Hell Spring

A thrilling tale of sin. One that takes you back in time. Murder, guilt, lust are just some of the sins a demon could feed from in this small town horror. I enjoyed the book. It was my first one from this author and I’m looking forward to reading more from them.

This was my first Isaac Thorne novel and let me just say this, it will not be my last! I’m about to go buy all his other works. I fell deeply into this dark, twisted story from the very beginning and devoured it.
I liked that we got to know each and every character and their story individually. It helped me feel connected to each and every one of them.
The story and plot was unique and horrific. I had to keep reading to find out what happened next! Isaac Thorne’s descriptive writing style left little to the imagination and painted a perfect picture with words.
I truly enjoyed this novel and author. I can’t wait to recommend it to others.

Hell Spring is one of those books that keep on giving horror after horror while also engaging you in the characters. It takes some tropes of the genre and the author completely makes them his own, adding twists and turns that keeps the reader wanting to learn more.

Eight people trapped in a general store during a "storm of the century" type disaster is bad enough. Add to it a creature from hell masked in human form and things go from bad to worse. And this creature is hungry and needs to feed.

We learn about the characters and each one feels shameful of some supposed "sin" of theirs. These feelings of guilt, shame, and regret are the food this creature needs to survive... with horrifying bloody results.

I entirely enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to others.

Cosmic horror is quickly becoming one of my most favorite things to read and this one is a perfect addition to any cosmic horror lovers bookshelves!
You’ve got a 100-year flood (I appreciated the eco horror addition and afterword focusing on climate change), close proximity/stranded people, demons and a whole lot of weirdness.
The characters in this story are so well developed that I began to feel like I knew them personally! (Yes, even Marilyn.)
This book gets added points for being set in Tennessee without portraying the residents as total dumb hicks. As an Tennessean, I am grateful to that.
Hell Spring is tense and unique. I think it will be real treat for all lovers of fine horror stories!

3.75 stars
This was such a good and fun read! It hit all the genre notes perfectly. I will definitely be in the lookout for more by this author.

Hell Spring by Isaac Thorne Is bloody, gruesome, graphic and gory. Weak hearts should not read this. If this was a movie, I would have covered my eyes during a few scenes. Beyond the graphic horror of this book is a fascinating story about guilt and morality. The beautiful Marilyn Monroe on the cover is not what she seems and it takes a while for all the plot points to come together. But once they do, things move wild and fast. It's very bleak but has a charming ending. Thanks to NetGalley, Isaac Thorne and Lost Hollow books for the arc.

This book started of so strangely, like a fever dream, that I almost put it down before the story really got started. I'm really glad I stuck with it. The writing and editing was good, and the story was very creative, which I loved.

There were several themes here - time and aging, lots of religious abuse and confusion as well as some positive religious references, the conflict between sin and secrets and being trapped by those, superficial perfection. It was actually pretty deep if you step outside of the story and look at the meaning.

The story takes place in the 1950s. Six people and an infant are trapped by a flash flood in the small-town grocery store. Most of them are dealing with the guilt of their very recent sins. As these thoughts are swimming through their heads, a naked stranger shows up who looks exactly like Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn hides the deepest secret of them all, that she's a demon from hell who feeds on the negative emotion and sins of others. Time seems to stand still over the next 72 hours that the strangers are trapped in the store by the rising creek that surrounds them, and they all experience drastic experiences during that time - both mentally and physically. I don't want to give it away, but this book is a hell of a ride!

Hell Spring by Isaac Thorne.
In the twilight of March 21, 1955, eight people take cover in their local general store while a thundering torrent and flash flooding threatens life and livelihood alike. None of the eight are everything they claim to be. But only one of them hungers for human souls, flesh, and blood. An overflowing waterway destroys their only path of escape. The tiny band of survivors is forced to confront themselves and each other when a peculiar stranger with a famous face tries to pick them off one by one. Can the neighbors survive the predator in their midst as well as the 100-year flood that drowns the small town of Lost Hollow?Or will they become victims of the night the townsfolk all remember as Hell Spring?
A dark and twisted read. Absolutely loved it. 5*.

This was such an unique read that has left me wanting to read more by this author. It was dark, twisty and creepy. The writing was superb with a cast of extremely well developed characters and perfect pacing. I was compltely gripped

This felt like being the nosy neighbor, but with all the information and no way to help the cast of characters.

Small town Tennessee. 1955. Set during a "100-year flood" a group of people find themselves stranded in the local general store. One of them is not what at all what they seem to be. The stranger, in fact, feeds on guilt and shame. A thing which you can imagine is available in droves.

The story is told through multiple POVs, with the switches happening at chapter changes, so it's not terribly jarring. Chapter one is a bit wild. It is worth it if you aren't used to that type of setting. (very cosmic horror vibes) It sets the background of the protagonist and helps you understand what's happening.

Each person has a full backstory and is well fleshed out which is what satiated my inner Gladys Kravitz. A claustrophobic horror that shows sometimes the humans are just as scary as the monsters. If you like isolation horror, this is for you.

I will say that his writing and descriptions are beautiful. Often, I will lose interest when a book is this descriptive and to find it didn't take me out of the story was a pleasant surprise. I'll definitely be checking out Thone's other work.

I have never read a horror book that made me choke up at the end, but Hell Spring by Isaac Thorne has changed that. The first few chapters are told by different POV‘s such as Eli who feels guilty for taking gods name in vain and saying bad words ten-day is Donna Who killed her husband Cliff after beating her up and then threatening their newborn Theo. Then there’s Peter, he is in love with Sam Brooks a black man from town in the 1950s being gay and in a biracial relationship isn’t something you flaunt around town. They have just as many POV that I am not mentioning because there’s too many but the one I will mention is Marilyn, A shape shifting Cynthian being that feeds off of guilt and remorse even see will find refuge in the beard grocery store during the thunderous rainfall and she’ll be hungry. Not everyone makes it out the grocery store and when they do the surrounding land will not look like anything they’ve seen before. This book whistle, so good I thought this was a great Book and if you love horror then consider Isaac Thorne one of the best. I have read all the books by him and definitely can’t wait to read more. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This is a wildly entertaining horror story about a group of strangers trapped together in a store during a thunderstorm. A really engrossing read that is quite claustrophobic at times but tons of fun.