Horrificata Book 1

This is a creepy and squicky book!

So, this is listed for ages 12-18. I'd say that it trends middle school and is perfect for a kid who likes the scares and just the right amount of gross, but still appreciates a little bit of silliness.

The characters are wonderful - you've definitely got some school dynamics here - and the reader can definitely relate to them.

The book has its silly moments mixed in with the scares, and is honestly just an entertaining romp.

It's book one in the series, but definitely has the potential for many more books!

Happy I read this one.

*ARC via Publisher

Desmond Kingsley loves football and HATES school – especially science.

So when he’s trapped in detention with outcasts Dee, Craven, Todd and complete lunatic Blob, while someone unleashes chemicals at the school, turning almost everyone into mindless shambling corpses…or worse, he’ll have more than his grades to worry about!

What is the Horrificata? Who is the masked man with the axe? Is this going to be on the test – and most importantly, is he going to miss the football?

With the right mix of talents in the ragtag group of survivors...they might get through the school day.

Horrificata: School’s Dead Boring

Surviving school now has a whole new meaning.

This was a fun and easy read that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. Russell created likable protagonists (a zany band of unlikely reprobates who found themselves stuck in detention) and eccentric and strange antagonists (mad science teacher and strict principal) that really kept the plot afloat.

In a generation where the zombie genre is overdone I thought this was an interesting and fresh homage and gave me total ‘Goosebumps’ feels! I will def be recommending this series to my students and I will also be checking out Book 2 - I hope Russell keeps the same cast as I feel invested now.

"Desmond Kingsley loves football and HATES school – especially science.

So when he’s trapped in detention with outcasts Dee, Craven, Todd and complete lunatic Blob, while someone unleashes chemicals at the school, turning almost everyone into mindless shambling corpses…or worse, he’ll have more than his grades to worry about!"

I love horror stories so when I had the chance to read one with my teenager, I was excited to see if he would love it as much as I did - and I wasn't disappointed! He loved it! He's not a huge reader, so the fact that he read the entire book quickly told me everything I needed to know about it. Of course, I read it myself so we could discuss it (gotta throw some educational conversation in there!), and we actually liked all the same parts. I thought the characters were great and the story was a lot of fun. There was just enough "gross" in there to keep it interesting, and there were some great twists regarding how the zombies came to be and who was behind it.

This book is recommended for the 12 to 18 age group and I agree with that recommendation. It has enough humor thrown in with the gore to keep that age group interested. Anything that gets kids reading is a good thing, and I think this book fits that bill.

In summary, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

5/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

*Teen read
*Zombies
*Highschool Setting 🏆
*Science-y ⚗️
*Likeable characters & protagonist
*Fast-paced action
*Fun & suspenseful

There was more to this than I expected going in. Overall it was quite enjoyable!

If the Breakfast Club meets the Walking Dead , this would be their kid

Why : teens in detention at school when everything hits the fan and they have to find away to get out safe and sound .

So yep it kind of reminded me of those two the Breakfast Club meets the Walking Dead, with all of the best parts from both of them , runny through the school, the blood and gore, the mixture of mix of scares, humour .And trying to not get caught .