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Trampled Crown
Valerie Barnes is tired. Tired of wrangling snarky teens through their math lessons, tired of helicopter moms with no respect and even less kindness, and – most importantly – tired of hearing about Canary Lane High’s upcoming homecoming dance. She’s been planning it for months and promises, if only to herself, to give the kids a night they’ll never forget.
But when strange things start happening and people’s lives are threatened in the days before the dance, that promise becomes more ominous than ever. Even the administration is getting antsy, and fingers are pointing to Valerie. With time running out and stakes getting higher, it’s up to Valerie to keep her students safe, clear her name, and figure out who’s been threatening all of their lives.
Book 10 in the Rewind-or-Die series: imagine your local movie rental store back in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, remember all those fantastic covers. Remember taking those movies home and watching in awe as the stories unfolded in nasty rainbows of gore, remember the atmosphere and textures. Remember the blood.
But when strange things start happening and people’s lives are threatened in the days before the dance, that promise becomes more ominous than ever. Even the administration is getting antsy, and fingers are pointing to Valerie. With time running out and stakes getting higher, it’s up to Valerie to keep her students safe, clear her name, and figure out who’s been threatening all of their lives.
Book 10 in the Rewind-or-Die series: imagine your local movie rental store back in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, remember all those fantastic covers. Remember taking those movies home and watching in awe as the stories unfolded in nasty rainbows of gore, remember the atmosphere and textures. Remember the blood.
- GenresHorror
132 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 25, 2020
5 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 11, 2021
In the 10th book in Unnerving’s prolific Rewind or Die series, Kirby Kellogg takes us back to the 1990s with a story of a high school homecoming that the students of Canary Lane High School won’t soon forget.
Valerie is a math teacher at the high school, well-liked by her students and respected by her fellow teachers. When the school principal gives her the unenviable task of organizing this year’s homecoming dance. Reluctant at first, Valerie takes the job in the hopes of at least delivering a dance to make her school proud.
It seems not everyone at Canary Lane High School feels the same way. It starts with vandalism in the school, gory warnings left in lockers, and soon escalates to bloody notes left at teacher’s homes. The message is clear. Somebody does not want the dance to go ahead as planned and they seem willing to go to deadly lengths to get their way.
I found a lot to like with ‘Trampled Crown’ and, as I’ve found with a lot of the Rewind or Die series to date, it was a fun, nostalgia-filled read. This book in particular being set in a high school in the 90s, the same period I went to high school myself, struck a chord with me.
What the book does exceedingly well is set up intriguing questions and mysteries that keep you engaged. What caused Valerie’s accident? What secret is Elizabeth hiding? Why is the Principal so fixated on this year’s dance? There are a lot of questions raised and answers come gradually, while always raising more questions until the big final act. It is a very well-paced book that always had enough intrigue to keep me hooked from start to finish.
It is a shame then, that it doesn’t all tie together quite as neatly as it should. Without spoiling the ending, some of the reveals and sub-plots feel a little unnecessary to the story and the actions of some characters, particularly in retrospect, don’t make a great deal of sense. The big reveal at the end of the book raises more questions about the motivations of the characters and the logic of their plan than it answers. As intriguing as the set up is, it doesn’t quite deliver on its early promise.
Trampled Crown is an enjoyable, albeit flawed book. It has a great premise and is paced so as to keep you in suspense until the final page, but is ultimately let down somewhat by muddled character motivations and confusing reveals. Rewind or Die fans will no doubt enjoy this one, but it may ultimately frustrate as much as entertain.
You can read more reviews of new and upcoming horror releases at https://www.myindiemuse.com/category/...
I also promote indie horror via Twitter - @RickReadsHorror
Valerie is a math teacher at the high school, well-liked by her students and respected by her fellow teachers. When the school principal gives her the unenviable task of organizing this year’s homecoming dance. Reluctant at first, Valerie takes the job in the hopes of at least delivering a dance to make her school proud.
It seems not everyone at Canary Lane High School feels the same way. It starts with vandalism in the school, gory warnings left in lockers, and soon escalates to bloody notes left at teacher’s homes. The message is clear. Somebody does not want the dance to go ahead as planned and they seem willing to go to deadly lengths to get their way.
I found a lot to like with ‘Trampled Crown’ and, as I’ve found with a lot of the Rewind or Die series to date, it was a fun, nostalgia-filled read. This book in particular being set in a high school in the 90s, the same period I went to high school myself, struck a chord with me.
What the book does exceedingly well is set up intriguing questions and mysteries that keep you engaged. What caused Valerie’s accident? What secret is Elizabeth hiding? Why is the Principal so fixated on this year’s dance? There are a lot of questions raised and answers come gradually, while always raising more questions until the big final act. It is a very well-paced book that always had enough intrigue to keep me hooked from start to finish.
It is a shame then, that it doesn’t all tie together quite as neatly as it should. Without spoiling the ending, some of the reveals and sub-plots feel a little unnecessary to the story and the actions of some characters, particularly in retrospect, don’t make a great deal of sense. The big reveal at the end of the book raises more questions about the motivations of the characters and the logic of their plan than it answers. As intriguing as the set up is, it doesn’t quite deliver on its early promise.
Trampled Crown is an enjoyable, albeit flawed book. It has a great premise and is paced so as to keep you in suspense until the final page, but is ultimately let down somewhat by muddled character motivations and confusing reveals. Rewind or Die fans will no doubt enjoy this one, but it may ultimately frustrate as much as entertain.
You can read more reviews of new and upcoming horror releases at https://www.myindiemuse.com/category/...
I also promote indie horror via Twitter - @RickReadsHorror
January 27, 2024
This book is part of the "Rewind or Die" series (book 10). These series do not have to be read in order as each is a stand alone novella. These books are available in Kindle Unlimited.
I enjoyed the story and is a great, if a tad predictable, slasher who dun it.
I enjoyed the story and is a great, if a tad predictable, slasher who dun it.
January 15, 2021
I'm going to be honest, I've already forgotten most of what happened in this book. It was a decent read, but it didn't really stand out for me. I was interested enough to keep going, though. The dance kept being called homecoming and prom interchangeably, and that was kind of odd.
CW - homophobia, dead animals, ableism, suicide
CW - homophobia, dead animals, ableism, suicide
September 6, 2020
I continue to be impressed with each entry I read in the Rewind or Die series.
Trampled Crown takes place in the days leading up to homecoming. The lead is Valerie, a teacher at Canary Lane High who is overseeing the planning of the event. That would be enough responsibility already but on top of that, someone seems intent on ruining the event. It begins with cryptic messages and escalates from there.
I liked having a high school horror story from the perspective of a teacher rather than the students. Valerie is a great protagonist and is fleshed out well for such a short story. There a lot of supporting characters and while they don't all get their time to shine, it makes the "who dunnit" piece work because there are a large number of suspects.
Trampled Crown is a fun and fast horror/mystery with a great lead character and a relentless pace. If you haven't already gotten on board with this series, please do so!
Trampled Crown takes place in the days leading up to homecoming. The lead is Valerie, a teacher at Canary Lane High who is overseeing the planning of the event. That would be enough responsibility already but on top of that, someone seems intent on ruining the event. It begins with cryptic messages and escalates from there.
I liked having a high school horror story from the perspective of a teacher rather than the students. Valerie is a great protagonist and is fleshed out well for such a short story. There a lot of supporting characters and while they don't all get their time to shine, it makes the "who dunnit" piece work because there are a large number of suspects.
Trampled Crown is a fun and fast horror/mystery with a great lead character and a relentless pace. If you haven't already gotten on board with this series, please do so!
April 30, 2021
When Valerie is put in charge of the homecoming dance she is less than thrilled by the lack of help from the students.
Her focus changes when students and other teachers begin receiving disturbing threats.
It isn't until the night of the dance that Valerie finally discovers the sinister plan the culprit has in store.
A bit of a slower paced and realistic short read set in the 90's with a B-movie type set up. It did however fall a bit flat for me for a few different reasons.
There was only one graphic death which for a short supposed to be horror novella is lacking to say the least.
Also I feel like the pacing should have been sped up along with more threats, deaths and action leading up to the end.
The characters were a bit one-dimensional making it harder to connect with or even remember who was who while reading.
Overall, it was an okay quick read.
Her focus changes when students and other teachers begin receiving disturbing threats.
It isn't until the night of the dance that Valerie finally discovers the sinister plan the culprit has in store.
A bit of a slower paced and realistic short read set in the 90's with a B-movie type set up. It did however fall a bit flat for me for a few different reasons.
There was only one graphic death which for a short supposed to be horror novella is lacking to say the least.
Also I feel like the pacing should have been sped up along with more threats, deaths and action leading up to the end.
The characters were a bit one-dimensional making it harder to connect with or even remember who was who while reading.
Overall, it was an okay quick read.
December 27, 2020
3.5 rounded up to 4.
The Rewind or Die series from Unnerving continues to deliver the kind of books I need to read right now. Trampled Crown by Kirby Kellogg scratched that 90s “I Know What You Did Last Summer” itch and I had a good time with this novella.
Full review here: https://www.scifiandscary.com/trample...
The Rewind or Die series from Unnerving continues to deliver the kind of books I need to read right now. Trampled Crown by Kirby Kellogg scratched that 90s “I Know What You Did Last Summer” itch and I had a good time with this novella.
Full review here: https://www.scifiandscary.com/trample...
June 26, 2020
High school math teacher Valerie is in charge of the school dance. The kids can’t decide on a theme, their parents are overly concerned with who will be crowned queen, other teachers treat her like an outsider, and someone seems hellbent on sabotaging the dance and framing Valerie.
I really liked Valerie’s elderly mom and the student punk rock enthusiast Lockjaw, as well as fellow teachers Liz and Tiffany. Liz is especially cool, because not only is she the object of Valerie’s crush, she has a mysterious past. The rift in Valerie’s family due to her coming out a decade earlier and a childhood accident that left her with a limp and needing to use a cane made her relatable as a protagonist. When others treated her as “other” due to her social awkwardness, her sexuality, or her disability, I wanted Valerie to triumph all the more and she proves herself to be one tough cookie.
The large cast made it a bit challenging to keep track of all the characters and understand their motivations. The interchangeable use of prom and homecoming bugged me as did the heavy handed use of cliches and exclamation points. Still, I dug the school dance queen trope used in a horror story with a teacher as the protagonist. Like the other novellas in the Rewind or Die series, TRAMPLED CROWN is a fun ride. For me, this book is a three and a half star read, rounded up to four.
I really liked Valerie’s elderly mom and the student punk rock enthusiast Lockjaw, as well as fellow teachers Liz and Tiffany. Liz is especially cool, because not only is she the object of Valerie’s crush, she has a mysterious past. The rift in Valerie’s family due to her coming out a decade earlier and a childhood accident that left her with a limp and needing to use a cane made her relatable as a protagonist. When others treated her as “other” due to her social awkwardness, her sexuality, or her disability, I wanted Valerie to triumph all the more and she proves herself to be one tough cookie.
The large cast made it a bit challenging to keep track of all the characters and understand their motivations. The interchangeable use of prom and homecoming bugged me as did the heavy handed use of cliches and exclamation points. Still, I dug the school dance queen trope used in a horror story with a teacher as the protagonist. Like the other novellas in the Rewind or Die series, TRAMPLED CROWN is a fun ride. For me, this book is a three and a half star read, rounded up to four.
September 27, 2020
I have some guilt because it feels like I keep saying the same things about Unnerving’s Rewind or Die series. What can I say? This whole lineup has been a ton of fun in an otherwise dismal year. Trampled Crown is no exception.
Valerie is a teacher at Canary Lane High School, who ends up in charge of the school’s homecoming dance. Valerie is written in a way that makes her easy to relate to and commiserate with, Kellogg delving back and forth between Valerie’s attempts to pull the event together and history revolving around her sexuality, as well as an injury sustained when she was younger. Kellogg establishes that necessary atmosphere where something’s up and neither the main character nor the reader are privy to the full picture.
Our fairly large for a novella cast of characters includes students, other teachers, parents, and administrators. While not every character is as fleshed out as Valerie, the large cast gives the author a lot of room to have fun, dropping clues and red herrings left and right as to what’s going on.
It’s a fast, fun read with an LGBTQ main character, handled plausibly and respectfully. Something you love to see in your horror fiction. It’s a perfect fit for this series, and continues the mark of high quality literary callbacks to the 90 minute fright feature on VHS.
Valerie is a teacher at Canary Lane High School, who ends up in charge of the school’s homecoming dance. Valerie is written in a way that makes her easy to relate to and commiserate with, Kellogg delving back and forth between Valerie’s attempts to pull the event together and history revolving around her sexuality, as well as an injury sustained when she was younger. Kellogg establishes that necessary atmosphere where something’s up and neither the main character nor the reader are privy to the full picture.
Our fairly large for a novella cast of characters includes students, other teachers, parents, and administrators. While not every character is as fleshed out as Valerie, the large cast gives the author a lot of room to have fun, dropping clues and red herrings left and right as to what’s going on.
It’s a fast, fun read with an LGBTQ main character, handled plausibly and respectfully. Something you love to see in your horror fiction. It’s a perfect fit for this series, and continues the mark of high quality literary callbacks to the 90 minute fright feature on VHS.
September 16, 2020
This Rewind or Die entry takes on high school homecoming (or maybe prom? the book can't decide), and I know you're having flashes of all those horror prom movies with buckets of blood and prom queens rising from the dead, but this novella has a different story to tell.
First, I found it interesting that the main character is the math teacher at the school, Valerie, instead of the high-school-girl-next-door and her group of wacky and/or popular friends stereotypes that usually star in this genre. I appreciated the diverse perspective from Valerie, who was queer as well as someone with chronic pain and a disability. She doesn't let the fact that she uses a cane be the definition of who she is, and she comes across as a strong, curious woman, even when she is othered by people at the school. Additionally, though the fact that she is gay causes some tension with her family members, she doesn't let that change who she knows she is.
The book turns into a mystery as Valerie and a few others try to figure out who is behind the gruesome threats that center around the dance. Though it could have used another round of editing to correct some errors here and there and finesse the story, it is another fun one-sitting read that I really enjoyed.
First, I found it interesting that the main character is the math teacher at the school, Valerie, instead of the high-school-girl-next-door and her group of wacky and/or popular friends stereotypes that usually star in this genre. I appreciated the diverse perspective from Valerie, who was queer as well as someone with chronic pain and a disability. She doesn't let the fact that she uses a cane be the definition of who she is, and she comes across as a strong, curious woman, even when she is othered by people at the school. Additionally, though the fact that she is gay causes some tension with her family members, she doesn't let that change who she knows she is.
The book turns into a mystery as Valerie and a few others try to figure out who is behind the gruesome threats that center around the dance. Though it could have used another round of editing to correct some errors here and there and finesse the story, it is another fun one-sitting read that I really enjoyed.
November 7, 2021
What is it about high school dances that are just SO much fun to read about in a horror setting? High school by itself is pretty horrifying, but add to that a whole bunch of brutal deaths, and it's just a recipe that I love being served up again and again and again!
Unnerving's Rewind or Die line is full of fun, gory, light reads and this is an excellent addition to what I've already read. There were a few key moments that still stand out a couple months after reading it - that garage scene, YIKES! - and it's short enough that I might do a reread next spooky season!
Unnerving's Rewind or Die line is full of fun, gory, light reads and this is an excellent addition to what I've already read. There were a few key moments that still stand out a couple months after reading it - that garage scene, YIKES! - and it's short enough that I might do a reread next spooky season!
January 6, 2022
This was one of the better books in the RoD series to date. The administrator was (sadly) a very accurate portrayal of how certain members of school administration are to this day. The only thing that was a bit off with this one was how much the administrator flip flopped in her opinion of Valerie - vilifying her during the school year, and then talking about how well the admin liked Valerie during the evil villain speech. That aside, pretty fun book, and of far better quality than 85-90% of the books in this series. Kellogg actually cares about their stories and it shows.
September 1, 2020
Another excellent entry in the always fun Rewind or Die series from Unnerving.
Kellogg’s tale is exactly what I’d expect to get from a well-loved and dog eared VHS tape and slipcover in the horror section at my old video store - and that’s 💯 an endorsement.
My favorite part of this story is that the main character, Valerie, suffers from chronic pain and disability, but that alone doesn’t define her OR prevent her from being a hero.
This story is a blast and I’m looking forward to whatever treats Kellogg has on the way for us.
Kellogg’s tale is exactly what I’d expect to get from a well-loved and dog eared VHS tape and slipcover in the horror section at my old video store - and that’s 💯 an endorsement.
My favorite part of this story is that the main character, Valerie, suffers from chronic pain and disability, but that alone doesn’t define her OR prevent her from being a hero.
This story is a blast and I’m looking forward to whatever treats Kellogg has on the way for us.
February 19, 2024
A teacher at a small town high school is planning the homecoming dance and wants to make it the best it can be. Then teachers and students receive vicious and deadly pranks and warnings. She determines to find the culprit.
This was a fun thriller. The warnings are pretty gross and figuring out the culprit isn't that easy as it looks like it can be only one person, and of course, it's never that one, or is it? I really enjoyed this.
This was a fun thriller. The warnings are pretty gross and figuring out the culprit isn't that easy as it looks like it can be only one person, and of course, it's never that one, or is it? I really enjoyed this.
April 19, 2021
Just the general ‘school dance goes wrong’ mixed with ‘past revenge trying to get retribution’ tropes done really well! Our main protagonist and her past that led to her now physical disability wasn’t tied in super well, and got under my skin quite a bit, but other than that, it was a solid book. This series continues to impress me in the B-Movie style of horror that I love so much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2021
A barely fair spin on the original "Prom Night", but with an obvious villain played so archly that you spend two-thirds of the book just waiting for the "reveal". The writing itself was decent, but couldn't carry the thin plot and pacing.
August 25, 2021
quick fun read, a nice little horror mystery. Really enjoying the "Rewind or Die" books.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews