G810 Book Review of Grimm woods by D. MelHoff
Author: D. Melhoff
ISBN: 978-0-9921331-3-9
Publisher: Bellwoods Publishing
Type of book: Michigan, original fairy tales, dark, Grimm Brothers, murder, drugs, sex, hooking up, summer camping, claustrophobic, sanitized known versions, thriller, who-did-it
Year it was published: 2016
Summary:
A remote summer camp becomes a lurid crime scene when the bodies of two teenagers are found in a bloody, real-life rendering of a classic Grimm’s fairy tale. Trapped in the wilderness, the remaining counsellors must follow a trail of dark children’s fables in order to outwit a psychopath and save the dwindling survivors before falling prey to their own gruesome endings.
Drawing on the grisly, uncensored details of history’s most famous fairy tales, Grimm Woods is a heart-pounding thriller about a deranged killer who uses traditional children’s stories as tropes in elaborate murders. Set against the backdrop of modern-day Michigan, it’s a journey through the mind of a dangerous zealot and a shocking glimpse into the bedtime stories you thought you knew.
Characters:
Main characters include Scott Mamer, a troubled young man who happens to be a smoker and who has a recurring nightmare that deals with trains. In beginning he tends to set himself apart from the group and beyond hooking up with a specific blond woman he is reluctant to be responsible and to grow. There are other characters who have their own troubled histories that are not revealed until the very end on why they are targeted; there is also Charlotte, camp's manager who has very high expectations for the counselors and who is extremely methodical. Other minor characters include the kids, one who is in an abusive situation, also a groundskeeper with a shady background and staff that is not much seen about.
Theme:
There is a reason they are called fairy tales and it's not the Disney reason
Plot:
The story is told in third person narrative from Scott Mamer's point of view, although other characters also join in shortly before their deaths. In a way, it's reminiscent of I Know What You Did Last Summer the movie or Chain Letter by Christopher Pike where a specific group of teens gets tortured and killed for either revenge or fear. I do admit that the story is not perfect because I was confused by what happened in the end to one of the character's, but other than that, frightening and heart pounding as well as creepy. Also as well, I think suspension of belief is required and how the perpetrator pulled off the actions is not explained, unfortunately. Just a warning but the story does contain graphic violence as well as casual sex and murders from fairytales. It is also more plot driven rather than focused a lot on characters.
Author Information:
(From iRead Book Tours)
About the Author:
D. Melhoff was born in a prairie ghost town that few people have heard of and even fewer have visited. While most of his stories are for adults, he also enjoys terrifying younger audiences from time to time, as seen in his series of twisted picture books for children. He credits King, Poe, Hitchcock, Harris, Stoker, and his second grade school teacher, Mrs. Lake, for turning him to horror. For more information, visit www.dmelhoff.com.
Connect with the author: Book Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook
Opinion:D. Melhoff was born in a prairie ghost town that few people have heard of and even fewer have visited. While most of his stories are for adults, he also enjoys terrifying younger audiences from time to time, as seen in his series of twisted picture books for children. He credits King, Poe, Hitchcock, Harris, Stoker, and his second grade school teacher, Mrs. Lake, for turning him to horror. For more information, visit www.dmelhoff.com.
Connect with the author: Book Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook
When I took a child lit class in college, the teacher divided us into groups and asked us to tell various fairytales through pictures. One of the groups had done a fairytale for Little Mermaid. I asked if they were going to do original or Disney, and they decided to go with Disney. After their presentation the teacher asked me to tell the original tale. When I told them how it really was, the looks on their faces were priceless; it's as if they were little children and I just told them that there's no such thing as Santa Claus. For those who prefer to stay in ignorance about the original fairy tales and want to think all fairy tales ended in a 'happily-ever-after' please do yourself a favor and do not read the book, but for those brave enough to learn the original endings, don't be afraid to dive in into this tale of tragedy, thriller and betrayal that is using fairy tales as a way to send twisted messages to people.
This is for iReads Book Tour
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Feb 7 - T's Stuff - review
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Feb 8 - Books, Dreams, Life - review / giveaway
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Feb 13 - The World As I See It - review / giveaway
Feb 14 - The All Night Library - review
Feb 15 - Books for Books - review
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Feb 28 - Fantastic Feathers - review
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4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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