Have you ever had to pause your reading, log into your Amazon and order the next two books of the book you’re reading? Because that’s absolutely what I just did! This is book two of a series of 4 books. It picks right up where the last book ended and we see how the “Ojanox” has taken over the town and little by little it's picking the community apart. Is it a vampire? Is it a demon? Is it a cosmic entity dropped specifically here to make sure to ruin poor Troy’s halloween experience with Wendy and Janis?The Ojanox II Ashes to Ashes is just as good as the first one, it does not lose the grip the first book has on you and it eases you back in to the middle of the shitstorm that's taking over the small town of Garrett Grove. We get several points of views, from the smallest town citizens and comedic our boy, Troy, and thank God for him or this book would still be good but just straight up dread. We also get the POV of the extremely stressed out and overworked Sheriff Carl as well as several other characters. I absolutely loooove this series, I have not been able to not think about it since I first read the first book a few weeks back and I was blessed enough to get a copy of the second book via NetGalley, which I am extremely thankful for. I can’t stress enough that reading this plays in your head like a good horror/thriller/mystery TV series. The characters all have actual personalities, there is young romance, there are actual human connections between the characters that aren’t cringe or forced, you have comedic relief in between and most of all you have an actual plot with lore and great atmospheric world building. Did I mention that I absolutely loved this book?

Manx is amazing at this small-town horror largely because he makes you feel like you are within the town itself. For a moment, you may be overwhelmed by the cast of characters, but you quickly slide in as another resident in Garrett Grove. Everyone has a story, and each contribute to the individual reactions and overall plot of the slow downfall of the townspeople. Manx is able to give a realistic voice to everyone from a 4th grader to a seasoned mortician, and I ate up each one of them. Having built the beginning of the story and the terror of the unknown in Ojanox I, Manx is able to dive deeper into the history in Ojanox II. History of the characters who grew up here, history of the Ojanox from it's own perspective, and history of the Ojanox from the intellectual standpoint.

There is just something about Manx's writing that makes you eat up these stories like you are binging your favorite reality TV, while somehow making something so ridiculous actually seem plausible. How would you react in a small town? Whose word would you trust? I am so happy the story is not over just yet!

I was so excited to read the next one, especially after the cliff hanger in the first book! We discover more about the Ojanox's origins. There's not one dull moment in it, and I imagined the book playing in my head like an 80s horror movie. Body Snatchers to horrifying mutants rampage through the unfortunate town of Garrett's Grove. There's plenty of characters you will root for. Will they survive? Please read and find out because this book is a lot of fun!

Not many sequels are better than the original, and I loved part 1.
Cannot wait for the rest in the series!

The Ojanox II: Ashes to Ashes — by Daemon Manx

This is the second book of the four part Ojanix series. I feel it’s even better than the first, and that the next two are just going to amp up more and more.

Back in Garrett Grove, children are getting sick, people are disappearing, and police force is overwhelmed. We learn more about that evil creature lurking in the woods and it’s origins. At the quarry, the blasting of a mountain has reopened a cave releasing that creature. It’s now taking over multiple people at a time causing nightmares to become reality. Reading this gives you that feeling of riding a roller coaster and approaching the peak of that first big hill. Heart racing, fear, excitement, this book gives you all the feels.

As an official Gen X’er, and Pennsylvania resident, I loved the accuracy of references and the nostalgia. I’m in awe of the vividness and detail in which Manx has created this world and its characters. Excellent read, and I’m jumping right into Book 3!

To be honest, Book II is far better than the first one - and the first was an absolute blast! The level of detail and the intricacy of plot, coupled with the realism pervading the story -though this is a supernatural tale through and through- is utterly jaw-dropping!

This second volume is essentially the chronicle of a small town's complete devastation by evil supernatural forces: children go missing and come back transformed into monstrous killers; families disappear to become the pawns of a hungry force of legend; beloved characters face enemies they cannot possibly handle; and, sadly, some of these same characters won't come back for Book III. Local authorities find themselves overwhelmed by powers which have already destroyed whole communities in the past. What are Garrett Grove's chances? What can a small 1979 New York town do against a most powerful supernatural enemy?

Amidst all this, Manx never misses the slightest opportunity to highlight the human element: old loves, old regrets, teenage angst, first love, risky work relations - this book may be a paean to 1980s horror, but it captures only the best those horror novels had to offer: riveting horror reads with characters you easily care about, ancient evils rooted in past mysteries, with engrossing build up to the most satisfying cliffhangers! Plus the creepy cover whose awesomeness is only enhanced once you've read the book!
The Ojanox series proves to be a feat of imagination offering the greatest immersive experience and the most wonderful summer reading! Seriously, do NOT miss this!

“He’d been thinking in terms of demons and not demonic possession, certainly not on such a grand scale.”

Arghhhhhh!! Have you heard me screaming?! This book is…anticipation. I am so hooked. Each section comes to an end leaving you wanting to continue with what you were reading, but then you start reading the next section and you get excited because you get to find out what happened somewhere else in the book. Does that make sense? And it is like this from start to finish, you just don’t want to put the book down.
The Ojanox is a full on epic novel filled with characters and subplots that become part of your life. It is so immersive as you oversee this small town with the evil expanding at the expense of the naive town folk.
Police, hospitals, and businesses feel the strain as employees go missing and don’t show up to work. It is only you, the reader, that knows the full extent of the shitstorm that is brewing (in the bowels of this town🤭). You bear this burden while Daemon Manx has a crushing grip on your heart and lungs and squeezes your emotions all over the innocence (and not so innocent) of the town.
I want to jump into this story and help everyone out, but I can’t.
This is what I long for in a book. Thank you Mr. Manx for bringing this town to life for me, try not to burn the whole thing down okay🤷‍♂️

I was so excited to jump back into The Ojanox series with the second book!! These books are action-packed with creepy creatures galore and I am here for it!! 🙌

Can’t wait to see what happens in the third book!! Highly recommend this series, my book peeps!! It’s one you won’t want to put down!! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley, Last Waltz Publishing and Daemon Manx for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

Another great novel in the series. I could not believe how immersed I became in this novel. From the description of Tony racing through the graveyard as the mutated beasts chased him to the discovery of the ancient artifacts in the cave. Clues were given to the reader as to how to combat the evil but the clue was just missed several times by Carl. When I had figured out the source to combat the evil, I was yelling at Carl to pay attention but then I realized this is set before much was known about technology. Each chapter brought about highs and lows. One minute I was reading something in favor of the brave townspeople only to have my heart ripped out a few chapters later. This author is so incredibly skilled at storytelling. I could feel the temperature drop when the beasts were near. I could envision the horror people experienced as they came face to face with the beasts. Be prepared to be angry, joyful and sorrowful as the book reaches its climactic cliffhanger.
P.S.; you know how some novels prove a little disappointing as the series progresses…..not so with this novel! 👹👹👹👹👹

So I enjoyed The Ojaxnox I: Scream in the Dark quite a bit. Definitely a nice throwback to the 70s era of horror and had some great creepy action scenes.

I hoped to replicate this with book 2, but felt I struggled with some of the things that also were lacking in book 1. I know the book is *set* in the 70s but the way the women characters are written felt a little antiquated. More or less all of them are throwing themselves at a man at some point or another. There are scenes of women aggressively assaulting men sexually, simply for walking past them. It just felt a bit off and didn’t jibe with me very well. This is not necessarily uncommon in horror, unfortunately, but I do hope in future books Manx is able to build further dimension on his female characters.

There are a LOT of characters who have very vanilla Americana names, so at times it was a struggle to keep up with the various connections. I will 100% admit my stoner goldfish brain could just have an issue with this, but I also had a hard time remembering everything that happened in the first Ojanox book. I think since this is more of a chopped up novel as opposed to a true sequel it lacks some of that finesse in the beginning to bring the reader back into the world the author has created. I’d probably recommend reading these books fairly close together to help with a cohesive story.

Manx does a fantastic job at building a world and a story, however. The evil aspect is done well and I loved the Lenape folklore aspect. I will definitely read book 3 to learn more about the contents of the cave. The focus was a bit lackadaisical with regard to the cave (mostly because the action was elsewhere) and I hope in the next book we get to learn more about the Lenape and their connection. Also, the unexplored areas of the cave are giving me some fantastic(ally) dark vibes. I can’t wait to explore further.

I struggled between 3 and 4 stars with this one but rounded down because of the above issues. I don’t think this is any reflection of the author. I’m not sure if he’s trying to recreate the feeling of the 70s horror era, or maybe if being surrounded by so much testosterone while writing (as mentioned in the foreword) influenced his characters at time. From what I’ve seen on social media and BoH Manx is a wonderful dude.

Recommended for those looking for vintage horror vibes. Loved some of the SK nods in there.

This is the second in a four part series about a small town overrun with a horrifying creature that multiplies like a virus.

In this novel, we're going to be taken to the center of this creature's origins. An undiscovered cave at the local quarry is the hotspot for both the company and a team of experts from a museum. What they find are cave drawings, artifacts, and hand made weapons in extremely good condition.

But by blasting away the entrance, something possibly escaped. A truly horrifying monster which feasts on flesh and spreads itself from person to person, gaining a collective hive mind and turning it's victims into unimaginable monstrosities.

The sheriff's department is soon overwhelmed and who will believe the terrifying truth until it's too late?

Of course this novel ends on one hell of a cliffhanger but will be continued with part three later this year. It's a blood soaked, andreline fueled, action packed creature feature with great characters and a truly frightening monster.

I loved this one and highly recommended it!

Deepens and strengthens the incredibly good start that was part 1. Scary, gory, and original, I can’t wait to see where part 3 and 4 take me!

4 stars

This is a fantastic follow up to the first book. The attention to details within the plot and character development, from one book to the next, are amazing.
Manx is moving higher and higher on my “buy now ask questions later” list,