I really wanted to like the book, it sounded like an interesting fun short story, but ultimately it fell flat for me. The beginning chapter went from 0-100 real quick so I was excited for the rest of the book but the story ended up feeling slow and convoluted at times. I’m sure many people might like it, but it wasn’t for me unfortunately.

I had to read this after S.C. Mendes, the author, made a post about listening to your reviewers and their feedback. And I have to say it is a good thing he listens. Anyone going into the story looking for splatterpunk will be ready for a doozy of a story in the first chapter. And then the most of the rest of the tale is not.

Now that that is out of the way... I really enjoyed this tale by the end. About halfway through I wasn't sure if I was enjoying it or not. This book makes me think of 60's/70's witch movies that have moments of being so convoluted that you're not sure if you're enjoying it or not. It's generally the last 3rd of the movie that either seals it as a favorite or kills it for you. This book is very much that. Or at least, it was that for me. In the last third, maybe even quarter, I was thoroughly intrigued by the organization that is leading the protagonist(?) in this journey.

As a whole, I enjoyed the characters. Well, the ones that have time to actually show personalities (the ones that don't aren't important enough to the story, so that's ok). I felt the protagonist didn't need the influence of a certain podcast... he could have made poor decisions on his own without following their guidance, but I digress.

The book opens with strong splatter/extreme themes then moves to surreal to weird metaphysical themes that makes it a bit of a rollercoaster (thematically) but intriguing enough that I'd like to see a series revolving around the "organization" in the tale.

I give it 4 stars for my enjoyment and weirdly having a surreal vs reality feel of classic "witch" movies... but think many readers will probably give it a 2 to 3 star review.

This is more of a splatter punk, horror vibe. I liked it, I’ve never read anything like this before, but it was good. I would only recommend this book if you’re into this genre, I know it isn’t for everyone. This was actually my first time ready splatter punk.

3.5 stars rounded to 4. To be frank this one felt a bit too rushed for me. I did like the writing, but the pacing and the plot suffers somewhat, because the author wants not only to take too many things into account, but also take them into too many different directions - in fact, in the second half of the book, this multidirectional mix-up of plotlines happens all the time. Similarly, the genres to which the book belongs seem to change depending on the author's intended meaning of the situation described: as a result, the manner of description is not consistent throughout, so even if there's a fact that's gory and disturbing, the way it is presented does not always make it convincingly so.

The book, therefore, does not belong entirely to splatterpunk, though there are several extreme and graphic situations. Sometimes, it reads as a thriller, other times as a mystery.

The strength of the book, I think, lies in its characters: SC Mendes has a knack for coming up with great personality clashes, between both eccentric and simple-minded personages, with humor, empathy, and attention to detail.

Setting the issue of the fragmentary and inconsistent presentation aside, I'd say that if you read this in small doses, you'll appreciate it more: consider it organized like a menu (pun intended), structured around a diversity of themes (cults, conspiracies, ethical dilemmas, religion, new age metaphysics, absolutely weird dreams), presenting many hardcore situations for food for thought (again, pun intended); however, I was really shocked by the ending - and not in a good way. It was far too abrupt. Still scratching my head wondering what happened!

After quitting his job, Jordan Carter stumbles upon an ad for Talons, a new restaurant seeking paid tasters for their secret menu. However, each tasting leaves Jordan increasingly ill and plagued by horrifying night terrors. With the aid of his hot, spiritualist neighbor, Jordan delves into the mysteries surrounding Talons.

Labeling this book as Splatterpunk feels inaccurate. Apart from the initial scene, it maintains a relatively subdued tone (by Splatterpunk standards at least). The main character is easily dislikable with his problematic views on women (including being a fan of a pick-up artist podcast), and his generally negative outlook on life. Somehow, SC Mendes manages to humanize this incel-like character, occasionally making him feel relatable, a commendable feat in my opinion. While the pacing sometimes lags, the narrative is interesting enough to persevere. Recommended for fans of cult horror.

Overall, I found this book enjoyable. The themes and character development were very well done. I eagerly look forward to reading future works from SC Mendes.

Similar Vibes: The Menu (2022), Last Days by Adam Nevill

Thank you, NetGalley and Blood Bound Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This book went in a surprising direction , with some religious themes I was nervous about at first, but the plot was thought and I really enjoyed this!! Splatter/extreme fans may be disappointed that the gnarliest action takes place at the beginning of the book, but going along with the themes of the book I’d suggest looking at it like a delicious meal to enjoy and enjoy the ride along the way.

The Little Season
by: SC Mendes
Blood Bound Books
due:6-9-24
Limited First Edition of 613 copies
5.0 stars
#NetGalley #TheLittleSecret

I am such a fan of the weird, strange and unexplainable stories or novels. Thats one reason I am such a fan of SC Mendes. He can write the most disgusting horror, but has great characters that always remind you that tomorrow is never a guarantee, but there is hope. I was sucked right into this wild story, and really liked the protagonist, Jordon Carter. A perfect balance of humor and horror.
Talon is looking for taste testers and is offering a huge amount of money to join them. Jordon is looking for a job and is hired by Talon to be a taste tester. The location is secret, the menu is strange and Jordon becomes ill and has hallucinations and bad dreams after the taste test. He vows to never return, it just seems too weird. But when they offer him twice the amount as last time, to return for a second taste testing, he cant turn it down. Its to much money.
Jordons nightmare begins when he returns, and begins his own investigation into the church.
The horror is gory, the characters are so perfectly crafted for the story......I couldn't put this down. SC Mendes is an author I always look forward to reading.
Thanks NetGalley and Blood Bound Books for sending this e-book ARC for review.

“The Little Season” starts off strong as a true horror contender, making readers uncomfortable with its initial set-up. Personally, I would categorize this book more as a thriller than horror, as the author fails to test limits and does not lean in to the “splatter-punk” genre. Reader may begin their journey expecting much more horror/gore elements, but are instead met with the involvement of religious cults. While not a bad premise in its own, I believe this book started in one genre and ended in another. I did, however, enjoy the ambiguity of the ending, shocking readers with how easy people can be preyed upon/manipulated.

Maybe a little too long. And it's just all over the place. I found it comical at times, but then it dragged in quite a few places also.
Good concept though.

What in the world did I just read?! This book was wild. At any given point I had zero clue where it was going, and to be honest, by the end I was still left confused.. But in a good way. I could not put this story down and I almost wish it had continued on only because I was sad to see it over.

This book had me hooked in the first couple of chapters, very intriguing and descriptive, I couldn’t put it down. But then I hit a brick wall about 70% in and just couldn’t follow the story line anymore.

Splatterpunk mystery/horror… count me in right?

At first I was like… I don’t think that this will be for me, I just didn’t vibe with it. But the more I read the more I couldn’t put it down, and when I read the last page I was like WHAT!!! I wanted more to the story! Fast paced, short little novel that you will either love or hate.

Check your triggers though! Some of them got to me.

I really liked the beginning and I feel like the story started to ramble. Whole time reading this during the day I considered what the animals go through before we eat them n if it would actually cause our behavior to change. I loved the concept. I found the main character Jordan was oblivious and became aware and drank the koolaid anyways. Wasn’t the ending I was expecting

I love the artwork throughout this book. It's a fun splatterpunk read for people who like other writers in the splatterpunk/ extreme horror genre like Nikki Noir.

A big thank you to Net Galley and S.C. Mendes for the advanced reader copy of this book.

This was the first work I have read by this author, and as a fan of splatterpunk I was very excited when I cracked into the first few pages of this one, however, as the novel went on, it started to fall flat for me, as their were too many topics being brought in, while the overall story didn't feel particularly fleshed out, and that there were too many topics being brought in to be cohesive.

The random switch ups in perspective in the later chapters also really threw me off, and I think those parts of the story could have been expressed in a different way.

There was also a mention in the second chapter of something that had happened in the first chapter, but the second chapter is supposed to take place prior to the first, so the timeline is a little illogical.

Overall, I think this author could write great things with a little more guidance and tightening.

The book started off pretty gory and fast-paced, however, the ending did get bogged down with a lot of cult talk and conspiracies. There were humorous moments in the book and the main character was pretty interesting but I think it would have been better as a full length novel where the action and horror could be added and spread out a bit more through the story. I would definitely read this author again though as their ideas and writing were engaging.

3⭐️

The book started off very exciting and I read it fast, although is did end up being a page-turner I wasn’t so impressed with the plot. Characters felt a bit flat to me, but the story was beautifully put together by amazing illustrations. Nevertheless, I recommend this as a nice little read.

Thank you to the author, publisher, illustrator and NetGalley for an early copy of this book, this was a great experience!

#TheLittleSeason #NetGalley

Pick up the book and read it, for it's a quick, good read with writing that creates better tension. The elements of food, blood, confusion, cult, and conspiracy will keep you engrossed in the story.

I'm giving this 3 ⭐️ because it started out really good. It was stomach turning and the splatter punk vibes were vibing. The food company seemed ominous and I was excited to see what depraved direction the story was going to take us.
And then it took us down a spiritual/religious direction and I wasn't really expecting that. I love culty books but this one kind went all over the place and I didn't love it as much as I wanted to.
I just expected this to go a different direction and it was a bit of let down. I found the ending is anticlimactic as well. However, this was a fast paced read and I do feel like it kept my attention through out.

This book starts off strong with the.story of young Jordan who.is looking for a job and finds an ad to essentially eat and test out food. The place and the people all see interesting and peculiar. Definitely an original story I did not feel I have read a million times.
The author was easy to read and it was a quick read. I felt the book started off strong and had a little taste of splatterpunk. I was excited to see what would happen next.
I did find that once coming to the end of the book there were a few lose ends I would have liked tied up. Maybe this isn't the end of the story, but I did feel like I wanted a little bit more.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Blood Bound Books for a copy.