Member Reviews
Got this audiobook through NetGalley and I’m glad I was approved. Going on a horror kick at the moment.
This is a horror that’s got fantasy elements. Which is odd because I feel like it’s usually the other way around? It also has super high, world ending stakes, so it’s horror/epic fantasy. Epic horror? It features an inter-dimensional fairy world, but mostly takes place on a earth, so it’s also urban fantasy? Either way, it was a really unique blend.
Thomas and Bobby are alike. They are linked. Both of them have a future, maybe a darkness too. Both also have a connection to a fairy. Unfortunately, depending on who’s connection is with which fairy, decides what trajectory they’re on. Good vs evil with many blurred lines and especially dark evil.
This book is one of a couple that I’ve read recently that has devolved into descriptors being about tightening scrotums and inappropriately hardening penises, and I’m not sure when horror became this, or if it always was, but it’s been from different authors. I’m not a fan, but I agree it’s horrifying.
This was a dark and enjoyable novel. The only thing I’ll say is because it was horror first and fantasy second, there is a big build up, but it doesn’t get the typically fantasy finisher, so in that sense it was a little underwhelming. However, as it’s a horror, I wasn’t surprised or disappointed really.
Lots of crazy kills and horrific descriptions. Personally a 4/5*.
I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest and candid review.
My review has spoilers, but by the time the big reveal comes, it's so foreshadowed and expectations are so bloated, that it appears with a whimper...
I'm sad to say this book didn't do it for me. There were some basic structural issues that undermined the success of the entire narrative; namely, the book established a fairly high degree of intensity/stakes early on, and then maintained that level of intensity for the remainder of the book. There was no narrative arc, with the intensity building toward a dramatic climax, because every pivotal scene and plot point in the entire book was a conflict with life-and-death stakes.
The result of this lack of crescendo or dramatic build is that the book feels overly long and drawn out. After listening to it and thinking, "okay, it's been a fine little horror book-- it must be about over," I was chagrined to see that I was only slightly over halfway through.
It isn't so much that the story was bad, it was just a good idea for a short story that ended up making for a ponderous and over long novel. The foreshadowing throughout was overly transparent, broadcasting revelations that came later in the story and dulling their impact.
Ultimately, a fine idea, poorly executed. I recommend my fellow readers skip this one.
Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. This was so wonderfully creepy and unsettling with a little bit of fantasy. I would highly recommend this.
Beware of what lurks in the corn.
This was a dark Fae horror story that makes me never want to play in a corn field ever again! 😂 I was enthralled from the very first minute, and kept on the edge of my seat until the very last second. The story is creative, and woven so intricately that I had no clue how it would end. I’m so glad I took a chance and requested the audio arc of this book, as the narrator really helped bring the story to life.
I really enjoyed this book. I hated putting it down. I like the dual point of view story and really loved seeing both characters develop throughout the story. While listening to this out loud, I did get a few looks from my husband, curious about what I was reading. The narrator did a fantastic job as well.
This was a very intreasting mystery horror usually I’m not into this genre but this sounded great so I was very happy when I was accepted to read this book. This is a book based on a male as a child seeing a girl in the corn field who is a fae. And how they fall in love and have to fight against evil togeather but also about pain and suffering.
This book was a creepy adventure that highlighted the perpetual battle between good and evil. The plot is revealed from the point of view of two main characters who have opposing outlooks on their fantastical companions. The author delves into the darkness of a genuinely evil and terrifying mind. The characters' journey takes many entertaining twists and turns, all seemingly leading up to a big climax. However, the climax seems a tad rushed and left me with more questions than answers.
Whilst out with his mother, Thomas sees a diminutive woman in the corn field. When he tells his mother and father he has seen a faerie in the corn field, they think it is a product of a child's overactive imagination.
When he is a little older, he is visited again in the middle of the night, the fairy attempts to get him to eat a snack, and sensibly Thomas gives it a miss coz we all know what happens when you eat faerie food.
When he is ten, he is visited again. This time the faerie tells him that his world is about to end as a force that has destroyed the faerie's world has found its way to Thomas's world and he is the only one that can stop it. A titanic battle between good and evil ensues and the results of which change events in ways that Thomas could not imagine.
At the age of fourteen, the impact of the titanic battle has left Thomas scarred in many ways and he still has nightmares about that night. Suffering from PTSD he is admitted to an adolescent mental health unit where he meets Jillian, a troubled teen who has experienced trauma, and Bobby, a disturbed individual, who after killing another teen is the antithesis of Thomas.
Now you may be forgiven with the mention of faeries that this walks the line of fantasy. However, long before fearies were written of with a certain amount of whimsy, the old tales were bordered on horror, and this book taps into that.
There is a lot going on in this book and there are a number of elements at play. For one there is Bobby's storyline which is very dark and filled with bloody murder. However, there is dark fantasy in relation to the faerie's which draws upon elements of Norse mythology and in addition to this there is Apocolyptic cosmic type horror thrown in to boot.
So, with this mash up of different styles you would think that the story would pull in different directions and become a bit of a mess. However, James Offut manges to write an engaging book that kept me wanting to read more.
Yes, Offlut uses familiar tropes, but adding that element of dark fantasy really pulled me in, and besides it's the familiar tropes that pull readers in right? Sometimes they can be done well, sometimes it's a case of nothing new here officer! But, I must say that The Girl in the corn manages to fall into the former camp, primarily due to Offlut's writing.
The characters are engaging, although I thought that at times Bobby was a little weaker than the other characters and at times could be a little stereotypical, as. Oils some of the side characters, but on the whole they were good and fit well into their respective roles in the story.
I listened to the audiobook of this book published by Camcat books and narrated by Josh Bloomberg who does a fantastic job of bringing this book to life. Initially (as always when listening to new narrator) I was a little unsure. However, I soon got comfortable and enjoyed the story.
What a wonderfully twisted book this was. We follow Thomas, the main character, from his youth into adulthood as well as the fairy, who he cannot decide is friend or foe, who visits him over the years. The characters are so realistic that you feel as though you are there with them. The author did a fantastic job at bringing fantasy and sci-fi elements to the novel without taking away from the horror of it all. The ending was satisfying, but I am left with so many questions and wanting more as well and that is what makes a book great to me.
The Girl in the Corn was horror. It never made any other claim than to be horror. By definition, horror includes horrible acts. That is what makes it horrifying. I admit I got this book because I liked the previous book I read by this author. This book was absolutely nothing like that one. Different does not equal bad. I was taken by surprise, but then I remembered-horror.
This book spans a lot of years and jumps in time are common. I found that those jumps sometimes disoriented me. For the most part, no. It is as if the book could have been a series and filled in some of the time gaps. Doesn’t matter. The story was told.
I wouldn’t say that there was anything truly surprising here. Just a good bit of horror.
I chose this book because it was HORROR. I had no other preconceived notions. Horror.
It lived up to its genre. There’s TWs which make it horrific & Norse lore that will have you googling words.
Bobby & Tommy start their lives as young boys in trouble. One dies, one kills … one good the other bad … one buddies up with a fairy and the other a monster ….
We follow their lives witnessing them come together and drift apart. There are a few interesting secondary characters that help the story move along and enable Bobby & Tommy to grow into adulthood.
There’s monsters, alternate world, doomsday, time shifts, etc …. I enjoyed Tommy’s story and was always ready for Bobby’s bloody mayhem. Bobby was probably the more interesting of the two but Tommy was more likable.
Thank you NetGalley & CamCat Books. This was the book I needed today. I’ve added more horror to my TBR! Great book.
The Girl in the Corn was my first Horror read and what a first time horror read this was! The twist and turns were very captivating and well written. There was confusion for me at the a few chapters in but once you get into this book it is hard to put down. There was never a dull moment, I’d say it was quite fast paste. The sense are written very graphic, so it is not for the faint hearted.
Overall, "The Girl in the Corn" is a well-written and engrossing book that will appeal to fans of true crime, paranormal investigations, and folklore. It is a chilling reminder of the power that stories and legends can have over us and how they can shape our perceptions of reality.
I enjoyed the book, the beginning is hard to get through, sounds too much like children horror but then it becomes a complex psychological horror for adults well worth the read. I listened to the audio version and I have to say the narrator wasn't my favorite, hard to discern between different characters.
TW: sexual abuse, graphic murder, mass murder
Thomas saw a fairy when he was young; his parents didn’t believe him, and it’s not until an unsettling incident in his home is witnessed by his sheriff uncle that Thomas feels like he may have some proof. But soon after, Thomas experiences something terrifying and barely survives – it’s enough that he sequesters himself under professional psychiatric care. While there, he meets a mysterious girl and a terrifying and troubled boy; when he leaves to return home, he doesn’t expect to see either again. But the three are brought together, and they find themselves struggling against each other and time to keep the world as they know it from being obliterated.
This was such an odd read. Getting into it, I had zero clue what was going on and it wasn’t until the two POVs came together (about 15 to 20% in I believe) that things started to make a little more sense. I also had a difficult time deciding who the audience was for this book at first. The way it’s written (the style, vocabulary, etc.) makes it feel like it’s for a young audience in its simplicity though the content is definitely not suitable for younger readers. But as I read, the less I cared about the style and the more I became immersed in the story.
While the characters aren’t written in a way that made me become invested in them or care about them much, the plot, setting, and oddness of it all kept me engaged in the book. I did like that the main antagonist had good reason to be as messed up as he was and that he scarily felt like a realistic villain. The worldbuilding was a little lacking, however. We’re told everything we need to know to have a basic understanding of what’s going on, but there are no real explanations or information provided beyond that. The ending left me wanting more – I’m not sure if it was setting up for a sequel, but the resolution was anticlimactic and there were no real explanations or meaningful resolution provided for all of the weird things that happened.
Overall, this was a unique, odd, dark, and disturbing read that was entertaining and kept me thinking about it all day. It involved fairies, alternate dimensions, evil cosmic entities, and some really messed up stuff. I don’t really know who to recommend this book to, though I imagine you’ll either love it or hate it. Thanks to NetGalley and CamCat Books for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
This was definitely a unique read! For all that was going on, it could have been shorter to tighten up the suspense aspect, but other than that, much enjoyed!
Well. This is just a whole giant sack of creepy!
Seriously, want a creepy book? I found it. It’s right here. This one. Read it.
This is a twist on a apocalypse type story and it’s very interesting and incredibly creepy. It involves the fae, different worlds, weird creatures, unlikely heroes and unlikely villains.
I feel like this took several end of the world stories and meshed them all together to create this one big creepy story. It’s also a pretty long book and it’s feel like some of the chapters were unnecessary but every bit of this book added something to the creep factor so I get it.
However I’m gonna give it 4 stars because it really is just a bit long for subject matter and it isn’t very face-paced overall. It’s enjoyable and creepy.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I went into this book with an open mind because this is my first book by this author and was pleasantly surprised. Although the story contains fairies, it is so much more than that and will appeal to horror fans regardless of how they feel about fairies. I loved that even Julian wasn't portrayed as the sweet fairy but as one doing what needed to be done. The only issue I had with the book was that the time-lines were hard to follow sometimes. Overall, it was a great horror read!
This book was amazing to read. I had an epic time reading it and enjoying the thrill it gave me. Man i didn't want the book to end. I stayed up a full day reading this only stopping to eat and you know. This book is a must have so don't pass on it. Buy and love it like i do. I was lucky to get a copy for a honest review and honest i am. This book is coming home to me soon as well. Enjoy everyone