aly36's review
4.0
I liked this creepy, scary book. The narrator did a great job again and I loved how he may his voice a bit different for the characters. Dream Woods was a scary place once and some how it reopens to be scarier. The story made me think a little of Six Flags and Disney but a creepy one of each. I could see this as a horror movie in my mind if done correctly. *This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.*
thomaswjoyce's review
5.0
The first thing you notice with this book will be that cover by Kelly Martin and Scott Carpenter. We can see the typical fairground attractions in the background, and that is great. That is what we are led to believe the theme park Dream Woods is all about. But then there is Sebastian, the furry overgrown mascot for the park, standing in the foreground and looking less huggable than a cactus crawling with scorpions. And take note of the portcullis in the archway with the stone gargoyle to the side. These elements foreshadow the horrors to come. This is not Sleeping Beauty’s castle from Disneyland. Dream Woods is no ordinary theme park…
But the story begins with an ordinary man, Vince Carter. Now a family man, Vince was once the frontman for a punk-rock band, complete with mohawk and tattoos all over his body. Nowadays, the mohawk is gone and he hides the tattoos beneath long-sleeved shirts in accordance with his accountancy firm’s personal appearance policy. While driving to work one morning, Vince notices a billboard advertising that Dream Woods, the scene of one of the best holidays of his life as a child, has reopened. He goes into a state of reminiscence and becomes convinced that this is just the kind of break his own fractured family needs to heal themselves and come together.
The point-of-view jumps from one member of the family to the other as the story progresses, giving us a glimpse into the minds of the mother, Audra, and ten-year-old twins, Tim (who suffers from diabetes) and Andrew (who suffers from being overlooked in favour of his sickly sibling). Lacey presents a picture of familial disharmony where the parents are withdrawn from one another, only conversing when they need to and in a very business-like way, and where the brothers argue with each other non-stop, the source of the tension usually Andrew’s bullying of Tim. This dysfunction will come to a head when they embark on their family vacation to Dream Woods.
There are all sorts of rumours regarding the reason for the park’s closure in the late eighties, from serial killers to cults to aliens, but Vince ignores all of these and rubbishes any concerns his family may have about what lies beyond the park’s gates. He is convinced it will be the magic tonic to cure all their worries. But Lacey manages to weave in discouraging signs from the moment they set off on their commute to the park. First they meet a local at a gas station who tries, and fails, to persuade Vince that the park is still closed. Then even Vince begins to have his doubts as they drive through the countryside and get closer to where the park should be, but there is no immediate sign, just trees and mountains and the country road.
The author manages to do this all through the book, sprinkling the story with unnerving details that make the Carter family, and the reader, doubt what is happening. Are all of these events really happening to them? Is some of it merely imagined? Indeed, things do not get any clearer after they arrive at the park, from the creepy employees to the screams of the patrons, seemingly joyous to begin with but easily turning to screams of horror in the blink of an eye. This method of storytelling keeps the reader on edge and unsure of what is to come next.
It doesn’t take long for the underlying tensions afflicting the Carter’s to come to the fore and it is at this moment that the antagonist, the sinister and otherworldly Director of the park, chooses to rip the veil aside and reveal the true nature of the park and its employees to the patrons. At this point, we are still less than halfway through the book. But at no point before did the story feel rushed and at no point after did it feel as though the story were dragging. Lacey handled the pacing well, giving us enough background in the first half of the book to feel invested in the Carter family and realise that something is very wrong with the theme park and also giving enough space in the last half to fully resolve all of the threads of the story in a satisfactory manner. We never reached the point where we wanted to put the book down. We were gripped from start to finish.
Overall, Lacey shows a great deal of potential with this book. It is an accomplished and entertaining read full of drama and great storytelling, not to mention he handles the gory scenes very well. It is a thrilling, tilt-a-whirl story where the veil of reality is stretched thin and the horror is gleefully, and skilfully, unleashed upon the reader. If you are a fan of creepy and unnerving tales with a dash of well-written family dysfunction, you should give Patrick Lacey’s latest story a shot.
But the story begins with an ordinary man, Vince Carter. Now a family man, Vince was once the frontman for a punk-rock band, complete with mohawk and tattoos all over his body. Nowadays, the mohawk is gone and he hides the tattoos beneath long-sleeved shirts in accordance with his accountancy firm’s personal appearance policy. While driving to work one morning, Vince notices a billboard advertising that Dream Woods, the scene of one of the best holidays of his life as a child, has reopened. He goes into a state of reminiscence and becomes convinced that this is just the kind of break his own fractured family needs to heal themselves and come together.
The point-of-view jumps from one member of the family to the other as the story progresses, giving us a glimpse into the minds of the mother, Audra, and ten-year-old twins, Tim (who suffers from diabetes) and Andrew (who suffers from being overlooked in favour of his sickly sibling). Lacey presents a picture of familial disharmony where the parents are withdrawn from one another, only conversing when they need to and in a very business-like way, and where the brothers argue with each other non-stop, the source of the tension usually Andrew’s bullying of Tim. This dysfunction will come to a head when they embark on their family vacation to Dream Woods.
There are all sorts of rumours regarding the reason for the park’s closure in the late eighties, from serial killers to cults to aliens, but Vince ignores all of these and rubbishes any concerns his family may have about what lies beyond the park’s gates. He is convinced it will be the magic tonic to cure all their worries. But Lacey manages to weave in discouraging signs from the moment they set off on their commute to the park. First they meet a local at a gas station who tries, and fails, to persuade Vince that the park is still closed. Then even Vince begins to have his doubts as they drive through the countryside and get closer to where the park should be, but there is no immediate sign, just trees and mountains and the country road.
The author manages to do this all through the book, sprinkling the story with unnerving details that make the Carter family, and the reader, doubt what is happening. Are all of these events really happening to them? Is some of it merely imagined? Indeed, things do not get any clearer after they arrive at the park, from the creepy employees to the screams of the patrons, seemingly joyous to begin with but easily turning to screams of horror in the blink of an eye. This method of storytelling keeps the reader on edge and unsure of what is to come next.
It doesn’t take long for the underlying tensions afflicting the Carter’s to come to the fore and it is at this moment that the antagonist, the sinister and otherworldly Director of the park, chooses to rip the veil aside and reveal the true nature of the park and its employees to the patrons. At this point, we are still less than halfway through the book. But at no point before did the story feel rushed and at no point after did it feel as though the story were dragging. Lacey handled the pacing well, giving us enough background in the first half of the book to feel invested in the Carter family and realise that something is very wrong with the theme park and also giving enough space in the last half to fully resolve all of the threads of the story in a satisfactory manner. We never reached the point where we wanted to put the book down. We were gripped from start to finish.
Overall, Lacey shows a great deal of potential with this book. It is an accomplished and entertaining read full of drama and great storytelling, not to mention he handles the gory scenes very well. It is a thrilling, tilt-a-whirl story where the veil of reality is stretched thin and the horror is gleefully, and skilfully, unleashed upon the reader. If you are a fan of creepy and unnerving tales with a dash of well-written family dysfunction, you should give Patrick Lacey’s latest story a shot.
lynn_k's review against another edition
4.0
A fun read, though it does have some problems- There are a massive amount of typos. Almost every chapter has at least one. These typos include using the wrong character name, repeating part of a sentence, missing words, and using wrong words. This is from a small press so I didn't get too hung up on it and I also really enjoyed the story...so that helped.
When I read amusement park horror this is what I'm looking for and what other books failed to deliver on (looking at you Adventureland). It was the perfect length for the story and if it wasn't for all the typos I probably would've flew through it in a few days.
When I read amusement park horror this is what I'm looking for and what other books failed to deliver on (looking at you Adventureland). It was the perfect length for the story and if it wasn't for all the typos I probably would've flew through it in a few days.
karlakayjenniges's review
4.0
I chose to read this because of a reading challenge. It was a recommendation from the group. Who doesn't love a theme park full of screams?! It was quite entertaining, I didn't love it, but I certainly enjoyed it. It made me think of Rob Zombie, Ray Bradbury, and all the funhouse flicks. Fun read!
read_writing_hood's review
2.0
The book was OK. I didn't dislike it, but I don't know that I would recommend it, either.
It's a quick read. The chapters are short and it's pretty fast-paced. Although, not really interesting and not scary at all.
There was a lot of repetitiveness. We were constantly being told about the dinosaur park being Vince's favorite part of the park, Vince and Audra tattoos, Audra making it to the highway, and Tim's diabetes. "Preternatural", "peripherals", and "pins and needles" were used a lot throughout the book.
The book is told through 5 different POVs. I didn't dislike any of the characters, but I also didn't care about any of them, either.
I think the most jarring part was the inconsistencies in the timeline of Audra and Vince's relationship and how old the twins (Tim and Andrew) were supposed to be. I think it was pretty obvious the twins were supposed to be pre-teens/ early teens (based on the way they talked and behaved and one of them mentioned having dirty magazines hidden under his mattress). But then, in chapter 5, when Vince is asked how long he and Audra have been married, he says, "[Audra and I] went together four years and then she got pregnant with the boys. We married a year later. It'll be six years this September." Which means the twins would only be seven at the oldest. Also, later when Audra is thinking back to the day she found out she was pregnant, it's stated, "There was something magical about the thought. She could bring life into the world with this man she'd known for just a year." Even though earlier it says they had been together for four years before she got pregnant.
Anyway. The fact that I just finished the book and this is what stands out most to me says a lot about how interesting this book is.
Again, I didn't dislike it. This is the book equivalent of that B horror movie on Netflix or Amazon Prime that you just watch because, ya know, why not. While it's somewhat entertaining at the time, ultimately it's pretty forgettable.
This book is good for anyone looking for a quick spooky read around Halloween or for fans of creepy pastas and r/nosleep stories.
It's a quick read. The chapters are short and it's pretty fast-paced. Although, not really interesting and not scary at all.
There was a lot of repetitiveness. We were constantly being told about the dinosaur park being Vince's favorite part of the park, Vince and Audra tattoos, Audra making it to the highway, and Tim's diabetes. "Preternatural", "peripherals", and "pins and needles" were used a lot throughout the book.
The book is told through 5 different POVs. I didn't dislike any of the characters, but I also didn't care about any of them, either.
I think the most jarring part was the inconsistencies in the timeline of Audra and Vince's relationship and how old the twins (Tim and Andrew) were supposed to be. I think it was pretty obvious the twins were supposed to be pre-teens/ early teens (based on the way they talked and behaved and one of them mentioned having dirty magazines hidden under his mattress). But then, in chapter 5, when Vince is asked how long he and Audra have been married, he says, "[Audra and I] went together four years and then she got pregnant with the boys. We married a year later. It'll be six years this September." Which means the twins would only be seven at the oldest. Also, later when Audra is thinking back to the day she found out she was pregnant, it's stated, "There was something magical about the thought. She could bring life into the world with this man she'd known for just a year." Even though earlier it says they had been together for four years before she got pregnant.
Anyway. The fact that I just finished the book and this is what stands out most to me says a lot about how interesting this book is.
Again, I didn't dislike it. This is the book equivalent of that B horror movie on Netflix or Amazon Prime that you just watch because, ya know, why not. While it's somewhat entertaining at the time, ultimately it's pretty forgettable.
This book is good for anyone looking for a quick spooky read around Halloween or for fans of creepy pastas and r/nosleep stories.
thomaswjoyce's review against another edition
5.0
The first thing you notice with this book will be that cover by Kelly Martin and Scott Carpenter. We can see the typical fairground attractions in the background, and that is great. That is what we are led to believe the theme park Dream Woods is all about. But then there is Sebastian, the furry overgrown mascot for the park, standing in the foreground and looking less huggable than a cactus crawling with scorpions. And take note of the portcullis in the archway with the stone gargoyle to the side. These elements foreshadow the horrors to come. This is not Sleeping Beauty’s castle from Disneyland. Dream Woods is no ordinary theme park…
But the story begins with an ordinary man, Vince Carter. Now a family man, Vince was once the frontman for a punk-rock band, complete with mohawk and tattoos all over his body. Nowadays, the mohawk is gone and he hides the tattoos beneath long-sleeved shirts in accordance with his accountancy firm’s personal appearance policy. While driving to work one morning, Vince notices a billboard advertising that Dream Woods, the scene of one of the best holidays of his life as a child, has reopened. He goes into a state of reminiscence and becomes convinced that this is just the kind of break his own fractured family needs to heal themselves and come together.
The point-of-view jumps from one member of the family to the other as the story progresses, giving us a glimpse into the minds of the mother, Audra, and ten-year-old twins, Tim (who suffers from diabetes) and Andrew (who suffers from being overlooked in favour of his sickly sibling). Lacey presents a picture of familial disharmony where the parents are withdrawn from one another, only conversing when they need to and in a very business-like way, and where the brothers argue with each other non-stop, the source of the tension usually Andrew’s bullying of Tim. This dysfunction will come to a head when they embark on their family vacation to Dream Woods.
There are all sorts of rumours regarding the reason for the park’s closure in the late eighties, from serial killers to cults to aliens, but Vince ignores all of these and rubbishes any concerns his family may have about what lies beyond the park’s gates. He is convinced it will be the magic tonic to cure all their worries. But Lacey manages to weave in discouraging signs from the moment they set off on their commute to the park. First they meet a local at a gas station who tries, and fails, to persuade Vince that the park is still closed. Then even Vince begins to have his doubts as they drive through the countryside and get closer to where the park should be, but there is no immediate sign, just trees and mountains and the country road.
The author manages to do this all through the book, sprinkling the story with unnerving details that make the Carter family, and the reader, doubt what is happening. Are all of these events really happening to them? Is some of it merely imagined? Indeed, things do not get any clearer after they arrive at the park, from the creepy employees to the screams of the patrons, seemingly joyous to begin with but easily turning to screams of horror in the blink of an eye. This method of storytelling keeps the reader on edge and unsure of what is to come next.
It doesn’t take long for the underlying tensions afflicting the Carter’s to come to the fore and it is at this moment that the antagonist, the sinister and otherworldly Director of the park, chooses to rip the veil aside and reveal the true nature of the park and its employees to the patrons. At this point, we are still less than halfway through the book. But at no point before did the story feel rushed and at no point after did it feel as though the story were dragging. Lacey handled the pacing well, giving us enough background in the first half of the book to feel invested in the Carter family and realise that something is very wrong with the theme park and also giving enough space in the last half to fully resolve all of the threads of the story in a satisfactory manner. We never reached the point where we wanted to put the book down. We were gripped from start to finish.
Overall, Lacey shows a great deal of potential with this book. It is an accomplished and entertaining read full of drama and great storytelling, not to mention he handles the gory scenes very well. It is a thrilling, tilt-a-whirl story where the veil of reality is stretched thin and the horror is gleefully, and skilfully, unleashed upon the reader. If you are a fan of creepy and unnerving tales with a dash of well-written family dysfunction, you should give Patrick Lacey’s latest story a shot.
But the story begins with an ordinary man, Vince Carter. Now a family man, Vince was once the frontman for a punk-rock band, complete with mohawk and tattoos all over his body. Nowadays, the mohawk is gone and he hides the tattoos beneath long-sleeved shirts in accordance with his accountancy firm’s personal appearance policy. While driving to work one morning, Vince notices a billboard advertising that Dream Woods, the scene of one of the best holidays of his life as a child, has reopened. He goes into a state of reminiscence and becomes convinced that this is just the kind of break his own fractured family needs to heal themselves and come together.
The point-of-view jumps from one member of the family to the other as the story progresses, giving us a glimpse into the minds of the mother, Audra, and ten-year-old twins, Tim (who suffers from diabetes) and Andrew (who suffers from being overlooked in favour of his sickly sibling). Lacey presents a picture of familial disharmony where the parents are withdrawn from one another, only conversing when they need to and in a very business-like way, and where the brothers argue with each other non-stop, the source of the tension usually Andrew’s bullying of Tim. This dysfunction will come to a head when they embark on their family vacation to Dream Woods.
There are all sorts of rumours regarding the reason for the park’s closure in the late eighties, from serial killers to cults to aliens, but Vince ignores all of these and rubbishes any concerns his family may have about what lies beyond the park’s gates. He is convinced it will be the magic tonic to cure all their worries. But Lacey manages to weave in discouraging signs from the moment they set off on their commute to the park. First they meet a local at a gas station who tries, and fails, to persuade Vince that the park is still closed. Then even Vince begins to have his doubts as they drive through the countryside and get closer to where the park should be, but there is no immediate sign, just trees and mountains and the country road.
The author manages to do this all through the book, sprinkling the story with unnerving details that make the Carter family, and the reader, doubt what is happening. Are all of these events really happening to them? Is some of it merely imagined? Indeed, things do not get any clearer after they arrive at the park, from the creepy employees to the screams of the patrons, seemingly joyous to begin with but easily turning to screams of horror in the blink of an eye. This method of storytelling keeps the reader on edge and unsure of what is to come next.
It doesn’t take long for the underlying tensions afflicting the Carter’s to come to the fore and it is at this moment that the antagonist, the sinister and otherworldly Director of the park, chooses to rip the veil aside and reveal the true nature of the park and its employees to the patrons. At this point, we are still less than halfway through the book. But at no point before did the story feel rushed and at no point after did it feel as though the story were dragging. Lacey handled the pacing well, giving us enough background in the first half of the book to feel invested in the Carter family and realise that something is very wrong with the theme park and also giving enough space in the last half to fully resolve all of the threads of the story in a satisfactory manner. We never reached the point where we wanted to put the book down. We were gripped from start to finish.
Overall, Lacey shows a great deal of potential with this book. It is an accomplished and entertaining read full of drama and great storytelling, not to mention he handles the gory scenes very well. It is a thrilling, tilt-a-whirl story where the veil of reality is stretched thin and the horror is gleefully, and skilfully, unleashed upon the reader. If you are a fan of creepy and unnerving tales with a dash of well-written family dysfunction, you should give Patrick Lacey’s latest story a shot.
whateveryoneelseisreading's review against another edition
4.0
Horror is one of those genres that never really feels mainstream. More than any other book genre, I struggle to hear about horror and most recommendations that I do hear about are not big sellers. Dream Woods is the perfect example of the kind of gems that you can find simply by browsing through Kindle books and I am so glad I stumbled across it.
Dream Woods is a story about Vincent, an ageing rock star who sees a billboard advertising a theme park from his childhood. Dream Woods is a kind of Disneyland knockoff and though it closed down mysteriously several years ago, it appears to have reopened. He decides it is the perfect way to save his crumbling family as his wife is on the brink of leaving him and one of his kids struggles from life-threatening diabetes which puts a strain on all of them. When they arrive at the park, weird stuff starts happening and it becomes pure horror from there.
I LOVED the writing style of this book. Lacey perfectly sews the horror into the story, beginning with subtle, creepy images before developing it into full-blown horror. The park works by targeting each of the family members separately in different ways which leads to some really great moments of psychological creepiness. Too often horror can be over the top or comical and there is true skill here in the way it builds up an atmosphere. Even the overt stuff is done incredibly well and I was completely hypnotised and drawn in. It morphed into a kind of horror that I am not normally a fan of but in this instance, it was done so well and fit with the story that I enjoyed every minute of it.
I was also very impressed with the characters. These tend to be weak in most horror stories since they don't have to be strong for the plot or scary elements to work. Lacey manages to create a whole family of interesting people who actually feel like real people and who I became invested in. The husband/wife relationship was done excellently and fueled the horror rather than distracted from it. The sibling dynamic was similarly believable and a key part of the plot. It's so refreshing to read in the horror genre and it helped the subtle, psychological elements of the book along well.
Overall, this is a brilliant read for fans of old school horror. Horror things set at theme parks are a particular favourite of mine and I'm pleased the setting was used so well here. My only criticism was that I wanted more of this book, more of the creepy mascot and the lore behind it. I would genuinely read multiple books set in this world and I wanted to know every creepy thing that had ever happened here. If you like atmospheric horror with strong characters and interesting story, I could not recommend this more. It definitely deserves more attention.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Dream Woods is a story about Vincent, an ageing rock star who sees a billboard advertising a theme park from his childhood. Dream Woods is a kind of Disneyland knockoff and though it closed down mysteriously several years ago, it appears to have reopened. He decides it is the perfect way to save his crumbling family as his wife is on the brink of leaving him and one of his kids struggles from life-threatening diabetes which puts a strain on all of them. When they arrive at the park, weird stuff starts happening and it becomes pure horror from there.
I LOVED the writing style of this book. Lacey perfectly sews the horror into the story, beginning with subtle, creepy images before developing it into full-blown horror. The park works by targeting each of the family members separately in different ways which leads to some really great moments of psychological creepiness. Too often horror can be over the top or comical and there is true skill here in the way it builds up an atmosphere. Even the overt stuff is done incredibly well and I was completely hypnotised and drawn in. It morphed into a kind of horror that I am not normally a fan of but in this instance, it was done so well and fit with the story that I enjoyed every minute of it.
I was also very impressed with the characters. These tend to be weak in most horror stories since they don't have to be strong for the plot or scary elements to work. Lacey manages to create a whole family of interesting people who actually feel like real people and who I became invested in. The husband/wife relationship was done excellently and fueled the horror rather than distracted from it. The sibling dynamic was similarly believable and a key part of the plot. It's so refreshing to read in the horror genre and it helped the subtle, psychological elements of the book along well.
Overall, this is a brilliant read for fans of old school horror. Horror things set at theme parks are a particular favourite of mine and I'm pleased the setting was used so well here. My only criticism was that I wanted more of this book, more of the creepy mascot and the lore behind it. I would genuinely read multiple books set in this world and I wanted to know every creepy thing that had ever happened here. If you like atmospheric horror with strong characters and interesting story, I could not recommend this more. It definitely deserves more attention.
Overall Rating: 4/5
lauriereadslohf's review against another edition
4.0
Vince remembers Dream Woods through a pleasant veil of childhood memory. Even though bad things (murder, murder and more murder!) were rumored to have happened there and it was shut down years ago, Vince learns that the bloods been cleaned up and it’s been re-opened. He decides that it will be a most excellent vacation destination even if his wife would much rather head to a resort and lounge around a beach all day (I’m with her). He feels it will help bring his family closer together.
He is quite mistaken.
Right away things seem a little off. The people staffing the place aren’t quite right. They don’t seem completely . . . human? But Vince, the eternal optimist, holds out hope that this magical place will make his wife love him again.
Awwww. You can’t but help but root for the sap, right? His wife, who has already left her family once, seems to resent her husband for abandoning his anarchist roots and settling down into a real job after she becomes pregnant with twins, one who has diabetes. She reminded me a bit of that teacher in the 90’s named Pam Smart who fell out of love with her husband when he cut his 80’s rocker locks to become an insurance salesman and I had zero sympathy for her. I kept reading on hoping she’d be the first victim of Dream Woods. So yay for keeping me interested during my reading slump ;)
This story was decent, not earth shattering but a solid little horror story that kept me hooked and that bloody bear mascot will haunt my dreams. Dream Woods has some gore and loads of decent characterization and narrator Joe Hempel does an excellent job with the voices.
*I received a copy of this audiobook via Audiobookboom. Thanks!
He is quite mistaken.
Right away things seem a little off. The people staffing the place aren’t quite right. They don’t seem completely . . . human? But Vince, the eternal optimist, holds out hope that this magical place will make his wife love him again.
Awwww. You can’t but help but root for the sap, right? His wife, who has already left her family once, seems to resent her husband for abandoning his anarchist roots and settling down into a real job after she becomes pregnant with twins, one who has diabetes. She reminded me a bit of that teacher in the 90’s named Pam Smart who fell out of love with her husband when he cut his 80’s rocker locks to become an insurance salesman and I had zero sympathy for her. I kept reading on hoping she’d be the first victim of Dream Woods. So yay for keeping me interested during my reading slump ;)
This story was decent, not earth shattering but a solid little horror story that kept me hooked and that bloody bear mascot will haunt my dreams. Dream Woods has some gore and loads of decent characterization and narrator Joe Hempel does an excellent job with the voices.
*I received a copy of this audiobook via Audiobookboom. Thanks!
theduchess93's review
4.0
Not a fan of how every female character is brutally murdered and the men are fine, but otherwise, a very fun amusement park horror piece with some great cult undertones. It reminded me of Disney creepypasta which is my Secret Weakness.
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