Epeolatry Book Review: The Clown: A Halloween Land Story
Disclosure:
Our reviews may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links in this article we may receive a small commission or referral fee. This happens without any additional cost to you.
Title: The Clown: A Halloween Land Story
Author: Kevin J. Kennedy
Genre: horror
Publisher: KJK Publishing
Date: 1st October, 2024
Synopsis: Melissa is a fairly average teen, who lives in the small rundown coastal town of Black Island. Her only plan is to leave the first chance she gets. She is sick of weekends spent partying with her old school friends, knowing they are growing apart. She needs something more. When the carnival comes to town, the group finally have something a little different to do. Little do they know that the carnival, has its own plans for them, especially Melissa.
Even if you’ve not read Kennedy’s Halloween Land stories you can still enjoy this novella. Clowns might be scary to some (in this story for good reason), but how did they get that way? Halloween Land is a living carnival that goes from place to place looking for souls to feed herself. Over the years she has granted a select few of her victims eternal life, as long as they serve her and feed her souls.
In Black Island, Halloween Land has attracted the attention of Melissa and her friends looking for something better to do than drink the night away. Some of her friends come from broken or abusive homes. They know a thing or two about pain. Sometimes that pain brings people together. Melissa and Mika are two such people. After running with the same crowd for so long, they decide to try for something more than being just friends.
While this love blossoms, the horrors begin under the big top. When the twelve friends get trapped in the not-so-funhouse, they get split up almost immediately. All the better to scare them and make their souls all the more tasty when they die. Some will get chosen to stay in the carnival and serve Halloween Land for eternity. Others will be chosen for food. But Melissa… Melissa is in a class all her own. Halloween Land HAS to have her join. But Melissa doesn’t want to; so what kind of hell with she be put through? And what will come out the other side?
Kennedy gets you to care about the characters (even the irritating ones become more human when being stalked by monsters). I especially enjoyed the variety in his big top kills. The flip side is that Kennedy also makes the monsters relatable. We’ve all wanted to chuck it in at times. Ever wonder if you could?
/5
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Jennifer Griffin is a freelance writer in northern Michigan where she lives with her husband, three pups and year round Halloween decorations
