A History of Fear is a really interesting and unique psychological suspense/horror book in the style of a written memoir from the main character, Grayson Hale.  Hale was an American student studying in Scotland when he was convicted of murdering a fellow student. His reasoning? "The devil made me do it." The story recounts how Grayson met the devil and how he ended up in the situation he was in.

I thought the book had a really interesting concept and was well written. At times, it got really dark and suspenseful. I really liked Grayson's character, and it was fun trying to figure out what was real and what wasn't throughout the book. 

My only issue with the book is that it felt longer than it needed to be. It felt really fluffed up, and I think a lot of the scenes and descriptions could have been cut down quite a bit.

Overall, I did enjoy this one and would recommend checking it out if the synopsis sounds interesting to you!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
I really wish I had something great to say about this one, it's definitely in my genre and the description sounded great. Unfortunately, this was way too slow to grab my attention. I tried reading it about 5 times and finally had to accept I wouldn't be finishing it. The premise sounded so good, but the writing fell flat and the incredibly slow pace just didn't do it for me.

This book was just okay. While I had sympathy for the main character and was happy to see that an author spoke up about the issues facing the LGBTQIA+ community, i just couldn’t fully get into it.

I really wanted to like this one. I mean the genre is great but it just wasn’t for me. But I know it will be the perfect book for someone.

Despite the absolutely longest time it took me to read this, I enjoyed it very much. It was incredibly readable, thrilling, and I'm kicking myself for taking this long getting to it - but i won't let others make my mistake and miss it.

A slow read but great payoff! Dark and foreboding the entire way through!
4/5 stars!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted copy.

I tried picking this up a few times but could not get into the story. I really wanted to like this one - based on the description I thought I would but sadly this one is not for me.

Giving it 1 star only because I have to give a star rating.

Arc from netgalley

I got about 30% into the book and it wasn’t grabbing my attention. I kept putting it down and not wanting to come back. The premise sounded so good but the writing fell flat

I didn't finish reading this one... Maybe some other time. It was really intriguing and very strong on the atmosphere side, but my mind just wasn't connecting with the story, so I feel like its a timing thing.

I truly could just never get into this book and while I kept trying, I felt like I was just dragging myself along. The premise is amazing and I loved the perspective, I felt like I was going crazy reading. Unfortunately, for me it felt wordy and written in a way that ultimately left me feeling dumb. I didn't enjoy this like I wanted to.

A History of Fear is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out A History of Fear asap.

This was overall a good book. Perhaps it could have used a little tighter editing. I also guessed the ending right away, which always causes things to drag. I agree with other reviewers who mentioned that it is slow and repetitive.

⭐⭐⭐

𝘼 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧.

📍 Read if you like:
• Literary & Psychology Thrillers
• Horror Elements
• Dark Tones
• The Supernatural

I really wanted to enjoy this book a lot more than I actually did. I put it off for months and decided to finally get to it, unfortunately, I was so underwhelmed with the story.

As soon as the book started I was immediately pulled into the story. The premise was so interesting so I was hoping I would’ve loved it more. Also, it’s formatted in such a cool and fun way.

I was expecting this super creepy and dark story with a cool “book within a book” vibe, but the book was way too slow. Also, the ending was such a letdown. I didn’t love the repetitiveness in this book - it felt like it made the story drag. While I thought this book was just fine, it may be intended for different readers so they might enjoy it more than I did.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the gifted e-ARC in exchange for my honest review, all thoughts are my own!

The Devil is in Scotland.

Grayson Hale has been accused and found guilty of killing his classmate Liam Stewart. Grayson justifies the killing by saying that the Devil made him do it. Over a year later, he is found dead in his cell by suicide.

After his death, a manuscript written by him comes to light. From it, we learn that Grayson's father was a pastor and that his life was not easy growing up. As a kid, Grayson was terrified of the devil and anything related to him. As a teenager, he became an atheist.

When his father passes. Grayson decides to go to Scotland, a place his father had visited as a young man. Grayson believes living there will bring him closer to his father. Then a stranger asks him to become a ghostwriter for a novel about the devil. This act will forever change the course of his short life.

To be honest, I was disappointed. The story was not scary. I found the narrative to be repetitive. The pace was also too slow. I did feel terrible for Grayson. He had a terrible life and a worse ending.

Cliffhanger: No

2.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

👹Book Review:
Title: A History of Fear
Author: Luke Dumas
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

Creepy. I thought this book was about true events, so I started looking for the back story online (😆🤦‍♀️)! Nope, it's purely fiction, just an FYI.

At times, it was difficult to follow because it felt all over the place. I guess it was hard for me to understand why Grayson Hale was treated so poorly by his parents when his own father was struggling with some of the exact same issues! And in it sense, it felt like it was his father's fault in the first place that Grayson with even dealing with the D.B. Anyways, it's haunting how you slowly see Grayson start to lose his mind.

This book is based on the journal entries found after Grayson Hale commits murder, blaming the devil made him do it. After being tried and convinced, Grayson himself is found dead in his cell with scratches on his body that are believed to not be self inflicted nor from some type of animal (at least one that has not been identified yet). So the question remains: Did the devil make him do it? You decide 😉.

Thank you, @netgalley and @atriabooks, for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Published December 2nd, 2022

This book is about 25 year old Grayson Hale and the murder of 23 year old Liam Stewart. Grayson comes to Scotland to finish hid PhD but has no funds when the mysterious DB offers him $40,000 to write a book about the devil in Scotland. Grayson, or Gray, has suffered from Satanophobia since he was thirteen years old. He grew up in California, under the roof of his abusive mother and neglectful, ever-disappointed father who is also the minister for a cult-like Christian sect that would hold regular Fellowship out of their family home. Now in his 20’s, he moves to Edinburgh to get his doctorate in Scottish literature, hoping to finally win the approval of his deceased father. The book is a memoir of Gray son's descent into madness and the manipulation of the devil but is any of it true or delusion. You decide. It is interspersed with really good writing and great violence. The son repeats the sins of the father. It is very well written story with twists and turns to the end. I found it was so scary how the book shows a variety of sides to the conflict (or in this case, murder) at hand. I can’t say more than that. But I will say this book kept me on the edge of my seat and the last page of the book shook me to my core. Pay attention to everything.

•This book was incredible. The joy I had each and every time I picked it up from my night stand was like the feeling a kid has going to the candy shop. Ultimately, this story is about religion, specifically Christianity, and the trauma a young man goes through growing up in a household of extremely devout worshipers of the Faith and how it follows him into adulthood. His abusive childhood led to him having visual/audio hallucinations and a development of "satanophobia" that eventually dissolved into adulthood, however, his repressed past and the Devil himself has come back to destroy his life and the lives around him.
.
•That’s just the basic gist of the story, but there is so much more in these pages that you have to experience for yourselves. Definitely one of the best books I’ve read in 2022. Glad to have ended the year on such a high note.

A History of Fear is part horror, part historical fiction, and full-blown psychological suspense from beginning to end.

The mix of genres here only makes the story more intense, and as the mystery unfolds and the author flirts with the fine line between supernatural and lunacy, it only made me want to read more. An unsold mystery, plenty of red herrings, atmospheric writing, and chilly characters make this all one of my favorite reads of the year.

I expected to really enjoy this one, but nothing about it worked for me.

1. It started off solid and I was invested for the first 25% or so of the book. But then the book sort of ... lost the plot? 2. The wording was overblown and overwritten. It was so unnecessary. Who "summons" an Uber?
3. The hints were too obvious, and it resulted in a lack of impact on the "new reveals" at the end because the hints were so obvious. (See point 1 above.)
4. The whole hating myself for being gay storyline is TIRED and it left me feeling GROSS by the time I finished this book. Just no thanks. It's 2023, let's evolve.

Someone may well enjoy this book, but I was not that person unfortunately.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I'm so sad I didn't love this one but it just did not work for me. The beginning is good. It draws you in and leaves you wondering what happened. The first 25% I was hooked and wanted to know more. But by the time I hit halfway, I felt like I had really learned anything new. It felt like it was getting overly descriptive and wordy. We were rehashing what we already knew. By 75%, I was completely withdrawn. It had bogged down on details about the fiends and the ranting and searching for D.B. that the story was no longer making any movement. And I felt like so many things were so heavily implied. it ruined what was probably supposed to be bigger reveals at the end because I felt like we already knew it all from the previous hints.

I wish I'd liked this one more but it was just wasn't for me.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.