Publisher’s Description from Netgalley:
“Some roads are haunted by the past. Some by ghosts. Some are even haunted by demons. The one Forest must travel is haunted by all three.

When she discovers Pastor Nesmith praying to a demonic entity in her family’s barn, Forest knows she must run. Enraged at the possibility of having his true allegiance exposed, Nesmith pursues Forest as she flees on foot, hoping to reach the one person who will believe her—her grandmother. Unfortunately, Granny is forty miles away, and Forest has no car, no phone, and no friends. To reach her, Forest will have to learn to see the world true, even as the demonic and the sacred wage war for her soul.”

Genre(s):
General Fiction (Adults)
Horror
Mystery & Thrillers

The thing about this book is, well…several things.

1. I never got the feeling of this being a book for adults. The voice and tone scream “teen” or “new adult” and while that’s no means a set-back for the story or the characters, it grated on me. (I don’t review NA, teen, YA, etc. for that particular reason.)

2. I wanted to know a few things about Nesmith and his plans. Where did he come from? How does he lure in new followers? Is there no other church nearby that would provide an alternative to his near-to-Black-Mass? What exactly would he have done if he defeated Forest?

3. Similarly, was there something neurotypical about Elijah? I was getting vibes off his character that felt like he was on the spectrum (which is fine, but it felt unclear to me and I’d rather have solid representation).

4. DID Ben die in the Middle East? Or is that figurative speech, meaning the trauma began killing him out there?

My Favorites:

• This is an excellent portrayal of PTSD:
“He made it nine months. Nine months before getting shot and shipped back to us with a healed body, but a mind that couldn’t seem to start itself anymore. The ADD had somehow gotten worse. He lived in another world, a space world that didn’t coincide with the material one too often. He’d spend an hour or more in the morning trying to make it from his bed to bathroom, and afterward he’d wind up on the couch, just sitting and staring at the television. Half the time it wasn’t even turned on.  Months of this, and we only had one real talk. He told me something had finally grabbed his attention. It was something no book or test had ever been able to do.  “I keep seeing it,” he said.  “Seeing what?” I was scared to ask the question, but I was scared not to ask it too. “There was a bomb,” he said. “And these children.” He turned and his eyes focused on me for the first time in ages. “The children there are so sweet. Sometimes I would look at them and wonder how people could go from that to where I was, and then I’d wondered how I’d made that damn transition too. It’s like that’s what life is. Making the transition from something wonderful to something horrible. Some people can do it with dignity, but I don’t think I can.”

• The prose is often so beautiful, almost purple, but never crossing that line:
“Goddamn sky looks bare too, like some planet-eating monster scraped a great claw across it, took out the stars and the treetops, knocked the moon asunder, spun the world crooked.”

“Proof makes the world look different. The road, the trees, the smoke, and its signature in the sky. All of it takes on a stark, ghost-like quality, like an illusion, but illusions can hurt just as much as anything else.”

“A hand fell on my shoulder and something dark and wild ran across my body like fingers, with minds of their own.”

• The setting is perfectly realized. I know this town. I know this awful men. I know Forest’s family. But Mantooth builds it fresh again.

• Dealing directly with Christianity without imposing it upon you, like in this brief encounter with a man:
“It’s too dark to see him very well now. He’s just a shadow on the road, and for a moment I’m pretty sure he’s not real at all, but instead, he’s a messenger from God, or maybe he’s the Holy Ghost himself.”

• “He loved that thing –that gift she gave him– more than he loved her, and in the seconds before he pulls out her still beating heart, in the last seconds of her miserable life, I feel bad for her. That too, I realize, is the Holy Ghost, the most sacred magic there is in the world, the magic of empathy, even for those people who you understand the least…I’ve forgotten I’ve even been holding it. I open my palm just in time to see the tiny mouth of a swallow opening up to the dark sky of the barn. And just for a second, I understand. I see. No, I don’t just see, I see true. This is also the Holy Ghost. This birth, this sacred life in the face of so much profanity.”

There is an entirely realized sense of place and time here. Holy Ghost Road doesn’t lather on description, but shows snippets of the woods, the lake, barns (all the way down), and the people—those under Nesmith’s spell, those monsters like him, the trashy family Forest has on the island, and the dichotomy of those who help and those who hurt.

It’s not a unique town besides the magic within it, but it’s a very specific place that doesn’t feel like it’s one of four backdrops for school picture day.

Star deductions for:
• (Mostly) the feeling that I wasn’t reading a book for my age group.
• My lingering questions don’t feel like they should have gone unanswered.

Final Thoughts?
Still, I enjoyed it. It’s a page turner about fighting the evil without and within, and realizing that the stuff inside may be the hardest foe to grapple with. I’m not as enthusiastic as the authors who blurbed Holy Ghost Road, but it’s a solid, easy read that never wants to be put down.

Holy Ghost Road | John Mantooth
4 ⭐️

Pastor Nesmith is respected and worshiped by his whole town, but he hides a dark secret. When Forest discovers that her step father has ties with a demonic goat, she flees her home in an attempt to reach her Grandmothers house and reveal the dark truth of Nesmith’s power. The road is long and and the pastor will stop at nothing to silence Forest.

I absolutely loved the mood of this story. It has a southern gothic feel and great descriptions that allow you to immerse yourself into the magical and superstitious setting. It is a chase style thriller, and although it’s categorized as horror, the horror is mostly implied and not as present as you would expect.

The pace of the story was fine, and probably intentional so that you can relate to the characters as they attempt their slow and tedious journey.
The magic and scenarios can be unbelievable at times and I found some actions/choices repetitive or without explanation. I wish the ending was a little more climactic and not so abrupt, but still liked how it wrapped up.

I recommend this book if you like:
- Small Town, Southern settings
- Religious / Cult based plots
- Coming of age stories

Pub Date: December 20, 2022

Wow. This book was great. First time reading John Mantooth, but will definitely be watching out for him in the future. Can only give five stars, but this one was definitely was at least that. Great characters, great pacing, great story. #HolyGhostRoad #NetGalley

Unfortunately this story just wasn't for me. I picked it up several times over a period of several weeks. The story wasn't what I had anticipated it to be - I felt like it was running on the spot, narrative running on but the actual story was just running on the spot. Thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

This is a fun to read, scary coming of age horror story. Forrest sees the preacher convening with a demon and goes on the run to get to her grandmother. This story feels like a gothic read although there is a religious and cult like storyline. Great read. It's not your normal 'slap you in the face' horror. It's slow and tense. I enjoyed this a lot. It will definitely get a re-read in the future.

This might have been the weirdest book I have ever read. Not because it wasn't good, but I spent the whole book feeling like I had missed something. Like the book started in the middle of a story I never did hear the start of.

The concept was amazing but the execution was really odd to me.

The writing was good too, I just felt a little lost 50% of the time and this normally doesn't happen to me!

When Forest discovers Brother Nesmith worshiping a black goat-demon in the family barn, she knows she has to leave. Nesmith follows, scared that his secret will get out. He is, after all, a prophet of God. Fleeing on foot, Forest is desperately trying to get to her Granny - the one person who will believe her and knows what to do - who lives 40 miles away. Along the way she meets interesting characters: some that try to trick her and some that help her see true. A Southern Cunning coming-of-age story blending horror and fantasy into the perfect goulash of down home suspense, love, and how we see ourselves and our place in the world.

Thank you to Cemetery Dance Publications and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy. This in no way affects my opinion, thoughts or views of this book. Anything further is all my own.

I was pleasantly surprised reading this one. The cover gives nothing away, and had me doubting the quality of the work, if we’re being honest. I was wrong to judge this book by the cover. The writing feels easy, conversational. Like a sleepy conservation on the back porch with an old friend or favorite elder family member. The characters are well-developed and not lacking, and the narrative is easy to follow but also keeps you guessing. Overall, John Mantooth can write a book. I like to think he wrote it for all of us children of the south with religious trauma.
I will definitely be keeping an eye out for any further works from this author, and also future titles from this publisher.

This a fantastic, extremely atmospheric story about good and evil in the Southern Gothic Horror genre. A great read.

“I’m only fifteen, but I’m pretty confident there ain’t nothing easy about this world.”-Forest
HOLY GHOST ROAD by John Mantooth
When Forest sees something that she shouldn’t, she runs away heading to her Granny’s house across the county. On the run from Nesmith the minister of his church, the First Assembly of the Lord’s Ordained Prophet, Forest finds lots of trouble as well as herself along the way.
Strong Southern gothic feel, religious cult, supernatural demon ghost, psychological head games, and natural magic all combine to make this a tense, cinematic, on-the-run thriller. There is so much packed into this book but what really comes out is the heart (sometimes literally), but really, there were so many times that I had to pause and just appreciate the sentiment of the lines. I wanted to fill this review with all the thought provoking quotes from this book but I didn’t want to give everything away.
I have seen several comparisons to Robert McCammon and I completely agree.
“the most sacred magic there is in the world, the magic of empathy, even for those people who you understand the least.”

Holy Ghost Road ~ John Mantooth

Net Galley arc
Cemetery Dance Publications
Release date: 20th Dec 2022

4⭐️

“When she discovers Pastor Nesmith praying to a demonic entity in her family’s barn, Forest knows she must run. Enraged at the possibility of having his true allegiance exposed, Nesmith pursues Forest as she flees on foot, hoping to reach the one person who will believe her—her grandmother. Unfortunately, Granny is forty miles away, and Forest has no car, no phone, and no friends. To reach her, Forest will have to learn to see the world true, even as the demonic and the sacred wage war for her soul.”


I struggled with this book for the first 20%. I felt like I was thrown in at the deep end and desperate for something to cling to in the story to help me gain a sense of place and purpose. I really had to force myself to keep going.

However this soon changed! Forest’s journey takes places on so many levels, the physical, mental and spiritual. Every single one is nurtured throughout and the “down-time” in the book is absolutely essential to this. I loved the development of her relationship with Elijah - and the example of a love and bond between a teenage girl and a man that is pure and platonic.

This book is definitely more thriller than chiller - and this is 100% down to the bravery shown by our main character Forest.

I highly recommend this book.

Some books take their time in establishing a setting and the characters and the plot will slowly develop as the location etc become clearer.

This doesn't. we're plunged into the action on page one and it never lets up.

When we meet our central character Forest, she's on the run. She needs to get to her Gran's house. her Gran can help her, she always has done in the past. Surely her dreamwalking powers will save Forest now. What is she running from? She's not sure herself. It's scary though. It has something to do with the strange preacher Nesmith who has an uncanny influence on everyone in the county, and indeed has shacked up with Forest's mother.

The only thing worse than Nesmith, is his sister Ruby Jewel, a blind old woman who still seems more alert and aware than any human should be. Or maybe the goat-headed thing that is following Nesmith as he searches for Forest to deliver her into a fate possibly worse than death.

Together with a friend she meets on her dangerous run, Forest must travel the Holy Ghost Road to her Granny's house and her only hope of salvation.

This is gorgeously written southern-gothic horror. The atmosphere of dread and mystery is sustained through every word of the book.

There are familiar elements to the story but they feel fresh under Mantooth's restrained prose and perfectly nuanced storytelling.

There are layers upon layers to the story and this will certainly reward a reread sometime. There are dark themes running through the book, loss and grief, the negative side of family, the power of belief vs logic. These make for a compelling coming of age story as Forest travels her own spiritual journey as well as the grueling physical trek down the eponymous highway. All the while she needs to avoid the grasps of one of the villainous trio who dog her footsteps the whole distance.

I will certainly be buying a physical copy of this for my reread, whenever that might happen. Mantooth is a major talent. By all the gods and demons, he can spin a damned scary yarn.

Thanks to Cemetery Dance and Netgalley for the chance to read and review John Mantooth's 'Holy Ghost Road.'

I almost made the mistake of judging this book by its cover! I didn't think it was a very strong one and almost didn't request it on that basis but I'm glad I did.

It turned out to be a very enjoyable mix of horror, Southern Gothic, the supernatural, and a grandmother somewhat reminiscent of Mother Abigail in Stephen King's 'The Stand.' Mantooth is very good at establishing the atmosphere of the setting, especially when the two main characters - Forest and Elijah - find themselves on an island full of Forest's kin.

It's a road novel, a quest novel, a battle between good and evil novel with some very effective dashes of real world social and familial problems mixed in to ground it.

I would describe this novel as southern horror-fantasy. Such a good read with a compelling main character, written in first person. The way this is written makes it so easy to picture and feel everything that is happening, which leaves such an emotional impact. Loved it!

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of Holy Ghost Road. This is a wild ride of a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat. This book combines horror and fantasy along with survival, a little bit of everything for the horror lover, but done in a way that it all melts together perfectly.

Forest discovers her pastor praying to a demon in her barn. She knows she is in danger and has to get to her granny's house 40 miles away on foot. She is being chased by her pastor and his crew and must get to her destination to save herself.

Fifteen year old Forest is on the run from her abusive step father, coming across many obstacles and challenges in the road along the way. She meets Elijah along the way who is helping her get to her grandmother’s house, helping her through those obstacles as well. In its essence, Holy Ghost Road was a coming of age novel about finding power within yourself.

Holy Ghost Road is less horror and more cat and mouse chase thriller, haunted by pacing problems. It's a tale that could have been much better than the sum of its parts and ends up getting stuck in somewhat of a repetitive rut. While the latter chapters do go some way to remedy that, with a quicker pace and some exciting set pieces, the journey there does require a good deal of patience.

The story centers on Forest, a girl who stumbles upon a deep, dark secret. Something that immediately puts her in danger. She stumbles upon Pastor Nesmith praying to a demon inside her family's barn. When she's spotted, Forest knows she has to run away. Her safe haven happens to be her Granny's house, given she could have the magic needed to hold off Nesmith, who's in quick pursuit with his cronies - and the demon itself.

With no car, friends or phone, Forest's journey is a perilous one and as she sets off, Forest soon realizes that there are other horrors out in the world, ones that could be worse than the monstrous demon after her.

While the narrative has a few neat twists and turns, including a particularly stomach-churning game of Truth or Dare on a boat midway through, the story regularly gets stuck spinning its wheels, repeating the same "run, hide, get ready, run" motif numerous times as the story heads toward its ultimate conclusion.

Where Holy Ghost Road does well though is with its characterization for Forest. Seeing the world through her eyes is certainly a welcome inclusion and it helps that the dialogue and descriptions accompany her world view, with plenty of colloquialisms and specific language you can really see this teen using.

You can tell that this story has a lot of folk horror and southern Gothic influences too, and there are a few occasions that feel reminiscent of horrors like Jeepers Creepers (the first one, not the terrible sequences), especially for the chase elements.

But these chase sequences soon run out of stamina and you may find your initial excitement quelling to finger-tapping impatience. The book does manage pull off a pretty decent conclusion, but in order to reach that point the middle chapters sag under the weight of mediocrity. Holy Ghost Road isn't a bad read and you can see glimmers of greatness in this. Unfortunately, it ends up feeling more mediocre than it perhaps should, especially as the story shows so much promise.

5.5/10

This didn't feel like a horror story. It just felt too unrealistic to me. I couldn't really get attached or invested in any of the characters.

Holy Ghost Road by John Mantooth is a great coming of age supernatural horror.
15-year-old Forest is on the run from her soon to be stepfather, Nesmith, after seeing him with a demon goat in the barn. She heads to her grandmothers house that is 40 miles away. She has to be careful with who she can trust along the way.
Thank you Cemetery Dance and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

what a great book! I held my breath until the end! gory at times and then seemingly impossible at others! gripping and breathtaking!

When Forrest wakes up in a hazy stupor and sees her new stepfather communing with a demonic goat creature she knows her only time to get away is now and so she does. While on the run she Meet Isaac and before it’s over they will become the caretaker to Lil Edie. They must be careful who they trust because although it’s only 30 miles to the safety of her grandmother‘s home those miles are populated with her step for those believers. He is the new sensational pastor who people believe performed miracles in the name of God, but Boris knows what gives him the power to do such things and it isn’t our Lord and Savior. She also knows the only person that can help her defeat him is her grandmother but she needs her dream stone but she has no clue where it’s at. Can she find the Dreamstone and make it to her grandmothers house before he finds her and this time she can’t get away? this is a great book about good and evil and it plays off of the goat man urban legend. It’s well written fast paced midpoints it’s on the edge of your seat reading a truly great story. If you love the paranormal, good against evil Then you Will love Holy Ghost Road by John Mantooth 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..