Fun, gross little story with a unique plot. I loved the mixture of modern day social media commentary and ancient cults/religious texts. Mendes can do no wrong!

I believe I only managed to get 30% through this novella before I became rather grossed out and had to put the book down. Unfortunately it was not the sort of grossed out that wanted to keep me reading either. I became detached from the characters and felt like the main character was just way too sexual to be believable.

interestingly dark splatterpunk. food themed splattterpunks are a bit rare, so it was a nice find to read this. tysm for the arc.

This book was deeply unsettling and, at times, downright disgusting. The vivid descriptions and disturbing content made me physically recoil more than once. It’s a story that digs under your skin and lingers long after you’ve put it down. Not for the faint of heart, this one pushes boundaries in ways that will definitely leave a lasting impact.

S.C. Mendes is one of my favorite new authors. I enjoy the originality and presentation of characters. This was an interesting story, where our main guy is taking part in an experiment where he gets paid for trying different food dishes.
Jordan is struggling in life so he's willing to take a chance. He also feels protective over his mother, even though he can barely take care of himself. But things go wrong quickly -- is it the food? Is something else going on?
This is a bit of a splatterpunk and it's short and fun. It doesn't have a huge impact, but you're left wondering if there really are crazy people like that in the world.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

What a strange ride this was. Completely enjoyable though. Lots to think about with this one. The ending had me a little confused.

I love a story that is just insane and you don't know what is reality, this is just that. It also goes over Stigmata and demons. This isn't meant for those who just want a horror or mystery it's for ones who like humor and just off the wall what did I just read types.

This book wasn't really what I thought it was going to be. With it's gory cover, and description, I was expecting a very dark and disturbing horror story but, instead this turned out to be more of a psychological thriller with some spiritual an religious themes. This story started out great but started to fall apart when it started bringing in too many ideas and veering off in different directions. Thankfully, this was a fast read and it managed to keep my attention throughout but, still, I didn't really feel satisfied with this book. I'd give this book two and a half stars, rounded up to three.
Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC.

Become a food taster for $600 per meal…where do I sign up? This must be too good to be true.

“Talons specializes in high vibrational, artisan meals, and we teach techniques to counteract traumatized foods, restoring them to their former glory.”

Funny, gross, weird and twisted. Cults and religion through food and drink. Salvation for those in the clean plate club.
THE LITTLE SEASON was nothing like what I expected. I was constantly wondering- is this a conspiracy? Paranoia? Who is here to help Jordan and who is using him for their own benefit?
I really enjoyed the not knowing and puzzling it out along with Jordan. It gets almost thoughtful, and the pace seems to follow Jordan’s mindset. Fast and wild to begin and slows down as he is deciding what to act on.

“Currently, the earth has a sin pollution advisory. It waxes and wanes over the centuries”

I really wanted to like the book, it sounded like an interesting fun short story, but ultimately it fell flat for me. The beginning chapter went from 0-100 real quick so I was excited for the rest of the book but the story ended up feeling slow and convoluted at times. I’m sure many people might like it, but it wasn’t for me unfortunately.

I had to read this after S.C. Mendes, the author, made a post about listening to your reviewers and their feedback. And I have to say it is a good thing he listens. Anyone going into the story looking for splatterpunk will be ready for a doozy of a story in the first chapter. And then the most of the rest of the tale is not.

Now that that is out of the way... I really enjoyed this tale by the end. About halfway through I wasn't sure if I was enjoying it or not. This book makes me think of 60's/70's witch movies that have moments of being so convoluted that you're not sure if you're enjoying it or not. It's generally the last 3rd of the movie that either seals it as a favorite or kills it for you. This book is very much that. Or at least, it was that for me. In the last third, maybe even quarter, I was thoroughly intrigued by the organization that is leading the protagonist(?) in this journey.

As a whole, I enjoyed the characters. Well, the ones that have time to actually show personalities (the ones that don't aren't important enough to the story, so that's ok). I felt the protagonist didn't need the influence of a certain podcast... he could have made poor decisions on his own without following their guidance, but I digress.

The book opens with strong splatter/extreme themes then moves to surreal to weird metaphysical themes that makes it a bit of a rollercoaster (thematically) but intriguing enough that I'd like to see a series revolving around the "organization" in the tale.

I give it 4 stars for my enjoyment and weirdly having a surreal vs reality feel of classic "witch" movies... but think many readers will probably give it a 2 to 3 star review.

This is more of a splatter punk, horror vibe. I liked it, I’ve never read anything like this before, but it was good. I would only recommend this book if you’re into this genre, I know it isn’t for everyone. This was actually my first time ready splatter punk.

3.5 stars rounded to 4. To be frank this one felt a bit too rushed for me. I did like the writing, but the pacing and the plot suffers somewhat, because the author wants not only to take too many things into account, but also take them into too many different directions - in fact, in the second half of the book, this multidirectional mix-up of plotlines happens all the time. Similarly, the genres to which the book belongs seem to change depending on the author's intended meaning of the situation described: as a result, the manner of description is not consistent throughout, so even if there's a fact that's gory and disturbing, the way it is presented does not always make it convincingly so.

The book, therefore, does not belong entirely to splatterpunk, though there are several extreme and graphic situations. Sometimes, it reads as a thriller, other times as a mystery.

The strength of the book, I think, lies in its characters: SC Mendes has a knack for coming up with great personality clashes, between both eccentric and simple-minded personages, with humor, empathy, and attention to detail.

Setting the issue of the fragmentary and inconsistent presentation aside, I'd say that if you read this in small doses, you'll appreciate it more: consider it organized like a menu (pun intended), structured around a diversity of themes (cults, conspiracies, ethical dilemmas, religion, new age metaphysics, absolutely weird dreams), presenting many hardcore situations for food for thought (again, pun intended); however, I was really shocked by the ending - and not in a good way. It was far too abrupt. Still scratching my head wondering what happened!

After quitting his job, Jordan Carter stumbles upon an ad for Talons, a new restaurant seeking paid tasters for their secret menu. However, each tasting leaves Jordan increasingly ill and plagued by horrifying night terrors. With the aid of his hot, spiritualist neighbor, Jordan delves into the mysteries surrounding Talons.

Labeling this book as Splatterpunk feels inaccurate. Apart from the initial scene, it maintains a relatively subdued tone (by Splatterpunk standards at least). The main character is easily dislikable with his problematic views on women (including being a fan of a pick-up artist podcast), and his generally negative outlook on life. Somehow, SC Mendes manages to humanize this incel-like character, occasionally making him feel relatable, a commendable feat in my opinion. While the pacing sometimes lags, the narrative is interesting enough to persevere. Recommended for fans of cult horror.

Overall, I found this book enjoyable. The themes and character development were very well done. I eagerly look forward to reading future works from SC Mendes.

Similar Vibes: The Menu (2022), Last Days by Adam Nevill

Thank you, NetGalley and Blood Bound Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This book went in a surprising direction , with some religious themes I was nervous about at first, but the plot was thought and I really enjoyed this!! Splatter/extreme fans may be disappointed that the gnarliest action takes place at the beginning of the book, but going along with the themes of the book I’d suggest looking at it like a delicious meal to enjoy and enjoy the ride along the way.

The Little Season
by: SC Mendes
Blood Bound Books
due:6-9-24
Limited First Edition of 613 copies
5.0 stars
#NetGalley #TheLittleSecret

I am such a fan of the weird, strange and unexplainable stories or novels. Thats one reason I am such a fan of SC Mendes. He can write the most disgusting horror, but has great characters that always remind you that tomorrow is never a guarantee, but there is hope. I was sucked right into this wild story, and really liked the protagonist, Jordon Carter. A perfect balance of humor and horror.
Talon is looking for taste testers and is offering a huge amount of money to join them. Jordon is looking for a job and is hired by Talon to be a taste tester. The location is secret, the menu is strange and Jordon becomes ill and has hallucinations and bad dreams after the taste test. He vows to never return, it just seems too weird. But when they offer him twice the amount as last time, to return for a second taste testing, he cant turn it down. Its to much money.
Jordons nightmare begins when he returns, and begins his own investigation into the church.
The horror is gory, the characters are so perfectly crafted for the story......I couldn't put this down. SC Mendes is an author I always look forward to reading.
Thanks NetGalley and Blood Bound Books for sending this e-book ARC for review.

“The Little Season” starts off strong as a true horror contender, making readers uncomfortable with its initial set-up. Personally, I would categorize this book more as a thriller than horror, as the author fails to test limits and does not lean in to the “splatter-punk” genre. Reader may begin their journey expecting much more horror/gore elements, but are instead met with the involvement of religious cults. While not a bad premise in its own, I believe this book started in one genre and ended in another. I did, however, enjoy the ambiguity of the ending, shocking readers with how easy people can be preyed upon/manipulated.

Maybe a little too long. And it's just all over the place. I found it comical at times, but then it dragged in quite a few places also.
Good concept though.

What in the world did I just read?! This book was wild. At any given point I had zero clue where it was going, and to be honest, by the end I was still left confused.. But in a good way. I could not put this story down and I almost wish it had continued on only because I was sad to see it over.

This book had me hooked in the first couple of chapters, very intriguing and descriptive, I couldn’t put it down. But then I hit a brick wall about 70% in and just couldn’t follow the story line anymore.