A dark horror/thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

It's thought that this rain cloud was like any other, a little unusual, but what else could it be? It's quickly realised that this rain is unnatural, eating away at everything it comes into contact with. Trapped inside their home, Scott works to try and save his family, while battling his dead father's voice inside his head.

Set over one day, Downpour is fast paced and haunting, with an ending that is left to interpretation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Christopher Hawkins for this free eARC, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Right from the beginning, you feel as if you are living in an isolated cabin as well. The dreariness and ominous setting surround you as you are reading. The first 4 chapters set up the story with the family issues between Dana and Scott and even Scott's childhood trauma with his parents. It's a slow burn for a bit just touching upon this dark cloud. I kept reading in order to see when the whole plot of the story happened. But this story takes its time, it's a slow burn. Things start to pick up when Wilbur the dog comes into the house to get out of the rain. Then when the leak starts to start in Jacob's room. The anticipation is slowly building. I hated Dana. Without saying too much, she fucked up. Then she tells Scott he's like his father and she should've left him. I would've turned around, walked back to the house and locked her out. And of course Ned decides to come by and talk business when the rain is pouring. Overall this one was okay. A few good moments where it seemed to pick up but then there was no action really between them. I needed a little bit more from the story. Easy to read though and somewhat short in length compared to other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this ARC of Downpour. Downpour is the story of Scott and his family as they are enveloped in an unnatural rain cloud. The lightening is green and the rain is not simply water.

While Scott’s wife willingly dances in the rain and succumbs to its ill effects, Scott does everything within his power to keep his family safe even though their farmhouse is literally melting and falling down around them.

Two battles are fought simultaneously throughout the story. The here and now which is the rain storm and o going internal voice if Scott’s dead father. Does Scott win the battles? Is he able to keep his son and daughter safe from the increasing leaks within the house and the ultimate path they must take to an underground storm shelter? Is he able to shake the voice of his father and move away from the past?

Filled with two major plot twists that will leave you gasping, Downpour is a fast-paced horror novel about how nature can go completely and grotesquely wrong coupled with a man’s ongoing inner struggle with the sins of his father and wife.

Highly recommend this book for horror and thriller readers, Sci-fi, and/or dystopian lovers.

A doom filled dark and thrilling horror novel; Downpour by Christopher Hawkins is Bird Box meets H.P. Lovecraft.

Rated down. My rating 4.5/5

A story of a father who is already haunted by the past, struggles to keep his composure and his family together when an ominous cloud looms over their farmhouse. When the rain starts to fall, and everything begins to crumble will he have the strength to hold out or will he give in to the lulling downpour just outside his door?

Christopher Hawkins has created a beautiful and heartfelt story of generational trauma and shows how some of our deepest desires and thoughts can rot us from the inside and can affect those around us. I love that this story is set in one location and is set only in one day. It gives it more of that feeling of solitude that comes from loss and trauma. How your life can feel like it's been completely obliterated in a small amount of time and there is no one around to help you.

I felt like the characters were given plenty of thought and development. You are given enough time to become attached and become emotionally connected with them. The pacing is spot on. Not too fast that the end is left with nothing and not too slow that you have to trudge through the beginning. I could not stop myself from turning the page.

I don’t want to give too much else away because the ending is so good. It is left open for a slight interpretation so just be aware of that if you are the type of person who has to have everything tied up nice and neat.

I could definitely see this adapted to the screen and be up there with the likes of the aforementioned Bird Box, as well as Color out of Space and Annihilation, with roots in the nature aspect.

Thank you to NetGalley and Christopher Hawkins for providing this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion and a voluntary submission.

Dark and twisted. Thought provoking. This book kept me thinking throughout. There's so much to engage the mind. Is what's happening real or is it the gradual unraveling of the human psyche?

Good descriptive details. Very atmospheric. And an ending that I never saw coming.

A lean, mean debut horror novel from Hawkins (who wrote the fantastic short story collection Suburban Monsters) about a family struggling financially that, out of the blue, encounters an odd rain cloud one day that is more menacing than anyone could have imagined. As it grows, and as more pop up over the country, the rain pouring down from it begins to have a strange, terrible effect on those that come into contact with it. Won't say any more so as to leave the developments to be experienced by you, the reader. Suffice it to say, things begin to unravel, and the rain becomes a character all in itself. Thoroughly enjoyed this one. Hawkins can write for sure. Short but effective. 4.5 stars. Highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Christopher Hawkins for this advance reader copy. If you’re looking for spooky mindbending, and a thriller, that does not disappoint this is the book for you. The rain has many meanings as it pours into the characters lives. This storm changes everything for this family. Pay attention, and be ready to fight for each character as they try to make it through the downpour..

Downpour is a devastating book. It starts fast, with a storm that seems off as it rolls in. Eventually, a nightmare unfolds, and the reader is left to watch a family in despair, trying to survive an otherworldly rainstorm.
I read this book in one sitting. The story is incredibly fast-paced and I really found myself flying through the pages. The story is so heartbreakingly written that I just needed to cling onto every bit of hope, which kept me reading. I felt a lot of the fear and unease that the characters felt, which was honestly kind of draining.

I’ll never look at heavy rain the same way again!

Thank you to NetGalley and Christopher Hawkins for providing me with a review copy of Downpour!

Thank you NetGalley, Coronis Publishing and Christopher Hawkins for an eARC of this book.

This book is a very addictive dark thriller/horror story and I absolutely loved it. As we are introduced to Scott, we learn everything in his life is falling apart, his marriage/family, his house/farm. He still lives in the same house, on the same farm, with the same stuff as he did with his alcoholic father and the memories of his mother running away. I can feel how depressed and doomed he feels. This is before the horrible rain starts. The rain brings with it a new set of horrors and Scott tries to do everything he can to protect his family. Protect his family from the rain and from each other. I was at the edge of my seat at the turn of every page. I had no idea what would happen next or how the story would unfold. And the ending! What an ending! I am still thinking about the ending. Is it a happy ending or sad ending? I am still not sure but I loved it!

The author did a fantastic job developing this story. Early in the novel there is a part just before the rain starts when Scott and his wife Dana are talking/arguing and during this conversation, Scott is washing his hand and watching his blood go down the drain slowing, water pooling and Dana is using a knife, rising and falling, rising and falling. I thought this was a great set up leading into the beginning of the rain and the terrors to come. This story really creeped me out. The only thing that would have made it more perfect would have been if it was raining while I was reading.

I highly recommend this book and I cannot wait to see what Christopher Hawkins has in store for us next!

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed this. The author painted an interesting scenario for the action, and the psychological underpinnings of a family in trouble added to the discomfort. This felt like a controlled slow burn, leading to the chilling finale.

I could see a movie being made from this.

I received a complimentary copy from the author and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great, eerie, atmospheric read! The shivers were real! Also, I loved how short this was, I read it in one sitting! Good for a little light horror.

This is the most frightening book you'll read about rain. Something as simple as a rainstorm turns into a nightmare for a family because this rain isn't quite normal.

Several things stand out wonderfully in this novel. There's the family dynamic which is stressed to an almost breaking point even before the strange storm hits. This will hit home for quite a few people right off the bat, allowing the reader to become emotionally linked to the characters.

I love how the entire novel takes place at one location, the land and old farmhouse where the family resides. We do get glimpses of events happening elsewhere but through the eyes of TV newscasts and social media. But the focus here is on this family in this location. And that makes it feel almost claustrophobic throughout.

The heart breaking decisions that will need to be made in order to survive will also give you a case of the goosebumps. And trying to stay dry during a storm that is literally eating away at the structure of the house is no easy task.

No spoilers: but that ending! Some might say it's a happy ending, some might say otherwise. The author wisely leaves it up to the reader to determine and doesn't try to explain everything at the end. I think people will have a lot of opinions about it once it's released.

I loved this book and highly recommend it.

4 stars

Perfectly paced slow burn. I really enjoyed this, especially during our week long thunder storms. It was wonderfully creepy. The writing was spit in, and the story felt really unique to me.

Downpour is a slow-burn horror that mixes elements from The Bird Box with Twister. Rain becomes a man and his family's worst nightmare as it drips into their homes, their, lives, and their minds. This is the perfect book to pick up on a stormy night and scare yourself silly with. I never thought that I would reconsider running out and playing in the rain with my child. Hawkins has taken something so normal and innocent and created terror with it. I was extremely impressed with the way the author fed in details that kept my heart pounding and my attention searching for more. Hawkins writing style is fantastic and the way that he is able to make me part of this story and care deeply for these characters in such a short time is impressive. At 198 pages this would be considered novella or short story length and Hawkins did an amazing job adding in just enough information to build the world without drowning in unnecessary details. I would recommend this book to people who are wanting to try out the horror genre and to people that are looking for something refreshing and new. Great Job done!

A creepily dark horror that slowly draws you in and although this is short it stuck with me after reading. This is pretty fast paced but the creepy atmosphere is perfectly fleshed out and everything is so creepy even though you're not 100% what is truly happening or going to happen next. I can see this being a hit for any horror lovers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Mr Hawkins for this ARC!

Downpour is a dark Horror/Thriller that will keep you glued to each chapter, it was impossible for me to put down so I had to finished the same day. Everything from the characters, to the setting to the pulsing creepy atmosphere and events were so well written.
I definitely recommend this book and will be on the lookout for this Author's next projects.

Downpour gets to the action quickly. It all starts with a rainstorm. A normal event with an unexpected and deadly outcome. This is no ordinary rain, it eats through structures and twists minds. In the middle is a typical family, two parents and two kids. Each is facing their own stresses and personal tragedies but it all has to be forgotten because they need to survive the rain.

This book grabs and doesn’t let go. It does not protect you from pain the characters go through. At times you wish it would. Don’t expect a happy conclusion. This one stuck with me.

Scott has a troubled life. His farm has failed, his wife Dana has been unfaithful, he’s haunted by memories from his troubled childhood and his successful neighbor wants to buy his land. As he stands on his slowly rotting porch on a hot, dry morning, he watches an oddly shaped, dark raincloud moving slowly toward his home. They need the rain. Not this rain. As it falls, the warm rain changes all it touches, people, animals, inanimate objects. Nothing will remain the same. Still Scott refuses to give it to the deluge and struggles to keep his family safe from an enemy he cannot understand.

True horror draws you in slowly. In Downpour, you feel Scott’s sense of failure. You see the weathered, peeling floorboards and the old, yellowed pictures hanging on the staircase wall. You see his son Jacob on the cusp of manhood and you hear his daughter Tallie crying for her mother and dog. You don’t feel the rain. That’s a good thing. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Christopher Hawkins for this ARC.