I tried a couple of times but unfortunately I was unable to get into this book. After the crude beginning that I was happy to see come to an end, I just couldn't find anything to keep me engaged. DNF

I think I need to reread this at another time because I didn’t love it but also didn’t hate it. I’m giving 4 stars because I don’t believe I gave it the attention it fully deserved. Thank you for the opportunity.

This was a good horror novel! I was expecting a bit more gore; what was written was awesome. This book is very detailed and descriptive which can be good for horror when you want to convey feelings of terror and dread and gore. But it also got a little too descriptive and I found it taking me longer to read it than I anticipated. It made the story drag with some of the descriptions and I felt some of the POVs were unnecessary. That being said, the characters were well written and had their own distinct personalities, they definitely felt like small town people. I liked the author's writing and would be willing to give others of his a try.

If you can get past the first chapter of this book, then it's a fairly decent read - my only criticism would be it's way longer than it needs to be and would maybe have worked better as a short story/novella. I'm not squeamish but the first chapter has far too many descriptions of ejaculate and for my liking, as we learn about the hell hound trapped in an arena with a giant penis (yes really!!) who escapes to earth and starts feeding off the sin of humans disguised as Marilyn Monroe. The characters get picked off one at a time and there's a good bit of fast forward scenes at the end to wrap things up.

Essentially a cliché in that the characters are mainly in one setting and are getting picked off little by little, this novel still managed to convey a sense of kitschy fun!
I hear it was inspired by a true flood which is interesting, and the writing was perfectly serviceable :) Not super scary, I feel the tone was a little strange.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. From the first few pages, you are pulled into this nightmare that you can't wake up from. This was such a well-written paranormal horror story. I love when a horror story is also filled with greatly developed characters that are unique, relatable, and complex. The perfect book to read during the spooky season. Thanks, again to Isaac Thorne for the arc I really enjoyed it and will be looking forward to reading more by you.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was definitely atmospheric and tense from the star. The way Thorne writes pulls in readers and makes them feel a part of the cast. I didn’t realise that it was based on historical events at first but that extra layer was really fantastic. It did take me 2 tries to make it through this novel, but I think it was well worth the second go. I am a big horror fan first and foremost, and this was a great read for that goal. There were a few moments that I think could have used some editing but overall, it was a good read

The set up for this was so intriguing but the book is really longer than it needed to be. So many things that did not contribute to the plot. Marilyn was an interesting choice for the "form"

This cover caught my attention right away and had me wanting to read it. I loved the setting of a small town in the year 1955. The characters were interesting although I was not a fan of the multiple point of views. It took a minute to get into the book but after a few chapters, it picks up. The dark elements of this read made this an interesting horror read.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. An interesting story. I love the cover. The characters were fun and the story takes a bunch of different twists and turns. The author does a great job with the story and to make you sit on the edge of your seat for a great thriller/suspense

After a beginning chapter that metaphorically knocked me senseless, HELL SPRING settled down into a no-holds-barred, going-wild spree with deft foreshadowing while simultaneously delving into serious issues [including LGBTQ+ characters, racism, domestic violence, and a swift riff of character devolution; and that's just the humans!]. But the story is not about "just the humans," though among them they manage to be entertaining, frightening, delightful, worrisome, kind, scary....you know, that usual human "stuff."

Added quite clearly to the usual human auras are an imaginatively conceived "otherworldly" Cosmic incursion, not one anybody else would think of....and the balance of human "sins" and crimes and immoralities up against an entity from Beyond which literally tracks and devours the frailties of Humanity....I find that more terrifying than the concept of being trapped in a canyon with a raging wildfire on three sides and an oncoming tsunami on the other side.

Excuse me while I go compose my mind for Nightmares.

Absolutely yes! I really enjoyed reading this novel. The characters were fun, it held my interest, and provided an escape from reality. I would definitely recommend!

The era this book centres on is the 1950s. Characters’ mannerisms, thoughts, and actions (except for the gross stuff) generally seemed on par with that timeframe.

A fun plot that sounded like a 50’s version of Stephen King’s “The Mist” (except with a flood), I definitely wanted to find a new cult classic that I could reread again and again.

Unfortunately I found a few plot points confusing, and the lengthy descriptions really bogged down the plot! I want action, fast paced scenes, and to be at the edge of my seat when I’m reading a horror book. I couldn’t find it with this one and skimmed a fair amount of pages as I tried to get to the meat of the story.

This could be trimmed down and be a fantastic novella!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Last Hollow Books for a copy!

I received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The first chapter was a little strange to say the least and was almost a complete turn off for me. I'm not a prude by any stretch of the imagination, but I found it to be a little disgusting.

In short, we find ourselves in a cavern of sorts where hell hound type creatures live and dine on the souls of the damned. In the center of the cavern is a giant engorged penis (yes, that's right) that is leaking ejaculate and is ready to blow its load (yes, you read that correctly). We get multiple sentences / images revolving around the penis and ejaculate. For example: "The gigantic head flattened on top as it engorged with the juice it would eventually spill over the arena and all within it." And "A geyser of milky yellowish goo suspended inside a sticky transparent gel spewed high into the orange sky above the arena. It separated in mid-air and rained down globs upon all within." I can't think of a more appropriate time for the barf emoji.

At the end of the first chapter, a hell hound escapes the ejaculate into the "real world", where she takes on the form of Marilyn Monroe. The year is 1955, and the biggest storm of the century is about to erupt. Marilyn is hungry and she needs to feed.

Beginning in Chapter 2 we start learning about the characters who eventually end up in Beard's General Store (they are trapped there by the flood with Marilyn). Once we are in the general store, we do not leave for the rest of the book -- all of the main aspects of the book take place there while the flood waters are rising outside. Many of the characters have committed recent "sins" for which they feel guilty, which gives Marilyn exactly what she needs.

The book is descriptive and well written, especially the scenes of the horrible acts committed by Marilyn. As the reader I somehow felt trapped along with the characters in the General Store and just wanted out. What it lacked however was the tension -- the characters didn't feel this either. After a character was devoured by Marilyn, the memories of that person were erased from the mind of the remaining people. Therefore, the characters never felt the rising tension of "will I be next" because none of them knew what was going on.

This book is extremely character driven, and usually for books like that to catch my attention, the characters have to be great -- they have to be people you can really root for and whose story you are invested in. What I liked about the character development was that Isaac Thorne spent time on each person and really fleshed out the characters. Unfortunately, I just didn't find any of the characters in Hell Spring to be all that particularly interesting -- I didn't love them enough to really be invested in their fate -- would they make it out alive? Would they be eaten by the Marilyn hell creature?

I gave this book 3 stars, however Hell Spring has an overall rating on Goodreads as of the writing of this post of 3.81, with 53% being in the 4 star range and 18% being in the 5 star range. It seems therefore that my assessment of the story falls a little below the average and maybe then I am an exception rather than the norm and/or maybe I haven't given the book its due credit. You should read it and judge for yourself :).

i was intrigued by the premise of this, esp when it's spooky time, but the writing just didn't keep me hooked and i got a bit bored and skimmed and i didn't care about the characters

It is March, 1955 and a sudden storm sends a ‘100 year’ flash flood through the town of Lost Hollow. Eight very different locals seek shelter in the local general store, looking to stay safe from the raging torrent of water threatening to wash everything in its path away. But are they safer inside? The sudden appearance of a mysterious stranger begins to tear the group apart - literally and figuratively. Telling you any more about the story will be a spoiler, so I will refrain.

The first chapter is a bit rambling, and discombobulated, but when you read it, and persist with the book, it comes together to make sense as relevant, required background. The story then continues to jump from the point of view of each of our motley cast of characters. This really sets out the backstory of each, develops them as people, and allows us to fully understand who they are, and why they are in this situation.

Time is taken to really detail each event that occurs, drawing out the horror to the maximum. Yet for all its horror, for all the loss, for all the lies, shame, evil and deceit, the struggle in the fight between good and evil, the story ends on an unexpected note. I have not read anything by Isaac Thorne before, but this piece of excellent writing will definitely send me looking for more. An excellent horror read which will leave you questioning your human decency and how you would measure up!

*I received this copy from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.

This was such a fun read. It made me feel claustrophobic and grossed out at times, but it was definitely entertaining. I enjoyed the multiple POV's too since I felt more connected to the characters after reading their stories. I will admit that this felt overly descriptive and could've been cut down to a novella. Overall, I enjoyed reading this.

Thank you to Net Galley for giving me this ARC to read.

This is a wildly entertaining horror story about a group of strangers trapped together in a store during a thunderstorm. A really engrossing read that is quite claustrophobic at times but tons of fun.

I have never read a horror book that made me choke up at the end, but Hell Spring by Isaac Thorne has changed that. The first few chapters are told by different POV‘s such as Eli who feels guilty for taking gods name in vain and saying bad words ten-day is Donna Who killed her husband Cliff after beating her up and then threatening their newborn Theo. Then there’s Peter, he is in love with Sam Brooks a black man from town in the 1950s being gay and in a biracial relationship isn’t something you flaunt around town. They have just as many POV that I am not mentioning because there’s too many but the one I will mention is Marilyn, A shape shifting Cynthian being that feeds off of guilt and remorse even see will find refuge in the beard grocery store during the thunderous rainfall and she’ll be hungry. Not everyone makes it out the grocery store and when they do the surrounding land will not look like anything they’ve seen before. This book whistle, so good I thought this was a great Book and if you love horror then consider Isaac Thorne one of the best. I have read all the books by him and definitely can’t wait to read more. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

It's 1955 and a small town is being threatened not only by a major flood, but also a demonic hell dog preying on 7 locals who take refuge in a general convenience store. Thanks to for Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this novel. Disgusting, gory, graphic, and creepy this was AMAZING! 4.5/5 stars. I'm giving it a lot of high praise since I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and story telling. I enjoyed all POVs in this story and it was a fast read for myself. Looking forward to reading more by this author, and definitely will be talking about this fun story for a while.