Another cover that I love, this is a horror/physiological thriller. We have our main character who not only has to deal with this crazy storm where everything that the storm touches becomes corrupted, which I thought was an awesome unique element I hadn't really read much of before but also some family trauma he’s dealt with his whole life. I really loved the symbolism between title, story and main character. So if you’re someone who loves storms, climate horror, is that a thing? Then put this on your tbr.

This was the horror book I've been craving!

Chilling and tense, this story does not let up until the unexpected ending. And even then, it had my brain meditating upon the psychological and physiological aspects of what I had just witnessed.

Told with a deft hand at balancing the current horrors and the main protagonists' horrors of the past, the author did a brilliant job at building depth of character while commenting upon broader domestic themes within the context of this riveting story.

There were twists and turns and an emotional depth to this story that I did not expect. The blend of horror and science fiction had a touch of Jordan Peele's type of magic blending of the genres. If you are interested in all of the above, I would recommend picking this book up and giving it a read.

This book made me uncomfortable, held me riveted to the page, and left me haunted with wanting to know more, which is just the kind of story I was craving. I look forward to seeing what this author creates from here on out.

DRC kindly provided by Christopher Hawkins via NetGalley in exchange for an honest response. All opinions are my own.

A creepy, disquieting story that I won't soon forget, made all the more affecting since I read it on a rainy day.

This was one of the creepiest books I've ever read, and I loved it. The concept, setting and characters come together to create something truly eerie. The descriptions were so spot-on that I felt like I was in the storm with Scott and his family, and I felt the dread Scott was experiencing alongside him. There was so much tension, and I really did find myself scared to find out what was going to happen next.
I do wish there was a bit more closure or an explanation of what was causing the rain, which is why I'm giving this four instead of five stars. However, I do think it being left open helped build the atmosphere of dread and tension, so while it left a little something to be desired for me, that may not be the case for every reader.
If you're a fan of Stephen King, and especially of The Shining, I highly recommend Downpour.

Downpour by Christopher Hawkins will make you think twice about going out into a rain storm. Scott,his wife and children live in his familial farmhouse that is falling apart all around him. He has sold off most of the farmland just to make ends meet. Scoot is now trapped in the house due to a strange rain cloud that seems to be eating through everything in its path. It also alters people, animals, any living organisms. Scott soon discovers this when the family dog, Wilber was left out in the rain and has returned to the house with what looks like sores oozing out puss. The dog turns on the faimly and Scotts only choice it to shoot at the animal. All Scott wants to do is to keep his family safe but that is an impossible task. Dana, his wife just wants to dance in the rain and when she decides that is what she is going to, Scott has to make the choice of keeping her outside until the rain storm ends. He also wants to make sure his kids are safe but, it would mean he has to get them to the storm celler safely. This book was a fast read and you are rooting for the family to make it out of this alive. The ending is so unbelievable that it takes you a minute to realize its not what it seems. There are some graphic parts of the book, however there was a warning about it from the publisher. This one is not for the faint of the heart.

There was this interview I listened to with Tom Petty where the interviewer asked him about the meaning of one of his songs. I don't remember exactly what he said, but it amounted to something like, "It's about what I said it was about in the song. If I could have said it differently, I would have." Maybe it was Tom Waits? Some Tom. I digress.⁠
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The point is, I've been sitting on this review for a bit because I love this book. I don't know what I can say about it that could convey anything useful because it's all already there.⁠
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Scott lives in his old, crumbling childhood home with his family. He and his wife are...strained. It's hot. And they don't have enough money. And then the rain comes. It is not the cleansing, watering rain the failing farm needs. It's something else. Something that will change absolutely everything it touches.⁠
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I've seen comparisons to The Mist, and I can see it, but I think Pet Sematary or literally any @paulgtremblay book is better. There is a dread that seeps in and grows. Even as eldritch madness takes hold, the decisions the characters makes seem realistic and reasonable--to them, at least. As the #reader, I can see their options falling away. I'm watching as their ability to make good choices diminishes. It's like watching a flood. Or looking at an old photograph and knowing what happened after the shutter clicked was bad.⁠
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Horror with heart is my favorite thing and this one has a lot. Broken, yes, but so much.
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⛈️⛈️⛈️⛈️⛈️⁠
5/5 strange little storm clouds

A mysterious and ominous cloud appears over an isolated rural farmhouse. As the rain starts to fall a troubled family has to confront what the rain brings as well as their their own pasts and personal demons. As the rain falls harder from roiling green lit clouds things start to spiral out of control.

After reading Suburban Monsters by Christopher Hawkins earlier in the year I was eager to see what he would do with a longer story format and was not disappointed. The concept of this unnatural seemingly endless rain that changes what it touches and slowly wears down everything it comes in contact with and is seemingly inescapable brings a sense of dread that looms throughout the story. It reminded me of old movies B like The Blob or more recently The Mist or Bird Box. The mood is dark and oppressive. Like the rain the tension is this book does not let up and is relentless. There are some things that happen with animals which might not be for some readers so be aware.

Recommend for fans of The Mist or Bird Box. This is the perfect read for a rainy day or a dark and stormy night.

I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

This book was so good! What would you do if nature was morphing the ones you love into something you no longer recognized? This was a slow burn, and the ending was so sad.

In rural Illinois, a strange rain cloud appears. It seems to eat away at everything it touched. A father tried to keep his family safe.

A very fast paced and short story, it will have you hooked and finished in one sitting. This story really just flew by. It’s action packed and hard to put down. There is some moments with animals that I know many won’t enjoy, so if you like stories where the family pet is okay, you may want to skip this one. It didn’t end as I expected but I will definitely be thinking of this one for a while.

“But this was no regular rainstorm. He was more sure of that with every passing moment”.

Downpour comes out 10/3.

Downpour is a debut novel about a rainstorm that turns very dangerous. A man and his family have to try and survive in rural Illinois when a storm hits that is unlike anything they’ve ever seen. The rain turns people into monsters and disintegrates things that it comes into contact with. This book is a fast paced survival story about a man trying to save his family.

I loved this book! It was so fast paced and I could not put it down. I read it basically in one sitting! There was so much tension building up, like a storm, which fit the story so well. It reminded me of movies like Signs and Bird Box (which I love.) I think it’s nice to see a fathers love for his kids as opposed to mothers love (which is also nice but used a lot more.) I feel like the rural setting worked really well with this story as well.

I do wish the ending was a bit different. I understand why the things happened like they did but personally I would’ve liked a different ending. All around, a great debut and I’ll be reading more by this author!

Thanks so much to netgalley, Christopher Hawkings, and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The story just didn’t interest me honestly. The only things I read into it were either uncomfortable or boring. The story was repetitive, which some can be, even this short, but this just felt like the author didn’t look deeper into the characters instead of an interesting idea to contemplate. The story just wasn’t lyrical for the repetition.
I kept reading, thinking it might be the sort of horror story with an ending that made it worth reading, but once again, it was predictable and boring. Just not the book for me.

Scott is man who has been existing...not really living, though he never realized that fact. He has had to sell off most of his father's farmland and all he has left for his family is slightly more than 12, unproductive, acres of land and a severely run down old farmhouse. He is still processing finding out that his wife cheated on him. She has been the strongest force holding their household together. All of that becomes secondary when a strange small dark cloud appears. Scott is immediately filled with a feeling of dread as he watches the unmoving cloud expand across the sky. Then the rain begins. Everything the rain touches is corrupted and Scott is left to try and protect his kids from the storm....if they can hold out everything will be okay. After all....a storm can't last forever...can it?

From the beginning of this story I was reminded of The Birds. Not the Alfred Hitchcock version, but the original Daphne Du Maurier story. A simple hard working man trying to protect his family during an unexplainable force of unnatural nature. Very suspenseful build up throughout the entire tale. It was also quite a read to be in the middle of during a three day rain pattern where I am at.

Thank you to Netgalley and Coronis Publishing for the opportunity to enjoy this Suspence/Horror e-ARC

A truly inventive and terrifying horror novel.

What would you do if nature turned on you? Scot finds out the hard way when strange clouds bring storms with rain that eats away at everything and changes every living thing it comes in contact with.

Scott, his wife Dana and their two children are sequestered in their old farm house as the rain comes down outside. The weather and news reports are increasingly horrific. This rain is changing people, turning them into monsters. Scott will stop at nothing to protect his children, even if that makes him the bad guy.

The idea behind this is truly scary. What would you do? Where would you go? And how would you live with the consequences? I found this one so intriguing. The writing was fantastic, giving realistic scenarios in unthinkable situations. I loved this!

This was a very creepy very fun read. Thank you for this opportunity. I highly recommend if you want a spooky book to curl up with on a stormy night.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
A very slow paced novel with a horror theme. A family trying to survive a rather unique storm that surrounds only them.
I somewhat enjoyed this book and I liked the atmosphere of it. The ending was a bit of a surprise.

I’d put this in a genre called Post-Apocalyptic Cosmic Horror. It was fun, it was scary in the sense of constant dread and anxiety. When your world is collapsing, what can you really do? Who is prepared for an alien invasion or zombies or even natural disasters? This novella touches on the fear of the unknown, the fear of survival and the fear of creatures out of this world.

What would you do to save your family from something unknown? The constant anxiety I felt through the MC made this book work. I couldn’t imagine going through a similar situation. I like the family dynamic because that adds extra terror, especially as a parent. My mind immediately goes to the sacrifices I would do for my children. I love that this is a work of fiction but could easily be a very scary reality.

Thank you for NetGalley for the ARC

Starts off with such a creepy atmostphere. I felt the tension keeps rising and then makes you question everything. How do you even make it out of this? This was a very atmospheric read centering on the characters. It is a slow burn but when it gets going it gets under your skin kind of like the rain. Things you would think were safe you start questioning. The rain is a force that invades more than outside but inside everything as well. I had to see what happened.

Downpour centers around Scott and his family of four in rural Illinois. A sudden rainstorm appears but it’s not a typical rain: this rain not only destroys everything it touches but it also turns people into violent monsters. Soon after the rain begins their house starts coming apart and the rain itself begins calling to them. Scott must give his all to fight the rain and keep his family safe before time runs out.

I’m always on the lookout for a unique and authentic story and Downpour delivered. Downpour is a classic plot driven horror story with plenty of action. Raw and visceral, this story plays with your senses, emotions, and reads like watching a film. I really liked Scott as a main character and I enjoyed being inside of his mind. I'm sure horror readers will find this one just as entertaining as I did.

Downpour by Christopher Hawkins will be available on October 3. Many thanks to Coronis Publishing and NetGalley for the gifted copy!

So after reading "Suburban Monsters", I saw that the author had a new book on NetGalley and I knew I just had to check it out. I'm definitely glad I did!

'Downpour' started off on a note of despair. The protagonist's negative feelings jumped out at me from the first page. Throughout this book, there was no ease up, no feel-good moment. As surprising as this may sound, unless you're also an avid horror book reader, I l0ved it!

The ending was strange. I had mixed feelings about it. There was one particular character whose fate I would keep worrying about for sometime. I'm hoping there's a sequel where I could follow up on that person as well as find out what exactly caused the downpour and what it consisted of.

This author is extremely talented, there's no question about that. I would definitely read more of his work and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel.

Thank you Christopher Hawkins for providing me with the opportunity to review this book.

*****I received this book as a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

What a whirlwind this book was! When a strange storm moves in and the rain isn’t “normal” but something sinister! Nothing is safe.

So many parts of this book had me anxious wanting to read more. It was nasty and vile in a few parts and that added to the story.

A definite MUST read!