In a secluded valley in Pennsylvania at the turn of the century lies St. Vincent's, an orphanage for boys. Run by the charity of several priests, St. Vincent's is home to Peter Barlow--priest-in-training and one of the oldest--and dozens of other boys. Their days are filled with the same austere monotony; scant meals that keep all of them just behind the brink of starving, chores throughout the orphanage, and prayer.

Then one night, a dying stranger arrives at the orphanage, and everything changes.

A dark presence permeates the walls of St. Vincent's, and with it, all semblance of order and faith begin to crumble. Boys that were once timid and meek lurk in the shadows with menacing intent, some boys disappear, and Peter is left not knowing who to trust.

"Boys in the Valley," is, as its advanced praise suggests, a thematic nod to both "The Exorcist" and "Lord of the Flies." Much more than that, however, is the fact that it's one of the single greatest pieces of horror I've ever read. Here, Fracassi demonstrates he really is the master of old-school horror and writing suspense; his cast of wayward characters--in both boys and priests alike--against the backdrop of an orphanage that's largely cut off from society makes for a downright terrifying story. From the very first page, he sets an unsettling tone that slowly builds into a crescendo of chaos and violence that, once it begins, you won't be able to look away from.

Incredible.

Horror is not my preferred genre, but ‘Lord of the Flies’ is one of my favourite classics, so I was willing to give this a shot. And I have to say, while I didn't hate this, I also didn't love it.

What makes ‘Lord of the Flies’ work is the realistic decline of humanity, how boys can lose themselves to chaos and power. That's what makes it so compelling. I think if this had followed similar themes, I would have enjoyed it more.

However, the driving force is this is demonic possession and I just couldn't get behind it. It's just not something I personally find entertaining, spooky, or believable. Which is quite a shame because I actually really enjoyed the writing and the characters.

But readers who are more open to things relating to exorcisms should enjoy this one more than I did!

While it started a bit slow, I thought this coming-of-age horror novel was excellently done! Before I begin to get into the meat of my review (pun intended), I gotta say: loved the lyric from "Welcome to the Black Parade" at the beginning. It made my heart sing, because Peter, our main protagonist, really is just that: not a man, not a hero, just a boy who had to sing that song, and by "sing that song" I mean "be unwillingly drafted into the fight against hell." I felt for him, even though he rises to the challenge.

This book hits all the beats: creepy orphanage, jerkass priests, token Good Priest, creepy children and somewhat less creepy children, demonic possession-as-infestation, and lots of gore and scares. Thematically, it touches on themes of redemption, faith, bravery, and courage, especially when the strict order of your world is upended and goes to hell, literally, and what can you do? The characters all had distinct personalities and depth - I felt for Peter, and Father Andrew, and even Johnson at the very end.

One last thing: even though we know how the evil arrives at the orphanage, we never learn what happened to begin the infestation in the first place. How did it all come about? I don't know, there's no hint given. It's delicious and I'm left to wonder just what on earth was going on in Pennsylvania at the turn of the century.

A few minor quibbles about the boys and period-accurate information aside, this was a great read! Thank you to TorNightfire and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I love coming of age horror. It's always been a favorite trope of mine. Stephen King is the greatest writer of COA horror, in my opinion and this very much is on par with King's writing, but it's the authors own voice. I hate comparing authors like that, I guess what I'm saying is if you agree with me on King, you'll very much love this supernatural, creepy tale.

4.25/5 stars! What a spooky, creepy, haunted ride. This book has everything that horror lovers would want. I loved how creepy this story was and found myself with goosebumps while reading this. I appreciated the multiple POVs and was shocked by the high-stakes ending.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

"He still stars upward, and for a moment it feels like he's not only studying the windows, but looking at me directly. I cant help the sensation that he's meeting my eye.

I realize then what's off about him - something I've never seen from a boy who just spent a long, cold night in the hole.

He's smiling."

This book did a fabulous job of setting up a bleak outlook for these young men and boys at the hands of their priests/surrogate fathers. While it took a little bit to get to the horror that kicked everything off, once it did, it was a nonstop ride of "What could happen next?!" I couldn't put it down once I hit about 100 pages and it hit all the right notes for a creepy horror book - child abuse, creepy kids, religious trauma... a beautiful book and I cannot wait to purchase it for my library!

✨𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨✨

Bᴏʏs ⵊɴ Tʜᴇ Vᴀʟʟᴇʏ
ʙʏ: Pʜɪʟɪᴘ Fʀᴀᴄᴀssɪ
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Set in the early 1900s, 16 year old Peter Barlow is one of the oldest orphans and prospective priest in training at St. Vincent’s Catholic Orphanage in a rural Pennsylvania town. Most of the boys have traumatic backgrounds and live in somewhat worse conditions under the care of four priests, with all but one lacking empathy for them. They live in conditions where food is scarce, morale is low, and their day to day is bleak. Even so, nothing can prepare them for the horror that arrives on their doorstep one winter night.

Late one evening, a very sick man with occult symbols carved into his flesh is delivered from a crime scene to the orphanage by the sherif and his deputies, in hopes that the priests can save him, both physically and spiritually. Absolute chaos ensues after his death unleashes an evil presence and the boys find themselves at odds with each other and with themselves.

As a snow storm approaches leaving them isolated from the rest of the world, a paranoia sweeps over the boys as unlikely alliances form and cruelty ensues. Peter grapples with his faith while trying to come to terms with the apparent evil that is clearly taking over his fellow orphans.

This was a fantastic coming of age horror story very reminiscent of Lord Of The Flies meets The Exorcist, and I was hooked from the very first page!

Thanks to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and Tor Nightfire for the ARC

#boysinthevalley #philipfracassi #tornightfire #netgalley #netgalleyreads #bookstagram #horrorbookstagrammer #horrorbooks

What a wild ride this was! Thank you Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This story was described as "The Exorcist meets Lord of the Flies, by way of Midnight Mass, in Boys in the Valley, a brilliant coming-of-age tale from award-winning author Philip Fracassi." I would also add imagining Game of Throne's Red Wedding scene, but in a church with young boys! So crazy!

Summary: 1905 St. Vincent's Orphanage for boys in Pennsylvania gets a visit in the middle of the night by a severely sick and injured man. Afterward, the boys begin to act strangely, taking sides and becoming violent.

The story is told all in 3rd person except for Peter, who is 1st person. I was gripped by the first chapter when we learn what happened to Peter's family to cause him to be at St. Vincent's Orphanage to begin with. That chapter alone, I knew this was going to be a very good story.

This is a very dark story and probably not for everyone. The story questions "What is evil?", whether it be malnourishment and punishments the boys endured at the orphanage or the demons that arrive shortly after. Peter's journey is about his decision to stay and become a priest to continue looking after the boys, or move on to a normal life with a girl that he loves.

I do not have a single thing that I disliked about this story. I've never felt afraid to go to sleep after reading, but it happened with this book! It was terrifying all the way through. Horror aside, the story of Peter was beautifully told. So many different emotions while reading this book. This is 5 stars for me!

Okay, was I pulled into this by the My Chemical Romance lyric at the start of this? Mayhaps. Boys in the Valley is an unsettling coming of age tale centered around religious themes and ancient evil. The setting is an isolated religious orphanage during a blizzard - can you say claustrophobia? The slow, sinister build of the horror was done so well, it gave a creeping sensation of dread. It did start off a bit slow, and I had trouble keeping the characters straight, however. Overall, a creepy novel that I was left thinking of for a few days after finishing.

A truly wonderful, old-school horror novel exploring religious themes, with the added bonus of exceptionally evil children. It has an almost bucolic introduction to the setting and characters, but when the evil rears its head, the book is quite relentless. Recommended for all horror fans..

Special thanks to the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first time reading something by Fracassi and certainly won’t be the last. Boys in the Valley is a perfect mash up of coming of age, the classic possession story, and religious horror. Picture lord of the flies if it took place in an orphanage run by priests! Fracassi quickly gets you to care for the characters, and as a result there’s a constant worrying over whether or not they’ll survive. It also joins the likes of only a few books to genuinely creep me out as I had several regrets over reading this one before bed. Overall a terrific read and I’m glad it’s getting republished so more can fall in love with it.

I'm rounding my review up a lot because the further I got along the more I realized that this book just was not for me and that was my fault for not looking at the reviews or summary closely enough. It's brutal and devastating and just not the kind of horror I tend towards, but your milage will vary.

Some books have a heartbeat. This one does, and it pulses and reverberates. What side will you be on?

I have not met a book that I refuse to read at night before bed until now. We all know I love horror and the comfort that it brings me, but this one did not do that until the last few pages. Possession and demons and young boys and old men and conflict and hunger and snow... even I have my limits. I don't know that I believe in God, but I definitely believe in the Devil. That might not seem to make sense as one seemingly can't exist without the other - but the darkness feels a little too real on earth for me. I believe in it deeply because I think it carries itself in an obvious way here. You can find light within people and within moments and within yourself, but you can feel darkness so easily because it doesn't take getting to know. It doesn't need to be found, it just needs to be around you to consume you.

All that being said, this book was fucking excellent and haunting. It kicks off quick and it's just a rollercoaster of horrors. It's a war of morality, of faith and grace. This writing, it really scared me, but it's just pure talent and I read it like wildfire. I was a little consumed! I cared about these boys alone in the world outside of one another. How could you not care about an orphan named Basil?

I hope everyone picks this up, it's scheduled to be released in July. Thank you so much to Tor Nightfire (@tornightfire) and Netgalley (@netgalley) for approving my e-galley. I knew I needed to read it after Sadie Hartmann (@mother.horror) posted about it and put it on my radar, and I was so bummed that it was out of print. I'm glad Stephen King felt the same way and it's being published again. It feels like a classic, @pfracassi.

If you would like a story that combines the themes and ruminations of The Exorcist, A Separate Peace, The Confusions of Young Törless... you'll love this one. Next up for me is A Child Alone with Strangers. Wish... me... luck!

5/5 🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯
There is light all around us. Read good books. This is one.

Peter, David and Simon are the oldest of the 30 or so boys at St Vincent’s Orphanage in 1905. Fathers Poole, White, Andrew and Brother Johnson run the orphanage with harsh rules, skimpy meals and vindictiveness.

One dark night a wounded man is brought in, shot during the brutal ritual murder of a young girl. And an evil is unleashed in the orphanage.

I was spellbound by the themes of good vs evil, faith vs despair, anger, horror and forgiveness, as the orphans begin to choose sides in a Lord of the Flies-type of hierarchy. There are incredibly scary scenes of violence, deep evil and dark possession. Scary, scary stuff that made me read anxiously, eyes wide while breathing quickly. My FAVORITE feeling.

Fracassi has scared me before in Gothic, and I have A Child Alone with Strangers in a special edition that I cannot WAIT to crack open. I love his characters and his ability to drag me along on his horrible journey.

Wow! THE BOYS IN THE VALLEY grabbed me by the throat and did not let go. Gruesome and grotesque, it’s going to be a long time till I forget this tale!

This started with a bang! Well actually two bangs, literally! I was invested from the jump. Definitely a page-turner, the story was well-paced and ran the gamut of emotions-terror, sadness, camaraderie, suffering, and love. A coming of age story interlaced with a unique possession plot. The characters were well-written and I especially Ioved the relationship between David and Peter. The ending was fitting but was so terribly sad. Thanks to the Tor Publishing Group and #NetGalley for the ARC.

Philip Fracassi has emerged as one of the brightest stars in the horror universe. “Boys in The Valley” is blood chilling possession story unlike anything you’ve read. The Exorcist Meets Children of The Corn in this unrelenting descent into evil. The setup is simple, a Catholic boys orphanage in a secluded valley as a snow storm is about to hit. A sick man is brought to the church for help and then the story explodes in unexpected and horrifying directions. You will be unable to stop turning the pages at breakneck speed. This is my third Fracassi book and he seems more and more like the heir apparent to King. This book is excellent. Read it! Thank you to Netgalley and Tor/Forge for the advanced copy!

AMAZING!!! Such a good read with the perfect amount of fright. Would definitely recommend to anyone who likes a good spooky story.

Thank you, Tor Publishing Group, Tor Nightfire, for allowing me to read Boys in the Valley early.

All those comparisons sent me over the edge with anticipation. Luckily, Boys in the Valley wasn't disappointing. Very thrilling.

This is an absolute gut punch of a novel.

The horror and heartbreak don’t let up for a minute. In fact, every chapter just gets darker and darker until the incredibly sad yet satisfying ending.

Smart, violent, and terrifying.

I loved this and want more!

• ARC via Publisher