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Summer Camp for Slasher Victims
Welcome to Camp Safe Woods, a summer camp dedicated to repairing the spirits of those who have faced the unimaginable. Through tailored programs and a supportive community, we empower young hearts to rewrite their stories and unlock the potential for a future unburdened by fear, allowing kids to rediscover joy, hope, and the freedom to embrace life to the fullest.
Annie anticipated a life-altering journey, aiding trauma survivors at her grandfather’s camp as a counselor, but her expectations shattered against a macabre reality. Unveiling the tragic pasts of her fellow counselors and the campers under her care, she stumbles upon a world more chilling than her darkest fears. As the summer descends into a terrifying spiral and the camp’s serenity crumbles, they discover that a killer driven by a sinister secret is lurking among them. While those around her are forced to relive the worst experience of their lives and the camp is turned into a hunting ground, Annie faces a haunting uncertainty—will she fall victim to this deranged killer, or will she defy the odds, emerging with her very own survival story, worthy of a proper inhabitant of Camp Safe Woods.
Annie anticipated a life-altering journey, aiding trauma survivors at her grandfather’s camp as a counselor, but her expectations shattered against a macabre reality. Unveiling the tragic pasts of her fellow counselors and the campers under her care, she stumbles upon a world more chilling than her darkest fears. As the summer descends into a terrifying spiral and the camp’s serenity crumbles, they discover that a killer driven by a sinister secret is lurking among them. While those around her are forced to relive the worst experience of their lives and the camp is turned into a hunting ground, Annie faces a haunting uncertainty—will she fall victim to this deranged killer, or will she defy the odds, emerging with her very own survival story, worthy of a proper inhabitant of Camp Safe Woods.
313 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 20, 2024
248 people are currently reading
2926 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 249 reviews
June 8, 2025
Slow but entertaining. Not happy that they copied some of the slasher movies I love and didn’t do them justice
March 29, 2024
I very much enjoyed this book, definitely achieved the 80's slasher vibes very vividly.
August 3, 2024
Matthew, thank you for sparing Park Ranger Woodsby
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 18, 2024
Happy Friday 13th!!
Theoretically, I was reading the perfect book this week with "Summer Camp for Slasher Victims" to commemorate this important Horror holiday but factually I didn't like the book at all. Bit of a bummer. Especially since I always want to write praising reviews about the Indie-Horror books that I pick up, more so than any other type of books. But of course, you'll find duds there, too, and not every book works for every reader.
To straight up get the corpse out of the closet: I really didn't gel with the writing. It's stilted, with so many detailed description on everything that is not important and zero atmospheric vibes. There was a strong air of YA to this, despite some gore and an off page sex scene: this will be a better fit for readers that tolerate YA better than I do. Still I hoped the plot would be enough to keep me invested but the style was actually overpoweringly grating and the plot really didn't do enough. The best thing about this is the concept, this idea of a camp where kids go that have had a Slasher trauma in the past. This should have been a meta and self-referential dream for a Slasher fan but I feel like the story didn't do much with that. There is one character who quotes Slasher tropes once in a while and when these kids recount their past trauma that brought them to the camp there are nods to famous Slasher movies. But that's it. And at this point in Slasher book history it takes a bit more to be counted as a fresh take, at this point these are very trodden waters for the sub-genre. Does the camp itself even make sense? Yes, they do "tell your trauma" sessions around the campfire but nothing else is being done here, not even self defense classes or therapy sessions... There is a huge emphasis on people being among others that went through similar things, this group feeling and that actually plays into the plot in a certain way but for me I wanted to see more camp action and less repetition of rather empty scenes.
The killer was exactly who I thought it would be and I found the finale overall lacking, might be I already checked out t0o much. But basically the characters keep on splitting up, despite knowing better, when they are not sitting around waiting: both will get them killed. And then there was the fact that the killer disposes quite quickly of those characters they actually have a more personal connection with but leaves the main character who is the newest person to the camp and hardly knows anybody alive and tied up to a chair? By the way, that main character was boring, flat, ugh: piece of untoasted marshmallow with no aspiration of ever becoming S'more.
This was written inconsistently. We start with a prologue (which was my favorite part, I read that in the store and it was why I purchased the book) but then for 1/3 of the novel we follow via 3 rd person one character and then we suddenly jump occasionally to other people. For me, either write from a distinct POV or jump around but you can't introduce a consistent narration to switch it up when it is more convenient for your plot ideas. Additionally, a Slasher would want to give you more of the Final Girl towards the end and not the other way round.
Honestly, so disappointing. The gore is nothing outstanding, the characters struggle to come to life, the endless tangents and descriptive elements of the writing style made this a chore. I really would love to say something positive but there wasn't much. I mean, do you want me to praise the xth shower scene? The female counselors go to the shower like 3 times and we point out when they are naked, they prank each other etc... Yes, the writing in those scenes isn't erotic or explicit but it was one of those "tell me this was written by a man without telling me it was written by man"-situations. I truly struggle to name the things this would be worth picking up for. Some other readers liked this, so there is definitely something to be enjoyed. But I'll be passing my copy on and hopefully I can settle in with a more enjoyable Slasher soon.
Theoretically, I was reading the perfect book this week with "Summer Camp for Slasher Victims" to commemorate this important Horror holiday but factually I didn't like the book at all. Bit of a bummer. Especially since I always want to write praising reviews about the Indie-Horror books that I pick up, more so than any other type of books. But of course, you'll find duds there, too, and not every book works for every reader.
To straight up get the corpse out of the closet: I really didn't gel with the writing. It's stilted, with so many detailed description on everything that is not important and zero atmospheric vibes. There was a strong air of YA to this, despite some gore and an off page sex scene: this will be a better fit for readers that tolerate YA better than I do. Still I hoped the plot would be enough to keep me invested but the style was actually overpoweringly grating and the plot really didn't do enough. The best thing about this is the concept, this idea of a camp where kids go that have had a Slasher trauma in the past. This should have been a meta and self-referential dream for a Slasher fan but I feel like the story didn't do much with that. There is one character who quotes Slasher tropes once in a while and when these kids recount their past trauma that brought them to the camp there are nods to famous Slasher movies. But that's it. And at this point in Slasher book history it takes a bit more to be counted as a fresh take, at this point these are very trodden waters for the sub-genre. Does the camp itself even make sense? Yes, they do "tell your trauma" sessions around the campfire but nothing else is being done here, not even self defense classes or therapy sessions... There is a huge emphasis on people being among others that went through similar things, this group feeling and that actually plays into the plot in a certain way but for me I wanted to see more camp action and less repetition of rather empty scenes.
The killer was exactly who I thought it would be and I found the finale overall lacking, might be I already checked out t0o much. But basically the characters keep on splitting up, despite knowing better, when they are not sitting around waiting: both will get them killed. And then there was the fact that the killer disposes quite quickly of those characters they actually have a more personal connection with but leaves the main character who is the newest person to the camp and hardly knows anybody alive and tied up to a chair? By the way, that main character was boring, flat, ugh: piece of untoasted marshmallow with no aspiration of ever becoming S'more.
This was written inconsistently. We start with a prologue (which was my favorite part, I read that in the store and it was why I purchased the book) but then for 1/3 of the novel we follow via 3 rd person one character and then we suddenly jump occasionally to other people. For me, either write from a distinct POV or jump around but you can't introduce a consistent narration to switch it up when it is more convenient for your plot ideas. Additionally, a Slasher would want to give you more of the Final Girl towards the end and not the other way round.
Honestly, so disappointing. The gore is nothing outstanding, the characters struggle to come to life, the endless tangents and descriptive elements of the writing style made this a chore. I really would love to say something positive but there wasn't much. I mean, do you want me to praise the xth shower scene? The female counselors go to the shower like 3 times and we point out when they are naked, they prank each other etc... Yes, the writing in those scenes isn't erotic or explicit but it was one of those "tell me this was written by a man without telling me it was written by man"-situations. I truly struggle to name the things this would be worth picking up for. Some other readers liked this, so there is definitely something to be enjoyed. But I'll be passing my copy on and hopefully I can settle in with a more enjoyable Slasher soon.
November 25, 2025
I loved Mercer’s spin on the 80’s slasher films he was inspired by. These films are my favorites too. So it was cool to see them throughout the story. I ate the prologue and second half up!
My issue with this were the characters. They seemed to blend together for me as time went on. There were too many to keep track of and what their stories were. But that’s just my experience.
If you’re looking for an unserious, fast paced, inspired by your favorite 80’s slasher films, this is your book!
My issue with this were the characters. They seemed to blend together for me as time went on. There were too many to keep track of and what their stories were. But that’s just my experience.
If you’re looking for an unserious, fast paced, inspired by your favorite 80’s slasher films, this is your book!
May 22, 2024
Camp Safe Woods was set up for kids who have survived unimaginable traumas. Some of these kids have lost family/friends to serial killers. Some barely made it out alive. Their stories are all different, but their trauma is the same, and what better way to deal with it than to all gather together at a camp just for them. But what happens when Camp Safe Woods is no longer safe?
This was an absolutely amazing book. It was fun, campy, gory, and I couldn't put it down. I flew through it in 3 hours, and I was gutted when I got to the end. It was a modern take on a slasher, but still somehow managed to capture an 80s slasher vibe. I just saw a review that said there's a sequel coming, and I really hope that's true because I need more. I'd also love to see a prequel for each of the characters' back stories because they were all definitely worthy of their own books.
If you love slashers, this one is for you.
This was an absolutely amazing book. It was fun, campy, gory, and I couldn't put it down. I flew through it in 3 hours, and I was gutted when I got to the end. It was a modern take on a slasher, but still somehow managed to capture an 80s slasher vibe. I just saw a review that said there's a sequel coming, and I really hope that's true because I need more. I'd also love to see a prequel for each of the characters' back stories because they were all definitely worthy of their own books.
If you love slashers, this one is for you.
August 6, 2024
2.5/5 (rounded up for GoodReads)
I think this would be a solid pick for someone that’s new to horror and looking for something relatively tame and that reads a bit YA. If that sounds like something you’d enjoy then I recommend this book.
The only reason I read this so fast was because I was on a 4.5hr flight and really had nothing else to do. The positive thing is that it reads really easy with decent pacing and enough dialogue to keep things going. The negative for me, as an avid horror reader and someone who tends to perfect books more extreme in nature was that this was too tame. Not very scary, more of a thriller to be honest. The build up was lacking as well. You get more character stories than actual plot.
Is this one that I’ll think about a lot? Probably not. Would I recommend this to someone looking to dip their toes into horror? Sure.
I think this would be a solid pick for someone that’s new to horror and looking for something relatively tame and that reads a bit YA. If that sounds like something you’d enjoy then I recommend this book.
The only reason I read this so fast was because I was on a 4.5hr flight and really had nothing else to do. The positive thing is that it reads really easy with decent pacing and enough dialogue to keep things going. The negative for me, as an avid horror reader and someone who tends to perfect books more extreme in nature was that this was too tame. Not very scary, more of a thriller to be honest. The build up was lacking as well. You get more character stories than actual plot.
Is this one that I’ll think about a lot? Probably not. Would I recommend this to someone looking to dip their toes into horror? Sure.
July 9, 2024
2.5 - i think where i had the most issues with this story was in the writing style. i felt it was too detailed on very mundane things i didn't need spelled out for me so often and the repetition i experienced. this a more slow burn slasher, focusing more on telling these characters stories before slicing and dicing happens. i think my biggest let down had to be that i knew the suspect from the first chapter so i was never surprised by anything and honestly, could've used more gore lmao
July 7, 2025
DNF @ 45%
this started off SO PROMISING. that gas station scene?? i was so far on the edge of my seat that a small breeze could’ve knocked me over.
and then it gets boring. 45% of the book and nothing. fucking. happened. i mean unless you wanna learn how to be a camp counselor? idk
ok i just saw another review that said nothing happens til 60%. sorry but i was not gunna push through 60% of a book for excitement. a slasher- a CAMP slasher especially- should have hit the ground running and not let up until sunrise. this was slower than grandpa Mitch in his wheelchair.
this started off SO PROMISING. that gas station scene?? i was so far on the edge of my seat that a small breeze could’ve knocked me over.
and then it gets boring. 45% of the book and nothing. fucking. happened. i mean unless you wanna learn how to be a camp counselor? idk
ok i just saw another review that said nothing happens til 60%. sorry but i was not gunna push through 60% of a book for excitement. a slasher- a CAMP slasher especially- should have hit the ground running and not let up until sunrise. this was slower than grandpa Mitch in his wheelchair.
May 23, 2025
slasher summer is in full swing 😎
June 19, 2024
I really enjoyed this one. It’s the perfect summer time slasher read. It had plenty of gore and suspense. Literally the perfect mix of all of the best slasher flicks. I highly recommend.
And by the way, I would’ve listened to Max’s cd mix any day. Solid track list.
And by the way, I would’ve listened to Max’s cd mix any day. Solid track list.
November 23, 2025
4.5 ⭐️ such a great thriller read! I ate up the second half of the book in one day. I couldn’t put it down!
September 29, 2024
The concept of this novel of gathering slasher victims together only to be hunted by a new slasher is a cool idea, but Grady Hendrix did it a million times better in "The Final Girls Support Group." I loved the cover and vibe of the artwork and design, but I'm fairly certain it's AI generated.
This novel, I believe, is self-published and it shows. It is sloppily edited with missing or misplaced quotation marks, a few paragraphs that should be separated and a bunch of formatting issues where words are broken up between two lines without a hypen. One page had a period on its own line like this
.
Overall the story itself was tame, a bit lackluster and the dialogue could have been better. There were so many characters who weren't that interesting and multiple POVs. For being a slasher novel, there wasn't much action or tension until close to the end. I guessed the killer very early on. I had an idea of what the killer's motivation would be, but the author's idea fell flat for me. I really liked the climax of the killer's defeat. This is apparently the first in a planned trilogy with the second being a homage to prom night horror. I'm gonna skip it.
You can't please everybody, and there's apparently enough good in this novel that other people really enjoyed it. So maybe I'm too critical? Give it a try. You might like it.
This novel, I believe, is self-published and it shows. It is sloppily edited with missing or misplaced quotation marks, a few paragraphs that should be separated and a bunch of formatting issues where words are broken up between two lines without a hypen. One page had a period on its own line like this
.
Overall the story itself was tame, a bit lackluster and the dialogue could have been better. There were so many characters who weren't that interesting and multiple POVs. For being a slasher novel, there wasn't much action or tension until close to the end. I guessed the killer very early on. I had an idea of what the killer's motivation would be, but the author's idea fell flat for me. I really liked the climax of the killer's defeat. This is apparently the first in a planned trilogy with the second being a homage to prom night horror. I'm gonna skip it.
You can't please everybody, and there's apparently enough good in this novel that other people really enjoyed it. So maybe I'm too critical? Give it a try. You might like it.
August 24, 2025
It's great if you want to read a book with poor editing and where nothing happens with a sprinkle of misogyny
August 10, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
Okay wow, when I first heard about this book a few weeks ago I was super intrigued. However when I picked it up literally last night, I didn't expect to finish it less than a day later. This story completed consumed me. I've said it in my many many other horror novels reviews but I'm a massive horror fan and slasher movies tend to be the ones I watch the most. So this book referencing so many of them really made it so much fun! I also appreciate that in the acknowledgements section Mercer actually went on to talk about his love of the films and I'm happy to say I correctly identified every reference he made in the book except for one horror movie that i haven't seen yet. Not to brag or anything lol. Another thing he spoke about was how he's still just a new writer and this while not being his first published work, it is still a first for him in a lot of ways. I really enjoyed hearing his thought process behind the creation of this story and his future projects. I said in one of my updates that this book had moments of telling instead of showing. But now that I know how new to writing he still was when this book first came out, it's much easier to forgive that. That is the main reason this book only got a 4.5 for me. However as his work continues to improve I could definitely see a future project of his becoming a 5 star book!
As for the characters I really liked all of them! I didn't think I would grow to care about them as quickly as I did and it genuinely upset me having to watch them die one by one. I'm not going to talk about every single character because there were quite a few but Jordan was by far my favourite of the main cast. I genuinely really liked all of them though. I wasn't super surprised by the reveals at the end but that's not a negative for me. Hailey was probably my second fav and I'm DESPERATE to know her backstory because we didn't get it here!
All in all I had a fantastic time with this novel, it's the perfect time of year to read it! I think I'll probably start book two asap!
Okay wow, when I first heard about this book a few weeks ago I was super intrigued. However when I picked it up literally last night, I didn't expect to finish it less than a day later. This story completed consumed me. I've said it in my many many other horror novels reviews but I'm a massive horror fan and slasher movies tend to be the ones I watch the most. So this book referencing so many of them really made it so much fun! I also appreciate that in the acknowledgements section Mercer actually went on to talk about his love of the films and I'm happy to say I correctly identified every reference he made in the book except for one horror movie that i haven't seen yet. Not to brag or anything lol. Another thing he spoke about was how he's still just a new writer and this while not being his first published work, it is still a first for him in a lot of ways. I really enjoyed hearing his thought process behind the creation of this story and his future projects. I said in one of my updates that this book had moments of telling instead of showing. But now that I know how new to writing he still was when this book first came out, it's much easier to forgive that. That is the main reason this book only got a 4.5 for me. However as his work continues to improve I could definitely see a future project of his becoming a 5 star book!
As for the characters I really liked all of them! I didn't think I would grow to care about them as quickly as I did and it genuinely upset me having to watch them die one by one. I'm not going to talk about every single character because there were quite a few but Jordan was by far my favourite of the main cast. I genuinely really liked all of them though. I wasn't super surprised by the reveals at the end but that's not a negative for me. Hailey was probably my second fav and I'm DESPERATE to know her backstory because we didn't get it here!
All in all I had a fantastic time with this novel, it's the perfect time of year to read it! I think I'll probably start book two asap!
September 14, 2025
We are in Camp Safe Woods, a place for people that have escaped a massacre and survived to tell their story. This is supposed to be a safe place to talk about their experiences, to work through their trauma and to bring joy and freedom to those kids that have been through so much already.
Unfortunately the camp is not as safe as they thought and a killer will try to end them all.
For a slasher this book was perhaps a bit too much of a slow burn for me and the pacing did not help the tension in this particular book.
But I did enjoy the 80s vibe, the references to other horror movies, stereotypes, getting to know the characters and what happened to them in the past.
For a slasher though, the bloody bits take so long to come that when they do, you are not as excited anymore. Do not get me wrong, it is an entertaining and a fun read but I was expecting a faster pacing and a bit more action spread throughout the book to keep that fear and tension alive in the camp.
Sometimes leaving the action for the end works but it depends on the story and I do not think it worked so well here.
Unfortunately the camp is not as safe as they thought and a killer will try to end them all.
For a slasher this book was perhaps a bit too much of a slow burn for me and the pacing did not help the tension in this particular book.
But I did enjoy the 80s vibe, the references to other horror movies, stereotypes, getting to know the characters and what happened to them in the past.
For a slasher though, the bloody bits take so long to come that when they do, you are not as excited anymore. Do not get me wrong, it is an entertaining and a fun read but I was expecting a faster pacing and a bit more action spread throughout the book to keep that fear and tension alive in the camp.
Sometimes leaving the action for the end works but it depends on the story and I do not think it worked so well here.
August 28, 2025
A pretty fun slasher horror story that I would definitely recommend to someone trying to get into the genre/subgenre. It made me think of so many camp slashers that I loved... how things can start out sort of breezy and friendly and then the terror, of which we see interspersed throughout, comes to a great climax. I love horror and slashers and camp settings... this one worked for me!
December 29, 2024
Personally, I loved this book! It’s a fun and cheesy summer camp slasher book with a surprising twist at the end! The characters are fun and interesting. I loved the setting of the book and can’t wait for the sequel to release ❤️🫶 also, I listened to the audiobook version while following along on kindle unlimited and it was great! The narrator has a great voice for the story!
June 23, 2024
This was so fun. Such good 80s slasher vibes. I read it in one sitting!
I loved the summer camp setting. If you’re a fan of slasher movies, definitely add this to your summer TBR!
I loved the summer camp setting. If you’re a fan of slasher movies, definitely add this to your summer TBR!
August 24, 2025
1.5 💫
not even gonna say anything because i will end up with an essay, and i am too kind for that.
not even gonna say anything because i will end up with an essay, and i am too kind for that.
August 17, 2024
No doubt, this was a very fun classic slasher of a read, but it leaned a bit too much into the campiness for my taste!
September 25, 2025
This was a first full length novel and no-one is going to mistake it for anything else.
Not to shit on someone who has gone to all the effort to write a novel and get it published, but Summer Camp for Slasher Victims is a snooze fest. For someone who claims to love slasher films, Mercer seems to forget about the need for kills. After the initial prologue killing, no-one dies until two-thirds of the way through the novel. And that kill happens off-page. In the meantime, there is a whole lot of YA relationship drama, as Mercer thinks characters telling other characters about a traumatic murder spree they've survived will scratch the slasher fan's itch, until, finally, he gets to the kills in the last fifth of the book.
It doesn't. Not even remotely.
Beyond the poor pacing, most of the characters are not remotely likeable and, in the worst cases, too easily interchangeable. The killer is also 100% obvious from their introduction. Even their motivation is telegraphed, robbing the book of what should have been at least a solid moment.
I'm sure Mercer will continue refining his art and he's still way ahead of me in the publishing stakes, so I wish him all the luck with that.
Just remember: a kill every ten minutes - or, perhaps more relevantly, 30-40 pages.
2 Cold Showers for Summer Camp for Slasher Victims.
Not to shit on someone who has gone to all the effort to write a novel and get it published, but Summer Camp for Slasher Victims is a snooze fest. For someone who claims to love slasher films, Mercer seems to forget about the need for kills. After the initial prologue killing, no-one dies until two-thirds of the way through the novel. And that kill happens off-page. In the meantime, there is a whole lot of YA relationship drama, as Mercer thinks characters telling other characters about a traumatic murder spree they've survived will scratch the slasher fan's itch, until, finally, he gets to the kills in the last fifth of the book.
It doesn't. Not even remotely.
Beyond the poor pacing, most of the characters are not remotely likeable and, in the worst cases, too easily interchangeable. The killer is also 100% obvious from their introduction. Even their motivation is telegraphed, robbing the book of what should have been at least a solid moment.
I'm sure Mercer will continue refining his art and he's still way ahead of me in the publishing stakes, so I wish him all the luck with that.
Just remember: a kill every ten minutes - or, perhaps more relevantly, 30-40 pages.
2 Cold Showers for Summer Camp for Slasher Victims.
August 5, 2025
I have taken the last several days to think about how I wanted to rate this book. I have come to the conclusion that I really can't recommend it to anyone. The opening scene was decent, but it struck me how lame the kill was. Then a bunch of nothing happens until about 65% when you get a whole series of lame kills. The characters were flat, the dialogue was clunky, and I knew who the killer was immediately.
This book has no redeemable qualities, but I finished it and that's on me. 2 stars.
This book has no redeemable qualities, but I finished it and that's on me. 2 stars.
January 18, 2025
You can find this review and all my others over at Read Book. Repeat
Welcome to Camp Safewoods. A camp designed to help kids who have experience extreme trauma so early in life. Annie's Grandfather runs the camp and now Annie is stepping in to help him run it in the position of a counsellor. Annie soon discovers that the people she is in charge of have experienced a lot of stuff that she couldn't even have nightmares about. She learns that these people have seen and experienced things that she could never understand...or could she? When a killer surfaces at the camp, Annie must step up and help her charges fight back and survive. Annie asks herself the question, will she lose her life at Camp Safewoods, or will she come out the other side as one of the people that the Camp promised to help?
I am a sucker for a camp slasher. I read a couple in a short span of time so please excuse me while I try and sort through my memories and work out which one is which hahaha.
I loved the premise of this one. A summer camp that is geared towards people who have experienced really full on, violent trauma is honestly awesome, and I loved the whole idea of the camp itself. I feel like it's incredibly unique and not something I'd come across before. And who knew there were so many people out there who needed a service like this! When you think about it in a reality sense, there are probably a lot more people who would benefit from a therapy like this than what we do realise.
I loved Annie's character and how she really wanted to understand what her charges had been through. Unless you've personally experienced Scream in real life, I doubt you'd be able to understand just how much it could screw you up. I enjoyed a lot of the characters that we encountered, and I loved hearing about their story and what they'd been through.
The slasher part of the story was done SO well. And it opened EXACTLY how a horror movie slasher would have. I was all in from page one for this reason. I had a fun time following along and trying to work out who was who and whodunit? I felt like I had worked part of the reveal out, and I'm still not 100% sure whether I did or not as it wasn't actually mentioned. I'm not sure if I was way off base, or whether I was right and it was just alluded to instead of blatantly coming out and saying "THIS, YES THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IT IS!" So I'm okay with just cruising along and believing what I think is correct.
I don't want to make this review too long as I'm so behind and trying to catch up from last year still.
If you're after a Summer Camp Slasher that gives you movie vibes and hits in all the right spots. Give this one a crack. I enjoyed it and found it a fun time.
Welcome to Camp Safewoods. A camp designed to help kids who have experience extreme trauma so early in life. Annie's Grandfather runs the camp and now Annie is stepping in to help him run it in the position of a counsellor. Annie soon discovers that the people she is in charge of have experienced a lot of stuff that she couldn't even have nightmares about. She learns that these people have seen and experienced things that she could never understand...or could she? When a killer surfaces at the camp, Annie must step up and help her charges fight back and survive. Annie asks herself the question, will she lose her life at Camp Safewoods, or will she come out the other side as one of the people that the Camp promised to help?
I am a sucker for a camp slasher. I read a couple in a short span of time so please excuse me while I try and sort through my memories and work out which one is which hahaha.
I loved the premise of this one. A summer camp that is geared towards people who have experienced really full on, violent trauma is honestly awesome, and I loved the whole idea of the camp itself. I feel like it's incredibly unique and not something I'd come across before. And who knew there were so many people out there who needed a service like this! When you think about it in a reality sense, there are probably a lot more people who would benefit from a therapy like this than what we do realise.
I loved Annie's character and how she really wanted to understand what her charges had been through. Unless you've personally experienced Scream in real life, I doubt you'd be able to understand just how much it could screw you up. I enjoyed a lot of the characters that we encountered, and I loved hearing about their story and what they'd been through.
The slasher part of the story was done SO well. And it opened EXACTLY how a horror movie slasher would have. I was all in from page one for this reason. I had a fun time following along and trying to work out who was who and whodunit? I felt like I had worked part of the reveal out, and I'm still not 100% sure whether I did or not as it wasn't actually mentioned. I'm not sure if I was way off base, or whether I was right and it was just alluded to instead of blatantly coming out and saying "THIS, YES THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IT IS!" So I'm okay with just cruising along and believing what I think is correct.
I don't want to make this review too long as I'm so behind and trying to catch up from last year still.
If you're after a Summer Camp Slasher that gives you movie vibes and hits in all the right spots. Give this one a crack. I enjoyed it and found it a fun time.
April 14, 2025
...𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.
A love letter to slasher films that I waited far too long to read! The prologue drew me in immediately, and I settled in as the setting transitioned to Camp Safe Woods, a summer camp designed to help kids who have experienced traumatic events. Despite the modern-day setting, there was a distinctly 80s vibe that oozed nostalgia and a campy atmosphere.
I vibed the most with the main character Annie, camp counselor and granddaughter of the camp's owner. When she puts together the tragic pasts of the people she's gathered with, she realizes they're all in grave danger. Will she play the role of First to Die or Final Girl?
There were a few lulls in the action and some underdeveloped characters, but the identity of the killer really shocked me, and I can't wait for the sequel! If you have this one sitting on your shelf, it's a fun read if you love the slasher genre. This is available now in paperback and on KU.
A love letter to slasher films that I waited far too long to read! The prologue drew me in immediately, and I settled in as the setting transitioned to Camp Safe Woods, a summer camp designed to help kids who have experienced traumatic events. Despite the modern-day setting, there was a distinctly 80s vibe that oozed nostalgia and a campy atmosphere.
I vibed the most with the main character Annie, camp counselor and granddaughter of the camp's owner. When she puts together the tragic pasts of the people she's gathered with, she realizes they're all in grave danger. Will she play the role of First to Die or Final Girl?
There were a few lulls in the action and some underdeveloped characters, but the identity of the killer really shocked me, and I can't wait for the sequel! If you have this one sitting on your shelf, it's a fun read if you love the slasher genre. This is available now in paperback and on KU.
June 21, 2024
Playing with the concept of "final girls gathering together and forming a group" has been a neat idea since Grady Hendrix and Stephen Graham Jones entertained the notion in full-length novels. Generalizing to "final people" under the same concept was only natural, and indie horror author Elton Skelter went for it recently with great results. Matthew Mercer's 'Summer Camp For Slaher Victims" takes things one level higher, with his book of an entire summer camp devoted to helping and supporting "slasher victims" through their healing process. Inevitably, as it's happened every time the concept was employed before, the camp turns into a place of horror, murder, and psychopathic insanity. Of course, there's the obligatory sexually tense atmosphere, the high school attitudes, and the usual illogical behaviors which turn the victims into easy pickings. However, Mercer has managed to produce a tightly plotted narrative, which not only conveys his real love for slashers, it also entertains, sucks you right into the story, and makes you care for the entire large cast (counselors and campers alike)! Although if one wants to be picky there are certain flaws (the story takes far too long to reach true action, some of the characters are just fillers, several ideas make no real sense, e.g., mobiles are forbidden, there are no self-defense courses, some plotlines -e.g., Mitch's divorce- go nowhere, etc.), overall this is a slasher fan's candy, and won't disappoint the lovers of the genre.
August 6, 2024
This was exactly the kind of campy summer slasher book I was hoping for!!! The vibes were 🤌🏼
It literally felt like a classic 80s slasher movie and I felt like I was a part of it! 100% recommend and I cannot wait for the next one! 🙌🏼
🏕️🏕️🏕️🏕️🏕️/5
It literally felt like a classic 80s slasher movie and I felt like I was a part of it! 100% recommend and I cannot wait for the next one! 🙌🏼
🏕️🏕️🏕️🏕️🏕️/5
August 13, 2024
This book took a while to pick up, but once it did, I flew through it. The start of the book felt like it was too detailed on the mundane things, and I was losing track of some of the characters. But all around it gave good slasher vibes. It's a good book to read if you're new to horror.
July 21, 2024
Each summer victims of terrible situations go to a camp which is called camp safe woods. This is supposed to be a safe haven where the kids and the camp counselors talk about their past situations and basically are there to help relieve the stress and pain.
Well during this year of camp a killer is loose in the camp and is going around on a killing spree.
I gave this book a 3 star, it reminded me so much of Friday the 13th (which I’m sure was the intention). I just wish there was more context to a few specific killings because I want to know why one of the people was killed, she didn’t even make it to the camp. I also want to know what happened to the one girl, did she make it or did she die?? I need to know lol
Well during this year of camp a killer is loose in the camp and is going around on a killing spree.
I gave this book a 3 star, it reminded me so much of Friday the 13th (which I’m sure was the intention). I just wish there was more context to a few specific killings because I want to know why one of the people was killed, she didn’t even make it to the camp. I also want to know what happened to the one girl, did she make it or did she die?? I need to know lol
September 6, 2025
Hm…. Taip stipriai prasidejo su nuotaikos ir vaibo nuteikinejimu amerikietiskai vasaros stovyklai. Is pradziu primine ahs camp redwood (LOVE) ir buvo omg slay, bet tada visas veiksmas prasidejo likus 20-30% iki knygos pabaigos (nors iki tol demesys skirtas aprasymams, mood settingui, kelios aliuzijos i zudika) ir tada ziauriai greit viskas. BAM tu nuzudytas, BAM tu nuzudytas, BAM BAM BAM. Atrodo, pats zudikas su kazkokiu silpnu motyvu ir neitikinama istorija. 😤 tai, aisku, tikejaus slasher ir gavau…….. tarkim……. Bet tokia silpna versija….
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