This is book two in the Lake Witch Triology. Book one, My Heart is a Chainsaw, was just okay to me. But this one! AMAZING. So much better than the first, and now I can't wait for the third!

The fact the title names are actually horror movies was a fun little twist!

This one fast forwards four years after book one. Jade is back from prison (she's Jennifer now and swears she has changed), Letha is back, and several other faces we know. They are all in Proofrock and a serial killer, Dark Mill South, has escaped his armed convoy as it passes by Proofrock during his prison transfer. Let the violence begin!!

This story is filled with murder, mayhem and messiness. It will make you uncomfortable. You will be on the edge of your seat. There are so many kills and so much confusion, but this was so well done and I was in.vest.ed!

I also loved the serial killer vs. slasher debate in the book.

I will not be anxiously waiting on the final installment!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is a story about what it takes to be a final girl.

I loved this book, and I’m thrilled that there’s a book 3 otw. This managed to mix mediums in a way that added to the central narrative, while still being genuinely frightening. My only complaint, is that it somewhat felt drawn out, but overall this was excellent.

Thank you so much Netgalley & Gallary books for the e & physical arcs!

If you like your horror with a healthy dose of blood, gore, and ripping chainsaws with a fresh side of guts, cleavers, and bright, shiny meathooks - look no further than The Indian Lake Trilogy by Stephen Graham Jones.⁣
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I loved My Heart is a Chainsaw and was so stoked for this sequel - and it does not disappoint. We’re back at the lake, but instead of a 4th of JAWS-ly 🦈 floating massacre there’s a maniacal escape convict on the loose terrorizing the town under blankets of snow, loss of power, and hell has indeed frozen over … but warm blood will still spill.⁣
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Jade (now Jennifer) has returned, trying to move on from her past, but how can she when the teens of Proofrock are being gored one by one. It’s a fast-paced, heart pounding race to stop the killer’s rampage and she begins to realize moving on is just not possible for a final girl.⁣
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It’s an epic blizzard of all things grisly and gruesome, perfect for fans of classic horror slasher movies and bad ass final girls - or those who just enjoy a bloody good time.

Jade, now Jennifer Daniels, returns in the sequel to My Heart Is A Chainsaw. A few years after her senior year, Jennifer returns to Proofrock, Idaho. On that very day, a serial killer escapes police custody. As the bodies start piling up, Jennifer must rely on Jade's knowledge of slasher to stop the murder spree.

From page one to the final page you're flipping the pages furiously to see what happens. The characters are all great as well. If you liked My Heart Is a Chainsaw, then you definitely need to read this installment of the trilogy. Note: You MUST read Chainsaw before you read this one. Otherwise, you'll be lost. I can't wait for book three to come out!

My thanks to Gallery Books, Gallery/Saga Press, author Stephen Graham Jones, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

I finished this one in under a day because I was so excited to see how things went this time around! Jade will always be my favorite final girl and it was really really wonderful to come back to her world. I didn't love this one as much as I loved the first book but I still enjoyed it and maintain the fact that I would die for Jade.

I think Stephen Graham Jones’ writing style is so unique, in that it’s somehow hard and easy to follow at the same time. It keeps my brain engaged in a different way.
This sequel to My Heart is a Chainsaw featured some truly brutal kills that left me shocked, returns from all our favorite characters, and some interesting new POVs. I may not understood every single line, but the vibes were great. Do I have questions? Of course! But the experience of reading this was great.

I will forever be on board with whatever Stephen Graham Jones is putting on the table, especially when it's the follow up novel to a horror that I so deeply loved. Jade is back and better than ever, in the unhinged and over-perseverating way that we have come to expect from her.

If you were a fan of the first book, even by inches, this will cement your spot in the SGJ fandomverse for good. Told with grace, truth, and a true understanding of how to imprint understated fear into the hearts of readers, DON'T FEAR THE REAPER is this year's best horror, and February isn't even over.

Stephen Graham Jones did it again. Like always his books are so freaking good.
I read this all in a day. Could not put it down. When my tablet died I moved over to my phone to keep reading.

Don't Fear the Reaper is an incredible follow up to Stephen Graham Jones' slasher My Heart is a Chainsaw. I have to say I don't read too many slashers that actually have sequels–especially ones that are actually this good–and I loved getting to revisit Jade and Proofrock. Stephen Graham Jones has a special sort of gift for creating a very classic, checks-all-the-boxes slasher while also still managing to create something that feels very deep and literary and really hits notes that the average slasher doesn't quite manage to reach. I loved that this book had very similar style elements to My Heart is a Chainsaw and really felt like a familiar continuation, but also one that brought something new to the table. I cannot wait to see what's in store for the final book in this trilogy!

This sequel picks up the story shortly after My Heart is a Chainsaw. Jade, now Jennifer, returns to Proofrock years later and changed from her experience. This of course happens to be the same day that Dark Mill South, you guessed it--a serial killer, escapes custody during transport and yet another horror is unleashed upon the town.

Blood flies and bodies pile up rather quickly in this one. SGJ wastes no time in getting to the gore. Much like My Heart is a Chainsaw, this book is inspired by and pays homage to every slasher flick you could imagine. Any fan of the the gere will love the little tid-bits nods entwined through the story.

Its a great second book for a series, leads us along but leaves more story to tell. While the pacing gets bogged down at some points throughout, SGJ's style and stellar writing pull you through this blood-soaked novel. If you enjoyed My Heart is a Chainsaw, you'll dig this. And now i cant wait to read the next.

Lets be judgy for a second....

I am totally swooning over not just this cover but the title too!!!

Is this not what nightmares are made of?

I read and OBSESSED over My Heart Is a Chainsaw, last year. I could not tell enough people about this book! Strangers in Shop-Rite? You betcha! This book plagued my soul and haunted me for months after concluding. I had loved every last bit of it.

Soooooo....

When I heard there would be a sequel, "Don't Fear the Reaper" being released, I prepared myself to beg, borrow or steal to get my hands on an early copy.

Gosh, do I love netgalley! Thank you for granting my bookish wish !!!

Don't Fear the Reaper, as you guessed, is literally what nightmares are made of. I highly suggest you read this book during the day with proper sunlight, after a well rested night....

You will not be sleeping for days after concluding..

That was your fair warning. Now, back to the book... Jones made a name for himself with this one. move over Stephen King, we have a new horror author to obsess over!

Page one, I was completely consumed and thrown right into the wolves. There was no "let up" or chance to breathe between pages. I believe I held my breath for 99.9% of this book. The suspense was there early on. I was thrown from one twist to the next and in no way, shape or form, was I able to figure out who the killer was before it was revealed.

As always, Stephen Graham Jones, delivered.

I can not wait for another banger! (Please don't make me wait too long!!!)

Five Stars

Teaser:

December 12th, 2019, Jade returns to the rural lake town of Proofrock the same day as convicted Indigenous serial killer Dark Mill South escapes into town to complete his revenge killings, in this riveting sequel to My Heart Is a Chainsaw from New York Times bestselling author, Stephen Graham Jones.

Four years after her tumultuous senior year, Jade Daniels is released from prison right before Christmas when her conviction is overturned. But life beyond bars takes a dangerous turn as soon as she returns to Proofrock. Convicted Serial Killer, Dark Mill South, seeking revenge for thirty-eight Dakota men hanged in 1862, escapes from his prison transfer due to a blizzard, just outside of Proofrock, Idaho.

Dark Mill South’s Reunion Tour began on December 12th, 2019, a Thursday.

Thirty-six hours and twenty bodies later, on Friday the 13th, it would be over.

The synopsis made me nervous. "Jade gets out of jail and there's a new serial killer in town" sounded a little goofy, but I quickly remembered why I enjoy his writing to begin with, and then I was on board for whatever Graham had to offer. The kill count is higher. It's very scary. I loved this opening as well, with some insight into how teens are responding to the collective town grief (urban legends! Hookup games!) The more time I spend in this town, the more I love it.

The second of the Lake Witch Trilogy did not disappoint. Loaded with classic horror movie references Don’t Fear the Reaper continues with Jade returning to Proofrock. As luck would have it convicted serial killer Dark Mill South escapes his convoy and finds himself there. This story is nonstop action that has multiple villains and is a bunch of fun. The cast of over the top characters, slasher scenes and pulse pounding action make this series a great read for horror movie fans.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
4 ⭐️

I’m usually very bad at keeping up with an on-going series but it was no pressure or a task for me to keep up with the Indian Lake Trilogy. I love SGJ, I love slasher films and I love horror!! Don’t fear the reaper (DFTR) is just an incredible follow-up to the first book and I’m glad that this didn’t fall into the second book syndrome category!

A handful of year after overturning Jade’s conviction, she is back to Proofrock. Her life is changed but she’s still reeling from the effects of the previous massacres. A blizzard hits, town goes under a power outage and awfully coincides with the prison escape of the notorious convicted serial killer Dark Mill South! DMS is back to get his revenge. I know what you are thinking, yes it sounds similar to Halloween, but ITS DIFFERENT, okay?! DFTR is more slashing and has more character depth than the Halloween movie franchise. There is a fine line between serial killers and slashers and you’ll know that when you read these books.

SGJ is a brilliant writer, so I don’t think I have to emphasise that! I’m now patiently waiting for the final book to drop. Now I know why people love reading series, the excitement and expectations are exhilarating.

Thank you Saga Press via Netgalley for the ebook!

It is rare that you find a sequel that truly holds up to the original. Things tend to get muddy and drug out and then you lose interest half way through. That is simply not the case with Don’t Fear The Reaper. I devoured this book in one sitting. I found myself holding my breath and fully engulfed in the world this book puts you in. This is a true tribute to the slasher genre. Wes Craven would’ve loved it!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for feedback. An excellent sequel. It does a great job of living up to the first book while taking seriously the trauma the characters have all been through.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. The next installment of the Jade Daniels saga did not quite live up to the first one. While the Jennifer/Jade scenes were the most interesting part of the book overall, the tangents pulled away from the story and felt forced.

Don't Fear the Reaper starts four years after the Independence Day killings featured in My Heart is a Chainsaw. Jennifer "Jade" Daniels has served her time and is now out on parole and back in Proofrock after her conviction is overturned. Of course with the luck Jennifer Daniel has, she happens to return to Proofrock in time for Christmas and just around the same time as Dark Mill South, a convicted serial killer escapes.

Leave it to Dark Mill South to begin his 'reunion' tour on December 12, 2019 and by December 13th the body count has gone up all over again.

While Jennifer is determined to not return to the past and declares in her mind that she is not a final girl, all signs point otherwise as Jennifer is forced to delve back into the buried knowledge she keeps on slasher flicks. Of course this time she isn't as alone as Letha Mondragon has taken on and carried the knowledge with her of slasher flicks.

Sure Don't Fear the Reaper could be taken on as a stand alone but to truly appreciate all the characters have gone through and survived you need to read My Heart is a Chainsaw. If not for the sake of understanding then maybe for the sake of appreciating the expansive nods towards so many Slasher flicks.

With the Lake Witch trilogy you would think characters couldn't grow anymore than they already have but oh they have grown so much. Witnessing Jade return to being Jennifer Daniels and then going back to being Jade is just something made for the screen, and of course we cannot help but forget about the Slasher in Reaper, Dark Mill South.

Dark Mill South has a justification and purpose for his kill count, and in true Slasher fashion, Dark Mill South possesses an almost god like, immortal presence in the pages. In the end I was holding my breath and waiting for that striking jump scare revelation. Did it happen? Well I guess you will have to find out!

With all that was packed to the brim in Don't Fear the Reaper and with the unique style of Jones' writing that leaves me wanting more, of course I am eager to see how the Lake Witch Trilogy ends. Until next time, happy reading!

If there’s one thing horror author Stephen Graham Jones knows, it’s slasher films. Some of his most famous novels, like The Only Good Indians and The Last Final Girl, play in that subgenre. He even has a column in Fangoria examining the slasher’s significance and resurgence in film history.

So it’s no surprise, then, that Jones is right at home carving up and subverting slasher films in his planned trilogy of Indian Lake novels. The first, My Heart Is A Chainsaw, was published in 2021. The second, Don’t Fear the Reaper, came out earlier this month.

Reaper picks up four years after the bloody concluding events of Chainsaw, where teenage Native American Final Girl Jade Daniels stopped the Lake Witch killer in her hometown of Proofrock, Idaho, but not before a Fourth of July massacre resulted in several deaths, the severe injury of Jade’s friend Letha Mondragon, and a prison sentence for Jade for stabbing and killing her abusive father.

Now, Jade is returning home to start anew after the courts overturn her conviction. She goes by her birth name Jennifer now. She’s given up her almost obsessive fascination with slasher flicks and passed that fascination on to Letha after training her to be the Final Girl in ‘Chainsaw’.

But, on the heels of a hundred-year Christmas storm, a new killer comes out of the shadows to wreak havoc on Proofrock. Convicted Indigenous serial killer Dark Mill South is big, he’s bad, he has a hook for a hand, and he’s on a mission to avenge the deaths of 38 Dakota men who President Lincoln ordered to hang in 1862. And this time, he’s seen all the same slasher movies Jade has. As the body count starts to rack up, Jade has to embrace her encyclopedic horror movie knowledge and again believe that she has what it takes to be the Final Girl.

“Most horror stories, especially slashers, it’s about the rise of the underdog,” Jones said in a 2021 interview with Fangoria promoting Chainsaw. “It’s me versus Cthulhu or me versus Jason Voorhees, and both of those can take me out without even breaking a sweat, so I should not be able to survive this, yet against all odds, against a whole world trying to smush me down, if I push through hard enough, I can make it to daylight. And I think that’s a wonderful model for us to all follow.”

In crafting this sequel, Jones follows that model and also takes the words of Scream’s movie geek Randy Meeks to heart: The body count is always bigger. The death scenes are always much more elaborate. Carnage candy. And never, ever, under any circumstances, assume the killer is dead. He gleefully mixes and matches references to the classic slashers and new ones alike; he continues Chainsaw’s tradition of naming chapters after films like Scream or Happy Death Day or It Follows. Jones also employs names as verbs, making characters “Kane Hodder” their way over to one another or “Shining”s their way through a snowdrift.

He even dedicates Reaper to the late Wes Craven, director of the Scream franchise. Appropriately, he dedicated Chainsaw to producer Debra Hill, the unsung hero of the Halloween films.

If all that sounds like too much of an inside baseball reference fest, rest assured those references are organic to the story, and Jade’s story comes first. Reaper, like Chainsaw before it, is like reading a jump scare in book form. But it’s also empathetic and soulful and gives voice to the characters that often have no agency in these types of stories. Jade loves horror films because they helped her deal with the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father, but Jones never dwells on that and instead focuses on all the ways Jade takes those experiences and love of the genre and uses them to save the people she loves. There’s a lot of trauma in these books, but they’re not trauma porn. This is simply a straightforward slasher that knows how to meditate on loss — loss of family, loss of innocence, loss of a town, loss of a culture.

What’s more, Jones goes to great lengths to impart to the reader that the monsters in Reaper are real, because what’s real is often scarier than anything we can imagine. “Elevated horror,” this ain’t.

Reaper is both a loving homage to slashers and a middle finger to conventional horror tropes. Jade is the buzzing chainsaw heart of this series, a story told from the point of view of someone who is Final Girl-adjacent and must believe in herself enough to become the Final Girl.

I can’t wait to see how her story concludes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books as well as Stephen Graham Jones for this ARC. It was amazing.
#NetGalley #StephenGrahamJones #GalleryBooks #Don'tFeartheReaper #LakeWitch#2
Well Mr. Jones, you never cease to amaze, entertain, and horrify, in the best way, I didn't think he could beat the first book. How often does a sequel outshine the OG anyway? Well, this one did. My slasher loving soul has been singing since I finished this one. We reconnect with Jade as she gets out of prison. She returns to Poofrock and, well, you know...
This one took off and rarely let up. The slasher references I loved from "My Heart is a Chainsaw" were still all over the place and there was plenty of visceral and delicious gore. I enjoyed the broader persepctive that we were got this time around. While the first book was from Jade's POV, this one included a lot more interactions from other characters. The returning characters have changed and evolved since we last saw them. I enjoyed Letha more this time around than in the first book. She and Jade, now Jennifer, team up to handle Dark Mill South, a convicted serial killer escapee from a prison transport bus. Now there's blood everywhere and we need a broom to sweep up some of these horror references. Not that I'm complaining...
Stephen Graham Jones' writing style isn't for everyone. His books require concentration. They're fast-paced and very stylized. There is a lot of detail that may make some readers think that this book is longer than it needs to be. I'm not one of them, but I do get it. I do, however, have to set aside some solid reading time in which I can be as distraction free as possible when I'm reading an SGJ. This book, as the others, are not for the casual reader nor the wishy-washy horror fan. Keep up the gore, Mr. Jones!