Lucky’s Girl, A Disturbing Foray in Darkest Horror–Five Stars

I received an Advanced Review Copy in exchange for an honest review. That’s always dangerous. Somebody gives you a free book and you want to be able to say nice things. I mean, what if you hate it? Do you just not review it at all? Stick it in a dark corner of somewhere and hope they never ask about it? In some cases, writing the review is the most terrifying part of the book.

Not this time. This time it’s the book that’s terrifying, nightmare inspiring, and “Oh my goodness what did I just read” inducing.

Honestly, I don’t know what’s wrong with William Holloway. I don’t think that normal people can come up with this stuff. And to take the horror and spin it into a package that is unputdownable? That’s some deal with Satan level mischief.

Lucky also has a talent. He cannot be resisted. He’s like Jim Jones, the sirens, and Adolph Hitler all wrapped into one. When he speaks, people listen, and no matter who they were before, once Lucky has them under his sway, they are never quite the same. Kenny McCord knows this all too well. He was Lucky’s best friend, one of the few people Lucky has ever seen as something approaching an equal, as opposed to just another weak mind to be manipulated. He’s also one of the only people who has ever successfully rejected Lucky. And now there’s something awakening on Grove Island in their childhood hometown, something old and something evil. Something looking for just the kind of talent Lucky has.

Lucky’s Girl is a superb work of fiction from an up-and-coming talent with limitless potential. It bubbles over with cosmic horror and Lovecraftian dread, and should be on the must-read list for anyone who is a fan of those genres. Honestly, the only negative thing I have to say about Lucky’s Girl is that it is not for the faint of heart. This is not quiet horror. It’s raw and it’s visceral and it gets in your head and stays awhile and messes with your brain while it’s at it.

Basically, it’s brilliant.