Carnival Kills: A Novel

by Caesar Daniels

147 pages, Paperback

Published April 15, 2025

About the author

Creative director and fantasy-epic writer. Floridian living in California. Lover of sci-fi/fantasy, greek epics and slashers, Lovecraft and vampires.
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Caesar Daniels' career as a writer and VFX supervisor spans for nearly a decade––blessed with the opportunity to collaborate alongside many talented artists in the entertainment industry. Yet at heart, he is mostly a huge pop culture nerd and film enthusiast.

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Reviews

[Christina Collins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uhm... This will be the first time I have a complaint. I felt like I was reading a low-budget film. It could have been more... It did not grasp me as I thought. The title and book cover is an eye catcher but... I don't know. It needed more to this story.

[Jessica Gleason · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of friends on their way back from a spring break adventure break down outside of a town notorious for a series of murders several years back. Their visit is brief, unwelcome, and builds a small amount of tension. After leaving, despite seeing something that should have had them calling for help or running far away, they stop at the town's infamous carnival.

What follows is a series of poor choices leading to captures and deaths. The death scenes are fun and gory though sometimes a familiar mix of horror films we know and love. I liked the run down carnival setting and thought it was well described. I didn't feel like we got a strong sense of character and wanted to know the group of kids and backstory a little more.

Overall, this was quick-paced and enjoyable as a read. I didn't love the ending. I never love endings like this one, but that's a me issue and not a book issue.

Solid read. Give it a go.

[Dez Nemec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, nasty, and fun. Exactly what a slasher at a carnival should be.

[Maria Gouveia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Kira K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carnival Kills by Caesar Daniels
Thoughts:
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is an easy readable slasher so long as you don’t mind the gore and violence. There are some very creepy villains with an understandable motive and some self-centred college students which makes them all feel like they could be real life people and there’s an overarching atmosphere of uncertainty that keeps us on edge right until the last page. Overall, it was a great and creepy short read.

Favourite Quote:
“Now, after all these years, the cycle repeats itself.”

[Greta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Synopsis:
"Circus Kills" was a book about a group of friends traveling on spring break to the town of Hollow Creek, a town known for its carnival, and more importantly, the Red Hook Jack murders. The group of friends learn the secrets of Hollow Creek the hard way, when the murders mysteriously begin during their arrival. Will they make it out of Hollow Creek alive, or will they just be another victim of the Red Hook Jack murders?

Thoughts and rating:
3.5 stars. I was hooked from the book from the very start, and was eager to continue reading. I finished this book in under two hours due to this. If you are a fan of Children of the Corn, Scream, or Stephen King, this would be perfect for you. Daniels gives a modern day take on the classic horror trope, making this suitable for a more varied age range due to being quick and easy read where the author uses genius foreshadowing to keep you on your toes. Daniels is great at engagement, whether it be through switching perspectives, cliffhangers, or just choice of words, he has a writing style that keeps you wanting more. He excels at character development, allowing you to feel a connection to the characters and feel like you're on their college spring break with them. His words flow smoothly, creating a welcoming atmosphere to any reader. If Daniels releases another book, I would love to be one of the first to read it.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Mia Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!

Carnival Kills reads like a classic horror slasher in the best way - fast-paced, bloody, trope-filled fun with a solid Final Girl to root for.

I devoured it in under two hours, which made it a perfect beach read, though I definitely could’ve used 30 more pages to flesh out the characters and dig deeper into the killers’ motives.

It gave me House of Wax meets Texas Chainsaw Massacre with a sprinkle of Saw—gory, twisted, and entertaining from start to finish.

I’ll be keeping an eye out for more from Caesar Daniels!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a perfect summer afternoon fast read. At times, it felt like a novelized horror movie script. At other times, it felt like a book for adults who used to be fans of Point Horror as kids. Both are in my wheelhouse, so I was quite glad to be reading it! Had this short book been expanded to give us more background on the characters (especially the bad ones) and have more of an emotional connection to those who died, it likely would have been a 5 star review. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jessica Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gave old school slasher movie meets saw contraption vibes. It’s based in an older time but it was a quick read. Creepy carnival and young college kids in love…..need I say more. Like I said gives old school slasher movie vibes and that ending WTF🤯