sarag19's review against another edition
4.0
***ARC received from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***
Its not often that I pick up a horror book, they used to be my main read for years back when I was a teen but I am glad that I picked up this book as it was a frighteningly good read.
Following two points of view, Ben Bookman on the cusp of publishing his newest novel and Winchester Mills a homicide detective investigating the towns newest homicide. Both are the perfect characters to be driving the story. Ben is a bit of an unreliable narrator as he tries to piece together what happened to him up to the publication of his book. Mills is a detective pushing himself to the edge his job the most that he has. The book does a great job of weaving their stories together, Ben and Mills are more interconnected than might originally seem. I loved the way that the book did this for most of the characters, they are all connected in some way back to the Bookman family and the asylum that they have run for years.
While this book had some graphic scenes I found it more of a psychological horror book, its not about gore and axe wielders although they are certainly there. Its about the horror of our nightmares about what scares us. To say more would unfortunately give away too much of the plot.
The writing was really good, the author does a great way of bringing emotions to life. It is written between the present and the before, letting us have more information on Ben and Mills. It also drops nice little foreshadowing for the future. I never found anything to graphic or described in details that would gross a reader out. Most of the graphic scenes take place off page, which is fine with me. I’d rather a book focus on the atmosphere and creepiness of horror than just blood and guts every page.
My one real complaint is that the climax of the book tries to do to much with too little time left over. Everything feels crammed right into the last few chapters and that unfortunately robbed many of the scenes of being really scary. Critical scenes were rushed and with too many characters it made everything feel chaotic instead of frightening. I get what the author was trying to do but it felt designed for the end of a multi book series we as the reader read and not a stand alone with a multi book series 4within its pages.
In the end I still really enjoyed this book, staying up way to late in the night wanting to know what came next.
Its not often that I pick up a horror book, they used to be my main read for years back when I was a teen but I am glad that I picked up this book as it was a frighteningly good read.
Following two points of view, Ben Bookman on the cusp of publishing his newest novel and Winchester Mills a homicide detective investigating the towns newest homicide. Both are the perfect characters to be driving the story. Ben is a bit of an unreliable narrator as he tries to piece together what happened to him up to the publication of his book. Mills is a detective pushing himself to the edge his job the most that he has. The book does a great job of weaving their stories together, Ben and Mills are more interconnected than might originally seem. I loved the way that the book did this for most of the characters, they are all connected in some way back to the Bookman family and the asylum that they have run for years.
While this book had some graphic scenes I found it more of a psychological horror book, its not about gore and axe wielders although they are certainly there. Its about the horror of our nightmares about what scares us. To say more would unfortunately give away too much of the plot.
The writing was really good, the author does a great way of bringing emotions to life. It is written between the present and the before, letting us have more information on Ben and Mills. It also drops nice little foreshadowing for the future. I never found anything to graphic or described in details that would gross a reader out. Most of the graphic scenes take place off page, which is fine with me. I’d rather a book focus on the atmosphere and creepiness of horror than just blood and guts every page.
My one real complaint is that the climax of the book tries to do to much with too little time left over. Everything feels crammed right into the last few chapters and that unfortunately robbed many of the scenes of being really scary. Critical scenes were rushed and with too many characters it made everything feel chaotic instead of frightening. I get what the author was trying to do but it felt designed for the end of a multi book series we as the reader read and not a stand alone with a multi book series 4within its pages.
In the end I still really enjoyed this book, staying up way to late in the night wanting to know what came next.
chantalsbookstuff's review against another edition
5.0
This cover just ropes you in. It suggests horror, nightmares and keeping the light on at night. I was not disappointed! With multiple POV's and plot lines twisted in one it brings everything you want to keep turning the pages. The character building starts from page one and surprisingly continues right to the end. With so many different characters I could easily keep up and that is testament of good writing skills. The plot lines was amazing in the way that it played out. I had a small idea on the twist line but was still pleasantly surprised at how intricate and detailed it turned out.
Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
sequoviah's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
mbeach's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
leah__reads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
kerasalwaysreading's review against another edition
4.0
This book was riveting and definitely not something that you want to read before bed.
This was equal parts supernatural thriller and crime thriller and it was thoroughly scary. I love the book within a book trope, and this was great because it was a horror novel about a horror writer and events inside his books becoming reality. Crimes, deaths, horrific acts are played out in real life to real people and a group of people in this book have to figure out how to stop it from continuing, while trying to determine who is responsible.
The nightmare sequences in this book are terrifying and written in such a way that it really painted the picture of the fear in the vividness. I found the characters all quite interesting even if some were unlikable. I really look forward to reading what suspenseful books this author brings us next.
This was equal parts supernatural thriller and crime thriller and it was thoroughly scary. I love the book within a book trope, and this was great because it was a horror novel about a horror writer and events inside his books becoming reality. Crimes, deaths, horrific acts are played out in real life to real people and a group of people in this book have to figure out how to stop it from continuing, while trying to determine who is responsible.
The nightmare sequences in this book are terrifying and written in such a way that it really painted the picture of the fear in the vividness. I found the characters all quite interesting even if some were unlikable. I really look forward to reading what suspenseful books this author brings us next.
dadu's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sprinklesofspooky's review against another edition
4.0
The Nightmare Man is a deliciously creepy novel that features nightmare worthy scenes of horror, twists and turns, an asylum(!!!), and so much more.
This is reminiscent of old school horror novels, and is sure to give the reader the chills or leave them slack jawed and wanting more.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the digital arc. My opinions are my own.
This is reminiscent of old school horror novels, and is sure to give the reader the chills or leave them slack jawed and wanting more.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the digital arc. My opinions are my own.
obitus's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
chloelouise_xiv's review against another edition
4.0
I was really torn on whether to rate this 3 or 4 stars, as there was a lot I loved about the book, but also a fair bit I didn’t. Ultimately though, I thought this was a unique take on the crime/horror genre and i’d love to read more books like it, the execution of this one was just a bit muddled at times. I especially loved the range of “nightmares” and their individual personas - I wish they could have each had their own moment on centre stage for a while!