Camp Lanier hit hard.

Upon arrival, the book delves into complex themes such as grief, peer pressure, generational prejudice, and racism in a captivating and spooky YA horror setting.

It was enlightening to experience a horror narrative from the perspective of a person of color, as an individual of mainly Caucasian descent.

Having personally witnessed and challenged such discriminatory attitudes in the past (for friends and colleagues), I wholeheartedly championed Taylor and the marginalized characters who are often portrayed as disposable in this genre. They boldly stood their ground and emphasized this reality's gravity, surpassing horror storytelling. The absence of acceptance, unity, and tranquility embodies our world's terrors, surpassing any campsite.

Crafting an artfully constructed narrative imbued with authenticity is the epitome of excellence. In certain cases, it is the most effective means of capturing an audience's attention. More books need to bring awareness to these lessons.

Well done!

Much appreciation to Sterling & Stone, and Netgalley for providing me with this copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book has all my favorite types of things, black teens, contemporary situations, LAKE LANIER (iykyk), horror, and a bit of comedy.
This is a ghost/slasher/get back story & it will have you rooting for a protagonist who’s against the odds.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.
I received a copy of this book through Netgalley with no consideration. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.

Unfortunately I didn’t realize how YA this would be and it’s not my cup of tea. Thank you so much for the chance to read and I’m sure you will find your target audience!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sterling & Stone for the eARC of this book.

This was the first book I had read from this author, but I’ll definitely read more. I enjoyed this book and I think as a white reader it’s so important to read books by BIPOC authors for a myriad of reasons. This book shows the microagressions and straight up racism that black people and other people of color have to deal with on a daily basis. Even in this day and age.

My one complaint, which isn’t even really a complaint, is that I wish the book had been a little more fleshed out. I wish we’d gotten a little more of showing the family struggling with their grief and working through it. There were times the book just felt a little rushed.

That being said, I did enjoy it and will read more.

"My summer was all planned out, and now everything is in the trash, and I have to, what, walk around the woods for three months fighting mosquitoes and trash pandas?"

I love this fast-paced and psychologically thrilling read. It was a perfect mix of fiction and facts as readers get to learn about the horrific event of Ocsarville and Lake Lanier throughout this story.

It is a quick read with a great cast of characters that kept me guessing until the last pages.

"The only way they’re gonna learn is if we force them not to forget."

Thank you to NetGalley and Sterling & Stone for the review copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Taylor attends a private school in Atlanta on a basketball scholarship, when her and some friends ate caught shoplifting, her friends throw Taylor under the bus and she is sent to camp Lanier. It has a bad reputation. good story.

**Book Review: "Camp Lanier"**

In "Camp Lanier," Sylvester Barzey delivers a compelling and chilling tale that goes beyond traditional ghost stories, weaving together themes of identity, history, and the haunting legacies of the past. This gripping horror novel follows Taylor Johnson, a young woman caught in a precarious situation after taking the fall for her wealthy friends during a shoplifting incident. Her punishment? A summer spent working at Camp Lanier, a place steeped in urban legends and dark secrets.

From the outset, Barzey immerses readers in a rich narrative that captures Taylor's internal struggles and her skepticism toward the eerie rumors surrounding Camp Lanier. The camp's history—rooted in the displacement of a Black community to create the lake—adds a poignant layer of social commentary that resonates deeply throughout the story. As Taylor navigates her summer, the echoes of the past become impossible to ignore, and the haunting atmosphere is palpable.

The novel expertly builds tension as Taylor begins to hear cries in the night and grapples with the chilling disappearances of fellow campers. Barzey’s skillful writing evokes a sense of dread that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The combination of supernatural elements and the real-life horror of the Atlanta Ripper creates a uniquely unsettling backdrop, blurring the lines between myth and reality. Taylor’s determination to uncover the truth, even as she confronts her own fears, makes her a relatable and compelling protagonist.

Barzey’s exploration of race and community adds depth to the narrative, addressing the complexities of growing up Black in America while facing systemic injustices. The camp becomes a microcosm of these larger societal issues, and Taylor’s journey toward self-discovery is both thrilling and meaningful.

"Camp Lanier" is not just a horror story; it is a thoughtful meditation on history, trauma, and the resilience of Black voices. The blend of urban legend, supernatural horror, and real-world stakes creates a captivating reading experience that lingers long after the last page.

In conclusion, "Camp Lanier" is a standout addition to the horror genre, offering scares that are both profound and thought-provoking. Sylvester Barzey has crafted a novel that will resonate with readers who appreciate a story that delves into the complexities of identity while delivering genuine thrills. Highly recommended for fans of horror looking for a fresh and impactful narrative!

Camp Lanier is YA horror with roots in actual history. I am finding more and more that I really enjoy books that take some sort of real issue and put a horrific spin on it and/or really make you think about it as a reader.

The book begins as our MC Taylor, who attends a private Atlanta school on a basketball scholarship, is thrown under the bus by her "friends" and is sentenced to work release at a summer camp after shoplifting some lip gloss. Taylor is allowed to work as an alternate counselor, which she soon finds out is the best possible option for someone in the work release program, as all the other workers wear red jumpsuits and perform hard labor. But that's not all that is strange about the camp. Soon she starts hearing screaming that only she can hear and seeing a little girl dressed in a white gown around the camp. The book escalates as Taylor befriends her cabin mate, Victoria, and others around camp and they begin to learn the history of the camp and the lake itself. What they ultimately discover leaves a story packed with all the campfire creepy vibes, eerie atmospheres, supernatural elements and actual historical moments into the story.

Oh, and the cover is AWESOME!

4.5/5 stars!

Wow. I came into this read with very mid expectations because I haven’t been very into YA this year at all. I LOVED this book so much! It was a very quick read with a good amount of black history, Georgia history, and fiction/horror. I would highly recommend to anyone but I just know if I had read this in highschool it would have been truly 5/5 for me! The horror was pretty light and so were the themes of racism and class throughout which makes it an IMPORTANT read with IMPORTANT themes and topics but not emotionally overwhelming. I am going to have this book on my mind for a while!


Thank you NETGALLEY so much for this ARC!

Taylor is made to go to camp for community service. The camp has weird rules. The counselors are nice but the daughter of the owner is bossy.
Thanks to publisher Sterling and Stone and to Netgalley for the ARC.

Thanks to Sterling and Stone and Netgalley for this copy in exchange for a honest review.

Camp Lanier explores themes of grief, peer pressure, generational prejudice and racism in this supernatural, campy YA horror story that skirts the fringes of creepy, and very nicely, at times. Taylor who is Black must complete community service at an all-white, privileged camp on a lake which may or may not be haunted.

I loved the aspect of historical horror in Camp Lanier. I also thoroughly enjoyed the beginning of the book, which skillfully captures how easy it is for a good kid to get caught in the snare of peer pressure and suffer real world consequences as a result of poor choices. The dialogue and social dynamic, particularly the depiction of Chanel A and Chanel B, were a real highlight in this story and masterfully done. There was really something authentic and captivating there! Had the story continued at this level, it would have been a home run.

As the story progressed, I struggled with some of the pacing and the plot. It wrapped up too quickly, after a rather muddy and messy culmination, which felt anticlimactic. Yet, that’s not what gave me the most difficulty. By the last third of the story, all the young characters’ dialogue merged into one identical sounding voice—there was no differentiation from the FMC’s voice, vernacular or narrative style, which was problematic for so many reasons.

Still, overall, Camp Lanier is a worthwhile cautionary campfire tale with some substance, lessons and messages, a few spooky moments, and an interesting concept, worth a read.

I really liked this book, it started a bit slow but when things started happening I was hooked. I enjoyed the characters and the haunted lake.

I really like this book, 🧡 it’s a mix of supernatural suspense and survival, set in a summer camp that turns nightmarish for its attendees. The premise is very solid, with the camp serving as a central point for mysterious happenings, and the tension builds effectively throughout the book. 🫠🫠🫠🫠 the creepy atmosphere is beautiful, and the stakes feel high, keeping me engaged as the characters face off against deadly forces.🤗

However, the character development falls somewhat flat at times, with certain characters lacking depth or consistency. While the story is fast-paced, some plot points feel rushed or underexplored, leaving me wanting for more details and explanation behind the supernatural elements.

The book excels in its ability to maintain suspense and deliver unexpected twists, but its lack of character complexity and occasional pacing issues bring it down a notch. Overall, I’d give it 3.5 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ —an enjoyable read with room for improvement in world-building and character development.

This book was tough to put down and while I found the ending to be relatively predicable I still found it very surprising and well done. Really good YA horror and considering its subject matter I had a lot of fun reading it.

Taylor was a great character and her narration was both hilarious and heartbreaking, which is what made it fun for me. The book felt too referential at times but I also really appreciated its self awareness and its use of reference to critique racism within the genre.

Thank you to netgalley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ☺️

Camp Lanier follows Taylor, a Black private school student who gets sent to a community service program for at-risk youths at a summer camp after getting caught shoplifting. The camp is surrounded by a haunting urban legend that claims an all-Black town was forced to create the lake. Rumor has it underneath the water lies the original town. Taylor believes it’s just a scare tactic to keep kids careful when swimming. Except, the family who runs the camp keeps making thinly veiled, racist comments. As Taylor bonds with a fellow camp counsellor and other at-risk youths, things turn from bad to worse. She can hear someone screaming at night and Taylor has to figure out the truth before she ends up like the people in the lake.

This is such a fun horror! It’s so reminiscent of Get Out. I loved the setting—summer camps are so superior for horror. This is a great summer or October read. The plot is really engaging, and while there were a couple slow points, it kept my interest. There’s definitely a haunted and hunted kind of vibe throughout the novel. The atmosphere was on point. While I found some parts predictable, it was still enjoyable. The ending was well done and satisfying.

I liked the main character. Taylor was a mostly smart mc. I liked that she knew the classic horror tropes and was trying to keep herself safe. Victoria was a really good friend and I enjoyed their scenes together. I liked Mia and Liam too—they were good additions once Taylor met them. The history scenes were really interesting and the lake lore was fascinating.

Overall, this is a fun horror novel if you loved Get Out or horror set at summer camps!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Sterling and Stone and Netgalley for this copy in exchange for my review.

The cover and subject of Lake Lanier caught my attention. This was a quick read, got done with it in only a few days, but it was very well written. Usually I don't go for YA, but I still found myself enjoying the story and the chills Barzey weaved into many of the scenes. Perfect read to get me into spooky season.

This is a great YA summertime read. It is spooky, has relatable and lovable characters, and checks the boxes for what I wanted to read as Summer turns into Fall.

Let me start by saying, I wish I had not just read The Reformatory because I think I was unable to give this a fair chance. The stories are very similar with this one feeling like a YA or softened version of Tananarive Due‘s haunting tale. That said, I enjoyed MC Taylor who is easy to cheer on, subtle nods to the hope genre that are scattered like easter eggs, and the author’s note at the end that show us the real and horrific truth that spawned the idea for this story. The topics explored here (racism, classism, homophobia) are done so with a somewhat mild approach which did not feel necessary. Our history is ugly and I think it is always honest to show just how ugly. I wish the author had leaned into these themes more heavily into the story rather than in the authors note. If you follow this book with The Reformatory, rather than the other way around, this serves as a good gateway to very dark and real terrors in our history that is more suited to a younger audience.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Sterling & Stone for an ARC of Camp Lanier! I just want to start off by saying that Barzey KNOWS his horror trivia! When he quoted Rob Zombie's Halloween, (Which I knew the line right off the bat before it was clarified) I knew I was in for a treat, I don't think those movies get enough love so I appreciated his little nod to it. Where do I really begin with this novel, I loved everything about it. Taylor is a final girl that I can really get behind, no stranger to tragedy but still with a fighting spirit, what is not to love about a character like that. She gets her eyes opened up to a lot more than she ever could have bargained for, and without spoilers I really love the answer to her why me? "Because you've been dying to scream, and I hope if I pushed you long enough, you'd scream for us, too." The fact that this book is based off history is beyond devastating, but I love that Barzey's objective is to educate about it, they say if we do not learn from our history then we are doomed to repeat it. The fact that I have heard that Sun Down towns STILL exist just sickens me. We really have to do better than what we are doing now. Taylor doesn't want to be the typical "angry black girl" but she gets her point across with her flow of words and her confidence. I loved this character so much and I would love to see more of her in the future. Barzey does such a good job of incorporating current events as well as the past and he is just so educated over the things he writes about (not just horror quips) I want to say so much more about this book, it was sad and scary and moving and I blew through it because I just couldn't put it down. I look forward to reading all of his catalog because I know for a fact that he will NOT disappoint.

Another book I was so intrigued to read because of a beautiful cover. This is a YA horror book. It was easy to read and can easily be read in a sitting or two.

I enjoyed this. I didn’t have high expectations knowing it was a YA and would be a little on the juvenile side. But to me it was not bad at all. I think this can definitely still read by adults of all ages.

It was nostalgic in the best ways. Summer camp, backstabbing friends, deeper meanings beyond the little things and undertones of greater world issues going on as well. It was also Ghosty, creepy and fun.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.