I didn't realize that this was a trilogy when I read My Heart is a Chainsaw (I must have missed the memo) so imagine my surprise when I got an e-mail offering an ARC of the follow-up. I may have screamed in excitement.

So it's a few years after Jade (Jennifer) saves the day despite fiercely believing that the final girl in the Lake Witch Killings should have been Letha Mondragon (see my review of My Heart is a Chainsaw). Jade has been released from incarceration and Letha is having issues with her prosthetic jaw (to the end of a lot of wires and liquids). Sheriff Hardy has retired and spends his time manning the dam where his daughter, Melanie, died under suspicious circumstances during which Jade's (Jennifer's) mother, father, her father's friend, the town's pervy janitor, and the town mechanic-person (they were not these people at the time) were present.

Jade (Jennifer) has come home. But something else is coming, as well: The Dark Mill South killer who has been serial killing across state lines, but changing his modus operandi as he goes, so it took authorities a long time to connect the dots. He is violent, there are rumors he is Native American, and possibly believes he is revenge-killing for murders that happened long, long before his time. He is being transported, but Proofrock is about to get the storm of the century such as it would be in Idaho.

Can you see where this is going?

In a town that has already endured so much loss, tragedy, and horror, a killer is hiding after an avalanche allows his escape. Several teens turn up missing. There is a spirit elk on the loose. And the snow keeps piling up. But is this the open and shut case of an escaped convict let loose in Proofrock that it seems? Or is there something else happening under the cover of a very convenient escape?

And what do Jade (Jennifer (Jade)) and Letha have to do with it all....again?!?!?

Now, I absolutely adored My Heart is a Chainsaw. I have read novels that are love letters to books. I have read novels that are love letters to the 90s. My Heart is a Chainsaw was the first love letter to horror movies that I have read, and I didn't know I needed it so badly. Its follow-up does not miss the mark, although it was more terror-gorey (possible???) than its predecessor and less psychological analysis-y.

In addition, there was so much going on. We return to a ghost from the first book, there is possibly a new ghost in this book, and more. I was disappointed with the continued breathing of one person in particular. Seriously. Why couldn't he be a victim already? But it was not a let-down by any means. I stayed up past my bedtime to finish it (nevermind that I was up because of a sick kid, I was jumping at noises!!), and I was not disappointed.

Bianca, Gallery Books, and NetGalley...please please please don't forget me when the third installment comes out because I can't wait because I will own all three (in hardcover!!) and they have a place on my bookshelf already.

This book is more than a sequel – it’s literally an extension of the previous novel for years later. If you like the first one, you’ll like this. If you wanted something different, you won’t find it here

When I received approval on this arc I cried. Months after wishing, hoping, and begging to anyone who would listen my dream came true. So giant thanks to Simon & Schuster and the man himself SGJ. Don’t fear the reaper begins with Jennifer Daniels returning to Proofrock, a changed woman; after years of legal messes and trials from the Independence Day Massacre; she’s putting horror behind her. While catching up with old friends bad luck comes calling again when a snowstorm of epic proportions blows in leaving her to fight again with new foes and old demons. Dark Mill South the notorious serial killer shows up after an avalanche hits his transport caravan and he escapes. So Jennifer is forced to slap on her old eyeliner and slip into Jades shoes again. This was so good. I missed Jade the second I finished My heart is a Chainsaw. Mixing the old with the new a love letter of sorts to current slashers I was mesmerized. Thank you SGJ and thank you Jade. Until we meet again for the for the final installment…

They say a sequel is never as good as the original. I find that to be true in most cases. But this book defies that statement in the most spectacular way possible.

I absolutely loved My Heart Is A Chainsaw and this book has been on my radar for a long time. It was more than worth the wait. Not only is Jade back in fine form but some of the characters from the last book really get to be a big part of this one.

Oh yes, there's slashery goodness and bloodshed galore with a killer that would be at home in a horror movie. But, there are also some reveals and twists that keeps you on your toes and guessing.

There are also so many references to slasher movies and Jade is not the only one who are using the rules of these to hopefully live a little longer through the carnage.

It's the writing style that pulls all of these elements together though. Stephen Graham Jones dares you to not look away as his written razorblades cut across your eyes. And you'll do it gladly.

Although I watched several slasher movies in my teen years , I am not a lover of these movies. That being said, I thought this was a very good book. I can see that for someone who is a big fan of this genre of movies that they would like this book even more than I did.
Our story revolves around Jade, who is released from prison and returns home to Proofrock. With little time to adjust to being home , mayhem returns. The story is well written and although a lot of horrible things are going on, there are a lot of very good characters here, including retired Sheriff Hardy, Letha , her husband Deputy Tompkins and of course, Jade/Jennifer. I don’t like reviews that give away too much of the story, so I’ll just say that if the story sounds appealing, pick up a copy and give it a try, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! Happy reading!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. Here is my honest review.

I loved "My Heart Is a Chainsaw", so I was super excited to be selected to read the sequel, "Don't Fear the Reaper". I have read a lot of Stephen Graham Jones, and this one does not disappoint. It was fun to see the continuation of Jade's story, and I loved the constant references to classic horror movies, mostly from the 80s and 90s. I do need to watch more of them.

I can't wait to see what Mr Jones does next!

Jade Daniels is back!

Unfortunately for Jade, the slasher-obsessed final girl of Stephen Graham Jone’s My Heart Is a Chainsaw, her arrival back home after four years in prison thanks to the events of that horror masterpiece comes as a perfect storm is brewing in Proofrock, Idaho. A storm both literal, as a brutal blizzard descends on the small town, and figurative, as Dark Mill South, an escaped serial killer, also arrives looking for victims.

As I think about it, perfect storm may not be the right metaphor for Don’t Fear the Reaper. A kitchen appliance is more appropriate. Jones tosses the bent-but-not-broken Jade into a blender with the blizzard, Dark Mill South, a couple of potentially supernatural, murderous entities, a large handful of returning characters (those who survived the past novel, anyway), and a mysterious, revenge-driven killer of the home-grown variety, and sets that blender to puree. There’s also a troubling, traumatic high school scandal thrown into the mix. The result is a bloody, chaotic concoction sure to satisfy every horror fan.

I said chaotic up above, and I meant it. The threads of this novel are many and tangled, but Jones always has a firm hold on his material, and never allows it to spin out of control. His writing style is a heady mix of breakneck action and inventive mayhem, but he never loses the beating heart of the story.

Like My Heart Is a Chainsaw, Don’t Fear the Reaper is a knowing love letter to slashers. If there’s a royal court for final girls, Jade Daniels sits the throne. The body count here may be high, but so is Jones’ clear affection for Jade.

One final thing…I wish I had re-read My Heart Is a Chainsaw before tackling Don’t Fear the Reaper. First, because it rocks. But also, as I said, there are quite a few returning characters from the first novel, and a refresher on who is who and who did what would have been helpful. It’s not necessary, as Jones does a fine job of re-introducing everyone, but my memory isn’t what it used to me.

Okay, a final, final thing…even if you don’t normally read acknowledgment pages, please read them here. Jones elequently thanks the many folks who helped bring Jade to life, including several teachers. As the father of a high school English teacher, this made made happy.

Don’t Fear the Reaper, book 2 in the Indian Lake Trilogy, debuts February 7th, 2023. This one deserves an immediate pre-order. Do it for Jade.

It was a pleasure venturing back to Proofrock and getting to experience The Jade Daniels again. I love this homage to slashers and can’t wait to read the final part of this trilogy.

This one isn’t as strong as its predecessor. Whether that’s because I read it too slow or because I got bogged down trying to recall all the details from book one that I couldn’t remember - well, either of those are possible. I think the setting was way scarier: a snowstorm, total whiteout conditions, with wind so loud you couldn’t hear even a vehicle coming until it’s right on top of you, snow so high it’s impossible to run, cold sharp enough to cut through all the layers. That’s terrifying, and Jones WORKS it.

Also, the descriptions of the bodies were absolutely epic. Gory and vivid and latching onto that “weird” thing that would immediately catch your eye before proverbially zooming out to show the whole gruesome picture.

But I think the weakest part of this was not really having Jade at the center. We drifted so far away from her that I felt she was almost unrecognizable until the very end when we finally got to sit in her head for more than a few pages at a time.

Definitely still hype for book three!

Jade Daniels returns to Proofrock after her conviction is overturned to seek out escaped serial killer Dark Mill South. Dark Mill South is after revenge for a 1862 hanging of 38 men. Who will be the “final girl” ending the blood bath in Proofrock? This book kept me glued to its pages, bringing up references to past horror movies. You don’t want to miss this one.

While I wasn’t at all crazy about My Heart is a Chainsaw, I thought I’d give the second book in this trilogy a chance. In my opinion, Don’t Fear The Reaper is a far better book,

The book continues the story four years later. While it’s helpful to have read the first book, it’s not at all necessary to have read it. While the plot can get convoluted, it was much easier to me to follow than it was in the first book, and the events made much more sense. The characters are much better developed, and Mr. Jones really shines in making the setting come to life. Yes, the book can get gruesome, but not nearly as bad as other horror books can get.

While not a fan of slasher films, I can see that the author just lives the genre, and it’s reflected in his writing.

My thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing an ARC of the book.

This blood-soaked sequel hits the ground running at a breakneck speed and doesn’t slow down until its devastating conclusion. It is strong enough to stand on its own without needing “My Heart is a Chainsaw” as a crutch, and it feels like it tells a complete and satisfying story, neither of which are typical in the second installment of trilogies. That said, it picks up where Chainsaw left off in a great way. The characters and writing all feel more mature, and the weight of their scars is actually felt. The setting provided the perfect cover for the story—all contemporary slashers need to reckon with the way contemporary technology can serve as a total plot-buster, so setting the whole events of the book over a frantic 36-hour period in the middle of an overwhelming snowstorm is really smart. It allows a desperate sense of urgency and place, that cold sinking into my bones chapter by chapter, and also gets rid of pesky cell phones and internet communications.

The novel maintained the pseudo-epistolary structure, with chapters of action being supplemented by chapters which are in the form of history essays written to fulfill a class assignment. Unlike in “Chainsaw,” however, these are not written by Jade (who goes by Jennifer now, four years out of lockup) but instead by someone else who isn’t revealed until later in the story. Similar to the last book, these are a useful literary device, allowing for some content/narrative dumps that would have been incredibly unwieldy as character dialogue, while also breaking up the action and extending the tensions from the real-life peril in the other chapters. Another real welcome change to this book was that, outside of the essays, we are not only following Jade’s point of view. The narrator moves between characters, and this is done well and really helps build out the story and some of the characters. We still spend the most time with or around Jade, and her character has definitely matured and developed. However, there are a lot of ancillary characters—a good slasher needs cannon fodder, after all—and while we get some good development regarding a few secondary characters, it is nowhere as fulfilling or complete as with Jade. So being able to move through other characters and get inside their heads is a nice way to give us little details making all of them real, not just simply caricatures.

I won’t give away any of the plot twists and turns, except to say that it does a great job leading you along and then pulling the rug out form under you, simultaneously following and upending the slasher genre tropes that it revels in. There are enough red herrings that are sneaky enough that you feel like this might be an actual dangling thread you’re pulling on, only to find it doesn’t go where you expect. Yet, similar to “Chainsaw…,” the final reveal/explanation doesn’t feel forced or manipulative, just a smart way to get you looking in all the wrong directions. With that said, this is the one place the book feels the clunkiest, right near the end as the body count is nearing its final tally and the curtain is pulled back. I think the plot mechanics regarding the final reveal make sense, but the reveal itself is a little confusing. I had to read through a second time to make sure I was actually clocking what was going on. There was something in the way the reveal was, well, revealed, that felt a little muddy. But this isn’t enough to diminish the joy and excitement I felt through the whole book, nor did it diminish the satisfaction of the actual ending. It isn’t a case of feeling cheated by an ending, just a case where I think parts of it could have been made a little clearer during the ultimate denouement, but that is a minor complaint in a novel that has so many moving parts and does a great job juggling them all.

Stephen Graham Jones has taken his deep love for slashers and turned it up a notch, with a book that felt even more gruesome and meta than its predecessor. It is fast-paced, almost dizzying at times, and is a great homage to the genre while elevating it in a way that novels can do but 90 minute movies often can’t. I really enjoyed every page of this, and blew through it in two days. While the meta-awareness and commentaries on the tropes and trivia of slasher films is actually elevated, in terms of plot reasons, from the first novel, it still may feel too cutesy for some readers’ tastes, which I suppose I understand, but it felt fitting and thematic to me, I was there for it all the way. And while there is still a lot of places Graham Jones can go for the final entry in the trilogy, no part of this story felt like it was just serving as a bridge to that final entry. I am excited to see where this story goes, as we continue to follow the characters growth and development as they navigate the clearly cursed town of Proofrock, which can’t seem to outlive the uncountable sins of Indian Lake.

I want to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books / Saga Press, who provided a complimentary eARC in exchange for an honest review.

e-arc provided by Netgalley!

This series is really for people who love/appreciate the Horror Genre. That's not necessarily me, I did like parts of this but I also found parts to be really confusing. Overall not my favorite series but I will be continuing along

Thanks a million to NetGalley for the ARC of my most anticipated book of next year!

Happy to say that this was a worthy follow up to my favorite book of last year. It honors its slasher heritage through and through and readers can feel how much fun the author is having, especially in the middle acts. While Graham Jones’ writing can murky and ambiguous to many, however withstanding the relatively straightforward narrative of the trilogy, to me this is how to pull of a sequel: it doesn’t hold your hand, and delivers on a new mystery that brings up as many questions in the form of fragmented, broken characters as answers in the form of bodies in the snow,

I loved My Heart Is a Chainsaw so of course I had to read the sequel as soon as I could get my hands on it. In most slasher movie franchise, sequels have to be more terrifying, more action-packed, and more bloodthirsty than the original, while also taking us back to the original scene of the crime and reminding us why we cared about the story at all. And this book certainly fulfills all of those requirements.

Jade, now going by Jennifer, is trying to put the bloodbath of five years ago behind her and move on with her life as much as she can. But the universe has different ideas. When serial killer Dark Mill South escapes into the mountains of Proofrock, Idaho during a freak avalanche that takes out his entire prison transport team, Jade finds herself once again coming face to face with an evil maniac determined to wreak havok on the town.

Jones is an incredibly gifted writer. He's the master of showing and not telling, and his development of not only Jade but several of the peripheral characters made this book a real treat to read. The bonds between Jade and Letha, between Jade and Sheriff Hardy, between Jade and her former history teacher Mr. Holmes, even between Letha and her new family, make this book stand heads and shoulders above just about any other horror novel out there. This book has a lot of fun with slasher tropes. Whereas Jade was the Cassandra of the first novel, futilely trying to warn deaf ears of the horror that was coming, everyone in this book is fully on board from the get-go.

That said, this is a book that took me a long time to read. There's something about Jones's unique style of prose that at times made me unsure whether I knew what was happening on the page. I don't know if I was just reading too fast, but it's not always clear what's going on. This is also a book jam packed full of deep metatexual references to a wide variety of horror films, and as someone who isn't really a die hard horror fan per se, I did feel like I was missing some pieces. But I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the final installment!

Oh, yes - this is the continuation that I craved after finishing My Heart is a Chainsaw.

We pick up back in Proofrock four years later, where kids have grown up and loss has reshaped the community … but some things never change, do they? There will always be a killer lurking around the corner, ready to hunt down unsuspecting locals.

Jade Daniels - who goes by Jennifer now, thank you - is returning to town for the first time since the events of the first book. With this new distance from her home & trauma, Jennifer has reframed her point of view a bit and no longer sees the world exclusively through the lens of slashers (as she once had to for her own protection) - but that doesn’t mean she’s left her great depth of knowledge behind.

And when the power & phone line goes down and a serial killer escapes his convoy … Jennifer & Letha have to team up once more to save their town.

We have a massing scattering of perspectives here, and things aren’t always told in a linear fashion. It’s fascinating but can also feel disjointing - I struggled a bit at times to recall which characters and pieces of information were a continuation from the first and which were brand new.

Jones has such a unique bite and style of writing. It’s gory and horrifying and then unexpectedly emotional - and each narrator’s way of storytelling is distinctive, even those who only get a few paragraphs to shine.

However, I did miss Jade. She’s here, and she shines, but the focus is split so much that I was left wanting more from her arc. We’ll see where the third book goes.

The pace is much faster than the first, and I found myself catching breaths alongside the characters’ brief reprieves. There’s more guts and more gore. There’s identical twin mindbenders and chilling scenes with elk and monsters that were painfully human.

There’s a great blend of slasher nods and winks and references alongside horrifyingly creative all-new kills. I’ve seen my fair share of slashers but I’m sure there were also clever & specific references that went right over my head - Jones does a nice job of explaining just enough.

I personally preferred Chainsaw for its deeper emotional story and focus on Jade - but Don’t Fear the Reaper was still a wonderful sequel. And if you found Chainsaw to be too slow … you won’t be disappointed here.

CW: murder, death, gore, blood, child death, animal death, animal cruelty, body horror, pedophilia, adult/minor relationship, drug use, abuse, gun violence, self harm, chronic illness, mental illness, medical trauma, cultural appropriation, racism, classism, vomit

Stephen Graham Jones returns to the town of Proofrock, Idaho in the follow up to his 2021 novel, My Heart is a Chainsaw . Without spoiling any of the events of Chainsaw, I will say this one picks up four years later. Some things in the town have changed, but history has a way of repeating itself. And once again, a killer is on the loose and wreaking havoc. Which 'final girl' will be the one to take down the killer this time?

I love SGJ's brand of horror. It's much more human, much more unpredictable than other writers in the genre. It's also written in a more literary style which I admire. There's no denying he is a master at writing slasher-style kills in a way that makes my skin crawl. Reading some of the descriptions in this was so unsettling and unique; it really sets him apart as a horror writer.

I also love Jade as a main character. She's the emotional glue that keeps this book together, and ties into the first book, of course, and I can only assume will continue into the third and final book of the trilogy eventually.

However, this one felt a bit long and convoluted at times. Plot-wise, I was confused for a good portion of the book. Even in the end, I'm not totally sure what exactly happened. I wish things had been explained a little more clearly. And this book sits at nearly 500 pages and feels like it. It expands the cast of characters even more than the first book in the series, and while I appreciate it did something a bit different with these people, I would've liked a bit more focus and attention on Jade in the end. I think it could've been edited down a tiny bit to keep things streamlined, but that's just my preference!

All in all, I will continue following SGJ in whatever he puts out. He's such a compelling, original writer that I am happy is so prolific!

I’m tearing myself apart trying to decide how to rate this latest installment of the Lake Witch Trilogy by Stephen Graham Jones because, in the movies at least, the sequel rarely stands up to the first one. There are arguable exceptions, of course. Aliens over Alien tracks for me. The Empire Strikes Back, for many a Star Wars fan (although my #1 will always be A New Hope, and Rogue One comes out ahead of Empire for me…). The Godfather Two, apparently, although the one I remember best is the first. That second Lord of the Rings, I guess…

But I'm going down a rabbit hole, and siting examples that aren’t technically in the horror genre to boot. Except for the Alien franchise. I should site Jaws, because it’s relevant to this story, and there isn’t one Jaws sequel that compares to the original. And Predator, well…the recent prequel Prey is the only one to best it, imo—and it surpasses the original by far.

Anyway, back to this review. It's a fast paced, non-stop slasher fest, more so than the first one, because that's what sequels aspire to do; there's that need to top that previous installment with more explosions, more car chases—or in this case, more splashy ways to bring out the guts and gore.

And I envision Jones standing there before the challenge, much Iike his main character Jade, giving his audience a curt nod of the head that says, "Bring it on, man. Bring it." But don’t expect to dive into this book without reading the first one. It's easy to get lost even if you have read My Heart is a Chainsaw. In fact, I’d say it's mandatory reading. Regardless.

What I like about Don’t Fear The Reaper:

1) Dark Mill South. He's big. He's an admirable addition to the list of horror slasher icons, and his back story teaches us a little bit about that Native American history our U.S. education system likes to gloss over (or ignore). And the hook for a hand, well… any basic horror fan should know what that is a nod to. You don’t have to say his name, we know it.
2) Jones' strong suit is his ability to put us inside a character’s head—inside their skin, I guess. A suitable way to say it here, especially. It's not only Jade's eyes we're seeing through this time, and that can get tricky. But Jones is great at it. He's proven time and again, for me, that he knows how to give depth to his characters.
3) The creative, slashery ways people die is right on the mark, and the "rules" involving who dies and who doesn’t keep with the slasher tradition while playing with if there even should be rules, Scream style.
4) The beginning of this sequel gives clarity to the ending of My Heart is a Chainsaw, something I really needed. Also, the relationship Jade has with her mother—or lack of one, is addressed. Thank you! And the ending to this book is more satisfying, more complete for me

There is a lot going on in this book though. There's the slasher story, the revenge story, the ghost story, a spirit animal story. They all overlap, and it can get confusing. It’s that frenzy of making the sequel something bigger to outdo the first story, so be prepared. I feel like My Heart is a Chainsaw had more heart, it focusing on Jade and Jade alone. In Reaper, she no longer has that massive chip on her shoulder. She’s grown. What makes this story its own is the way the traumatic experience from Chainsaw has settled into the rest of the survivors, changing them forever in the wake of yet another slasher gone wild. Except this time, the slasher has a clear identity…or maybe not.

Yeah, it’s still a 5 star read…Maybe a 4.6. And Yes, I’m still looking forward to the final book. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC.

SGJ has done it again. Don’t Fear the Reaper is worth all the emotional labor it takes to get through My Heart is a Chainsaw, the sequel takes an already amazing first book and makes this a fantastic series.

I love Jade Daniels. I loved getting to see her after the events of the first book, and I loved watching her transformation into Final Girl once again. This definitely started a LOT faster than the last book, and is not for the weak of heart--but it was a wild ride from start to finish.