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Supernatural #15
The Usual Sacrifices
Sam and Dean Winchester have spent their lives on the road, battling every kind of supernatural threat. Over the years, after dozens of bloody adventures, they have faced everything from the yellow-eyed demon that killed their mother to vampires, ghosts, shapeshifters, angels and fallen gods. With the help of allies—both human and supernatural—they’ve discovered that every threat they vanquish opens a new door for evil to enter in.
Visitors passing through Brownsdale, Kentucky are often never seen again. The locals claim that it’s easy to fall victim to the vast local caves if explored unaided, but when two young girls go missing Sam and Dean set out to investigate.
As the brothers start to suspect something far more sinister in the town, and possibly lurking in Mammoth Cave, they realise that someone is determined to protect the town secret—even if it means killing Sam and Dean himself.
A brand-new Supernatural novel, set during season 10, that reveals a previously unseen adventure for the Winchester brothers, from the hit TV series!
Visitors passing through Brownsdale, Kentucky are often never seen again. The locals claim that it’s easy to fall victim to the vast local caves if explored unaided, but when two young girls go missing Sam and Dean set out to investigate.
As the brothers start to suspect something far more sinister in the town, and possibly lurking in Mammoth Cave, they realise that someone is determined to protect the town secret—even if it means killing Sam and Dean himself.
A brand-new Supernatural novel, set during season 10, that reveals a previously unseen adventure for the Winchester brothers, from the hit TV series!
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published June 27, 2017
53 people are currently reading
3015 people want to read
About the author
Yvonne Navarro
127 books173 followersYvonne Navarro is the author of Concrete Savior, Highborn, AfterAge, deadrush, Final Impact, Mirror Me and a bunch of other books, plus Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels and tie-in novels for Hellboy, Elektra, and others."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
August 17, 2017
It was good to finally to get to read a new Supernatural novel, as this was delayed a few times before. Hope that doesn't mean this is the last book.
February 7, 2024
3.5
honestly? this was fun. not as fun as the show of course but also not as bad as the series finale so a win is a win and i missed sam and dean
honestly? this was fun. not as fun as the show of course but also not as bad as the series finale so a win is a win and i missed sam and dean
August 8, 2022
The Usual Sacrifices (Supernatural #15) by Yvonne Navarro is a fun Supernatural book. I love seeing places I recognize and have been in fiction so this was really cool. If you haven't been to Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, you should really go at least once - it's a really beautiful and fascinating place. I was really pleased when in the book Sam and Dean passed a sign for Big Mike's - I would have been delighted if they stopped by the shop. I can just imagine both Sam and Dean having flashbacks to the Mystery Spot!
October 11, 2021
Is this my new favorite Supernatural book? Honestly... it really might be!
I loooooved this one. It has so many little tropes that I enjoy. Small town secrets, local legends, spooky caves!
Like any good Supernatural episode, there was so much going on here. Sam and Dean go off in search of two missing teens in a town where no one seems to be looking for them. They meet up with a variety of interesting characters, including the town psychic, as they attempt to locate the teens.
It takes a bit for things to really get moving. A big part of this mystery is the small-town intrigue and we explore that as Sam and Dean try to figure out just why the locals don't seem to be looking for the missing people. But eventually, we get into the cave and.... wow... it's great!
My only real complaint is that there were a feeeew moments where Sam and Dean were kind of... dumb. Came to realizations a bit later than they should have, or waited too long to act. But the second half more than makes up for any missteps in the beginning. And both Sam and Dean felt very accurate to their television counterparts, which is, really, one of the most important things.
Merged review:
Is this my new favorite Supernatural book? Honestly... it really might be!
I loooooved this one. It has so many little tropes that I enjoy. Small town secrets, local legends, spooky caves!
Like any good Supernatural episode, there was so much going on here. Sam and Dean go off in search of two missing teens in a town where no one seems to be looking for them. They meet up with a variety of interesting characters, including the town psychic, as they attempt to locate the teens.
It takes a bit for things to really get moving. A big part of this mystery is the small-town intrigue and we explore that as Sam and Dean try to figure out just why the locals don't seem to be looking for the missing people. But eventually, we get into the cave and.... wow... it's great!
My only real complaint is that there were a feeeew moments where Sam and Dean were kind of... dumb. Came to realizations a bit later than they should have, or waited too long to act. But the second half more than makes up for any missteps in the beginning. And both Sam and Dean felt very accurate to their television counterparts, which is, really, one of the most important things.
I loooooved this one. It has so many little tropes that I enjoy. Small town secrets, local legends, spooky caves!
Like any good Supernatural episode, there was so much going on here. Sam and Dean go off in search of two missing teens in a town where no one seems to be looking for them. They meet up with a variety of interesting characters, including the town psychic, as they attempt to locate the teens.
It takes a bit for things to really get moving. A big part of this mystery is the small-town intrigue and we explore that as Sam and Dean try to figure out just why the locals don't seem to be looking for the missing people. But eventually, we get into the cave and.... wow... it's great!
My only real complaint is that there were a feeeew moments where Sam and Dean were kind of... dumb. Came to realizations a bit later than they should have, or waited too long to act. But the second half more than makes up for any missteps in the beginning. And both Sam and Dean felt very accurate to their television counterparts, which is, really, one of the most important things.
Merged review:
Is this my new favorite Supernatural book? Honestly... it really might be!
I loooooved this one. It has so many little tropes that I enjoy. Small town secrets, local legends, spooky caves!
Like any good Supernatural episode, there was so much going on here. Sam and Dean go off in search of two missing teens in a town where no one seems to be looking for them. They meet up with a variety of interesting characters, including the town psychic, as they attempt to locate the teens.
It takes a bit for things to really get moving. A big part of this mystery is the small-town intrigue and we explore that as Sam and Dean try to figure out just why the locals don't seem to be looking for the missing people. But eventually, we get into the cave and.... wow... it's great!
My only real complaint is that there were a feeeew moments where Sam and Dean were kind of... dumb. Came to realizations a bit later than they should have, or waited too long to act. But the second half more than makes up for any missteps in the beginning. And both Sam and Dean felt very accurate to their television counterparts, which is, really, one of the most important things.
August 23, 2017
This is my 16th SPN novel and it probably won't be my last.
Since they're not all by the same author, you never really know what to expect, I've had some I really loved because I felt like I was right in that great SPN episode and I've had some I didn't really like because the writing needed a lot of improvement. This one is somewhere in the middle, I guess. The writing wasn't amazing (but still good) and the story didn't really pull me in but the Supernatural feeling was definetlly there with Dean just being Dean. The development of the story was quite slow but it helped to get a feeling for the town and its people.
I'll give 3.5 - 3.75 stars.
Since they're not all by the same author, you never really know what to expect, I've had some I really loved because I felt like I was right in that great SPN episode and I've had some I didn't really like because the writing needed a lot of improvement. This one is somewhere in the middle, I guess. The writing wasn't amazing (but still good) and the story didn't really pull me in but the Supernatural feeling was definetlly there with Dean just being Dean. The development of the story was quite slow but it helped to get a feeling for the town and its people.
I'll give 3.5 - 3.75 stars.
February 3, 2024
The plot was rather simplistic and dragged on a bit, but I still enjoyed this enough to give it 3 1/2 stars. Mainly because of an OC (Cinnamon) that I liked and because of the second half of the book which we spend with Sam and Dean spelunking in a maze-like cave, getting lost and with monsters on their heels. Gave the story a feeling of adventure, and a setting we haven't seen yet in the show or in the books.
Of course, Dean still having the Mark of Cain should have been more of an issue than making him a bit more impatient than he usually already is. But, as said several times before, the authors of this book series were apparently advised to skirt around any kind of character or show arc exploration and keep things moving at surface level only.
We do get some Dean heroics and a brave Sam, and an action-centric showdown, and less gag reflex triggering body horror than with several of the other authors. Fine by me. I felt decently entertained.
Of course, Dean still having the Mark of Cain should have been more of an issue than making him a bit more impatient than he usually already is. But, as said several times before, the authors of this book series were apparently advised to skirt around any kind of character or show arc exploration and keep things moving at surface level only.
We do get some Dean heroics and a brave Sam, and an action-centric showdown, and less gag reflex triggering body horror than with several of the other authors. Fine by me. I felt decently entertained.
March 1, 2019
This was a fabulous Supernatural story! It read very similar to the show, and I could easy imagine the characters behaving the way they are portrayed in this book.
In The Usual Sacrifices, we see Sam and Dean arrive in the small town of Brownsdale, Kentucky to investigate the disappearance of twin 13-year-old girls. The townspeople aren't trusting or open to outsiders, so you are immediately suspicious of what they might know. The story was quite interesting and I'd recommend it to any fan of the show.
In The Usual Sacrifices, we see Sam and Dean arrive in the small town of Brownsdale, Kentucky to investigate the disappearance of twin 13-year-old girls. The townspeople aren't trusting or open to outsiders, so you are immediately suspicious of what they might know. The story was quite interesting and I'd recommend it to any fan of the show.
April 10, 2024
This book was okay, but the characters were just acting weird all the time and I had a hard time liking any of the optional characters here.
September 17, 2017
The Usual Sacrifices (Supernatural 15)
Author: Yvonne Navarro
Publisher: Titan Books
Page count: 336pp
Release date: 27th June 2017
Reviewer: Theresa Derwin
Online: @TitanBooks, #SPNFamily, @YvonneNavarro
TV Bit: Season 10 (Mark of Cain) between 'The Hunter Games' and 'Halt & Catch Fire'
Right, for those who haven't watched TV series Supernatural here's a brief 30 Sci day update.
Sam and Dean, twenty-something year old brothers, lose their Mom when Sam, the youngest, is 6 months old. A yellow eyed de,on burns her on the ceiling and John Winchester, dad to Sam and Dean, husband to Mary, spends his life as a hunter training the boys to hunt all kinds of supernatural creatures; vampires, werewolves, zombies, witches, ghosts; you name it they hunt it. Season 9, Dean hook on the Mark of Cain; basically to save his brother but it causes intense rage and anger. He still has this in S10. So, in this book, Dean is a volcano of emotions about to explode and Navarro manages to weave this thread into the narrative. We can sense Dean's frustration and attempts to not beat the crap out of people, particularly the Sherriff's department.
Now for this book itself. It starts with the boys, always the boys, heading off to investigate a new case involving multiple disappearances in Mammoth Cave.
As Lucy the Southern woman they meet points out, as they enter the town with missing people, the Bronwsdale folks aren't exactly friendly and seem to have forgotten the meaning of 'southern hospitality'. As the boys pull into a grocery store parking lot to ask a local woman for information she literally runs away yelling "I don't talk to strangers."
Just slightly jumpy then.
When they go to the local diner for food, it's a little like the Slaughtered Lamb in American Werewolf in London; hushed voices and stares, though the diner scene allows for Navarro to show us a familiar characteristic of Dean (his humongous appetite) especially for all things bad for him. The scene is particularly funny. It's a great opener to get to know the brothers.
It's here that we get a feel for what might be going on, just like the brothers do.
There have been disappearances - mostly travellers, hitch hikers; strangers.
According to one local, the Mammoth Caves take their due. When two visiting teenage girls related to the new librarian disappear the sheriff and the locals don't seem to be doing anything to find them.
As Sam puts it; "It's all pretty and small-town America on the surface, but there's something really nasty underneath."
Cinnamon, the local psychic, is a great character. I love when the boys get discombobulated by another person during an investigation- especially when it's a five foot nothing old woman in a polka dot dress.
The story itself follows the detective/mystery route, but it's the characters, and the darkness hiding beneath a 'Pleasantville' veneer in the town, which makes the book so engaging. As for the dark, this is literally visualised in the caves and caverns that various people, including the boys, explore.
They reflect the darkness hidden by the townspeople and the sheriff, with scenes in the Mammoth Caves pretty creepy and atmospheric.
It's clear from this book that Titan only commission Supernatural tie-ins from writers who know and love the universe. Sam and Dean are pretty much spot-on and the end scenes with the denouement, as referenced by Navarro, is almost like H.G. Wells' The Time Machine in parts. You'll figure out why when you read it.
I loved this book.
It's a great to whet your appetite in the current season break behind S13 returns 12th Oct.
Awesome, as Dean might say.
Author: Yvonne Navarro
Publisher: Titan Books
Page count: 336pp
Release date: 27th June 2017
Reviewer: Theresa Derwin
Online: @TitanBooks, #SPNFamily, @YvonneNavarro
TV Bit: Season 10 (Mark of Cain) between 'The Hunter Games' and 'Halt & Catch Fire'
Right, for those who haven't watched TV series Supernatural here's a brief 30 Sci day update.
Sam and Dean, twenty-something year old brothers, lose their Mom when Sam, the youngest, is 6 months old. A yellow eyed de,on burns her on the ceiling and John Winchester, dad to Sam and Dean, husband to Mary, spends his life as a hunter training the boys to hunt all kinds of supernatural creatures; vampires, werewolves, zombies, witches, ghosts; you name it they hunt it. Season 9, Dean hook on the Mark of Cain; basically to save his brother but it causes intense rage and anger. He still has this in S10. So, in this book, Dean is a volcano of emotions about to explode and Navarro manages to weave this thread into the narrative. We can sense Dean's frustration and attempts to not beat the crap out of people, particularly the Sherriff's department.
Now for this book itself. It starts with the boys, always the boys, heading off to investigate a new case involving multiple disappearances in Mammoth Cave.
As Lucy the Southern woman they meet points out, as they enter the town with missing people, the Bronwsdale folks aren't exactly friendly and seem to have forgotten the meaning of 'southern hospitality'. As the boys pull into a grocery store parking lot to ask a local woman for information she literally runs away yelling "I don't talk to strangers."
Just slightly jumpy then.
When they go to the local diner for food, it's a little like the Slaughtered Lamb in American Werewolf in London; hushed voices and stares, though the diner scene allows for Navarro to show us a familiar characteristic of Dean (his humongous appetite) especially for all things bad for him. The scene is particularly funny. It's a great opener to get to know the brothers.
It's here that we get a feel for what might be going on, just like the brothers do.
There have been disappearances - mostly travellers, hitch hikers; strangers.
According to one local, the Mammoth Caves take their due. When two visiting teenage girls related to the new librarian disappear the sheriff and the locals don't seem to be doing anything to find them.
As Sam puts it; "It's all pretty and small-town America on the surface, but there's something really nasty underneath."
Cinnamon, the local psychic, is a great character. I love when the boys get discombobulated by another person during an investigation- especially when it's a five foot nothing old woman in a polka dot dress.
The story itself follows the detective/mystery route, but it's the characters, and the darkness hiding beneath a 'Pleasantville' veneer in the town, which makes the book so engaging. As for the dark, this is literally visualised in the caves and caverns that various people, including the boys, explore.
They reflect the darkness hidden by the townspeople and the sheriff, with scenes in the Mammoth Caves pretty creepy and atmospheric.
It's clear from this book that Titan only commission Supernatural tie-ins from writers who know and love the universe. Sam and Dean are pretty much spot-on and the end scenes with the denouement, as referenced by Navarro, is almost like H.G. Wells' The Time Machine in parts. You'll figure out why when you read it.
I loved this book.
It's a great to whet your appetite in the current season break behind S13 returns 12th Oct.
Awesome, as Dean might say.
July 11, 2017
Much better than average book outing for the Winchesters. Quickly paced plot that would make a great episode of this cult classic series. Interesting take on the typical monster of the week, and the true villains are human (not a spoiler). Recommended for all Winchester fans.
June 27, 2019
As usual, the good ones in this series are the odd ones out. This was just another mediocre, pale representation of Supernatural. Nothing really happened in this book until the very end, and Sam and Dean were very poorly portrayed. This just felt like reading a book about two guys names Sam and Dean, not about the Winchesters. And what the heck was with the monsters? One of the reasons I like Supernatural is because all the monsters are from folklore, mythology or urban legend, this was none of that. And seriously, Dean is not an idiot, and his only personality trait is not that he likes to eat. And especially since this was set during the time he had the Mark of Cain, I would have liked a little added angst. Maybe a halfway intelligent discussion between him and Sam, or a reminder of his heightened bloodlust. And what was Sam in this story? Not our Sam, he was just a random character.
And I'm sorry, Sam Winchester does not pass out because he gets clawed in the leg by a creature. This is the guy who got gut shot, strangled by a werewolf, and walked alone through the woods to get back to the car to save his brother. You're gonna have to whump him a lot harder than that.
So yeah, not impressed. You'd be better off finding decent canon fan fiction to read.
And I'm sorry, Sam Winchester does not pass out because he gets clawed in the leg by a creature. This is the guy who got gut shot, strangled by a werewolf, and walked alone through the woods to get back to the car to save his brother. You're gonna have to whump him a lot harder than that.
So yeah, not impressed. You'd be better off finding decent canon fan fiction to read.
February 15, 2021
The Usual Sacrifices is book fifteen in the series of TV Tie-in novels from the CW show Supernatural, and is written by Yvonne Navarro. It takes place during season ten between episodes 10 (The Hunter Games) and 13 (Halt & Catch Fire).
This is the first Supernatural novel to have been written by Yvonne Navarro and I have to admit that I was eager for a fresh perspective, since a lot of the previous books have been extremely unsatisfying. Thankfully, I found The Usual Sacrifices to be a real page-turner.
It doesn’t bore the reader with repetitive details or backstory regarding the Mark of Cain, unlike the two novels I read previously. In fact this is only briefly mentioned, and is probably the only detail in the whole book to give any indication as to what point in the overall timeline that this story is based. If it wasn’t for this, and the historical note preceding the novel, I wouldn’t have known the story was even set during season ten, which is exactly what you want for a stand-alone tale.
Caves are the focus in Yvonne Navarro’s The Usual Sacrifices as we follow Sam and Dean Winchester, as they drive Baby to a small town in Kentucky, where twin girls, Marley and Fallon have gone missing. The brothers discover that there is a long list of missing person’s cases linked to this local community, and that law enforcement appear to be brushing these incidents under the proverbial carpet. Can Sam and Dean discover what’s lurking in the cave system, and find the two young girls before it’s too late? Or will they ruffle the feathers of Sheriff Thompson one too many times and end up lost in the caves themselves?
The Usual Sacrifices has a good story, it’s been done before in a similar fashion, but Navarro puts her own spin on it. It’s good to see ‘Baby’ being given more attention as well, since a lot of writers tend to brush over this aspect, however Navarro’s depiction of Sam and Dean isn’t realistic enough. My main gripe is with the characters dialogue, Dean and Sam constantly refer to each other as “Little Brother” or “Big Brother”, and this is really not in their nature, it would never happen on the show. Also it just sounds really weird, and far more ‘Vampire Diaries’ than Supernatural. However, the book did manage to get Dean’s love of fast food correct much to Sam’s disgust.
At 4 out of 5 stars, I’d definitely recommend The Usual Sacrifices to any fan of the TV show looking for a good additional story to the Supernatural universe, provided you can cope with the character flaws. I’d happily read more of Yvonne Navarro’s SPN tie-in novels in future, if she were to decide to write more of them.
This is the first Supernatural novel to have been written by Yvonne Navarro and I have to admit that I was eager for a fresh perspective, since a lot of the previous books have been extremely unsatisfying. Thankfully, I found The Usual Sacrifices to be a real page-turner.
It doesn’t bore the reader with repetitive details or backstory regarding the Mark of Cain, unlike the two novels I read previously. In fact this is only briefly mentioned, and is probably the only detail in the whole book to give any indication as to what point in the overall timeline that this story is based. If it wasn’t for this, and the historical note preceding the novel, I wouldn’t have known the story was even set during season ten, which is exactly what you want for a stand-alone tale.
Caves are the focus in Yvonne Navarro’s The Usual Sacrifices as we follow Sam and Dean Winchester, as they drive Baby to a small town in Kentucky, where twin girls, Marley and Fallon have gone missing. The brothers discover that there is a long list of missing person’s cases linked to this local community, and that law enforcement appear to be brushing these incidents under the proverbial carpet. Can Sam and Dean discover what’s lurking in the cave system, and find the two young girls before it’s too late? Or will they ruffle the feathers of Sheriff Thompson one too many times and end up lost in the caves themselves?
The Usual Sacrifices has a good story, it’s been done before in a similar fashion, but Navarro puts her own spin on it. It’s good to see ‘Baby’ being given more attention as well, since a lot of writers tend to brush over this aspect, however Navarro’s depiction of Sam and Dean isn’t realistic enough. My main gripe is with the characters dialogue, Dean and Sam constantly refer to each other as “Little Brother” or “Big Brother”, and this is really not in their nature, it would never happen on the show. Also it just sounds really weird, and far more ‘Vampire Diaries’ than Supernatural. However, the book did manage to get Dean’s love of fast food correct much to Sam’s disgust.
At 4 out of 5 stars, I’d definitely recommend The Usual Sacrifices to any fan of the TV show looking for a good additional story to the Supernatural universe, provided you can cope with the character flaws. I’d happily read more of Yvonne Navarro’s SPN tie-in novels in future, if she were to decide to write more of them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2025
Is this my new favorite Supernatural book? Honestly... it really might be!
I loooooved this one. It has so many little tropes that I enjoy. Small town secrets, local legends, spooky caves!
Like any good Supernatural episode, there was so much going on here. Sam and Dean go off in search of two missing teens in a town where no one seems to be looking for them. They meet up with a variety of interesting characters, including the town psychic, as they attempt to locate the teens.
It takes a bit for things to really get moving. A big part of this mystery is the small-town intrigue and we explore that as Sam and Dean try to figure out just why the locals don't seem to be looking for the missing people. But eventually, we get into the cave and.... wow... it's great!
My only real complaint is that there were a feeeew moments where Sam and Dean were kind of... dumb. Came to realizations a bit later than they should have, or waited too long to act. But the second half more than makes up for any missteps in the beginning. And both Sam and Dean felt very accurate to their television counterparts, which is, really, one of the most important things.
Merged review:
Is this my new favorite Supernatural book? Honestly... it really might be!
I loooooved this one. It has so many little tropes that I enjoy. Small town secrets, local legends, spooky caves!
Like any good Supernatural episode, there was so much going on here. Sam and Dean go off in search of two missing teens in a town where no one seems to be looking for them. They meet up with a variety of interesting characters, including the town psychic, as they attempt to locate the teens.
It takes a bit for things to really get moving. A big part of this mystery is the small-town intrigue and we explore that as Sam and Dean try to figure out just why the locals don't seem to be looking for the missing people. But eventually, we get into the cave and.... wow... it's great!
My only real complaint is that there were a feeeew moments where Sam and Dean were kind of... dumb. Came to realizations a bit later than they should have, or waited too long to act. But the second half more than makes up for any missteps in the beginning. And both Sam and Dean felt very accurate to their television counterparts, which is, really, one of the most important things.
I loooooved this one. It has so many little tropes that I enjoy. Small town secrets, local legends, spooky caves!
Like any good Supernatural episode, there was so much going on here. Sam and Dean go off in search of two missing teens in a town where no one seems to be looking for them. They meet up with a variety of interesting characters, including the town psychic, as they attempt to locate the teens.
It takes a bit for things to really get moving. A big part of this mystery is the small-town intrigue and we explore that as Sam and Dean try to figure out just why the locals don't seem to be looking for the missing people. But eventually, we get into the cave and.... wow... it's great!
My only real complaint is that there were a feeeew moments where Sam and Dean were kind of... dumb. Came to realizations a bit later than they should have, or waited too long to act. But the second half more than makes up for any missteps in the beginning. And both Sam and Dean felt very accurate to their television counterparts, which is, really, one of the most important things.
Merged review:
Is this my new favorite Supernatural book? Honestly... it really might be!
I loooooved this one. It has so many little tropes that I enjoy. Small town secrets, local legends, spooky caves!
Like any good Supernatural episode, there was so much going on here. Sam and Dean go off in search of two missing teens in a town where no one seems to be looking for them. They meet up with a variety of interesting characters, including the town psychic, as they attempt to locate the teens.
It takes a bit for things to really get moving. A big part of this mystery is the small-town intrigue and we explore that as Sam and Dean try to figure out just why the locals don't seem to be looking for the missing people. But eventually, we get into the cave and.... wow... it's great!
My only real complaint is that there were a feeeew moments where Sam and Dean were kind of... dumb. Came to realizations a bit later than they should have, or waited too long to act. But the second half more than makes up for any missteps in the beginning. And both Sam and Dean felt very accurate to their television counterparts, which is, really, one of the most important things.
September 4, 2018
Excerpts from my detailed thoughts on how this book would be viewed by Supernatural fans (on my website, The Winchester Family Business, "Notes in the Margin", Aug. 9, 2018):
I enjoy Supernatural tie-in novels regardless of the setting, monster or plot simply because it’s additional time I get to spend with Sam and Dean Winchester. I was particularly excited about The Usual Sacrifices because it’s set in Kentucky cave country. Living in the Midwest my whole life, I have visited several of the distinctive caves in that area during vacations....So I could truly appreciate The Usual Sacrifice’s detailed descriptions of Sam and Dean’s fears while wandering into the deepest caverns of the cave... The perfect horror scenario.
The story had both real and supernatural components, which was perfect for a Supernatural plot. There was a touch of romance too, which was nice. Sam and Dean remained true to their characters, so the story flowed well without distracting missteps of depiction or canon. A few tense moments allowed for suspense, drama and heroism. I also greatly appreciated that the scenes that could have been horrifically gross or terrifying were toned down enough for the weak of heart (e.g. me)...
Two aspects of the book took away from its enjoyment. First, the villain of the plot (who I won’t name so as to not spoil the story for you) was a bit too amoral to be believable. His/her motivations were explained, but I just didn’t buy the scenario in a real town... Secondly, the descriptions of the local people and their homes, backgrounds, personalities, emotions, etc. were too detailed. They went on for pages and pages repeatedly throughout the book. While they were all very well written and would probably have added a great deal to a stand-alone story, I was only reading the book for Sam and Dean... The standards by which I judge a tie-in novel are simply different than my criteria for other fiction. Reading about Sam or Dean brushing their teeth is more interesting to me than a full chapter about some poor victim’s life before they were tragically murdered. I’m biased that way.
Bottom line: Read The Usual Sacrifices because it will add another adventure to our boys’ long story arc, but maybe skip the pages that bore you. They aren’t relevant in the long run.
I enjoy Supernatural tie-in novels regardless of the setting, monster or plot simply because it’s additional time I get to spend with Sam and Dean Winchester. I was particularly excited about The Usual Sacrifices because it’s set in Kentucky cave country. Living in the Midwest my whole life, I have visited several of the distinctive caves in that area during vacations....So I could truly appreciate The Usual Sacrifice’s detailed descriptions of Sam and Dean’s fears while wandering into the deepest caverns of the cave... The perfect horror scenario.
The story had both real and supernatural components, which was perfect for a Supernatural plot. There was a touch of romance too, which was nice. Sam and Dean remained true to their characters, so the story flowed well without distracting missteps of depiction or canon. A few tense moments allowed for suspense, drama and heroism. I also greatly appreciated that the scenes that could have been horrifically gross or terrifying were toned down enough for the weak of heart (e.g. me)...
Two aspects of the book took away from its enjoyment. First, the villain of the plot (who I won’t name so as to not spoil the story for you) was a bit too amoral to be believable. His/her motivations were explained, but I just didn’t buy the scenario in a real town... Secondly, the descriptions of the local people and their homes, backgrounds, personalities, emotions, etc. were too detailed. They went on for pages and pages repeatedly throughout the book. While they were all very well written and would probably have added a great deal to a stand-alone story, I was only reading the book for Sam and Dean... The standards by which I judge a tie-in novel are simply different than my criteria for other fiction. Reading about Sam or Dean brushing their teeth is more interesting to me than a full chapter about some poor victim’s life before they were tragically murdered. I’m biased that way.
Bottom line: Read The Usual Sacrifices because it will add another adventure to our boys’ long story arc, but maybe skip the pages that bore you. They aren’t relevant in the long run.
November 9, 2019
I honestly don't even know where to start with this. I am a HUGE fan of the TV show. Sam and Dean have been with me for literally half of my life. This book was NOT what I was hoping for. It read like really really bad fan fiction by someone who didn't know the characters, or the tone of the show, at all. It is supposed to take place during Season 10, which is when Dean has the Mark of Cain, and it left me wondering if the author has even seen that season (or the show in general). The plot was almost non-existent. Unlike the show, the boys did almost no research (other than 1 scene when they go to the library), and when they finally head into the cave, they have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what kind of monster they are going to encounter. Which doesn't vibe with Sam and Dean at all. They went into the cave not knowing what they were going to face, and therefore, they didn't know how to kill it. By that point, they usually have a fair idea of what they're looking at. Nope. Not in this one. Overall, the story was extremely slow and uneventful, and Sam and Dean did not, in my opinion, follow their well established characters. They acted scared and jumpy, which is not how 2 badass monster hunters would act, in my opinion. They would have walked into that cave fully confident that they were about to kill the baddie and would have sauntered out with cocky smiles on their faces.
I would have liked more discussions on what was going on, besides them just talking about how many people were missing. And Dean has more character traits than just being hungry and confrontational all the time!!! He's protective, and smart, and witty, and resourceful. He exhibited none of these things. Sam is always trying to figure out the lore behind whatever monster/creature they are facing, and that never seemed to happen either. At 50 pages to the end, I still had no idea what kind of monster (if any) was killing people. And the psychic element just felt like a cop out. Like the author didn't want to put any effort into creating the lore and background for the town/characters/monster, so she plopped a psychic into the town so that the boys would have an extremely vague idea of what was going on. But even that wasn't fully developed. The psychic didn't know what was going on, and couldn't give them a description of what exactly was happening or what was taking all these people. Again, it felt lazy on the side of the author. Like she didn't care enough about the story or the Winchesters to create a fully fleshed out story. I did not like this book (in case that wasn't clear) and I doubt I will be reading any more published Supernatural Books. I'll stick to fan fiction and Wattpad for that....At least those people care about the integrity of the Supernatural Universe.
I would have liked more discussions on what was going on, besides them just talking about how many people were missing. And Dean has more character traits than just being hungry and confrontational all the time!!! He's protective, and smart, and witty, and resourceful. He exhibited none of these things. Sam is always trying to figure out the lore behind whatever monster/creature they are facing, and that never seemed to happen either. At 50 pages to the end, I still had no idea what kind of monster (if any) was killing people. And the psychic element just felt like a cop out. Like the author didn't want to put any effort into creating the lore and background for the town/characters/monster, so she plopped a psychic into the town so that the boys would have an extremely vague idea of what was going on. But even that wasn't fully developed. The psychic didn't know what was going on, and couldn't give them a description of what exactly was happening or what was taking all these people. Again, it felt lazy on the side of the author. Like she didn't care enough about the story or the Winchesters to create a fully fleshed out story. I did not like this book (in case that wasn't clear) and I doubt I will be reading any more published Supernatural Books. I'll stick to fan fiction and Wattpad for that....At least those people care about the integrity of the Supernatural Universe.
June 2, 2021
While I didn't find issue with the story itself, it could have made an interesting enough early season episode if written by Kripke or Newman and given more 'brother moments' than them going from one place to another blandly, the inconsistencies were a little grating.
I read and write plenty of fanfiction and can accept that we all make mistakes, but did an editor not pick up on some of the finer details?
There's one unimportant scene, set in a diner because....you know...Dean and his food is a constant, tiring reference in this book, where Sam is reading a newspaper, throws it away...and is then folding it up to throw away? Which one is it? Is it a different newspaper? No other one was mentioned.
There's a similar towel bit where Dean hands Sam a towel but in the very next paragraph Dean is the one hanging it up. Did Sam pass it back to him after using it? If so why wasn't that mentioned?
It's bits like this that just threw me out for a second, did no-one go through this?
I'd mention the lack of character recognition beyond 'Dean like food' but honestly, if the show writers can't stick to long established lore and characterisation then why should I expect that of a writer outside the show canon? Though you'd figure they'd have known enough to know that Sam isn't the kind of pussy to pass out from cut.
All in all, it's okay, just needs bit of an edit from someone who actually gives a rat's ass.
Still better than One Year Gone or Coyote's Kiss.
I read and write plenty of fanfiction and can accept that we all make mistakes, but did an editor not pick up on some of the finer details?
There's one unimportant scene, set in a diner because....you know...Dean and his food is a constant, tiring reference in this book, where Sam is reading a newspaper, throws it away...and is then folding it up to throw away? Which one is it? Is it a different newspaper? No other one was mentioned.
There's a similar towel bit where Dean hands Sam a towel but in the very next paragraph Dean is the one hanging it up. Did Sam pass it back to him after using it? If so why wasn't that mentioned?
It's bits like this that just threw me out for a second, did no-one go through this?
I'd mention the lack of character recognition beyond 'Dean like food' but honestly, if the show writers can't stick to long established lore and characterisation then why should I expect that of a writer outside the show canon? Though you'd figure they'd have known enough to know that Sam isn't the kind of pussy to pass out from cut.
All in all, it's okay, just needs bit of an edit from someone who actually gives a rat's ass.
Still better than One Year Gone or Coyote's Kiss.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2023
Fairly run of the mill small town secret monster tale made more exciting by being part of the SPN fiction series.
The grisly secret of the cave will probably come as a disappointment since the tone of writing hints at a supernatural entity either existing within the caves or somehow possessing the very structure of the rock itself. Especially with the apparent family legacy of keeping it "fed" and saving the town.
Therefore the revelation that there are cannibalistic sub-humans dwelling within that must be kept under control with regular sacrifices is both underwhelming and somewhat puzzling.
The fact that the caves are a regular tourist attraction raises the question of how much of a threat the creatures are. Especially since the twins were specifically dropped off at the blocked crystal cave entrance by the Sheriff which is otherwise inaccessible.
Once Sam and Dean are inside the cave and it becomes clear that they will have to exit the same way they entered, again the question remains of the potential threat to the town since they clearly need climbing gear to exit the pit to safety.
Overall it fits well with the SPN vibe but beyond that is a fairly predictable monster fest
The grisly secret of the cave will probably come as a disappointment since the tone of writing hints at a supernatural entity either existing within the caves or somehow possessing the very structure of the rock itself. Especially with the apparent family legacy of keeping it "fed" and saving the town.
Therefore the revelation that there are cannibalistic sub-humans dwelling within that must be kept under control with regular sacrifices is both underwhelming and somewhat puzzling.
The fact that the caves are a regular tourist attraction raises the question of how much of a threat the creatures are. Especially since the twins were specifically dropped off at the blocked crystal cave entrance by the Sheriff which is otherwise inaccessible.
Once Sam and Dean are inside the cave and it becomes clear that they will have to exit the same way they entered, again the question remains of the potential threat to the town since they clearly need climbing gear to exit the pit to safety.
Overall it fits well with the SPN vibe but beyond that is a fairly predictable monster fest
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2019
Disappearances. An unhelpful sheriff. A psychic with horrific visions.
And Dean Winchester's eating habits... a case most foul.
Of all the novels in this series, I would have to say that this is by far the best. Some of the others I've read I've certainly enjoyed but sometimes felt were rather rushed. This one, however, takes the time to provide not only a good, terrifying mystery, coupled with the brothers' intelligence and strength, but also gives us a taste of what makes Supernatural so very special: the brotherly bond, the snark and quick wit, the steady, comforting presence of the Impala, but also, most importantly, Dean's love of food and Sam's right royal disgust at his brother's 'feeding time at the zoo' table manners.
To top it all off Queen fans are going to love the FBI agent IDs the boys picked for this case...
And Dean Winchester's eating habits... a case most foul.
Of all the novels in this series, I would have to say that this is by far the best. Some of the others I've read I've certainly enjoyed but sometimes felt were rather rushed. This one, however, takes the time to provide not only a good, terrifying mystery, coupled with the brothers' intelligence and strength, but also gives us a taste of what makes Supernatural so very special: the brotherly bond, the snark and quick wit, the steady, comforting presence of the Impala, but also, most importantly, Dean's love of food and Sam's right royal disgust at his brother's 'feeding time at the zoo' table manners.
To top it all off Queen fans are going to love the FBI agent IDs the boys picked for this case...
September 13, 2021
Generally speaking, this wasn't a bad SPN story. Sam and Dean investigate the disappearance of twin 13-year old girls in a tiny Kentucky town which boasts a location near a famous cave system but hides a secret that includes dozens of missing people over many years.
The real problems with the book fall mainly on the part of the author, who has a history of writing TV novel tie-ins, but didn't seem to be fully up on SPN. The dialogue, especially between Sam and Dean, can be quite trite, and often doesn't feel at all like the way those characters talk in the show. And then there's the climactic chase/battle in the cave system at the end. That went on and on. Ridiculously long. And with the main "villain" acting outright cartoonishly at that point. Thankfully, this was Navarro's only entry in the series, because it was definitely lacking.
The real problems with the book fall mainly on the part of the author, who has a history of writing TV novel tie-ins, but didn't seem to be fully up on SPN. The dialogue, especially between Sam and Dean, can be quite trite, and often doesn't feel at all like the way those characters talk in the show. And then there's the climactic chase/battle in the cave system at the end. That went on and on. Ridiculously long. And with the main "villain" acting outright cartoonishly at that point. Thankfully, this was Navarro's only entry in the series, because it was definitely lacking.
October 11, 2018
***minor spoilers*** This was disappointing. I enjoyed the start but the story took wayyyyy too long to develop and I lost interest. The middle part of the book focused too heavily on Cinnamon and although I originally liked the idea of a psychic being included in the book , she became overused and found myself bored with this part of the story. I felt that the writer delved too deep into this characters past instead of focusing on the brothers. I did like that the monster was something new and unusual but the end part with the Winchester’s in the cave was too dragged out , so much so that I just scanned the last few chapters in order to finish it. I’ve read a few other supernatural books and have enjoyed them. This, unfortunately, was not one of them.
February 22, 2018
Terrible. Whoever wrote this needs to do more research on the show. The Winchesters talked completely out of character and the monsters did not fit in with the universe the show is set in. There was also writing choices that didn’t make any sense, or were overly done. This is the first Supernatural book I’ve read that I was disappointed in. It felt like a chore to get through completely, which ended up being about 7-8 months. I hope the next one in this series is more in line with the tone of the others before this one.
September 5, 2022
i know the books are non canon but i’m not sure if this book was about sam and dean or one of their alternate universe versions/impersonators. throughout the entire book they are not nearly as smart as they usually are, bordering on incompetence. they end up not saving anyone, not killing the monsters (which are STILL unidentified at the end), and the towns problems are never really addressed.
don’t even get me started on all the plot holes.
overall this book is a mess and makes me think the author has never watched the show and used cliff notes to get by.
don’t even get me started on all the plot holes.
overall this book is a mess and makes me think the author has never watched the show and used cliff notes to get by.
March 9, 2018
So the writing in this story wasn't amazing (it wasn't terrible either, though). It took time to unnecessarily describe things (such as exactly what the layout of a room was or a character's outfit). However, the story itself was very enjoyable. It felt just like an episode of Supernatural, and Sam and Dean were almost totally in character. I might not recommend this to a casual viewer, but I think that fans of the show will like it.
July 28, 2022
At first, this wasn't the best written novel, there were continuity errors and things that were poorly explained. The story itself was strong. It was an intriguing premise but I feel like the bad guy wasn't enough. A local sheriff feeding people to a cave of people who couldn't leave the cave anyway was a let down. It didn't feel like a Supernatural novel. The author is good at building tension, especially during action scenes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2024
Another great addition to the Supernatural lore. As soon as Sam mentioned Floyd Collins, I remembered reading a story in an English class anthology 40 plus years ago. The story was graphic and had an unhappy ending so while I forgot the caver’s name, the particulars of the story stuck with me and when it was retold again in the book, I felt the same sadness that I first experienced those many years ago. Caves freak me out, but it was a gripping exciting adventure for the boys.
June 29, 2024
It was a good story but it was not Dean and Sam. This author clearly didn’t do her homework. Dean and Sam only kill monsters and never try to hurt people. Sam always puts a ton of research into the monsters they kill and that wasn’t done here. Overall the book was okay, but this was not Supernatural. The characters didn’t even have the same dialogue they would use in the show. Disappointed in this read but hope the next one will be better.
July 23, 2024
⭐️⭐️ — Not the best, but not the worst
I swear these books just keep getting worse as I read more of them. At some point, it’s okay to say you’ve run out of ideas. I mean, we didn’t even get “lore” or a good sense of what exactly the monsters the boys were dealing with in this story. It really ruined it for me.
Read this book if you’re a Supernatural fan looking for a medium-paced, dark, and adventurous read.
Trigger warnings include death, blood, and injury.
I swear these books just keep getting worse as I read more of them. At some point, it’s okay to say you’ve run out of ideas. I mean, we didn’t even get “lore” or a good sense of what exactly the monsters the boys were dealing with in this story. It really ruined it for me.
Read this book if you’re a Supernatural fan looking for a medium-paced, dark, and adventurous read.
Trigger warnings include death, blood, and injury.
October 28, 2025
⭐2.5/5
Эта история довольно сильно отличается от всей серии. Такое чувство, будто писательница не особо вдавалась в лор Сверхов, поэтому никаких привязок к сериалу нет вообще. Просто два мужика приезжают в город и расследуют загадочные исчезновения.
И да, это скорее вялотекущий детектив, а совсем не фентезятина или мистика.
Читать можно в отрыве и от сериала, и от остальных книг цикла, но вот нужно ли - большой вопрос.
Эта история довольно сильно отличается от всей серии. Такое чувство, будто писательница не особо вдавалась в лор Сверхов, поэтому никаких привязок к сериалу нет вообще. Просто два мужика приезжают в город и расследуют загадочные исчезновения.
И да, это скорее вялотекущий детектив, а совсем не фентезятина или мистика.
Читать можно в отрыве и от сериала, и от остальных книг цикла, но вот нужно ли - большой вопрос.
December 27, 2017
A good one. Interesting mystery rather than "how many gory and unnecessary details can I include."
The brothers act and speak much the way they do on the show. The secondary characters were fleshed out and had lives beyond simply their interactions with the brothers. And the ending was unexpected, at least to me.
So this would go near the top of my list of good Supernatural novels.
The brothers act and speak much the way they do on the show. The secondary characters were fleshed out and had lives beyond simply their interactions with the brothers. And the ending was unexpected, at least to me.
So this would go near the top of my list of good Supernatural novels.
February 10, 2021
I enjoyed the concept for this book - people going missing in a strange town with a cave. It felt like Descent meets Twin Peaks which was pretty interesting. Yet I felt like this book in the series lacked the supernatural and they didn’t even enter the cave until the last few chapters of the book which felt kinda weird.
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