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Psycho Island: Creation of a Final Girl
When a beautiful girl in a yellow dress finds herself on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean crawling with blade-wielding maniacs straight out of bad horror movies, she will have to fight and claw to overcome impossible odds for a chance to make a place, and a name, for herself.
Psycho Creation of a Final Girl is the first book in the Tales of a Final Girl series, a meta-narrative thrill-ride that explores the horror genre and examines what it means to be alive.
Psycho Creation of a Final Girl is the first book in the Tales of a Final Girl series, a meta-narrative thrill-ride that explores the horror genre and examines what it means to be alive.
145 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 15, 2022
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29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 9, 2023
*Book provided for an honest review. BoH*
Have you ever been about 5 minutes into a show and already know who the killer is because of his shiftiness? Or can you spot a will they/won't they romance coming a mile away? These are common tropes in literature and screenwriting. What is so brilliant about "Psycho Island" is the way Gore takes those ideas and sets the reader slightly outside of the story to watch them develop.
If you are unfamiliar with tropes, especially those of the horror genre, please check out this article: https://www.writerswrite.co.za/101-ho...
Some of the tropes explored in "Psycho Island" include:
Weird Girl: A quirky girl who represents whatever alternative subculture is most prevalent at the time of writing.
Best Friend/Sidekick: The wisecracking goofball no one takes seriously, but who often functions as a knight in a jester’s costume.
Promiscuous Girl: The girl who dies first because she’s sexually uninhibited.
The main character, the yellow-dress girl, is aware of her place in the narrative. However, rather than embracing her background character, sex symbol, and easy-kill purpose, she decides to fight back.
Not only is this a fun take on the horror genre and a truly creative example of playing with the narrative, there is a message here that you can change your own direction. She takes control of her life and refuses to be put in a box. Just because she is labeled as one thing, doesn't mean she has to succumb to those restrictions.
The yellow-dress girl is also our guide through the events of the story. We see the action through her eyes, so as she develops, the story does as well. The idea of an island full of psychopaths you have to survive is fun on its own. Then adding in the writer mixing up the roles of the characters as the story progresses makes for an entertaining read.
I wish the book had been longer. My only complaint would be I wanted more backstory on the island and the psychos. But I understand from a writing perspective why there wasn't more. They provided their function to move the story along and therefore did not deserve a backstory. If you can't tell, I was pulling for the yellow-dress girl and celebrated with her when she slowly developed her own identity.
This has to be one of my favorite books so far this year, and I cannot wait to read the second one. As a former English major, this was such a fun examination of the standard construction of a story. I would recommend this book to anyone though. Even if you've just seen a few standard slasher/horror films you will get it too.
(1-5 Scale)
Scary: 2
Gross Factor: 2
Thrill Level: 4
Have you ever been about 5 minutes into a show and already know who the killer is because of his shiftiness? Or can you spot a will they/won't they romance coming a mile away? These are common tropes in literature and screenwriting. What is so brilliant about "Psycho Island" is the way Gore takes those ideas and sets the reader slightly outside of the story to watch them develop.
If you are unfamiliar with tropes, especially those of the horror genre, please check out this article: https://www.writerswrite.co.za/101-ho...
Some of the tropes explored in "Psycho Island" include:
Weird Girl: A quirky girl who represents whatever alternative subculture is most prevalent at the time of writing.
Best Friend/Sidekick: The wisecracking goofball no one takes seriously, but who often functions as a knight in a jester’s costume.
Promiscuous Girl: The girl who dies first because she’s sexually uninhibited.
The main character, the yellow-dress girl, is aware of her place in the narrative. However, rather than embracing her background character, sex symbol, and easy-kill purpose, she decides to fight back.
Not only is this a fun take on the horror genre and a truly creative example of playing with the narrative, there is a message here that you can change your own direction. She takes control of her life and refuses to be put in a box. Just because she is labeled as one thing, doesn't mean she has to succumb to those restrictions.
The yellow-dress girl is also our guide through the events of the story. We see the action through her eyes, so as she develops, the story does as well. The idea of an island full of psychopaths you have to survive is fun on its own. Then adding in the writer mixing up the roles of the characters as the story progresses makes for an entertaining read.
I wish the book had been longer. My only complaint would be I wanted more backstory on the island and the psychos. But I understand from a writing perspective why there wasn't more. They provided their function to move the story along and therefore did not deserve a backstory. If you can't tell, I was pulling for the yellow-dress girl and celebrated with her when she slowly developed her own identity.
This has to be one of my favorite books so far this year, and I cannot wait to read the second one. As a former English major, this was such a fun examination of the standard construction of a story. I would recommend this book to anyone though. Even if you've just seen a few standard slasher/horror films you will get it too.
(1-5 Scale)
Scary: 2
Gross Factor: 2
Thrill Level: 4
August 3, 2022
I’m a big fan of slasher genre and Gore had a very nice revival throughout the story. I really enjoyed the story line (which is the most important thing for me when I read a book). Also I was a big fan of the meta-narrative. I really liked how The God (who I interpreted as the writer) as well as the Great Unseen (which I interpreted as the readers) were staged moving the characters as marionettes in the story. That had me thinking, in a positive way, without taking anything big away from the story and the engagement.
Some dialogues were a little clichè but that might have been intentional.
The pace was good, fast but not superficial.
To put it all together a really enjoyable story to read. Definitely worth my time, which in the end is the biggest victory for every writer.
Well done!
Some dialogues were a little clichè but that might have been intentional.
The pace was good, fast but not superficial.
To put it all together a really enjoyable story to read. Definitely worth my time, which in the end is the biggest victory for every writer.
Well done!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2023
3.5/5 This book was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the self-aware main character constantly questioning the plot decisions and story. I'm looking forward to book 2, I need more explanation of this world!
I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
February 27, 2023
This was my first meta narrative and I loved it! The story line is very intriguing and I found myself quickly turning pages and wanting to know what happens next. This is the first installment of what is meant to be a series, I will be checking out the second one as soon as I can. This was a very fun slasher book.
February 27, 2023
Really face paced.
Super easy and quick read! Good amount of gore.
I really enjoyed the main character on their quest remembering who they are and killing people along the way.
Can't wait to see what else this author comes up with.
Super easy and quick read! Good amount of gore.
I really enjoyed the main character on their quest remembering who they are and killing people along the way.
Can't wait to see what else this author comes up with.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 15, 2025
Surprisingly fun, quick read. Went into it without looking at what it was about, but it was an enjoyable ride & interesting format. Read in preparation for Books of Horror Indie Brawl 2025
July 25, 2022
Psycho Island by Keith Evans Gore was, all together, an entertaining read, albeit not a perfect one. This satirical love-letter to slashers was worth my time.
The whole of the story was very tongue-in-cheek and self-aware, something Gore certainly used to his advantage. The humor was frequent and quality enough that I smiled most of the way through and laughed out loud several times. I was not completely satisfied with the end, though I believe this is probably because I’m not a fan of series in general—I prefer a firm end.
Psycho Island’s greatest strength is its clear-cut love for the slasher sub-genre of horror, poking at some of the corniest aspects while not disrespecting the fan base. The area I believe needs most work is the prose itself; while it was serviceable for both the plot and humor, there were a few times I had to re-read a sentence or paragraph to fully understand what Gore was trying to get across.
One last note: some of the trains of thought that the protagonist thinks through were pretty interesting—enough so that I found myself thinking about them between reading sessions, which is (in my opinion) one of the signs of good writing. I would discuss more on that, but I don’t want to spoil anything either.
Even with its faults, Psycho Island was enjoyable. I’ve struggled to give it a proper rating, but I’ve decided 7.5/10 ought to be proper. (I rounded to 4 stars, though, so take that as you will.)
The whole of the story was very tongue-in-cheek and self-aware, something Gore certainly used to his advantage. The humor was frequent and quality enough that I smiled most of the way through and laughed out loud several times. I was not completely satisfied with the end, though I believe this is probably because I’m not a fan of series in general—I prefer a firm end.
Psycho Island’s greatest strength is its clear-cut love for the slasher sub-genre of horror, poking at some of the corniest aspects while not disrespecting the fan base. The area I believe needs most work is the prose itself; while it was serviceable for both the plot and humor, there were a few times I had to re-read a sentence or paragraph to fully understand what Gore was trying to get across.
One last note: some of the trains of thought that the protagonist thinks through were pretty interesting—enough so that I found myself thinking about them between reading sessions, which is (in my opinion) one of the signs of good writing. I would discuss more on that, but I don’t want to spoil anything either.
Even with its faults, Psycho Island was enjoyable. I’ve struggled to give it a proper rating, but I’ve decided 7.5/10 ought to be proper. (I rounded to 4 stars, though, so take that as you will.)
November 7, 2023
OK...this book was quite the trip. If you think it's just a simple story of another 'final girl' you would be completely wrong. Everytime you think you have it figured out, it takes another unexpected turn. Keith Evans Gore does a fine job incorporating the breaking of the '4th wall' by changing the narrative of what seems to be a controlled environment. Think "Most Dangerous Game" meets the TV show, "Lost". Can't wait to read the next one in the series to see where he takes Yellow Dress Girl next.
June 16, 2022
Enjoyed this and enjoyed the being in the horror movie trope style. Will read the second book to see where it goes as this was pretty fast paced
March 1, 2023
So that happened! Holy crap you guys!! Let’s talk about this insanely action packed story!
Yellow Dress Girl wakes up on an island with no memory of who she was before. What she does know is that she is on an island filled with psychopathic murderers. She meets some nice people along the way and they become a group and watch out for each other. They all fight to survive three nights on the island.
For those of you who want gore, with some more gore, and a sprinkling of a bit more gore, here you go! If you want to read an 80s horror movie, this is it! If you want viscera, a little bit of sex, and some witty banter, this is definitely a book for you.
Keith Evans Gore starts out the story with some action and it just keeps going like the Energizer Bunny. A non-stop gore-fest you can read in just a few days. There is just enough character buildup to have you care what happens to Yellow Dress Girl, you end up being her cheerleader. The world building and the evil people on the island is the perfect amount of description necessary for this story. It isn’t over-done or underwhelming, it's a very well rounded story altogether.
But there is more!! There is a second book, and I need to grab that one and see what happens next!
Yellow Dress Girl wakes up on an island with no memory of who she was before. What she does know is that she is on an island filled with psychopathic murderers. She meets some nice people along the way and they become a group and watch out for each other. They all fight to survive three nights on the island.
For those of you who want gore, with some more gore, and a sprinkling of a bit more gore, here you go! If you want to read an 80s horror movie, this is it! If you want viscera, a little bit of sex, and some witty banter, this is definitely a book for you.
Keith Evans Gore starts out the story with some action and it just keeps going like the Energizer Bunny. A non-stop gore-fest you can read in just a few days. There is just enough character buildup to have you care what happens to Yellow Dress Girl, you end up being her cheerleader. The world building and the evil people on the island is the perfect amount of description necessary for this story. It isn’t over-done or underwhelming, it's a very well rounded story altogether.
But there is more!! There is a second book, and I need to grab that one and see what happens next!
February 26, 2023
This was my first time reading a meta-narrative, and while it took me a minute to get into reading this style, I really ended up enjoying it quite a bit.
Gore has an amazing knack for writing and really making you part of the story. He is very descriptive and painted the setting very well. There was a nice undertone of humor throughout the book that I really appreciated.
Outside of the meta narrative this is truly a classic slasher, and has all the cliches and tropes you would expect to find.
This is the first in what is to become a series, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next installment.
For this who love the slasher genre, this is one that should not be overlooked.
Gore has an amazing knack for writing and really making you part of the story. He is very descriptive and painted the setting very well. There was a nice undertone of humor throughout the book that I really appreciated.
Outside of the meta narrative this is truly a classic slasher, and has all the cliches and tropes you would expect to find.
This is the first in what is to become a series, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next installment.
For this who love the slasher genre, this is one that should not be overlooked.
September 28, 2023
3.5/5
This felt a bit like a fever dream. Still unsure what to make of it because there are so many unanswered questions. I did like following the girl in the yellow dress. There was a disconnect with the characters— by design, yes, but it was tough to feel anything for them because of it. Plus I had no idea what was going on the entire time so I read this in a bit of a daze.
Does that mean I will read the sequel? Of course. I feel like the novel ended just when we were getting to the good part and I’m curious about the direction this story will take next.
This felt a bit like a fever dream. Still unsure what to make of it because there are so many unanswered questions. I did like following the girl in the yellow dress. There was a disconnect with the characters— by design, yes, but it was tough to feel anything for them because of it. Plus I had no idea what was going on the entire time so I read this in a bit of a daze.
Does that mean I will read the sequel? Of course. I feel like the novel ended just when we were getting to the good part and I’m curious about the direction this story will take next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2022
Page Turner
I couldn’t put it down ! Finished it in one day, It’s a must read ! Can’t wait to read the second one !
I couldn’t put it down ! Finished it in one day, It’s a must read ! Can’t wait to read the second one !
June 10, 2025
Interesting take of the writer being the driving force, characters questioning plot and decisions. good slasher if that's your thing this is your book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2025
This was good.
This is the first time reading anything but this author. I enjoyed reading it. I can't wait to read more of this series.
This is the first time reading anything but this author. I enjoyed reading it. I can't wait to read more of this series.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews