This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

I picked this book up purely based on the title and cover.

I don't want to tell you too much about the plot as I feel like it would be a spoiler but the main premise of the book is we follow a whole cast of different characters who have boarded a cruise ship from Sweden to Finland, the cruise ship contains a wide array of people from children to elders however it is estentialy a booze cruise, we get to know the characters and how they have come to be on board the ship, soon the passengers start to die and all is not as it seems on the ship.

I enjoyed this book, I liked getting to know the characters and learn about their stories however I did feel like there were a bit too many to become totally invested in. The action doesn't kick in till half way through this book making it a little bit too long in my opinion and I would have liked less character development and more plot.

Overall I would reccomeded this to any horror fan and feel fans of old school Stephen King may enjoy it.

Not what I was expecting. The storyline fell a bit flat, was overly confusing, and had A LOT of run-on sentences. I would suggest maybe a fresh look at editing. The basic bones are there, but it definitely needs more polishing before I could award anything more than a 2 star.

Shame on me for letting this book simmer for such a long time before finally reading it. One reason was that I thought this was a zombie novel, which I was not in the mood for recently (of course, when I chose this book I was definitely interested, but right then I had a couple other books lined up on my TBR which prevented me from digging right in, and then it was kind of 'too late'). Another reason was the book's length, which made me hesitate as well - could a doorstopper like this in a genre like that actually hold my interest? Now that I've read the book I can't understand my needless hesitation at all, because the book was a real gem. While the fact that the 'monsters' here where no zombies at all (which in the end makes no dramatic difference I guess) I am pleased to see that there are still some great new vampire stories to be found, and this is among the best. I love that the author focused so much on the characters and took his time building them with so much detail. I immediately felt 'at home' aboard the Baltic Charisma and familiar not only with the crew and passengers, but the ship itself as well. The vampire angle was well created and I appreciated the way the vampires, especially the first ones aboard, were portrayed, and that the vampire world was not all black and white - I would almost say some vampires actually kept their conscience after turning, but that may come across as weird. However, I was fascinated by how the vampires seemed to keep, or enhance, their former characteristics with some of them adapting better and faster than others, regaining control of their minds and actions and not simply succumbing to their hunger for blood. A very remarkable vampire story and a new author to watch out for.

This book is 560 pages long, just found that out because my Kindle does not tell me page count just percent (if anyone knows if i can change that could you please let me know?), it did not feel like it was that long as I was reading it, I just flew through it!

I was gripped from the first chapter and didn't stop until I read the last word. What made me want to read this book were the words 'booze-cruise', 'suddenly cut off in the middle of the night' and 'nowhere to escape'.

Drunk people with nowhere to go, facing god only knows what, blood, gore and violence abound and surrounded by alcohol, you know that's not gonna end well and it doesn't!

We follow a fair few people in this but each have their own distinct voice so there's no confusion as to who's saying what and any of the nonsense you find happening with other books following multiple characters. It takes place all over the ship with plenty of shenanigans going on, there are the people you like and root for as things start getting worse and the ones you hope will die in horrible and gruesome ways, there's twists, shocks and WTF moments but you still continue to read as you NEED to know what's going on. So exciting!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it, I am very much looking forward to reading more by this author especially if they're like this one!

Now I just need to get my hand on a hardback copy of this where it will sit with my Stephen King books until the urge to re-read it overwhelms me!

Happy cruising.

*Huge, huge thanks to Mats Strandberg, Quercus Books, Jo Fletcher Books and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

Swedish thrilling horror in the Baltic Sea!

Marianne boarded the booze-cruise ferry from Finland to Sweden with her friend. Albin was with his wheelchair-bound mother and able father. His cousin, Lo, was with her mother, Linda. Dan Appelgren was the former Eurovision singer, working on the ship’s dance floor. Calle, who used to work with Pia on the same ship, visited his former crewmates with his boyfriend, Vincent.

The Baltic Charisma was the nearly 30 years old ferry, still travelling the same route to Stockholm and returning to Finland every day. She was a bit rusty and could be unworthy in the sea. During the autumn, everything in the Baltic Sea became silenced as the colder season arrived.

This journey was extraordinary. The ferry was cut off from the outside world by means of no communication in the “no-man’s” sea. The power for lowering the lifeboats was off – no escape from the gnashing teeth of the new beasts on board the ferry. Some characters had difficulty trusting each other.

Mats Strandberg is the Swedish version of Stephen King, whom I admire greatly. I also love the Nordic novels and dramas. The horror fans are recommended to read this novel.

Columbpoirot

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

This book had so much promise when I picked it up. A 24 hour cruise infested by vampires? What’s not to like?

I found the premise to be original and enjoyable, but unfortunately felt it was difficult to relate to the characters and was not rooting for them throughout the book. It also read more like a screenplay than a horror novel.

However, if you are looking for a light horror novel to keep you entertained, I would recommend this

Der Vergleich zu Stephen King ist nicht von der Hand zu weisen - was für ein Ritt! Nach der Lektüre sieht man das Thema Kreuzfahrt ganz sicher mit anderen Augen - Spannung pur! Macht definitiv Lust auf mehr. Der Autor hat extrem viel Potential.

I was looking forward to reading a horror book but unfortunately this was very tame compared to some other books I read that aren't classed as horror.

It was hard for me to get into the story and stay interested for long spells so took a while to read the book so found it hard going but that was probably me as I wasn't very well at the time of reading. There was a lot of detail and description of the ship and activities so must have been researched which is a plus in my book. Sorry, just not for me.

The Baltic Charisma has been cruising the Scandinavian coastline for many a year. The crew work long hours and have a strong team spirit (evidenced by the return of a former colleague who has brought his boyfriend onboard to propose).

Also on board are party goers who plan to hit the bar (hard). A former Eurovision contestant who now finds himself hosting the onboard karaoke nights. A single woman trying to treat herself to a new adventure. A party-going couple of ladies who will drink and hope to hook a night of fun with a stranger…and on it goes. The variety of passengers is endless but special note should be taken of the woman traveling with a young boy. She is hiding her face and nobody seems to want to look at her twice…she will change the course of many lives – forever.

As the ship leaves shore all the crew and passengers become cutoff from the safety of the outside world. Their journey will be unforgettable as onboard is an evil, generations old and used to hiding from the public eye. But things are about to change for this evil entity is hungry and has decided that the days of hiding are over.

In the claustrophobic confines of a cruise ship a battle is about to rage and it gets mighty bloody.

I do love a horror tale and Blood Cruise ticked all the horror boxes. Evil power, lots of blood and murder, resilient spirited heroes try to thwart/evade/hide from the big bad and not everyone will survive. It was nicely done on the whole and I enjoyed following some the characters who (from a crowed passenger manifest) get the chance to have their stories told.

Definitely a read I would only recommend for horror fans. I did feel I was losing track of some of the characters in the middle of the book, some characters that I had thought to be dead popped up unexpectedly still very much alive. I got the name mixed up more than once so had to backtrack to work out exactly who I was reading about. This is more of a reflection on my ability to keep track of characters than the author’s storytelling but it did slow me down a bit.

If nasty, bloody fun is what you crave in a book then Blood Cruise is one for you. The strongest characters, who are given most time to shine, do just that and there are some powerful and emotive scenes as the crew and passengers face the prospect of an unpleasant death.

If the ship should get to shore can the evil be contained?

Okay firstly this is a long book, that probably could be whittled down by about a hundred pages the story is a classic vampire style but set on a cruise ship. I can't say I found myself that bothered about any of the,characters but I do think it would work quite well as a movie.

On the Baltic Sea, no one can hear you scream.

Tonight, twelve hundred expectant passengers have joined the booze-cruise between Sweden and Finland. The creaking old ship travels this same route, back and forth, every day of the year.

But this trip is going to be different.

In the middle of the night the ferry is suddenly cut off from the outside world. There is nowhere to escape. There is no way to contact the mainland. And no one knows who they can trust.

Welcome aboard the Baltic Charisma.

It has been quite a while since I’ve read any proper stomach-churning horror, so when I heard about Blood Cruise by Mats Strandberg I was immediately sold. Chaos, death and destruction on a booze cruise. What could be better?

The premise of the novel is deliciously simple. Hundreds of people are trapped on a slightly dated, rundown cruise liner with a creature who views humanity, and more specifically warm human blood, as a tasty treat.

I firmly believe the best horror exists in a vacuum; isolation always ramps up the sense of tension. Once underway, the Baltic Charisma is entirely closed off from the rest of the world. This choice of location adds an extra layer of suspense to the narrative. The author gets to play around with our primal fears. Though a cruise ship seems large, there are only a finite number of places you can hide, and this creates a sense of claustrophobia. For some characters there is also the fear of the unfamiliar or unknown. Passengers could easily become lost or disoriented when all the corridors look the same. Add the opportunity of a violent, extremely painful death into the mix and I think we have a winner.

Try and picture it, you are caught in the midst of this monster related mayhem. What would you do? You could just hurl yourself overboard, but the sea temperatures would kill you swiftly. What about the life rafts? Sadly, they can only be used under a specific set of circumstances and events have ensured that isn’t going to happen. So, what do you do? Look for somewhere to hide from the madness, or stand and fight?

The passengers on board the Baltic Charisma only ever expected to be on the ship for 24 hours, so their inhibitions disappear. People get drunk, over eat and indulge in whatever lewd behaviour they can get away with. I’m not sure if it was deliberate or not, but I kept seeing subtle allusions to the seven deadly sins in the story. Gluttony, sloth and lust to name but a few. There are examples of excess at every turn. I have to admit that part of me was quite happy that so many passengers turned out to be victims. I know that sounds horribly callous but a lot of them exhibit the worst traits of humanity. They all pretty much deserved what they got.

There are a small number, a few exceptions, that you want to see survive. There are two children, Albin and Lo, who are forced to face horrors no one should ever have to experience. It’s not their fault their respective parents wanted to go on a booze cruise. Both Albin and Lo are traumatized but still manage, somehow, to keep going. I’m significantly older than both of them and I know would likely be dead within a matter of minutes.

Pia is another interesting case in point. A member of the Charisma’s staff, she believes in helping customers above all else. Even after everything she goes through she holds onto that belief. It makes the ultimate resolution to her thread of the narrative that much more satisfying.

Of all the characters on board the Baltic Charisma, I think I found Dan Appelgren to be the most intriguing. His transformation from failed Eurovision hopeful to karaoke host, and then to something far more evil (if that were possible) is fascinating. While everyone else panics and fears the monsters in their midst, Dan goes entirely the other way and embraces the situation wholeheartedly. He is sick and tired of his day to day existence and when an opportunity arises that offers this burnt-out hedonist the chance at something completely new, he seizes it.

Chapters alternate between different characters’ point of view. This approach is really effective. As the night gets bloodier and bloodier (and it really does) we get the chance to see the same scenes from differing viewpoints. I could easily picture this as a horror movie. There would be plenty of opportunity for lots of great jump scares.

A word of warning to the squeamish amongst you, this book revels in all its gory glory. Throats get ripped out, eyeballs pop and people die a whole host of unpleasant deaths. Personally, I found Blood Cruise is just the right side of gruesome for my taste. It should be noted however that I enjoy my horror suitably visceral.

My experiences with Scandinavian fiction have all been extremely positive and this novel is no exception. If you are a horror fan than I strongly suggest you check this novel out. Things start slow, but when all Hell finally breaks loose, it does so with an unrestrained glee. We’re over half way through 2018 and Blood Cruise is definitely going to be a strong contender for my horror novel of the year. Tense, emotional, and at times downright nasty. I loved it.

Sticking with a nautical theme, I’ve decided that my musical recommendation to accompany Blood Cruise is the soundtrack to the 2002 horror movie Ghost Ship by John Frizzell. C’mon, it had to be something creepy didn’t it?

Blood Cruise is published by Jo Fletcher Books and is available now. Highly recommended.

As an aside – I’ve been thinking about it and, after reading Blood Cruise, I am going to have to add another mode of transport onto the list of those I can no longer use. I’ve checked back and historically the list included airplanes (The Three by Sara Lotz), trucks (White Knuckle by Eric Red) and trains (Hell Train by Christopher Fowler). Now I can now add cruise liners. If I do use any of these methods of transport then horror fiction assures me the chances are I am going to get maimed, eaten, stabbed, used a human shield, infected, possessed by evil forces or killed. Possibly all of these less than ideal options in one go. Best not to risk it.

Very slow to get started and even then it wasn’t my cup of tea. It just didnt grip me unfortunately

Out in the middle of the ocean, no-one can hear you scream. Passengers are trapped onboard a cruise ship, miles from land, when a mysterious illness starts spreading through the ship. Is it a terrorist attack or something far more unexpected?

The book takes the reader on a horror trip seen through the eyes of several passengers and crew members. I wasn't sure about it when I started reading it, the whole tone seemed a little bleak, but this actually added to the feeling of the ship as an old liner, on its last sea legs. It's a tale that gets better as it goes along, building to a blood-soaked finale. This is the first book I've read by this author and I am intrigued enough to read some more.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Quercus Books, for the opportunity to review an ARC.

This is actually, very, very good. It's terrifying!
What would happen in an enclosed space if a vampire/zombie contagion broke out? Absolute terror.
The author ramps up the intensity to ten, and I couldn't stop reading. Finished in one sitting.
A slightly slow start, with the changes in people's perspectives, but then like a fish, I was caught on the bait and hook line and sinker!
This book should be a film. It would scare the pants off me.
Highly recommended.

Unfortunately this wasn’t for me. I wish I had realised before downloading it that it was a translation and also a vampire story, both of which sadly I truly dislike. The description didn’t even hint at this hence my error!
Thank you however to the author and publisher Jo Fletcher books for the ARC copy.

Bloody mayhem on a 24 hour cruise between Sweden and Finland. The Baltic Charisma has seen better days and some of the crew are miserable so-and-sos to say the least. A lot of passengers are drunk and emotionally overwrought before the ship even sets sail, making them easy prey when an unusual traveller starts prowling the hallways.

The story takes a little while to get going properly. The first part of the book introduces a number of main characters in minute detail, and by around the 25% mark you feel you know each character really well.

I would not say that this is a scary book. The horror is purely gore, gore and some more gore and I didn't think that, for a book that is more than 550 pages long, there was an awful lot of story beyond the relentless bloody stuff. But the character development is fantastic and the author has a very readable writing style. Good book but I prefer my horror to have a bit more meat to get my teeth into

Very creepy,atmospheric with a good story line and good characters. Enjoyed the concept and the style of writing

“On the Baltic Sea nobody can hear you scream”

If you believe the hype on Amazon’s by-line for “Blood Cruise” it is “a thrilling summer chiller from the new Stephen King” which already has a large number of positive reviews from media outlets across Scandinavia. I suggest you tread carefully, this 560-page door-stopper really is not worth the hype. However, it’s worth noting that Mats Strandberg is a Swedish author who co-wrote the bestselling YA supernatural fantasy trilogy “Engelsfor” which although it’s relatively unknown in the UK is an excellent read and it’s easy to see why it’s popular in the Nordic countries. Comparing a relatively new author to Stephen King really does them no favours especially if the product falls miles short of King’s own standard. I have no idea what they could possibly hope to gain from such comparisons. How many authors have been called the ‘New’ King and become a cropper? The graveyards are full of them.

“Blood Cruise” is set entirely over a 24-hour period on a booze-cruise linking Sweden and Finland and so spreading such a thin story over 560-pages is ridiculous. Folks go on this boat to get drunk, dance, party and abandon their lives for the day. The plot follows a mixture of passengers and staff with individual chapters named after the character, such as “Marianne” who is one of the bigger and more sympathetic of the bunch to choose from. There are about ten in total, with a few of these being added as the novel progresses. The majority of them were fairly dull, which did not add much to the story, and because it is set over such a short period there was little in the way of back-stories to liven the one-dimensional group up. You might think a 24-hour story might ramp up the intensity, but for whatever reason it fell flat, maybe something was lost in translation.

The supernatural infestation kicks in after about 20% into this long novel and there too many similar scenes which were repetitive and bland. The problem with setting such a story on a boat is that there are only so many ways it can play out. In the end you can choose to jump overboard! (as one character does…) The passengers are lame ducks and easy to kill as there are so few places to hide, and because it happens so quickly there is not any sense of building dread. As I already said advance publicity has naively compared Mats Strandberg to Stephen King who wrote the book on slow and gradual vampire infestations in “Salem’s Lot” or the brilliant Robert McCammon doing it over a week in “They Thirst” or more recently Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan in “The Strain” trilogy. This novel has absolutely nothing to compare it to major works in the genre. In “Blood Cruise” we have guys and girls singing karaoke one minute and running for their lives a few minutes later after buying a pint and no way of defending themselves apart from using their high-heels as weapons. But hey, this is Sweden, so at least there is a Eurovision connection in there somewhere! But for such a big book it really lacked tension and I could not help feeling that the Formica table setting of a boat did not help.

Funnily enough, one of the ‘characters’ is the boat itself the “Baltic Charisma” which was one of the more interesting sequences. Don’t get me wrong, “Blood Cruise” had lots of good ideas, seeing some of the same characters after they became infected worked well, and the way in which longer infected saw the recently converted as ‘newborns’ was a nice touch but many of them are lost in the sheer length of the book. The transformations themselves, teeth falling out and all, were also pretty cool. Ultimately though the back-story of where the infestation originated was nothing new and it did not particularly grab me or convince in any wider supernatural way.

Jumping from character to character became tiresome, at some points the chapter links were very small, and I began to confuse a couple of them. Once the infestation started to rock most of the characters were in the same predicament so it really did go on too long and it lacked any character who stood out as a hero or someone to root for. However, “Blood Cruise” did pick up a slight head of steam in the last hundred pages, but there are just so many vampire novels out there, lots of readers will just avoid them unless they have something new to offer and this does not. It’s effectively vampires on a boat (560-pages of it) and there is no point in disguising it as anything else. You’re very welcome to disagree, but I would also say his YA trilogy “Engelsfor” is considerably more challenging than this.

"Blood Cruise" or Färjan in Swedish is a horror novel written by Mats Strandberg who is touted as being "Sweden's Stephen King." I'm surprised this is my first time hearing of him but that may be down to the fact that I only got into the horror genre recently. Before that, I had wrongly assumed that my dislike for horror movies also tranferred over to books. That is not the case, I now thoroughly enjoy a little horror sprinkled between my favourite genres.

A booze cruise departs from Finland and is on its way to Sweden when an unfortunate series of events take place. It is the middle of the night and the ship is cut-off from outside contact. Noone knows who they can or can't trust. Welcome aboard the Baltic Charisma!

Kudos to whoever wrote the synopsis, it lures you in without revealing the detail of the story. Very well done! I enjoyed the original setting a lot although I have been on a few cruises and I know that I will go on many more in the future. I do know that the next time I board I will be reminded of this story! It wouldn't stop me going as once you've been on a cruise you won't ever return to staying in one resort for a fortnight.

This is one terrifying and realistic horror that gave me a few nightmares. You know it's good when you find elements of the story in your dreams. His portrayal of everyday events is nuanced and believable.

I didn't realise this was initially released in 2015 but that is neither here nor there I suppose. All in all, an interesting read and one I will remember for a long time whether I like it or not!

Many thanks to Jo Fletcher Books for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.