Hello everyone! I hope that you are well. I have been doing wonderfully. My newest son was born February 10th, so I have been home but it does not feel like a month has passed already. I am not going to get into the mundane family details but it has been nice to be home with my husband and kids for a while. But let’s not waste time, you are here to read about this book!
Today I am reviewing The Girl in the Corn by Jason Offutt. This was a free audio-book copy I was allowed to read via NetGalley. I was thrilled to have the chance to read this novel. A horror story filled with dark Fae, demons, and murder…this is right up my alley.
The Girl in the Corn
Author: Jason Offutt
Publisher: CamCat Books
Published: January 10, 2023
Book Length: 400 Pages
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Paranormal
Buy the book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository
Beware of what lurks in the corn.
Fairies don’t exist. At least that’s what Thomas Cavanaugh’s parents say. But the events of that one night, when he follows a fairy into the cornfield on his parents’ farm, prove them wrong. What seems like a destructive explosion was, Thomas knows, an encounter with Dauðr, a force that threatens to destroy the fairy’s world and his sanity.
Years later, after a troubled childhood and a series of dead-end jobs, he is still haunted by what he saw that night. One day he crosses paths with a beautiful young woman and a troubled young man, soon realizing that he first met them as a kid while under psychiatric care after his encounters in the cornfield. Has fate brought them together? Are they meant to join forces to save the fairy’s world and their own? Or is one of them not who they claim to be?
It has been a while since I read a horror novel and I was so excited that this one filled my craving. I was pleased with the narrator, Josh Bloomberg. Articulation was clear and I enjoyed how each of the main characters had their own voice inflections. It was easy to tell who’s point of view the story was being told from at the time.
This is a dual point of view novel. We follow both Bobby and Tommy as they navigate their lives after meeting a dark Fae or dark elf as it is mentioned in one part of the book. The plot was laced with Norse lore which I really loved. Many may need to search specific terminology if they are unfamiliar with Norse lore.
The story begins with Bobby and Tommy as young boys that find themselves in trouble but not the same kind…one dies while the other kills. One is seemingly good while the other is bad. They both encounter something mythical that they grow closer too as time goes on. One partners with a faery while the other the ally of a demon. The story follows both of them as their lives grow apart and then back together, bringing Tommy and Bobby in and out of one another’s lives as they move through childhood and into adulthood. There were a few times that it may be a little hard to keep up with the time switches and how much time has passed.
I really enjoyed this audio-book, so much so that it was hard for me to pause it. I tried to find any excuse to listen to it…while driving, doing dishes, cooking, folding laundry, etc. I even listened while breastfeeding the baby! That being said, I do not recommend listening with young children around. There are swear words and talk at one point of one boy touching another’s penis without consent. This can also serve as a trigger warning for some.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author in the future. This just might be a good read for you if you are looking for a dark horror novel with Norse mythology and fantasy twists laced in the pages. Pick this book up and give a lesser known author a chance, you may find a new favorite.
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