Boys in the Valley

Description

Price: $26.99 - $8.49
(as of Jul 27, 2024 08:28:02 UTC – Details)

By: Philip Fracassi (Author)

“Old-school horror.” ―Stephen King

The…

Reviews

  1. The Nerdy Narrative

    Best religious horror book I’ve read in YEARS
    Wow. Philip Fracassi was relentless with his pacing, his ability to develop his characters, even while they’re embroiled in the ultimate fight for survival against the demonic darkness that has infested St. Vincent’s.Once again, one of my Patrons has picked a 5 star read for me! (Thank you so much, Tara!)BOYS IN THE VALLEY is my first book by Philip Fracassi and friends, believe me when I say later tonight or tomorrow at latest, I’ll be starting my next book of his, A CHILD ALONE WITH STRANGERS. Thanks to viewer Shaun Rosel, I have this one here to read because I think I’ve just found my next favorite author!Winter has arrived at St. Vincent’s Orphange for Boys, located in a remote valley of Pennsylvania. (Winter is my favorite season for a horror novel to occur in!) The orphanage is at full capacity – 32 boys – as well as a handful of priests that serve as teachers and guides.Late one night, a group of men arrive hoping to secure Father Poole’s assistance in saving a gravely wounded man…a man that needs saving in more than one sense of the word. His flesh is marked with savage cuts forming occult symbols, he speaks with voices not his own and at times in a language no one understands.Ultimately, this man loses his life and in doing so, unleashes an evil upon St. Vincent’s. In the days following, some of the boys begin to act differently. Others disappear, only to be found dead due to mysterious circumstances.What follows is an epic battle between Light and Dark where some find that in the face of such evil, their faith fails them. The two sides struggle: against each other and the harsh winter storm raging outside, cutting off any possible escape. It’s not enough to just survive, the only hope is to win.Fracassi was amazing with his story structure. He was able to introduce and develop characters for the reader to root for (and later some to root against), he changed up point of view perspective between chapters and sections in order to give the entire scope of what occurred at this orphanage. The author’s atmospheric writing style often gave me goosebumps with its ominous foreshadowing, the demonic possession of the boys terrified me and at times, I swear I felt the warmth and light coming off the page in places. I was addicted.While I did successfully mark several bits of foreshadowing leading up to the climax, I was still astonished at the outcome. I’m not going to lie, I had tears in my eyes for the last chapter. This book, while I’m not a religious person, made me feel. I can’t get any more detailed than that without giving away crucial spoilers, but if you’ve read it, then you know. If you haven’t read it, you’ll know it when you read it.This book, its story, has a power all its own.A heartfelt thanks to my Patrons for their support towards my enthusiasm for reading and reviewing!Special thanks to my highest level Patrons: Ev, Sharon, Andrew, Stacy, Amanda L., Kate, Gail, Amanda F., Lourdes, Tara, John, Sharon A-B, Ann, Chad K. & Ashley E.

  2. Kindle Customer

    Heavy Bodycount!
    This is a wonderfully tense premise: an over-crowded Catholic orphanage with too many mouths to feed and too few Fathers to staff the grounds. The orphanage lies in the middle of an isolated valley with the closest residence being the Hill Farm, and this is several miles away. From here, the setup breaks into full-fledged horror when a stranger arrives in the middle of the night during a snowstorm…and everything begins to change.I don’t think I can detail much more without spoiling the plot developments. Suffice it to say, something goes very wrong in the orphanage, some of the boys begin to change, and the rest are trapped with them because the snow rises too quickly for anyone to leave and survive the journey.The book moves fast, the action is unflinching, and there is a tremendous body count by the finale. There were notes of humor, emotion, and a truly bittersweet ending that will leave you deep in thought.My only complaint? I wanted more time with the characters before some of them died! There were many interesting, vulnerable, complex personalities I wanted to spend time with, but via a combination of bloodletting and the book’s length, I didn’t get to visit with them as long as I liked.On the other hand, if you like action, fast pacing, and a fantastic setup, give this book a try! It’s a wild ride.

  3. Amazon Customer

    didn’t know what to expect, but boy oh boy what a great novel!
    Philip Fracassi is an amazing author i was previously unaware of until a rather enthusiastic fan base recommend this as well as A Child alone with Strangers. It did not dissapoint! Great charachter development, fast paced story telling and what a story. This should easily be on the screen soon.

  4. katlin

    Must read for any horror lover!
    I would like to start by saying this is my first Philip Fracassi novel and certainly not my last.I am not a forever fan!Boys in the valley is a chilling story of boys in a Catholic orphanage who are faced with an unspeakable evil.I do not want to give any spoilers because it is an amazing story. Philip Fracassi has built a world with dept and so much detail.He has done such an amazing job sucking you in with compassion for theses young boys and then building tension that will send chills down your spine!I highly recommend and cannot wait to pick up another one of his books!

  5. Navi

    This book lives rent-free in my head. I cannot get over how brilliant it was!

  6. Bia

    Chegou em boas condições e corresponde á descriçao e imagens

  7. Craig

    A heart-pounding, thrilling tale of possession and isolation. Highly recommended for any fan of classic horror, or anyone that just wants a well-written, creepy read.

  8. Lorenzo Benatti

    This novel relies on pretty traditional tropes, but the delicacy of the narration makes it worth your time.

  9. Razoemichin

    The writing style resembles some better porn novels I read: slightly poetic and very intensely focused, thereby mesmerizing. Yet, regularly it falls back into plain American.I did not like the bleakness of this book, in the weather and the setting. Yet it was used well for the story about the battle between good and evil. The boys of an orphanage led by priests have to fight against demonic forces. In a crucial scene at the end, the priest-figure evokes the presence of God to try and shine away the demons. Though this scene is well written, I did not like that the priest specifically called upon the Roman Catholic God. That felt like he was limiting the power of Love. Maybe this explains why there were so many sacrifices on the good side.Now I mainly mentioned the cons. But the novel is well written and very intense. Though I would have wished less sacrifices, more sunshine and a bit more romance between the protagonist and his girl, I rate this book 4 stars.

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