Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Ravenous
AUTHOR: John Inman
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 262 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2020
BLURB:
Terrible things are happening in the tiny town of Spangle, California. Creatures never before seen explode from the shadows. Hunter becomes prey. Man becomes food.
After seeing his lover torn apart before his eyes, Terry Jones sets out with his little pug, Bruce, to escape the mayhem. Secluding himself in a mountain cabin, he lies low, expecting death at every moment. So lonely he almost welcomes it.
From the dreadful emptiness of this terrifying new world where every breath might be his last, a stranger appears. And beyond all imagining, love enters the picture yet again.
With someone at last to hold, Terry rediscovers his zest for life–and his fear of death.
Finally, with Jonas James at his side, he finds the courage to fight back.
REVIEW:
So, I have to give credit where it is due. Mr. Inman definitely knows how to tell a story. And while this is technically a romance, of a sort, it is a dark one. It reminds me a bit of Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’ movie times like 100. It’s a horror with romance tied in. whoo. He can definitely weave some words together. And while a few times I was a bit grossed out, it’s a good story. But, of course, I like a little strange and dark, so it suits me just fine. 😉
Terry’s husband, Bobby, has finally decided it’s time to go. With the murders of so many around them by bat-like creatures, but much worse, it’s getting bad. But it really hit home when their friends and next door neighbors were all killed. And Bobby is begging Terry to leave everything now and go to their cabin in the mountain. Terry agrees, and they decide to ‘loot’ a few places for supplies on their way out. But some punk kids decide they didn’t want them poaching on their territory and end up injuring Bobby, and before you know it, he’s eviscerated in front of Terry’s eyes. Gone in seconds. And the grief is so great, that Terry is wondering if he should just let the creatures take him as well. But he meets Jonas one day, when discovering his rabbit trap had been raided and they slowly strike up a friendship. Both struggling from grief, they cling to each other as friends. Maybe more later, but for now, they have to figure out how to kill those things before anyone else is killed, including themselves. But the government decided enough is enough and it’s a race against time to kill these beasts before they lose everything.
I was fine when the author was using the characters to describe the creatures as ‘bat-like’ to a point, but when he described the nest…..oh gah, I thought I would gag. And I’ve got a pretty strong stomach. I don’t want to give anything away, but it made me think of another movie, and I’ve got to hand it to the author again on his mad writing skills. This really was a good book. The plot was one of those that you had to almost bite your nails through the whole book, because you weren’t sure of what was going to happen next and you’re scared for the MCs. It’s that nerving. Which makes it so so good. I love the way he brought the MCs together too. It sucks that it took loss for them to ‘bond’, but they both needed a friend and someone to talk to and maybe support them and it was good to see that they had each other as friends, if nothing else. But they also had a common bond in that they didn’t want to see anyone else suffer. Especially after Jonas got to see some things up close and personal like Terry did. They gave each other the courage to fight and live for another day. And to fight for those who can’t fight as well.
It’s not a story for the light hearted. I will tell you that. But I will also tell you, this book is worth every word. It’s a well written story, so descriptive and a good plot. I’m just still grossed out by the nest. You’ll see what I mean. I hope you guys give it a chance. I recommend it.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS: