I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read (if I qualify)

In an early 1900s Catholic orphanage in rural Pennsylvania, teenager Peter Barlow is feeling the call to become a priest. He’s a stand in older brother to many of the younger boys, and is close friends with one of the priests in charge.

Chaos ensues when a man—who turns out to be possessed—shows up at the parish and his evil is passed on to half the boys (and staff). What follows is an old school survival horror story, with elements of The Exorcist, Lord of the Flies, and some nasty but effective violence to rival the most brutal Ketchum or Laymon had to offer.

As all hell breaks loose, the author does a fantastic job of showing Peter struggling with the desire to become a priest, or go after a local farm girl he has developed feelings for. The inner battles get quite intense, leading up to a truly devastating finale.

Those into possession-horror will eat this up, and I can’t see any horror fan not having a grand old time.

Sprinkle yourself with holy water before reading just to be safe.

Plot: The story is set in Pennsylvania at the St. Vincent’s Orphanage for boys, where 30 something boys ranging from 7-18 are under the watchful eye of 7 priests. On a stormy night a stranger is brought to the orphanage by the local authorities, but something dark is amiss and unleashed upon the congregation. Over time some of the boys begin to act differently, strange almost. Boys begin to end up dead and the mystery unravels as to what dark spirits are at play.

Review: To say I was a little disappointed in this novel was a shame, because I want to always write good reviews as to not dishearten an author behind the story. In saying that I just did not connect with the book and found it hard to follow as I found myself not always knowing what characters perspective I was reading from. I feel that the chapters should have been laid out that way to help make more sense. I also think the story lacked depth or character building. I was lost most of the time during the book.

I have to say this is just my opinion and I am sure other reviewers of this ARC have different ideas on the novel.

Historical horror/ fiction/ I don’t care, it’s absolutely terrifying. I definitely recommend. Read this book.

Boys in the valley didn’t appeal to me when I read the description. I don’t often go for historical stuff and was worried how far in that direction this would lean. Then I read Gothic and realized it was the same author, and knew that I had to give this a try. This was a great horror novel with that battle between good and evil. It is a bit of a slow burn starting out but it feels ominous and is worth it. So glad I gave this a try!

Note: arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for honest review

In a remote village, a religious (Catholic) orphanage for boys is attacked by a demonic spirit previously exorcised from an occultist. Slowly, the boys turn on each other Lord of the Flies-style, and are thrown into a battle of good versus the evil residing around them. I loved this! I loved the writing and the way everything was realized. I loved how the story moves around between POVs--it really made the emotion a lot deeper for me.
My only drawback was that the beginning was a bit slow, but once it picks up it really gets going. I loved this, and I am really excited to read more from this author in the future.

Boys in the Valley is a coming-of-age novel that falls between Lord of the Flies and The Exorcist. Set in an isolated valley, a Catholic boy's orphanage is attacked by a vengeful spirit after one of the priests exorcises it from a wounded occultist. What follows is a gruesome tale of demonic proportions. Boys, who had once seen each other as brothers, are pitted against each other in a battle of good versus evil.

Fracassi's prose is excellent, and the characters were intriguing. The changing POVs added layers to the story, though Peter was by far the most prominent voice. The scenes were visceral, gory, and full of emotion. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for Fracassi's future works.

I'd recommend this to readers looking for an adult Lord of the Flies, stories about demonic possessions, or isolated horror.

Literally horrific. And I LOVED it. This is scary almost the entire time and it was never cheesy. Super hard to do in my opinion. This needs to be on every horror lover's TBR.

The first 100 pages were a bit slow (still very enjoyable), but after that it was non stop horror. I loved it!

In a secluded valley in Pennsylvania at the turn of the century lies St. Vincent's, an orphanage for boys. Run by the charity of several priests, St. Vincent's is home to Peter Barlow--priest-in-training and one of the oldest--and dozens of other boys. Their days are filled with the same austere monotony; scant meals that keep all of them just behind the brink of starving, chores throughout the orphanage, and prayer.

Then one night, a dying stranger arrives at the orphanage, and everything changes.

A dark presence permeates the walls of St. Vincent's, and with it, all semblance of order and faith begin to crumble. Boys that were once timid and meek lurk in the shadows with menacing intent, some boys disappear, and Peter is left not knowing who to trust.

"Boys in the Valley," is, as its advanced praise suggests, a thematic nod to both "The Exorcist" and "Lord of the Flies." Much more than that, however, is the fact that it's one of the single greatest pieces of horror I've ever read. Here, Fracassi demonstrates he really is the master of old-school horror and writing suspense; his cast of wayward characters--in both boys and priests alike--against the backdrop of an orphanage that's largely cut off from society makes for a downright terrifying story. From the very first page, he sets an unsettling tone that slowly builds into a crescendo of chaos and violence that, once it begins, you won't be able to look away from.

Incredible.

Horror is not my preferred genre, but ‘Lord of the Flies’ is one of my favourite classics, so I was willing to give this a shot. And I have to say, while I didn't hate this, I also didn't love it.

What makes ‘Lord of the Flies’ work is the realistic decline of humanity, how boys can lose themselves to chaos and power. That's what makes it so compelling. I think if this had followed similar themes, I would have enjoyed it more.

However, the driving force is this is demonic possession and I just couldn't get behind it. It's just not something I personally find entertaining, spooky, or believable. Which is quite a shame because I actually really enjoyed the writing and the characters.

But readers who are more open to things relating to exorcisms should enjoy this one more than I did!

While it started a bit slow, I thought this coming-of-age horror novel was excellently done! Before I begin to get into the meat of my review (pun intended), I gotta say: loved the lyric from "Welcome to the Black Parade" at the beginning. It made my heart sing, because Peter, our main protagonist, really is just that: not a man, not a hero, just a boy who had to sing that song, and by "sing that song" I mean "be unwillingly drafted into the fight against hell." I felt for him, even though he rises to the challenge.

This book hits all the beats: creepy orphanage, jerkass priests, token Good Priest, creepy children and somewhat less creepy children, demonic possession-as-infestation, and lots of gore and scares. Thematically, it touches on themes of redemption, faith, bravery, and courage, especially when the strict order of your world is upended and goes to hell, literally, and what can you do? The characters all had distinct personalities and depth - I felt for Peter, and Father Andrew, and even Johnson at the very end.

One last thing: even though we know how the evil arrives at the orphanage, we never learn what happened to begin the infestation in the first place. How did it all come about? I don't know, there's no hint given. It's delicious and I'm left to wonder just what on earth was going on in Pennsylvania at the turn of the century.

A few minor quibbles about the boys and period-accurate information aside, this was a great read! Thank you to TorNightfire and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I love coming of age horror. It's always been a favorite trope of mine. Stephen King is the greatest writer of COA horror, in my opinion and this very much is on par with King's writing, but it's the authors own voice. I hate comparing authors like that, I guess what I'm saying is if you agree with me on King, you'll very much love this supernatural, creepy tale.

4.25/5 stars! What a spooky, creepy, haunted ride. This book has everything that horror lovers would want. I loved how creepy this story was and found myself with goosebumps while reading this. I appreciated the multiple POVs and was shocked by the high-stakes ending.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

"He still stars upward, and for a moment it feels like he's not only studying the windows, but looking at me directly. I cant help the sensation that he's meeting my eye.

I realize then what's off about him - something I've never seen from a boy who just spent a long, cold night in the hole.

He's smiling."

This book did a fabulous job of setting up a bleak outlook for these young men and boys at the hands of their priests/surrogate fathers. While it took a little bit to get to the horror that kicked everything off, once it did, it was a nonstop ride of "What could happen next?!" I couldn't put it down once I hit about 100 pages and it hit all the right notes for a creepy horror book - child abuse, creepy kids, religious trauma... a beautiful book and I cannot wait to purchase it for my library!

✨𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨✨

Bᴏʏs ⵊɴ Tʜᴇ Vᴀʟʟᴇʏ
ʙʏ: Pʜɪʟɪᴘ Fʀᴀᴄᴀssɪ
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Set in the early 1900s, 16 year old Peter Barlow is one of the oldest orphans and prospective priest in training at St. Vincent’s Catholic Orphanage in a rural Pennsylvania town. Most of the boys have traumatic backgrounds and live in somewhat worse conditions under the care of four priests, with all but one lacking empathy for them. They live in conditions where food is scarce, morale is low, and their day to day is bleak. Even so, nothing can prepare them for the horror that arrives on their doorstep one winter night.

Late one evening, a very sick man with occult symbols carved into his flesh is delivered from a crime scene to the orphanage by the sherif and his deputies, in hopes that the priests can save him, both physically and spiritually. Absolute chaos ensues after his death unleashes an evil presence and the boys find themselves at odds with each other and with themselves.

As a snow storm approaches leaving them isolated from the rest of the world, a paranoia sweeps over the boys as unlikely alliances form and cruelty ensues. Peter grapples with his faith while trying to come to terms with the apparent evil that is clearly taking over his fellow orphans.

This was a fantastic coming of age horror story very reminiscent of Lord Of The Flies meets The Exorcist, and I was hooked from the very first page!

Thanks to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and Tor Nightfire for the ARC

#boysinthevalley #philipfracassi #tornightfire #netgalley #netgalleyreads #bookstagram #horrorbookstagrammer #horrorbooks

What a wild ride this was! Thank you Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This story was described as "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." I would also add imagining Game of Throne's Red Wedding scene, but in a church with young boys! So crazy!

Summary: 1905 St. Vincent's Orphanage for boys in Pennsylvania gets a visit in the middle of the night by a severely sick and injured man. Afterward, the boys begin to act strangely, taking sides and becoming violent.

The story is told all in 3rd person except for Peter, who is 1st person. I was gripped by the first chapter when we learn what happened to Peter's family to cause him to be at St. Vincent's Orphanage to begin with. That chapter alone, I knew this was going to be a very good story.

This is a very dark story and probably not for everyone. The story questions "What is evil?", whether it be malnourishment and punishments the boys endured at the orphanage or the demons that arrive shortly after. Peter's journey is about his decision to stay and become a priest to continue looking after the boys, or move on to a normal life with a girl that he loves.

I do not have a single thing that I disliked about this story. I've never felt afraid to go to sleep after reading, but it happened with this book! It was terrifying all the way through. Horror aside, the story of Peter was beautifully told. So many different emotions while reading this book. This is 5 stars for me!

Okay, was I pulled into this by the My Chemical Romance lyric at the start of this? Mayhaps. Boys in the Valley is an unsettling coming of age tale centered around religious themes and ancient evil. The setting is an isolated religious orphanage during a blizzard - can you say claustrophobia? The slow, sinister build of the horror was done so well, it gave a creeping sensation of dread. It did start off a bit slow, and I had trouble keeping the characters straight, however. Overall, a creepy novel that I was left thinking of for a few days after finishing.

A truly wonderful, old-school horror novel exploring religious themes, with the added bonus of exceptionally evil children. It has an almost bucolic introduction to the setting and characters, but when the evil rears its head, the book is quite relentless. Recommended for all horror fans..

Special thanks to the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first time reading something by Fracassi and certainly won’t be the last. Boys in the Valley is a perfect mash up of coming of age, the classic possession story, and religious horror. Picture lord of the flies if it took place in an orphanage run by priests! Fracassi quickly gets you to care for the characters, and as a result there’s a constant worrying over whether or not they’ll survive. It also joins the likes of only a few books to genuinely creep me out as I had several regrets over reading this one before bed. Overall a terrific read and I’m glad it’s getting republished so more can fall in love with it.