Simply put, one of the best horror books I've read in a long time. Excellent and gripping all the way through.

*4.75 stars

Here I am reading another Philip Fracassi novel; this just cements the fact that he is one of my favorite authors. Boys in the Valley was such an enjoyable read for me. It, along with Fracassi's other works, always just flow so well. This book in particular truly read like a horror movie to me. While at first glance the concept didn't seem "fresh," I can easily say I've never read anything like this before. An eerie coming-of-age tale that is worth a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was creepy! I enjoyed every minute of it! I plan on reading the audiobook as well. Hopefully it will be just as good.

Good Versus Evil!

It is the early 1900's when little Peter who is nine years old experiences a horror that no child should ever experience and it will be forever burned in mind, heart and dreams when he loses the warmth and safety of his family all in one night. Peter will be sent to a boys orphanage run by priests which will become his home and family until he turns eighteen unless he runs away as so many other boys had done in the past.

The story begins seven years later where Peter is one of the oldest boys among a group of 30 or more. Peter has always been a good boy and has become a leader and role model without even trying and all the younger children respect and look to him for comfort and guidance when needed. It's a very hard life that the boys live. The head priest is strict beyond words and if any of the rules are broken, there are no excuses accepted and the punishments given out are more than cruel. So this is why all the boys help one another to avoid breaking a rule.

Sadly, the more children there are the less food they get to eat and each meal is so sparse that hunger is always in their minds as the sounds of stomachs groan and rumble night after night. The boys are assigned daily chores from morning until supper time along with daily mass and prayer time. This is the life they live until their thin and sometimes frail bodies leave the orphanage. They reside in Pennsylvania so the winters are very brutal with many blizzards and the orphanage can be snowed in for weeks at a time. Every winter that passes brings illness with the freezing temperatures and the boys worry if they will lose another member of their small knit family since many the sickly children will not survive until the springtime.

One night a group of men including the sheriff bring a wounded man to their door begging for help from the priests to help save the man's life. The priests discover an assortment of occult carvings on the man's skin along with a gunshot wound but the priests know he needs spiritual help far more than physical care. Awful, strange and hideous sounds come from the man and the inhuman strength he exudes as he breaks the restraints and attacks a deputy and a few others brings death to the orphanage and an unseen evil presence will be left behind to assault the spiritually weak and it will gain strength in its numbers as two groups will emerge where the boys will be pitted against one another while the evil grows quickly fighting for dominance and will not leave any boy or priest untouched by it's malevolent power.


This book was terrifying in the creeping of insideous evil that I could feel through the pages that I read. The book was had such a frightening effect on me that I was afraid to read it in the.middle of the night. I haven't experienced those feelings with reading a book in a very long time. It's such a difference between being afraid and feeling creeped out which I find in reading many horror books. This novel was downright horrifyingly scary!

This book will appeal to any horror lover but if you were raised Catholic and especially if you attended parochial schools years ago then this book may have a big impact on the reader as far as the sinister evil attacking a Catholic orphanage and all those within because of their belief systems between good and evil.and the cruelty and abuse these children suffered on a daily basis. Please, don't get me wrong you don't have to be religious to understand or be entertained by the story because I can't imagine any reader not being affected by this very, very creepy book. The beautiful, atmospheric writing by "Philip Fracassi" was a complete reading experience. The characters were so relatable and my heartstrings were continuously tugged and pulled throughout the novel from page one until the very last page. I felt so many different emotions while reading this book while feeling tears welling up in my eyes so many times.

The writing was absolutely stellar! Fracassi did not overwrite or be repetitive with his descriptions yet he captured all the essence of youth and innocence combined with the coming of age to these boys that I felt I was right there with the boys experiencing their pain and terror and I was so emotionally caught up with each child that it hurt my heart. An amazing effect that the powerful writing had on myself. This book will be an unforgettable read for me and I just can't say enough about the exquisite writing and flow of words that brought out so many unexpected feelings and the fear factor, wow, wow, wow! I hope this talented author continues to write many stories along this line and hopefully this will be on the bestseller list for a.long, long time.

I highly recommend this horror novel!

I sincerely want to thank the author "Philip Francassi" the publisher "Tor Publishing Group/ Tor Fire" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this fantastic book and any thoughts or opinions express are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given a rating of 5 TERRIFYING AND HEART SHATTERING 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

This novel was terrifying in such a good way! I simply could not put it down. The terror starts from the first page and doesn’t let up.

Peter, who just lost both of his parents to an unspeakable tragedy, finds himself in an orphanage, which sounds more like a concentration camp. He somehow manages to remain sane and adapt to his new surroundings, but the event that transpires one fateful night changes everything for him and all the residents of the orphanage, children and staff alike. This story reminded me of Children of the Corn, or any one of Stephen King’s masterpieces of terror, and that’s a huge compliment.

All the characters are fully fleshed out and the ending brings everything together. I felt I could relate to many of them, boys and adults alike. They were believable and real. I'm so happy I decided to pick this up. I kept thinking this would make a great film or TV series. Yes, it's that good.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire for the digital ARC via NetGalley!

I was provided an ARC via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This would be a great fall/winter read as it is set in the cold winter of Pennsylvania farmlands. There is nothing for miles surrounding the orphanage of St. Vincent's. When evil comes knocking on the front door of the orphanage one snowy night, the poor boys of the orphanage and their souls are in danger. You could really feel the buildup of suspense not only as the snowstorm was building but as the madness within the orphanage was taking over and reaching its peak.

This is my first book by Fracassi, but I grabbed it immediately when I saw it was available. I will have to check out more of his books. This wasn't overly gory, but it was the kind of suspenseful horror that I love. The worldbuilding made me feel like I was in the orphanage and I really felt Peter's conflict between his faith and his worldly desires. He really gave the story the atmospheric vibe it needed to go along with the terrifying acts that were playing out. I think it was made even more horrific by the fact that it was children carrying out the acts and you weren't sure if it was just madness or if something more sinister and paranormal was at play.

I really liked how the author played with the different perspectives in telling the story. We get to see the story from a few different views as things unfold and each of the characters is tested as the chaos around them unfolds. They struggle with faith, humanity, madness, and protecting those in their care as the storm around them rages.

I really enjoyed this! I highly recommend it!

I can say, horror books don’t often unsettle me; I appreciate the creep factor in them, but they don’t often leave me feeling uncomfortable. Well, Philip Fracassi (@pfracassi) succeeded in creeping me the f*ck out with BOYS IN THE VALLEY from Tor Nightfire. This was downright scary; think LORD OF THE FLIES by way of THE EXORCIST.

At an all boys catholic orphanage in turn of the century Pennsylvania, something has gone horribly wrong. The local sheriff brings a wounded man to the orphanage in the hope of saving him, both from the occult symbols carved all over his body and the mortal gunshot wound he has sustained that should have killed him. When the priests fail to save the man, something is unleashed and takes up residence in the orphans themselves. What follows is a battle of good and evil, innocence and corruption, that leaves the reader very little time to process one horrible event before the next is thrust at them.

Told over the course of simply a few days, we witness a descent into hell for everyone at the orphanage, as young Peter, orphaned at a young age as a result of a gruesome murder, tries to save his fellow brothers and the priests alike. The events are brutal, violent, and gruesome, and Fracassi doesn’t shy from blurring the line on who is more evil, the possessed or the priests themselves.

An excellently paced story of evil and what it means to be “good”, and how sometimes that is not always a clear distinction. This is my first time reading Philip Fracassi’s work, but I know I’ll be going back for more.

Thank you to @netgalley and @tornightfire for the gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review, and to the fine folks at @night_worms for including this in their latest monthly drop. I’m thrilled to have a signed physical copy to add to my shelf.

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This is one of the best horror books I've read in awhile. It's like Lord of the Flies but in an orphanage with the element of demonic possession. I absolutely loved the subtlety of possession and the darkness of it all. It had the right combination of real life horror and supernatural horror. The characters are the best thing of this book. The childrens personalities and characters are what suck you into the story and keep you. There were many twists in turns that left me both gutted and anxious. I'm adding this author to my favorites list and will definitely be reading more from him.

Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi is going to be one of my favorite books of 2023. I have a hard time putting everything this book has into words: part coming of age story, part horror story, with love and sacrifice mixed with moments of fear and sadness. I just loved it. Cannot recommend it enough.

It is horror but don’t let that deter you. It’s a page turner filled with fully realized characters you will care about. If you are a Stephen King fan I do believe Mr Fracassi’s style will appeal to you greatly as will this story. If you are a fan of demonic possession stories and the battle of good vs evil then read this book.

**Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.**

This one took awhile to get going, but when it did, it was awesome.

Peter you see, was made an orphan and sent to a catholic orphanage. You can already tell where this is going.

Anyways, one day a man who may be possessed with a demon shows up and the even more horrible things show up.

Yall, I am not gonna lie, I was so upset at the ending. Not to spoil it, but Peter deserved better.

I am so thankful to Tor Nightfire, Netgalley, and Philip Fracassi for granting me advanced digital. physical and audiobook access to this jarring thriller. I couldn't put it down and can't wait to consume more of this like-minded content going forward.

This was certainly terrifying and extremely well paced! I think he tried to convert me to Catholicism at the end tho so that was weird. I also found the characterizations a little thin for some very important characters. I didn't personally enjoy it, but I think it's successful at doing what it wanted to do, so four stars.

It took some time for me to get through this, I needed to read it in the daylight. Horror is not always my favorite genre but I do like to try out books with horror. This is a religious horror that was full throttle from the first word. The story centers around a orphanage for boys and how their lives unravel when a group of men arrive late one night....

My first Philip Fracassi and what a doozy!
Boys in the Valley is a coming of age novel that feels like it was written by Stephen King, but in a contemporary voice even in a historic setting. We follow a group of orphaned boys, and the priests who care for them, in an intense twenty-four hour fight for their lives against a demon/demonic forces. The book follows a large cast of characters, is set in the winter, and reads at a break neck speed. This book is definitely for fans of: Stephen King, Lord of the Flies but make it splatterpunk, The Exorcist, and coming of age novels with heart.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire providing me with an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a nonstop tension filled night of horror. I loved the set up and almost everything about it. I sometimes had trouble keeping the characters straight in the beginning because they did not have a lot of variety. Once sides were chosen, some started to stand out. Still, most kind of faded into the background. The entire thing had the feel of 70s religious horror. It was an awesome throwback.

Oftentimes a story will telegraph foreboding; sometimes that's positive, but sometimes it's annoying. No problem of telegraphing here; we're strolling merrily along, warming to a few of the characters, accepting most of the rest, identifying human evil plus a bad case of rampant overweening Hubris. Then suddenly, this quiet historical tale JUMPS UP AND HEAD-BUTTS US!! Through a concussion and bloody nose, we're shouting, "WHAT JUST HAPPENED? HOW DID WE GET HERE?"

Thank you NetGalley, Tor Nightfire, and Philip Fracassi for the advanced copy of Boys in the Valley in exchange for my honest review.

This was SO entertaining I can hardly put it into words. The entire time I was reading I kept thinking to myself that a limited series of this book could be amazing. "The Exorcist meets Lord of the Flies" is a spot on mash-up and this book DELIVERED.

It was creepy as hell, suspenseful, and I could not wait to see what was going to happen next. My only complaint was one thing that happens at the end (no spoilers) but I do totally understand why Fracassi decided to go that route. (IYKYK)

Somehow this was my first read by this author but it absolutely won't be my last!

Phew, this book...!

I'd seen this EVERYWHERE when I was lucky enough to be sent an advance copy. The author was pleasant on social media, and I was looking forward to diving in. Even though I'd seen it compared to everything from 'The Exorcist' to 'Lord of the Flies', with effusive praise all over the place, I approached it as I always try to do - as a book in itself. A unique story.

Boy, is it that!

The tale starts gently... before quickly swerving. This isn't a nice, happy school that we're watching; it's a cold, winter religious school for unwanted boys, with priest/teachers ranging from good and decent to downright awful.

We meet the boys, learn their friendships and worries, see them work together against the adult world.

And then... it's all tipped on its head.

A difficult, isolated and lonely school is suddenly home to a very real demonic presence, with a group of men struggling in from the snowy woods nearby. Not quite 'The Thing', but that was in my mind. We quickly move into the part that others had noted as 'Exorcist'-like, but that's over relatively quickly.

Quietness resumes, if rather shaken. But of course, it's not.

This book takes its time introducing the characters and setting, because we're going to be trapped with them for the duration. The evil that arrives is truly monstrous, and the fact that this is a religious school (albeit with varying degrees of 'godly' perspectives) makes it somehow even worse as we watch everything fall.

This is horror. The real human world versus what seems almost inevitable downfall. Before I knew it, I found myself going from passive observer/reader to actively rooting for the boys to come through intact - which of course, they won't. Edge of seat stuff.

If it reminded me of anything, it was the graphic novels of John Constantine. Constant hope in the face of imminent supernatural, unknowable doom. We have to hope and battle, or what chance do we have?

Very much a heart-pounding read, and worthy of its recommendations.

This was such a wild ride of a book with a lot of my buzzwords of horror included; possession? Check. Isolated setting? Check. Boys running amok Lord of the Flies style? Check! The pacing of the narrative was excellent, with clear set up scenes leading to powerful horrific moments, before taking things back down a notch to build back up to the next big action scene. The characters were a little bit one note, but this is very much a plot forward story and the boys were different enough to be interesting to follow. I also enjoyed the way in which the writing switched from third to first person depending on who's point of view we were reading from. My main issue was with the ending, which just felt a little bit anti-climactic for me, given the action that had preceded it. With that being said though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be eagerly anticipating Philip Fracassi's next offering.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. (King James Version, Mark 5.8-9)

It’s 1905 in Pennsylvania, and we’re at a Catholic orphanage for boys. Our protagonist, Peter, has been at the orphanage for seven years, ever since his father shot his mother (accidentally setting the house on fire in the process), and then put his shotgun under his own skin and pulled the trigger in front of young Peter. Since that night he’s been at St. Vincent’s, and is almost ready to enter the priesthood himself, if he can decide he loves serving God enough to give up hopes of marrying the Hill girl down the road someday.

It’s early winter in Pennsylvania, and everyone is trying to get ready for the time when they’ll all be hunkering down as the snow falls, the rough roads become impassable, the game goes to ground or is all hunted down, and there is not even one root vegetable left in the ground. The orphanage, already living on Christian charity alone, barely has enough food to feed their charges, which number close to 40. They are completely full of growing boys of all ages, and not one of them isn’t living with their own inner demons.

Not the biblical ones, silly.

Not until one night, when the county sheriff brings his horribly injured and possessed brother to the door of the orphanage and begs the priests to help save his brother’s soul. That night, something dark is let loose on hallowed ground and into the vulnerable souls of damaged boys.

The thing about darkness is that you never know who it’s going to affect, why it’s going to affect them, and just how bad it’s going to be when it hits them. Sometimes it’s the ones you suspect the most. Sometimes, it’s the last ones you expect.

This book is stark and bleak, but vividly drawn with gore and terror. There’s a great juxtaposition between heroism and sainthood. There’s another great juxtaposition between being made evil and being primed for evil (we’re leaving the moral/philosophical argument about the notion of evil out of this since this book is set in a highly religious landscape and has a lot of biblical references). This book is no Hobbes v. Rousseau treatise: Everyone in this book is uniquely gray in their own way. It’s how they have dealt with their personal demons, how they have lived their life in the orphanage, how they have helped the other orphans, and how they handle the demonic infestation that endangers them all that helps to shine a light on their true natures.

Don’t think the adults are exempt from this same judgment. They have to face the same God, after all.

I was absolutely thrilled by the evil children, because I loves me some evil children. Especially if demons are involved. There’s a good deal of blood, guts, decay, and gore, so that makes me a happy horror fan. The fight scenes are violent and bloody and I’m here for it. It’s super violent and there’s a ton of death. It has an almost cinematic vibe to it, which absolutely thrilled me.

I don’t issue a laundry list of TW/CW, but I am going to say that if you are the type of person to have triggers involving kids, animals, or religion, then I think you might wanna stay away or look for a comprehensive trigger list online.

Otherwise, let the blood fly!

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, ideas, and views expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Gothic Fiction/Historical Fiction/Horror/Occult Fiction/Occult Horror