Welcome to Litsy!

This novel is based on the McMartin preschool trial/Satanic Panic of the 1980s. Some of it was creepy, but mostly it was just weird. Soft pick.

Pulled in right away. I would definitely categorize this more as a thriller. I wasn‘t super surprised by the ending but I still found this a worthy & enjoyable read.

As a boy, Sean lied about his teacher molesting him and forcing him to be part of satanic rituals. As an adult with a new name, everything must come full circle. This book was hard to read at times and made me feel sick. I had to put it down every few chapters. For a horror, I suppose that is what you want. The ending was predictable, but if you don‘t mind a journey through shame, grief, and guilt it‘s a good one. Check trigger warnings for this!

A intriguing book.

4/5

Read for reading challenges.

As a child who grew up when satanic panic was sweeping the nation, I thought this book did a great job of addressing how people reacted during that time.

I'm a fan of books that use a true crime story to spin a fiction story. While this book isn't perfect , I enjoyed it. It's more a psychological thriller than a horror read. The two timelines were a great way to have the story unravel too.

I'll definitely be trying other books by this author.

A soft pick. I liked this psychological thriller about the satanic panic, and tbh I like most stuff about the satanic panic. The ending was slightly silly but not enough to ruin the book.

#scarathlon2022 #teamslaughter @Clwojick +16

Me: see, book, here's a less repetitive way to explore the idea of cyclical happenings!
The Book: no one remembers the format or content of your review for The Remaking, this is a joke for no one
Me: :(

Finished Whisper Down the Lane and started last Girl Ghosted after a few attempts at another book that I'll save for later.

#Scarathlon #TeamSlaughter @clwojick #Screamathon @4thHouseontheLeft #ReadLikeHellathon #MurderTheyReadathon #BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks #WickedThon @StayCurious #Panspookathon #OutstandingOctober @Andrew65

This was a straight up chilling psychological thriller. It was based off some real events that happened in the 80‘s, but a completely fictional account. The POV shifts between a little boy when he was 5 years old who perpetrated a lie (thinking it was a game), that ended up creating mass hysteria about Satanic cults, & then the boy as an adult when the past comes back to haunt him.

#Scarathlon #TeamSlaughter @clwojick #Screamathon @4thHouseontheLeft #ReadLikeHellathon #MurderTheyReadathon #BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks #WickedThon @StayCurious #Panspookathon #OutstandingOctober @Andrew65

Not at all what I was expecting, but it kept engaged and wanting to know what happened. The very end was what made the book for me. #OutstandingOctober @Andrew65

Disclaimer that this is really dark and twisted and animals die. This book was good, but it made me want to scrub my brain. I related to all the 80s pop culture references having grown up during the same time period as the main character, which made it all the more disturbing.

Second book read for the #OutstandingOctober #readathon @Andrew65

Just finished this. #Scarathlon #TeamHendrix #Screamathon #SpookOWeen #Wickedathon #OutstandingOctober

"Miss Kinderman turned to Sean and smiled.
That‘s when it struck him. Miss Kinderman was looking more and more like his mother every day. Or the way she used to look. Healthier, happier. More beautiful. How much longer would it be until there was nothing left of his mother and Miss Kinderman took her place?"

"The pesto clings to the pasta and all I see is blonde hair covered in algae, fanned on a bed of kelp. Elijah twists my mother‘s locks into the tines of his fork before forcing her hair into his mouth."

"The picture had misprinted. The four-tone ink is off by a millimeter, so the color of the man‘s skin drifts to the side of his face, all the color of his flesh spiriting away from him, as if his soul is separating from his body."

Since #botm didn‘t give me any scary books for October I turned to Amazon 😆! This one was only $12 in hardcover!

I LOVE LONG WEEKENDS. A great book to usher in Spooky Season. It‘s a great look at the ramifications of the Satanic Panic of the 80s though it definitely had some improbable moments. Overall, a fast read, but a #borrownotbuy for me.

As a 5 year old, Sean tells a lie about his teacher that spirals out of control. 30 years later Sean is now named Richard and he is an art teacher. History is about to repeat itself as a student accuses Richard of unspeakable acts.

I had a hard time with the subject matter. I hate the thought that someone can be so thoroughly destroyed by the lies of another. I did find the story interesting. This is not a scary book but it was disturbing for me.

Holy shit this is disturbing af

Satanic panic!!

Loosely based on the McMartin Preschool scandal during the Satanic Panic of the 80's (those of a certain age like myself will recall that media circus), this story was a quick, fun and easy read. An exploration of memory, lies and what happens when those lies get out of control.
For fans of The Exorcist & Rosemary's Baby, many of the characters in this story are named after characters or actors from these films. I counted no less than 16.

I should be saving this creepy book for tonight but I'm too big of a weenie. Joseph is unimpressed. #readathon @DeweysReadathon

With astute commentary about truth and the “satanic panic” from the ‘80s, this thriller invites the reader to enjoy the ride from intriguing beginning to the stinger of an ending.

I found this story to be fast-paced and meaningful, with undying relevance in its message. It‘s very sad, too, when the impact of one fib is fully understood. The book ultimately challenges the reader with a question: Who is the actual monster of this story?

Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3610086756

In case you don‘t read the full review, I‘ll add this CW: Book does contain two brutally descriptive animal deaths.

“People will believe anything when they‘re afraid. Especially when it‘s their own children at risk. And when you put a face to that fear? Give it a name of someone they know? Someone from their own community, maybe? Well... that person becomes a monster in everyone else‘s eyes. It doesn‘t matter if he‘s innocent or not. Not anymore. Because all anyone will ever see when they look at that person again is a monster.”

Imagine a fib you told as a child. A little white lie. Now imagine it taking on a life of its own. Imagine having no control over it. If you ever did. Imagine it spreading. Growing. Imagine the consequences of that lie affecting everyone in your life. Imagine it consuming everything around you... until there‘s nobody left... Imagine that lie haunting you for the rest of your life, following you no matter how far you run away from it.

On a psychological level, I get why so many horror authors write scenes that involve brutal animal deaths. They are definitely hitting a nerve with their readers. It absolutely provokes emotion.

But it‘s just so horrible. And after encountering two graphic animal deaths in this book, I just want to close it and cry for awhile.

I also need to know what‘s going on so I might just keep it open and let the tears silently fall while I read. 😭

“He found poetry in the little things nobody else seemed to care about.”

Today‘s free books.
#NetGalley #ARC #kindledailydeals