Synopsis:
The night uncovers all we wish not to see.
A troubled man enters a dusky park before sunset. A young woman follows, hidden in shadow. Both have returned to the park to take back something the past has stolen from them, to make right six long years of suffering, and to find justice or perhaps redemption—or maybe they’ll settle for some old-fashioned revenge.
But something evil is alive and awake in those woods, creatures that care nothing for human motivations. They’re driven by their own insatiable need: a ravenous, bottomless hunger.
The campgrounds are full tonight, and the creatures are starving. Before the night is over, they will feed.
An unrelenting tale of terror from Jason Parent, acclaimed author of People of the Sun and What Hides Within.
Via Goodreads
Review:
Jason Parent’s They Feed has been on my radar for quite some time. A few months ago I snagged a galley of it. Things got in the way, but I finally found the time to sit down and straight up devour this title.
Set in Galveston National Park in Kansas, They Feed is the terrifying story of a what goes bump in the night. When a few groups, for completely different reasons, end up stranded in the dark, they quickly find themselves pitted against an unknown enemy that seems almost invincible, and every bit vicious. Can they survive until sunrise?
Let’s face it. When it comes to horror books, characters are dispensable. It’s hard to really get attached to anyone because we expect them to die. Therefore I’m always pleasantly surprised when there’s any amount of character development–and Parent’s stuffed this book with it. We’ve got a loathsome woman that, despite not being able to stand, I found myself cheering for. An angsty, delinquent teenager with redeemable qualities. A former convict. A group of frat boys behaving stupidly. All of these are present in this book, and Parent writes them in a way that had me both loving and hating several of them. (I cheered more than once.)
Plotwise, the book is pretty straightforward. It does switch perspectives, but thankfully it doesn’t alternate between past and present. This made the story flow really well, alongside perfect pacing on Parent’s part. There were also times I found my heart racing as I hoped for certain outcomes, and having that edge-of-your-seat thrill is one of my favorite feelings.
This is the first book I’ve read by Jason Parent, but it definitely won’t be the last. Let me put it this way: I’m even less likely to go camping now than I would have been last week. I’d like to thank NetGalley and Sinister Grin Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 💀💀💀💀
