Member Reviews
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
3.5 stars.
***AUDIO BOOK VERSION***
The Girl in the Corn is a creepy horror story with mixes of norse mythology. The book is set in the human world but also slides into a fairy world at times.
Thomas and Bobby are the two main POV of the story and are linked by an event that happened in their younger years. There's a lot of good vs evil moments in the story, and it does get hazy at times, making you question their morals and characters and which path their going down.
I did struggle to get through some parts and enjoyed the narrator but found his voice to be a bit grating doing the female/fairy voices.
This dark horror was far more intense than I expected and I loved it!
The Norse mythology mixed with the psychological edge made this a heart-pounding read that kept me on the edge of my seat.
As an audiobook, the narrator did a great job of bringing the story to life and adding tot he suspenseful build-up of the book.
Highly recommend for horror fans!
I will start by saying I think this book is great. If horror is your thing then I would give this book a chance. As I said I thought this book was great, but great for someone not me. This storyline was not for me personally, but I also think that is a me issue and not the book itself. If horror is your jam though give it a chance.
I really enjoyed this audio book. Good character development and interesting plot.
Just small picky things: it's a little too long. I think the middle could have been trimmed up a bit to tighten up the plot. And there's a couple of unimportant characters who could have easily been left out (and one at the end that I really wanted to smack).
The narrator does a great job at changing his voice to match the character and that adds to the overall creepiness of the plot.
The story follows two boys, the embodiment of good and evil, (kind of). One of the boys, Tom, hears someone in the corn. The other boy, Bobby, meets Tom when they are in psychiatric care. The events that occur in the narrative are are very descriptive and terrifying.
I liked the book, but not enough to reread it.
I was given the opportunity to listen to the audiobook of this title by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
The Girl in the Corn is a wonderfully immersive tale of fairies good and bad and their influence on human behaviours.
Strange nighttime childhood events with half-memories of fairy-sightings leave two young boys in mental institutions. A tale as old as time, one has been influenced by an evil fairy presence, the other has to save the world from him.
This was a great story with well defined characters and a strong plot.
i received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Book Review
The Girl in the Corn
Jason Offutt
Published: January 2022
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.5⭐️ (rounded to 4 for GR)
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my copy of the audiobook.
Synopsis: "Beware of what lurks in the corn.
Fairies don’t exist. At least that’s what Thomas Cavanaugh’s parents say. But the events of that one night, when he follows a fairy into the cornfield on his parents’ farm, prove them wrong. What seems like a destructive explosion was, Thomas knows, an encounter with Dauðr, a force that threatens to destroy the fairy’s world and his sanity.
Years later, after a troubled childhood and a series of dead-end jobs, he is still haunted by what he saw that night. One day he crosses paths with a beautiful young woman and a troubled young man, soon realizing that he first met them as a kid while under psychiatric care after his encounters in the cornfield. Has fate brought them together? Are they meant to join forces to save the fairy’s world and their own? Or is one of them not who they claim to be?"
My thoughts: I read this book with my Slasher Queens book club. This book was actually good, and I was a little surprised by that. It was a weird horror/mystery/paranormal book with some bizarre characters. And it actually worked. I never knew quite what to expect and was surprised more than once.
If you like weird stories, definitely check this one out. It's $3.49 on Kindle right now! (Also I'm suspecting there will be a sequel coming...)
I don't read a ton dark fantasy books but this one ended up being really dark! I liked the two different timelines and the Book of Accident Vibes! I just wanted a little more creepy kid action and it dranged a bit for me.
Sorry, not my kind of book. I really tried to get into it, but it just wasn't my genre.. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book, unfortunately I could only make it 30% through.
I would like to start by thanking netgalley for the audiobook. This book was pretty good. The beginning was very creepy and the consistently stayed at a mid level horror for the remainder of the novel.
The novel mainly focuses on the main character Thomas. One day while Thomas is in the garden next to cornfield, he is greeted by a "fae". This story is the consequences of that meeting.
When listening to this book I found myself emerged in the atmosphere. It was almost like watching a retro horror film I was constantly waiting for when the suspense would reach its peak.
Loved the dark, creepy, and eerie feeling that this book gives. Listening to it on audiobook really helped me feel like I was in the story!
While I found "The Girl in the Corn" to be a gripping and well-written book, it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. However, I can still appreciate the skill with which Offutt tells this story, and the way in which he balances the mystery with the emotional impact of Rachel's disappearance. It's truly and eerie tale, and listening to it through audiobook made it even more unsettling because it immerses you even further. I love that Offutt take a topic that isn't commonly used, at least not in the horror genre, and made such a creepy story.
Thomas doesn’t believe in fairies, until one night when he follows a fairy into his family’s cornfield. While it feels like an explosion, Thomas actually encountered Dauor, a force that threatens to destroy the fairy world – and his sanity.
Year’s later, Thomas is still haunted by what happened that night. One fateful day, he crosses paths with a young couple. It’s not until later that he realizes that he’s met them before…Has fate brought them together again?
I listened to this one and it was so good! The narrator was great and did an excellent job with the characters. I felt that listening to this one gave it an extra spooky feel.
This was such a fun mix of fantasy while being horror. It was so creepy. I hadn’t read much about this book so it was even more fun going into it blind. This book had some pretty dark elements so you might want to be prepared for that. I really enjoyed Thomas as a character, he was well developed and likable. I was rooting for him the entire time. I also enjoyed the parallel worlds! It was a lot of fun.
This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed. Thank you to CamCat Books, and Netgalley, @netgalley for this ALC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Incredible!
Absolutely mind boggling trying to figure out how this would end and what the ‘Voices’ were and once you know you cannot forget.
Really well written tale interwoven with horror, suspense and a dose of fear that it’s impossible not to do anything but highly recommend this to fans of the genre.
The pages flow easily, flawless in the delivery and expertly guiding you through a terrifying journey.
Well deserving of my 5 star review.
Wonderfully disturbing.
Not like cannibal cops book disturbing but Stephen King disturbing.
Granted I was uncertain for a little bit going in but I gave it a chance and I’m glad I did!
I’ll be posting a video review on my YouTube channel within a week.
A great horror with a 1980s vibe, this had me glued to my headphones. The jumping about in time is a bit tricky to keep in your head when listening to an audiobook, I think that works better on the page but although that was a bit disconcerting it didn’t stop the flow of the narration too much. The narrator did a good job with differentiating the different characters. I don't want to give too much away about the plot and characters but I did love the description of the girl in the corn - especially her teeth, it’s a great visual!
I liked that the story continued over several decades as the young lads grew up, following how their experiences in the corn affect their lives and life choices. Great horror fun 🤣
Certainly a fresh take on fantasy, Offutt shows a world that is a 'next door neighbor', dimensionally, to one where Fairies are real. But when a malevolent creature bent on death ransacks their world, a fairy slips over to recruit help.
Told over decades, Girl in the Corn looks at Good vs. Evil, but where the Good isn't all that great, and the Evil... may not be half bad.
While the writing style is a bit simple, and wild telegraphing was all over the place I did genuinely enjoy this King-esque story.
My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I want to start by saying that I really liked the narrator. His voice is so soothing, even listening to the most horrible descriptions was pleasant.
The author writes from the perspectives of two boys, Thomas and Bobby. We read about their families, and how they dealt with the same nightmare.
The difference between the two boys is so dramatic and shown in a great way. How Thomas tries to deal with everyday life and struggle because of his past, while Bobby tries to deal with the voice in his head, urging him to do horrible things.
A great blend of horror, fantasy, and mythology with well-written characters and great descriptions, this book is for adults who are afraid of the dark, not knowing why. ''The Girl In The Corn'' gives us a reason to sleep with our lights on and our windows closed.
Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook.
The main characters in the book lacked depth, and the plot felt very stagnant. The book builds toward what I imagine would be a battle of good and evil at the climax, but all of the characters were just waiting around for that to happen. I also was put off by the fairy-- I'm not a big fantasy fan and thought this was strictly horror. That being said, I liked the horror elements of this book a great deal. There were certain moments, especially within the descriptions of location, that I felt like I was reading a Stephen King book.