Trapped in the Horror Dome

Monsterious #5

by Matt McMann

This series of terrifying standalone tales that combine monsters + mysteries is perfect for fans of Goosebumps.“Spine-chilling and creepy!” —Max Brallier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Kids on Earth, on Escape From Grimstone Manor (Monsterious, Book 1)Seventh grade scientists Rowan, Tinker, and Amari are thrilled to spend the weekend at a biosphere research facility in the Arizona desert, sealed off from the outside world to preserve its specially engineered ecosystems. The kids are surprised to discover an adorable baby animal in one of the lab’s environments that doesn’t look like anything they’ve ever seen in the wild, but when they ask the adult scientists about it, no one believes them, and now the creature is nowhere to be found.Soon, strange things start the kids discover what looks like a secret testing facility in the basement, one of the scientists suffers a mysterious injury that looks like an animal attack, and the lab’s locking and communications systems break down, trapping everyone inside. And when the mystery creature appears again, it’s not quite so cute and harmless anymore…

Genres: Middle Grade, Horror, Science Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

224 pages, Paperback

Published August 6, 2024

About the author

As a professional musician, MATT MCMANN played an NFL stadium, a cruise ship, and the International Twins Convention. Now he writes the kind of spooky mystery-adventure books he loved as a kid. He’s hiked the Pacific Northwest, cruised Loch Ness, and chased a ghost on a mountain. While he missed Bigfoot and Nessie, he caught the ghost. He enjoys brainstorming new books with his wife, New York Times bestselling author Lisa McMann; viewing his son Kilian McMann’s artwork; and watching his daughter, actor Kennedy McMann, on television. Visit him online at mattmcmann.com, and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @matt_mcmann.

Reviews

[Shaun Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Amari, Rowan, and Tinker win a science contest at their local school, they receive the chance of a lifetime: they get to stay for a week at EarthTwo, a high-tech science facility where scientists are studying the effects of climate change. However, their chance of a lifetime trip soon turns into a once in a lifetime nightmare as a monsterious creature is on the loose in the facility and hunting down the kids one by one. And when they become sealed inside EarthTwo with the monster, it's only a matter of time before they are next on the creature's to-hunt list.

This is book no. 5 in the MONSTERIOUS series by Matt McMann. MONSTERIOUS is a middle grade horror anthology series where the monsters are real, dangerous, and lurking around every corner! TRAPPED IN THE HORROR DOME is possibly the best entry yet in the series as it takes the tight plotting, intense action, and character development to even greater levels than the previous books in the series.

McMann knows how to theme a book: from the overarching plot of being trapped inside the facility with an unpredictable creature to characters feeling trapped within their own selves because they don't measure up to unpredictable standards of beauty or skills, this book explores what it feels like to be truly trapped both literally and emotionally. There are some poignant moments where characters are dealing with real emotions and raw feelings, but this never overshadows the action and suspense.

While not as creepy as other entries in the series, TRAPPED IN THE HORROR DOME delivers on the action and thrills. McMann channels the Steven Spielbergian "close call" action scene, with characters having to make quick and frantic decision in order to survive. Part JURASSIC PARK, part ALIEN, this book should definitely be on the top of any spooky book fan's to-read list.

[Pulp_Fiction_Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the setting in this book. We're in a massive dome with different biomes, fog desert, rain forest, swamp, ocean and arctic tundra (this is probably a niche reference but it reminded me so much of a place in England called The Eden Project that is basically the same thing and is one of my favourite places I've ever been). We get to explore all of them along the way, all the while there's a creature stalking our protagonists, so much so that certain scenes in here gave me Predator or Alien vibes. There's also another threat here to our main characters that is on a much more sinister level. This book was fantastic and something the author always does so well is diversity and character growth which is something I always appreciate. The only minor niggle I have is that I wish we could have spent more time lost in some of the biomes but all in all this was a great ride.

[Alejandro Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been actively evading Monsterious since my initial read back in May after taking in my biggest issue: the writing. Finally peeling off the band-aid and jumping back into this current pentology, I was… completely right to not anticipate the writing. However, I definitely enjoyed this one more than the first, mostly for the story. I quite like the setting for this one; it’s the most out-there for the middle-grade horror space that I’ve ever seen, and I think the first of its kind. The characters are legitimately really decent here, and there’s some blatant growth for them in the story—which is, again, rare for the genre. The open-ended close to this book is a cheap but appreciated add-on, the writing actually becomes fire in the final few pages here (mostly because of the stellar monologuing) and I enjoyed a lot of the monster action we got. The book is well-paced too, and wasn’t as slow feeling as Skull Rock was—though not quite by a mile, I’ll say that. And overall, the book really gets a lot of points for being pretty unique compared to most kids horror that I’ve consumed. Alright, now to demolish an up-and-coming author: I don’t like Mr. Mann’s writing style. This is a wholly personal issue (I pray) but I find it really hard to get in to. It was better here than in Skull Rock, again, but I’d really only say when it came to the character moments (development, growth, etc.) and the close of the book. Matt McMann is talented, but this style just isn’t my thing. I’m glad people can enjoy these more than me in that regard. Aside from that, though, here’s some real criticism: the tropes. There’s an insanely obvious twist villain (hint: it’s always the nice guy lmao) and a trope that I expected but wasn’t anticipating, which was that the monster… well, let’s just say they uh… stop being monster-like in some regards? Yep, it’s one of those, and I wasn’t for it. It’s not a wholly annoying idea but it wasn’t delivered well. It’s just the same exact story you’ve seen a million times when it comes to the creature of the story, where they’re potentially misunderstood. Again, not a bad thing in itself, but the delivery and all didn’t do much for me at all. And same goes for the twist villain, though I kind of dug it in a way. Apart from that, I wish the book was less underwhelming with the monster stuff and I wish we got there a bit quicker. It took more than half to book to get to the goods, which isn’t much a bother—unless the goods are mildly underwhelming. Overall, 7.5/10. Generous, maybe, I don’t know. I liked this one. Dare I say, I thought it was quite good. But, I’m not sure how “in-to” this series I am; I’ll see about checking out more in the future, but boy does Shadow Canyon smell like it’s gonna be repetitive… maybe I’ll order Grimstone Manor *cries.*

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know I said next would be something new but I felt more like doing this. A new Monsterious came out and I wanted to give it some support. It broke the 4 book course but still needs it I think. Matt gives a big shout out to bloggers and reviewers that boosted it so may as well add to it.

You can look at my reviews for Terror in Shadow Canyon and Snatcher of Raven Hollow for more on these. This will be quick as there isn’t much to say but in the good way.

Rowan, Tink, and Amari are some kids going on a class trip to a biodome that is part of some big experiment and has all this cool stuff. They all got here via winning something although Amari is accused of cheating his way there. Soon they think a monster is afoot and while the adults don’t believe them, they look into and get the scare of their lives.

This was pretty solid. It was a quick ride and used the setting well to provide tension and unique situations. Still less scary than the Pauley Shore movie tho. There’s vibes from the likes of Jurassic Park and Predator which is neat. I liked the villain as they basically think they’re doing good and get some cold lines.

The kids are good and get some development as they see why they do what they do and learn a nice lesson. It’s nice but their deal is wrapped up midway through so it felt a bit rushed and slight to me. Matt did mention in one comment he’s more plot focused so that makes sense but there ya go.

I also wish we got a mid more fleshing out of Rowan early on. We jumped into it before knowing her on her own which was something I noted in the last one I read.

Still, it flows well and has a solid ending. The logic mostly works out and the reason behind all this is pretty crazy. I think I liked Shadow Canyon more as the main arc with the dad hit harder than the arcs in this but overall it’s still solid. Chapters can feel too short but the writing makes up for that. A pretty solid 3 that borders on 3.5, that's fair for this.

These are turning out to be fun, offering unique situations that have higher stakes and some decent character stuff. Maybe it’s not Monsterstreet levels but it’s getting close honestly. I hope these get to go on as they do stand out among the modern GB likes we’ve been getting, especially with some of the others slowing down.

That’s basically it for this. Next, I’m hoping for a fresh one from someone/a series I haven’t touched yet but we’ll see. See ya then.

[Joseph D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monsterious book 5. This fun little horror middle grade book takes us into a bosoms with a mysterious creature lurking about. Ratchet up the pressure as the air supply begins to run out and it is a race against time. But in the end who is the real monster, a little Dr Frankenstein-ish. Aside from the flippant releasing an invasive species into the ecosystem, let alone an apex level one, it was a good read. ​The series still remains on the line of Goosebumps.

Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt McMann once again delivers just the right amount of spine tingling suspense for younger readers. After winning a science competition, Rowan, Tinker, and Amari get to spend time inside Earth 2, a biodome in the desert. When a strange creature is seen and things start to unravel, will these three young scientists uncover the secret of what is really going on at Earth 2 or will they be trapped forever? Perfect for readers who are looking for suspense, mystery, science, and humor.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 10 year old read this book and loved it so much that she made me read it so we could discuss it.
It’s super fun and action packed, with no death or gore (some injuries, but nothing graphic). The author was clever and snuck in random little bits of teaching moments. Definitely recommend to other kids!

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when the monster is just trying to protect their babies. It's my favourite thing.

[Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick fun middle grade creature feature. Jurassic park meets biodome.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Checked this book out at library and loved it the creature in it was great and the ending was great makes u want more great job

[DancerBrynlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was not as scary as i thought it would be but I still think it is an amazing book

[Angie Titus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my least favorite in the series, but it was still fun.

[Lisa Schmid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another action-packed, spine-tingling good time with this latest installment of MONSTERIOUS. Author Matt McMann is on pace to be the next R.L. Stine. I LOVE this series!

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed Matt McMann's MONSTERIOUS series so much! I just finished reading book five, TRAPPED IN THE HORROR DOME and this one had as much spooky fun, mystery, and great kid characters as the first four! I loved the setting of this book, a biodome where a group of kid science students get to learn about the different climate spheres. However, when the kids discover a 'monster' in the biodome, they have to figure out how to stop it from hurting anyone before something more goes wrong -- which of course it does.

Kids (and adults) will enjoy the action-packed pages of TRAPPED IN THE HORROR DOME as well as the fun banter, science-centric story, and the fun story that lets kids be proud of their intellect and special talents. It's a definite recommendation from me.