Thank you NetGalley, Dutton, and Jimmy Juliano for the advanced copy of Dead Eleven in exchange for my honest review.

I think my favorite thing about this book is how long I was asking myself "wtf is going on?!" It is such a mindbender and I loooved the mixed media used from chapter to chapter.

I've seen a lot of reviews mention that they were surprised this was a horror book going into it, so I feel like that's worth mentioning in my review. That is a large part of the reason I wanted to read it as I love the horror genre. The beginning definitely reads more like a mystery and about 75% in the horror elements really come to play.

I found I wasn't *as* hooked once I knew the "big reveal," but it's honestly very well-written and the different character POV chapters made it so easy to continue to read.

Penguin group Dutton Books but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review. When Willow and her husband lose their son Jake she becomes obsessed with Clifford Island it was written on the floor of her son’s room and she wants to know why but now it’s been over a month and now she’s missing. This is why her brother Harlan goes to Clifford island searching for Willow. He will learn a lot on the island but ultimately still have more questions than answers; why do the people here watch the OJ chase every night, why do they only have technology pre-date in 1994 and what does Lily have to do with her sister going missing? I don’t know why but I love books written with what looks like personal letters, diaries, journals ET see. that is basically how the book is written it starts with two elderly women Who live down along winding Road on Clifford Island and although they don’t hang around with each other come rain or shine at 1 o’clock every day of the year they go walk to their mailbox and wave each other when one of the ladies doesn’t show up the other one goes to check on her and finds her dead in her lazy boy chair but what she does with her dead friend is what let me know this was going to be one crazy original read! This was one of my most anticipated reads this summer and although I have been disappointed by a few of them dead 11 is not one. Is it a legend folklore or tradition I thought this was a great book and from the note to the reader until the end I was hooked a definite five star read in one of my favorites this summer. I received this book from NetGalley and

I only made it through the introduction and first chapter before I decided to quit. I'm not sure why, but the story just didn't grab at me in the way I thought it would. I was mildly interested by the blurb, so I thought I'd give it a go, but there just wasn't a good enough hook to keep me interested.

I first became interested in this novel when I read a spectacular review of it in a British newspaper. I was delighted to find this one on NetGalley and even more delighted to be given a copy of this title. That said, readers beware. This is a tricky and involved story. I was attracted to it for the mystery but need to note that this is also a horror novel, not my usual read at all.

The setup has to do with a journalist, Harper, who wants to find out more about what happened to his sister, whose son died. This takes Harper to an island in Lake Michigan where the year 1994 is highly significant. Why? Read this chiller told from three viewpoints to find out. It has been praised by Publisher’s Weekly (starred review), Booklist, People and many other outlets.

Be brave…enjoy!

Many thanks to Penguin Group/Dutton for this title. All opinions are my own.

3⭐️ I liked it but could have been better.

WHAT I LIKED:

*** premise is unique.
*** interesting at the beginning. It's eventful, and you instantly want to read more to find out wtf is going on. Esther was wildin!!!!!
*** format of the story was awesome. multiple POV, dual timelines, & mixed media - interviews, audio recordings, letters, text messages, and news articles. This was a fun and refreshing way to experience the story. This was well done and easily followed.
*** LOST and The Village vibes.
*** Mary and Patches' story was something else, LOL. Low key want a copy for my bookshelf.
*** I had no idea who was truthful and who wasn't, I needed answers. Made me question myself and if I'm rooting for the right characters.
*** the relationship between Harper and Willow, it felt authentic.
*** cover art is incredibly beautiful.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

*** got a little too repetitive with some information being mentioned too many times, like Willow talking about why she went to Clifford Island. Or the interview with Lily and Willow, it felt so redundant. They talked about everything that's already happened in previous chapters.
*** the pace of the story was too slow to be 448 pages. If some of the repetive parts were cut leaving the book under 400 pages, I think my rating would have been higher.
*** text messages were super cringe. I know it was supposed to be between teenagers but still.
*** something in Willows' story that seemed to play a major part was left unexplained.
*** ending had me feeling a little disappointed, I was expecting some sort of resolution. I wanted more imagery, more of a backstory/explanation. The thing that this entire book revolved around wasn't given enough attention. Jimmy Juliano is a talented writer. Had he fleshed this part out more, I firmly believe I would have rated this 4 starts instead of 3... despite the slow pace of the book.

Thanks to @netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for sharing a digital copy for me to read and review. As always, opinions are my own 🤘🏻💀🤘🏻

Love the cover, love the premise, didn't fully love the execution. The opening and the overall narrative gambit didn't quite work for me, and it felt very Stephen King lite, in a slightly distanced way. I know tons of people will (and already do) love this, though, so I'm excited for it to be out there.

Dead Eleven” by Jimmy Juliana
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Happy release day to DEAD ELEVEN, the debut horror novel by @jummyjukiaji! As soon as I caught wind of this novel- a horror suspense novel about a mysterious island off the Door Peninsula stuck in 1994- I knew had to read it! Thank you so much to @netgalley and @dutton for providing me with a digital ARC of this title.

Through the narratives of Willow, Harper, and Lily, we learn about Clifford Island, its odd inhabitants and their peculiarities. Although the action is slow to start, the world building vibe of this novel is excellent. Super sensory and eerie, you feel quickly trapped along with Harper and Willow on the tiny colony where they see dead people 😵 (though you’d be hard pressed to hear them called “people”) 👻

With centuries old demons and cultic vibes, Dead Eleven is an awesome summer read but great for anytime a spooky feeling strikes. Apparently this is already in development for TV which is exciting, and will DEF have a killer soundtrack to match! I highly reccomend this debut which is out TODAY wherever books are sold!

It’s the last Wednesday of June, so it’s book review time! This month, I decided that something on the horror side of things would be nice, so I requested a copy of Dead Eleven by Jimmy Juliano. It was released yesterday (the 27th) by Dutton (an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group). As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s do the thing!

Dead Eleven follows Harper on his search to find his missing sister, Willow. She struck out on a mission of her own, but disappeared from a mysterious island where everyone seems to be stuck in the past, 1994 to be exact, and Harper is determined to find out what happened to her. But he discovers far more than he bargained for in this creepy little place.

The book opens with a note to the reader, which honestly… I almost skipped it. I rarely read stuff like that because it’s usually useless, but I stopped and figured I should at least make sure it wasn’t important. It’s actually part of the book and not something tacked on by the author or the publisher at the last minute, but still. Skip it. I wish I had. It basically just tells you right up front that the ending is going to be vague and unsatisfactory. I didn’t want to keep reading. Vague endings are not my favorite thing, so that little note made me dread going on. Luckily, things weren’t left as open as this implied, but certain things were definitely not wrapped up at all.

Let’s talk structure. This book is set up as a collection of data and anecdotes, so it’s a little strange to get into, but I mostly liked it. There’s one part from the viewpoint of Jennifer Larson-Quint which comes super late in the book and from nowhere. And it ends up being kind of important. She should’ve been introduced earlier and built up a bit. The random appearance felt like an afterthought. But the rest of the data was collected in an interesting way and the layout of everything else felt natural.

Pacing! This book dragged so much and was so very repetitive. It was just far too slow until the last quarter of the book, then things picked up. But combine that with characters who were mostly unlikable and it makes for a tough read. Then, the monster is kind of disappointing. I almost felt like it would’ve been better not to see the actual monster at all. The “dead things” were cool and creepy, but the thing behind them was best left to the imagination, especially since nothing was really done to defeat it. I’m sorry, but I was far more creeped out by what I had conjured in my head than I was by what was described on the page. It was a let down.

As far as the writing goes, it ranged from really good to sleep-inducing slow depending on the sections. Rita only had a couple of sections from her perspective, but they were the slowest. The rest of the viewpoints were okay. The opening (after the note) was weird and worked really well to create interest. I’m not sure I would’ve kept reading if it weren’t for that scene.

Ultimately, I was disappointed by Dead Eleven. I was hoping for ’90’s nostalgia mixed with creepy horror, but there wasn’t really anything nostalgic about it and the horror was meh at best.

Overall, I gave it one star. I started at three stars, but the more I think about it, the more I find wrong with it. I can’t even find a reason to recommend it to others. It just wasn’t very good to me.

I thought that the concept of this was really interesting. I enjoyed how the perspectives shifted and it was sort of multi-media with the letters and what not. I think where the story lost me is the pacing. I just really needed this to hit the ground running a bit more, and because of the POV shifting and different bits and bobs this just really needed tight pacing. I would guess that I was about 60% through before we started getting to the meat of the action and the horror elements, and at that point I was starting to skim a bit. I wish this was more horror, tighter pacing and a bit more relevant lore/interesting backstory. As it stands, this was just too meandering and slow. I absolutely loved the concept of this, but the execution was not my favorite.

This book was interesting. The writing took me a while to get into but I did enjoy it. It was thrilling yet fun. I really enjoyed learning about the title. This author has a unique way with words. I think if you like Stephen Graham Jones, you will like this.

Who could have guessed Pogs could be so sinister? When Willow discovers the words “Clifford Island” written on her deceased son’s floor, she journies to the remote Wisconsin island to figure out how it connects to her son. What she finds is a town trapped in time - 1994 to be exact - and the more she tries to uncover the island’s secrets, the more it fights back. When she goes missing, her brother shows up and starts an investigation of his own.

Told through a series of flashbacks, text message exchanges and audio transcriptions, Dead Eleven sets a slow, creepy pace that delivers the right amount of unease. It’s a slow burn, but it had me racing through to the end.

Read if you like: Stranger Things, Stephen King, not sleeping

Wow, I really enjoyed this! I was hooked from the start and loved slowly learning about Clifford Island. I loved the different points of view and the facts that were slowly revealed. While I'm not usually into slow burns, it really worked with Dead Eleven. While you don't find out exactly what's going on until the later part of the book, the multiple points of view and timelines really kept me interested and wanting to know more. I will say that once the reveal happened, it did seem to end pretty quickly which I was disappointed about. I'm excited to read more from Juliano in the future!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Jimmy Juliano for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC of Dead Eleven, coming out June 27, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Clifford Island. When Willow Stone finds these words written on the floor of her deceased son’s room, she’s puzzled. She doesn’t know where it is, but soon learns it’s a tiny island off Wisconsin’s Door County peninsula, 200 miles from Willow’s home. Who wrote this on the floor? Determined to find answers, Willow decides to venture to the island.
 
After a few days on Clifford, Willow realizes: This place is not normal. Everyone seems to be trapped in a particular day in 1994: They wear 90s clothing, avoid modern technology, and, weirdly watch the OJ Simpson car chase every evening. When she asks questions, people avoid her, but she learns one thing: Close your curtains at night.
 
High schooler Lily Becker has lived on Clifford her entire life, and she is tired of the island’s twisted mythology and sticking to the rules. She’s been to the mainland, and everyone is normal there, so why is Clifford so weird? Lily is determined to prove that the islanders’ beliefs are a sham. But are they?
 
Five weeks after Willow arrives on the island, she disappears. Willow’s brother, Harper, comes to Clifford searching for his sister, and when he learns the truth—that this island is far more sinister than anyone could have imagined—he is determined to get to the bottom of things.
 
If he can get out alive....

I love horror books set on islands, so I was excited to check this one out. With the title and summary, I thought it would be a fun one. I liked it. I enjoyed the different formats of writing, but there were a few things I wasn’t a fan of. I think it took 75% of the book to get to some of the action and horror. I was thinking it would give a little more backstory sooner. I enjoy the last part, but it lost some of my attention by then. I think I was expecting something a little darker. It felt a little too much like telling and not showing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Dead Eleven had me hooked from the cover. Did I judge this book by its cover, yep, but can you blame me?

This book reminded me of so many things yet felt like something I’ve never read before. This book was written in a manuscript style with “found footage” elements and some time shifting storytelling. The setting created a uniquely creepy atmosphere with 90’s vibes, island weirdness and cult like people. Plus there’s an ancient evil lurking about, people having visions and lots of grief.

If you want a fast paced horror, I would not recommend. You don’t find out about the namesake of this book until 70% but it worked for me and kept me interested regardless.

I loved this debut novel and couldn’t help but think this would make a great movie adaptation.

Eerie and dread-inducing Dead Eleven offers a slow descent into Clifford Island's mysterious past and present. The truth is both hidden and uncovered through multiple POVs, including island citizens, and siblings Willow and Harper. The island has found a balance between grief and belief for survival, but maintain a tenuous hold on the younger generation. The story is bizarre but also introspective, observing the lengths people will go to protect themselves and who they will stand behind as an authority.

Juliano chose the perfect narrative structure to deliver Dead Eleven. I had to keep reading to get answers. Switching between multiple POVs, time periods, text threads and interviews had me flying through the novel. I appreciated that Lily read like a teenager, someone who wanted to explore the world outside the island. Willow has clear motivations for going to Clifford Island, but I wish Harper had a little more backstory. They fall under the "sibling shows up to investigate disappearance." There were also no answers provided for Willow's husband, though that may have been left open.

A friend said this gave her Lost vibes and I want to add Cabin in the Woods (more bigger picture than horror humour/tropes).

If you like atmospheric and bizarre horror mysteries, Dead Eleven will deliver. That first chapter had me laughing and so curious for the journey to come.

CW: blood, body horror, murder, misogyny

Dead Eleven is a horror book that follows Harper as he goes to a mysterious island where everyone seems to be stuck in 1994 to try and find his missing sister. From there, crazy things start to unfold and the mystery unravels. Each chapter is a different point of view and we get Willows point of view before she goes missing along with others in the community. There are some audio file chapters as well that help to build up the story.

I loved this book. From the creepy island to the mysterious things happening on the island to the bizarre cast of characters, this book unraveled perfectly. The whole time you were questioning if something paranormal was going on or if the island was a cult or something else. I loved how all the different points of view helped build up the story and the mystery unraveled throughout the book in an interesting way. It was hard to put down and i kept thinking “what the heck is happening” the whole time.

I feel like the beginning started out a bit slow but once the book started going, it was hard to put down. I also wished for a bit of a different ending but that’s just my own opinion. (Nothing was wrong with the ending, i just wish it was happier lol). Overall, this was a great read and i highly recommend!

Thanks so much to netgalley, the author, and Dutton for the arc!

I was so excited to get my hands on a copy of Dead Eleven by Jimmy Juliano… we've got:
A weird secluded island with lots of secrets
A missing woman
A lurking evil
Oh and did we mention everyone lives every day like it's 1994?

You guys know I love horror that's also fun and this book absolutely hit the mark. The book mostly follows Harper, who has arrived on this mysterious island to look for his missing sister. Things are much more sinister than he'd imagined. But also everyone is wearing overalls, listening to Aerosmith and rewatching the OJ white Bronco chase daily. Perfection.

The entire book is a compilation of letters, texts, journal entries and first hand accounts of the events of what occurs on the island - mostly through Harper and his sister, but also through the local children, pastor and residents who have been around long enough to see ALL the things.

I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it! Thank you NetGalley and Jimmy Juliano for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Jimmy Juliano's novel follows siblings Willow and Harper. Eighteen months after her son's death, Willow finds the words "Clifford Island" etched under his toy box. Willow has never heard of the island but is sure there must be a reason for these words. She determines that she must set out to find answers. After arriving on Clifford island, Willow realizes that the community is strangely obsessed with 1994. There is no modern technology, fashion, or news, but one thing is clear, keep your curtains closed at night. Five weeks after her arrival, Willow suddenly disappears. Harper, Willow's brother, worries about Willow's safety and well-being, so he sets out to Clifford Island to find her. After uncovering the truth, Harper discovers that the island is far more sinister than he thought. With the help of high-school senior Lily, Harper believes he can gather enough information to blow the whistle on the island. Can Harper escape the island with Willow in tow, or will they be stranded in a strange and ominous place?

Review:
As always, let's start with what I enjoyed. First, I enjoyed the characters and the relationship between Harper and Willow. Harper often considers his role as Willow's brother and how they drifted apart. However, he feels obligated to her and her safety, which I found endearing and believable. Secondly, there are some moments in the novel that are genuinely creepy. The descriptions of the dead things that come out of the woods are haunting and chilling. Hearing about the island rules is reminiscent of a cult, and Lily even describes it as a Waco lifestyle. Lastly, I thought the format of the story was refreshing. Written as an expose, Juliano tells the story through a series of interviews, letters, articles, stories, and text message chains. I think that the mixed-media format worked well for the novel, and it reads like a documentary, where you have interviews and reenactments. I believe that this format contributed to its readability. With short chapters, you are likely to read for a long time and not even realize it. I enjoyed the writing style and believe it contributed to the creep factor of the novel.

Spoilers ahead:
Now, let's move on to what I didn't enjoy.
I love a good cult novel, but this plot seems convoluted. As I mentioned, Lily describes her lifestyle as Waco-like, and the islanders follow a strict rule system. There is an ancient being on the island that will kill everyone if it is not satisfied. And at the same time, outsiders are being recruited to join the Clifford army. I just don't think the connection works. Is it a cult? Are they actually saving the world? The school's curriculum demands that children grow up and populate the world (Hello, IBLP), and they follow typical gender roles. However, they have a female pastor in a place that focuses on the 90s. It doesn't track.
Look, I am here for creepy ancient beings that demand sacrifices to be satiated. Like Kiersten White's Hide, Juliano provides little to no explanation of the monster or its origin. Consider Pan's Labyrinth and The Babadook. Both of these movies take a terrifying creature to symbolize some deeper meaning. For instance, the Pale Man in Pan's represents authority figures who prey on the weak and vulnerable. The Babadook is a metaphor for the hold that grief and depression can have on someone. Stories with some ancient beings excel when they act as allegories. In Juliano's novel, this is absent. The ancient one exists because it does, and therein lies my problem. If the creature doesn't symbolize something, then we need an origin story, as found in Cabin in the Woods or Evil Dead. I get that this is my personal opinion, but I don't love when we have no explanation for a monster or creature.
Lastly, and here's my biggest contention with the novel, I despise time jumps at the end of a story. In the race toward the conclusion, Harper goes to Seminary House, where the ancient one resides. In the last chapters, Harper faces the ancient one, and just when we expect a visual of the being and a visceral attack, Juliano suddenly skips six months into the future. WHAT THE HECK? Why do authors feel the need to do this? I didn't spend my time reading 440 pages to be disappointed with the ending. The whole novel has been building to this moment, and we don't even get to read it. That is simply lazy writing. As an English teacher, I don't even let my students write this way. If you have to rely on a time jump to tell your story, it's not fully fleshed out, or your writing isn't strong enough to carry that part. However, based on the rest of the novel, I know Juliano's writing style is strong enough that he could have written this part and done it well. So, it just feels lazy. Had the time jump not happened, my rating would have been a four-star.
While I enjoyed my time with this novel, I expected a stellar and creepy ending and didn't get that. While I was feeling a solid four-start rating, the last ten percent of the novel changed that. Unfortunately, I give this novel three stars. I would recommend the book if time jumps don't bother you.

Juliano's novel will be available on June 27th. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

Amazing concept for a novel. I'm so excited to see what else this author brings to the table along with the possible screen adaptation for this novel. What a killer debut. Sometimes you can get lost with having so many POVs but this author nailed exactly how much or how little we needed to hear from each character.

When his sister Willow mysteriously disappears after going to an isolated island to find out how the place was connected to her deceased son, Harper quickly realizes that something about the island isn't right. The residents are cagey and secretive and there's something sinister that comes out at night. Harper is determined to find out what happened to his sister, even if it means his own safety is at risk.

This was an enjoyable enough read. It mostly alternates between Harper's POV and Willow's POV with some chapters from the POV of one of the island's residents, high school basketball star Lily. It read a little bit young to me and wasn't quite as spooky as I'd hoped, but it was an otherwise solid story.

You would like this book if you like mildly spooky mysteries!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC; this is an honest review :)