There isn't a Stephen Graham Jones book that I haven't loved so far! I was introduced to him after speaking with a librarian friend that told me to check him out after I mentioned loving Grady Hendrix-she certainly did not steer me wrong! I devoured this book!

Don't Fear the Reaper is the second book in the Indian Lake Trilogy. You really do need to read the first book, My Heart is a Chainsaw, before you try to tackle this one. It picks up a few years after the first book left off and if you don't know the events of its predecessor, you'll be completely lost.

Everything is different now: Jade, the obsessive slasher fangirl who couldn’t stop relating every calamity to a title in her mental horror rolodex, is not only older, but after surviving the mysterious mass murder at Indian Lake on Independence Day, she’s quieter, more reserved. Traumatized, she now goes by her real name, Jennifer Daniels, always correcting people from her past; normalcy as her new armor. She must play it straight now; since she’s one of the sole survivors, she’s suspect. And even though she knows she’s innocent, we can tell part of her feels responsible — she wasn’t orchestrating it, but her commentary affirmed all the pieces would fall into place, in order for Proofrock to become victim to a self-fulfilling prophecy of her ultimate fantasy.

Don't Fear the Reaper is an intense homage to the classic horror films

I was so happy to be back in Proofrock with Jade, Letha, and the rest of the cast of this trilogy. Jones is so masterful in how he melds horror and heart, beauty and grit, sometimes in the exact same moments. I loved how he wove so many different references and story lines together, especially as he kept revealing new twists and turns throughout the story (he had me guessing for a good long while).
Perhaps my favorite thing about the book is Jade's overwhelming reluctance to still consider herself a final girl but remain so dedicated to figuring out what's going on and trying to stop the killings. Well, that and Letha still being the awesome badass that she is. Never change Letha.

If you are a horror fan, and especially a slasher fan, and want to take another trip with Jade, Letha, and everyone else in Proofrock, definitely give this book a try.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me early access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

Another brilliant novel from Stephen Graham Jones. No one is doing Indigenous horror, or horror in general, the way he is.

I did not like this. Did not realize it was part of a series and past events in prior books mattered to this one. Cannot recommend. Do not bother.

Thanks to NetGalley, Stephen Graham Jones, and Gallery Books Saga Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Already available.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is the third book I've read from Stephen Graham Jones and I just didn't quite click with it. His writing style is often confusing for me. I will say, out of all of them, I followed this novel the best. It was classic "final girl" once more. I enjoyed the twist and didn't expect it. Definitely an enjoyable follow up to My Heart is a Chainsaw. Just as gruesome, gory, and horror-filled!

Graham Jones always terrifies and this follow up to My Heart is a Chainsaw was a beautiful partner to the original story. I will read anything he write.

Middle books are hard - I enjoyed the actual action of this book a lot, but the "who" and the "why" and the "why is this framing structure" just did not work for me. The mini slasher film chapters were fantastic but the whole thing did not, for me, hold together (I know many disagree.)

This terrifying horror sequel of My Heart Is a Chainsaw certainly isn't for the squeamish. If you read the first one, you'll love this one even more. The carnage is splashed across the pages, displayed in such a gruesome way for the reader to attempt to devour and digest the scenes without recoiling in either fear or disgust.
Extreme violence and gore makes for an intense story.

I had wanted to LOVE My Heart is a Chainsaw, but sadly I didn't. I still went into this sequel with an open mind, because Jones' writing is out of this world, and I did really enjoy Jade's character in the first book. I'm happy to say that this one lived more up to my expectations, and it was a much more enjoyable read than I felt Chainsaw was.

That said, if you're not into slashers, look away! Emotional slasher is what I would genre this series, and Jones doesn't hold back when it comes to the slasher aspect!

I enjoy a good slasher story and this one does not disappoint. It kept me on the edge of my seat, eagerly turning pages. Please note, this is definitely a slasher story, SGJ does not shy away from the horror - which I love. If that is something you can handle in a book, this one is a great ride.

Too bloody for me. I cannot suggest that anyone read this unless they have a taste for horror that borders on the far,far extreme.

I've said it before and I will say it again. SGJ can write. Now I will say up front though, his style sometimes needs and adjustment period but once you get in the groove, there is no looking back.
He brings us a new slasher story, highlighting some of our favorite tropes.

Pretty enjoyable overall. Nothing majorly new story wise. The beauty is the constructed sentences and wording as is with every SGJ books.

Stephen Graham Jones is an autobuy author for me and this book was a perfect example as to why. The nostalgic slasher vibes continued in this sequel to My Heart Is A Chainsaw and we got to get even closer to this setting and characters. It was very spooky but also fun. Giving very much Scream vibes, just like the first book. But just like with Scream and Scream 2, I think the sequel was just as good (or maybe even better) than the first!

Jade Daniels is my final girl! Such a wild ride in the most inventive slasher format. I really enjoyed this one, and reading it made me want to go back and reread My Heart is a Chainsaw all over again.

Can SGJ do no literary wrong? I’m starting to believe that’s 100% true because he just keeps doing it right, over and over again! Don’t Fear the Reaper is the sequel to My Heart Is a Chainsaw, which I also just devoured when I got it via NetGalley a couple of years ago! I love the dark, moodiness of the prose that immediately sets the tone of the book. I LOVE his nuanced, powerful, oh-so-very-human protagonist and her journeys toward knowing herself, her path, her history, her community. I’ve already re-read Don’t Fear the Reaper once and will undoubtedly do it again. It’s just so good. Thank you thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance e-arc! Native lit is my happy place, my peaceful place, my excited place. Stephen Graham Jones is a truly gifted storyteller.

This book was so much different then I expected and even though I am not a big watcher of Slasher films, I still really enjoyed this book. I did not realize it was part of a series, so read this as a stand alone book. It worked pretty well as I was able to pick up on the characters back stories.

So, much better and more fun than I expected❣️There is still lots of horror and murders, so it was definitely scary. I enjoyed the Pop Cultural references to classic Slasher Films, so I was familiar with most of them. Solving this case was about understanding the Slasher Films in depth, as this would hold the clues to how to get to Dark Mill South.

My favorite part of the book was the strong bond between Jade and Letha. Their bond is essential to this book. There is also a sense of community that is a thread throughout this book that was touching. So, yes there were a lot murders and this was a fast paced read, yet I felt for the characters on a deeper level.

This book does cater to a young group as the characters from the first book are just four years older, so 22 years old. They are dealing with teenagers in high school. So, I think this leans more to being a Young Adult Book and certainly if you love slasher films, this will appeal to you.

Overall, more then I was expecting and found myself routing and concerned for the main characters. There were quite a few unexpected twists and I enjoyed the cat and mouse chase.

Thank you NetGalley, Stephen Graham Jones, and Gallery Books for a copy of this book. I always write a review of a book I read.

For full disclosure, I did not absolutely love the first book of this series for two reasons- the writing style was too erratic, and the book was too long. I think the writing style was corrected a little bit with this one, but the book again was too lengthy. As a big horror fan, I enjoyed all the nods to books and film from the first book, but there's not as much found in this one. I liked the Dark Mill South angle, but found the rest of the storyline confusing with how many characters there were, and some even had similar names. I lost interest about halfway into the book, and tried to power through to finish, but found myself just not caring anymore. I think there was too much history happening between telling all the stories of Kimmy (Jade's Mom), Ginger and Cinn, Letha, Hardy, Banner, Armitage, DMS, and the main character Jade/Jennifer. I love all the indigenous elements and narratives, and I do appreciate that this book series has a home with some people, but it's just not for me. Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC!

I enjoyed this title, but it just did not have the same kick as My Heart is a Chainsaw. Readers may want to re-read the first book to have characters and locations fresh in their minds.

All the gore fans will be excited for this book. You'll find yourself screaming at the characters in the book as if you were yelling at them in the movie. A gruesome fun read.

A horror novel, the sequel to the excellent My Heart Is a Chainsaw.

Jade, former final girl of what's become known as the Indian Lake Massacre, has returned to her hometown of Proofrock, Idaho after four years of struggling through a court system that wanted to blame her for the many deaths in the previous book. She's reformed and has decided to abandon her former love of slasher movies. Unfortunately they don't want to abandon her, because Jade arrives just in time for a massive blizzard to cut off all contact between Proofrock and the outside, an escaped serial killer descends upon the town, and at least two other mysterious killers take advantage of the confusion to leave their own bodies in the snow.

I have to admit that I didn't enjoy Don't Fear the Reaper as much as I did My Heart Is a Chainsaw. Part of this is that I read Chainsaw two years ago and don't remember all of the details, while Reaper absolutely counts on you being able to jump in running without a recap of previous events. Jones also tends to write conversations in a very sparse, allusive style, which on the one hand feels very realistic, but on the other hand if you don't catch every half-uttered reference, can be incredibly confusing. For example:
“Wreck?” Hardy asks.
“Oh,” Jennifer says. “It’s that Dark Mill South, right?”
Of course she’d know.
“They’re trying to find his motorcade, convoy, prisoner transport, whatever it’s called,” Banner explains for Hardy.
“‘Reunion Tour,’” Jennifer quotes.
“Here,” Banner tells her, giving her the wheel before she can protest.
Jennifer takes it, keeps them straight, giving Banner hands enough to dig in his clipboard case for . . .
He unfolds it, passes it across to Hardy.
“You really don’t watch the news?” Banner asks, impressed.
“Get to be my age, you figure out it’s the same shit, different package,” Hardy says, studying the faded clipping, the grainy mug shot. He looks up over it to Jennifer, then to Banner.
“She already told you,” he says across to Banner, some scold to his tone now, like he might really mean this. “The court found in her favor, Deputy.”
“What?” Banner asks, taking the wheel back, Jennifer holding her hands high like she never wanted it in the first place.
“What, sir,” she mutters, just loud enough.
Because they’re in town now, Banner turns all the cat’s lights off except the front ones—no need to be casting shadows in folks’ living rooms.
“You telling me that’s not Tab Daniels?” Hardy says.
“My dad?” Jennifer says, looking at the mug shot of Dark Mill South now as well, even though she’s probably got his poster on her bedroom wall.
“Put your glasses on, sir,” Banner says.
Hardy does, sees his mistake.
“Sorry, Jennifer,” he says. “Didn’t mean to—it’s just, they’re both Indian, and that . . . his face.”
“Bad face,” Jennifer repeats, then adds, “Win-ne-muc-ca,” hitting each syllable.
“You remember,” Hardy says, clapping his big hand on her knee.
His house is only at the end of the block now.
Banner slows, mostly so Hardy won’t have to tell him “here” like he always does.
“Remember what?” Banner asks.
“Camp Winnemucca,” Hardy says. “In Snake, that means ‘Camp Bad Face.’”
“I don’t even know what we’re talking about anymore,” Banner says, stopping in front of Hardy’s place.
ME TOO, BANNER. At least it's very effective at getting across the sense that these are all people from the same small town who've known each other for their entire lives. It just leaves me feeling like a visitor to the town who's lost and completely bewildered. Similarly, even after finishing the book, I don't think I know what was going on with Cinnamon and Ginger. I'm sure it was a great subplot, but I must have missed a clue or two, because it ended up remaining a mystery.

On the positive side, once the action gets going it's a compulsively readable book, and I loved many of the new POVs. Letha in particular is a fantastic character and I loved every time she got to narrate.

I'll still definitely be keeping an eye out for the final book in the series, but next time I'll brush up on the details before I start reading.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5619021998