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Monsterious #3
Terror in Shadow Canyon
Here’s the third book in the Monsterious series—terrifying tales that combine monsters + mysteries, perfect for fans of Goosebumps.
“Spine-chilling and creepy!” —Max Brallier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Kids on Earth , on Escape From Grimstone Manor (Monsterious, Book 1)
Twelve-year-old Tegan and his friends are excited to set out on a weeklong backpacking trip through the wilderness in Shadow Canyon, known for its vast forests and jaw-droppingly deep canyon. But after the group sets off on a little-used trail to visit a remote waterfall, they soon discover that the path markers they’ve been following have mysteriously disappeared, leaving them hopelessly lost.
As Tegan and his friends try to find their way back to civilization, they begin to notice strange things in the small, oblong stones dotting the landscape in unexpected formations, tree roots that seem to be moving on their own, and creepy glowing eyes peering out of the shadows at night. Before long, they discover that something sinister stalks the forest—a creature with a hunger for human flesh. Can they make it out of Shadow Canyon alive?
“Spine-chilling and creepy!” —Max Brallier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Kids on Earth , on Escape From Grimstone Manor (Monsterious, Book 1)
Twelve-year-old Tegan and his friends are excited to set out on a weeklong backpacking trip through the wilderness in Shadow Canyon, known for its vast forests and jaw-droppingly deep canyon. But after the group sets off on a little-used trail to visit a remote waterfall, they soon discover that the path markers they’ve been following have mysteriously disappeared, leaving them hopelessly lost.
As Tegan and his friends try to find their way back to civilization, they begin to notice strange things in the small, oblong stones dotting the landscape in unexpected formations, tree roots that seem to be moving on their own, and creepy glowing eyes peering out of the shadows at night. Before long, they discover that something sinister stalks the forest—a creature with a hunger for human flesh. Can they make it out of Shadow Canyon alive?
224 pages, Paperback
Published August 22, 2023
4 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Matt McMann
8 books44 followersAs a professional musician, MATT MCMANN played an NFL stadium, a cruise ship, and the International Twins Convention. Now he writes the kind of spooky mystery-adventure books he loved as a kid. He’s hiked the Pacific Northwest, cruised Loch Ness, and chased a ghost on a mountain. While he missed Bigfoot and Nessie, he caught the ghost. He enjoys brainstorming new books with his wife, New York Times bestselling author Lisa McMann; viewing his son Kilian McMann’s artwork; and watching his daughter, actor Kennedy McMann, on television. Visit him online at mattmcmann.com, and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @matt_mcmann.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 30, 2023
The third book in the Monsterious series is just as good as the first two. Kids are loving these spooky mysteries with just the right amount of spooky for 3rd-5th graders looking for a scary story. I will admit that the idea of giant spiders lurking in the woods have put all desires of camping out of my mind!
March 1, 2024
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I figured it was time to head back to a series we touched on before. You can check the above link for more info. Monsterious is a new Goosebumps inspired ish series I'm keeping an eye on.
A 5th book is on the way which breaks the odd 4 book curse these get hit with. Matt McMann must have clout but the series still needs support. He followed me on InstaGram so like Lorien Lawrence, I am obligated to read more lol.
Anyway, onto the book. Tegan Campbell, his friends Ning and Marcus, plus Tegab and Ning's father and mother, are on a backpacking trip in Shadow Canyon. Things don't go too well as basically they discover giant Spiders that are hungry for some humans, it seems.
This was pretty good. About on par with the other one, with its own pros and cons. I'll get the mild issues out of the way. The writing is good, with some nice sentences and…fine I'll say the line, vocab words.
But it can feel basic; with some details either not being there or being held off. Not much for characters descriptions here which is odd since Raven Hollow had me noting them lol. There could have been a stronger atmosphere at times as well. It's 210 pages but only cuz the font is like a notch bigger than Goosebumps lol. it does make up with it in the other areas.
The concept is simple so the logic works out. It doesn't get more complex than evil giant Spiders and that works. It can be slow to start but eventually they become solid threats. There's even one dark part to show the stakes. Despite seeming light at first, it’s cool it can have that. It gets pretty suspenseful as it goes.
It has a big outdoor survival element which you know I'm a sucker for. Tegan is a fair kid, being pretty proactive as it goes. He gets some badass moments, very BillyCore.
Ning isn't that notable at first but gets more go do later on, leaving Marcus as the superfluous Clay. At least he has brown skin, meaning only one of the kids is white. Not the strongest dynamics here but Ning has a good emotional moment with her mom.
Oh man, her mom (named Yanay) has to be the most competent adult we've had. She's super resourceful and awesome. She basically does everything for a while lol. This leads to the substance, which involves the dad, Ed. He's never been the most emotional involved, and tends to give more attention to the brother Milo.
He starts out being kind of crappy, having a couple scare pranks. I was ready to write him off but this becomes an arc. He has to learn to step up and be there for his son. We even get a good payoff, leading to nice moments where he makes up for lost time. We even get to know his perspective and why he’s like this. It can be a tad corny and maybe he could be toned down early on but there’s a good kid/parent dynamic being explored here.
It’s basically the better version of something like Scream School. Heck it reminds me of my rewrite for Werewolf in the Living Room lol. I will say the ending could have gone on more, with maybe a scene at home that shows he has changed for good. As it is, there’s an alright ending but the 2nd climax does get short changed.
But overall, this was good. It has a fair bit of action, and a solid child/parent dynamic that adds substance as well as stakes. It’s about on par with Snatcher, with it getting more fun and emotional in spots while that had stronger kid characters. These had their faults but they do work.
They prove some solid adventures for kids that has legit stakes while not going super edgy. Those who prefer these get dark, can at least appreciate the stakes that are here. Not the darkest but it’s good at being fun, so far at least.
So yeah, worth a look and I hope these go on further. That’s it for this. I know what I’m going to do next but I won’t say just in case. Should be fun. See ya then.
I figured it was time to head back to a series we touched on before. You can check the above link for more info. Monsterious is a new Goosebumps inspired ish series I'm keeping an eye on.
A 5th book is on the way which breaks the odd 4 book curse these get hit with. Matt McMann must have clout but the series still needs support. He followed me on InstaGram so like Lorien Lawrence, I am obligated to read more lol.
Anyway, onto the book. Tegan Campbell, his friends Ning and Marcus, plus Tegab and Ning's father and mother, are on a backpacking trip in Shadow Canyon. Things don't go too well as basically they discover giant Spiders that are hungry for some humans, it seems.
This was pretty good. About on par with the other one, with its own pros and cons. I'll get the mild issues out of the way. The writing is good, with some nice sentences and…fine I'll say the line, vocab words.
But it can feel basic; with some details either not being there or being held off. Not much for characters descriptions here which is odd since Raven Hollow had me noting them lol. There could have been a stronger atmosphere at times as well. It's 210 pages but only cuz the font is like a notch bigger than Goosebumps lol. it does make up with it in the other areas.
The concept is simple so the logic works out. It doesn't get more complex than evil giant Spiders and that works. It can be slow to start but eventually they become solid threats. There's even one dark part to show the stakes. Despite seeming light at first, it’s cool it can have that. It gets pretty suspenseful as it goes.
It has a big outdoor survival element which you know I'm a sucker for. Tegan is a fair kid, being pretty proactive as it goes. He gets some badass moments, very BillyCore.
Ning isn't that notable at first but gets more go do later on, leaving Marcus as the superfluous Clay. At least he has brown skin, meaning only one of the kids is white. Not the strongest dynamics here but Ning has a good emotional moment with her mom.
Oh man, her mom (named Yanay) has to be the most competent adult we've had. She's super resourceful and awesome. She basically does everything for a while lol. This leads to the substance, which involves the dad, Ed. He's never been the most emotional involved, and tends to give more attention to the brother Milo.
He starts out being kind of crappy, having a couple scare pranks. I was ready to write him off but this becomes an arc. He has to learn to step up and be there for his son. We even get a good payoff, leading to nice moments where he makes up for lost time. We even get to know his perspective and why he’s like this. It can be a tad corny and maybe he could be toned down early on but there’s a good kid/parent dynamic being explored here.
It’s basically the better version of something like Scream School. Heck it reminds me of my rewrite for Werewolf in the Living Room lol. I will say the ending could have gone on more, with maybe a scene at home that shows he has changed for good. As it is, there’s an alright ending but the 2nd climax does get short changed.
But overall, this was good. It has a fair bit of action, and a solid child/parent dynamic that adds substance as well as stakes. It’s about on par with Snatcher, with it getting more fun and emotional in spots while that had stronger kid characters. These had their faults but they do work.
They prove some solid adventures for kids that has legit stakes while not going super edgy. Those who prefer these get dark, can at least appreciate the stakes that are here. Not the darkest but it’s good at being fun, so far at least.
So yeah, worth a look and I hope these go on further. That’s it for this. I know what I’m going to do next but I won’t say just in case. Should be fun. See ya then.
January 12, 2024
I am loving the Monsterious series from Matt McMann! This is book three and the third that I've read, and for me, they just keep getting better. 10-yr old Barb would have been over the moon to have these books on her shelves and they'd definitely would have become books kid-me would have reread multiple times, especially this one: Terror in Shadow Canyon. I've always loved books set it in the woods because for this city kid, the whole nature environment just made it that much scarier. Add in some giant spiders that want to eat you and EEK!
Matt McMann gives readers of all ages plenty of chills, action sequences that are definitely heart-pounding, and a collection of characters that you'll want to cheer on. I loved Tegan, Marcus, and Ning, especially how they each had to draw on their own strengths and acknowledge their weaknesses to get through the tough, deadly moments of this hiking trip.
For kids (and adults) who enjoy books like Goosebumps, Matt McMann's Monsterious books are ones you don't want to miss. Go grab Terror in Shadow Canyon today.
Matt McMann gives readers of all ages plenty of chills, action sequences that are definitely heart-pounding, and a collection of characters that you'll want to cheer on. I loved Tegan, Marcus, and Ning, especially how they each had to draw on their own strengths and acknowledge their weaknesses to get through the tough, deadly moments of this hiking trip.
For kids (and adults) who enjoy books like Goosebumps, Matt McMann's Monsterious books are ones you don't want to miss. Go grab Terror in Shadow Canyon today.
November 5, 2023
This was fine. The early bits where the author was trying to set the tone of a mysterious, creepy forest was well done.
I could have done without the emotional dad issues that felt kinda forced.
The main problem, and even my daughter noted it, is that this mostly relies on action to “scare” you, and the action becomes very repetitive. I’m one of those horror readers that needs the looming dread and build up in order to feel the horror of the later action sequences.
The cover is also a spoiler?! I don’t know why they did that. Kind of annoying. Overall not horrible. Would be interested to see if it was just this book with repetitive action or if the others are more successful in the slow burn.
I could have done without the emotional dad issues that felt kinda forced.
The main problem, and even my daughter noted it, is that this mostly relies on action to “scare” you, and the action becomes very repetitive. I’m one of those horror readers that needs the looming dread and build up in order to feel the horror of the later action sequences.
The cover is also a spoiler?! I don’t know why they did that. Kind of annoying. Overall not horrible. Would be interested to see if it was just this book with repetitive action or if the others are more successful in the slow burn.
June 13, 2023
Oh, I knew what this was going to be about when I saw the cover, and I was not disappointed.
As a legit arachnophobe there is nothing scarier than a horror book involving spiders. And this one was an excellent horror book featuring spiders.
It reminds me a bit of the adult horror book Don't Move, which I also love and recommend, except that in this book you actually get a few peeks into the spider's (unusually intelligent) head.
I'm enjoying this series so far.
As a legit arachnophobe there is nothing scarier than a horror book involving spiders. And this one was an excellent horror book featuring spiders.
It reminds me a bit of the adult horror book Don't Move, which I also love and recommend, except that in this book you actually get a few peeks into the spider's (unusually intelligent) head.
I'm enjoying this series so far.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2024
Overall, this book in the series fell a bit flat for me. The monsters seemed disjointed and the mystery lacked the usual coherence that I have come to expect from this author. Additionally, the father-son dynamic felt forced and lacking in genuine emotion. While my young child was able to follow along, they didn't show the same level of excitement and engagement as with previous books in the series. However, there were still some redeeming qualities, such as the unexpected twists and character development that kept me turning the pages. Despite my criticisms, this book still offered a solid story with a few surprises that kept me invested until the end.
May 13, 2024
Book 3 of Monsterious. This was the nightmare of all campers. Giant spiders and intelligent to match. A fun midgrade read that isn’t too scary, however young and sensitive readers be warned. Aside from that it is the same Goosebump like scare that will keep your reluctant readers going far beyond their required read time. This is a fun short series and definitely recommended.
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com
September 30, 2023
So fun! This is the sort of book I would’ve adored as a kid. I also like that these are stand alone stories set in the same world. There are not enough series like that. Librarian friends: give these to your reluctant readers who have devoured all the Goosebumps books. They will LOVE these.
July 30, 2023
This is a perfect spooky adventure for 4/5 grade students! It’s quick and fast-paced with all sorts of action. Giant spiders in a forest that are doing all they can to feed their Queen? Eek!!!
August 28, 2023
This is a fun series! Love spooky spider books! :) If you like goosebumps this will be the series for you!
September 11, 2023
This high action, nonstop thriller, had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I can’t wait to share it with my middle schoolers!
February 6, 2024
Fans of RL Stine will enjoy the writings of Matt McMann. TERROR IN SHADOW CANYON is a spooky monster story that also blends family tension, overcoming personal fear, and excitement.
January 19, 2025
I really liked this one. It was well written, and moved quickly. I loved the short, sharp chapters. Giant spiders. No thanks. Fun story, not so fun in real life. :)
May 31, 2023
A wonderful, spooky read! Book 3 in a fabulous new series by Matt McMann! A group of hikers become lost in the wilderness and tracked by a gigantic species of spiders. Full of exciting action, nature facts, strong young characters, and just the right amount of creepy and scary without going overboard. Young fans of scary books will love this and its companions!
September 29, 2024
Spider horror 😚👌
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews