Cover Image: The Rookery

The Rookery

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Member Reviews

Rachel and John are having a great time together until they reach a secluded beach. There, some creatures are really hungry and everything turns into a nightmare.
Thank you Netgalley for this copy.

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This is some good stuff, calls for a slasher/horror movie. I would watch it for sure.

The story is simple, really. John and Rachel meet while on a vacation on an island. They hit it off immediately so they go on a date. After dinner they go for a drive. John takes Rachel to a nice secluded beach. But instead of some time alone, they meet a horrible fate. Because huge winged creatures live nearby. And they are hungry. And so begins a horrific, bloody fight for survival.
Wow...the intensity of the book is amazing, its depictions seem so real, so gut-wrenching.

There is one teeny tiny thing that I didn’t like though. I’m giving 4 stars because Rachel’s character is so lame. A stereotype.

But all in all I hihgly recommend The Rookery

Thanks to NetGalley, Troubador Limited Publishing/Matador and Lee Ford Jackson for this ARC.

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My thanks to NetGalley for providing a Kindle copy of this novel for me to read and impartially review.
According to the 'Blurb' provided for this book, The Rookery is a gruelling, monstrous horror story told from a first-person perspective. The story revolves around Rachel and John, both of whom meet while holidaying on an island somewhere in the northern Atlantic. Mutually attracted to one another they agree to have dinner one evening and afterwards decide to drive out to an isolated beach.

On reaching the deserted shoreline the fervent couple quickly make a dangerous and horrifying discovery: the beach has become a haunt for nocturnal-winged predators with a taste for human flesh. Neither of the couple is able to contemplate how on earth these creatures came into existence, all they can hope for is to survive and escape back to a populated area.

But escape proves to be difficult. The avian monsters of unknown origin appear unnervingly intelligent and calculating, working together in a pack they have perfected how to hunt humans– and as the luckless couple are about to find out it’s something these creatures have been doing for a long, long time.
Well in my opinion this book is all that and more, it packs an awful lot of action in its 119 pages, what starts out as a sweet gentle first date, turns seriously horrific, gripping and at times extremely gruesome, though surprisingly in amongst the mayhem and graphic violence there is time for humour, but mostly its a story of tense gripping action, as our hero fights to save his girl and himself from creatures from hell. This is one of the most descriptive books i have ever read the author manages to paint vivid pictures of all that happens to the main character, and describes the creatures the surroundings, and the horror as its happens in such detail that you get a real sense of the terror and agony he goes through.
A gripping entertaining scary read.

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Gruesome reading but well described. I found it hard to get through. Not a book I would read again. The beach does sound idyllic though...

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Clickety-clack………. clickety-clack……… clickety-clack………… clickety-clack.
On a moonlit night, John and Rachel, who met each other in the hotel they are staying, ride out to a deserted beach for a date. They are having a lovely time in each other’s company when John feels that someone, or something, is watching them. Within seconds of having this premonition, a hideous, horrible creature—something they had never seen before—attacks them. However, that creature is not alone. John and Rachel have unwittingly come close to The Rookery, and soon throngs of these nameless, horrendous creatures making the god-awful clickety-clack noise surround them. Will they live?

You must read The Rookery by Lee Ford Jackson to discover the answer to this million-dollar question. I had been looking for a good horror book for ages when I stumbled upon this book. I am happy to say it lived up to my expectations. The novel is taut with suspense which compelled me to devour the book in two days straight. The action sucks you in from the first page. Every word of this book bleeds the battle for survival.

Jackson’s gift for storytelling coupled with his masterful description and matter-of-fact writing style created a visceral thrill which rooted me to my spot. His imagination should be applauded too. He has created creatures that can even put the monsters in Stranger Things to shame. The horror tips more towards gore than the fear of the unknown or paranormal. Consequently, there are no creaking doors or voodoo dolls to spook you. The Rookery is purely about primal instincts, and how you break out in cold sweat and piss yourself when you face the terror that you can’t even name. With bated breath, I witnessed the initial timid response of the humans rapidly evolve into desperate attempts for survival and the curious, stalking approach of the creatures transformed to predatory tactics of carnivores.

Because of the brilliant execution, expect some extremely gruesome and nauseous scenes. You must have (literally) tough guts to read this book. Further, I wanted to whack John and Rachel on their heads due to their stupid actions. However, if faced with a similar situation, I don’t think I would have accomplished half of what John did to survive.

You can read The Rookery at night. Just ensure you haven't had your dinner. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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I definitely envisioned this book going a different way. Alas, the language was a bit stilted and the ending was fairly predictable.

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Oh, first dates......they don't always turn out well. John meets Rachel and after a pleasant dinner they take a nice drive up the coast to a beautiful, isolated, undiscovered little stretch of coast hidden beneath some high dunes. As the sun drops below the horizon the promising interlude gradually turns into the date from Hell. John discovers that there is a reason this beach is not in any of the guide books. Anyone who has ever tried to walk through level, deep sand can imagine the terror of running through deep sand, uphill....up a never ending dune while being stalked by......by.....well, you'll have to read the book to found out. Once night falls the action never stops. You find yourself praying that poor John catches a break at some point. This is a quick read, partly because it's so difficult to put down. Once you've read it, a moonlit beach will never be the same.
#netgalley #TheRookery

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In gut-wrenching detail, the author played on some of our worst imaginative fears. One of the most graphic and violent storylines that I have yet to see in print were blatantly portrayed in this novel. The scenes were so horrific that not even the worst of nightmares could conjure up. Held memorized by the unearthly descriptions and horrific actions of creatures from hell, it was at times difficult to read on.

The backdrop for this dreadful tale takes us to a Northern Pacific island setting, perfect for tourists that had come together to begin their holiday. As destiny would have it, two of the vacationers were bound to meet - John and Rachel. After a get-to-know-each-other dinner, they found themselves driving along basking in the moonlight down a dark deserted road. It took them to a hidden away beach which did not display on any map.

Little did they know that what started off as a romantic walk on the soft sand would lead to a deadly rendezvous with hideous man-eating creatures. Soon finding themselves in dire straits, escaping with their lives would be their only priority. For any horror fans out there, this novel comes well recommended.

I extend my appreciation to NetGalley and Troubador Publishing Limited/Matador for this digital edition in exchange for an unbiased review.

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