Curse of the Black-Eyed Kids

Mount Herod Legends #2

by Corey J. Popp

Fifteen-year-old Abby doesn’t believe in ghost stories, but even she has heard the infamous schoolyard legend of the black-eyed kids. Born from a sensational Mount Herod murder mystery, the legend says beware the ringing of the doorbell in the middle of the night and the sudden appearance of two school-aged children pleading to be let in.

Abby and her younger brother live an unconventional yet dull life with their grandmother, but when it’s their doorbell which rings next, their lives are turned upside down as the torment begins. Forced to come to grips with a new reality if she wants to save the lives of those she loves, Abby must enlist the aid of a mysterious young man known only as the cemetery boy to untangle a dark curse dating back 4,000 years.

Genres: Horror

292 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 31, 2017

About the author

Corey J. Popp began as a freelance writer for a major national media holding company before transitioning to fiction and publishing Beneath Claire's House in 2015. That same year, Corey was selected as one of the “Top 5 Authors Discovered in 2015” by Sci-Fi & Scary Book Reviews. Corey has since gone on to publish the Mount Herod Legends book series.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I'm a sucker for ghost stories, I much prefer reading about psychological hauntings rather than otherworldly beings who physically wreak havoc in characters' lives. In CURSE OF THE BLACK-EYED KIDS, we get ghosts, but they're too "flesh and blood" for my liking. The premise of the book is that two siblings, who are referred to as the "black-eyed kids," ring the doorbells of homes that are off the beaten path and, more importantly, are the residences of individuals who they are targeting. Readers learn the children have murderous intentions, but their evil machinations can only be actualized if they're invited into the home; if they remain locked outside, the inhabitants of the home are "safe" but nevertheless terrorized throughout the night as the children continue to ring the doorbell and bang on the walls of the house. Once daybreak appears, the black-eyed children magically disappear. Our main protagonists, Jeremy and Abby--also siblings--battle these spooky black-eyed children throughout the novel and eventually join forces with "the cemetery boy," Spencer, whose family has also been impacted by these same ghostly youths.

I will admit, there are some very creepy scenes, but overall, the plot strayed too much into the realm of fantasy for my taste. As the name of his series suggests, Popp builds a legend to explain the black-eyed children's presence, and while there is complexity in this history he creates, there's also some holes that left me scratching my head. The black-eyed children repeat, almost like a mantra, "rules are rules," but I never really grasped their rules. Why in one scene can they defy physical laws and then in another scene are bound by them to a certain degree? Even the text makes reference to this vagueness regarding the genesis of the children's rules they follow: "Whoever enforces these rules and whatever the punishment is for disobeying them are mighty influencers indeed."Readers never really get a clear sense of this "whoever" and "whatever" that is controlling things. Possibly this is to set us up for the next book in the series, but it was still frustrating to me during this read. And I was really bothered that I never understood where the children even came from in the first place. Readers never get a particular, personal history of them as their presence is only explained in terms of the "general" history and legend they're a part of.

This read also felt more YA-ish to me. Maybe it was because Jeremy, Abby, and Spencer are all younger teenagers in this book compared to BENEATH CLAIRE'S HOUSE, which found more of a balance between adult and teenage characters. And this was a minor pet peeve of mine, but Abby and Jeremy's grandmother drove me crazy with her continuous use of the expression "in the name of Sam Hill": "What in the name of Sam Hill are you talking about," "What in the name of Sam Hill is his desk doing in front of the door?" "Where in the name of Sam Hill did they all come from?" I know there are people out there who do overuse phrases (even great literary characters like Gatsby do), but I didn't feel like Popp was working to make a phrase unique to her but rather using stereotypes to characterize his grandmother figure.

BENEATH CLAIRE'S HOUSE really worked for me, but I just didn't love CURSE OF THE BLACK-EYED KIDS nearly as much. With that said, though, fantasy and YA fans--especially those who enjoy the combination of both--might really resonate with this one! Despite my issues, there's some wild action that keeps readers on their toes!

[Karrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second awesome book by Corey J.Popp
Both books take place in the same fictional city, but only loosely connected. But I do believe Mt. Herod has much more storytelling left! I liked this one more due to my always existing curiosity of the legend of the "Black-Eyed Children." Fascinating and creepy!

[San · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unnerving dark read!

This was a really great paranormal story. The settings, the history and the characters all fit perfectly to bring a dark, disturbing and at times unnerving read. The brother and sister leads of The book are really well written and you get attached to them early on, hoping they'll both make it to the end of the story. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the paranormal/horror genre.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

I did not find this entry in the Mt. Herod Legends series as engaging as I did the first one, Beneath Claire’s House, perhaps because the characters’ relationships were not as deeply developed. This was frightening, but I wasn’t very invested in the story. Still, the first book was a strong YA entry, so I’ll give this author another go, hoping he can continue to strengthen his skills.

[Melanie Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not going to lie, Curse of the Black Eyed Kids scared the crap out of me. I didn’t sleep for almost 2 days because I was waiting for these creepy bastards to knock on my door. I’ve previously heard the legends of “the black eyed kids,” I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there is nothing scarier than freaky ass kids.

This isn’t the first book I’ve read by Corey J. Popp. I reviewed Beneath Claire’s House a year or 2 ago. It was a great book, and when you get a second book from an author who did a great job in the first book, you never know if they will be able to uphold your expectations of them. He most definitely did.

This book has just the right amount of creep in all the right places. There wasn’t filler to make it longer, it got to the point and the story moved quickly. I actually finished it in one day because I couldn’t put it down. It’s not a short book, so my kids had cereal for dinner (I think) and my house went uncleaned, but at least I knew what happened before I went to bed. Fat lot of good it did since I couldn’t sleep when I got there.

Curse of the Black Eyed Kids kept me guessing until the very end. I had no idea what was going to happen, and that’s pretty unusual for me. I love it when that happens. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good scary story that will creep you out and keep your attention the whole time. I suggest taking care of any necessary responsibilities BEFORE you start reading because you aren’t going to want to put this one down until the end.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good PG-13 Supernatural Horror


I enjoyed reading Corey J. Popp’s YA supernatural horror book, because the storyline was well-constructed and is fast-paced. This horror story isn’t as frightening as books by King, Barker or Koontz. The storyline’s mythology—which connects the Michigan setting to England, a mysterious monolith, and the gallows of Tyburn—adds deeper and darker elements, which added to the stygian atmosphere.

POV character Abby Cooper mostly behaves like a fifteen-year old, but she sounds much older than fifteen. Jeremy—her very intelligent, thirteen-year old brother—teeters from young pre-teen to over-nineteen, but some behavior can be attributed to his eidetic memory.
The creepy black-eyed kids—who are terrorizing Abby, Jeremy, Spence and their families—remind me of ghostly characters from vintage manga books, and so do their sickle-shaped knives.

Here’s where it’s PG-13: there is knife-related violence, including death and injuries. Hundreds of spiders swarm a man, biting and squeezing into his orifices. Dozens of rats with razor-sharp teeth bite and gnaw at a teen, who is also attacked by dozens of snakes. However, there no NSFW language or sexual situations.

3.5 stars for a good sophomore effort by Carey J. Popp.

[TLCH]

Curse of the Black Eyed Kids

I read this without having read the first book in the series and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a great stand alone book. Magnificent world and character building, makes you feel like you're right there in the story yourself. An interesting take on the black eyed kids phenomena, Abby and her brother Jeremy live with their Grandma and are terrorized by the BEKs at night. The police don't believe them so it's up to them to figure things out. They find an ally and discover strength they didn't know they had. Excellent story with clean language.

[Judy Stambaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about Black Eyed Children

I enjoyed this book very much. A 13 yr. old boy, his sister and an unlikely acomplise fight off two Black Eyed children. What happens when you invite them in? Where do they come from? What is their purpose? Can they be overcome? Read this book for answers to these questions!

[Donna Lubanski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A spooky Halloween treat

I’ve read a number of stories, both short and novels about “the Black Eyed children”, and this is by far the best. This is one town I wouldn’t even stop to get gas in.

[Marie Lowry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spooky and fun

I enjoyed both books.in this series. It was a great ride with likeable and realistic characters. I am an avid reader, but don't write reviews unless it's a series I want to follow. I can't wait for the next one!

[Carolyn Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

A different take on the story of the black-eyed children of urban legend, with some interesting history, a strange poetry form and an ancient manuscript all playing a part in the mystery.

[Ann237 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

I enjoyed this book VERY MUCH. The story of the black eyed kid’s came alive with an all familiar tale combined with a extended addition to the “CURSE OF THE BLACK EYED KIDS”. Characters were extremely well developed and easy to follow. Thanks for a great read.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good read, although I would not recommend for lower aged kids. This needs to be 14+ on the reading age.

Great read, with enough spook factor to make your skin crawl, and keep you invested in the story

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very creepy, very good.

[lou brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read,intriguing.

Quick read,intriguing. Which the plot was more in depth,and the characters more developed. All in all a fun ,quick read