Those Who Hunger

by Owen Banner

The bestselling coming of age thriller that culls the lurking dread and primal hunger of the vampire myth, but leaves the cliches at the door. 

Stephen King's Needful Things meets The Poisonwood Bible in an evocative vampire tale as fresh and inventive as The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires.

In rural Pennsylvania, a teenage boy is mauled to death. 
Hadassah Zook knows what happened, but she isn’t telling. There’s a dreadful secret buried between the furrows of her upright, simple Amish valley.

Another murder lights a fire of suspicion and prejudice in the community. It threatens to destroy everything. The killings draw in two FBI detectives: Jacobo Barrabas and Keith Linguard. But they aren’t the only ones on the hunt in Hager's Valley.

Those Who Hunger is a suspenseful, paranormal family saga and coming-of-age tale. It explores the consequences of secrecy, suspicion, and loss on a family in the midst of a young girl’s passage into womanhood. 

What Goodreads Readers are Saying:

"A complex, spine-chilling tale from the Big Valley, Those Who Hunger is a satisfying read about the dark, twisted side of a quaint community." Reader's Favorite ★★★★★

 "A wonderfully woven tapestry of vampire horror and suspense." Becca E. ★★★★★

"...research, beautiful writing, stunning creativity, well conceived murder mystery, great ending... I will likely be thinking of this for a long time." Ash ★★★★★

"...very entertaining and unlike anything I've read before..." TheVampireBookworm ★★★★

"With interesting characters and spectacular writing, this had me hooked from cover to cover." Mark Mackey (Author of Swan Song) ★★★★★

"An elaborate and extremely gripping narrative... I quickly found that if I was not reading this book in every spare second I had that I was thinking about it." ★★★★★ Stacey M.

"A wildly engaging story of tradition, modernity, religion, folklore, and violence." Evan H. ★★★★★

"...a tale hard to put down, unexpected in its twists and turns, and full-bodied in its probe of Amish beliefs, community, and the horror that overlays and changes everything." D. Donavan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

Vivid and atmospheric, this slow-burn thriller will set fire to everything you know about vampires. You won’t want to leave Hager's Valley, but you won’t be able to turn the pages fast enough either. The story and characters will stay with you long after its satisfying conclusion.

Banner stitches every heartbreak and revelation into an emotionally riveting exploration of the questions: What makes us monsters: is it desire, deception, loyalty? And how far do you have to go to stop one?

Escape to Hager's Valley with a friend, and bring along the Book Club Discussion Guide available inside.

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Paranormal, Thriller, Fantasy, Amish

508 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 13, 2020

About the author

Author of a different breed of thrillers, Owen Banner spent his childhood baptized in the red dirt of Mandeville, Jamaica and his adolescence in the neon morass of Manila in the Philippines. 

His novels are intense and character-driven, exploding with action and sizzling with description and dialogue, never losing sight of the complexity of the people and places that populate them.

His first novel, Hindsight, is a high-octane psychological thriller of terrorism and crime. Kirkus Reviews calls it "a high-stakes suspense novel with a breakneck pace and strong voice".

Owen's latest novel is a fresh twist on the vampire thriller. An emotionally riveting story in a richly textured small town that will stay with you long after it’s satisfying last page, it is now available for a discounted Pre-Order price on Amazon.

Find Owen in the wild on Instagram, where he is posting numerous other giveaways related to Those Who Hunger and on his website, where you can find a free novella related to Hindsight.

Reviews

[CYIReadBooks (Claire) · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's the curse of the ages. A curse passed down from the days of Cain -- the hunger for blood.

Those Who Hunger is a mystery/horror novel centering around the investigations of several grisly murders in and around an Amish community. The murders trigger fear and suspicion in the normally quiet Amish neighborhood. Who is the perpetrator or perpetrators? Is it one of their own? After all, some of them have the curse...

The novel, Those Who Hunger was an okay read. There were enough suspenseful moments to keep me engaged. Yet, for lack of a better term, it seemed convoluted. There were tangential stories that didn't fit with the profile of the narrative. Thus making the book agonizingly long for me.

Rated it two stars -- it was okay. Thank you BookSirens for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review

[Aga Durka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who ever thought of blending vampires with Amish community and creating a full on story of gore, self-discovery, and the delicate balance of family dynamics vs. tight knit community?! Well, apparently Owen Banner did, and let me tell you, it worked! The title of this book says “An Amish Vampire Thriller” however; this book is so much more than just a thriller with unsavory vampires blowing off some steam.

This is not just another cookie-cutter thriller with a whodunit vibe. Mr. Banner created an emotional story of what it means to live in a tight knit community that has its own laws and traditions in a midst of already complicated society, and how people that have been your closest friends can turn out to be your worst nightmare. It is also a coming-of-age story of self-discovery with all its struggles and “eureka” moments.

Those Who Hunger is a unique, atmospheric, and thrilling read and I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys a fresh take on the vampire world, but also can appreciate some depth and complexity to his/her thriller/suspense read.

Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Owen Banner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Vampire novel I've ever wri - - read in my life! I can't believe I've never heard of this guy. Couldn't have told a better story myself. He's probably also an ace pickleball player and can speak to dolphins. What? You mean these reviews aren't anonymous?! Oh crap.

Alright, let me use this notorious little sticky note to thank the people most responsible for any success this odd marriage of a novel will have (or has had, depending on how long Goodreads leaves this post up). That would be my incredible community of readers and the kind folks who've taken a chance on a bizarre (but lovely, in my own opinion at least) tale from an author they'd probably never heard of.

That means you, too. Readers like you are the reason authors like me keep telling stories. Thank you for giving this book a look. And if you've bought it, thank you for investing in the hours of my life I've used to stitch this story together. And if you've reviewed it, thank you for your honesty and your love for the written word. I hope to meet you again inside the cover of a good book soon.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF'd @ 15%

Given how much I enjoyed The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle I was really looking forward to giving Those Who Hunger by Owen Banner a try. Unfortunately it didn't end up working for me. It's a long book and it started dragging pretty early on for me, at least anyway, and I wasn't interested in any of the cast. It had me at Amish Vampire Thriller but it didn't manage to make me want to keep going with the novel.

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is about a 3.5 for me, primarily because I loved the A plot and the B - C plots less so.

TLDR:

- "Friends to lovers"
- unique vampire takes
- easy read
- feminine female lead
- A "family" focused cast- both biological and found family.

I received this as an arc from goodreads that I kind of applied for as a joke. As it turns out, this book is played complete straight and actually manages to make a solid story out of a very weird concept.

The story is about a family of cursed Amish whose children are discovering their vampirism while mysterious murderers are being committed nearby. The primary story revolves around Haddie, who goes on a journey to find her shunned brother- but it also focuses on the investigation into these murders, as well as her family back home.

I loved the authors take on vampires, which was actually wholly unique and interesting. The idea is that they are all descendants of Cain and bare a cursed mark- also your personality evolves based on the morality of the people you drink from. Just a lot of fantastic and fresh ideas!

If anyone is wondering, I would not say this is Christian fiction, which I only mention because typically thats what you see with "Amish" stories. The author seems to have a fascination with the Amish, but this by no means lives in the same territory as other bonnet rippers.

The characters were really charming and it’s a very easy (but long) read. If you are looking to surprise yourself, safe bet that this book ends up being a fantastic little surprise.

[Bookaholic__Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dont typically read "Amish based" literature and honestly wasn't sure I would enjoy this book. But it honestly blew me away and exceeded all expectations.

When I read the synopsis I thought thats such an odd combination : Vampires and Amish. Surprisingly though it worked. And really when you think about it they have alot in common, especially considering both are outsiders. It is known that the Amish are very spiritual people who often keep to themselves. But why?This book offered one explanation. What if the Amish are cursed? What if vampires are just those who bare the Mark Of Cain? Maybe the Amish keep to themselves in order to contain the Mark?

Unfortunately murders have brought outsiders into the fold. There are secrets hidden within the Big valley. One young Amish girl has the answers but she won't tell. Will these secrets protect her family or will they tear it apart?

This is not your run of the mill vampire novel. The concept of villain is blurred. The struggles of good and evil within the protagonist is consistently presented, this is easily just as much a coming of age novel as it is horror.

Those who hunger has varying plots that weave together beautifully to form one intricate story. This book literally has it all... The Amish, Vampires, biker gangs, romance, gore, The FBI and so much more. This is definitely a book worth sinking your teeth into!

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley and Booksirens in exchange for an honest review.


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[Carrie]

Vampires and the Amish?!?! Okay...Sign me up. Amish fiction is like a guilty pleasure of mine if you will and I have been a vampire fan since I was a very very small child. An no I'm not talking about the sparkly ones.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

“This is the story of our forefather, Cain, the progenitor. His curse is our curse and all of our like. ‘He had shed blood, and blood would forever call to him. He couldn’t escape the hunger he had for it …”

Those Who Hunger by Owen Banner was an absolutely marvelous surprise! Although I live in an area with a strong Amish presence, I’ve never read any Amish fiction, glad I made the leap on this one. This book had all the elements I look for in a thriller, horror, suspense story. It’s carried along in superb fashion with a strong character driven plot and strong emotive characters that had such an amazing sense of reality to them. It was easy to become emotionally invested in not only the outcome of the story but the characters themselves.

Centered around the Zooks, an Amish family in a quiet Amish community, the author gives a detailed look in to the simple life that I found fascinating. When a series of heinous and grisly murders occur, this quiet community reveals a secret to the reader and thus the suspense and horror begins! Brilliantly combining the Amish community with vampire horror made this a compelling read and difficult to put down.

I thoroughly enjoyed Those Who Hunger and if Mr. Banner should write another in this series, I’ll be the first in line to read it. Big thanks to Owen Banner and NetGalley for providing me a DRC in exchange for my honest review.

[TheVampireBookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, that took me by surprise! Who would have thought that the Amish could harbour such secrets!
We are taken into Big Valley, a place where the Amish live pecefully and nothing out of ordinary happens- I mean, people get kicked by horses, someone's child doesn't return from Rumspringa etc. Or am I wrong? Because people start dropping dead around and the way they are killed screams a serial killer with a religious motive. Know any religious folks in the area? But wait, there's more!
The way the FBI agent handles the case is suspicious. The way the Amish try to hide some murders and deal with them on their own is suspicious. The children banished from the community are suspicious. I mean, everybody in the story has skeletons in their closets and it just keeps adding up. Mix in the bloodlust and you have a very innovative thriller in the vampire genre.
At first it feels like a lot of things together- you have the detective story line where you try to figure out who the killer is, then you have the young Amish who deal with teenage stuff and because we are talking vampires here, you also get your gory bits. And don't forget the kinky Amish side which will make your jaw drop and maybe make you blush. :-)=
It is very entertaining and unlike anything I've read before so I'm glad I got the opportunity to read it. But I have to explain the 4 stars, right? Well, when we get to the killer at the end, it feels like deus ex machina. For me, there weren't enough puzzle pieces in the story to get there together with the narrator so it felt a little bit too much like it came out of the blue, you know, this story line wasn't supported enough in the plot, it was mentioned prior to the big reveal but it just felt unimportant with everything going on. But it doesn't really destroy the story in general because there is enough action and secrets unveiled throughout to keep the plot flowing and focused.

[Sara MG · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5*

UPDATE: I am reading this book now for the second time and I am really appreciating some of the amazing atmosphere.

"The sound of Papa's voice was a mumble in the back of Peter's mind. It was building, like a summer storm over the mountains, dark clouds rolling down into the valley, bringing cracks of lightning and rumbling thunder. The terrible secret was coming, bearing down on Peter like the hooves of the black mare beating down the cornfields, and Peter was running from the sound, pushing and tripping through the stalks, but didn't know where it was coming from. He wanted to tell Papa to stop reading, to stop saying the words of the Scriptures. Mary was just sick. She would get better. She just needed prayer and rest. He wanted to know, though. He wanted to have this secret, even if it trampled him."

---
When I read the description of this book, my thought was 'I absolutely have to see how someone can combine these concepts.' I was quite skeptical that anyone could make an Amish Vampire Thriller with any sort of serious tone. My skepticism was undeserved. Owen Banner managed to make a very atmospheric and creepy story with well developed characters out of this.

The book gets off on the wrong foot, the prologue and chapter 1 give a very different impression of where this book is going, full of swearing and stupid banter between the characters. But once that is over, the book really gets going. It is worth getting through this beginning. We meet Hadassah Zook, our protagonist, as she learns the dark secret that her Amish community has been hiding. For those who are marked (aka vampires), there is a constant struggle to control their hunger. When gruesome murders are discovered in their community it causes suspicion, distrust, and drama.

This story is about community, family, betrayal, faith, and commitment. It is also about vampires and the Amish. Banner does a good job balancing the two without making it foolish or too fetishistic. I could not put this book down.

Of course any review needs some criticism. At times the writing became too bogged down and complicated. Not every taste needs to be described to death. There were also too many characters and I found it pretty difficult to remember who was who. There weren't many context clues to jog my memory when a character was brought back from four chapters earlier. I also found the writing to sometimes be confusing in general because there was so much focus on characters' banter and not as much on who is where and what is happening.

In all, this was a book I would highly recommend to anyone who doesn't mind a little gore. Owen Banner managed to do what I would have thought impossible - write an Amish Vampire Thriller that I will seriously consider re-reading.

[Jenna Deaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an incredibly enjoyable departure from most of my recent vampire reads.

What I Liked :

- despite supernatural underpinnings the main conflict of this story centers on the testing of family and community bonds. ( this has been a theme with most of my recent 4 star reads)

- the psychological impact of trauma was given a great amount of weight in the story as a whole.

- wonderfully diverse personalities in our main character set.

What I Disliked

- The word Gypsy came up a lot in some sections of the storyline ( apologies to those hurt by seeing it in this review but I didn’t want any doubt about what word I am talking about)

* This word is seen as a slur by many In the community to which it refers. If this word were to be replaced in the final physical copy it would easily become a 5 star read for me.

- there is an attempted assault on a female character early in the book that is highly important to the plot . ( I do enjoy the fate of the attempted rapist)

- There is a character involved in the murder investigation that breaks police protocol frequently with enough force to jolt me from the story.

Who would I recommend it for ?

This book may be a good fit for those who enjoyed vampire craze a few years back but would like to revisit vampires with a more mature and complex plot.

[Critter · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a difficult book to review because there is just so much going on in it. This book sounded very interesting after reading the description. Despite really wanting to like it, I just didn’t enjoy it. The vampire lore was interesting. The take on vampires felt unique and in how they were integrated into Amish society. There are multiple points of view in which each character was very well written out and had individual voices that set them apart.

However, I came across many issues throughout my reading. Almost right off the bat are several homophobic jokes. Throughout the book there are some more instances of homophobia displayed. There is also sexual assault in this book that I don’t feel that the author handled particularly well. The character who is sexually assaulted isn’t truly shown to have been affected by it and we never see the trauma that would have been inflicted on her. Her assault is rarely brought up and whenever her assault is brought up, she is really only shown to feel guilt for killing the man who assaulted her when she defended herself against him and calls herself a monster for it.

The execution of the story felt lacking and felt a bit convoluted at times. Nevertheless, the author did a great job at setting up characters and creating the lore behind the vampires. The characters were all very well fleshed out, and this book had some truly interesting ideas behind it.

I received a copy from a Goodreads giveaway.

[Rebecca Eanes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fresh twist on an age old horror. Hadassah and her Amish family are plain folk but they harbor a terrible secret, and it’s their burden to protect the outside world from it. But when people in their own community are murdered, Hadassah’s family become prime suspects, and trouble brews as suspicion poisons the mind of everyone in Big Valley. Will they be able to prove their innocence, or are they not so innocent after all?

Those Who Hunger is a wonderfully woven tapestry of vampire horror and suspense that highlights the delicate balance between the good and evil in each of us. Sink your teeth into this delicious page-turner and get lost in Big Valley. You’re probably going to make it out alive.

[Amanda (TheBookwormAdventures) · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Thank you to the author for sending me an ebook copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.)

When the vicious murder of a teenage boy rocks the small town of Hager’s Valley, accusations and suspicions fly in the Amish community. A secret that has been harbored among families for decades is brought to light regarding a “mark” that sets some Amish apart from others.

When I was about 13, I read some Amish inspirational fiction (a genre I abandoned shortly thereafter). So when the author contacted me and I read the synopsis about the Amish and vampires, I was intrigued.

This novel kept me interested, I had to know how it was resolved and if there would be any casualties (and who!). It was relatively fast paced, but I do feel that it could have easily been edited down for brevity. I liked Hadassah Zook and found her arc the most captivating, while contrastingly, the character of Steve Torbit was frustratingly obnoxious. His constant barrage of homophobic rhetoric made me seethe. I’m not sure if the intent was for the reader to detest him so deeply, but that’s how it translated for me.

It was definitely more on the gruesome side of horror novels, which is unsurprising as with vampires there comes a great deal of blood. But there was also a lot of great development and multidimensional characters, it was not all just violence. I recommend it to anyone who is intrigued by the blend of Amish and vampires and is not bothered by some gory depictions.

3.5/5⭐️

[coty ☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Organizing my thoughts on this book is difficult. There's a lot to like about the lore and setting - I think the interpretations of vampires as marked ones is a fun twist on the genre, and the setup of the Amish as a place for the marked ones to live in relative (supposed) peace is an inspired choice. I don't typically like vampires (del Toro/Hogan's The Strain series is really the only thing in the genre I've ever enjoyed), but the premise was enough to get me hooked - but the execution and handling of certain topics made it difficult for me to say I actually liked it.

I enjoyed the mythology, the writing, the attention to detail in characters and how they were so varied. In such an ambitious story with so many voices, it's easy for those voices to get lost or overlap, but every character is clear and distinct, and I never had to backtrack to figure out what was going on with who.

It's what was going on that I took an issue with.

The opening sequence of the book has a lot of homophobic 'jokes' and jabs at a character (who immediately dies, killed after attempting to sexually assault a woman.) There are a few more instances of homophobia (that I don't think are intended to be homophobic/are maybe just Me Being Too Sensitive; I'm willing to admit I can be, but it's just frustrating how often I pick up a book and it's just there. If I try really hard I guess I can see the 'purpose' of it in the beginning but I also wonder if it was actually necessary.) The assault scene was difficult to read, and ultimately it ended up feeling rather pointless since I don't feel we ever really saw the effect it had on the intended victim. Most of Haddie's guilt seems to come from the act of killing him; it just doesn't 'come up enough' to be 'justified.' I understand everyone reacts differently but since this is the setup of the whole story it should have been discussed more. We should have seen more of her trauma.

To be honest I think we should have seen more of her, period; I do enjoy books that have rotating points of view, but a lot of the sequences in this just felt unnecessary. There were a few sex scenes that I think should have been nixed (not because I'm prudish, I just think they added little to the narrative.) Some of the scenes with Peter felt like they were going nowhere. Insights into Jacob were a little more welcome and a nice addition to the plot but his whole romance subplot did little for me, personally. Too many parts dragged and bogged down the whole book.

I think the story would have benefited from a tighter narrative and more controlled environment. I did enjoy some of the scenes in Chicago but I just felt a little lost attempting to stretch my attention from the Valley to Chicago - and I found myself really put off by the marked ones in the city and the subplots that came from it. A good thing about it, however, is that the trauma that comes of it doesn't seem to be glossed over.

(A sidenote about the Chicago sections of the book: Yves refers to himself as g*psy, a derogatory term for Romani people. The use of the slur makes me uncomfortable but it also just feels inaccurate to replace it either in text or in your mind with "Romani". Yves points out that he's French/Irish, which seems to indicate he's just European white, rather than part of the Romani diaspora, which originates from India. His character seems to be the 'romanticized' version of "g*psys", and not actually Romani. They're an ethnic group, not just nomads.)

Overall it just feels like there's too much going on here for me. I would have liked a lot of things to play out differently. Maybe I'm just too critical. I don't think it's a bad book, it's just not the book for me.

I received a copy via Book Sirens; leaving a review was optional.

[jess ~has abandoned GR~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, an engaging and fresh take on vampire fiction recommended for fans of monster horror.

With a book like this that doesn't rely on familiar tropes, it is difficult to describe the plot in a way that doesn't detract from the experience of discovering things via reading. In sum: vampirism, in this case, is a recessive disease in which the vampire has a "hunger" for blood and violence and is stronger, faster, and more long-lived than a typical person. And they are still persons -- husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters -- who must struggle against this nature to live a good life. To control their baser instincts, they cloister away in different insular people groups -- including the Amish.

The protagonist, Haddie, is a respectable young Amish woman in her late teens who lives in one such community, where a small handful of citizens harbor dark urges they keep at bay through a regimented lifestyle of hard work, religious rites, and avoiding temptation. When a young adult is baptized into the community, they learn about this reality and which of their neighbors struggle with this other nature, but their neighbors treat them the same as everyone else. However, when a series of brutal vampire-style murders begins, that peace frays.

What I know about the Amish could fit on a single fortune cookie paper, so I can't attest to whether or not the author fairly portrays what an Amish community would look like when faced with a series of gruesome vampire attacks, or how an Amish community would behave when it knows that many of its upright citizens struggle with an urge to kill and chase their dinner with a shot of deer blood. But I did identify well with Haddie, the main character, and her parents and siblings, and especially found the dynamic between her parents interesting.

The mystery was intriguing, and I found myself wanting to know more about the world that was built inside this story, and wanting to know more about the side characters. I read it in a single day in two sittings.

There were a few issues I had with the plot, but I'm not sure they could have been tied up without making the book even longer. (It's already pretty long -- I'm a speed reader and it took me about six hours.) For one, a few fascinating characters are introduced, then sort of disappear after a while. Also, the resolution to the murders sort of pops up suddenly and is quickly sorted out.

However, the lore of this world is well explained, and the characters are well-rounded and developed, especially for a novel with so many of them.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this, and would happily read another.

arc received from the publisher for review

[Kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a vampire story like any other I've encountered before. Owen Banner does an amazing job of bringing back the love for vampires with his creative and fresh take on what it means to thirst for blood and the frightful consequences of giving in to the hunger.

The story mainly centers on the Zook family who live in a quaint, quiet Amish community where life seems plain and simple. In a tight-knit community, where everyone looks after each other and their families, it is hard to imagine anything going wrong. When a series of gruesome, mutilated bodies appear in and around the Amish community, it becomes clear there is a merciless killer on the loose and it could be someone they know. The trust that binds this community together begins to unravel as fear and anger take over, forcing them to see the people they've grown up with in a different light. Finding the killer won't be easy when everyone has their secrets and reasons to lie.

(Thank you to Netgalley and the author Owen Banner for the opportunity to read an e-arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review).

"Those Who Hunger" was a wild ride from start to finish with beautiful characters who are so well-formed it's hard to believe they are fictional. It's easy to care and admire each one as they are faced with hardships and difficulties that are apart of life, testing their self-restraint and ability to love and care for each other. Banner combines a coming of age story with vampirism, shedding a light on how monsters aren't the only ones with a little bit of darkness within them.

As well as a coming of age story, Banner gives us a chilling murder-mystery that creates a high tension, action-packed read that is easy to dive into. This aspect of the story is everything a vampire story should be: gruesome, bloody, merciless, and highly suspenseful.

What a brilliant, thrilling novel with a fresh take on vampires, murder-mystery, and coming of age. "Those Who Hunger" by Owen Banner is a story no one should miss out on.

[Macarena (followed that rabbit) · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The murder of Abel, his brother, was Cain's curse [...] And Cain had children, and their children had children, and every generation carried the curse for the next"

Hadassah Zook is cursed, though she didn't know what was happening to her. She's afraid to tell her family, even when she witnesses how the cursed has been passed to her little sister too, she feels like she can't tell them yet. Not after what she has done.

After a young boy is found dead under horrible yet unclear circumstances, other gruesome murders happen near Hadassah's Amish community. Now the ones who are cursed are in the spotlight.

I must say that the title caught my attention and after reading the plot summary I was totally intrigued. Nevertheless, once I started reading it, I couldn't feel immersed in the story. I wasn't able to connect with the characters either. It seems too long and some chapters didn't make sense at all to me.

This is just my personal opinion, so please, if it calls your attention, go ahead and give it a chance. Who knows? It might be one your favourite books of the year 😉.

Thanks to Xpresso Book Tours and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Soukaina Oujdad · Rating 4 out of 5]

"those who hunger", follows the Zook family, who are living in an Amish society in Hager's valley. their day to day life was simple and centered essentially on solidarity and religion. But all is not what it seemed. An ancient curse, coming all the way from Cain, have always threaten their existence: the hunger for blood. Luckily not all of them are marked, and those who are not, are bound to protect and keep their secret.

I'm fairly aware of how hard it is to write a vampire story at this point. being a huge horror fan, who've read and watched every vampire story under the sun, I was pleasantly surprised by the originality of the plot.

Many thanks to booksirens for my e-copy

[Roisín · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so refreshing! I was intrigued right away by it being an Amish book, and about vampires?! count me in! And I was not disappointed. The boom follows Haddie, a young Amish girl in a community with a secret, as she travels through her maturity. I felt like I learned a lot about Amish communities and lifestyles in this book too, which was really interesting to me given how little I knew going I to it.
The vampires in this book are of a new breed, no sparkles and no sexy, suave neck biting. I appreciated the originality and the book really was a horror at some points with the gore and subject matter.
I really recommend this book to anyone looking for a fresh take on the vampire trope and a genuinely awesome book to keep you up late into the night reading and wondering what will happen next!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow this story has a happy ending for the Zook family. This is a true good triumphs over evil story. Yes, even the monsters can be good.

I received a free digital copy of this story through Goodreads Giveaways.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3/21/2025
I still think about this book. I really liked it lol might do a reread some time. Strongly recommend

08/21/2020
Find my spoilers for the whole book here

I fairy enjoyed this book! I love multiple POV/subplot books, and especially with such a unique twist to the vampire myth. Learning a bit about Amish life was interesting and gave every mundane experience some charm, like when some of the kids went to Chicago for Rumspringa and were amazed by everything. There was also the mystery of who was killing everyone and all that foreshadowing, ominous feeling around the Zooks. I also enjoyed the romance and coming of age themes with Haddie, Noah, Roy, and everyone. I did get bored with Jacobo and Keith's plots, ironically, since they dealt with the mystery aspect of the book. I did warm up to Jacobo a bit once we learned more about him.

I saw a few reviewer's complain about it being too long and slow which are valid but there are many characters being introduced so the slowness is just establishing who these characters are, so I say keep with it. It's about coming of age, mystery, family, grieving, religion, etc. so if you find any of these interesting, especially dealing with Amish life with a unique twist, I recommend this. You can also just read my spoilers to see what happens but I did leave details out so it’s pretty factual and without emotion.

However, there definitely needed improvement with the organization of chapters/subplots. The last few chapters or so were very unorganized (65 and 66 should have been switched), and didn't answer a few questions, specifically—and this one I'm most upset about—what about Garvin Muller burning his bloody buggy?! Did Odin steal it? Why would he just steal his nephew's buggy to kill the trucker? Was Garvin in on it but didn't get caught? Also, the whole community didn't freaking grovel at the Zook's feet which was really unsatisfying! The Bishop and his wife still walk around high and mighty.

Also, I loved both Noah and Roy for Haddie, but I was unsatisfied as to when and why she stopped pursuing Noah. Like he saved her multiple times while they tried to save Mel and all of a sudden they barely talked afterwards and when they did it was in Roy's POV so we don't know what else they talked about other than him not returning. I know she saw a different/freer side of Noah and she was kind of judgy/disappointed in him but you can hardly blame him. I just wish there was more explanations from her about Noah. Still love the pining and puppy love Roy had for her though.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having never read a Amish vampire novel before, I was impressed by it. With interesting characters and spectacular writing, this had me hooked from cover to cover. Will I read more from this author, yeah, probably.

[Hannah Michaels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I wanted to rate this book 2 stars but I rounded it up to 3 because I did enjoy the first half of it.

****SPOILERS. DO NOT READ REVIEW UNLESS YOU HAVE FINISHED THE BOOK. (Or do, you're an adult. It's on you.)****

The first half of this book is actually pretty good. I thoroughly enjoyed the way Banner managed to take a passage of Scripture and turn it into the vampire "curse" that afflicted people. Mainly, it seemed, the people within their community. HIs writing is okay. I will not say it's the best I've ever read, because it's not. It's grandiose at times, and at others is very rushed. It's not consistent. I think this could have used another read through by a different set of eyes.

This is a LONG book. Too long, I think, for what the story actually entailed. In the effort to make it seem "developed", it feels like the writer went on a rambling story that veered off the path it was supposed to be on, making the story much longer with details added that were VERY unnecessary. Up until Mel, Steve's sister, gets kidnapped and has to be rescued by Nathaniel and Yves, the pacing moves along. After that, it seems to slow down substantially and begins to wander. At that point, I contemplated putting the book down.

Several pieces ended without any resolution. There is a "firefight" between bikers and cops that just ended, and we don't see the fallout of it really. It just... ends. Earlier, Jacobo (or Jake, because it starts out calling him Jake and then turns to Jacobo) and Keith are looking for someone that relates to a murder, the guy dies, and nothing more is said of it. That's it. Just swept under the rug it seems. Peter attempts to kill a horse, shooting it several times, and then he gets knocked out. No one says ANYTHING about the horse until the end of the book when she makes a random reappearance, seemingly to make Nehemiah believe that there is beauty and good in the world and that everything will be okay. But his son shot this horse in the head and apparently didn't kill it?? In fact, it managed to disappear from a locked pen and vanish, with NO ONE saying anything about the horse being gone several times.

Another thing that was irritating about the book is the fact that there are seeming backstories that don't tell you when things happen. We're meant to understand that, if they wanted, the vampires can live up to 400 year, perhaps longer. So when Yves and Jacobo tell their backstories, it doesn't say how long ago it was. How are we supposed to understand how long they've lived and how they've managed to end up in the places they are?

Further, it doesn't really tell you much about how the vampires function. For example, we're shown that the vampires are in the Amish community, a unique and new twist that leads back to biblical times when God cursed Cain and all his descendants for the murder of Abel. However, there are other vampires, obviously. Jacobo, for one, who comes from Europe. Yves, for two, who came from an undetermined area. Nathanial obviously knows this, because he is neighbors with Yves and has him help with Haddie when she suffers an attack on Rumspringa. However, when Haddie questions Nathaniel about their faith and the curse, he doesn't care to bring up proof that it's not just on them and show her that there is an entire world out there of people who are the way they are as well.

And then there's the issue of the ENDING. The big shootout. It shows Haddie and her family being attacked by this biker gang who is responsible for killing these people in their community (though I'm pretty sure the one guy who was killed earlier in the book was shown being killed by an Amish person?? Am I wrong about that??) So they show the attack, the chapter ends, and then we see Roy limping around. The ENTIRE ENDING of the confrontation with the people who are responsible for *most* of the slayings in their community is told in the past tense, and not well. Roy tells his part of it, but fails to mention that Jacobo was there as well, making it seem like the whole story isn't being told. Then Jacobo tells his portion of it after the fact, stating that he hasn't talked to Sandy and won't again, cutting ties with her. Then, not even ten minutes later, he arrives with her and they're going bowling??? Poorly constructed ending. Showing the scene would have been better than it being a flashback.

Overall, I began enjoying the book, and when things didn't start lining up and the pacing slowed down, the story being bogged down with side quests that didn't add well with the plot itself, my appreciation for it began to wane.

[Lynsie Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to take this time to thank NetGalley for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

“Those Who Hunger” centers around Hadassah Zook, a young Amish girl living with her family in Hager’s Valley. Haddie, as her loved ones call her, holds a secret that her neighbors also work to keep hidden from those outside of their tight-knit community: vampires, or “marked ones”, are very real. After the brutal slaughter of a local boy, their secret is threatened as local law enforcement come sniffing around. Haddie struggles with balancing faith, community, and her own horrible secret as more mysterious murders unfold in and around their valley. Will her faith (and family) survive the growing suspicion of outsiders and those in her own community?


Owen Banner writes his characters very well, and I was immediately invested in them. Haddie especially faces a lot of the same struggles most teens face, with the added struggle of being a “marked one”. This hits home for me, especially during pride month. Banner really delves into what it’s like to have to hide a part of what you are and never acting upon it, lest you become a target in your own community. He manages to somehow encapsulate the fear minorities face for having been born different, and the struggle to still be “good” when everyone views you as a monster. I would have liked to have seen some more common sense used by the characters, but in the interest of plot and character development it’s permissible. He manages to wrap up a broad story with several POV’s quite well, I just wish I had gotten closure for some of the characters that sort of disappear by the end.


At times the story meanders to the point of being dull. I found myself beginning to lose interest at a little over the halfway mark, and then about 75% in, we get a whole new cast of characters being introduced with no lead-in, and no backstory beyond some obscure mythology. It’s irritating as a reader to have a major plot point or character dumped on you when you near the end of a book. This is a horror novel, and while some do well with a slow-burn, this isn’t one of them. It would have created a better through line if the rest of the story was tightened up and these characters introduced sooner. I would have liked to have seen the backstory of these characters more fleshed out, because it would have helped fill in some holes of the other characters’ backstories. This is what kept this book from getting a five star rating.

On that note, the majority of the character development and culture is thorough and well-done. A mistake a lot of writers make is “information dumping” when it comes to obscure topics or cultures, and it creates a lot of confusion and back-tracking for the reader. Banner manages to space out information and references throughout the story so I had an easier time keeping up and staying in the story. His descriptive writing is eloquent, yet simple and easy to read. One part that stood out to me was when Esther, Haddies mother, is walking next to a field sunflowers and she

“… grabbed five by the stems. The fibrous hairs scratched her palm as she yanked them out of the dirt. Then, in spite, she snapped their necks and dropped their heads onto the road as she walked. With sick pleasure, she flung the leaking bodies back into the field, to be carried on the faces of their brothers and sisters and wiped her hands on her apron.”

I really enjoyed the way he anthropomorphized the sunflowers here to highlight how Esther feels like a monster, yet is embracing it. Also, the use of sunflowers as symbolism throughout the Hager’s Valley scenes didn’t go unnoticed. I really liked the small touches he puts in this story; it helps flesh out the more topical issues discussed, and makes this tale ascend above the others.

“Those Who Hunger” is a book I could see myself revisiting time and time again, which is rare for me. I think the takeaway from this book is based on your own personal experiences and I’m sure they evolve with every revisit. It definitely has a nostalgic feel to it, so if you’re a fan of the seventies and eighties mass market paperbacks (MMP’s) or Stephen King then this is one you would really enjoy. I’m giving this a four out of five star rating.

[Eustacia Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I requested this from NetGalley because of two words: “Amish Vampires”. I mean, there is no way I’m not going to request this! And it’s not even a parody – Those who Hunger is an actual Amish vampire thriller. But while the book is interesting and has its good points, it was also let down by its length and pacing that did not manage to pick up enough speed.

Those Who Hunger has an interesting premise: the Amish are vampires. Not all of them, but as descendants of Cain, enough of them are marked that they will start to crave blood. Hadassah, a young Amish girl, finds out the truth about her heritage when an outsider tries to sexually assault her. Torn by the guilt and horrified by news of more murders, she takes advantage of her rumspringa season to travel to Chicago to find her estranged brother and find the truth.

Although ‘Amish Vampires’ could very well be the topic of a parody/satire story, the book plays it straight and does it well. The worldbuilding is serious and complex – Haddasah struggles with the implications of what being a vampire means and as she works through her struggles, her family has to deal with the discovery that her youngest sister, Mary, is also marked. This is a shocking secret, and because that the younger children are not told, Hadassah and her brother Peter are left with a lot of emotional baggage over this. I actually really liked how the novel handled their struggles about it.

That said, the story does have one fairly big flaw: pacing. Perhaps it’s because there are too many characters and too many subplots (for example, I didn’t see the need for Hadassah to have a romance), but the story didn’t feel like a thriller; quite the opposite, it felt quite slow to me. With the amount of character POVs in the book, I normally feel the story speed by, even if I don’t connect to the characters because of the constant switching, but this time, I had the unique experience of not connecting to most of the many characters (Hadassah being the exception) and feeling like the story dragged. Honestly, I felt like there was enough content for two or three books in this, and while I normally prefer standalone novels, perhaps the author should have developed this as a trilogy or duology to allow for the plot to speed up a little without losing any of the complexity.

As for the killings, it was a bit confusing. I know that Hadassah went to Chicago to find her estranged (and shunned) brother, but there was a sudden twist into how other vampires were doing and I wasn’t sure how it was related to the killings in a small town (plus all the romance stuff) and then the whole book seemed to speed up towards the end. Honestly, I don’t know if the Chicago section of the book was even necessary to solve the murders. And what was up with the detectives? Were they necessary? What were they even there for? The solution to the killings seemed unrelated to a good part of the book.

Overall, I’m kind of torn on this one. It’s definitely a unique premise and I really enjoyed the family and community tensions here. Hadassah is also a good protagonist. The pacing, however, doesn’t really match my expectations of a thriller and when you couple that with a rather confusing progression to the climax, you get a somewhat frustrating read. I guess it’s a tentative recommendation for me: pick this up if the concept of Amish Vampires appeal, but don’t expect this to behave like a typical thriller.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This review was first posted at Eustea Reads

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Owen Banner, for sending me an arc of your book! Here is my honest, unbiased review:

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It exceeded all my expectations. I have visited Amish Country, Penn. a few times and read approx 10 Amish romance/young adult novels. I was apprehensive about how Banner would be respectful and accurate in his representations, as well as very apprehensive of how a man would write a decent coming of age POV for a young woman.

Well, he nailed it. Every bit of Amish culture rang true with what I know of their culture. There were so many little details that he included that not only had me feeling immersed in another land and culture, but showed how well Banner researched. Smells, sounds, textures, foods, songs, slang, names, art--he wrote a wonderful sensory experience.

It is a slow burn, and that's not for everyone. It's written in third person POV across many characters, which just so happens to be my favorite. I noticed another review that mentioned not liking his excessive use of similes, but this is surely subjective. I loved it! He wrote in little pieces of dialogue that made it realistic, immersive, like TV/movie almost. I thought Banner had a beautiful, insightful way with comparisons that I found striking and engaging. It's the type of writing that makes me want to write a book myself!

The rules of his vampires are very clever! Very different, but he definitely thought it through so it's convincing, not half-baked.

This isn't just a coming of age novel featuring vampires--it's a murder mystery. It's so delightfully complex and thorough, I so wish it was a TV series. All of my theories were wrong, though I did half guess the murderer. It was satisfying to look back on all the hints and rich symbolism that I only picked up in hindsight.

So, in conclusion, this book gets a whole 5 stars from me for the research, beautiful writing, stunning creativity, well conceived murder mystery, great ending, and the fact that I will likely be thinking of this for a long time. He didn't rush to tidy up details and relationships. All the right loose ends are left for us to ponder. Well done. I highly recommend this book!

I theorize that those who liked Constance Sayers book, A Witch in Time, would like this vampire tale--and vice versa if you liked this one, do check out Sayers.

TL;DR
Slow burn
Well researched Amish culture
3rd person POV with many, many characters
Illustrative writing style
Whodunit plot
Very clever vampire world building

[Heather L · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author did a commendable job of mashing Vampire lore with the Amish culture, though with the long history of both perhaps it wasn’t all that hard. A curse is passed to some children of the Amish, they are ‘marked’, a raised crescent shape on their body marks them as one who hungers. The story is told from multiple perspectives, though I didn’t not find it difficult to keep track of the characters. Hadassah (Haddie) and her Amish family, father, mother, two sisters and two brothers try to live a plain and simple life. Haddie is attacked late one evening after going out to get medicine for her young sister, the attacker is intent on ravishing her (Haddie is described as very attractive). Haddie discovers that she has a gift (not sure if that would be the appropriate word) and she is able to defend herself. The story diverges to follow Haddie and a few other Amish kids of a similar age as they head off for their Rumspringa, Haddie has been asked to try to talk her older brother, Nate, into returning to the plain life. The other part of the story follows the police who are investigating a few deaths that have taken place around the Amish community. The two threads join back up when Haddie returns to her family. There is a lot going on in this novel, though long, it kept my attention for the most part. I found some parts towards the middle dragged a bit. There is a lot of grisly deaths as well and it wasn’t until the very end before I figured out that it wasn’t Haddie or her family (her mom and sister are marked as well) were responsible for them. I would say if you like Vampire type stories, this book would interest you. The Amish culture is mentioned but not in great detail. Overall a good book, thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Alan Braswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The overall structure of the book is one that is simply put outstanding. As the story deals with murders that have taken place in and around the Amish community in the furrows of Pennsylvania. The Amish people know about what may be occuring but keep these amongst themselves. For there is a curse that is amongst some in the Amish community and that is the 'mark of Cain' that mark which God put on Cain after he slew his brother Abel. This mark turns those have such into vampires. The Amish people know who amongst themselves have this mark. One being Ester Zook. The other is Mary Zook in which the father Nehemiah tells the people after the worship service. One person whom has the mark but will not tell anyone is Hadassah Zook. She was unaware she had the mark until one uneventful night when a drunken teenager attempted to rape her.
Two FBI agent arrive on the scene to not only investigate the murder of the teenage boy but other murders that have taken place around the Amish and the vincity of the town. Jake, one of the decetivies, knows the language and the hymns of the Amish so he goes to Amish community to see if they know anything regarding the murders. These murders have caused a rift in the Amish community as the leaders begin to suspect that 'sins of the mother' may have something to do with the murders as the mark is well known.

The author goes to great lengths to put the reader into the scenes. One feels that they are in the worship service amongst the Amish. Other scenes involving fights or gun battles grab the reader with its descriptive narratives. One feels the emotions of each character. Especially attention to the scenes of young Peter Zook who is terrified when he finds out that his baby sister has the mark. "She will kill you." He terrifies his friends in several scenes.
Then there is the scenes involving one of the most important character in the story. Nehemiah. The husband of Ester Zook. He displays humility. Love. Forgiveness. Healing Compassion.
"Others turn the mirror so they can see the whole of you and find in someway that you are still made in the image of God no matter how shattered that image has become."

[Mona Garg · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to the author for providing me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Amish and vampires : two sub-genres I enjoy, but have never seen combined...until now.

The Amish lead simple lives, focused on religion, community, and family. But, they are not simple. They are plain in that they shun adornments, modern conveniences, creature comforts, and technology. But, that doesn't preclude them from feeling emotions and harboring secrets. They are human, after all. Or, are they?

The plot centers on Nehemiah Zook, his wife Esther, and their six children. One after another : a series of savage murders has the Zooks and their Big Valley community on edge, it's members casting suspicious eyes on one another and on law enforcement "outsiders" who scramble to investigate, only to be stone-walled. These are not your garden variety murders. If any murder can be called that. The victims were virtually torn apart. But, by whom? Or, by what?

Written in short chapters, titled to hint at what's coming. Varying perspectives to enhance character development. Vivid and disturbingly graphic descriptions. Death-defying action. And, surprisingly, humor, to give the plot some levity.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. In addition to being an engrossing thriller, it was an in-depth depiction of the Amish culture and vampire myth. I will definitely be on the look-out for future books by this author.