It’s a local legend. No one is sure if this “Camp Slaughter” place is real or not. But a group of college kids renting out a cabin deep in the woods of Pennsylvania will soon realize the truth. They’ll realize the danger, too. Or rather, the cannibal out in the woods will bring the danger to them…
Camp Slaughter
By sergiogomez
I really enjoyed this book. There are so many books I buy these days that I have to edit in my head as I read along, which makes me give up and put them down. Camp Slaughter definitely wasn’t one of them.
I can be a slow reader when I’m not really enjoying a book, but I found myself anticipating reading time and being eager to pick this read back up. I finished pretty quickly too.
I hate when people review my books with spoilers, so I’m going to try to complete this review without giving too much away.
The book started off with what I thought was a big, shocking surprise. Both the description of the intruder and the way he spoke to his prey pulled me in and made me feel uneasy. I definitely wanted to read more.
The killer was an interesting character. I thought the author did an excellent job of bringing the reader inside his head and showing just how muddled his thoughts were. There was that needed shift when it was time to see what was running through his mind.
I also liked the pacing of the story. There was plenty of time to get to know the characters and find out what made them tick. I knew what they wanted and what drove them. When someone was killed, I got to know them well enough to feel sorry for them and get that little gut punch when you saw them snuffed out inside your mind.
I was surprised by one survivor. There were definitely deaths that shocked me, and I could hear myself saying, “Oh wow, they’re really dead.” I did get some predictions for survivors wrong, and I like being surprised like that.
I also thought the author did a good job of maintaining the horror element without over-the-top, too-heavy gore. I don’t like excessive gore, and I know that’s a personal preference, but It was just like the right amount to be scary without being so gross it ruins the story. I did feel anxiety and, at times, fear when imagining the villain in this novel, and there were enough details in the backstories to make everyone more interesting. I loved how the tension built while the reader gets to know all the players.
The only reason I’m taking away a star is because of a couple of small plot holes that bugged me a tad. There was one point where someone clearly should’ve bled to death much faster than they did, which made that part of the story lack realism for me. I also didn’t understand why, after several murders and missing persons, the killer’s hideout wasn’t found. I would think the police would’ve thoroughly combed that area…and a few teenagers didn’t struggle to come upon it. But in the grand scheme of things, that wasn’t a huge deal for me. Maybe the police in that area weren’t the best. If that had been thrown it, it would’ve tied that whole mystery together.
I enjoyed the book and will definitely read more by this author. There were many scary moments to satisfy the horror junkie in me and enough details about the characters to make me care about their fates. Lots of little details to add to the experience, also. If I came across the monster from this book in real life, I would be terrified beyond reason.
This was an intense read!
A small backstory:
A cabin out in the woods named Camp Slaughter has been known for bad things happening out there with murders and disappearances. Some friends decide to go out there to investigate as they want to see if the rumors are true. In the meantime, two paranormal investigators also want to check out the place as they think it might be haunted.
Unbeknownst to all of them is that a crazed cannibal maniac lives out in the woods and he uses the cabin as his home. Who lives and who dies? No spoilers here as you will just have to read the book!
Thoughts:
The story was really good, but it took me to almost 65% before anything actually happened with the crazed cannibal guy. There was a smattering of a couple of things, but the crap didn’t hit the fan for the friends and investigators till after the 65% mark. By that time the story goes into full action gore mode and it is non-stop till the end of the book. Normally I put down a book that isn’t grabbing me right away and keeps up the intensity, but I was drawn into the storyline as I was hoping for something to happen, so I just kept reading. Thankfully the story took off when the gore started flying. Giving this book four “splatter” stars!
Wow! Chainsaw Massacre 2.0! This is a good old cannibalistic maniac story within a creepy, haunted camp ground. Blood, guts dismembered limbs galore! That said, it was an entertaining read!
Straight up Campy Slasher!
I grew up watching all the best slasher films and reading great campy horror. It’s exactly what I was hoping for when I purchased this book after reading the synopsis. Excellent detail, gruesome bloody scenes, murder and mayhem, and just so much more. Also, the fact that it has an open ending , which means sequel? YES PLEASE!!
I savored it like slow sipping a delicious cup of coffee with cream!
Great old-fashioned horror book! Hard to find these days.
A different twist on Friday the 13th. I thought the author did a good job in general, but something was missing.
This story had some serious Texas Chainsaw Massacre vibes, and I enjoyed it. It takes place in the woods where a huge man with an interesting background effortlessly murders (among other things) his victims. This book is full of gore, and I like to call it “tamed gore” because it didn’t make my stomach churn like some other books I’ve read. There are many victims- rather than a few that you get to know really well-which made the killings less personal, which some readers prefer.
The one word I would use to describe this book is SLASHER! So if you enjoy a good slasher, this is perfect for you.