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Horrorscape #2
Horrorscape
Val receives a calling card from a very dangerous boy who wants to play with her. It's a game without rules, logic, or consequence, and he'll stop at nothing to claim her as his—even if it means destroying them both.
Three years ago, Valerian Kimble got herself entangled with a burgeoning sociopath intent on adding her to his own columns of wins and losses. She managed to escape him, but at a terrible cost...
This time it's personal.
Now a high school senior, Val is a pale shadow of the girl she once was and still recovering from the terrible trauma she suffered at his hands. She is understandably reluctant when her friends receive mysterious invitations to a theme party being held in one of the old manor homes on the edge of town.
Right away, something about the party seems off. The other guests are secretive, and strangely hostile. Cell phones don't work. Doors lock and unlock, seemingly at will. And the festivities start to take a turn for the sinister as the evening progresses. Because their host loves games. Loves them so much that he's decided to make a little wager. The deadline is sunrise. The stakes? Their lives.
Let the games begin.
Three years ago, Valerian Kimble got herself entangled with a burgeoning sociopath intent on adding her to his own columns of wins and losses. She managed to escape him, but at a terrible cost...
This time it's personal.
Now a high school senior, Val is a pale shadow of the girl she once was and still recovering from the terrible trauma she suffered at his hands. She is understandably reluctant when her friends receive mysterious invitations to a theme party being held in one of the old manor homes on the edge of town.
Right away, something about the party seems off. The other guests are secretive, and strangely hostile. Cell phones don't work. Doors lock and unlock, seemingly at will. And the festivities start to take a turn for the sinister as the evening progresses. Because their host loves games. Loves them so much that he's decided to make a little wager. The deadline is sunrise. The stakes? Their lives.
Let the games begin.
357 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 14, 2013
31 people are currently reading
2002 people want to read
About the author
Nenia Campbell
60 books20.8k followersNenia Campbell is a dark romance author who lives in San Francisco, California. When she's not writing, or reading, she can be found roaming the city or curled up with her void cat. She collects romance novels older than she is and loves a villain with flair.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 229 reviews
September 7, 2013
Which of us will be the monster then, hmmm? Beauty, or the poor beguiled beast? You won the battle last time, my dear, but unfortunately you lost the war. This time, you win nothing. I'll make sure of it.
She new she should run, but her legs wouldn't move. She new she should fight, but her hands were no longer under her command. She could still resist, but even that was slowly beginning to fade. He left her feeling dead inside; like a neurotoxin, he killed off her senses one by one.
The game you have elected to play is a very dangerous one. One king, one queen, six pawns; winner takes all. There is no time limit-except the one on your lives.
My Thoughts
Holy effing crap!!! I am obsessed with Nenia Campbells writing!!! It's like she crept inside my brain while I wasn't looking and said, "I'm gonna write a book for her!!!" Gothic horror at it's freakin best!!! They don't write books like this anymore people! A tip for anyone who wants to read a book by Nenia... Be prepared to loose sleep, all you will think of is reading the next one! I have no clue what I'm going to do when I've read all her stuff!
December 28, 2017
Book #1: Fearscape
Book #3: Terrorscape
Horrorscape...
Oh, wow! I think there's a... I don't know what... inside me that makes me extremely drawn to this series. Don't get me wrong! Should I meet a Gavin-like man in real life, I'd run like hell to the nearest police station. Or maybe not. Because he'd be smart enough to make me look like a crazy person. And yet, at the safety of my Kindle, I'm lured to him. What does it feel like to have such a disregard for morals, laws and rules? And not have your conscience screaming at you? Imagine the possibilities. It's frightening and appealing in a dark, twisted way.
The story is set four years after Fearscape. Val is dating James. The two of them, together with Lisa and Blake are invited to a mysterious party. Well, Val isn't, but James wants her to come along. They are required to dress all-black. When they get to the party's location, they find three other guests (all dressed in white) and their host, GM. The latter challenges them to a series of games. And...
The games culminate with:
"What do we need six hours for?"
"It's quite simple. You have to kill the person on your paper."
Yes, well, I get these stomach aches when I'm too nervous. I had those while reading this book. Not to mention the headache at the end. That's how involved I was with the story. And I just can't get enough.
I liked Nenia's references to the Beauty & The Beast and Red Ridding Hood:
I'm surprised your mother let you come out to play with the big bad wolf.
"...I want you to know exactly what I am. So that when you make your choice, there will be no doubt to you, or to anyone else-" he leaned in closer "-that Valerian Marie Kimble knew exactly what she was getting into when she allowed me into her bed. Which of us will be the monster then, hmm? Beauty, or the poor beguiled beast?"
It's hard for me to think clearly anymore. I need to go read Terrorscape.
"It takes many sheep to satisfy one wolf."
Book #3: Terrorscape
Horrorscape...
Oh, wow! I think there's a... I don't know what... inside me that makes me extremely drawn to this series. Don't get me wrong! Should I meet a Gavin-like man in real life, I'd run like hell to the nearest police station. Or maybe not. Because he'd be smart enough to make me look like a crazy person. And yet, at the safety of my Kindle, I'm lured to him. What does it feel like to have such a disregard for morals, laws and rules? And not have your conscience screaming at you? Imagine the possibilities. It's frightening and appealing in a dark, twisted way.
The story is set four years after Fearscape. Val is dating James. The two of them, together with Lisa and Blake are invited to a mysterious party. Well, Val isn't, but James wants her to come along. They are required to dress all-black. When they get to the party's location, they find three other guests (all dressed in white) and their host, GM. The latter challenges them to a series of games. And...
The games culminate with:
"What do we need six hours for?"
"It's quite simple. You have to kill the person on your paper."
Yes, well, I get these stomach aches when I'm too nervous. I had those while reading this book. Not to mention the headache at the end. That's how involved I was with the story. And I just can't get enough.
I liked Nenia's references to the Beauty & The Beast and Red Ridding Hood:
I'm surprised your mother let you come out to play with the big bad wolf.
"...I want you to know exactly what I am. So that when you make your choice, there will be no doubt to you, or to anyone else-" he leaned in closer "-that Valerian Marie Kimble knew exactly what she was getting into when she allowed me into her bed. Which of us will be the monster then, hmm? Beauty, or the poor beguiled beast?"
It's hard for me to think clearly anymore. I need to go read Terrorscape.
"It takes many sheep to satisfy one wolf."
March 30, 2020
Iron Man approves!! Loved it! :)
After finishing Fearscape yesterday, I couldn't stop thinking about Gavin and what would happen in the next book. I imagined all kinds of scenarios, which is why I wasn't surprised when .
What amazed the hell out of me was
I mean , Gavin? Seriously?
[the must-have-him list :D]
....................
I wish I could say this was a deal-breaker for me, but sadly, I can't. I still love that twisted fuck! :((
If I found him darkly romantic in the first book, he terrified me in this one. True, he's 4 years older and twice as dangerous now, so it shouldn't come as a shock that his madness has escalated to epic proportions. Nevertheless, I couldn't help enjoying the stolen kisses and sexy moments between him and Val.
I felt
I know it's wrong, but again,
The author has managed to combine young adult, thriller, elements of bdsm and romance in this fabulous series! Hope she's brave enough to go beyond and reach erotica.
I can't wait to read the third book, Terrorscape!
NOW!
Really curious to know if Val submits to Gavin, at least for one night. If yes, then I expect pages and pages of sexy details, ok Pikachu? :P
5 stars
August 31, 2013
5 I-need-more-alcohol-in-my-system-to-digest-this Stars !!!
“Why me?”
“Because I lie awake at night, dreaming of all the things I want to do to your body, of leaving marks on your skin so that everyone knows that you are mine. And only mine .... But you fight yourself even as you fight me, and I love that, too. I love watching you squirm, because it gives me some idea of how you'll look when I'm inside you. I want to be your last thought at night, and your first taste at dawn. I want to teach you, own you, control you.”
If I can please have a moment ...
* Ahem ... * Right .. Now that , that is out of my head err I mean way , we can officially begin the 'Freaking Out' ceremony ... Starting in 3 .... 2 .... 1 ....
Ah yeah , I've totally lost it ..!!!
Music theme for this book : Hunter - 30 Seconds to Mars
Horrorscape is book 2 in the vividly horrifying trilogy called the Horrorscape Series by Nenia Campbell ... If you haven't read this series and are a ginormous fan of dark , disturbing , guaranteed mind-fuck reads , then my friend , this book is totally for you .
3 years ago Valerian Kimblefell in love got involved fell in .. got involved .. Lusted after .. damn ! I don't know what exactly to call it , but yeah , she meet this guy , who totally got her entranced with his good looks and gentlemanly behavior . With his out of the world art skills and cunning as a cat chess tricks . But being with him was such a wrong thing to do . Because while Val thought she was falling for a prince charming ( sometimes ignoring the warning bells that rung very loud and clear in head ) , that man was possessed with the idea of owning her and making her surrender to his needs ! Luckily Val escaped . Thinking that the nightmare is finally over , Val has moved on . But she isn't the same person anymore . Skittish and terrified , she seems to be still in Gavin's hold . And then one day , its like whatever hold she had on her so-called Sanity , came tumbling down ..
Val , her boyfriend James , her bestie Lisa and another friend of her's , Blake , receive an invitation for a party . Val's invitation is a tad bit different from the others ( scoffs) and that's when the warning bells start ringing again . But is it just Val's paranoia setting in again , or is HE actually back .. to take what's his ??? You'll have to read the book to find the answers to those questions !
You know what reading this book felt like ?
It felt like riding a rusted boogey train through the house of horrors . It felt like watching a car that's obviously lost its brakes , but the driver hasn't realized it yet .. It felt like sailing a ship with a huge hole in the bottom , that's allowing the sea water to fill up your ship and that drowning is inevitable .
Nenia Campbell totally changes the game with this scary sequel . Its darker and has more of a Gothic feel to it . Val and her friends against GM and his squad of players . A game of chess but not on a chessboard . A game of chess that involves real life actions and consequences . Who is going to win ? Who the hell is GM ? More questions , answers to which are laid out as clues throughout the book !
Talking about the characters , lets just say that Gavin still remains my favorite .. I know , I know , everybody is like he is scary and crazy .. A total loon . I agree , he is all that . And there were certain things that I totally wasn't expecting but it happened and all I could do was stare at my computer screen with a huge WTF expression on my face ! The man turns me on and terrifies me at the same time ! I can't help it !
“You needn't look at me like that. I'm not going to attack you.” Val went rigid and the smile became a sultry grin. “I might bite you a little, though.”
* sighs with a dreamy look *
Val .. Val .. Val .. I'm not sure if I should sympathize with her or slap her senseless . I really liked the Val in Fearscape . She had a feisty side to her Which is clearly lost , thanks to Gavin and his madness .. A part of me is convinced though , please don't throw stones at me for saying this .. that she really enjoys what Gavin makes her feel . In a way , in her own twisted , fucked up , she likes the fact the Gavin can take over control of everything around him and use it for his pleasure and advantage , including Val herself ! I can't blame her really .. Have you met the guy yet ?!
See , what this book is trying to do here ... I'm justifying the bad guy's behavior by telling that the main female lead is nuts !!!
I'm totally drowning in all this darkness with my feelings and I'm most definitely loving it !
James was a total douchebag in book one and hasn't changed much .. Always thinking with his dick . Lisa is still a bitch , but I like the fact that she really worries about Val . Blake , although a mystery figure in the beginning turns out to be quite helpful throughout the book . I liked him .
Another notable point about this book was that , whereas Fearscape was more Val and Gavin centric , Horrorscape takes the readers through the thoughts of the other players involved in this game .. except for Brent .. Brent was a tool !
As I said before , this book is darker from the first . Not sure of that's the real Gavin or is it just that this Gavin is fueled by his desire for Vengeance . Oh and also his desire for Val .
The ending is pretty much a big blow to the head . For a second you just want it to be not true . But realization quickly dawns in and all you can say is WHY and WHAT IF !! Trust me , this series really knows how to fuck with your brains and emotions !
I can't wait to read Terrorscape because things are about to get nasty as hell and I'm not sure how it'll end ! But whatever its going to be its going to be mindfuckery of epic proportions !!
“Why me?”
“Because I lie awake at night, dreaming of all the things I want to do to your body, of leaving marks on your skin so that everyone knows that you are mine. And only mine .... But you fight yourself even as you fight me, and I love that, too. I love watching you squirm, because it gives me some idea of how you'll look when I'm inside you. I want to be your last thought at night, and your first taste at dawn. I want to teach you, own you, control you.”
If I can please have a moment ...
* Ahem ... * Right .. Now that , that is out of my head err I mean way , we can officially begin the 'Freaking Out' ceremony ... Starting in 3 .... 2 .... 1 ....
Ah yeah , I've totally lost it ..!!!
Music theme for this book : Hunter - 30 Seconds to Mars
Horrorscape is book 2 in the vividly horrifying trilogy called the Horrorscape Series by Nenia Campbell ... If you haven't read this series and are a ginormous fan of dark , disturbing , guaranteed mind-fuck reads , then my friend , this book is totally for you .
3 years ago Valerian Kimble
Val , her boyfriend James , her bestie Lisa and another friend of her's , Blake , receive an invitation for a party . Val's invitation is a tad bit different from the others ( scoffs) and that's when the warning bells start ringing again . But is it just Val's paranoia setting in again , or is HE actually back .. to take what's his ??? You'll have to read the book to find the answers to those questions !
You know what reading this book felt like ?
It felt like riding a rusted boogey train through the house of horrors . It felt like watching a car that's obviously lost its brakes , but the driver hasn't realized it yet .. It felt like sailing a ship with a huge hole in the bottom , that's allowing the sea water to fill up your ship and that drowning is inevitable .
Nenia Campbell totally changes the game with this scary sequel . Its darker and has more of a Gothic feel to it . Val and her friends against GM and his squad of players . A game of chess but not on a chessboard . A game of chess that involves real life actions and consequences . Who is going to win ? Who the hell is GM ? More questions , answers to which are laid out as clues throughout the book !
Talking about the characters , lets just say that Gavin still remains my favorite .. I know , I know , everybody is like he is scary and crazy .. A total loon . I agree , he is all that . And there were certain things that I totally wasn't expecting but it happened and all I could do was stare at my computer screen with a huge WTF expression on my face ! The man turns me on and terrifies me at the same time ! I can't help it !
“You needn't look at me like that. I'm not going to attack you.” Val went rigid and the smile became a sultry grin. “I might bite you a little, though.”
* sighs with a dreamy look *
Val .. Val .. Val .. I'm not sure if I should sympathize with her or slap her senseless . I really liked the Val in Fearscape . She had a feisty side to her Which is clearly lost , thanks to Gavin and his madness .. A part of me is convinced though , please don't throw stones at me for saying this .. that she really enjoys what Gavin makes her feel . In a way , in her own twisted , fucked up , she likes the fact the Gavin can take over control of everything around him and use it for his pleasure and advantage , including Val herself ! I can't blame her really .. Have you met the guy yet ?!
See , what this book is trying to do here ... I'm justifying the bad guy's behavior by telling that the main female lead is nuts !!!
I'm totally drowning in all this darkness with my feelings and I'm most definitely loving it !
James was a total douchebag in book one and hasn't changed much .. Always thinking with his dick . Lisa is still a bitch , but I like the fact that she really worries about Val . Blake , although a mystery figure in the beginning turns out to be quite helpful throughout the book . I liked him .
Another notable point about this book was that , whereas Fearscape was more Val and Gavin centric , Horrorscape takes the readers through the thoughts of the other players involved in this game .. except for Brent .. Brent was a tool !
As I said before , this book is darker from the first . Not sure of that's the real Gavin or is it just that this Gavin is fueled by his desire for Vengeance . Oh and also his desire for Val .
The ending is pretty much a big blow to the head . For a second you just want it to be not true . But realization quickly dawns in and all you can say is WHY and WHAT IF !! Trust me , this series really knows how to fuck with your brains and emotions !
I can't wait to read Terrorscape because things are about to get nasty as hell and I'm not sure how it'll end ! But whatever its going to be its going to be mindfuckery of epic proportions !!
September 1, 2022
DNF @ 50%
November 28, 2023
"When you struggle like that, I don't know what I'll do.” He licked his bloodied fingers. “You make me feel things I didn't think possible.”
Am I in my serial killer romance era? 😬
This book was unpredictable in the best way. It keeps you captivated because you have no way of anticipating what happens next.
Picking up 3 years after Fearscape, Val is a high school senior, severely traumatized since her last encounter with her stalker Gavin. Gavin has seemingly disappeared but his memory haunts Val daily. Now he's back--and deadlier than ever.
Horrorscape is very different from Fearscape but no less addictive. Reading it requires a lot of suspension of disbelief but I didn't even care. Fear is still a potent element, but now the stakes are higher. I really want all of my dark romance/trigger-warning-grocery-list-loving friends to get obsessed with this series.
“I want you to know exactly what I am. So that when you make your choice, there will be no doubt to you, or to anyone else—” he leaned in closer “—that Valerian Marie Kimble knew exactly what she was getting into when she allowed me into her bed."
Tropes:
-dark romance
-taboo romance
-horror romance
-mysterious and sinister host invites characters to play strange party games at his mansion
-psychopath mmc
-
Add me on Instagram | StoryGraph | Fable
Am I in my serial killer romance era? 😬
This book was unpredictable in the best way. It keeps you captivated because you have no way of anticipating what happens next.
Picking up 3 years after Fearscape, Val is a high school senior, severely traumatized since her last encounter with her stalker Gavin. Gavin has seemingly disappeared but his memory haunts Val daily. Now he's back--and deadlier than ever.
Horrorscape is very different from Fearscape but no less addictive. Reading it requires a lot of suspension of disbelief but I didn't even care. Fear is still a potent element, but now the stakes are higher. I really want all of my dark romance/trigger-warning-grocery-list-loving friends to get obsessed with this series.
“I want you to know exactly what I am. So that when you make your choice, there will be no doubt to you, or to anyone else—” he leaned in closer “—that Valerian Marie Kimble knew exactly what she was getting into when she allowed me into her bed."
Tropes:
-dark romance
-taboo romance
-horror romance
-mysterious and sinister host invites characters to play strange party games at his mansion
-psychopath mmc
-
Add me on Instagram | StoryGraph | Fable
Read
January 2, 2018TRIGGER Warning: as I mentioned last time this series is dark and it deals with a darker content that contains violence and attempted rape.
First of all, let me just say that Inge's review pretty much mirrored my feels for this book. Horrorscape seems to pay tribute to the basic premise of The Forbidden Game –girl in mysterious house with lots of locked rooms and a villainous love interest who is determined to make her “his,” all the while terrorizing her friends and her in a nightmarish setting. The difference is unlike my second favorite romance of all time (TFG), Nenia’s Gavin is not redeemable. He is a true villain in every sense of the word.
As mentioned in my review of Fearscape HERE Gavin is threatening to take my love for the YA villain love interest and make eat my words.
Gavin employs lines like these:
* The faintest of smiles was on his lips as he said, “I’m afraid you lose. Penalty, Val.”
* And he loves a good chase. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.”
* “You needn’t look at me like that. I’m not going to attack you… I might bite you a little, though.”
* “It’s time to play another game.”
* “Which one of us will be the monster then, hmm? Beauty, or the poor beguiled beast? You won the battle last time, my dear, but ultimately you lost the war. This time, you will win nothing. I’ll make sure of it.”
* “You are quite a bit more ruthless than I gave your credit for, my hellcat.”
* “What would you prefer? To be my consort –or my kill?”
But he is cold-hearted. Nenia never once portrays emotions in Gavin's eyes. Continuously they are described as empty, void, emotionless -and not just when angry. Always. Gavin is not a love interest with feelings. He is EVIL. He is after Val for the chase, not love. And that is why he is no Julian (TFG reference).
So while Gavin might be spouting all those dark & dangerous lines that are oh-so-attractive to readers of YA groomed for the bad boy (ahem), he is not someone you can root for. Because everyone wants the villain to be in love with the girl, not consumed with only ever making her his & torturing her & her friends.
I was still very torn in this one. Because I don’t like Gavin. I can’t root for him. I never will. But he’s good at those lines. And that ending scene between him & Val in the pool? WHY DID I FIND IT HOT? It was DISTURBING AS HELL. AND HOT. AND ugghhh. I hate myself.
Gavin is a villain. And as a villain 5+ stars because he truly does things between the first book and this one that make you hate him/creeped out/terrified. Nenia’s journal entries for him in the first book were so informative into his psyche & this book only pushes those limits.
Val –I love that she was older in this one. The first book she was too child-like and in this one she grew up -not completely, but enough to not make me rip my hair out with her decisions. I just don’t understand why she was with James. To me it made no sense, I never even thought she liked him in the first book. But I suppose he showed how reluctant she was to doing anything unless she was forced into it by a controlling-type like Gavin, which in turn demonstrated how he messed her up for future relationships.
All in all, this was equally stellar to the first. Why not 5-stars? I kept comparing this book to TFG in my head because it was very similar in premise/character cast, and since TFG is my second favorite romance of all time (which I have only reread like 15 times -it means that much to me) it was really hard for me not to wish certain scenes/moments were more like that one. Nenia totally made this book different from TFG –she had a completely different goal in mind, but the number of similarities (even the pool scene I kept seeing the closet scene from TFG) sent my brain into compare-mode and comparing any book to TFG is going to make the other book fall short for me.
I kept wishing Gavin would turn out a redeemable villain at the end. Even though I knew it would never happen, because this book is here to make a point -not give readers what they wish for.
Side note, I will not be continuing on –only because my own darkness scale falls short of rape & I am 99.9% sure that’s what is going to happen in the next. If the love interest was more redeemable –not empty eyes & murdering people for amusement- I think I could stomach the next, but since Gavin is 100% badass-evil-villain status I don’t think I can read it.
First of all, let me just say that Inge's review pretty much mirrored my feels for this book. Horrorscape seems to pay tribute to the basic premise of The Forbidden Game –girl in mysterious house with lots of locked rooms and a villainous love interest who is determined to make her “his,” all the while terrorizing her friends and her in a nightmarish setting. The difference is unlike my second favorite romance of all time (TFG), Nenia’s Gavin is not redeemable. He is a true villain in every sense of the word.
As mentioned in my review of Fearscape HERE Gavin is threatening to take my love for the YA villain love interest and make eat my words.
Gavin employs lines like these:
* The faintest of smiles was on his lips as he said, “I’m afraid you lose. Penalty, Val.”
* And he loves a good chase. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.”
* “You needn’t look at me like that. I’m not going to attack you… I might bite you a little, though.”
* “It’s time to play another game.”
* “Which one of us will be the monster then, hmm? Beauty, or the poor beguiled beast? You won the battle last time, my dear, but ultimately you lost the war. This time, you will win nothing. I’ll make sure of it.”
* “You are quite a bit more ruthless than I gave your credit for, my hellcat.”
* “What would you prefer? To be my consort –or my kill?”
But he is cold-hearted. Nenia never once portrays emotions in Gavin's eyes. Continuously they are described as empty, void, emotionless -and not just when angry. Always. Gavin is not a love interest with feelings. He is EVIL. He is after Val for the chase, not love. And that is why he is no Julian (TFG reference).
So while Gavin might be spouting all those dark & dangerous lines that are oh-so-attractive to readers of YA groomed for the bad boy (ahem), he is not someone you can root for. Because everyone wants the villain to be in love with the girl, not consumed with only ever making her his & torturing her & her friends.
I was still very torn in this one. Because I don’t like Gavin. I can’t root for him. I never will. But he’s good at those lines. And that ending scene between him & Val in the pool? WHY DID I FIND IT HOT? It was DISTURBING AS HELL. AND HOT. AND ugghhh. I hate myself.
Gavin is a villain. And as a villain 5+ stars because he truly does things between the first book and this one that make you hate him/creeped out/terrified. Nenia’s journal entries for him in the first book were so informative into his psyche & this book only pushes those limits.
Val –I love that she was older in this one. The first book she was too child-like and in this one she grew up -not completely, but enough to not make me rip my hair out with her decisions. I just don’t understand why she was with James. To me it made no sense, I never even thought she liked him in the first book. But I suppose he showed how reluctant she was to doing anything unless she was forced into it by a controlling-type like Gavin, which in turn demonstrated how he messed her up for future relationships.
All in all, this was equally stellar to the first. Why not 5-stars? I kept comparing this book to TFG in my head because it was very similar in premise/character cast, and since TFG is my second favorite romance of all time (which I have only reread like 15 times -it means that much to me) it was really hard for me not to wish certain scenes/moments were more like that one. Nenia totally made this book different from TFG –she had a completely different goal in mind, but the number of similarities (even the pool scene I kept seeing the closet scene from TFG) sent my brain into compare-mode and comparing any book to TFG is going to make the other book fall short for me.
I kept wishing Gavin would turn out a redeemable villain at the end. Even though I knew it would never happen, because this book is here to make a point -not give readers what they wish for.
Side note, I will not be continuing on –only because my own darkness scale falls short of rape & I am 99.9% sure that’s what is going to happen in the next. If the love interest was more redeemable –not empty eyes & murdering people for amusement- I think I could stomach the next, but since Gavin is 100% badass-evil-villain status I don’t think I can read it.
October 29, 2013
**Halloween Week Read** Last year I read Captive in the Dark & Seduced in the Dark with a group of friends for Halloween. Horrorscape series is this year's read.
Horrorscape is set three years after Fearscape and Val is in her senior year of high school and now dating, James.
Val's stalker is back and he wants revenge. A game of SUICIDE CHESS is set up by the Stalker.
Suicide Chess Rules:
(*)Capturing is mandatory if available to you.
(*)When more than one capture is available, the player may choose.
(*)King functions as a normal piece.
(*)There is no check or checkmate.
(*)There is no castling.
(*)A pawn may promote also to king.
SERIES:
Continuing story.
Horrorscape is set three years after Fearscape and Val is in her senior year of high school and now dating, James.
Val's stalker is back and he wants revenge. A game of SUICIDE CHESS is set up by the Stalker.
Suicide Chess Rules:
(*)Capturing is mandatory if available to you.
(*)When more than one capture is available, the player may choose.
(*)King functions as a normal piece.
(*)There is no check or checkmate.
(*)There is no castling.
(*)A pawn may promote also to king.
"Why are you doing this to me?" -Val
"I can't always predict what you're going to do and your conscience won't let you desert your friends, despite all the things you do to further the danger they are in." -Stalker
SERIES:
Continuing story.
February 15, 2020
Although I enjoyed Fearscape, this second volume is better in almost every way. The writing feels more confident here, as though the author was finally able to capture the vibe she was going for in the series. The scenes are also more varied and interesting in this installment, with more POV characters to create a frenetic, page-turning atmosphere. I liked the over-the-top “creepy party” theme as well as the chess references, and the suspenseful storyline kept me thinking about the novel whenever I paused to put it down.
Is Val still one of the most frustrating characters in the world of books? Probably. Does anyone act like a reasonable human being? Not particularly (except for Blake. Blake is amazing and needs his own spin-off novel). But is this book pure, unadulterated FUN? Yes, it most certainly is!
And that’s really the beauty of this book, and of Nenia Campbell’ s style. She writes to entertain, pure and simple; in this endeavor, she is quite proficient.
The ambiguous ending also sets the tone for the next volume, as we never really find out the fate of one of the main characters.
Recommended for anyone with nostalgia for slightly cheesy teen suspense/horror a la Christopher Pike or R.L. Stine’s Fear Street books.
Is Val still one of the most frustrating characters in the world of books? Probably. Does anyone act like a reasonable human being? Not particularly (except for Blake. Blake is amazing and needs his own spin-off novel). But is this book pure, unadulterated FUN? Yes, it most certainly is!
And that’s really the beauty of this book, and of Nenia Campbell’ s style. She writes to entertain, pure and simple; in this endeavor, she is quite proficient.
The ambiguous ending also sets the tone for the next volume, as we never really find out the fate of one of the main characters.
Recommended for anyone with nostalgia for slightly cheesy teen suspense/horror a la Christopher Pike or R.L. Stine’s Fear Street books.
November 15, 2013
*~*~*2.5/3 Sucker Punched Stars*~*~*
Uhmmmm, YES..Johnny.. I have gone mad because this story is so out of left field. Wasn't sure if its Gavin that needs to die or Valerian for being so stupid....
Horrorscape picks up exactly where Fearscape concluded. With the exception that 3 years have passed since Valerian has seen or heard from Gavin.
So again we are thrusted into Gavin's psychotic mind games of Russian roulette. Just when you think that maybe just maybe some semblance of good can come out of him. It becomes pretty apparent early on that Gavin has NO redeeming qualities whatsoever.
Unfortunately, this is how I felt throughout the first half of the book:
Why do you ask? To me it felt childish, these stupid games that Gavin set up to terminate his prey was so juvenile. Like, really there is no way in Bloody HELL that teenagers would even play along with these games. What 17yr old do you know would play such games as Hide & Seek or Scavenger Hunt?
It was just too; Cue the GIF
Andddd then......... All of a sudden things started to unravel and these said games become Life or Death
So you can see my optimism when things finally turn around and I start thinking hmmmmmmmmmm WELL, WELL, WELL isnt this fascinating.
So imagine my surprise when I reach the last page and this sick, sick....
decides to throw another loophole... Mutha Effer...
"Are you frightened? Do I frighten you? I should. Because first you must play the game for more than you can afford to lose. Sacrifice everything. Learn true fear.
Uhmmmm, YES..Johnny.. I have gone mad because this story is so out of left field. Wasn't sure if its Gavin that needs to die or Valerian for being so stupid....
Horrorscape picks up exactly where Fearscape concluded. With the exception that 3 years have passed since Valerian has seen or heard from Gavin.
So again we are thrusted into Gavin's psychotic mind games of Russian roulette. Just when you think that maybe just maybe some semblance of good can come out of him. It becomes pretty apparent early on that Gavin has NO redeeming qualities whatsoever.
Unfortunately, this is how I felt throughout the first half of the book:
Why do you ask? To me it felt childish, these stupid games that Gavin set up to terminate his prey was so juvenile. Like, really there is no way in Bloody HELL that teenagers would even play along with these games. What 17yr old do you know would play such games as Hide & Seek or Scavenger Hunt?
It was just too; Cue the GIF
Andddd then......... All of a sudden things started to unravel and these said games become Life or Death
So you can see my optimism when things finally turn around and I start thinking hmmmmmmmmmm WELL, WELL, WELL isnt this fascinating.
So imagine my surprise when I reach the last page and this sick, sick....
decides to throw another loophole... Mutha Effer...
January 31, 2015
This whole book I kept screaming Run Dang it Run! Val just wouldn't listen to me. Stubborn woman.
Val and friends get a party invite that they all want to go to. It's in that snooty part of town. When they get there the host is just..well he's bonkers. Not a horror book in the classic sense but just creepy enough that those chills run up your back.
Val and friends get a party invite that they all want to go to. It's in that snooty part of town. When they get there the host is just..well he's bonkers. Not a horror book in the classic sense but just creepy enough that those chills run up your back.
August 26, 2013
4.5 "You've been mindf*cked" stars
It's been 3 years since the events of Fearscape.
Val have tried to move on with her life but she is not the same girl she was. She isn't on the track team anymore ,she goes to therapy and it's constantly trying to chase the shadows away.
She thinks she will never be safe again, that someday, when she least expects it, he will chase her.
She is used, to name-calling and people leaving threatening letters or try to mess up with her.
Until she receives a card, inviting her to a game...
I want to play with you.
I want to play suicide chess with you. You with your pawns, and me with mine. Together, we will level the playing field. And do you know what else?
I know you'll do it.
With some turns of events, Val, Lisa, James and Blake are all invited to a party. A theme party hosted by the mysterious and fascinating GM.
They're not the only guests, the other 3 are hostile and with an hidden agenda.
While the night unravels, several games are played and intentions are revealed. Lives will be at risk, predators will try to hunt their prey...
The clock is ticking...until it's Checkmate .
********
The villains were always ugly in books and movies.
Necessarily so, it seemed.
Because if they were attractive - if their looks matched their charm and their cunning - they wouldn't only be dangerous.
They would be irresistible.
It's haunting how true this statement is! And of course applies perfectly to Gavin.
I'm still at a loss of words to describe him. I caught myself fascinated and creeped out by him. Oh I wanted to slap myself, every time I felt caught in his web. We can clearly feel and understand the hold he has on Val, the effect he has on her and of course, how much she is afraid of him.
Seriously, Gavin have got to be one of the most disturbing MC I ever read ... I said it before but it's like being terrified of him and strangely fascinated by him. We're attracted to him like a moth to a flame! Oh You'll want to punch him, maim him and so on BUT there would be times that you'll wonder several "what if's".
She was his. If not in body, heart, or soul, then in mind, at least. And soon, the rest would follow.
But yeah, overall what to say about him? And his games?
It's a bit like an invitation...
Now, I won't spoil anything , which is hard to praise the book and not revealing anything but I leave some reactions from 75% of the book to the end...
I saw many differences between this book and the first one. This we didn't just get inside Val's mind but also in the mind of the other players. Making it all even more complex, we didn't just needed to predict what would happen to the black king and the white queen but now also the pawns,and theirs unpredictable moves.
The whole vibe of the story is just disturbing, mysterious, creepy and overall amazing! Totally the stuff for future nightmares,ahah.
It's just so psychological intense and your emotions will be all over the place. Oh yes, I was the puppet and Miss Campbell the awesome puppeteer.
This series so need a stamp like " You'll be mindf*cked and love every second of it"!
It's just...
Now off to Terrorscape *insert evil laugh
For this one and more reviews go to:
A Bookworm Confessions
It's been 3 years since the events of Fearscape.
Val have tried to move on with her life but she is not the same girl she was. She isn't on the track team anymore ,she goes to therapy and it's constantly trying to chase the shadows away.
She thinks she will never be safe again, that someday, when she least expects it, he will chase her.
She is used, to name-calling and people leaving threatening letters or try to mess up with her.
Until she receives a card, inviting her to a game...
I want to play with you.
I want to play suicide chess with you. You with your pawns, and me with mine. Together, we will level the playing field. And do you know what else?
I know you'll do it.
With some turns of events, Val, Lisa, James and Blake are all invited to a party. A theme party hosted by the mysterious and fascinating GM.
They're not the only guests, the other 3 are hostile and with an hidden agenda.
While the night unravels, several games are played and intentions are revealed. Lives will be at risk, predators will try to hunt their prey...
The clock is ticking...until it's Checkmate .
********
The villains were always ugly in books and movies.
Necessarily so, it seemed.
Because if they were attractive - if their looks matched their charm and their cunning - they wouldn't only be dangerous.
They would be irresistible.
It's haunting how true this statement is! And of course applies perfectly to Gavin.
I'm still at a loss of words to describe him. I caught myself fascinated and creeped out by him. Oh I wanted to slap myself, every time I felt caught in his web. We can clearly feel and understand the hold he has on Val, the effect he has on her and of course, how much she is afraid of him.
Seriously, Gavin have got to be one of the most disturbing MC I ever read ... I said it before but it's like being terrified of him and strangely fascinated by him. We're attracted to him like a moth to a flame! Oh You'll want to punch him, maim him and so on BUT there would be times that you'll wonder several "what if's".
She was his. If not in body, heart, or soul, then in mind, at least. And soon, the rest would follow.
But yeah, overall what to say about him? And his games?
It's a bit like an invitation...
Now, I won't spoil anything , which is hard to praise the book and not revealing anything but I leave some reactions from 75% of the book to the end...
I saw many differences between this book and the first one. This we didn't just get inside Val's mind but also in the mind of the other players. Making it all even more complex, we didn't just needed to predict what would happen to the black king and the white queen but now also the pawns,and theirs unpredictable moves.
The whole vibe of the story is just disturbing, mysterious, creepy and overall amazing! Totally the stuff for future nightmares,ahah.
It's just so psychological intense and your emotions will be all over the place. Oh yes, I was the puppet and Miss Campbell the awesome puppeteer.
This series so need a stamp like " You'll be mindf*cked and love every second of it"!
It's just...
Now off to Terrorscape *insert evil laugh
For this one and more reviews go to:
A Bookworm Confessions
November 9, 2013
I don't know if any of you have heard of a manga called Liar Game.
It's about a game where you start off with an enormous amount of money and then you partake in different games (Ex. Russian Roulette, musical chairs) to swindle your opponent's money. If you win, you can back out. But if you lose, you're saddled with a huge debt and have no choice but to keep playing, thus, getting more in debt. The key to winning these games are your wits. You're basically engaged in a huge mind game with your opponent and the only way to win, is to outsmart them.
Horrorscape sort of reminds me of Liar Game (Which is still incomplete, goddammit) in the web GM sets up for his "guests" with a Battle Royale twist. If you lose, you die.
The entire premise is agonizing in its concept—you're on your toes the entire time to find out what's going to happen next or who's going to die. I love the mind game setup. The only complaint I have is how removed I felt from the tension that's supposed to be generated. I didn't quite feel the despair the characters were in when they found out it was kill or be killed, so I couldn't quite emphasize with them.
Don't get me wrong though, I adore the characters, especially Lisa. She seems like an awesome BFF but she's never boxed into that role either. Some books introduce the main character's BFF as just the BFF, she never stands out as an individual. But Lisa is able to stand out as a character on her own. I actually think I like her more than Val, whose supposed to be the main character.
As for the main lead, GM, it's hard to say what I feel about him because on one hand, I think he's a psycho who ought to be locked up but on another hand, I was cheering for him when he . So that shows how sick I am. I sympathize with Val on this one and her confusing feelings towards GM. It is extremely disturbing how alike GM is to typical male leads nowadays and I'm glad that there's a book portrayed these guys in a negative light as opposed to Hush, Hush or something.
All in all, Horrorscape is an intriguing read and I highly recommend Twilight lovers to read it (that should make them think twice about the guys they want in their life). Now if you excuse me, I'm going to hunt down the first book, Fearscape.
It's about a game where you start off with an enormous amount of money and then you partake in different games (Ex. Russian Roulette, musical chairs) to swindle your opponent's money. If you win, you can back out. But if you lose, you're saddled with a huge debt and have no choice but to keep playing, thus, getting more in debt. The key to winning these games are your wits. You're basically engaged in a huge mind game with your opponent and the only way to win, is to outsmart them.
Horrorscape sort of reminds me of Liar Game (Which is still incomplete, goddammit) in the web GM sets up for his "guests" with a Battle Royale twist. If you lose, you die.
The entire premise is agonizing in its concept—you're on your toes the entire time to find out what's going to happen next or who's going to die. I love the mind game setup. The only complaint I have is how removed I felt from the tension that's supposed to be generated. I didn't quite feel the despair the characters were in when they found out it was kill or be killed, so I couldn't quite emphasize with them.
Don't get me wrong though, I adore the characters, especially Lisa. She seems like an awesome BFF but she's never boxed into that role either. Some books introduce the main character's BFF as just the BFF, she never stands out as an individual. But Lisa is able to stand out as a character on her own. I actually think I like her more than Val, whose supposed to be the main character.
As for the main lead, GM, it's hard to say what I feel about him because on one hand, I think he's a psycho who ought to be locked up but on another hand, I was cheering for him when he . So that shows how sick I am. I sympathize with Val on this one and her confusing feelings towards GM. It is extremely disturbing how alike GM is to typical male leads nowadays and I'm glad that there's a book portrayed these guys in a negative light as opposed to Hush, Hush or something.
All in all, Horrorscape is an intriguing read and I highly recommend Twilight lovers to read it (that should make them think twice about the guys they want in their life). Now if you excuse me, I'm going to hunt down the first book, Fearscape.
September 6, 2013
”You won the battle last time, my dear, but ultimately you lost the war. This time, you win nothing. I’ll make sure of it.”
Guess what? Valerian’s friends are invited to a party!
The host is some mystery guy named GM (yeah). Even though Valerian has her suspicions about this party she goes because her boyfriend and best friend thinks it will be a GOOD time. It’s a white party (white- chess; GM-Gavin any warning bells ringing?)
Once Val and her friends enter this creepy large home and meet GM she sees a lot of similarities to you know who. Let’s face it, it’s been several years since Val has seen Gavin…
”"It is him. She stared hard at him, but he did not meet her eyes. Isn't it?"
GM starts some games with his guests. Some guests are wearing black and Val and friends are wearing white.
It doesn’t take long before Val connects the dots and is a hundred percent sure of their host’s true identity. It also doesn’t take long before the games turn deadly.
”The game you have elected to play is a very dangerous one. One king, one queen, six pawns; winner takes all. There is no time limit-except the one on your lives.”
This story doesn’t end in a cliffhanger, but a reader will be more than excited to get to the conclusion of this series just to find out how it all ends.
Perhaps you are like me, you’re still holding out hope for an hea? An hea in this series with a wedding or a baby. Well that maybe just way too far out there after the lines that were crossed in this book but I remain hopeful.
”You are mine. As long as one of us still breathes, that won’t change.”
March 26, 2018
This was such a thrilling action packed book that was so deliciously dark.
May 9, 2013
Checkmate...
Rendered speechless yet again, thats not nice Nenia, ending a book like that...well i will get to that later.
Song choices: "Under the Gun" by the Killers, and "Hunter" by 30 Seconds to Mars.... also "Fall Into the Sky" by Zedd featuring Ellie Goulding
First thoughts, well first warnings first, This is a second to a series, if you have stumbled across this and you think that you might be interested in, with that being said, SUPER spoilers are going to be in this review FOR THE FIRST BOOK, meaning if you didn't read the first book and you don't want to know what happens in it, go ahead and skip this review, i CANNOT tap dance around what the first book in this review and quite honestly i don't want to. So with that being said this is your last chance to turn away if you don't, not my fault.
First thoughts: You are going to need, chocolate if you like it, unlike me i know i am sad excuse for a woman, whatever i have gotten over it, so if you don't like chocolate, then get your favorite comfort food ready, you will need a blanket to hide under, and time to read this. Because personally i had to take breaks, much like the first book this one overwhelmed with me a whole slew of emotions, different emotions from the first book but emotions all the same. The writing remains to be as elegant, and dangerous as before. Had my heart-racing, and me sitting on the edge of my seat, biting my nails, while screaming into the book. So if you even remotely liked the first book, yes you should read this, honestly i don't know how you wouldn't like the first one, but get ready for a whole lot more twisted Gavin.
Alright thoughts on plot: The first 20-ish? percent of the book i just really jumped right in, i didn't even look at the summary or any reviews because i was just like MUST READ. Well then i went back because i just wanted to know. So yes this book takes place in one night but God i felt like it had been months, years trapped with them in that house. (that is meant to be a praise - why you ask?) because i felt their dread, their fear, their utterly stupidity... what? needless to say i sort of hate Val's friends, but i will get to that later. The plot twisted, and scary. Now this is like one of the first series that I have read that are that suspenseful, thriller, sort of scary books, just STRICTLY THAT though like contemp. fiction wise, so maybe i am not the best to say this is the best of this genre but hell the writing was amazing, the plot made me feel like i was as lost as the characters, i felt hopeless to do anything. i thought for sure we were all done with, and yes i realize i just said us because it was so engrossed in this book that i felt like i was there with them.
So now from the first book, three years have passed and Gavin is just making his reappearance in the first book, at the beginning i was the psycho going, i hope he gets her, i thought for sure that he wasn't as bat-shit cra-cra as everyone thought, i was as naive as Val but i fell for his pretty words, and bad boy vibe, but i mean how bad of a boy can you be with glasses? boys with glasses are just cute...anyways. This time around i was scared, as much as he was obsessiveness with Val i thought for sure there were a couple times he would just break. Especially after the whole court case thing in the first book. Well nope he has a new, bigger, badder plan than ever, and the hunt has just began.
So run.
Characters:
Val: i thought for sure that she was going to be a totally different person from the first book, i thought that after everything she went through that the obvious choice would be to make her this super cold, and hateful girl. Well i am glad it didn't do the obvious, stereotypical choice. So thank you Nenia for that. Val is still very sweet, and caring, but she is paranoid and on the drugs so she seems even more subdue. I liked that it took her a bit to start fighting back because she was getting over her ingrained fear of Gavin. I suppose there were times that i was so heartbroken for her that i wanted her to fight just a little more, not to give in but here is the thing, much like Val i found myself remembering all those things he had said before, he gets under your skin and suddenly you are questioning Val and possibly yourself. Should you really hate him? Somehow Gavin reached through the pages and has taken over my own mind, and that has to be one of the scariest things about this book.
Gavin: Sadistic and scary as always. Spine-chillingly handsome, and scary. I thought for sure that he was going to explode. He is a patient hunter though which makes it all the worst because he drags things out. Here is the thing i can't really go into detail about him because honestly he hasn't changed much, he still wants Val and he intends to have her. But since I didn't get to do Gavin quotes last time, here are some for this book, promise not to do any that would be spoiler-like :)
"She was already imprisoned. He had bound her to him long ago, the moment she unwittingly revealed her weaknesses to him. She just couldn't see the chains. Not yet. Soon, he reminded himself. Soon."
"Power was a valuable commodity precisely because it was so difficult to obtain, and even more difficult to use— effectively, that is."
one more!
"She was his. If not in body, heart, or soul, then in mind, at least. And soon, the rest would follow."
The best way to describe Gavin from this book is to explain how i feel when its in his POVs, or he is around really...I get this feeling in my stomach, this weightlessly, heavy feeling that dread is on its way, but still my toes curl in anticipation, and my heart starts racing i dont know if it is in fear or otherwise... so Gavin = dangerous.
James: I hate him. I really do not like him and i think that was the point. Which i liked. He wasn't very bright and the fact that he never listened to Val pissed me off more because obviously she as scared shitless and he if couldn't see than he is just stupid. oh there is something that really pissed me off but it is sort of a spoiler so i will hide it
Lisa: she is smarter than she seems at times, but other times she just stupid and i wanted to punch her in the snout
Charlie: She is crazy as fuck...man she is almost as bad as Gavin if not worse....same with Jason but he is not as bad as Gavin that is for sure.
Brent: ummm i am really confused... what happened to him?
Blake: pretty cool cat. i liked him, and maybe this is wrong of me but i was sort of hoping that Val would have fallen for him instead of dating James but whatever.
The ending! OMG i need the next one. It was sort of a strange mix of cliffhanger but not raelly. either way i want... sorry no, NEED the next one.
Alright so here is the part we all dread where i am pretty certain anyone who looks at this review will just move on, and go read this book because they should... what? no...seriously you should. (though i think i like the first one just a smudge more) but i think that was only because i could live under the pretense that Gavin might not actually be cra-cra, anyways i have this little thing called... well its a blog. NOW don't freak out you dont have to go look at it for this review now did you? and i didn't put half here, the rest there did i? ANNNND i didn't even bother you about it until now, so winning? me...i am winning...oh god....um nevermind that thought. ANYWAYS! here is the link i try to do mostly indie books so support them indie authors! http://theviolethourbookreviews.wordp...
Rendered speechless yet again, thats not nice Nenia, ending a book like that...well i will get to that later.
Song choices: "Under the Gun" by the Killers, and "Hunter" by 30 Seconds to Mars.... also "Fall Into the Sky" by Zedd featuring Ellie Goulding
First thoughts, well first warnings first, This is a second to a series, if you have stumbled across this and you think that you might be interested in, with that being said, SUPER spoilers are going to be in this review FOR THE FIRST BOOK, meaning if you didn't read the first book and you don't want to know what happens in it, go ahead and skip this review, i CANNOT tap dance around what the first book in this review and quite honestly i don't want to. So with that being said this is your last chance to turn away if you don't, not my fault.
First thoughts: You are going to need, chocolate if you like it, unlike me i know i am sad excuse for a woman, whatever i have gotten over it, so if you don't like chocolate, then get your favorite comfort food ready, you will need a blanket to hide under, and time to read this. Because personally i had to take breaks, much like the first book this one overwhelmed with me a whole slew of emotions, different emotions from the first book but emotions all the same. The writing remains to be as elegant, and dangerous as before. Had my heart-racing, and me sitting on the edge of my seat, biting my nails, while screaming into the book. So if you even remotely liked the first book, yes you should read this, honestly i don't know how you wouldn't like the first one, but get ready for a whole lot more twisted Gavin.
Alright thoughts on plot: The first 20-ish? percent of the book i just really jumped right in, i didn't even look at the summary or any reviews because i was just like MUST READ. Well then i went back because i just wanted to know. So yes this book takes place in one night but God i felt like it had been months, years trapped with them in that house. (that is meant to be a praise - why you ask?) because i felt their dread, their fear, their utterly stupidity... what? needless to say i sort of hate Val's friends, but i will get to that later. The plot twisted, and scary. Now this is like one of the first series that I have read that are that suspenseful, thriller, sort of scary books, just STRICTLY THAT though like contemp. fiction wise, so maybe i am not the best to say this is the best of this genre but hell the writing was amazing, the plot made me feel like i was as lost as the characters, i felt hopeless to do anything. i thought for sure we were all done with, and yes i realize i just said us because it was so engrossed in this book that i felt like i was there with them.
So now from the first book, three years have passed and Gavin is just making his reappearance in the first book, at the beginning i was the psycho going, i hope he gets her, i thought for sure that he wasn't as bat-shit cra-cra as everyone thought, i was as naive as Val but i fell for his pretty words, and bad boy vibe, but i mean how bad of a boy can you be with glasses? boys with glasses are just cute...anyways. This time around i was scared, as much as he was obsessiveness with Val i thought for sure there were a couple times he would just break. Especially after the whole court case thing in the first book. Well nope he has a new, bigger, badder plan than ever, and the hunt has just began.
So run.
Characters:
Val: i thought for sure that she was going to be a totally different person from the first book, i thought that after everything she went through that the obvious choice would be to make her this super cold, and hateful girl. Well i am glad it didn't do the obvious, stereotypical choice. So thank you Nenia for that. Val is still very sweet, and caring, but she is paranoid and on the drugs so she seems even more subdue. I liked that it took her a bit to start fighting back because she was getting over her ingrained fear of Gavin. I suppose there were times that i was so heartbroken for her that i wanted her to fight just a little more, not to give in but here is the thing, much like Val i found myself remembering all those things he had said before, he gets under your skin and suddenly you are questioning Val and possibly yourself. Should you really hate him? Somehow Gavin reached through the pages and has taken over my own mind, and that has to be one of the scariest things about this book.
Gavin: Sadistic and scary as always. Spine-chillingly handsome, and scary. I thought for sure that he was going to explode. He is a patient hunter though which makes it all the worst because he drags things out. Here is the thing i can't really go into detail about him because honestly he hasn't changed much, he still wants Val and he intends to have her. But since I didn't get to do Gavin quotes last time, here are some for this book, promise not to do any that would be spoiler-like :)
"She was already imprisoned. He had bound her to him long ago, the moment she unwittingly revealed her weaknesses to him. She just couldn't see the chains. Not yet. Soon, he reminded himself. Soon."
"Power was a valuable commodity precisely because it was so difficult to obtain, and even more difficult to use— effectively, that is."
one more!
"She was his. If not in body, heart, or soul, then in mind, at least. And soon, the rest would follow."
The best way to describe Gavin from this book is to explain how i feel when its in his POVs, or he is around really...I get this feeling in my stomach, this weightlessly, heavy feeling that dread is on its way, but still my toes curl in anticipation, and my heart starts racing i dont know if it is in fear or otherwise... so Gavin = dangerous.
James: I hate him. I really do not like him and i think that was the point. Which i liked. He wasn't very bright and the fact that he never listened to Val pissed me off more because obviously she as scared shitless and he if couldn't see than he is just stupid. oh there is something that really pissed me off but it is sort of a spoiler so i will hide it
Lisa: she is smarter than she seems at times, but other times she just stupid and i wanted to punch her in the snout
Charlie: She is crazy as fuck...man she is almost as bad as Gavin if not worse....same with Jason but he is not as bad as Gavin that is for sure.
Brent: ummm i am really confused... what happened to him?
Blake: pretty cool cat. i liked him, and maybe this is wrong of me but i was sort of hoping that Val would have fallen for him instead of dating James but whatever.
The ending! OMG i need the next one. It was sort of a strange mix of cliffhanger but not raelly. either way i want... sorry no, NEED the next one.
Alright so here is the part we all dread where i am pretty certain anyone who looks at this review will just move on, and go read this book because they should... what? no...seriously you should. (though i think i like the first one just a smudge more) but i think that was only because i could live under the pretense that Gavin might not actually be cra-cra, anyways i have this little thing called... well its a blog. NOW don't freak out you dont have to go look at it for this review now did you? and i didn't put half here, the rest there did i? ANNNND i didn't even bother you about it until now, so winning? me...i am winning...oh god....um nevermind that thought. ANYWAYS! here is the link i try to do mostly indie books so support them indie authors! http://theviolethourbookreviews.wordp...
July 1, 2024
Definitely not salvaging any romance here. Gavin goes from slightly psycho but still hot in a dark, twisted sort of way to raving psycho in a bat shit crazy sort of way.
I said after reading Fearscape that Val really was not a worthy opponent; and I still feel that way. She just played into Gavin’s hands like a lamb to the slaughter. First she gets a threatening letter from someone that sounds remarkably like Gavin, at the same time that her friends get mysterious party invites from a complete stranger and all this after Gavin specifically said he would use her friends against her. Yet while she notes all these coincidences, she convinces herself she is being paranoid (in her defense, she has been harassed by some copycat stalkers) . Then after they arrive at the party, she doesn't even recognize Gavin (actually none of her friends do) even though she only saw him 3 years ago, and he traumatized her to the point that every minute detail of his countenance should be seared into her brain AND he introduces himself as GM (Grandmaster from chess his favorite hobby; not to mention…ummm…Gavin Mecozzi). She scrutinizes her host and concludes “He’s even better looking up close.” Then she asks, “Do I …know you from somewhere?” Really? It’s been 3 years, not 3 decades; no one changes THAT much! Gavin “arched an eyebrow but didn’t blink. “I should think you’d have remembered me”. I should have thought so too…what with all the obsessive stalking and attempted rape and all. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck…newsflash Val; it’s a fuckin’ duck! Her response to Gavin, “So no, then”. At this point I just wanted to truss her up and stick an apple in her mouth.
The middle of the book I felt dragged slightly; but I confess I was somewhat confused by Gavin’s orchestrated games…but then I’m not a chess player. And I did wonder why Val’s friends were so willing to stay and play and why they actually cared about “winning”. It seemed like a lame party for almost 18 year olds…with the sex, drugs and rock n’ roll conspicuously absent…Gavin didn’t even stock a full bar.
I admit there was one point where I was hoping things would go a little differently even though I knew it wasn’t to be. Val was struggling with her attraction to Gavin. Not with whether or not she should act on it, just with the simple fact that it was there in the first place. He was terrorizing her and she understood that he got off on her fear “better to chase prey that was aware of it’s pursuit, because fear would make it run faster and fight harder”. And here is where I was yelling at my kindle for Val to STOP…ACTING…LIKE PREY!! I really wanted her to buck up, stalk forward and jump his bones with a “take me now Gavin, hard and fast; in fact I’m going to be on top”! Best case scenario maybe that would have put him off his game and cooled his ardor; worst case scenario she gets to bang the hot, crazy guy guilt free cuz she’s “taking one for the team” so to speak. But no…my poor Val is not a worthy opponent.
The games continue and she does sort of “grow a pair” in the final hour; but as the saying goes, it’s rather too little too late.
In summary, Horrorscape reminded me of one of those B horror movies where a bunch of teenagers run around doing incredibly stupid things and you yell at the movie screen telling them what morons they are and it still manages to be incredibly fun.
I said after reading Fearscape that Val really was not a worthy opponent; and I still feel that way. She just played into Gavin’s hands like a lamb to the slaughter. First she gets a threatening letter from someone that sounds remarkably like Gavin, at the same time that her friends get mysterious party invites from a complete stranger and all this after Gavin specifically said he would use her friends against her. Yet while she notes all these coincidences, she convinces herself she is being paranoid (in her defense, she has been harassed by some copycat stalkers) . Then after they arrive at the party, she doesn't even recognize Gavin (actually none of her friends do) even though she only saw him 3 years ago, and he traumatized her to the point that every minute detail of his countenance should be seared into her brain AND he introduces himself as GM (Grandmaster from chess his favorite hobby; not to mention…ummm…Gavin Mecozzi). She scrutinizes her host and concludes “He’s even better looking up close.” Then she asks, “Do I …know you from somewhere?” Really? It’s been 3 years, not 3 decades; no one changes THAT much! Gavin “arched an eyebrow but didn’t blink. “I should think you’d have remembered me”. I should have thought so too…what with all the obsessive stalking and attempted rape and all. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck…newsflash Val; it’s a fuckin’ duck! Her response to Gavin, “So no, then”. At this point I just wanted to truss her up and stick an apple in her mouth.
The middle of the book I felt dragged slightly; but I confess I was somewhat confused by Gavin’s orchestrated games…but then I’m not a chess player. And I did wonder why Val’s friends were so willing to stay and play and why they actually cared about “winning”. It seemed like a lame party for almost 18 year olds…with the sex, drugs and rock n’ roll conspicuously absent…Gavin didn’t even stock a full bar.
I admit there was one point where I was hoping things would go a little differently even though I knew it wasn’t to be. Val was struggling with her attraction to Gavin. Not with whether or not she should act on it, just with the simple fact that it was there in the first place. He was terrorizing her and she understood that he got off on her fear “better to chase prey that was aware of it’s pursuit, because fear would make it run faster and fight harder”. And here is where I was yelling at my kindle for Val to STOP…ACTING…LIKE PREY!! I really wanted her to buck up, stalk forward and jump his bones with a “take me now Gavin, hard and fast; in fact I’m going to be on top”! Best case scenario maybe that would have put him off his game and cooled his ardor; worst case scenario she gets to bang the hot, crazy guy guilt free cuz she’s “taking one for the team” so to speak. But no…my poor Val is not a worthy opponent.
The games continue and she does sort of “grow a pair” in the final hour; but as the saying goes, it’s rather too little too late.
In summary, Horrorscape reminded me of one of those B horror movies where a bunch of teenagers run around doing incredibly stupid things and you yell at the movie screen telling them what morons they are and it still manages to be incredibly fun.
September 11, 2013
*****5 Heart-pounding Crazy Stars*****
Wow - WOW - WOWSERS!!!
What a freaking FANTASTIC story line - I just can't believe how amazing this book was - I honestly thought Nenia couldn't do better than the 1st book in this series (Fearscape) but she knocked my socks off with this one!
I found myself holding my breath and realizing that my heart was pounding so fast while reading some of the scenes of this book. Nenia writes so fantastic that while I was reading it was like a movie was playing in my head because of her graphic descriptions and true to life displays through words.
After the 1st book, we come back to Val and Gavin 3-4 years later. Gavin's looks has changed which makes it impossible for everyone to recognize him. Val is dating James (asshole) - Lisa is back and Blake makes an entrance in this book.
Gavin masterminds the perfect set-up for his revenge against Val.
He invites her friends to a "themed" party (just guess what the theme is *hahaha). They are all just pawns in his game of hunt and eliminate.
Will Gavin possess Val? Will he kill her? What about her friends?
This is a series that will definitely be one of my all time favorites!!
It's all thanks to that "little indie writer" Nenia Campbell!! *kisses
Wow - WOW - WOWSERS!!!
What a freaking FANTASTIC story line - I just can't believe how amazing this book was - I honestly thought Nenia couldn't do better than the 1st book in this series (Fearscape) but she knocked my socks off with this one!
I found myself holding my breath and realizing that my heart was pounding so fast while reading some of the scenes of this book. Nenia writes so fantastic that while I was reading it was like a movie was playing in my head because of her graphic descriptions and true to life displays through words.
After the 1st book, we come back to Val and Gavin 3-4 years later. Gavin's looks has changed which makes it impossible for everyone to recognize him. Val is dating James (asshole) - Lisa is back and Blake makes an entrance in this book.
Gavin masterminds the perfect set-up for his revenge against Val.
He invites her friends to a "themed" party (just guess what the theme is *hahaha). They are all just pawns in his game of hunt and eliminate.
Will Gavin possess Val? Will he kill her? What about her friends?
This is a series that will definitely be one of my all time favorites!!
It's all thanks to that "little indie writer" Nenia Campbell!! *kisses
September 7, 2013
"Don't make me hurt you," he said softly. "Don't make me hurt your friends."
Someone hand me two pain killers and a glass of water because my head is spinning. It was such a joy to once again reunite with Gavin and his twisted, possessive antics in Horrorscape. Four years have passed since Val faced off against the child psychopath Gavin and "won." She's dating James and is trying to live a normal life as possible. This will very soon all come crashing down. It all starts when Val's friends receive an invitation to a mysterious party and invite her to go along.
They aren't sure who is hosting the party or who will be in attendance, but they agree to attend anyway. When they arrive everything seems to be going smoothly. They meet the other party guests and their host, but right away the games begin.
"Don't worry. I only want to play with you a little."
I like to play all sorts of games, some of them include Jenga, Monopoly, Candyland, and even Uno, but the games that Gavin likes to play take on a scary twist. These are the type of games that will make me run under the bed and refuse to come out. Hide and go seek and a scavenger hunt have taken on a whole new meaning after reading this book.
Gavin is a master manipulator and he knows all the right moves to make to instill fear, terror and loathing in his guests. He is interested in one particular guest, Valerian, and for him she is his greatest prize. Gavin let Val slip through his fingers once before but he is determined to not allow this to happen again.
"You won the battle last time, my dear, but ultimately you lost the war. This time you win nothing. I'll make sure of it."
Games
Flowers
Prey
Predators
Checkmate
Death
"I always win."
This was another spine-tingling, thrilling installment in a series I'm growing to love. I enjoyed how Gavin's obsession and craziness really shined through in this book. The lengths he was willing to go to keep Val were chilling. He's older, stronger, scarier and more ruthless than ever.
"You're terrified aren't you?"
Rating: 4 Game On Stars
March 24, 2020
This has always been my least favorite book of the series. I found it long and tedious the first time I read it, and it was much the same on my second read. Never let it be said that I always rate my friends' book highly.
The plot is similar to those movies where a small group of people get invited to a house and end up having to survive until morning because someone wants them dead. But I never quite bought that concept here. I didn't get why any Blake, Lisa, or James would stay at this party, because it seemed so weird and boring, and the other guests were unfriendly to say the least. They took a really long time to decide to bail (only to find out that they couldn't, naturally). Everyone was going in and out of rooms all the time, and it just seemed like everyone was hanging out in the dark hallways of this creepy house, waiting and spying, even when they had a game to play. And I didn't buy that none of them ran into each other except when it was convenient.
All that said, it turns out I actually did like the ending. The pool scene was pretty great. Nenia is the queen of cliffhangers that make you want to strangle her until she agrees to write more, and this book is no exception. BRUTAL.
I remember liking Terrorscape much more than this or Fearscape, so I'm excited to reread it.
The plot is similar to those movies where a small group of people get invited to a house and end up having to survive until morning because someone wants them dead. But I never quite bought that concept here. I didn't get why any Blake, Lisa, or James would stay at this party, because it seemed so weird and boring, and the other guests were unfriendly to say the least. They took a really long time to decide to bail (only to find out that they couldn't, naturally). Everyone was going in and out of rooms all the time, and it just seemed like everyone was hanging out in the dark hallways of this creepy house, waiting and spying, even when they had a game to play. And I didn't buy that none of them ran into each other except when it was convenient.
All that said, it turns out I actually did like the ending. The pool scene was pretty great. Nenia is the queen of cliffhangers that make you want to strangle her until she agrees to write more, and this book is no exception. BRUTAL.
I remember liking Terrorscape much more than this or Fearscape, so I'm excited to reread it.
February 13, 2016
I think I may have a bit of Stockholm Syndrome too!! I actually feel guilty for loving Gavin. A true psychopath. I enjoyed this book a teensy bit more only because they were older. In Fearscape Val was only 14 and it made it a little hard for me to relate to at times. I LOVED the whole creepy party! I cannot wait to start the last book in the series. Although, I have a feeling Gavin will be dead at the end. Which I guess it should be like that...
One question is driving me crazy though..what the hell happened to the White teams third friend?!?! Not Jason or Charlie, the other one. I forgot his name. Did I miss something?
One question is driving me crazy though..what the hell happened to the White teams third friend?!?! Not Jason or Charlie, the other one. I forgot his name. Did I miss something?
October 2, 2013
I don't know what to say and right all I can think about is moving on to the next book. Review to come :)
July 14, 2024
This book operates on horror movie logic, which is fun, if a bit startling after the more grounded feel of Fearscape. I loved hating James and was a bit surprised by how much I liked Lisa. Val was clearly struggling with both her trauma and her medication, but it was wonderful to see her adapt throughout the story and get stronger again. Most importantly, of course, Gavin is terrifying yet irresistible.
February 16, 2016
Second book syndrome strikes again. Fearscape was one of my favorite reads 2014 and I've been meaning to read this for a while. It'd been sitting on my shelf for a while and, not bothering to read the blurb, I began.
Horrorscape is not like Fearscape. While Fearscape read like a realistic story about Valerian and her stalker, Horrorscape reads, more than anything, like a slasher film. What made the first book so good was the realistic element to it. Not saying the second is devoid of realism, but it's not quite the same. Horrorscape takes place at a party in a mansion far away from the public. Valerian and her friends are invited to a party on the property by a stranger that is yet to reveal who he is. But alas, they go, and soon find themselves fighting for their lives.
This reading like a slasher film would not necessarily be a bad thing, but it adds little to the overall story. With the ending, it is clear what the purpose of this installment is, but during this story there is little character development. Mostly, it's sitting around waiting for Gavin to be creepy (which he is in spades, by the way) and waiting for someone to die. Also, given what the characters went through in the first book, especially Valerian, it's hard to understand why they make the choices they do. Having been stalked, and yet agrees to go to a party where she knows no one, as well as the invitation signing with the same initials as her stalker? That's quite a stretch at what is believable.
Plot aside, Gavin's character and Campbell's writing is enough to make this an overall okay read. From the go, we know that Gavin is crazy. In this book, there's no holding back. Gavin goes on the hunt, and he is good at it. Gavin is full of surprises. He might be a villain, but I love reading about his character. Which brings us to Campbell's writing. Did I mention that I adore it? Well, I do. It's just so sharp and rich, full of great descriptions on both setting and characters.
All in all, not the strongest plot, but engaging writing and a great setup for the third book!
She hated the way her heart seized when she looked up from the lamp she was steadying with a shaking hand and saw him smile, because it wasn't entirely due to fear. The villains were always ugly in books and movies. Necessarily so, it seemed. Because if they were attractive—if their looks matched their charm and their cunning—they wouldn't only be dangerous.
They would be irresistible.
Horrorscape is not like Fearscape. While Fearscape read like a realistic story about Valerian and her stalker, Horrorscape reads, more than anything, like a slasher film. What made the first book so good was the realistic element to it. Not saying the second is devoid of realism, but it's not quite the same. Horrorscape takes place at a party in a mansion far away from the public. Valerian and her friends are invited to a party on the property by a stranger that is yet to reveal who he is. But alas, they go, and soon find themselves fighting for their lives.
This reading like a slasher film would not necessarily be a bad thing, but it adds little to the overall story. With the ending, it is clear what the purpose of this installment is, but during this story there is little character development. Mostly, it's sitting around waiting for Gavin to be creepy (which he is in spades, by the way) and waiting for someone to die. Also, given what the characters went through in the first book, especially Valerian, it's hard to understand why they make the choices they do. Having been stalked, and yet agrees to go to a party where she knows no one, as well as the invitation signing with the same initials as her stalker? That's quite a stretch at what is believable.
Plot aside, Gavin's character and Campbell's writing is enough to make this an overall okay read. From the go, we know that Gavin is crazy. In this book, there's no holding back. Gavin goes on the hunt, and he is good at it. Gavin is full of surprises. He might be a villain, but I love reading about his character. Which brings us to Campbell's writing. Did I mention that I adore it? Well, I do. It's just so sharp and rich, full of great descriptions on both setting and characters.
All in all, not the strongest plot, but engaging writing and a great setup for the third book!
September 4, 2013
Brilliantly twisted and Obsessive, this story is so different
After 3 years of trying to get back to some normality, Val receives a love letter and some flowers.
At the same time her friends also receive letters....letters to invite them to a party
Her letter, their invites are they connected or just coincidence...
Could he now be back? be back to claim Val once more...
This story continues 3 years on from Fearscape
It is so different to anything I've read and as before it leaves you with that feeling of What the hell is happening here
My thoughts
This is not your normal romance story, its dark, creepy, scary and to be honest I so want to see what this Gavin is really about...
Bravo Nenia Campbell for writing something so very different
After 3 years of trying to get back to some normality, Val receives a love letter and some flowers.
At the same time her friends also receive letters....letters to invite them to a party
Her letter, their invites are they connected or just coincidence...
Could he now be back? be back to claim Val once more...
This story continues 3 years on from Fearscape
It is so different to anything I've read and as before it leaves you with that feeling of What the hell is happening here
My thoughts
This is not your normal romance story, its dark, creepy, scary and to be honest I so want to see what this Gavin is really about...
Bravo Nenia Campbell for writing something so very different
Want to read
December 3, 2012Another pretty cover! :D
"The stakes? Their lives. Let the games begin."
Dun dun dun.
I want this book.
...Even though I haven't read the first one yet. o-o
"The stakes? Their lives. Let the games begin."
Dun dun dun.
I want this book.
...Even though I haven't read the first one yet. o-o
September 29, 2013
Gavin is a nut case! But I still like him..... A lot. O_o
Guess that makes me a nut case too.
Guess that makes me a nut case too.
March 24, 2020
2020 update:
Okay now that it's 10 pm, and I haven't gotten nearly as much done today as I planned (because I just sat in my living room and read this instead), I will continue to procrastinate and update this with my current thoughts on Horrorscape. I had a fantastic time rereading this! There's so much tension and intensity in the second book. It's all cat and mouse. I really enjoyed how quickly Horrorscape cuts to the chase-- there's really no setup needed and the plot starts immediately. I've also been thinking a lot about imagery and visualization when I read lately. I always get some images in my head when I read a book, but it kind of varies whether it's super clear or not. With Horrorscape, I noticed that every chapter was crystal clear in my mind. I could see each scene play out and feel emotions along with Val. Now, I'm pretty attached to this story, so that could have something to do with it... but also I think Nenia's writing is incredible and paints vivid pictures for the reader. It was so fun. Most of my thoughts from my 2013 review still stand... though, I do cringe reading my 17 year-old self refer to this book as more romantic than Fearscape. Uhhh... no. Still lowkey ship Val/Gavin though. Far more guiltily than my 17 year-old self did, however.
5 stars!
2013 review:
I finished this book hours ago, but I still haven't quite processed it yet. All I know is that it was really twisted, but REALLY amazing at the same time! If I had to sum Horrorscape up in a few words, it would probably be: intense, scary, and even pretty hot. My emotions were going everywhere the whole time I read it and I even found myself having to stop every once in a while for a breather. Some of the scenes were just so... intense. I can't think of another way to describe it, so I'll probably use that word a lot, haha. The writing was fantastic and it held my attention the whole time. The plot, characters, and everything were just great. My thoughts are still all over the place, so the review might be a little random, but I'll try to sum up some of the really awesome aspects of it. As a disclaimer, I'm friends with the author on GoodReads, but that in no way affects my rating or review of Horrorscape.
First off, Fearscape and Horrorscape were two very different books. I loved them both equally and was thrilled that Horrorscape was just as good (if not better) than the first book. Especially with how often sequels don't rise to meet the expectations set by the first novel. Horrorscape was great and went further with a lot of the elements that Fearscape set up. It was a lot darker in general and in my opinion, even faster paced. We already knew Gavin was the bad guy, so there was no investigating to be done. It jumped right into the plot and never slowed down. The writing was different in the way that it switched point of views frequently, which I thought was interesting. Some authors can't pull off PoV switches, but I thought Nenia did it well. Sometimes I wished it would stay focused on Val and Gavin when they were in the same room together, but it was helpful and added a lot of believability to the plot for us to be able to see what was happening with the other characters, especially since they were all locked up in the same house. The parts written from Gavin's perspective alone were chilling. All in all, I just thought that Horrorscape was a level higher in almost every element than Fearscape- it was scarier, more violent, and even more romantic/sexual than the previous one.
The plot, as I said before, was great. At first I was kind of skeptical as to how well a party with Gavin as the host would be pulled off, especially if both Val and her friends were there. But it worked very nicely and the games they played got creepier and creepier as it went along. The book totally read as a scary haunted house movie and I felt like I was right there watching firsthand. Horrorscape would make a great film actually, but I think it's even better as a book, because Nenia Campbell's writing was so wonderful that I was stricken with every emotion and sense just as the characters went through it. The further the novel progressed, the more terrifying it became. Books rarely scare me or really evoke much of a reaction from me at all. But at certain points, especially near the end, I actually felt my heart speed up and noticed myself biting on my nails during the suspenseful parts. Man, they were spooky. And I rarely knew what was coming next. I loved every second of it.
The characters were great, too. Most of them were different than in Fearscape- rightfully so, since years had passed since the first novel. Val was much more paranoid and scared than before. She never knew if she was imagining her fears or if they were real. I found this totally justified, considering what she went through freshman year. It was sad to see how everyone cast her worries off and ignored her. I felt sympathy towards her a lot of the time, especially at the beginning. I also loved her feelings for Gavin- how she hated him, yet was still attracted to him. In so many horror books, the characters are attracted to the villain, but when he's revealed to be the bad guy, they are revolted and can't stand to be around him anymore. Val wasn't like that and I thought it brought so much more to the novel, since she was still fighting with sexual feelings for him when she should have just been scared or disturbed.
Speaking of Gavin, I still loved him just as much as before. He was really, really scary in this one, though. I'm not sure if he actually changed a lot in between the books or if we're just seeing more of his true colors this time around- he's very unhinged now, because he has nothing to hide from Val. He's a coldhearted killer and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. In Horrorscape, there was no question as to what his goal in the end was, so we got to see just how serious and dedicated he was to having Val all to himself. He didn't care about anyone's feelings but his own and would even hurt Val if needed. He truly was terrifying. But sexy at the same time. His scenes alone with Val were hot. They didn't actually DO that much, I mean, compared to some of the other books out there and what he could have done with her if he decided to. But it was still steamy and great. I even found myself a little sad when there was an interruption and he had to go back to being his evil party host self. He definitely knows how to turn on and off his charm and I liked how in control of his emotions he was- that is, until SOMEONE pushed him a little too far a couple of times. But yes. Gavin is a monster. I should not have the teeniest of crushes on him. No. Maybe if I say this enough times, I'll get it through my head.
The minor characters were good, too. James made me angry a lot Lisa had some great one liners and was hilarious, but she was still the same not-so-great best friend as before. Blake was a nice new edition and I liked his personality a lot. The other new characters from the white team were interesting, as well. Charlie was pretty frightening and I actually was intrigued by her for a while. Sometimes I was aggravated when it switched to their points of views, but mainly just because I wanted to know what was going to happen next with Val and Gavin. It was a pretty creative writing technique to add suspense, actually. But the smaller characters added some good stuff to the story and I loved some of their comical dialogue. I'll be interested to see what roles they play in the final installment of the series.
I still can't quite express how much I adored this book, haha. I think Fearscape and Horrorscape have earned their way into my favorites. There were just so many small things that made them great. I enjoyed the ending to this one, too. It came quickly (in a good way- it wasn't until I was 98 percent of the way through that I stopped and realized that there wasn't enough time left for what I thought was going to happen to actually pan out) and left my dying to read Terrorscape. I am so grateful that this book exists and I wish more people would read it. I'm tempted to actually go get physical copies of this and Fearscape so that I can lend them to my non-Kindle owning friends (and because it's nice to have hard copies of really good books, in my opinion, so you can flip through them and reread certain parts more easily). If you haven't read Fearscape, you definitely should go back and complete that one before starting Horrorscape. I'm sure you could enjoy this book quite a bit without reading it's prequel, but the allusions made to Fearscape and Val and Gavin's relationship might make a lot more sense if you read the previous one first. I couldn't find many errors and the small issues I had with it were overshadowed by all of the other great elements. Everyone out there that hasn't read these books needs to go get them now! And I shallattempt to patiently wait for the final installment. I'm so excited to see how it ends. I don't wanna make many guesses though, because I'm sure I won't be able to predict anything about it correctly. Props to the author for making such a marvelous series.
Okay now that it's 10 pm, and I haven't gotten nearly as much done today as I planned (because I just sat in my living room and read this instead), I will continue to procrastinate and update this with my current thoughts on Horrorscape. I had a fantastic time rereading this! There's so much tension and intensity in the second book. It's all cat and mouse. I really enjoyed how quickly Horrorscape cuts to the chase-- there's really no setup needed and the plot starts immediately. I've also been thinking a lot about imagery and visualization when I read lately. I always get some images in my head when I read a book, but it kind of varies whether it's super clear or not. With Horrorscape, I noticed that every chapter was crystal clear in my mind. I could see each scene play out and feel emotions along with Val. Now, I'm pretty attached to this story, so that could have something to do with it... but also I think Nenia's writing is incredible and paints vivid pictures for the reader. It was so fun. Most of my thoughts from my 2013 review still stand... though, I do cringe reading my 17 year-old self refer to this book as more romantic than Fearscape. Uhhh... no. Still lowkey ship Val/Gavin though. Far more guiltily than my 17 year-old self did, however.
5 stars!
2013 review:
I finished this book hours ago, but I still haven't quite processed it yet. All I know is that it was really twisted, but REALLY amazing at the same time! If I had to sum Horrorscape up in a few words, it would probably be: intense, scary, and even pretty hot. My emotions were going everywhere the whole time I read it and I even found myself having to stop every once in a while for a breather. Some of the scenes were just so... intense. I can't think of another way to describe it, so I'll probably use that word a lot, haha. The writing was fantastic and it held my attention the whole time. The plot, characters, and everything were just great. My thoughts are still all over the place, so the review might be a little random, but I'll try to sum up some of the really awesome aspects of it. As a disclaimer, I'm friends with the author on GoodReads, but that in no way affects my rating or review of Horrorscape.
First off, Fearscape and Horrorscape were two very different books. I loved them both equally and was thrilled that Horrorscape was just as good (if not better) than the first book. Especially with how often sequels don't rise to meet the expectations set by the first novel. Horrorscape was great and went further with a lot of the elements that Fearscape set up. It was a lot darker in general and in my opinion, even faster paced. We already knew Gavin was the bad guy, so there was no investigating to be done. It jumped right into the plot and never slowed down. The writing was different in the way that it switched point of views frequently, which I thought was interesting. Some authors can't pull off PoV switches, but I thought Nenia did it well. Sometimes I wished it would stay focused on Val and Gavin when they were in the same room together, but it was helpful and added a lot of believability to the plot for us to be able to see what was happening with the other characters, especially since they were all locked up in the same house. The parts written from Gavin's perspective alone were chilling. All in all, I just thought that Horrorscape was a level higher in almost every element than Fearscape- it was scarier, more violent, and even more romantic/sexual than the previous one.
The plot, as I said before, was great. At first I was kind of skeptical as to how well a party with Gavin as the host would be pulled off, especially if both Val and her friends were there. But it worked very nicely and the games they played got creepier and creepier as it went along. The book totally read as a scary haunted house movie and I felt like I was right there watching firsthand. Horrorscape would make a great film actually, but I think it's even better as a book, because Nenia Campbell's writing was so wonderful that I was stricken with every emotion and sense just as the characters went through it. The further the novel progressed, the more terrifying it became. Books rarely scare me or really evoke much of a reaction from me at all. But at certain points, especially near the end, I actually felt my heart speed up and noticed myself biting on my nails during the suspenseful parts. Man, they were spooky. And I rarely knew what was coming next. I loved every second of it.
The characters were great, too. Most of them were different than in Fearscape- rightfully so, since years had passed since the first novel. Val was much more paranoid and scared than before. She never knew if she was imagining her fears or if they were real. I found this totally justified, considering what she went through freshman year. It was sad to see how everyone cast her worries off and ignored her. I felt sympathy towards her a lot of the time, especially at the beginning. I also loved her feelings for Gavin- how she hated him, yet was still attracted to him. In so many horror books, the characters are attracted to the villain, but when he's revealed to be the bad guy, they are revolted and can't stand to be around him anymore. Val wasn't like that and I thought it brought so much more to the novel, since she was still fighting with sexual feelings for him when she should have just been scared or disturbed.
Speaking of Gavin, I still loved him just as much as before. He was really, really scary in this one, though. I'm not sure if he actually changed a lot in between the books or if we're just seeing more of his true colors this time around- he's very unhinged now, because he has nothing to hide from Val. He's a coldhearted killer and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. In Horrorscape, there was no question as to what his goal in the end was, so we got to see just how serious and dedicated he was to having Val all to himself. He didn't care about anyone's feelings but his own and would even hurt Val if needed. He truly was terrifying. But sexy at the same time. His scenes alone with Val were hot. They didn't actually DO that much, I mean, compared to some of the other books out there and what he could have done with her if he decided to. But it was still steamy and great. I even found myself a little sad when there was an interruption and he had to go back to being his evil party host self. He definitely knows how to turn on and off his charm and I liked how in control of his emotions he was- that is, until SOMEONE pushed him a little too far a couple of times. But yes. Gavin is a monster. I should not have the teeniest of crushes on him. No. Maybe if I say this enough times, I'll get it through my head.
The minor characters were good, too. James made me angry a lot Lisa had some great one liners and was hilarious, but she was still the same not-so-great best friend as before. Blake was a nice new edition and I liked his personality a lot. The other new characters from the white team were interesting, as well. Charlie was pretty frightening and I actually was intrigued by her for a while. Sometimes I was aggravated when it switched to their points of views, but mainly just because I wanted to know what was going to happen next with Val and Gavin. It was a pretty creative writing technique to add suspense, actually. But the smaller characters added some good stuff to the story and I loved some of their comical dialogue. I'll be interested to see what roles they play in the final installment of the series.
I still can't quite express how much I adored this book, haha. I think Fearscape and Horrorscape have earned their way into my favorites. There were just so many small things that made them great. I enjoyed the ending to this one, too. It came quickly (in a good way- it wasn't until I was 98 percent of the way through that I stopped and realized that there wasn't enough time left for what I thought was going to happen to actually pan out) and left my dying to read Terrorscape. I am so grateful that this book exists and I wish more people would read it. I'm tempted to actually go get physical copies of this and Fearscape so that I can lend them to my non-Kindle owning friends (and because it's nice to have hard copies of really good books, in my opinion, so you can flip through them and reread certain parts more easily). If you haven't read Fearscape, you definitely should go back and complete that one before starting Horrorscape. I'm sure you could enjoy this book quite a bit without reading it's prequel, but the allusions made to Fearscape and Val and Gavin's relationship might make a lot more sense if you read the previous one first. I couldn't find many errors and the small issues I had with it were overshadowed by all of the other great elements. Everyone out there that hasn't read these books needs to go get them now! And I shall
September 29, 2014
I have no words for what my brain’s processing right now. So I’m just going to express my emotions in gif/quote form.
First:
I want to play with you. I want to play suicide chess with you. You with your pawns, and me with mine. Together, we will level the playing field.
Second:
He gave her a searing, provocative look and moved lower, holding the fabric of her shirt aside so he could replace his fingers with his mouth. Where his lips touched, her skin caught fire.
But then this happened (SPOILER!):
Followed by:
Slowly, she raised her hands. In the dim light, her fingertips looked almost black. Blood?
“I merely wanted something that would ensure your good behavior. And it worked.”
And lastly:
4.5 stars! This was one hell of an addicting, seductive, fucked up read! I’m so excited for Terrorscape!
October 8, 2014
Dear Nenia I kind of hate but at the same love you for this. What kind read was that?!
In the beginning I was like OMG Val grow a backbone. Take lessons from Lisa here, at least she's showing some defiance. I get why she's scared but still!
I took a little, okay a longer break from this than I thought and then finally picked it up again.
In a Halloween mood I found myself turning the page and onto the next chapter, and the next and the, you get the idea.
Anyway, this is a mix of 3.5 for the first half and then 4 for the other half. Gavin, uh yeah, dude is kind of creepy, a lot of creepy, different kinds of creepy. And yet, he's the most interesting part in this. Why I don't know because he is quite face punch worthy so...
It definitely picks later on and got intense and suspenseful and weird and can I say that when this author gets going with the suspense, it definitely shows?
All in all, I liked Fearscape more but this has its moments.
In the beginning I was like OMG Val grow a backbone. Take lessons from Lisa here, at least she's showing some defiance. I get why she's scared but still!
I took a little, okay a longer break from this than I thought and then finally picked it up again.
In a Halloween mood I found myself turning the page and onto the next chapter, and the next and the, you get the idea.
Anyway, this is a mix of 3.5 for the first half and then 4 for the other half. Gavin, uh yeah, dude is kind of creepy, a lot of creepy, different kinds of creepy. And yet, he's the most interesting part in this. Why I don't know because he is quite face punch worthy so...
It definitely picks later on and got intense and suspenseful and weird and can I say that when this author gets going with the suspense, it definitely shows?
All in all, I liked Fearscape more but this has its moments.
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