I love Hunter Shea books and and hunt them out when I can. Again this book did not disappoint. I was so upset for Todd at the beginning and wasn’t sure if he should go ahead with his plan, but of course you know what he will do. At first I thought I had missed something regarding ‘The Final Girls’ but then realised it is a commonly used phrase. The story was entertaining as well as being a horror book, this is a great read for someone just wanting to have a horror read that you can get through quickly. I will definitely recommend and will read many more Hunter Shea books. This book has now made me join his mailing list for new releases

Surprisingly I loved this book a lot more before the action started. The mystery of Ashley's death and treasure hunt, and the secrets of the Hayden resort were a lot more interesting before its actual secrets were revealed.

Once Ashley's husband and his friends showed up at the Hayden resort, and The Wraith showed up it went downhill for me. Typical slasher fare and very cringeworthy dialogue made this one pretty forgettable. A shame because after Creature, which I loved, I really wanted to like this one.

This was a very different story from the one I was expecting and because of that, I have mixed feelings about this book. Ash is a final girl still dealing with the massacre of all her friends five years later, after they spent a hellish night doing some "urban" exploration at a condemned resort in the Catskills. They met a killer and Ash is the only one who survived, but she's mostly been just existing and she can no longer deal with the PTSD, grief & survivor's guilt. In the wake of her suicide her fiancee Todd is a complete wreck and issues a public challenge to the Wraith, the killer from that night in the Catskills, to come and find him there to have a showdown. I will admit that I was on the verge of dnf'ing this book by the time it finally picked up with some action. If it was supposed to a story about how survivor's of tragic events have trouble re-adjusting and often commit suicide, and the way it can destroy their friends/family, it would've knocked it out of the park. But I went in expecting a fun horror/slasher movie type story. Todd and his friends don't make it to the resort in the Catskills (the site of the original massacre) till more than halfway through the book. I was pretty bored by then and also was disappointed by the "twist" of who the Wraith ends up being and what his motivations were for the massacre. I liked that it was a supernatural explanation, making this a true horror book in the traditional sense. I just did NOT like the Wraith's identity - I feel like that plot is completely played out at this point in time. I also was not a fan of the book's actual ending. I felt cheated that I slogged through the first half and THAT is my reward. Overall I don't even know if I would recommend it, but it gets two stars at least, mainly because the action was well-written (once it finally happened) and I did finish it in the end. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy!

I've written about several of Hunter Shea's books here on the blog. There a the series of books inspired by the ads in the back of old comic books, which were gory fun. Creature was hard to read in all of the best ways. Slash falls somewhere between the two extremes, again in all of the best ways.

Ashley King became famous as a "final girl," the one who survived the massacre at the Hayden Resort. Five years later, she hangs herself in the basement of her home. She was never able to remember much of what happened that awful night and the killer, known as The Wraith, was never caught....but a note she left for her fiance sends him back to the decaying resort in the Catskill Mountains to find recordings that she left hidden there that night.

I love that the book combines the "final girl" idea with urban exploration. There's also an element that feels at first like a cliche 1980s horror trope but turns out to be something else. In this one and in Creature, Hunter Shea writes relationships that pull at my heartstrings. That's not something I can say about some of of the horror writers I've been reading lately, and it'll keep me coming back to read more of his books.

I would like to thank NET GALLEY for allowing me to read this book and would like to apologize to them for not having a review submitted in a timely fashion.

This book had a strong opening, great opening and then it seemed to fizzle out to me. I am a fan of the author so I kept going, and am I glad I did. What I thought was falling into the abyss of horror tropes changed direction and I was surprised in a very good way. I cannot really discussed what made this book as fantastic a read as it was without resorting to giving away plot points or spoilers but suffice it to say this was an excellent horror read. A great read regardless. Hunter has lately been writing in the cryptozoology sub genre, but this is a triumphant return to main genre. I am rambling. Helluva good read!!!

This is my first Hunter Shea read, and there's a lot to like about this slasher story. It starts at an odd point, after character Ash has survived a horrific murder spree at an abandoned resort in the Catskills. Ash is the legendary final girl from those classic Friday the 13th type stories, the lone survivor. It does lead to some confusion if you think this book is a part two of something. It isn't, as far as I can tell. But that's okay, because it sets up the real story about Ash's fiancé Todd returning to the abandoned resort to seek retribution for Ash's crippling PTSD. Without giving too much away, Todd publicly invites the escaped killer to a showdown, and a showdown does happen during one hellish night.

The things I liked:

Ash. I loved her as a character and wish we could have seen more of her. But this isn't her story, as Todd is the focus, and Todd is a well written character too.

The horrific monster that Todd and his friends have to face. I was skeptical about many superhuman elements of the murdering monster until it became clear what he was. I'm not going to spoil it, but I liked the twist to it.

The ending. It didn't quite end like I was expecting it to end for Todd, and that's a good thing.

The things that I didn't like:

For the level of horror that Todd and his friends were up against, I found their inability to stop bickering and to instead keep quiet a little annoying.

Without spoiling too much, there is a fire fighter scene that we come upon after the fact, and I was hard pressed to understand why it took so long for backup to arrive.

There is one final scene at the end of the book that transitions badly, and I was lost about what was happening for a moment.

That having been said, this was an ARC copy of the book, so some of those issues may have been corrected. It was an enjoyable horror read overall. I'd give it a 3.8 which is worth tipping the scale to a 4. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review it.

This book starts by absorbing you into the story, you quickly become to love the characters and then the story takes a quick turn of events, one that I found I wasn't expecting. The whole book is thrilling and exciting, even if I found parts predictable. Filled with characters that are believable and come alive through he pages. I enjoyed this book and the ride it took me on.

Slash follows the return of The Wraith, a serial killer who left a final girl the last time he attacked. After years of being haunted by watching her friends die, she kills herself and leaves a note and clues to her fiancé of the research she’s done into who The Wraith may have been. With a short time before the hotel where her friends were murdered is due to be torn down, her fiancé returns to look for what she left behind there, to see if her can find out who The Wraith was.

Slash lives up to its name, being a true homage to an 80’s slasher, following the final girl trope, and the gruesome deaths. It’s quite typical in its slasher tropes, in the brutality of the story. While this isn’t a problem, it does become repetitive knowing the group shouldn’t venture out alone at night, and what a foolish idea it is to try to track down The Wraith themselves. But, it wouldn’t be much of a slasher book if people weren’t foolish, so all in all, this is what you expect from it and it’s a bloody good time.

None of the characters are particularly likeable, and they definitely feel like filler for the gruesome bloodshed that is needed in a book like this. The plot itself, like I said, it pretty standard, and you get what you expect when you read it. I will give credit for the creativity in the deaths. If you’re a fan of slashers, some of these are brutal, over the top, and the best kind of cheesy, like the 80s films that influenced why we read books like this.

I did enjoy the twist of the final girl trope, and that it wasn’t the final girl returning to face the killer. It made for a bit more of a unique take on the stories we normally get like this, and it made it enjoyable to see what the final girls fiancé would do instead, in his act of vengeance for his fiancé, and her goal to track down the man who’s made her life a living hell for years. Saying that though, I still love the final girls returning trope, because it’s great having a badass woman take care of herself when faced with a crazed murderer.

I gave this book three stars because while it is enjoyable and fun, it does fall short in being a unique take on it. I’ve not read other books by Hunter Shea, and I’ve heard such good things about the creativity and uniqueness of Shea’s books, so I was a bit disappointed that this didn’t turn the slasher genre on its head. The writing was great though, and kept my attention, enough so that I will be seeking out other books by Shea. Saying that, I would still recommend Slash for a fun horror filled blood fest of a read, if that’s what you’re looking for.

This is a slasher flick in book form. The characters are a bit older than the teenagers you would possibly expect, but that adds a nice dimension to the story, with it introducing a broader range of knowledge and capabilities. Plenty of unpredictable twists that propel the story forward right to the end.

This book is everything!! A blood fest full of gore and horror, and I’m here for it.
This was my first book one reading a Hunter Shea book and I couldn’t put it down. Now I need all his other books!

5 Stars!

I was blown away when I read my first Hunter Shea novel and he has never failed to entertain. Shea always brings a hard edge of horror to his stories and his in-your-face style keeps the action rolling in all of his books. Slash seemed like a bit of a departure as it did not seem to be a monster story as many of his novels are but I was eager to see what Shea was going to do with a serial killer story.

Todd Matthews always accepted the demons that haunted his fiance, Ashley King, and did his best to help her face them down. It was to be expected, after all. She was the only survivor of The Resort Massacre, one of the most brutal mass murders in American history, and the killer was still at large. Her mind had largely blocked the events of that night but they were slowly coming back. Five years after the massacre, Ashley hung herself but left clues behind as to what may have transpired that terrible night that had changed her forever.

As Todd and his friends return to the abandoned resort to try to unveil the terror that had haunted Ashley, they soon find that this was not just the work of a single mass murderer. There are things in this world that are darker than even the darkest of human hearts and monsters can emerge from the blackness. Generations of hate had come together in the abandoned resort to create a force so evil that nothing may be able to stop it. Todd and his friends can only hope they make it through the night alive to warn others of the malevolent presence.

I expect a Hunter Shea novel to hit me like a jackhammer and Slash lives up to that although there is a bit of buildup to the story. That is not a bad thing at all. Shea does a good job of establishing Ashley and Todd as well as the effects of that horrific night on their relationship not only with each other but with their friends as well. The novel almost seemed as if it was going to be more of a psychological horror work at the outset. There is a depth to the story that I have not found in many of Shea’s other novels and I must say that I enjoyed it. The characters really come alive in the pages before they return to the abandoned resort to find out the secrets of the night that finally claimed Ashley’s life years later. Then, in Hunter Shea style, all hell breaks loose.

Once all of the players are in place in the middle of the night, the story turns into an all-out horror action tale. There is a backstory of hate that has spanned continents and generations to form the perfect killing machine but the second part of the novel is simply about a group of people trying to make it through the night against a seemingly invincible force of evil. The action is non-stop and the blood pours in buckets as Shea goes on a B-movie romp similar to those in his monster novels. This really is a monster novel although it does not seem like it at first. Shea has developed his fanbase with just this type of story and “Slash” delivers in spades. I think that this is overall my favorite Shea novel to date and I can only hope there is more and better to come in the future.

I would like to thanks Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this review copy. Slash is available now.

I absolutely love the slasher horror genre. I grew up watching movies about teenagers dying to maniacs wielding machetes and chainsaws and knife gloves, and I ate that shit up. Before even knowing what a “slasher” movie was, I was in love with them. There’s just something so entertaining about seeing a group of flawed characters get offed one by one, especially when every decision they make or thing they do makes you scream, “NO! NOT THAT WAY!” at the screen.

When I started discovering books in the horror genre that followed the same familiar tropes I loved, I was ecstatic! Being able to appreciate one of my favorite subgenres in a new way is a great feeling, and I’ve loved the wild ride that horror fiction takes me on.

With SLASH by Hunter Shea, we start off by flipping the script and coming into the story after the main massacre has occurred, rather than before. The sole survivor, or final girl, as they’re usually known in the horror world, is struggling with survivor’s guilt, and a number of post-traumatic stress issues caused by the massacre she lived through.

We don’t normally get to see this side to the final girls in our stories – typically, we see them struggle and prevail, leaving their side at the end when they’ve made it to safety. The idea that “safety” isn’t actually so safe – especially emotionally and mentally – for someone in this situation isn’t hard to understand, and I loved this twist. I wish we could have spent more time with Ashley, but alas, her boyfriend Todd is actually the main character of the story this time!

I didn’t find Todd particularly compelling as a character, which was a bit off-putting to me, since he experiences his own bit of tragedy and grief through the story. Honestly, I didn’t really connect with any of the characters on any sort of deep – or even superficial – level, which was a little disappointing for me. Normally in books like this, I can find at least one person to relate to or to root for – and I suppose I did, maybe, in Ashley. Once you realize the role she plays in a majority of the book though, you may see why that’s not a super great thing.

I really enjoyed the build up, and the urban exploration aspect of the story. I’ve gone into buildings I shouldn’t have with friends as a teenager due to our curiosity, and the thought that something super terrifying could have happened there like the stuff in this book really stayed with me throughout! Hunter Shea is amazing at describing locations, and really making you feel like you’re there, and can see the things the character is seeing. When he described the main villain’s appearance, I really saw it, and felt the terror that I imagined the characters were feeling.

Speaking of the big bad from this story, I really liked him. The Wraith was a totally unique character for me, although he shared similarities to a few killers I already knew and loved – big, scary, unstoppable forces of nature? Yeah, I’ve seen those, and the Wraith was just as formidable and scary as his predecessors to the genre.

But the twist, or backstory, to this one came out of nowhere to me! For full disclosure’s sake, I’ll say that the reveal/solution to the mystery seemed to come out of nowhere for everyone – the characters make these big mental leaps that they seem to pull out of thin air and then accept and act on as if it’s fact, without having any actual proof to back it up. And then pivotal information that was searched for / led up to for awhile culminated in the watching of a single video that seemed unlikely to have even been made, given the situation leading up to it. It’s hard to full explain this without spoiling anything, but this bothered me more than any other aspect of the book, and is the reason for detracting a whole star in my rating – I know Hunter Shea’s got really amazing writing chops, so having this part feel underdeveloped and almost “too easy” was a little disappointing, I’ll admit.

That said, I did love the Wraith character, and thought the actual story behind him was really original and interesting to have revealed as we went. I loved the gore and kill count I expected from a book in this subgenre was on par with expectations, and that I had a lot of fun reading it. Flame Tree keeps putting out stellar releases, and I’ll definitely be picking up future books from them and Hunter Shea in the future.

Incredibly Scary And Emotional Horror Story!

Ashley King and her four friends considered themselves urban explorers and loved to investigate old and abandoned buildings know for having troubled and tragic pasts. The Hayden Resort in the Catskill Mountains has a reputation for many unsolved violent deaths. Ashley will become the only survivor of this night of exploration and the details were so horrific that she cannot remember any of the events of that night yet five years later she still suffers from survivor's guilt and has devastating nightmares and also extremely afraid of the dark. Ashley became known as The Final Girl and had a fan following that her fiance Todd Matthews believed was irreverent and possibly dangerous. The killer was never caught and Ashley believes that he will someday come after her and Todd even though she doesn't remember the events of that night she knows there is information locked in her brain that is very important in solving the mystery of the slaughter that took place within the Hayden Resort!I

This book is one of my horror favorites of 2018 - 2019. Hunter Shea's writing is a force to be reckoned with in the horror genre. I can not believe how emotionally invested I was in the characters even the one or two that were not quite likable but so important to the storyline. I was truly captivated by this book and emotionally spent by the end. There is so much tension and and shocks abounding throughout the story up until the final page that it will be very hard starting a new book without the adrenalin rush that the "Slash" produced within myself.!I

Please, if you are a horror fan don't hesitate to read this extremely scary and graphic slasher book! I have given a rating of 5 Slashing 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars!!

I want to thank the publisher "Flame Tree Press" and Netgalley for the wonderful opportunity to read this fantastic horror story!

I received an ARC of this book thanks to Net Galley and publisher Flame Tree Press in exchange for an honest review.

I've heard a lot of buzz in the horror world about Hunter Shea and I was very excited to finally pick up one of his books. Slash is the story of Todd, a man whose fiance kills herself after surviving a horrific massacre five years ago. Fueled by her suicide, he is driven to return to the resort where the massacre took place in order to find out what really happened there once and for all. He is joined by several friends and soon they discover that the horror is far from over.

I wasn't 100% sure what to expect from this book in terms of the horror element. It is billed as a slasher and it definitely is that but there is a supernatural element to be aware of as well. The first thing that stands out about Slash is how fantastically written it is. I've read a lot of bad horror in my time but Shea has a great style which is very readable, and the book overall is well-paced and well-plotted. Even though I am not usually a fan of supernatural horror, I found myself devouring this due to the strong writing.

Another strength is the uniqueness of the horror element. I am not going to spoil anything but the book takes a direction with its horror that I definitely didn't expect and I don't think I've seen done anywhere else (undoubtedly it has been done but it felt very fresh). Again, it isn't the type of horror I usually enjoy and that is probably the only reason I am not personally rating this book higher. I was absorbed by the story and I think someone who is into more supernatural horror will really love this book. It was especially nice to see such creativity in what can be an often cliched genre.

My only minor quibble/warning is that there is a side character who is a stripper and she is constantly referred to as such by one of the other side characters in a way that is pretty misogynistic. It is intentional I think but the character who does it is still meant to be likeable and I just found it very unnecessary and distracting from the story.

Overall, I would definitely recommend checking this book out if you are a fan of horror. I would love to read more of Shea's work and it's very impressive to see someone take the slasher genre and breathe new life into it. This is a fantastic example of how to do a unique spin on horror whilst still keeping the old favourite tones and tropes.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

I’ve read most of Hunter Shea’s books and the tile for his new book was a warning for me. Dark things were ahead. And boy, were they. Once I got past meeting the characters and learning why they had to visit the crumbling old resort, the running and screaming began.

Hunter is known to me for killing off his characters. Usually in horrific fashion. This happened again in Slash. But it felt different. Yes, he killed some off. And yes, they died horrifically. But there was a whole lot in between deaths. They struggled to survive against a being that was a huge mystery to them. They had to uncover the history behind it. One thing they knew, they had to stick together in order to get out alive.

This is the meat and bones of the story for me. Throw a bunch of friends together, add in a maniacal killer, and let’s see how strong those friendships are. In between the blood and body parts strewn throughout, you get to know these characters. Their strengths and weaknesses. You want them to live through this. But, remember what I said about Hunter killing off his characters. Ouch.

The story has a nice pace in the beginning. Every page has something important to reveal. Then the real horror begins. The Wraith is a mystery at first. Once I found out his history, which was crazy evil, I was fascinated to see how it would end. I really wish I could talk about that. All I can say is, if you enjoy horror stories that have the feel of those old slasher films, Hunter gives you his own unique spin, and I recommend you give this a go. Hang on to your hat. The train to nightmares has left the station.

Wow this is a brilliant read. If you like horror this is definitely for you.

Five years ago Ash was the only survivor of a horrible attack by someone the press called The Wraith. Her injuries were numerous both physical and mental, and she has struggled to continue living. She has accumulated a group of fans who dub her ‘The Final Girl’, they come to her house, send her things, the tragedy made her a household name.

Five years and she feels she can no longer cope and commits suicide, leaving her body for her partner Todd to find. Todd is angry with the world for not leaving her alone, especially the so called fans. He is also angry that the so called Wraith has never been caught.

After finding a note from Ash he decides to go back to where it all started to see if he can find out who The Wraith is, but it’s a decision he will live to regret.

There are some really detailed descriptions of gore and decapitations throughout, and although you are thinking OMG, you carry on reading. I really wanted to know who it is was. Thrilling and terrifying, a must for horror fans.

Thanks to NetGalley and to Flame Tree Press for providing me an early ARC copy of this book that I freely chose to review.
I recently read one of Hunter Shea’s books, Creature, that I really enjoyed, and this novel shares quite a few characteristics with that one. I find it a bit difficult to sum up exactly what I think about it, but I’d say it is a book that both indulges in and challenges the usual tropes of the slasher subgenre, while digging dipper into some of the characters’ backgrounds and emotions. Yes, there is a monster (with a horrific past and a number of paranormal characteristics), there is a group of friends (more or less) in a creepy location, there is plenty of action (especially in the second half of the book), there is gore by the bucket load, and some dark humour. But the first part of the book looks into survivor’s guilt and grief, and it might feel slow to readers expecting a standard slasher novel, and the second part might prove too heavy for those interested in psychological horror but not so much in bloody mess and body parts galore.
The book is narrated in the third person, mostly from Todd’s point of view, although we are shown some other characters’ perspectives at the beginning and the end of the book. Through Todd, we get a fair amount of background information into what happened to Ashley, his fiancée, a final girl proper. There is much discussion about her final girl status, and I particularly enjoyed that aspect of the book, and also the exploration of Ash’s and Todd’s state of mind and difficulties coming to term with what had happened to them. Todd clings to Ash’s memory, and it makes perfect sense that he would want to hold on to her and explore any clues she has left for him, especially in his disturbed frame of mind. He continually wavers between trying to avoid putting others at risk and his need to keep on looking for any vestiges of his girlfriend.
We don’t know so much about the rest of the members of the team that end up joining the mission. One of them, Sharon, the sister of one of Ash’s friends, is not welcomed by most, and she is treated rather badly, especially by Jerry, the policeman, who is far from likeable. As is typical of the genre, the other characters are reduced to their habitual behaviours and salient characteristics (we have a gambler who is forever quoting odds, the friend who always tries to avoid conflict, Todd’s closest friends are a couple devoted to each other…). None of them are particularly sympathetic (perhaps also due to the somewhat distanced and obsessive point of view provided by Todd), but then, you don’t want to get attached to the characters in a slasher novel or film, as you know what will likely happen to them. I did like Sharon, who kicks ass, but I wasn’t sure about the depiction of women in the book. Again, the book tries to balance genre expectations and challenges, but I’m not sure it always works. We have Heather, Vince’s wife, who seems to play the part of the woman in old-fashioned films and books. She is the carer, looks after everybody, worries about Todd and her husband, spends a fair amount of the second part of the book unconscious and being carried around, and… (no, no more spoilers). Sharon, on the other hand, is a tough chick, determined, and courageous, sometimes too hot-headed for her own good, and she is an exotic dancer (or a stripper, as Jerry insists in calling her). As I said, I liked Sharon, but I didn’t appreciate the abuse she has to put up with, some of the jokes, and would have liked to know more about her, and not just the little snippets we get. We meet Ash when she has been torn out by her experience, and it’s difficult to get a full sense of her.
I’ve read reviews decrying plot holes (I wondered about quite a few things as well, but this genre is not about fine plotting, in general), others complaining about the ending and the explanation behind the murderer/monster (I agree with reviewers that compared the book to a series-B movie, particularly when it comes to the action and the paranormal elements), and emphasising their lack of empathy for most of the characters. I agree with all these points, although they seem typical of the genre, rather than problems specific to this book per se.
For me, the main strength of the novel —apart from the psychological aspects, the exploration of grief and survivor’s guilt, and the wonderful setting (that, as tends to be the case in horror novels, becomes another character)— is Shea’s writing. He writes beautifully and compellingly, making it impossible to stop reading even when he is describing horrific and vivid scenes of carnage and violence.
I’d recommend this book to readers who enjoy horror books and love genre tropes but want a bit more depth and appreciate a challenge. This is a book full of horrific scenes graphically rendered, with a murderer/monster with paranormal features, and some of the characters are prejudiced and misogynistic, so I wouldn’t recommend it to people who prefer their horror more low-key and insidious rather than in your face. I have become a fan of Shea’s writing style and look forward to reading more of his books.

As they say, don't judge a book by its cover; same thing can be said for its title. This book has a classic slasher vibe, with a twist you don't see coming.
I'll admit this was my first exposure to Hunter Shea, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I was throughly entertained once I got through the first few chapters. I wasn't digging the "Final Girl" story line, but give it time, it works in the end.

I felt our author wrote very believable and relatable characters who moved the story along at a great pace. This story definitely has all the makings for a cinematic creation. I honestly could see this movie reel in mind. This was a definite five-star story for me- UNTIL THE FINAL SCENE.

I don't feel the title of this book fits its overall plot. I do understand that our author was paying homage to slasher films of yesteryears, but the reader would have been smart enough to figure that out on their own without slapping on a title that didn't suit its story as a whole. This is in fact a creature feature.

With THAT SAID- **Spoiler ALERT**
Even though Shea was trying to spin the Golem tradition, and I can respect the attempt, you can't f**k with certain traditions and expect audiences to be on board. You remove the paper, that's it. Golem is D-E-A-D, gone, caput, donezo! Even if the original artifact wasn't destroyed, THAT'S NOT WHAT GIVES THE GOLEM LIFE!

Again I can appreciate the spin and the attempt at offering readers something new. I truly haven't read something this creative since David Morrell's, The Totem. This book certainly has something to offer everyone, no matter what your subgenre tastes are!
Happy, uh, hunting? Slaying? Running?...Reading!

I really enjoyed slash. It has actually turned out to be one of my favorite horror books so far this year!

Thank you to Netgalley & Flame Tree Press for providing me with a copy of Slash by Hunter Shea in exchange for an honest review!

When I seen Slash announced, I knew I had to get my hands on it. Previously, I read Ghost Mine & it wasn’t necessarily my favorite read. But, I figured that had to do with subject matter, and nothing to do with Hunter Shea’s writing style.

But a SLASHER, Y’ALL? That’s right up my alley & a perfect reintroduction to Hunter Shea.

Important Note: There’s a cat in Slash named Elvira & this information is very important to me.

I thoroughly enjoyed Slash by Hunter Shea. I wasn’t entirely sure which direction it was going to take, but it started off showing the aftermath of a brutal murder and the toll it takes on the world, but more importantly on the victim. Following Ashley King’s suicide, we then dive into how Todd handles the situation.

& then surprise! We move onto the slasher portion of the story. Of course, this is where the action takes place. As with slasher films, The Wraith is a monster who for some reason just won’t go down & stay down. His kills are extreme & his powers are unreal.

From the description of The Wraith, his appearance reminds me strongly of Victor Crowley from the Hatchet franchise; which bonus points, because that’s one of my favorite slasher flicks.

Hunter Shea’s writing of Todd & his reactions to what has happened is beyond impressive. There’s a scene in Slash where Todd begins destroying things, and it shows raw human emotion; a character dealing with grief.

For me, the biggest downfall of Slash by Hunter Shea is pacing issues. The opening chapter did well with setting up the story, but it felt that it took too long to reach the pay-off of a slasher story. Once it hit a certain point though, Slash took off and there was absolutely no looking back.

When an author gets you really questioning ‘how the heck will they get out of this one?!’ & actually making you care about their escape, said author is doing a pretty damn good job. Although it wasn’t necessarily a positive ending, I liked how Shea wrapped things up (& left some things unwrapped) for readers.

It’s clear that there might be a sequel in the works, or at least a possibility of one; just as can be expected with a slasher story (kudos to you, Shea, for staying true to the sub-genre). If The Wraith was to make a return, I would definitely pick that book up as well.