Heaven's Peak

by Miguel Estrada

The beautiful resort town of Heaven's Peak is home to gorgeous landscapes and terrifying secrets.After the tragic death of his mother, teenage photographer Kevin Miller moves to a new town with his alcoholic father and eight-year-old sister in the hope of bringing the family together and starting over. However, everything changes when Kevin witnesses his sister being kidnapped by a bizarre creature. The police are skeptical of his story, so he decides to unveil the mysteries surrounding the town on his own.On the other side of the investigation, FBI agent Norman James will do anything to solve the baffling case, except believe a traumatized teenager's nonsense.Meanwhile, newscasts predict a blizzard approaching in the next couple of days, as people in the town begin to behave strangely.Will Kevin and Norman find Kevin's little sister before Heaven's Peak is consumed by darkness?Heaven's Peak is the first full-length horror-thriller novel from author Miguel Estrada. If you like suspense, mystery and dread, prepare for a ride you won't forget.

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Ebooks, Paranormal, Mystery, Amazon, Fiction

295 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 24, 2018

Reviews

[Luvtoread (Trying to catch up) · Rating 3 out of 5]

First I want to say that this was a very good story. It grabbed my attention from the first page and kept me intrigued for quite awhile.
Unfortunately, there were so many grammatical and editing errors that it became extremely distracting for me, so that it did take away the enjoyment factor of the story, when I would have to stop and figure out the word or sentence that the writer meant to say. I found this so frustrating and irritating that the story lost it's fear impact and became more of a chore to read. The other reviewers seem to have not been bothered by the editing, so maybe I'm just too particular about editing issues.
Overall the book had all the horror elements to make it creepy and suspenseful. I still recommend this book because it was interesting and and scary regardless of my issues with the editing and am glad that I read it.

I have given this book a 3 🌟🌟🌟 star rating.

[Lester · Rating 1 out of 5]

So....
- An experienced FBI agent just jumps into an unknown hole with no seeming way out. m'k
- One of the main character's father(!) just happens to have a detailed map of the entire town...from the 50's. m'k
- in this story's universe (mid 00's) you still have to go to Walgreen's to get your photos developed.
- but what ARE those things? Where did they come from and WHY? And who's paying the power bill to run the ventilation shafts? No idea.
- But they do burn up (kind of), so abruptly.... big fire. All gone. End of book.

Now when I look at the book's cover art, I think the boogeyman is saying "Shhhh! Don't tell anyone that you read this book."

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good story, though it didn’t cover any new ground. I found the writing a bit awkward, though I couldn’t say exactly why. The story kept my interest and moved along well. There were times when it just felt a bit stilted. I gave three stars for a good effort, and the characters were pretty well developed. Not bad at all for a free read.

[Олександр Грозов · Rating 3 out of 5]

Нарешті почав розбирати завали електронних книжок з розпродажів на Amazon.
Ця книжка розповідає про маленьке містечко Хевенс Пік, де вже кілька років відбуваються зникнення дітей. Зникло вже більше двадцяти дітей.
Оповідь ведеться від трьох персонажів.
Софія зовсім недавно втратила меншого брата, але не покидає спроб знайти його.
Агент ФБР Джеймс приїхав у це містечко, щоб розслідувати зникнення.
Кевін тільки що переїхав до цього містечка разом з батьком та маленькою сестрою. Мати недавно померла, тож вони намагаються почати жити з початку. Батько став алкоголіком і майже не опікується дітьми, тож відповідальність за сестру взяв Кевін.
Мені сподобалася атмосфера цієї книжки.
У мене був приємний відпочинок з цією книжкою на початку, але ближче до фіналу ставало все нудніше.

[Justine Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read a lot of reviews on this book that pointed out grammatical errors that took away from the story. Because of this I decided to listen to the audio book. This was the first audio book that I’ve listened to, and to be honest… I guess I just don’t really enjoy audio books. I was kind of kicking myself for not just actually reading it. However, I was committed to sticking it out.

I liked how the story jumps right into the scary scenes. The mystery behind what actually was happening in Heaven’s Peak kept my attention. The story did seem a little far fetched, the police force is an absolute joke.

Overall I think it was a pretty good story. The horror side of it was really interesting, and mystery side will keep your attention. The ending was odd, I assumed that this would blow up across the entire world, at least news wise. But it became just here say?

[Neon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very readable, fantastic plot.

There's probably a few things people can complain about. The grammar and punctuation aren't perfect, but other reviews have claimed that it's pretty much unreadable. These people have never read fanfiction. This was very readable.

It's a pleasure to read, actually.
I mean, Miguel Estrada is no Stephen King or anything, but I wasn't expecting him to be.

Heaven's peak is a mystery horror with a huge supernatural flare that I loved.

I was actually sad it was over. Fire fixes everything, though, lmao.

I would recommend reading it despite the fact that it's not perfect. There are no repeated words or anything huge that's annoying.

Trust me, you'll enjoy this story and the twists and turns it offers us.

Nothing much scares me, though, so it's not very scary. It's still a good read, though.

[Miriam still reading! HIATUS from GR]

this is horrible!
bad narrator, bad execution of a great story idea. My 2nd and last attempt reading this author's books.

[Baiba Loves Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun, it’s scary and bloody and apocalypse book! I had a hard time getting into it i felt like theres too much POVs in it, but as the book progresses the POVs get less and less 🫣🤭

The audiobook is really nice

[Horror_Reader1973 · Rating 4 out of 5]

After several DNFs I found Heaven's Peak a delight. It had me drawn in from the first page. I liked the characters, the setting and the creatures. It was quite ambiguous in relation to the origin of the creatures, the history of them and reasons for their behaviour, but I didnt really mind that. As a reader who finds creatures/monsters extremely difficult to believe and visualise - I had no problem here, they were great, very Insidious.

Lots of blood and guts! Mystery and murder, it was great.

[Amy Webster-Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

liked it but did not like the ending

[Luciano · Rating 1 out of 5]

I always try to find good things to say about anything that from interaction/observation appears to be a disaster. Whether it be a person, a restaurant, or in this case a book.

Heaven's Peak for all intents and purposes is a disaster. And no, this has nothing to do with the author being a Latino. lol. I am sure there will be somebody reading my review and muttering under their breath that I'm racist. To put that thought to rest, I'm Latino myself. The book is just plain awful and I will explain why.

There are so many things wrong with the story, that it's like trying to explain to someone what the major problem is in a building that has been deemed condemned. It's kind of hard to know where to start.

The story itself has been done, redone, warmed up and redone, refrigerated and redone, frozen and redone, cast away and redone, hundreds of times. There isn't anything new here. The basic premise of the story is that people are disappearing.

The author, in his quest to keep the reader guessing on why this is happening, does his best to bring in characters throughout the first part of the book as a way to throw the reader off a bit. To keep them guessing. But the approach is totally ham-fisted and obvious. There is no subtlety. It's more like the sudden shift in the earth's crust that causes earthquakes. It's done in such a way that it's almost past annoying.

Mr. Estrada seems to have a mental lexicon that is missing quite a bit of words and phrases. He repeats himself often, giving the dialogue a very amateurish flavor. It reminds me of a 15-year-old who has three days to turn in a paper in his remedial English class, so he is too rushed to use a thesaurus. A book that Mr. Estrada should have had next to him throughout the time he was writing this book. I read at least four or five times, "_____ could feel its breath on the back of his/her neck" "He/She was drenched in sweat." Being an avid reader and a lover of books, I inwardly cringe when a published author is at a loss for original content. This is just two examples. There are a few more that I will pass on.

The dialogue between characters is wooden and stilted and generally unbelievable. I was thrown out of the story numerous times because my brain just refused to believe the dialogue that my eyes were seeing. It was as if my brain itself was shaking itself as if saying, "No, No, No, No, No." So much of what I read consisted of the type of dialogue one would hear in a B horror movie, where a group of teenagers is looking down a mine shaft and everyone hears moans, groans, screams, chains rattling, the whole 9 yards, and one of them proclaims, "I'm going down there." "No, wait, it's too dangerous." "I'm tired of running. It's time we deal with this head on. (weeping/scared teenage girl with big boobs that wobble as she shakes with fear) "OK, just be careful" "If I don't come back in ________ minutes, get out of here. All of you. Tell my mom I loved her."

This is almost an exaggeration, but not quite.

Probably the biggest issue I had with the story is why, why, why all of a sudden in the middle of the story does everything suddenly change? Why does the trajectory of the story go shooting off beyond left field? It's as if the author dropped another story he was working one into this one. It makes absolutely no sense. No sense at all. It's as if I was watching Terminator 2 and 3/4 through the move, Arnold disappears and Jim Carrey suddenly arrives and takes over. At this point, if the story was teetering on the edge of a cliff, it would have have fallen over, rolled over a dozen times, hit a giant boulder and exploded.

I have never given a book a One Star rating. I feel bad about it. I really do. But if Mr. Estrada has such low expectations that he allowed it to be printed, and believes that this book is up there with the best of Stephen King or Dean Koontz, he needs to re-evaluate what he does for a living. I feel like I gave away a few precious hours of my life that I could have used somewhere else. I would even accept a few hours in a dentist's office getting a wisdom tooth extracted with no anesthesia.

Don't waste your time or money on this book, unless you just need to kill time while waiting for a bus.

[Nicole Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book/Story: ⭐⭐️⭐️
Book Cover: ⭐️

Trigger Warning(s): Death Of Parent(s), Death of Sibling, Child Kidnapping, Miscarriage/Infertility (briefly mentioned/off page), Suicide, Alcoholism, Violence, Domestic Abuse
POV: Multiple, Third Person
Series/Standalone/Duet: Standalone
HEA/Cliffhanger/HFN: HEA
Genre: Horror
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Safe or Dark: Darkish ️️️

Quick Take Review 💥: 

This is not a scary story but at times could be creepy; overall, the atmosphere for what’s supposed to be a horror book fell flat. 

The plot grabs you right away, and that, paired with short chapters, makes this book an easy read.  

This is an interesting story with decent enough characters, but the creatures in this one felt like they’d been done many times before in movies and other books. 

I don’t think you’ll regret picking this one up; but it’s also no big loss if you don’t read it.


In Depth Review 👇


Plot 📖: 

Heaven’s Peak looks like the perfect mountain town: beautiful views, fresh air, and a quiet place to start over. But for Kevin Miller, it quickly becomes anything but peaceful. 

After losing their mom, Kevin moves to Heaven’s Peak with his little sister and their dad, who’s battling alcoholism. He’s hoping the change will help bring his family back together. But when Kevin sees a strange creature kidnap his sister, his world turns upside down. 

The police don’t believe him, and no one seems to want to help. So Kevin takes matters into his own hands, determined to uncover what really happened and what dark secrets the town might be hiding. 

At the same time, FBI agent Norman James is working on his own case in Heaven’s Peak. He’s not buying into Kevin’s wild story, but as weird things start happening and a snowstorm creeps closer, even he starts to question what’s real. 

With time running out and the town getting stranger by the day, Kevin and Norman may be the only ones who can stop whatever’s coming...before it’s too late. 

Writing 📝: 

Miguel Estrada’s writing is easy to follow and has a decent flow to it. Although it did feel somewhat bland. At times it often felt repetitive, with the same words being used more than once in a sentence. 

Estrada does do a nice job of handling the multiple points of view in this book. That is something I feel can be tricky for authors, especially when you have multiple POVs throughout a story, but Estrada did a very nice job in how this was executed. 

Main Character(s) 👫:

Norman James - Character Rating: A+
Kevin Miller - Character Rating: A+

Side Character(s) 👫:

Sofia Everett - Character Rating: A
Lia Everett - Character Rating: B
John Miller - Character Rating: C-
Jenny Miller - Character Rating: A
Sheriff Gordon - Character Rating: Undetermined
Lt. Spender Cleyton - Character Rating: D-
Rob Jensen - Character Rating: C+
Jessica - Character Rating: Undetermined

Thoughts 💭: 

“What glanced back at him wasn’t his reflection, but a twisted version of himself.”

  

This book is usually seen as a good spooky season pick. It didn’t really scare me like I expected, but it was still creepy enough and had great Halloween vibes. I don’t think Estrada fully nailed the atmosphere he was going for, but it’s still a decent read to throw on your spooky season list if you're making one. 

Don’t even try to act like you don’t know what I’m about to bring up first: the chapter lengths! They’re short, and it’s honestly a beautiful thing. You can breeze through them and cover a lot in one sitting, which makes this a quick, easy read. And as always, that’s something I seriously appreciate. 

Another thing I liked about this book is that it gets going right from chapter one. No waiting around for the plot to kick in; things start happening immediately. That always makes it easier for me to get into a story. I mean, who wants to sit around waiting for the ball to start rolling?  Not this gal.  

This one gives us a few different points of view, which is always a good time. Estrada does a nice job keeping them from getting mixed up. Even though the chapters aren’t labeled with who you’re following, it’s always super clear whose head you’re in. I never found myself confused, and the characters each had their own voice and traits that set them apart. That said, I did have some issues with them overall, which I’ll get into below.

While I really enjoyed the overall premise and the story kept me hooked from start to finish, there were a few things that didn’t quite work for me. Nothing major, but definitely worth mentioning.

“The mist gently wrapped the streets in a cold embrace.”

There were a bunch of grammar mistakes throughout the book. They’re not super obvious, but once you notice them, they’re kind of hard to unsee. I don’t think they’ll ruin the story for most people, but honestly, the book could’ve really used another round of editing. 

There were a few small inconsistencies throughout the book, mostly with the characters. Nothing major enough to completely pull me out of the story, but definitely noticeable. For example, at one point we’re told Sofia is a year older than her sister Lia, then a scene later, it says Lia kissed her younger sister on the forehead. Just little things like that. 

The characters in this one are decent, albeit flat. They were developed enough, but I never really connected with any of them. I just didn’t care what happened to them or how their stories ended. 

As for the interactions, they weren’t terrible, but a lot of the conversations felt forced and unnatural. The dialogue was often stilted and abrupt, lacking any real rhythm or flow. Sometimes it seemed like the characters said things people just wouldn’t say in real life. 

Also, the kids in this book never really felt like kids. I get that some kids can be mature for their age, but these eight-year-olds, especially Jenny, acted way older than they should. She said and did stuff more like a teenager or even an adult, which didn’t quite land for me. 

“The cold of the night received him with an embrace that gave him goosebumps.”

 

And don’t even get me started on the small-town police department—what a complete SHIT SHOW! Seriously, the whole operation was a total joke. Police brutality during suspect interrogations was just running wild, and when the sheriff was called out on it, his response was basically, “Yeah, that’s just how we get things done around here sometimes, lol!” The whole thing was just absurd. 

While the creatures in the story were pretty well done, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d seen them before. They had a bit of an original twist, but overall, they didn’t feel super fresh or new. The description of the man in the black suit especially reminded me a lot of “Slender Man”; his look and outfit were really similar to that famous horror character. That was a bit of a letdown for me since I was hoping for something more original. 

Honestly, the ending of this book didn’t make much sense to me. Nothing was fully explained, and there were way too many loose ends left hanging. I needed more closure to feel satisfied after finishing it. I was left with way too many unanswered questions. We get a lot about where the monsters came from, but not why, and to me, that’s a pretty important part of the story. 

Overall, this was a decent enough read. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. It did its job and filled the empty spot on my spooky season reading list. Now I’m ready to move on. 

“He wondered if asking for mercy from a being that never replied could ever work.”

 

Since it was free on Kindle, I guess I can't be too disappointed. 

Recommendation 🤝️  

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy shows like Stranger Things, From, and The Outsider.  

I would also recommend this book to people who enjoy books by Stephen King, Sara Clancy, and Stephen Graham Jones. 

Just a reminder: reading is totally subjective, and that’s what makes it so great. What speaks to one person might not to another, and that’s okay. There's never a reason to put someone down for loving a book you didn’t vibe with. Be kind; the world is already cruel enough. 😊 

[Destiny Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

John moves his children, Jenny and Kevin into a town called Heaven’s Peak. There is a mystery behind disappearances and strange things are happening in this town. Who is doing this and why?

I give this book 9 out of 10 Stars or 5 out of 5 Stars! This is the third book I have read of Miguel Estrada. I love his writing and how creative his mind is. I want to know how he comes up with this, twists and turns.
Each book has wormed their way into my heart! I read his books on Kindle but I am definitely going to buy them and add the books to my mini library.
I love each character and how we get different POV in the third point of view.

I would 100% recommend this book! This book is so mind blowing!
I would like one more book to read of Miguel’s then I’ll be waiting for his new book! Hopefully he releases a new book!

[laverne resler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blood and guts!

This started out mildly interesting and quickly declined from there! Tons of grammatical errors, poor characterization,(since when is an FBI agent subservient to local police, and how often have you heard of a professor teaching high school?) pure nonsense! Then the continual blood and guts with no let up! Very poorly written with a theme that’s been rehashed ad nauseum!

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not enjoy it.

The many errors in the writing were very distracting. Definitely should have edited before it was printed. I will not be reading another book from this author.

[Cassandra Doon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book: Welcome to Heavens Peak
Read By: Ebook
Author: Miguel Estrada
Genre:Horror, Paranormal, YA
Recommend: Yes
< b>Age recommendation: 16-30+ Years
My feelings:

After the tragic death of his mother and the neglect of his father, Kevin is uprooted from his familiar city life and forced to move to the eerie town of Heaven's Peak. Known for its history of unexplained disappearances, Kevin soon discovers that there is more to this small town than meets the eye. As he delves deeper into the mysterious kidnappings. Despite being an unlikely hero, Kevin refuses to give up. As he unravels the secrets hidden within Heaven's Peak, Kevin struggles to maintain his grip on reality.

“How many people have disappeared in the last five years, Sheriff?” Norman asked, sliding the photo back. He didn’t want to look at it any longer. “With the Everett’s kid, twenty-seven.”

There is insight from FBI agent Norman James who is investigating the case. I appreciate how the story gives varying perspectives from both those actively involved in the investigation and those affected by it. James stands out as a dedicated character among his corrupt colleagues who dismiss Kevin's claims of monsters. Fueled by determination and a sense of duty, James becomes increasingly frustrated with his team's lack of effort and disregard for the gravity of the situation. With limited resources and support, he must navigate through treacherous obstacles to uncover the truth.

For some reason, he felt compelled to look at the ceiling. What he saw left him paralyzed. A humanoid figure hung from it on four legs.

The monsters in this horror tale are truly unique and terrifying. The author skillfully withholds key details, building suspense and leaving readers on edge until the very end. This gripping novel is impossible to put down and will satisfy any fan of chilling creatures and unsettling unease.

One of the masked men was on all fours, suspended on the ceiling of the tunnel, like a lizard. Another had what appeared to be two large appendages coming out of his back, like large, hairy spider legs.

[Brionna Nicole Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, hear me out.

I give this story a 4 because I was really intrigued by evil that lurked throughout. The writing I give a 2. It left something to be desired. I felt that the story was rushed and some parts didn't make sense (like how we got from one point to another). don't know enough about Miguel Estrada, but I see that he was raised in Venezuela so English may not be his first language. The writing felt a little immature in the way that maybe he didn't have the correct words or phrasing. I don't know what ghost writers do but I think Estrada could've benefitted from a partner to help fine-tune the transitions and descriptive portions of the story. I'm not a professional reviewer so maybe none of this review made sense, but I want to say I enjoyed the story a lot! The writing just needed some work!

[Shilah Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fast paced read that grabbed you and didn’t let go from the first page. Miguel Estrada knows how to write horror/thriller novels for sure. Story follows a couple of people through this nightmare. The moment it mentioned some black goo I knew this was going to turn into something great. The sacrifices, the turns this story makes, and how the characters draw you in more with their relationships is crazy!

[Crystal Beausoleil · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story effectively builds an atmospheric mystery involving kidnapped children, then shifts into a horror narrative featuring masked figures resembling cryptids. However, the execution falls short. It introduces too many elements—horror tropes and multiple POVs—that muddle the narration and confuse the reader about who or what is telling the story. The attempt to cram all this into a fast-paced novel fails because it lacks clear indications of the monsters or the backstory.

[diandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me hold my breath a couple of times. Miguel Estrada has some interesting books. This is the second book that I read and I had to give 5 stars as ot is what I was expecting. It is about 2 teens trying to find their younger siblings and only a defective who believe them on what they saw. If you are a fan of Stranger Things this book might interest you.

Happy reading

[Ahdler Mantilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, spooky, weird.
Un mamaracho jaja

[sav · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars ⭐️

[Ronald Keeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heaven’s Peak by Miguel Estrada comes with a warning, “This book contains scenes of violence and disturbing themes. Please enjoy at your own discretion.” (Kindle location 8). I was surprised to see the warning because it is categorized as Teen and Young Adult Thrillers, Suspense, and Horror (two categories) on an Amazon book page. Would my teenage son come to me with the novel, point out the warning, and ask my permission to read it? Only in my imagination. And yes, I would permit with a few caveats that come with my experiences of reading novels with similar warnings.

As it turned out, the warning was unnecessary. Scenes of violence as monsters dismember human victims are no more disturbing than similar scenes which can be found in many graphic novels. There is no sexual language or situation that is inappropriate. I have no idea what the author meant by “disturbing themes.” I feel this is a case of being overly fearful of the Political Correctness (PC) Police. The novel was published in 2018. We should have gotten over this abundance of caution by now. There is more horror on news channels than is in this novel.

As I read through this story, an old movie came to mind. Creatures from another world selectively target people from an isolated town and begin subjecting them to change. Either the outside creatures would succeed and begin migrating from city to city in their quest to control the world, or they would be stopped by a few brave souls in the isolated village. Pods were involved in nurturing the targeted humans during the change. That is the story of this novel.

Heaven’s Peak is an isolated community. After only twenty-seven children had disappeared over five years, the FBI had been called and agent Norman James had responded with technical assistance. The local police did not appreciate interference from another agency, and the local police assured James the situation was under control. Twenty-seven children.

Sofia’s seven-year-old brother Rudy had disappeared five years before. In the present time, Kevin was taking care of his sister Jenny because Mom had died earlier, and Dad could not reliably be counted on to emerge from an alcoholic stupor. Jenny would also disappear. Grief-stricken Sofia and equally grief-stricken Kevin would bond over the similarities of their loss. The two would also embark on a quest to find either the missing siblings alive or their corpses and an answer to what had happened. Would they even find true love on the way? Readers might suspect that to be the case. Read the novel to find out.

There is a mysterious forest, an abandoned mansion, and a closed, abandoned mine. Monsters could be anywhere. Heaven’s Peak police resist all attempts at independent investigation, to include that of FBI James, out of fear their reputations will be damaged. For their part, monsters make occasional forays into the public vomiting a black goo onto mostly adult victims. Recipients of the noxious liquid become raging homicidal maniacs, killing everyone around them until they are themselves destroyed. Young people (re Rudy and Jenny) are saved for nurturing and development in the pods.

I found this 293-page story a slow, predictable read. I started to pay more attention to how it was written than the content. I was never drawn into the story. I was happy to read it on Kindle Unlimited because it was free. After writing these comments, I looked at what other reviewers submitted. There were 24 reviews (now 25?) with 54% five-star ratings and 21% four-star ratings. The next largest score was one-star at 13%. I don’t know what novel the first two groups read. I agreed with everything the one-star reviewers wrote, but there were enough good elements in the book for me to rate Heaven’s Peak at three Amazon stars.

[Taylor Hensley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! I got this one for free on one of the stuff your kindle days so I wasn't expecting much but I loved it. The story is about a family who moves to a small town after a death in the family , when they later realize the town has had a long line of missing person cases over the year but not what you would think for the reasoning behind it. I love the way the author made it so you kept guessing who the culprit was just so you would never guess who really was behind it all. It's sad because you get so attached to the characters and not all of them make it out but I loved following along the whole way. Definitely recommend!

[Renae Hamshar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decentish book. Quick read for me as there was less than 300 pages. Some grammatical errors but it keep me engaged and had some thrill factor to it!

[Kayla ✧♥︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ★

I actually enjoyed this story. It was kind of similar to other movies/books that I have seen/read before but yet a little different. At first it gave me Slender Man vibes but then took a turn into something else equally as terrifying.

The story was good, however the writing was meh. There were a few plot holes and things that didn't make sense but it didn't overly take away from the story that much. By the end, there was still unanswered questions. I was hoping to understand what the monster was and how it came to be but nothing was ever explained. Which is a bummer.

[Lolapaige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good

I took a chance on this book (it was free on Amazon so no risk!) and came away pretty impressed. I don't normally hold out a lot of hope for freebies but this story was interesting enough to keep my attention and I ended up liking it. It was to the point. There was none of the annoying "extra fluff" that you find in so many stories.

[Scarlet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrifyingly addictive!

I loved this story from chapter one. The mystery and supernatural aspects of the story kept me turning page after page. I really enjoyed the story though I wish the ending had turned out differently it was a good ending.

[Ellie Yarde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heaven’s Peak is the place Kevin has been dragged to, the place he must now make his home. After the death of his mother, his father is hardly fit to parent any longer, preferring the company of a bottle of alcohol over the company of his children, and so Kevin must step up to look after his younger sister, Jenny.

But Heaven’s Peak already has a history of people going missing. A girl in one of Kevin’s classes, Sofia, is the older sister of a young boy who went missing recently. And when Kevin sees what is really behind the kidnapping, the night when he comes home to find his sister gone, he knows he can’t simply sit back and let the police deal with it. Sofia’s brother hasn’t been found yet, and the police absolutely did not believe Kevin when he described the humanoid monster that took Jenny. There is nothing left to do, but for Kevin to find Jenny himself.

Kevin is a flawed character. He is not a hero, who knows exactly what needs to be done to move forward, although others may view him as such a strong person. His only goal is to find Jenny, no matter what he has to do, but he also drags Sofia into things she is not comfortable doing. She is desperate to find her brother, but she would rather not put herself in dangerous scenarios, and Kevin rarely sees things from her point of view. He also struggles with sanity as he learns more. There is no way a sane person would claim so surely that a monster is behind the disappearances, but Kevin cannot deny what he saw.

Other than Kevin and Sofia, this book also gives the perspective of FBI agent Norman James. I love books, whether thriller or horror, that give the view of the people who are supposed to be investigating the case, as well as those who are doing it of their own accord. James is one of the only officers who seems to be actually trying to find any of the missing people, he finds himself in a force of officers who don’t appear to care, and he is the only person who believes Kevin may be telling the truth when he talks of monsters. James is a character I really enjoyed reading about. He is focused, and gets incredibly frustrated when he is treated as inferior and the people around his don’t take things as seriously as they should. He is stuck within a corrupt group, and as you read, you too become more and more frustrated. He doesn’t have what he needs to properly move forward his investigations, and things fall apart without the proper protocols and dedication.

The monsters themselves are difficult to talk about without giving away important parts of the plot. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that they really are monsters, for this is a horror book with supernatural elements. They are incredibly unique, I have not come across anything supernatural fiction with monsters such as these before. The author has done a wonderful job in making a new kind of horrific being, which is just as scary as any mythical or supernatural creature I have read about before. I have read some reviews of this book, and quite a few have described this book as missing some key details. However, while some may say there was an air of incomplete about this book, with a lack of explanation about the creatures, such as why they were taking people, or how they came to be, I actually liked the way the author left out these details. At no point does the reader know any more than any of the characters, so you are drawn more into the story, desperate to find out more, and for the truth to be revealed. By still not revealing these details at the end, you are left feeling incredibly uneasy, not sure if the characters are safe or not. It is incredibly difficult to explain without giving away the ending, but the author has certainly succeeded in writing a book that is full of suspense!

I did really enjoy reading this book. There is intrigue and suspense all the way through, which makes it next to impossible to put this book down. Like the last book I read by this author, I stayed up late to finish reading, as I simply had to know what was going to happen, and whether Kevin was going to be able to find Jenny. If you like monsters and unease, this is certainly the book for you.

[Book Dragon Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

OVERALL RATING: 3.5🌟

Plot 3🌟
The plot felt very much like a movie I’ve seen. Small town, mysterious disappearances happening. Overran by some creepy paranormal thing that wipes out most of the town. Plus it was suspenseful and gory! It’s kind of typical plot, nothing too unique, but I still enjoyed it!

Characters 3🌟
I liked that this was written in third person, so there were multiple characters we followed. I have always loved the older brother and younger sister dynamic. There wasn’t a ton of development, just enough to push the story off the ground. There were a few too many characters, so I got lost a couple of times, otherwise they were all pretty great!

Pacing 4🌟
I thought the pacing of this book was almost perfect. It didn’t move too fast, or too slow. The little “romance” between Kevin and Sofia felt forced, but other other than that the author did great!

Writing 4🌟
I thought the writing was great! I didn’t have any issues swallowing this book, and I really felt like I could picture the creatures well and the town in my head. It was definitely creepy and eerie!

Plot to smut ratio N/A

Smut Quality N/A

Overall Entertainment or Emotional Reactions 4🌟
I would say I was definitely entertained! This book wasn’t spooky enough to keep me awake at night, but I finished it in two days no problem!

BONUS Description Accuracy
The description of the book is accurate! However, I think he gives a little too much away… it could definitely be shortened up to just a couple sentences and keep the mystery of the story!

Final Thoughts
This was good! I will definitely be recommending this to folks who want some thriller/horror mysteries but have a weak stomach. And I will definitely be reading more books by this author.

Trope(s): N/A