The Creeps was exactly the book I didn't know I needed. I've been in a reading slump lately, struggling to find a story that could truly hold my attention, and this book completely changed that. Once I started reading, I didn't want to put it down.

The concept is incredibly unique and immediately grabbed my interest. It felt fresh, creative, and unlike anything I've read recently. The pacing kept me engaged throughout, and each chapter left me wanting to read just one more. It's the kind of story that stays in your mind even when you've had to set the book aside.

Without spoiling anything, this is a suspenseful, immersive read with an original premise that I think fans of the genre will really enjoy. It reminded me why I love discovering new books and completely reignited my excitement for reading.

I highly recommend The Creeps to anyone looking for a gripping, imaginative story that is incredibly difficult to put down.

Wow! What a ride that was!

First, thank you truly #netgalley , #keylightbooks and #michaelKozlowsky for the opportunity to read this banger of a book!
From page one I could not put this book down.

Set in a dystopian age where two extremely opposite worlds exist with access between the two blocked and strictly enforced, Suffer lives on the wrong side of the water.

Growing up in a ruthless gang called The Creeps, Suffer’s world is one of survival. Whereas White City, across the water, is rumored to be inhabited by the wealthy elite who enjoy every desire fulfilled, Suffer lives in the other world, one of despair and poverty- where survival of the fittest is the law of the land.

The inner city where he roams is full of bombed and crumbling buildings, rival gangs who some have been rumored to have resorted to cannibalism to survive, and strange pipes filled with yellow smoke that are constantly being built and maintained by entranced or hypnotized workers.

Some people escape this reality by cutting into these pipes and inhaling the yellow smoke like a drug. It eases their minds and bodies while they waste away in addiction. Others, like Suffer, join gangs for safety and fill their days with theft, violence and even murder. These folks are always looking for their next meal, hit, and victim, and roam their territory looking for entertaining ways to fill their days.

It is while doing this that Suffer accidentally falls into a shadow and enters The Parallel, a world living alongside his but in another dimension. There, he finds a beautiful girl living in a loving family and although they cannot see him, as long as it is night he can remain in that world and watch them. In this world, Suffer discovers all the things he never had - warm bed, safe living, loving family, enough to eat - and he comes back every night until one of his gang discovers what he is doing and demands he show them all. And then the real trouble starts.

This gang is filled with horrible young adults- kids who never had a chance at a comfortable life so embraced the hate and darkness and took it to another level. Within these pages you will find the most hateful of characters, including one that is by far the most irredeemable evil character I have ever encountered in a book of fiction. You will walk along beside them as they steal, lie and hurt everyone including each other. This a cruel, cruel world and we are grabbed by the neck and pulled into it from the very first page.

This story bent and twisted in ways that were sometimes satisfying but mostly shocking and always brilliantly executed by Kozlowsky. This isn’t his first rodeo and it shows. His writing has a maturity and confidence that comes at you without fear and even a sort of bravado in how disturbing it truly is. Kozlowsky creates terrible characters with a depth and complexity - so much so that I could tell who was speaking just by their speech pattern. He makes them work excruciatingly hard for even a scrap of humanity. His writing is easy to read, his story extremely fast paced and so compelling that I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

This is a 5 star read for me. I recommend this to anyone with a penchant for dystopian horror. And one humorous personal note- I was completely deflated with the ending.

Until I realized there will be a sequel! And now I know that the ending is perfect. And the long wait begins.
Well played Mr K……well played.

Every once in a while, a horror novel comes along that reminds me why I love the genre so much. The Creeps is creepy without relying solely on gore, unsettling without trying too hard, and packed with the kind of atmosphere that makes you want to keep reading long after you should have gone to bed.

From the very first chapter, there is an overwhelming sense that something is deeply wrong. The author excels at creating tension through small details rather than constant jump scares, allowing the unease to build slowly until it becomes almost unbearable. I found myself questioning every character's motives and second-guessing what was real, which made the reading experience all the more immersive.

One of the book's greatest strengths is its cast of characters. They feel flawed, believable, and easy to invest in, making the horror hit even harder when events begin to spiral out of control. The pacing is excellent, balancing quieter moments of suspense with genuinely pulse-pounding scenes that had me racing through the pages.

The ending was particularly satisfying, tying together the mystery while still leaving behind that delicious feeling of lingering unease that every great horror novel should have.

If you're a fan of atmospheric horror with memorable characters, steadily escalating tension, and plenty of chills, The Creeps deserves a place on your reading list.