The Ojanox I: Scream in the Dark

I just want to thank Daemon Manx for giving me the opportunity to ARC read this for him.

This book is powerful. It brought me back to when I just discovered horror and I honestly felt like I did when I first cracked open the tommyknockers way back when. Written with the nostalgic feel of the late 80’s early 90’s horror the Ojanox will be a best seller guaranteed.

Daemon brings edge of your seat suspense built into a sleepy little town where nothing bad ever happens. The Ojanox is just a Halloween tale or so you’re told. The week before Halloween, Hell quietly breaks loose in this peaceful town. Sudden illness, murder, and suspicious activity puts the local law and doctors into a frenzy. Follow multiple different POVs as you explore the town and see every side of the events that are wreaking havoc in Garret

~ Fear seized him like a glacier, as if he had been plunged into a bath of ice water. It wrapped around his heart and threatened to stop it where he stood. It was evil, and it was only a stone’s throw from his doorstep. ~

Special thanks to @daemonmanx for giving me a chance to read this gem early on. 🩷

𝔉𝔬𝔯 𝔣𝔞𝔫𝔰 𝔬𝔣 :
🎃 Halloween Vibes
🎃 Small Town Mystery
🎃 Campfire Ghost Stories
🎃 Creature Feature
🎃 Cosmic Horror
🎃 Body Horror par excellence

𝔚𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔦𝔰 𝔦𝔱 𝔞𝔟𝔬𝔲𝔱?
The year is 1979 around Halloween in Garrett Grove, a small New York town that prepares to welcome the fall season. But in the midst of haunted houses, orange leaves and teenage romance, an ancient evil awakes and with it a strange sickness with horrible consequences.

𝔚𝔥𝔞𝔱 ℑ 𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥𝔱::

This book has it all! Short chapters, several interesting characters with unique stories, Halloween Vibes, Fall Atmosphere, body horror...and I could list so much more.

I loved the small town atmosphere and how this dark mystery affected Garrett Grove as a whole in unique ways. We had a team of doctors trying to find the cause for a truly disturbing sickness that made me whisper "oh my fu**ing god" several times, cops who worked on an eerie case and teens who were at the wrong place at the damn wrong time. Also there was one aspect that's literally my worst nightmare. 😰

I don't want to take anything away but this is SUCH a promising first book in the series and I honestly can't wait to read the other three. If you want to be disturbed but also fascinated and could celebrate Halloween every day of the year, this will be a winner for you! 🎃

I have read several other books by this author, and I am never disappointed. When he reached out to ask me about reading this book, I instantly said yes!

Scream in the Dark is a new series from the very talented, Daemon Manx. The story begins around Halloween of 1979. The town of Garrett Grove, a small New York town, is all a buzz preparing for the holiday. Troy Fisher is just a regular 10-year-old kid who loves scaring his friends. He and his best friend Rob came up with the idea of building a haunted attraction in Troys garage, they named it, Scream in the Dark.

At the same time a group of teenagers are up at the local abandoned sanitorium looking for a place to party when they realize they are being tracked by something. Something they cannot fully see, something old, and evil. Something that was recently released from deep in the earth after some digging at the quarry unearthed an ancient burial ground.

Suddenly, the town is almost overrun with a mysterious contagion. Several children and adults have taken ill and the towns sheriff is tasked with trying to find the source. The Ojanox. What is it? Where did it come from, and will the people of this quaint New York town survive?

There is nothing bad about this book that I can say. The storytelling is so intense, it just sucks you in and you will not want to put it down. The characters are well written, the pacing is spot on and the descriptions will keep you interested until the very last word. I am very much looking forward the next book! I cannot come soon enough!

Garrett Grove is a beautiful community getting ready for Halloween. Then children start getting sick. Something evil is awake, and it is hungry. The evil is spreading. Full of amazing characters, you grow to love a few you hate. Lots of moments that build dread. It is a beautifully written novel of horror. It's a not to be missed read.

This story hit the nail on the head for spooky retro vibes. I was swept up in the narrative and descriptions, feeling nostalgia for a time I haven’t even lived (90s baby here).

The author does a great job with the characters and the creature, creating a lot of anxiety and tension for the readers as we see what’s starting to unfold.

Something has awoken in the mountains of Garrett Grove. An insidious and intelligent presence is targeting the townsfolk; no one is safe, not even the children. As Halloween approaches, will there be anyone left to celebrate, or will there only be screams in the darkness as people are taken.

I was a bit bummed about the cliffhanger ending if I’m honest. I felt like things had just amped up and wham! It’s over! At least the next book in the series is available soon, because if you’re like me, things ending abruptly drive me batty! I need answers 😆

WOW! I just loved this story. Set in 79 in a small town in New York (just like the one I grew up in - without the monsters, of course). I was really taken back in time and understood how disturbing all this was for a small town. The ending came on fast, and I can’t wait to see how the series continues, as I have a lot of questions.

Thanks to Daemon for the ARC!

It’s been a long time since the premier book of a series has left me THIS hungry for more, but Daemon Manx has done it with The Ojanox I: Scream in the Dark. The way Manx paints his characters history and personalities is reminiscent of what first drew me into Stephen King’s work years ago. The attention to detail and flow make a seamless transition from the beautiful forward into the streets of Garrett Grove 1979. The horror The Ojanox bring to Garrett Grove are numerous and written in a delicious, visceral way. I loved the rich backstory we get for the characters in the town, but now I’m desperate to learn more about The Ojanox!! I feel like I’m already excited for my first re-read of this entire series because it’s a world I won’t give up easy!

Cosmic horror is a genre that is not easily written or portrayed. The horrors in the tales often include those that can not be seen or are hard to describe/comprehend. Having said that, let me say that Daemon Manx got it right in The Ojanox I: Scream in the Dark! The story begins on Halloween in 1979 which, right away, increases the creep-factor of the whole setting. The small New York town in which The Ojanox takes place is rocked by the strange occurrences that begin on this night. From illness to missing bodies, and supernatural creatures to maniacs in the making, this book has everything you could possibly want in a cosmic horrorfest! Never once did I get bored with the filler in between the action because it is all important to the plot and kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters are well rounded and each story line that will, at one point, culminate into an unbridled, knotted chain of chaos, is written in such a way that it is easy to keep up with the side stories and the main one without getting too lost in all the madness. I am really looking forward to the next installments and I am looking forward to becoming increasingly fearful of the The Ojanox!

Creepy and very entertaining.
Daemon Manx is one of my go-to Horror writers.
Cannot wait for the rest of the series!