I started this book as soon as I received it. Don’t Fear the Reaper was one of my favourite books I read that year, and I’ve been (not) patiently awaiting Jades return to Proofrock.
This book is bleak. I can’t rate it 5 stars simply because i was so upset the whole time. I cried and read the last 50 pages (as you do with horror movies) through my fingers. Everyone is fair game to be caught by a chainsaw, or that god damn pick axe.
I had to put it down multiple times, knowing I would continue to pick it up and endure the pain again.

Stephen Graham Jones (SGJ) has catapulted himself to the mountaintops of the horror genre. He is, without a doubt, one of the leading voices of the new horror movement. I’ve said it before and I am saying it again, his horror prose is second to none. No one writes musical and poetic horror like he does.

What an absolute honor it is to have as my first full read of 2024 an advance reading copy (ARC) of The Angel of Indian Lake, the third and final installment in the most excellent Indian Lake Trilogy, or as some also refer to it, the Jade Daniels trilogy.

This trilogy is difficult to summarize given the impressive amount of horror it covers across the entire spectrum of the genre’s history. SGJ tackles it with respect, he takes pride in honoring it, and seems to go to great lengths to make sure he does not tarnish it, abuse of it, or even overdo it. Everything is in just the right doses, in just the right amount, so as to satisfy us while simultaneously entertaining us and scaring the living daylights out of us.

Like in the previous two books, there is a rich tapistry of classic horror realm references interspersed with more modern ones from the 90s and 00s to satisfy both an old horror fanatic like myself and the next gen. Only SGJ can instantly bring me back to browsing the horror section of the VHS rental store in the early 80s! Ah those cheesy covers and tacky slogans! Timeless horror classics.

It’s then and now, it’s retro and new age. It’s horror perfection and personified. All on a mystical backdrop that only SGJ can paint. There’s an aura to every scene, something lingering in the background, something there but unseen and unheard yet so menacing.

SGJ is also a master at writing about grief and dread. I will argue tooth and nail with anyone that tells me there’s no depth of emotion in horror books. I have absolutely no shame in admitting this book made me shed a few tears. The Angel of Indian Lake is also packed with so many magical and mystical moments that I got major goosebumps during several passages.

Steering clear of any potential spoilers, I will conclude this review by first stating that The Angel of Indian Lake is in and of itself an excellent book while also being a superb ending to an incredible trilogy. And secondly, I must restate something I have mentioned before in previous reviews… no one writes acknowledgments like Stephen Graham Jones. They are always so generous and insightful, like the absolute best bonus features that were included in special edition DVDs.

Let me tell you the excitement when I received this arc through netgalley was unhinged!
I almost didn't want to read it because then I knew it would be over 😭
The book was perfection and brilliant ending to the series.
I'm so sad it's over

Allllll the stars 🤩

I am so happy and so grateful to have been able to read this book early, Although I never doubted him for a minute, Jones did not disappoint. The Angel of Indian Lake shattered me and put me back together again - it even brought me to tears, an absolute rarity for me when reading. I began to tear up again reading what Jones had to say about Jade in the acknowledgements, which, to me, is indicative of how much his love and respect for the horror genre and his characters permeates his work. Jade Daniels is a singular, fantastic character, and both she and Letha Mondragon are final girls for the ages. I will love them forever! This book was a riot; a bloody, feral scream of a story that I think will shock and satisfy those waiting for this concluding chapter with bated breath!

I inhaled this final installment in the series in one day. It is an absolutely bonkers, absolutely brutally dark and sharp and dreadfully funny book. In plces it is also painfully tender and thoroughly devastating.. It is a perfect ending, and a beautiful sendoff for Jade, tying together her personal story and the story of her community in a way I did not expect. A real tour de force.

-Stephen Graham Jones nailed this. The Angel of Indian Lake was such a great conclusion to the series and the trilogy as a whole is an incredible love letter to slashers.

Plot: fast paced, gorey, whiplash inducing

Characters: I love so many of them and even the ones I hated, they’re not flat villians—there’s depth and care put into everyone.

Jade Daniel’s is my final girl, forever. I love her so much, she will stay with me always.

I wish ratings could go to 6 or 7 stars. This is a great book -- the protagonist has developed, we see more of her relationships with friends and her memories of older teachers and parents, and also many many people die by gory violence (not always even murdered!) Tons of references to pop culture horror (mostly but not entirely movies) but in a way that feels like a real part of the story and not just something peppered in later. Trying not to spoil it but I'll say that if you liked the first two, you will probably also like this one. Even the afterword is great.