Super creepy story. Kept me interested from the start. You really care about and root for some of the characters, while waiting for the others to get their just desserts. I wish the ending had been a bit more clear about some things, but all in all it was a great read.

I love this author. I wish he had more books to read. I'm a sucker for anything southern and anything horror. Put both together, and put them together well, like Mantooth, and it's a winner in my book.
Southern, coming of age, faith based horror. Not that it's a religious book. It's your usual crazy preacher from the south type novel we all love.

We meet Forest, a girl of 15, running through the woods trying to escape her evil stepfather Nesmith. The locals refer to him as “Brother Nesmith” and most of them are the congregation at his church and are completely under his spell and control. What is disguised as a Godly church is quite the opposite, for when Forest says her stepfather is evil she speaks the truth. She has witnessed his evil and now she’s running for her life. Along the way she crosses paths with Elijah, a young man lost in the woods without his shoes, phone or car keys. Elijah ran into the woods after having his own creepy scare. They make a deal to help each other and the adventure/ordeal begins as they flee Nesmith, his blind giant sister, his hulking “assistant/bone breaker” Helmet and the mysterious “Goat Shadow” that seems to be attached to Nesmith, yet has a kind of its own.
Unfortunately, I found the story to be repetitive and tedious. Forest and Elijah running or swimming, getting wet and hungry, drying off only to fall into the lake again, finding food only to leave it because Nesmith is too close. Danger-safety-bad person-kind person-safety-danger, etc. I was hoping for the shadow goat to speak up at some point. That said, the ending wraps the story up just fine. Thank you to #netgalley for opportunity to read and review #HolyGhostRoad.

“Is it a symptom of too much power? The ability to weave lies through truth as if you are the only one whose perspective even matters? It feels as if this is the strongest magic of all, and the most twisted. The power of a lie believed.”

What a wild ride this book was! I had no idea where it was going to go.

The story starts with Forest, a plucky 15 year old girl desperately trying to reach her Grandmother’s house after witnessing something terrifying. The story continues from there including lots of thrilling twists and turns.

This book is fast pace which kicks off as soon as you begin reading page 1. You are thrust in to this dark, atmospheric world reminiscent of the hit TV series Midnight Mass. Perfect for those dark autumn and winter nights if you’re looking for a horror book that’s fast paced, creepy and thrilling with some lovely heartfelt moments included.

Solid tale from Mantooth about a young girl named Forest who witnesses her mother's boyfriend, a smarmy preacher named Nesmith, collaborating with a demon goat creature in the barn and decides to go on the run to see her grandma, a mystic of sorts who may be able to protect her from Nesmith and the demon, who have ideas of their own for Forest. Very well-written and surprisingly subdued considering the horror-tinged subject matter, which actually works to its advantage. Not the usual "evil demon" story you might expect to get from the genre, which is a good thing. It's really a character-driven story with enough supernatural doings and creepy settings to keep things interesting the whole way through. Much better than I'd expected. I'll have to look for other works from Mantooth. Highly recommended.

This is a very good Southern gothic/religious horror book, with tons of content warnings (unsurprisingly). It's intense and very well-written.

Forest is a 15 year old girl, who comes to realize that her mom’s new boyfriend is making deals with The Dark One to regain his youth and to increase his sway with his church/cult.

Forest runs away and her journey to her Granny’s house in the next county becomes a coming-of-age quest of good vs evil.

Mantooth has created a wonderfully horrifying brother/sister duo of Pastor Nesmith and Ruby Jewel. They powerful and hypnotic and their evil intentions are nightmare fuel.

Forest is also a great character. Just enough teenage angst plus naïveté plus cusp of adulthood strength to make her believable and surprising. Her refusal to give up her joy and her faith in goodness keeps the reader invested in her journey. If you like coming of age horror, I his book is for you!

This is a great road trip/coming of age/demonic novel that never lets it's foot off the pedal once it begins.

I could make a comparison to Little Red Riding Hood as our protagonist, a 15 year old young lady named Forest, has to escape by any means necessary to get to her grandmother's house in order to escape a Reverend who worships something other than the god of the bible. Instead of a wolf, there's a demonic entity in the form of a goat . This reverend has the town mesmerized and in the palm of his hand so Forest must not trust anyone in order to escape.

Her grandmother has "gifts" and has taught Forest some of the ways of this gift as a child. But the road to Grandma won't be easy. In fact, it's filled with nightmares and evil (both supernatural and human) that wants desperately to stop her at any cost.

This is a spine tingling, action packed, terrifying journey and be ready to be blown back by the time you reach the end. I highly recommend it. My review will be coming soon to my Horror Reads YouTube channel.

I found this story to be dark and engrossing. I loved every moment I spent in this story. The writing flowed smoothly and kept me immersed in the magic.

Fifteen year old Forest is on the run from her soon-to-be stepfather, Nesmith, when she finds him doing something he should not be doing. Forest has a plan to make it to her grandmother's house miles away. While eluding Nesmith and his sister, she finds a gentleman wandering the forest lost and confused. Elijah becomes a close friend and someone she can rely on to help her make it to her grandmother's house. When she finally makes it to her grandmother’s home, Nesmith arrives and the final battle begins.

So much happens in this simple story. It is written in such a bleak and dark way, but it pulls you in to teach you how a young girl can delve deep into her heart and mind and find a strength she never knew she had.

I would consider this to be a very mild horror story. I think it falls under psychological haunting. I don’t mean haunting as in ghosts necessarily. I mean it cuts deep inside your soul and grips your heart. For a deep and dark story, I recommend reading this one.

Thank you #NetGalley and Cemetery Dance Publications for sending me this ebook for an honest review.
#HolyGhostRoad

I'm not surprised that this book is incredible. Every book I've read by this author has been exceptional. So is Holy Ghost Road. Its scary. Its full of suspense. Its mysterious. Its impossible to put down once you've started it and its one of the best Supernatural stories of the year. Horror fans will love this book!

5+ stars

This is literally one of the most well written novels I have ever read. Stunning in every aspect. It has easily taken a spot on my top 5 of all time. I dont want to give any spoilers so all I’ll say this is so much more than a horror novel. it is a must read.