"Dead Eleven" by Jimmy Juliano is an enthralling and suspenseful novel that takes readers on a captivating journey into a bizarre and mysterious island community. With its intriguing premise and well-crafted characters, this book is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and supernatural mysteries.

The story centers around Willow Stone, a determined mother who embarks on a quest to uncover the truth behind her son's cryptic message. As she sets foot on Clifford Island, readers are immediately transported into a world that is anything but ordinary. Juliano skillfully builds a sense of unease and intrigue, as Willow discovers the island's peculiar obsession with the year 1994. From outdated clothing to an inexplicable fascination with the OJ Simpson car chase, the islanders' adherence to these strange customs becomes increasingly unsettling.

Lily Becker, a high schooler who has grown weary of the island's mythology, joins Willow in questioning the community's beliefs. Their paths intertwine as they delve deeper into the island's secrets, and the plot thickens with every revelation. The author masterfully crafts an atmosphere of suspense, building a sense of impending danger. Readers will find themselves eager to uncover the truth alongside the characters.

Juliano's writing style is engaging and evocative, painting vivid scenes that bring the island and its inhabitants to life. The narrative is skillfully paced, with well-timed twists and turns that keep readers guessing until the very end. The author's attention to detail is commendable, creating a fully realized world that is simultaneously familiar and unsettling.

The characters in "Dead Eleven" are multi-dimensional and relatable, each with their own motivations and secrets. Willow's determination and resilience, as well as Harper's unwavering drive to find his sister, make them compelling protagonists. The supporting cast, including the enigmatic islanders, adds layers of complexity to the story, leaving readers constantly questioning their true intentions.

What sets "Dead Eleven" apart is its exploration of deeper themes. Beneath the surface of the island's strange rituals lies an examination of identity, grief, and the lengths people will go to in order to preserve their own reality. Juliano seamlessly weaves these themes into the narrative, elevating the story beyond a simple thriller and giving it thought-provoking depth.

A wonderful book full of twists turns and scares! Absolutely enjoyed the ride and can’t wait to see what the forthcoming TV delivers!

DEAD ELEVEN by Jimmy Juliano is a scary story that takes too long to get started and is encumbered by the author's self-satisfaction. While I wanted to enjoy this book (it has a lot of things going for it including the central role of family, the mixture of narrative sources, '90s references, and more), I found that it took too long for me to get started, and I was put off by the author's self-satisfaction with his own cleverness, which bleeds through in the primary narrator's comments and storytelling. This book may be a good fit for people who love unreliable narrators and don't mind a wait.

I rounded up to 4 stars because I found this book entertaining, easy reading. It reminded me a lot of the tv show From, which I really enjoy. It was more horror than thriller to me, so a little out of my normal preference. When the summary said everyone was obsessed with 1994, I expected that to manifest in a very different way but I appreciated all the references to a time I was a teen. The ending left me a little frustrated. It felt wrapped up too quickly for all the time developing the story. The title doesn’t fully make sense until 3/4 of the way through. The beginning is one of the most bizarre starts to a book I’ve ever read and that will be memorable. Not sure if I will recommend it to others. I have to mull it over a bit more but it was certainly unique and would make a great tv show!

Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dead Eleven is good, and Dead Eleven is also slightly frustrating—only in the sense that it does such a good job in certain areas, I would’ve loved for it to succeed in others.

I love a good epistolary novel, even if this one toes the admittedly blurry line of believable documentation. The mystery is excellent, as is the slow crescendo that eventually answers some of the questions posed in the opening chapters. Not all the questions, though, and that’s one of my gripes: The ending is rather sudden and unsatisfying for our characters, and there’s an eventual explanation for everything….but a shallow one, that I would have really liked to see explored better. To put it vaguely, some fundamental mysteries remain mysterious even when technically explained.

It’s still excellent and engaging, however, to explore Clifford Island alongside Willow and figure out its societal structure. I really loved finding out how their current situation developed, and the rest of the book is framed in a new light by the reveal, perhaps offering a second read from me at some point with the knowledge I now have. Willow is really the only character I felt a strong connection with, as Harper doesn’t get fleshed out enough and Lily doesn’t get the chance to shine I think the author may have intended for her. This doesn’t spoil the novel, however, and it’s a thrilling ride regardless.

Connecting back to what I opened with: I enjoyed Dead Eleven quite a bit. But I do wish there’d been better development of non-Harper characters, some more explanation or worldbuilding in certain areas, and a more even buildup to the ending. The setting offers a lot of interesting possibilities for stories, and I hope we get to see more of Clifford Island someday.

4.5/5, rounded down to a 4.

Holy shit. What a breath of fresh horror air!! This is what I’m talking about. A story that will sit in your brain and make you think about it when you can’t fall asleep at night asdfghjkl. I don’t even want to say any more. Go into this one blind!!!

Thank you so much to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Really enjoyed this book but wish I learned more about the dead things and the island itself. It reads like a NoSleep story which I liked but I still had so many questions at the end. I wanted to know so much more, maybe that’s a marker of a good book.

Jimmy Juliano's debut horror novel is excellent! Such a great concept and so well done. I have been a horror fan for years and the story that Juliano writes is among the creepiest I've read, mainly because it feels like it could really happen.

Thank you NetGalley, Dutton, and Jimmy Juliano for the advanced copy of Dead Eleven in exchange for my honest review.

I think my favorite thing about this book is how long I was asking myself "wtf is going on?!" It is such a mindbender and I loooved the mixed media used from chapter to chapter.

I've seen a lot of reviews mention that they were surprised this was a horror book going into it, so I feel like that's worth mentioning in my review. That is a large part of the reason I wanted to read it as I love the horror genre. The beginning definitely reads more like a mystery and about 75% in the horror elements really come to play.

I found I wasn't *as* hooked once I knew the "big reveal," but it's honestly very well-written and the different character POV chapters made it so easy to continue to read.

Penguin group Dutton Books but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review. When Willow and her husband lose their son Jake she becomes obsessed with Clifford Island it was written on the floor of her son’s room and she wants to know why but now it’s been over a month and now she’s missing. This is why her brother Harlan goes to Clifford island searching for Willow. He will learn a lot on the island but ultimately still have more questions than answers; why do the people here watch the OJ chase every night, why do they only have technology pre-date in 1994 and what does Lily have to do with her sister going missing? I don’t know why but I love books written with what looks like personal letters, diaries, journals ET see. that is basically how the book is written it starts with two elderly women Who live down along winding Road on Clifford Island and although they don’t hang around with each other come rain or shine at 1 o’clock every day of the year they go walk to their mailbox and wave each other when one of the ladies doesn’t show up the other one goes to check on her and finds her dead in her lazy boy chair but what she does with her dead friend is what let me know this was going to be one crazy original read! This was one of my most anticipated reads this summer and although I have been disappointed by a few of them dead 11 is not one. Is it a legend folklore or tradition I thought this was a great book and from the note to the reader until the end I was hooked a definite five star read in one of my favorites this summer. I received this book from NetGalley and

I only made it through the introduction and first chapter before I decided to quit. I'm not sure why, but the story just didn't grab at me in the way I thought it would. I was mildly interested by the blurb, so I thought I'd give it a go, but there just wasn't a good enough hook to keep me interested.

I first became interested in this novel when I read a spectacular review of it in a British newspaper. I was delighted to find this one on NetGalley and even more delighted to be given a copy of this title. That said, readers beware. This is a tricky and involved story. I was attracted to it for the mystery but need to note that this is also a horror novel, not my usual read at all.

The setup has to do with a journalist, Harper, who wants to find out more about what happened to his sister, whose son died. This takes Harper to an island in Lake Michigan where the year 1994 is highly significant. Why? Read this chiller told from three viewpoints to find out. It has been praised by Publisher’s Weekly (starred review), Booklist, People and many other outlets.

Be brave…enjoy!

Many thanks to Penguin Group/Dutton for this title. All opinions are my own.

3⭐️ I liked it but could have been better.

WHAT I LIKED:

*** premise is unique.
*** interesting at the beginning. It's eventful, and you instantly want to read more to find out wtf is going on. Esther was wildin!!!!!
*** format of the story was awesome. multiple POV, dual timelines, & mixed media - interviews, audio recordings, letters, text messages, and news articles. This was a fun and refreshing way to experience the story. This was well done and easily followed.
*** LOST and The Village vibes.
*** Mary and Patches' story was something else, LOL. Low key want a copy for my bookshelf.
*** I had no idea who was truthful and who wasn't, I needed answers. Made me question myself and if I'm rooting for the right characters.
*** the relationship between Harper and Willow, it felt authentic.
*** cover art is incredibly beautiful.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

*** got a little too repetitive with some information being mentioned too many times, like Willow talking about why she went to Clifford Island. Or the interview with Lily and Willow, it felt so redundant. They talked about everything that's already happened in previous chapters.
*** the pace of the story was too slow to be 448 pages. If some of the repetive parts were cut leaving the book under 400 pages, I think my rating would have been higher.
*** text messages were super cringe. I know it was supposed to be between teenagers but still.
*** something in Willows' story that seemed to play a major part was left unexplained.
*** ending had me feeling a little disappointed, I was expecting some sort of resolution. I wanted more imagery, more of a backstory/explanation. The thing that this entire book revolved around wasn't given enough attention. Jimmy Juliano is a talented writer. Had he fleshed this part out more, I firmly believe I would have rated this 4 starts instead of 3... despite the slow pace of the book.

Thanks to @netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for sharing a digital copy for me to read and review. As always, opinions are my own 🤘🏻💀🤘🏻

Love the cover, love the premise, didn't fully love the execution. The opening and the overall narrative gambit didn't quite work for me, and it felt very Stephen King lite, in a slightly distanced way. I know tons of people will (and already do) love this, though, so I'm excited for it to be out there.

Dead Eleven” by Jimmy Juliana
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Happy release day to DEAD ELEVEN, the debut horror novel by @jummyjukiaji! As soon as I caught wind of this novel- a horror suspense novel about a mysterious island off the Door Peninsula stuck in 1994- I knew had to read it! Thank you so much to @netgalley and @dutton for providing me with a digital ARC of this title.

Through the narratives of Willow, Harper, and Lily, we learn about Clifford Island, its odd inhabitants and their peculiarities. Although the action is slow to start, the world building vibe of this novel is excellent. Super sensory and eerie, you feel quickly trapped along with Harper and Willow on the tiny colony where they see dead people 😵 (though you’d be hard pressed to hear them called “people”) 👻

With centuries old demons and cultic vibes, Dead Eleven is an awesome summer read but great for anytime a spooky feeling strikes. Apparently this is already in development for TV which is exciting, and will DEF have a killer soundtrack to match! I highly reccomend this debut which is out TODAY wherever books are sold!

It’s the last Wednesday of June, so it’s book review time! This month, I decided that something on the horror side of things would be nice, so I requested a copy of Dead Eleven by Jimmy Juliano. It was released yesterday (the 27th) by Dutton (an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group). As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s do the thing!

Dead Eleven follows Harper on his search to find his missing sister, Willow. She struck out on a mission of her own, but disappeared from a mysterious island where everyone seems to be stuck in the past, 1994 to be exact, and Harper is determined to find out what happened to her. But he discovers far more than he bargained for in this creepy little place.

The book opens with a note to the reader, which honestly… I almost skipped it. I rarely read stuff like that because it’s usually useless, but I stopped and figured I should at least make sure it wasn’t important. It’s actually part of the book and not something tacked on by the author or the publisher at the last minute, but still. Skip it. I wish I had. It basically just tells you right up front that the ending is going to be vague and unsatisfactory. I didn’t want to keep reading. Vague endings are not my favorite thing, so that little note made me dread going on. Luckily, things weren’t left as open as this implied, but certain things were definitely not wrapped up at all.

Let’s talk structure. This book is set up as a collection of data and anecdotes, so it’s a little strange to get into, but I mostly liked it. There’s one part from the viewpoint of Jennifer Larson-Quint which comes super late in the book and from nowhere. And it ends up being kind of important. She should’ve been introduced earlier and built up a bit. The random appearance felt like an afterthought. But the rest of the data was collected in an interesting way and the layout of everything else felt natural.

Pacing! This book dragged so much and was so very repetitive. It was just far too slow until the last quarter of the book, then things picked up. But combine that with characters who were mostly unlikable and it makes for a tough read. Then, the monster is kind of disappointing. I almost felt like it would’ve been better not to see the actual monster at all. The “dead things” were cool and creepy, but the thing behind them was best left to the imagination, especially since nothing was really done to defeat it. I’m sorry, but I was far more creeped out by what I had conjured in my head than I was by what was described on the page. It was a let down.

As far as the writing goes, it ranged from really good to sleep-inducing slow depending on the sections. Rita only had a couple of sections from her perspective, but they were the slowest. The rest of the viewpoints were okay. The opening (after the note) was weird and worked really well to create interest. I’m not sure I would’ve kept reading if it weren’t for that scene.

Ultimately, I was disappointed by Dead Eleven. I was hoping for ’90’s nostalgia mixed with creepy horror, but there wasn’t really anything nostalgic about it and the horror was meh at best.

Overall, I gave it one star. I started at three stars, but the more I think about it, the more I find wrong with it. I can’t even find a reason to recommend it to others. It just wasn’t very good to me.

I thought that the concept of this was really interesting. I enjoyed how the perspectives shifted and it was sort of multi-media with the letters and what not. I think where the story lost me is the pacing. I just really needed this to hit the ground running a bit more, and because of the POV shifting and different bits and bobs this just really needed tight pacing. I would guess that I was about 60% through before we started getting to the meat of the action and the horror elements, and at that point I was starting to skim a bit. I wish this was more horror, tighter pacing and a bit more relevant lore/interesting backstory. As it stands, this was just too meandering and slow. I absolutely loved the concept of this, but the execution was not my favorite.

This book was interesting. The writing took me a while to get into but I did enjoy it. It was thrilling yet fun. I really enjoyed learning about the title. This author has a unique way with words. I think if you like Stephen Graham Jones, you will like this.

Who could have guessed Pogs could be so sinister? When Willow discovers the words “Clifford Island” written on her deceased son’s floor, she journies to the remote Wisconsin island to figure out how it connects to her son. What she finds is a town trapped in time - 1994 to be exact - and the more she tries to uncover the island’s secrets, the more it fights back. When she goes missing, her brother shows up and starts an investigation of his own.

Told through a series of flashbacks, text message exchanges and audio transcriptions, Dead Eleven sets a slow, creepy pace that delivers the right amount of unease. It’s a slow burn, but it had me racing through to the end.

Read if you like: Stranger Things, Stephen King, not sleeping

Wow, I really enjoyed this! I was hooked from the start and loved slowly learning about Clifford Island. I loved the different points of view and the facts that were slowly revealed. While I'm not usually into slow burns, it really worked with Dead Eleven. While you don't find out exactly what's going on until the later part of the book, the multiple points of view and timelines really kept me interested and wanting to know more. I will say that once the reveal happened, it did seem to end pretty quickly which I was disappointed about. I'm excited to read more from Juliano in the future!