Cover Image: Boys in the Valley

Boys in the Valley

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Member Reviews

I would like to begin this review with an excerpt of my review for Fracassi's previous book, Gothic, which I read last year:

"So there are highlights, lowlights, and a little in-between. I wouldn't hesitate to read more from this author, he definitely knows his way around keyboard, and I hope his future offerings give me the chills I'm looking for."

I'm thrilled to tell you that Fracassi hit me right in my horror loving heart this time around. While I really hate book comparisons made by publishers I have to admit that The Exorcist meets Lord of the Flies is a perfect fit for this novel.

It's the turn of the century when Peter is brought to St. Vincent's Orphanage for Boys after the horrific death of his parents. Here he lives with many other boys working the fields and subsisting on meager rations of food. Father Poole doles out punishments with glee and no one wants to find themselves in "the hole".

Peter, now 16, finds that many of the younger boys look up to him. He makes it his personal mission to take these boys under his wing protecting them from some of the other bullies that also reside in the orphanage.

One night, while the boys are sleeping in their dormitory, they hear a loud commotion. Men have arrived demanding that the priests help them. They have sick passenger and nowhere else to go. The priests, unable to turn them away, decide they will do what they can to help.

They never knew the hell they were about to unleash until it was far too late.

"When the man died," he says warily, as if he isn't sure he wants the answers he's seeking, "Something strange happened inside the dormitory. The doors were thrown open, as if by a strong wind. And the cross....it fell to the floor. It was as if...."

Andrew waits, trying to temper his own apprehension.

"As if something entered that room, Father," Peter says, his eyes no longer delirious, or frightened, or feverish. They look at Andrew steadily. Assured. "As if, something had come inside...and settled there."

Fracassi went full throttle into the world of possession and all the horrifying details that entails. It's brutal, gory, and action packed from start to finish. Don't be fooled into thinking this is going to be some kind of YA horror tale, being that most of the cast are kids, this is an adult horror novel through and through. The one thing that surprised me the most is how much I cared about some of these characters. Peter was perfectly realized and I adored him. I loved how selfless he was and how much he cared about everyone around him. I don't think I'll forget him for a long time to come.

I also need to mention what an excellent writer Fracassi is. This is a man that was born to write. I was so very impressed with what he accomplished here. The older I get the more I struggle to find horror writers I enjoy. A lot of horror novels are too campy, too cheesy, too amateurish, too sexualized. Not the case here. THIS is the literary horror novel I've been craving and Fracassi delivered in spades. Amen! 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for my complimentary copy.

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Horror has always been an avenue to expose the ways forced conformity and submission will breed its own strains of evil. Set in an isolated Catholic orphanage with unsavoury, masochistic adults, vicious demons, and creepy children, Boys in the Valley is easily one of the more immersive horror books to come out this year and has the pace and scares for horror movie buffs too.

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"The Exorcist meets Lord of the Flies, by way of Midnight Mass, in Boys in the Valley, a brilliant coming-of-age tale from award-winning author Philip Fracassi."

Told through several POV's we start off learning about some of the boys at St Vincent's Orphanage for Boys and the horrors that brought them to the orphanage. But as several of the boys begin to behave strangely, terror begins to build throughout the orphanage. With each turn of the page I could feel the weight of pending doom. The atmosphere in this book is excellent - an isolated location cut off by the current snowstorm - all the while knowing that the worst horror that these boys will face is not in their past, but yet to come.
I read a quote by Stephen King calling this book "classic horror" and I completely agree; it's creepy, gory and a scary good read!
The magic in this story is in the telling, just so well written.

Thank you to @netgalley and @tornightfire for the gifted copy of this book.

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TW: Language, drinking, toxic family relationships, domestic abuse, death by suicide, bullying, violence, gory scenes, blood, blasphemy

<b><big>*****SPOILERS*****</b></big>
<b>About the book:</b>St. Vincent's Orphanage for Boys. Turn of the century, in a remote valley in Pennsylvania.Here, under the watchful eyes of several priests, thirty boys work, learn, and worship. Peter Barlow, orphaned as a child by a gruesome murder, has made a new life here. As he approaches adulthood, he has friends, a future... a family.Then, late one stormy night, a group of men arrive at their door, one of whom is badly wounded, occult symbols carved into his flesh. His death releases an ancient evil that spreads like sickness, infecting St. Vincent's and the children within. Soon, boys begin acting differently, forming groups. Taking sides.Others turn up dead.Now Peter and those dear to him must choose sides of their own, each of them knowing their lives — and perhaps their eternal souls — are at risk.
<b>Release Date:</b> July 11th, 2023
<b>Genre:</b> Horror
<b>Pages:</b> 335
<b>Rating:</b> ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

<b>What I Liked:</b>
1. Some truly creepy parts
2. Scary scenes that set the atmosphere

<b>What I Didn't Like:</b>
1. Female voices
2. Bored with story
3. Childish story feel

<b>Overall Thoughts:</b>
I've been reading this book on and off through audio and physically reading the book when I can sit down and I'm going to tell you the narrator doing the female voice drove me insane. That was just terrible. No offense to the narrator it just wasn't good.

I hate it all these priests. The way they treated the boys as a way of power but covering it with religion and saying that God would want it this way is just ludicrous. I love when people use religion to cover up abuse.

I don't know what it was but I found my mind wandering while I was reading this. I should say that I absolutely despised Lord of the Flies <i><b>BUT</I></B> I liked Midnight Mass a lot. As I was reading along though I found it hard to feel like that was what I was indeed reading. Okay bear with me but my boyfriend watches 1923 and in it there is these Christian missionaries schools. The plot of that is based on the reality of assimilation programs of indigenous women forced to be "proper humans." Nuns run the school and a priest. They abuse the girls. So, while reading this book the plot of the boys felt very similar to the realities of 1923. There's more but then I'd be spoiling the show.

This whole time pretty much all the people have been abusing and hurting the children so I didn't understand when the killing began then all the adults started caring about the children. So much so that they would even like stop leaving the house to go get help turn around and come and help the kids that were in the ground. It just didn't seem likely that people who didn't care at the beginning now care. I do understand that there were a few adults that did care but not as many that are helping now to save them.

The gore was definitely here. I was actually surprised how they managed to carry it through the book. Some scenes were downright creepy.

<b>Final Thoughts:</b>
As I continued to read about the boys that started getting possessed, mostly Bartleby it just felt a little bit like I was reading Grady Hendrix's How to Sell a Haunted House. It had this cartoonish feeling to the horror that felt like I was in a Goosebumps story. The door was definitely rated R but the story came across very PG in the writing style. I found myself only really interested in the story once the gore was happening. But once the gore was gone and it went to violence I just kind of clocked out. The boys lacked enough interesting things to make me want to know more about what was going to happen.

This story wasn't bad for me but I think I wanted something more - I am unsure of what that means. It was just a meh story for me. I really appreciated the gore though because that was some wicked creepy stuff.

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<font face="times new roman" size="12pt"><i><b>Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Night fire for this gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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I like a good horror, whether it be movie or book. My one caveat though is that there must be a glimmer of hope. This book was dark, creepy, and quite horrifying at times. It got graphic especially with the boys attacking the others. I almost stopped reading at the chapel massacre because it just got to be too much but picked it back up, hoping that there would be a light and that maybe there might be a chance of survival for the innocent.

However, when I finally got to the end, I was left going no no no. Peter gave up his dreams and future for this? I was very disappointed. This book was too dark and my hopes when ever something good happened were dashed a minute later with more death. I think my head was in the wrong place to enjoy but this is my honest opinion. But if you like death and carnage, possessions and destruction, then you will probably enjoy this.

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Book Summary:

St. Vincent's Orphanage for Boys – thanks to years of literary tales, we know how foreboding or dangerous such a place can be. We know that it may not be the haven it presents itself as.

This is where Peter Barlow grew up after being orphaned at a young age. For the most part, Peter has done a decent job of making a new life for himself. Until one night, a dying man shows up on the orphanage's doorstep, releasing an ancient evil and wreaking havoc.

My Review:

I'll be honest: I wasn't sure what to expect from Boys in the Valley. When it comes to this sort of backstory, it can go in several different directions (not all of them good). That said, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found within.

Boys in the Valley is one of those books that perfectly blends multiple genres: historical fiction, thriller, horror, and even a bit of coming-of-age vibes. I adore it when a book blurs these lines, making it less predictable and much more original.

Primarily, I loved the horror elements. It's that time of year when I can't get enough of spooky reads, and Boys in the Valley sure fits the bill!

Highlights:
Coming of Age
Historical Fiction
Murder/Thriller

Trigger Warnings:
Kid/Animal Concerns

Thanks to Tor Nightfire and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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I'll definitely keep my eye out for more from Fracassi. this book and its horror/gore scenes were so well written and visceral, even if the story itself wasn't always my cup of tea - I think i've realized I don't really enjoy *historical* type of horror in general, but this was definitely a top notch one.

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i wasn't expecting to be as scared or thrilled as i was. great one for a spooky october night. not as juvenile as the cover may make it seem. pairs well with THE NUN (the movie)

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St. Vincent’s is an isolated orphanage where thirty boys live under the watchful eye of Catholic priests.

However, one snowy night, when a sheriff brings in a dying man covered in strange occult symbols, all hell breaks loose. Evil spreads through the orphanage and so does panic, causing alliances to form between the boys in a fight for survival.

Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi is a bone-chilling religious horror that explores the nature of good and evil, group psychology, and how fear can act as a powerful contagion.

However, I think my main issue with the story is that it inexplicably switches between first and third person. The main boy we follow, Peter's chapters, are written in first-person while other characters are in third person, and I wish either the POVs had been consistent throughout or the story had been set up more purposefully—for instance, making the book a frame narrative with Peter recounting the events or turning it into an epistolary novel with diary entries from the various orphans sprinkled throughout.

Minor gripes aside though, this book is a riveting read that delivers some genuinely unsettling and gruesome scenes and is a must-read for fans of possession or survival horror.

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Once I finished this novel, I found myself incredibly conflicted on how I felt about it in the end. The concept of this novel was so interesting to me and I found the prologue to be such an impactful 'cold open' that left me feeling drained, but in the best way. Before going into too many details, this is my general review. After the prologue, the first half of the book was not as interesting or engaging for me and I found myself almost forgetting that I was even trying to read it. The second half is what saved this book for me and brought it to a 3.5/5. Ultimately, I really enjoyed this book. There were a few issues that I had with it but it was a solid book with interesting things happening and children in situations and dealing with bullshit that no child should ever have to deal with. I truly am excited to read more of Philip's work, but I will say that I hope there is more character development in the future. The ending of this book could've had the potential to make me absolutely ugly cry if I cared more about them. I did indeed tear up though.

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If The exorcist possessed Lord of the Flies, the result would be Boys in the Valley.
What impressed me was the quality of the villains masterfully written: ten to fourteen-year-olds doing indescribable hideous things. The violence is shocking and the author did not spare the little ones. Possessed children kill adults and adults kill the children in self-defense, and sometimes with a touch of cruelty.
It is not a book for everybody because of its graphic violent scenes. It is a great story nonetheless.

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This book goes zero to sixty very quickly.

Imagine being an impoverished orphan, living in a backwoods orphange under the rule of a despot, and then things get significantly worse late one night. A group of mysterious men barge in to the orphanage, with a strange tale of evilness and possession. Will good or evil prevail?

This fast-paced book is very intense. There are a few trigger warnings: child death and animal death, although it's not graphically described. It's a really great book for the upcoming fall/Halloween season.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

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Well the Lord of the Flies comp was SPOT ON. That was one of my favorite books as a kid, so it was nice to get something that gave me that similar feeling from reading that book. This one is was really interesting too because of the author's takes on similar themes that Lord of the Flies had. This book is scary as well. I felt fear in my bones from it. It is dark and it has a lot of hefty things to accomplish within its relatively short pages, but it manages to do so almost seamlessly. There's so much to love about this gripping horror and I'm very glad I read it.

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This novel had all of my favorite elements! Isolation, possession, extreme weather conditions, good vs. evil, coming of age, and extreme suspense. I couldn't get enough! This was my first experience with a novel by author Philip Fracassi, but it surely will not be my last. His storytelling style will appeal to anyone that wants to sit on the edge of their seat and read with the lights on. Bc of the combination of the possession and isolation, I had to put this book down when it got too late at night. And in my opinion that is the sign of top notch horror. Read this! You won't be disappointed!
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this awesome novel. It was *chef's kiss* and 5 stars! Highly recommend to all horror lovers.

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A masterpiece of horror! Modern day classic. This book sucked me in and I read it in one sitting. The author had me caring for all the characters and what would happen to them. It was beautifully written and heartbreaking while being terrifying the entire time.

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Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐
✝️
This book makes me feel confused. Not by what happened but by how I feel about it. I really enjoyed my time with this book but it also wasn't the best book I've ever read. The author is a talented writer and the themes/setting were things that I personally enjoy but I feel like there were no surprises in the writing.
✝️
The whole plot is given away very early on and honestly if you read the synopsis you basically know what's gonna happen. It's pretty straightforward that what you think will happen, happens except the one place I really thought this was going... it didn't. 😂 I thought there would be more social commentary on the Catholic church and humans as a whole but it's basically a big gory, messy, blood bath (in the best way).
✝️
I'm not sure if it was just me but I found it very easy to figure out who to trust and who not to trust so once again no surprises for me there. The characters were ok but I never felt super connected to any of them for some reason....
✝️
Do you see my dilemma now? It sounds like I wouldn't recommend this book but that's not really the case (I actually liked it I swear). If you enjoy religious horror, terrifying children and slasher vibes then I absolutely would recommend this book! It also does really well with making a close proximity, claustrophobic setting feel very intense and exciting.
✝️
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
✝️
***Trigger warnings include but may not be limited to, murder, suicide, death of loved ones (including a baby), torture and abuse of minors, manipulation and death of animals.***

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Philip Fracassi continues to up his game with each new release. This novel displays all of his considerable talent as a dark and imaginative storyteller. The shifting POV and tense pacing keep the frightening story moving toward a grim and satisfying end.

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Boys In the Valley is a classic Horror story; an absolutely delightful scarefest that gripped me from the start.

In the opening scene, we meet a young boy on the night that he loses both of his parents and his home in one bloody tragedy. The violence of this scene aptly sets the tone for the entire story, tense and atmospheric.
From there, we find ourselves at St. Vincent's Orphanage for Boys, a self-contained parochial orphanage and school set in a remote valley in Pennsylvania.

It's the early 1900s and being in such a location makes for a dire lifestyle. The boys at the orphanage, under the careful watch of several priests, grow their own food and only ever socialize with one another. There are occasional supply runs to a distant farm, but only one of the priests, Father Andrew, and one of the older boys, Peter, ever go. For the rest of the boys, the grounds and the orphanage make up their entire world.

On a dark and dreary night, as all the boys lie in their bunks in the dorm, they hear a disturbance below. Someone has come seeking help from the priests. It's a group of men, one of whom is badly injured. The injured man is raving, dangerous, he has occult symbols carved all over his body. As the priests attempt to aid him, he dies suddenly, releasing an ancient evil with his last breath.

The boys upstairs aren't privy to these events, but as the doors to their dorm room suddenly burst open and the cross hanging sentry above their door falls to the ground, many can feel a shift in atmosphere. Soon a few of the boys begin acting strangely. They're suspicious and mean, bullying in ways they never attempted before. They begin forming groups and taking sides.

Peter, the oldest and golden boy of the orphanage, an aspiring priest, becomes the unofficial leader of one side, as another boy, Bartholomew, leads the dark side .As the tension rises, so does the danger and before the innocents can even wrap their minds around it, all hell breaks loose at St. Vincent's. It's chaos.

Fracassi transported me with this story. I loved the historical feel and the remote setting was so well done. I felt like I was there in the dark and the cold. I literally felt cold and I read this during one of the hottest weeks of the years. That's a damn good story.

It scared me. There were scenes, particularly in the beginning as it begins unfolding, that got my pulse-racing. I was simultaneously horrified and delighted. This felt like a treat to read. There are no tricks, or gimmicks. It's just a well-told, well-plotted, well-developed, atmospheric, engaging and creepy tale. A story that could be told just as easily around a campfire, as read in the silence of your own room at night. It's got that epic good-versus-evil feel, but stripped down to a fluid Lord of the Flies meets The Exorcist combination.

I would absolutely recommend this to any Horror fan, particularly if you are creeped out by things like religion and kids. If you are, this will play right into your sweet spots. Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm really excited to pick up more from this author!

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𝟯.𝟱 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗦 𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗗 𝗨𝗣

“𝕲𝖚𝖎𝖑𝖙 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖍𝖆𝖙𝖊 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖗𝖆𝖌𝖊 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖉𝖊𝖊𝖕, 𝖉𝖊𝖊𝖕 𝖋𝖊𝖆𝖗 𝖋𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍 𝖍𝖎𝖒 𝖑𝖎𝖐𝖊 𝖎𝖈𝖞 𝖜𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖗. 𝕾𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖎𝖓𝖘𝖎𝖉𝖊 𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖈𝖍𝖊𝖘𝖙, 𝖎𝖓 𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖞 𝖘𝖔𝖚𝖑, 𝖇𝖊𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖘 𝖉𝖎𝖘𝖑𝖔𝖉𝖌𝖊𝖉—𝖆𝖓 𝖆𝖑𝖒𝖔𝖘𝖙 𝖙𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖑𝖊 𝖘𝖊𝖓𝖘𝖊 𝖔𝖋 𝖑𝖔𝖘𝖘—𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝖎𝖙 𝖘𝖑𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖘 𝖔𝖚𝖙 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖆𝖜𝖆𝖞, 𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍 𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖋𝖑𝖊𝖘𝖍, 𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖒𝖚𝖈𝖐, 𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖆𝖇𝖞𝖘𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖑𝖎𝖊𝖘 𝖇𝖊𝖞𝖔𝖓𝖉, 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖊𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖓𝖆𝖑 𝖉𝖆𝖗𝖐𝖓𝖊𝖘𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖜𝖆𝖎𝖙𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖘𝖚𝖒𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖜𝖍𝖎𝖈𝖍 𝖜𝖊 𝖑𝖔𝖘𝖊, 𝖜𝖍𝖎𝖈𝖍 𝖜𝖊 𝖌𝖎𝖛𝖊 𝖆𝖜𝖆𝖞, 𝖜𝖍𝖎𝖈𝖍 𝖎𝖘 𝖙𝖆𝖐𝖊𝖓.”

atmosphere? stunning
sense of dread? overwhelming
sympathy for the kids? yes, for once (those who know me know that this is a rare occurrence)
scariness factor? solid 6 out of 10

religion is effed up y’all. that’s the takeaway here for me

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I didn't like this as much as most people seemed to - I felt it was a little drawn out and predictable for me. While not all of the violence was graphic (I don't mind graphic if it fits)- the aftermath of it was.

I'm not a huge fan of these orphanage schools run by the church because I feel they were horrific without adding any supernatural stuff. Hundreds of kids died in these schools from being beaten and starved that to me is scary in itself. The creep factor wasn't there for me in this one either.

There were definitely some really good parts to the story, the friendships between the boys was excellent and really sort of set the stage for some of the drama. I also really liked the struggle of Peter to decide whether to become a priest or to have a life with Grace.

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