's GOBLIN; and Daryl Gregory's REVELATOR has provided me with hours of savoring prose and character, marveling at plot, admiring settings (and more than a few sleepless nights).

REVELATOR is set in the 1930's and 1940's, in what was, until the Civilian Conservation Corps under FDR, Cade's Cove, Tennessee. Until the Federal government determined that the Smokies belong to the American populace [read, government], Cade's Cove was a, if not actually thriving, at least striving and close-knit farming community. In this novel, the issue is deeper and wider: in the mountain is a cave, occupied by an inhabitant known only to the Birch Family, specifically the females in each generation who serve as perhaps unwitting priestesses: "The God of the Mountain."