✨BOOK REVIEW✨
Curse Of The Reaper
By Brian McAuley

When I read that this was supposed to be Scream meets The Shining, I was pumped!

Sadly I felt this one was nothing like either. It was pretty slow paced at times for me. I did appreciate references of Scary movies past, but for me that was the only enjoyable part of the book unfortunately.

This book had such potential due to the synopsis and for me it fell flat sadly!

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

Thanks to @netgalley for the arc of this one, in exchange for an honest review.
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I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Curse of the Reaper by Brian McAuley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for this ARC.

Curse of the Reaper was an unexpected and enjoyable read. I liked the jumping between Howard and Trevor's POV and felt that the horror of losing one's mind to a mythical slasher character was a unique take. The way the story played on whether "The Reaper" was method acting gone wrong or an actual evil entity trying to manifest was fascinating. Not to mention, very creepy in a realistic way. I give this book a solid 4/5 stars.

This was well written and the premise was great! Just personally it wasn’t my cup of tea. But, if you love slasher films this is definitely the book for you!

“𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒆𝒆, 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒌. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒔, 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒔.”

Spooky Season means spooky reads and while I thought Curse of the Reaper would be a pure horror read, but it turned out to be much more.

I was intrigued right away with the premise and the two perspectives: Howard, the actor who played the main killer in the Night of the Reaper films, and Trevor, the young actor pegged to be his replacement in the reboot. Brian McAuley not only writes a love letter to the horror genre, especially how it always seems to have its finger on the pulse of our “timeliest fears and ugliest truths,” but also highlights the difficulties of addiction. Howard and Trevor are both desperate, which makes them both unlikeable at moments and heartbreakingly relatable at others, especially when they set down their self destructive paths. The story is divided into 8 parts, paying homage to the 8 Reaper movies, with each part containing a script from each movie, were a neat homage to slasher films. McAuley also highlights the price of fame - how it ebbs and flows from admiration to disgust. It also shows the difficulties of Hollywood, addiction and staying sober. The story does take a while to get going, but once it does, it doesn’t let up, especially with the horror movie type kills (trigger warning, there is the death of an animal).

Curse of the Reaper is a story of confronting demons, addiction, recovery, and desperation. Fans of horror films will love McAuley’s tribute to the genre, and the tale of predator and prey - but who is hunting who? Thanks to Phil (@philsbookcorner) for putting this one on my radar, to Skyhorse Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

Curse of the Reaper is a harrowing tale about an aging actor haunted by the slasher movie villain he brought to life decades ago.

Title: Curse of the Reaper
Author: Brian McAuley
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Pub Date:10.4.2022
Genre: Horror, Psychological Thriller

BRIEF SYNOPSIS

Decades after playing the titular killer in the 80s horror franchise Night of the Reaper, Howard Browning has been reduced to signing autographs for his dwindling fanbase at genre conventions. When the studio announces a series reboot, the aging thespian is crushed to learn he’s being replaced in the iconic role by heartthrob Trevor Mane, a former sitcom child-star who’s fresh out of rehab. Trevor is determined to stay sober and revamp his image while Howard refuses to let go of the character he created, setting the stage for a cross-generational clash over the soul of a monster. But as Howard fights to reclaim his legacy, the sinister alter ego consumes his unraveling mind, pushing him to the brink of violence. Is the method actor succumbing to madness or has the devilish Reaper taken on a life of its own?

MY THOUGHTS

One of the reasons I love reading horror and thriller novels is that they present an opportunity to deeply examine different aspects of humanity, culture, and society; the good, the bad, and the ugly. Brian McAuley does a great job of this in Curse of the Reaper.
At its core, this story is about identity, addiction, desperation, and clawing your way back up from rock bottom. The two main characters come to life on the page, and I couldn’t help cheering for them both.
This story made me laugh at times, gave me chills throughout, and even pulled at my heartstrings a couple of times. Also, it gave me some serious Pumpkin Head vibes and made me all nostalgic.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! If you love slasher movies with campy 80s vibes and creepy psychological thrillers with a healthy dose of suspense, then you should definitely add this one to your tbr.

Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's twisty, dark, and a lot of fun to read. A well plotted and gripping homage to slasher movies of the 80s and an entertaining plot.
I enjoyed it, liked the storytelling and the character development.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Fun and creepy describe this book to a tea! As an avid horror reader, I found this book to be almost like watching a slasher b movie. Great book to read during October!

Do you like classic horror movies? Slashers, gore? Halloween? Friday the Thirteenth? Full on horror?

If you checked yes to these questions, then Curse of the Reaper is for you.

The story begins with Howard, a retired actor stuck at a horror convention. At one time, he played the role of the most popular 80s scary movie villain, The Reaper. Think: Freddy Krueger campiness, but in a corn field with a pitchfork and rusty chain.

Now, the actor prefers nights in with his cat and chamomile tea. Howard is ready to throw in the towel and be done with the horror life. He’s over it. That is until he receives the news that a former child-hood star from a popular TV sitcom is being cast to play The Reaper in a reboot of the franchise.

Howie ain’t havin that! Deep inside, he feels, no, he KNOWS that HE is The Reaper and no one else can have that role. It’s his legacy, and he won’t relinquish it without a fight as the tethers of his sanity are beginning to unravel…

This story is told in an ominous way and flashes between the perspective of Howard and his replacement, Hollywood tabloid hottie, Trevor Mane. Trevor battles with his own internal demons rooted in addiction, which was an interesting element. There were some genuinely creepy moments in this one.

I had fun reading this novel. I loved how the method of acting is discussed, and also the little moments of script from The Reaper movies woven throughout. However, I felt like some of the depth of the story was lost in the gimmicks of The Reaper. If you’re a big fan of unique horror plots, then give this one a try.

3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4 for this review

4.25 stars!

Curse of the Reaper follows Howard Browning, who became famous after playing the killer in an 80s horror franchise "Night of the Reaper." He finds it hard to let go of the character when the studio announces a reboot and he is replaced with former-addict child actor Trevor Mane. As Howard reckons with this he starts to hear a sinister voice in his brain - telling him to take what he wants and kill anyone who gets in the way. What I loved about this book is how much it felt like a movie. I truly felt like I was watching a slasher film and I really ate that up. I also really liked all of the talk about the movie-making industry, and would definitely read more from this author in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Skyhorse Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

With a title like Curse of the Reaper, I expected pure camp, the kind of ironic tawdriness the I get such a kick out of.What I didn't expect was a rueful story about two men, both past their Hollywood shelf life, repulsed by their own fame but still desperately groveling at the feet of the industry that couldn't discard them fast enough.

I love how thoroughly fleshed out the characters were, their pain & madness a pulsating crescendo. Curse of the Reaper is an engrossing, if lightweight, read. I sensed an attempt at darkness which ultimately fell short of the disturbing energy it tried to generate. But the amazing climax was good enough to make up for the book's flaws

If you're a fan of Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and The Shinning! You'll love this! I had a a lot of fun with it! Some of my favorite parts were from the Curse of the Reaper films- very unique kills and I would love to actually watch these movies! The dread-building was done well with Howard but Trevor chapters just annoyed me! He was so unlikable but overall I enjoyed this one! Check this one out if you're a horror movie lover! 4.5 stars
Available October 4th
Thanks Netgalley and Brian McAuley for this arc

This was such a dark and twisty tale perfect for fans of horror movies! I loved all of the horror references in it as well as the combination of Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street inspiration for the Reaper. The psychological aspects combined with the intense pacing of this one really kept me glued to the pages and I read it in a single 24 hours. Loved it!

This is a fantastic slasher horror novel about a 65 year old guy who used to play 'The Reaper' (a Freddy Kruger type bad guy) in a series of hokey horror movies in the 1980s. Nowadays Howard is pretty much out of the biz, doing the odd horror convention, signing autographs for fans of the series. Howard is kind of resigned to his quiet life with just cat Stanley at home for company, that is until a reboot of The Reaper franchise is announced 15 years after the last film was made. But the studio don't want Howard to reprise the role of the bad guy, instead they want a younger actor to take over, and the older actor isn't very happy about the change. Or rather something inside him isn't happy. Not happy at all...

There are some great characters in this book, some of which have quite heartbreaking back stories. But generally this is a fantastic fun read for Halloween with some and some absolutely glorious goriness.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

Teaser review to be posted 30 September 2022 at https://wellreadpiratequeen.blogspot.com/2022/09/curse-of-the-reaper.html
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When I saw the cover of Brian McAuley's Curse of the Reaper on NetGalley I just knew that I had to hit the request button. It just screams cheesy old-school slasher flick, doesn't it?

Around this time last year my son decided that we needed to watch (or re-watch, in my case) all of the "classic" horror franchises from the beginning -- Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, etc. I think Halloween is the only one that we've completely caught up on (because we followed the shortest "watch in this order" list), but we're both hooked.

I thought this would hit the spot and be the perfect homage to those classics. I loved Howard even with his issues (maybe especially with his issues), and bits and pieces of scripts from the original film series were probably the highlight for me ... but overall it fell a bit flat for me. I really didn't care all that much about Trevor and could easily have cut out everything that was just about him. It would have made for a much shorter book but, for me at least, probably a more enjoyable one.

Eeek! I loved this one. I was thrilled to ready this as an advanced reader.

It's a perfect, slasher-esque book for this time of year! I recently took a dive into these types of books (Similar vibes to Final Girl Support Group).

This one will definitely be purchased as a physical copy so I can share with friends!

This book really reminded me of all the wonderful slasher flims from the 80's, and I really enjoyed the little snippets of the screenplays for the Reaper movies.

This book does have a bit of a slower build up to the action, we spend the first part of the book really getting to know Howard and Trevor, and seeing Howard slowly being taken over by the character he first brough to life, "The Reaper". But once the killing starts its non stop until the very end,

Even though Howard was slowly decending into some kind of supernatural psychosis and being taken over by The Reaper, I was kind of rooting for him.. When Howard was himself he was a really likeable guy who just wanted his legacy to stay his, and when is was able he did his best to protect other people from The Reaper coming out.

I think this would make a great movie, and I can't wait to see what this author will write next

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Howard Browning is “the reaper.“ he is the one people line up to get an autograph from at Horror Con. So when pinnacle studios diside to do a ninth movie with the monster and say they’re going to cast heartthrob and drug attic Trevor Monet Howard isn’t sensed in immediately calls his agent Jacob. When Jacob gets him an interview well at least he has a chance. Due to Howard having early own set Alzheimer’s he puts post in notes around his home and car to remind him of daily task but when he starts seeing Post-it notes not written by him and all referring to “the reaper. “ are he starts to worry and when he starts hearing his voice and finding missing time in his day he blames it on the disease when he arrives at the audition he finally gets to meet Trevor Monet, only they immediately get off on the wrong foot. Trevor has had his own issues he was a child star on a show called “family genius“ recently though he has been the main star on The tabloid magazines usually for drugs but the latest scandal is he wrecked his car and immediately went into rehab after almost killing his longtime girlfriend Sophia but now he’s been clean two months and wants to stay that way he even got himself a sponsor. During the audition Howard loses all ability to control his self and “the reaper“ takes over he is so convincing the girl Mandy doing the audition with him starts to cry and pees on herself and run out of the addition room. Howard is ashamed but still hopeful he may get the part. Trevor however witnesses the end of it and thinks he’ll never get it and despite the directors protest the producer Charles gives Trevor the role. when Howard hears this he is angry but “the reaper“ becomes more menacing and the threat of violence seems eminent but then Howard makes a deal with him he’ll do what he can to get the role back from Trevor and before he knows it he’s climbing the fence to Trevor‘s backyard and even following him to skid row where he finally gets a picture of the drug addicted star smoking heroin he sends the pic in the note to the tabloids anonymous of course but it still shocked when he sees his photo in the next days tabloids and he is even more shocked when Trevor shows up at his house. He comes looking for advice and hollered mistakenly believes he was fired but after Jorgewords Trevor tells him he is just skating on thin ice the next thing Howard knows Trevor is tied up in his basement and he is now the reaper but when people start looking for the young star others will go missing in the reaper Legette the blood spilled he’s been craving for. I really enjoyed this book it really is horror with a heart. I really thought the plot was so original and found myself rooting for Howard and Trevor this is a new refreshing type of horror and I totally dig it! And highly recommend it. It had wonderful characters and I loved The different movie things I just thought this book was genius and loved it so much. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This was like an 80’s slasher tribute. It was predictable and dragged a lot for me. It was billed as The Shining meets Scream but in my opinion did not live up to those films.

Howard Browning played the famous horror slasher named The Reaper in numerous films. He was committed to the role and took it seriously. Years later, it is 2022 and Howard’s star has faded. He now attends horror conventions with the other relics signing autographs.

Howard is elated when his agent tells him that they are redoing The Reaper franchise. He’s been waiting for the moment he could reprise his role only to find out that they are going in a different direction; a younger teen actor will play the role of The Reaper.

This is the last straw for Howard and things get interesting.

The Reaper is available October 4,2022.

Thank you to Netgalley and Skyhorse Publishing for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Great idea for a story, kept me interested throughout very excited to see what this author will bring in the future. This being the first novel is an amazing start.