The Skin Room: A Splatterpunk Novel

by Carl Bluesy

Kenneth had it a life of luxury, fancy cars, rotating women. Now he has lost everything.

At first, he only wanted his home back, but that all changed when he connected with his community. Now he wants to make sure everyone can live without fear of the madman hiding in the shadows.

Once he is captured by the serial killer, he will have to make the hard choice of what he is willing to sacrifice in order to survive, but what do you give when you have nothing left but the skin on your back?

Come peel away the bloody pages of Kenneth’s struggle between what is right and what is needed to survive.

this story contains graphic scenes and is intended for mature readers only.

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication May 5, 2026

Reviews

[Cherise Isabella]

Temporarily throwing in the towel with this one. I may come back to it in the future. I am not vibing with the writing at all.

[Scott Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gory, blood-soaked horror!
Just finished this book and really enjoyed it! Splatter and extreme horror are some of my favourite genres, and this one doesn’t disappoint!
I’m very grateful to have received an advanced reader copy of this book!

The story follows Kenneth and his spectacular fall from grace! After losing everything, Kenneth finds himself homeless and on the streets! With a serial killer on the loose targeting the homeless, Kenneth needs to befriend someone to keep himself safe.

Loved the characters in the book, especially Viv, who is a real firecracker! Characters are developed so that you really care about their fate! Or wellbeing!

Great, gruesome read with trigger warning checks required! 5 stars from me, great job!!
Let’s see what this author brings to the table next!!

[Erica Hart]

Thank you so much to the author for the ARC.
This book is well written, but it just wasn't for me. I couldnt get into it so didn't finish it. it has had good reviews so its just my preference and has nothing to do with the author's writing.

[Zane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book the way I read most things lately under bad lighting, half hungry, trying to ignore the cold creeping into my bones. And somehow… The Skin Room made that feel like the warm-up.
This isn’t horror you visit.
This is horror you live in.
Bluesy doesn’t just write violence he drags you through it, face first. Every page feels like cardboard under your back, like sirens in the distance that never come for you, like the kind of dread that sticks to your skin and won’t wash off.
There’s something deeply uncomfortable about how real the suffering feels. Not just the gore (and yeah, it’s brutal), but the emotional rot underneath it. The kind that makes you feel like the world itself is a predator and you’re already too weak to run.
Reading this while feeling like you’re already on the edge?
Yeah… it hits different.This book doesn’t care if you’re okay. It doesn’t care if you sleep after. It just keeps going mean, relentless, and unapologetically cruel.

And somehow… I couldn’t stop turning the pages.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (for sheer brutality and atmosphere)

[Sharron Joy Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kenneth is not having a good time! Once revelling in a life of luxury and excess he is now homeless and at the mercy of a serial killer, what choices will he make to survive?

This is not my usual choice of horror, I generally avoid splatterpunk and the first page of this had me thinking nope. But, although this is blood soaked and explicit there are really thoughtful themes of sacrifice and redemption here. The characters, albeit mainly undesirable, are well drawn and fascinating. Kenneth’s change from thoroughly selfish to protective of the community he has been welcomed into on the streets creates an empathy for him that I was not expecting.

The reality of homeless life is stark and brutal, the killer is sadistic and grotesque, the skin room is deeply disturbing and there is a cosmic feel to the story as it develops which amplifies the horror and degradation.

If you have a strong stomach and like your splatterpunk with added splatter then try this but I would advise you check the content warnings and you enter at your own risk.

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first ever Splatterpunk book. It was intense to say the least. I loved the message portrayed referring to how the homeless are treated and the things they endure just to stay alive.
I was so not expecting an actual Skin Room and the very disturbing skin fruit. The Panhandle Peeler was definitely quite the disturbed individual. I loved the blend of science fiction along with horror, it made the story that much more intriguing. This was very gory and horrifying. This is my second book I’ve read by this author and I can’t wait to read more.
Thank you so much to the author for giving me this early copy for an honest review.

[Allyssa Gaines]

I appreciate the author reaching out to me, but this book just isn’t my cup of tea. Maybe I’ll return to it another time, but right now, I will have to DNF.

[Amanda Ruzsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished The Skin Room this week and… yeah, this one sticks with you.

This isn’t cheap shock horror. It’s visual, immersive, and way too realistic. The writing makes every scene play out in your head like you’re actually standing there watching it happen.

And that’s what makes it so disturbing. You’re not just reading the horror—you’re inside it, stuck in a mind that’s slowly unraveling. How far can a man on top of the world fall?

Pretty fucking far.

It’s brutal, unsettling, and honestly one of the more viscerally horrifying reads I’ve picked up in a while.

If you like horror that crawls under your skin and stays there… this one delivers.

Just don’t expect to walk away feeling anything but gutted.

[Bailey (Myveinsbleedink) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first read in the Splatterpunk Horror genre and what an introduction. Kenneth our MC is honestly one of the most unlikeable characters I have had the pleasure to read about. He's a rude, entitled, manipulating car salesman who ends up honestly getting his just desserts. Due to some "error" with the bank/rental company Kenneth loses everything when he gets fired from his job and he ends up on the streets. This part of the book definitely hit the hardest because honestly ANYONE is a couple of bad decisions away from being in the same position. It is a hard truth that was brought to very real life on the pages of this book. Highlighting the constant danger and vulnerability that homeless men and women are subjected to 24/7, it's terrifying. To me I thought that was the true horror of this novel BUT then we encounter The Panhandle Peeler, the serial killer stalking the streets stealing the skin from the homeless. Umm...no thank you. The second half of the book where our MC Ken gets a very real introduction to the Peeler goes from sad/depressing to absolutely horrifyingly grotesque and I'm not gonna lie, I really enjoyed it. It was over the top blood and gore and I kept turning those pages!
If you've read my review this far, make sure you check your triggers because shit goes down.
So in closing although this is classified as Splatterpunk Horror it has so many genres rolled into it that it has a little something for everyone.
I'm so pumped Carl reached out to me with this one because I'm definitely going to be checking out the rest of his works.

[Dan Scamell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Skin Room by Carl Bluesy is a dark and dour horror story of two halves. This book offers a lot of things for fans of the more extreme side of horror to enjoy, and also some interesting character bits and setpieces that were clearly pretty well researched, which I appreciated. I received an advance copy of The Skin Room from Carl in return for an honest review.

Overall, I felt the writing was pretty strong in most parts of the book, and there’s some great creativity on display at times. The main character, Kenneth, can be interesting to follow. Despite some occasionally heavy-handed reminders of how much of a douche he is, there are some neat motivations and character choices that go unstated, which I liked. I enjoyed seeing what he finds to be the most important thing in a situation, and though he is often repugnant, many of his motives and trains of thought, though unsavory or cowardly, make sense for his character without being too preachy.

Much of the book deal with the unhoused, and there were some genuinely engaging moments and descriptions for me there. Outside the emphasis on drug-dealing and hooking, there were some good bits of researched information about how the characters spent their time wand what their primary concerns were. I also appreciated how the down-on-his-luck rich white man didn’t really become the savior he would have liked to see himself as, though it did make me wish for a little more agency from the other unhoused at times. But I think that’s also sort of the point. People can get beaten down past the point where it even makes sense to try to crawl away without a proper motivation, and that motivation is elusive and often never discovered.

As I mentioned, this is a story of two halves, literally. It is split in to two parts which follow the same story and characters, but have their own feel and tone. I think this was a good move, since I did get a bit of a tonal shift at the halfway point in the book, and I had a little trouble reconciling the two parts at times. Individually each half works well, but the narrative logic and borderline-supernatural qualities of the second half jarred me a little despite how much I enjoyed them in a vacuum. Lots of cool visuals and great ideas are on display, as well as tons of gore and gross outs. My issue was that after how relatively grounded the first half was, some stuff in the latter half felt almost silly for how extreme and bonkers it was. Again, I liked a lot of it, but my mindset was in another place after the first half.

Overall I found this a pretty well crafted, horror story. Definitely not for the queasy or those without a tolerance for mean-spirited stories. But if you appreciate gory horror with a downcast slant, then this one will sate your thirst. It flows well and I finished it without any trouble.

[Catrina Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS WAS INSANE
Kenneth is living the dream: he is a sales man of a luxury car brand and he loves his job. He takes advantage of everyone and sees others as tools to achieve his desires. Basically, there's nothing you can like about him. I couldn't wait to get to the part where bad things happen to him.
After some unfortunate situations, Kenneth becomes homeless. The same system that made him rich (or at least upper middle class) has now took everything from him. Now, I don't know much about how things work in United States, but bureaucracy doesn't help the citizens anywhere. I was kind of frustrated that Kenneth had no family and friends to help him. It's hard to believe there were no one to give him a hand.
Beside the gore and horror, The Skin Room is a very good commentary about homelessness and social classes. How it comes some lives are superior or inferior to others? We are so used to social stigmas and our comfortable position we never think about others (unless we have to). I don't know if the author studied sociology or something related to, but it seemed like it was researched well and written with empathy.
The Skin Room combines thriller with gore in a beautiful manner. The first part is more focused on mystery, looking for the killer and surving a systematic nightmare that doesn't give a fuck about you - the part that gets you hooked while preparing you for the second part.
And the second part: IT WAS INSANE! I don't know what I have read. I had vivid dreams of it and it was extremely weird. (but don't worry, I like this way)
I didn't like that at some point it becomes predictible. I enjoy solving mysteries before the action reveals the truth and I also see patterns everywhere so it might be just me on this. Also, I think the word husk was repeated a lot.
The characters have real, deep personalities and meanings. You get attached to them and see how injustice is deeply rooted in a system that should protect the vulnerable ones. Even if I didn't like Kenneth at first, I hoped good things would happen to him. After all, anyone can wake up one day and lose everything.
Overall, a nice, fun reading that makes you curious on what happens next.

[Jensen McCorkel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3.5

Kenneth has lost everything, his assets are frozen, he’s fired from his job and now he’s homeless. He has gone from living his best life, be it as a complete egocentric jerk, to having absolutely nothing in just days. Can’t get any worse can it? Wrong. At first, the novel seems like a descent story, a fall from privilege into desperation. But that’s only the surface. Very quickly, things take a darker turn. Kenneth is forced to confront himself, stripped of all external identity (money, status, ego) and what he finds is not what he was expecting.

I will admit, in the beginning I was worried about this read because I could not feel anything but distain for Kenneth but maybe that was the authors intention. But the minute he lost everything and started being stalked I became intrigued in the murder mystery aspect of the novel so the pace seemed to pick up for me. Then we have a shift in pace again about 50% in once Kenneth is carpeted by the serial killer. The pace slows a bit here and the story becomes more personal. Not only does the gore become more vivid but the author also gives us more Introspective horror by focusing on Kenneths mental and emotional state but also exploits his madness and existential fears.

Overall, Skin Room is a claustrophobic body horror that tackles the exploration of flesh, identity, and perception in the form of psychological decay and identity distortion. It does this in surreal and disturbing ways so please check your trigger warnings before diving in. It does have pacing issues at times but the story remains compelling so if you like your splatter and gore with a bit of psychological terror you should definitely give this a read.

[S. Policar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is... Amazing. It's not only extreme horror—and it IS extreme—it tackles some pretty deep topics. The underlying politics of it isn't just confined to Canada, where this story takes place.

Homelessness is a global problem, especially in "advanced" areas like the US, Canada, the UK, etc; where the money you have generally means you less compassion and empathy. This story takes the premise of those with money seeing those without homes as less then and runs for the hills with it. There's more than one life lesson for the reader embedded in here too.

For someone like myself, that's been homeless before, this story hits very hard. It took every fear I had when I was out on the streets with my middle spawn and amplified it a million fold.

There are elements in this story that are the reality for thousands of people everyday. People that most pretend aren't there, who look away when they see them, who cross the street when they can't avoid them. Carl Bluesy has taken very real things and twisted them into one hell of a bloody horror even the most skeptical are sure to resonate with in one way or another.

My only complaint with this book is that it's painfully obvious who the Panhandle Peeler is and our MC, Kenneth is just too stupid to realize it until almost the end of the book. But maybe even that was deliberate. Kenneth isn't the most likeable character honestly, nor is he the most observant in things he thinks don't concern him, so he probably just refused to see the truth looking him in the face.

I absolutely look forward to reading more by this author. He's definitely found a fan in me.

[Kurt Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Captivating Macabre Horror Story!

I had the fortune of reading an ARC of 'The Skin Room,' my first exposure to the writings of Carl Bluesy. I found it to be one of the most imaginative stories I've ever read. The central character, Kenneth, an arrogant car salesman and a pompous lady's man, has his pedestal ripped out from under him by a deranged, demented killer who preys upon the homeless community. All the while, the killer is intent on seeking revenge against Kenneth for his actions that resulted in the death of the killer's son. Kenneth loses everything, then lives among homeless people, and eventually is held captive by the deranged killer. To survive, Kenneth is forced to become his captor's accomplice in maintaining the skin room until he can find the courage and strength to stand up to his captor and escape. After his life-changing, harrowing experience, he chooses to live among the homeless rather than return to his former uppity lifestyle.

This story touches on many themes, especially how different levels of society look upon and treat one another, including the lack of law enforcement to protect the homeless, and how life's unexpected experiences can completely change the course of one's life. The storyline is raw and horrific. The scenes are captivatingly macabre and stretch the imagination. Although clearly fictional, it's plausible enough to be even more chilling. I found it hard to put down once I got into it. Hats off to Carl Bluesy for a well-written horror novel!

[N. D. Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Carl for providing an ARC of The Skin Room in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll be upfront: splatterpunk has never been a genre Ive been able to get on board with. My past experiences of reading splatterpunk, I've found the writing to be sloppy, poorly constructed plot, two dimensional characters - style over substance. I prefer dread over gore, implication over entrails - it's therefore not the genre for me. But The Skin Room forced me to recalibrate that stance a little. Bluesy’s writing doesn’t just lean into the genre’s extremes—it weaponises them.

The prose is intense, visceral, and unapologetically in-your-face, exactly the way punk should be. There’s a rawness to the storytelling that feels less like reading a book and more like being grabbed by the collar and dragged through someone’s nightmare. Even when the content pushed past my usual comfort zone, the craft behind it kept me hooked. Bluesy knows exactly what he’s doing: every grotesque detail is delivered with precision, rhythm, and a kind of feral energy that’s hard to look away from.

I may not be a splatterpunk convert, but I can absolutely respect the skill on display here. The Skin Room is brutal, bold, and written with a confidence that demands attention. If you like your horror loud, bloody, and unfiltered, this one hits like a boot to the teeth.

[N.L. McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an insane, wild ride.

Kenneth is that guy whom everyone hates. The kind that makes women’s skin crawl and men only tolerate as long as he’s more successful than they are. As soon as he loses his lead, they toss him aside like the garbage he is.

With all of that said, Viv sees something in him that the rest of us cannot see. She takes him under her wing and helps him learn how to survive on the streets. The irony that a person he would have never even glanced at twice (and let’s be honest, most of us would do the same) ends up being the person he turns to for friendship and comfort is sublime.

This book was great. I loved the dynamic of the characters. Kudos to Carl for creating a character I absolutely loathed then dragging me along to a point where I ended up cheering him on.

Friendship and character arcs aside, The Skin Room is violent and gory with scenes that will make your stomach flip. Carl doesn’t hold back. He drags you along through this nightmare with vivid details written in such a way that you can’t help but visualize every minor detail.

If you like the visceral horror of splatterpunk mixed with excellent character dynamics, this one is for you.

[Vix · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC read and review. Book received from author.
I had the pleasure of ARC reading The skin room by Carl bluesy. I devoured this book. This story follows Kenneth who is a car salesman who has it all, Money, flash cars, many women. At the beginning of this tale i feel like Kenneth gives off real sleezey vibes. But one day he looses everything. His beloved job ,car, all his money and his home. He is now homeless ! I kept thinking throughout this story how in life everything can change like in a day!! He is destItUTE! All alone in the world untill he comes across some fellow homeless people who take him under there wing . Show him the ropes but things just go from bad to worse when a serial killer is on the loose targeting the homeless. KennETH becomes one of the serial killers victims. He is subjected to horrific things! He is tortured and has to do some awful things to be able to survive the ordeal he is in. This story is graphic and not one for the faint hearted. Check your trigger warnings. Its gorey, so gross , disturbing but also has hope, friendship, community found in a time of hardship and horror!! A 5 ☆ read for me! This book is out on May 5th !

[Jennifer Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is deep and works on you on so many levels. I started out hating Kenneth. He’s a disgusting excuse of a human who takes advantage of anyone and anything that will benefit him. To my delight, this backfires on him and he loses it all. As the story unfolds I feel no pity for him because in my eyes, he deserves it. I do feel pity for those around him. Homelessness is a true problem and it’s crucial that we remember that not everyone gets there because they are junkies or scourges to society. Bad times fall on good people. Period. In Kenneth’s case, bad times fall on bad people. With the introduction of the panhandle peeler, I started to feel some empathy for this scum. It took a while though and I won’t lie, I’m talking like the last few chapters. The torment the peeler put him through was unbelievable. Not to mention all of the other victims! What a psychopath! A brilliant psychopath, but a psycho nonetheless. It was so great to see the downfall of this piece of s$&@ man from top elite businessman to transient to victim. I love the ending because he finally embraces his humanity and becomes what he should have been from the start.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book "dared" me to keep reading. And I obviously couldn't say no.

Kenneth starts off as the kind of man you hate..luxury, excess, zero substance. And then everything is stripped away so brutally, so unapologetically, that you’re left watching a man rebuild himself from nothing…or completely unravel trying.

I do love a good splatterpunk horror and I mean this one hit the mark. It's bloody, visceral, no mercy, no fade-to-black.

And then, the questions remain
What are you willing to become to survive?
And worse—what’s left of you after?

Suddenly it’s not just survival. It’s purpose. Protection. And that makes every choice he’s forced to make hit ten times harder.

And then there’s the serial killer...a presence. Lurking, suffocating, inevitable. You don’t just fear them…you feel them closing in.

This is not a safe read. It’s not a comfortable one either. It’s raw, grotesque, and completely addictive in that “I should look away but I physically cannot” kind of way.

Thank you to the author for the gifted e arc

all opinions are my own

[Bradley Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to receive an advanced copy of The Skin Room by Carl Bluesy. This is my second outing of Bluesy and I can say this was a much different experience than his first novel. As an avid horror reader, splatterpunk/extreme horror is not my cup of tea generally. It’s just rough 😅.

When the selfish egotistical Kenneth is down on his luck and his world is turned upside down he is forced into homelessness after a life of luxury. Caught in a game of cat and mouse with a serial killer know as The Peeler, Kenneth will go through some of the worst nightmares imaginable.

The Skin Room is extreme in the grossest way possibly. I want to check on Carl just to see if he’s okay 😂. No seriously though, this book is extremely well written for a sophomore release. It may be the most graphic novel I read this year. It may have made me uneasy, queasy, and disgusted. But, it also has a sense of redemption, self-reflection, and shines light on the struggles yet resiliency that homeless people go through. If you are a fan of extreme horror. Check out The Skim Room when it releases!

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wild ride! Some real heavy themes throughout, and there are definitely a few life lessons within too. All this whilst being full of gore!
Kenneth’s life has taken a turn for the worse.. then things get really bad! I’m sure it’s no one’s idea of a good time to be kidnapped by a serial killer but Kenneth really has some bad luck, his serial killer is extra sadistic!

I really enjoyed the character development throughout, especially in the first half of the book. You can empathise with most of the characters, even if they’re not necessarily the desirable type!
The writing style for me is perfect, it’s descriptive and atmospheric without feeling like you need a degree in English to understand it.

The Skin Room is a wild ride.. if you’ve got a strong stomach it’s worth checking out for sure!

(Out May 2026)

[Derrick College · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just want to take a moment to Thank the author Carl Bluesy for asking me to do an arc read for his book! ( Which comes out in May )
When you combined Frankenstein ( Monster and Creator ) with Jack the Ripper who lives in the House, Leatherface lives in, that’s the type of setting our MC Kenneth will face.
It’s the type of book that gets better as it goes on. Slow at first and then better and gorier as you read on. As a work of fiction, it does tackle many scenarios of homelessness, riches to rags and the struggles the homeless have to do to survive.
Kenneth ( our MC ) to start is a douchebag and shady car salesman. But his life is about to be upended.
He finds himself living on the street with people he thought were beneath him.
With a string of serial killings amongst the homeless, Kenneth is thrown into a world of chaos that he may not escape.
** Check Your Triggers **

[Breanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Skin Room by Carl Bluesy

The Skin Room is a dark, unsettling horror that shows how quickly life can unravel. Kenneth goes from wealth and stability to living on the streets after a mysterious “error” strips everything away. As he struggles to fix what he believes is a simple mistake, he’s forced to rely on a homeless community he never imagined joining. Meanwhile, a serial killer is stalking people just like them, and Kenneth’s belief that he isn’t “really” homeless proves dangerously naive.
This story is twisty, disturbing, and often downright gross, but in a way that keeps you turning pages. The tension builds steadily, the mystery deepens, and there is huge sense of vulnerability. It’s weird, gritty, and unpredictable!

[Bryan Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not read a lot of splatterpunk or extreme horror and The Skin Room by Carl Bluesy is a great example of why!! The gore, dread, and body-horror were so effectively written that the words just about dripped off the page...to the point where I felt like I needed to take a shower after each chapter. The imagery in this book will live rent-free in the skin room of my head for a long, long time to come.

You'll need a strong stomach and a brave soul to make it through this one but if you do, you'll be rewarded with great writing, a fascinating central character arc that is surprising yet somehow inevitable, and shades of social commentary, satire, and found-family feels....amongst all the skin-peeling and meat pineapples.

[Amber Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is bleak. I mean REALLY bleak. There are several different themes that work together to form the main plot and somehow, they just work. It’s not solely about the brutality brought on by a serial killer or the depravity of the human psyche, but it also sheds light on the homeless population and how easy it is to find yourself in a difficult situation. The physical horror is gore packed and visceral. The psychological horror is dark and tragic. The entire time that I was reading I felt as if I was there. Carl really brought the terror and hopelessness to life. A good book makes you feel things, and this one definitely did that for me.

[Danyel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need time to collect all my thoughts because this was an absolute wild ride.
First off thank you to the author for this ARC copy!

4-4.5 stars. It was deranged in a way that most Splatterpunk I think lacks sometimes. It had a well thought out plot and message. A surprising message especially given how the book starts.
I truthfully did not expect this book to have the turns it had. The second half is where it truly starts to unfold and envelop you into a very twisted individuals warped sense of revenge. And not the revenge I thought we would be getting.

The first half was rather lackluster but after reading through I must say it made the story make more sense. Especially the main characters story. Plus everyone knows it’s the ending that sits with the reader. 😈

This was definitely a book I’d recommend to my horror/Splatterpunk friends who want plot and story mixed with their gore and twisted desires.

[Jay Stryker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a fantastic read that I didn't want to put down until it was finished.

The story follows Kenneth and his ultimate disaster when he loses everything just to be stalked and captured by a killer intent on killing as many of the less fortunate as he needed as well as to get the revenge he seeks.

This book takes a look at how the less fortunate are treated and smacks you in the face to make you understand how good you have it.

All in all I have to give the book a five star rating.

[Storm In A Teacup · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was sick, twisted and deliciously dark I absolutely loved it, I thought the first half of the book had me hooked but the second half I just couldn't stop reading until I was done, it gave me all the creepy vibes I was looking at the shadows in my room hoping no one was there and I gotta admit my stomach twisted a bit at certain points but this book was just awesome, it does have some heavy triggers so be sure to read the warnings and be safe with your mental health but if you can read it, enjoy this dark, depraved book from Carl Bluesy.

[KellyM.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story follows Kenneth, a car salesman whose life takes a drastic and unsettling turn. Be sure to check the trigger warnings, this book is graphic, intense, and dives into some very real, uncomfortable aspects of society. It explores human selfishness and sacrifice, and I won’t lie, the MMC had me frustrated a lot of the time. The tension throughout the story had me squirming more than once. I’d definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy horror, psychological warfare, and gore.

[Jen Self · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is dark, gritty, gruesome, but also tackles some heavy themes. The character development and vivid descriptions are so good and I really appreciate how even though this is most definitely a fun extreme/splatter read it still manages to bring to light our country's issues with homelessness and lack of compassion for the unhoused. Check your triggers and brace yourself for a wild ride!