Now this is Queer horror! NBC tried to tackle the conversion camp horror last year with their middling 'They/Them', but never really rose to the occasion or successfully infused the film with any real teeth in its snipes at Evangelical Christian culture. 'Camp Damascus' manages to rise to the occasion and provide a specific and biting insight into the systems that allow for such horrors. It does have some pacing issues but it offers a surprising amount of nuance and decent scares.

I really liked the idea for this story and I thought it was an original and fun read. The pacing/structure of the novel was different than what I was expecting based off of the vague synopsis, but I still enjoyed the story it told. Personally, I prefer some more subtly and nuance in my stories, and that was not what this book was (or set out to be). If you're looking for an over-the-top horror story of religious deconstruction and a queer coming-of-age tale, I think you'll have a good time!

This was my buddy read for a bi-monthly read-a-thon I host on YouTube called the 24 Hour Horror-A-Thon. I read the book live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKivZmQroZM&list=PLt0gOB-hkJ9fVZVW-h-GudYeiFdQnzyc2&index=1

Thank you to the publisher for providing me an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very different from what I thought, but no less amazing. I had assumed this was a horror story about a conversion camp, and it is, but none of it takes place at the camp. It goes in some very weird and unexpected directions, but it's such an impressive book.
The horror is immediate and intense, but in a way I could handle. The pacing was great, the character development and introduction of new characters was perfect. I could never have anticipated where the plot would go, but I loved it. I think this is a great (official) debut.
I read this in a single day, completely unable to tear myself away, thinking about it every other moment.

Camp Damascus is surprisingly tender and undeniably terrifying! Chuck Tingle knocked this one out of the park.

literally the best book i have read all year. i give a lot of books five stars bc writing is hard and authors deserve it but god if this story didn't mean the world to me. and it was perfectly plotted and so well-written and i just. yeah. yeah

full review:

this was the first book i've read by chuck tingle, and it did not disappoint me in a single way. rose, our (lesbian!) main character, is unapologetically autistic even as she does her best to repress her queerness in order to stay within the lines of her narrowly defined christian (culty) religion. this all changes, of course, when a demon shows up and starts killing people rose has repressed feelings for—leading her down a rabbit hole of character development that is so well done, the first thing i wanted to do when i finished this book was read it again.

the side characters (even the evil ones) are wonderfully characterized, every single loose thread wraps up in a perfect knot, and rose is a DELIGHTFUL narrator to go on this journey of self-actualization, self-discovery, and self-badassery on. she takes absolutely no prisoners, and the story shines as she realizes the truth about her parents, her religion, and her past.

BUY CAMP DAMASCUS, REQUEST IT AT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY, DO WHATEVER IT TAKES—just read it! truly a spectacular book and my favorite one of july.

Rose is not like other girls, and no, it isn’t because she is in love with a girl. It is because she has a curious and inquisitive mind. In the eyes of her church that is as unforgivable and dangerous for her soul as murder, lust, or disobedience.

It’s clear very early on that Rose is part of a problematic community. The Kingdom of the Pine sounds like a terrible cult that brainwashes and traps people, in this case quite literally as it turns out. Once Rose frees herself, she joins a couple other escapees to bring down this powerful organization.

Content warning: demonic possession; gaslighting; toxic parents; violence; gore; body horror

I received a digital ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The prose was a little underdeveloped, but overall, this book slapped. It was both nothing like and somehow exactly like what I would expect from Chuck Tingle's first traditionally published work. Gory and intense, but filled with love and hope.

Oh, I really like this. A little predictable in spots, but still a great, creepy read.
Thank you very much to Tor and NetGalley for the ARC!

Camp Damascus was a wonderful novel of horror, and truth. With the very real horror of conversion camps, it really allows you to connect with the book as you read it.

My favorite aspect of CAMP DAMASCUS was the way that Rose retained her faith; I would totally use the Gospel of Rose as a life choices touchstone.

I enjoyed every minute of this. Five stars, no notes. Extra props for neurodivergent protagonist. I'd have loved for it to be longer!

I was so excited to get an arc of this book!!

Unfortunately maybe Chuck should stick to adult books. This read like juvenile fiction and not YA. The story was somehow so boring until 70% thru where it all started going warp speed. I'm mad the cult stuff wasn't mentioned more.

Maybe my coworker expectations were too high because a lot of folks are loving this🤷🏻‍♀️

So happy to have gotten an egalley from NetGalley for this title. I'm a big fan of Chuck Tingle as an internet personality but have never read any of his other works. Camp Damascus is a wonderful debut as a more "serious" horror work. As a lesbian adult woman who has dealt with serious religious trauma, this book really resonated. All of Tingle's characters are wonderfully fleshed out with realistic reactions and motivations. I often get concerned about men writing women lead characters but this was lovely.
Sort of a combination coming of age and coming out novel, but leans more adult with graphic depictions of gore and violence. If you're sensitive to gore/violence or religious themes I would avoid but I would recommend it to all other audiences from young adult to adult.
Looking forward to more works in this vein from Chuck Tingle!

I'm not even surprised how much I enjoyed this book and I think a huge part of it was that in all of Chuck Tingle's work that I have read so far- no matter how wacky and ridiculous- there's a sense that he genuinely cares about the representation in his stories and the messages he sends with his characters, the stories just come across as really genuine and Camp Damascus is no exception. I loved Rose as a character and seeing her grow and develop and learn how to accept herself was really heartwarming and at times touching. The story is fast paced and despite the fact that the plot was fairly predictable, it was enjoyable to read and impossible to put down.

3.5 stars


This was such a fun outing from an author who is already an icon lol. I was really excited to finally read Chuck Tingle's first traditionally-published novel, and it did not disappoint. The book revolves around themes of queerness & religious trauma through a horror lens. And what a delight that the main character was also autistic!

I feel like the way the themes were expressed was a little heavy-handed at times, and the characters and relationships weren't as well-developed as I'd have liked, but I still had a great time reading this. The horror elements were compelling and original, and literally made me say "ew????" out loud. Def recommend for those looking for a novel dealing with the trauma of queerness in Christianity, horror lovers or otherwise. I'll definitely be picking up the author's future horror work.

This was my first Tingle book, and if he writes more horror it won’t be my last. I thought the twist on the conversion camp was interesting and unique.

Thank you so much to @tornightfire for providing me with this arc!!

Jesus fucking christ this book was good. Chuck Tingle found himself a new fan. This book unveiled religious trauma i didnt even know i had. The story was beautiful, the character development was thoughtful. I binge read the second half of this book i just couldn’t stop. Campy and glorious!

4.5⭐️

Camp Damascus was a book I was very excited for. I requested it as soon as I saw it was available. I’m so glad I did, because I loved it.

The concept of this story is so interesting to me. Chuck Tingle is known for his creative titles, and he definitely put that into this story as well. It was a serious story, but Chuck’s personality still shown through. It was one of the more unique stories I’ve read in a long time.

Camp Damascus is a famous gay conversion camp in Neverton, run by the local church, Kingdom of the Pine. It’s unique because it boasts a 100% success rate. Rose Darling is the poster child for Kingdom of the Pine: she’s pious, she respects her parents, and she loves her church. When weird things start happening to Rose, her curiosity gets the better of her and she starts researching, and what she finds is terrifying.

The conversion camp boasts a 100% success rate because they use alternative means to convert queer kids. It’s no surprise that Christian fascists are complete hypocrites.

This story is full of surprises, and I will leave those for you to find out for yourself. It’s a cathartic story for those with religious trauma, but be aware it also may be triggering.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the chance to read this advanced review copy.

CW: vomit, religious bigotry, gore, torture, death, fire, car accident, homophobia, medical content, abandonment, blood

CAMP DAMASCUS is a sweet, earnest hug for queers and "weirdos" AND a scorching rebuke of intolerance/persecution. This book contains genuine horror, but the magic is in how it also remains a joyous celebration of (and for) Outsiders everywhere. Love is real! So is Chuck Tingle's talent.

I got an ARC of this book.

There is a lot to like about this book. The MC is autistic and a realistic autistic character. The way it manifests for her is her thinking patterns, her stimming, her need to know things. Very similar ways to my autism appears. The first clue that things just aren’t right with her parents is the way they act around her stimming. The people who love her, love her stims. It was a way of clearly seeing who was and was not ok in her world. It was not subtle either.

The demon aspect was really cool. It is not mentioned in the book description, so it was extra surprising (not that I read the description until now. I just saw Tingle and knew I needed it. I am a buckaroo after all). The way that everything came together to make something that is already abusive and horrific even more abusive and horrific was fascinating. Some elements didn’t work as well as others to make everything cohesive, but it was a bit wild.

That being said, this book felt like it dragged. It didn’t have a ton of emotions or really any character growth outside of Rose getting her memory back and becoming herself again. None of the other characters grew. The bad guys were clearly bad. The good guys were clearly good. There was no grey. There was no 3D characters. It was all pretty point blank. A lot of horror is this black and white, but it is worth mentioning. The horror aspects were more what people were capable of, than the supernatural bits that were involved. So solid base, but slow going.

Overall, not the worst horror I have read. It is not the best either. Pretty solid middle horror. It was amazing to see another side of Tingle. As a buckaroo, I have seen him prove love is real. Now I have seen him show the dark side of love and how much more terrifying it is when someone who claims to love you tries to “help” you by erasing you.