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The Clown Hunt
In 2016, a mysterious prank overtook America. The streets and the forests were overflowing with people dressed as killer clowns.
It was harmless and fun.
Just a quick and cheap scare exacerbated by the media...
But an angry group has decided to put a stop to the national nonsense.
They have abducted a group of clowns... and have taken them deep into the woods. A male stripper, a gaggle of social media influencers, a party-clown, and a few other innocents.
Now, they are chasing them... hunting them... trapping them... and TORTURING them. A simple death seems like a mercy.
It's up to one clown to fight for survival... and maybe live to see another day!
WARNING: This is an extreme horror novel. It contains scenes of graphic violence, torture, and abuse. It is not intended for the easily offended
It was harmless and fun.
Just a quick and cheap scare exacerbated by the media...
But an angry group has decided to put a stop to the national nonsense.
They have abducted a group of clowns... and have taken them deep into the woods. A male stripper, a gaggle of social media influencers, a party-clown, and a few other innocents.
Now, they are chasing them... hunting them... trapping them... and TORTURING them. A simple death seems like a mercy.
It's up to one clown to fight for survival... and maybe live to see another day!
WARNING: This is an extreme horror novel. It contains scenes of graphic violence, torture, and abuse. It is not intended for the easily offended
148 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 28, 2022
101 people are currently reading
2735 people want to read
About the author
Judith Sonnet
89 books1,375 followersUsed to write extreme horror but now I write WEIRD horror and I'm having a blast with it! Check out OUR SARNATH on November 22nd!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 234 reviews
March 6, 2025
Boy, oh boy, was this a brutal, bloody, and nasty little tale (Why did that sound so eerily similar to the Cryptkeeper from Tales from the Crypt?) I think this was an awesome concept for a story, as it was a huge trend back in 2017, I believe. And wouldn't you know it, as soon as someone pistol whipped one of these clown pranksters, it magically stopped. Needless to say, it was primed for a book, and I'm glad that someone of Judith Sonnet's caliber took it on. And this was a huge pivot and extremely different from my first outing with her, in We Have Summoned, but both works are done very well. Now Clown Hunt has a ton of gore and plenty of super violent scenes, so reader beware, as some involve young children and the disabled. Willow was a character that you really felt for and I had a hard time seeing this poor kid having all these disadvantages, and not catching any sort of break, especially once he was pulled into the hunt itself. I did feel that the story sacrificed a bit of substance at times to make room for the carnage, but it didn't take away from the overall plot, which was fairly straightforward. And during the hunt, I had a little trouble keeping track of who was who, as there are a ton of characters running around at that point. But this was a solid horror story for all of my fellow horror enthusiasts.
April 4, 2022
Full review available at The Mort Report:
https://www.uncomfortablydark.com/bla...
Does anybody really like clowns?
I have this traumatic memory from when I was a child. Big crazy hair, tons of make-up and colorful clothes. You see, aunt Edna was what they called eccentric, and I was too you to remember much beyond the family gatherings where she would lube her lips up with her tongue before she bent you over like a stapler and planting a gross kiss on your mouth.
Do I associate her with clowns? I don’t know. All I know is that clowns have always made me uncomfortable. Grown ass people disguising themselves to be among kids is just not something I get.
Well, there are others who don’t like clowns. Much more than me. In fact, there are even some that abducted clowns for the sole purpose of hunting, torturing and killing them. Do they deserve it? Well, maybe not – I mean, if you knew the clown personally, it might be a whole different story, but violence is never the answer.
Until it is.
Sonnet has written a very good extreme story here. But don’t write her off as someone who tries to shock people because she lacks the skills to write well. This girl has got talent, and she does some serious character development before the shit truly hits the fan.
And, it is quite clear to see how she was inspired by Jon Athan and Aron Beauregard on the brutality scale as well.
Now, I will address this in this review, simply because people can be total assholes. The main character is gay, but this is not the kind of story that pushes a political agenda. This is an extreme horror story, regardless of the background. And in this community, most readers are much more open to differences - as long as the story delivers what it promises. Don’t allow prejudice to ruin the experience, because this author will surprise you.
4 Brutal stars!
https://www.uncomfortablydark.com/bla...
Does anybody really like clowns?
I have this traumatic memory from when I was a child. Big crazy hair, tons of make-up and colorful clothes. You see, aunt Edna was what they called eccentric, and I was too you to remember much beyond the family gatherings where she would lube her lips up with her tongue before she bent you over like a stapler and planting a gross kiss on your mouth.
Do I associate her with clowns? I don’t know. All I know is that clowns have always made me uncomfortable. Grown ass people disguising themselves to be among kids is just not something I get.
Well, there are others who don’t like clowns. Much more than me. In fact, there are even some that abducted clowns for the sole purpose of hunting, torturing and killing them. Do they deserve it? Well, maybe not – I mean, if you knew the clown personally, it might be a whole different story, but violence is never the answer.
Until it is.
Sonnet has written a very good extreme story here. But don’t write her off as someone who tries to shock people because she lacks the skills to write well. This girl has got talent, and she does some serious character development before the shit truly hits the fan.
And, it is quite clear to see how she was inspired by Jon Athan and Aron Beauregard on the brutality scale as well.
Now, I will address this in this review, simply because people can be total assholes. The main character is gay, but this is not the kind of story that pushes a political agenda. This is an extreme horror story, regardless of the background. And in this community, most readers are much more open to differences - as long as the story delivers what it promises. Don’t allow prejudice to ruin the experience, because this author will surprise you.
4 Brutal stars!
March 24, 2022
Loved it. The opening scene is suspenseful and brutal, followed by a strong focus on the main character, Willow. Then the very fast-paced hunt begins. From this point on, if you're looking for carnage, every chapter is practically written in blood. I know one of the deaths will stick with me for a looong time. ("Wishbone!") I really appreciate that it did so much to change up the formula while still feeling like a slasher.
January 26, 2024
Reread the first review wad from 2023, still enjoyed the book as much ad the last time.
_________
4.5 rounded up. I think this is only the second book I've read where the clowns are the innocent, and I really like that concept. The clown hunt did what I want in an horror story,. Had a good set up on the main characters and made me care for the side characters and of. course being absolutely gruesome and an intense read. I loved the ending and the story overall. Scary and intense. Will definitely buy more from this author.
_________
4.5 rounded up. I think this is only the second book I've read where the clowns are the innocent, and I really like that concept. The clown hunt did what I want in an horror story,. Had a good set up on the main characters and made me care for the side characters and of. course being absolutely gruesome and an intense read. I loved the ending and the story overall. Scary and intense. Will definitely buy more from this author.
September 11, 2022
When I picked up an extreme horror novella about clowns, I really expected something very different from what I got, but honestly, I was pleasantly surprised. Clowns have been the creepy bad guys for so long, and I'll be the first to admit they freak me out too, but it was really interesting to see an author turn the trope on its head and make the clowns the victims!
I'd heard Judith Sonnet's horror stories were pretty grotesque, and this one definitely was, so if you're not into extreme horror, I wouldn't recommend it. That said, if you want to dip your toes into extreme horror and aren't sure what you're ready for, this might be a good introduction to the splatterpunk subgenre: it's extreme without the plot suffering for the sake of gore, and while there are a lot of triggers involved in the content, I don't feel that it relied heavily on many of the themes that I see a lot of other extreme horror authors primarily utilize (like rape).
In case you didn't notice, I really enjoyed The Clown Hunt, and I'm very excited to read more from this author! I've already bought a couple more of Judith's ebooks and can't wait to read them!
✨ Representation: queer Black main character, multiple queer and/or BIPOC side characters, multiple sex worker characters
✨ Content warnings for:
———
twitter | booktok | bookstagram | blog
I'd heard Judith Sonnet's horror stories were pretty grotesque, and this one definitely was, so if you're not into extreme horror, I wouldn't recommend it. That said, if you want to dip your toes into extreme horror and aren't sure what you're ready for, this might be a good introduction to the splatterpunk subgenre: it's extreme without the plot suffering for the sake of gore, and while there are a lot of triggers involved in the content, I don't feel that it relied heavily on many of the themes that I see a lot of other extreme horror authors primarily utilize (like rape).
In case you didn't notice, I really enjoyed The Clown Hunt, and I'm very excited to read more from this author! I've already bought a couple more of Judith's ebooks and can't wait to read them!
✨ Representation: queer Black main character, multiple queer and/or BIPOC side characters, multiple sex worker characters
✨ Content warnings for:
———
twitter | booktok | bookstagram | blog
March 6, 2025
Books read & reviewed: 8️⃣9️⃣🥖4️⃣0️⃣0️⃣
╔⏤⏤⏤╝❀╚⏤⏤⏤╗
5️⃣ And 1️⃣ star at the same time so in average it got3️⃣ but its soo good, so bad so ill still give it 5️⃣🌟, this should be a contemporary BL mlm romance book grrrrr, i see a good potential for a gay book when i see one🥹,. THIS SHOULDN'T BE SPLATTERPUNK😭,. This book is getting the pedestal of all shelf since ive never felt in anyway like this b4
——————————————————————
➕➖0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟✖️➗
Date Read: Sunday, March 2, 2025
Book Length: 38k words: i feel like the universe had a general plan of making me read only short books because i don't think this shit is a coincidence anymore, why do i only read short books?!?
Disturbingness scale: i don't know what's wirse: the most horrifying depictions of torture you will ever see or Willow very much well written romance story but his life just got ruined by a splatterpunk author, THIS SHOULD BE A CUTESY 🥰 COZY ROMANCE BOOK❕❗out of 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ potatoes 🥔: 9️⃣7️⃣
——————————————————————
Okay now why did i think that? First, the prologue of this book shows a person witnessing the murder of her friend and her friend's brother by a killer clown but the story doesn't revolve around HER.
When chapter one starts we got introduced to Willow, a very lost gay man that is extremely well written and one that i would really connect with and sympathise with, he reminds me so much of the characters from 'A little life'. His life story and where he got to know is genuinely a really good start to a good contemporary romance novel he meets this guy named roger who is primarily i think will be his love interest, but why the end of part 1 and probably where part 2 starts, it all goes down.
——————————————————————
This was a transition to a perfect romance book, the tension, the proximity the character development, the plot, it was all created so beautiful to the point where i thought that willow and roger would be together. The first part of the book is what i would find in not just a random romance book but a very good romance book. All this time while i was reading the first part of the book i was thinking "How did this even became a splatterpunk book?" I was giggling, i was kicking my legs in the airbecause of the most beautiful romance story between willow and roger is...
But then willow gets kidnapped...randomly idk along with another random side character named chester.
It doesn't even make sense why willow and chester would be the ones who would get kidnapped. Chester is such a random character why him? And not roger? And it almost seems like all throughout the book, the rest of the book the author just kind of forgot every character that exists on the first part, it's almost like the author wrote two different books all in one, the first one being the "part one" of this book in the second one being the "part 2 and part 3", it was so out of place because all throughout reading it i just can't stop thinking about the first part which is willow's romance story, it was just that after the first part the genre was just changed, very suddenly, very interruptedly, very unexpectedly and pretty much a jump down in quality.
If you're going to make a book about Willow's romance story,. THEN MAKE A BOOK ABOUT WILLOW'S ROMANCE STORY AND NOT SUDDENLY CHANGE IT INTO 'OOPS WILLOW SUDDENLY GOT KIDNAPPED WITH ANOTHER CHARACTER THAT IS NOT HIS LOVE INTEREST AND NOW HE MUST SURVIVE A DEADLY GAME BECAUSE ✨SURPRISE SURPRISE THIS BOOK IS NOW NOT ABOUT HIS ROMANCE STORY✨.'
——————————————————————
And Look at this bitch in the epilogue
"his boyfriend –a gentle man named Lyle"
WHO THE FUCK IS LYLE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!!?
what
WHAT HAPPENED T0 ROGER IN PART 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! U SERIOUS?,. YOURE LEAVING THE BEST GAY ROMANCE STORY EVER FOR YOUR NEW BOYFRIEND NAMED LYLE?
hey author, babe, i know u can write what i can only possibly explain is the best gay romance i have ever read,. BUT THIS? NAH,. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE, NUMBER ONE WHO THE FUCK IS LYLE AND NUMBER TWO WHY DID YOU FORGET ROGER IN PART 1.
——————————————————————
I would like to propose a different fucking ending, Not just a different ending but an entire new book in itself. I demand a continuation of willow's romance story and if the author can't seem to do that i would just think that the whole "he gets kidnapped" thing didn't actually happen.
This was after Willow plans to go to a bachelor's party (but now he didn't gets kidnapped while going there)
he successfully went to the bachelor's party, he performs his anti-sex work as the fiance of the person who hosted the bachelor's party calls him to do as a gig. After that he did the gig really well that the person who hosted the bachelor's party tipped him a huge amount of money enough for him and Roger to start a new life on their own. He went home to to his most loving (soon to be) boyfriend ever, he revealed to everyone that he can finally quit his work as a sex worker, Roger on the other hand confesses that he likes Willow in which willow gets surprised but eventually says that he also likes Roger back, and both of them quit doing their sex work, lived on their own after that, finds new work, buys living expenses, the new book premiarily focuses on them going on cute dates and both of them lived happily ever after,. THE FUCKING END,. NO KIDNAPPING, NO CLOWN MURDERERS, NO LYLE IN THE EPILOGUE, NO NOTHING
do you see how cute and wholesome the end of their love story is ❤️💗💓?
I dont care how much gruesome torture they did to that 8-year old, that 13-year old, that mall clown, Bruno and his wife and his damn unborn fetus, or even to Andy,. The author fucking ruined the best gay romance book this book could ever be that has tons of potential. I don't care how good the revenge ending is.
THEY
RUINED
MY
GAY
ROMANCE
BOOK
IN
PART
1
In conclusion:
1. The antagonist was so horribly written
2. Should have been a romance book :/
3. The gore itself is one of the most disturbing and most in depth torture scenes ive ever read so it's hitting two birds in one stone which added to the horrible change from romance to splatterpunk... Becomes one of the most disturbing pieces of literature that i have ever read.
4. Who the fuck is lyle
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*Pre-Read✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
Well some other person on tiktok said that all the other people are wrong and that this is the most disturbing book in the world.
╔⏤⏤⏤╝❀╚⏤⏤⏤╗
5️⃣ And 1️⃣ star at the same time so in average it got3️⃣ but its soo good, so bad so ill still give it 5️⃣🌟, this should be a contemporary BL mlm romance book grrrrr, i see a good potential for a gay book when i see one🥹,. THIS SHOULDN'T BE SPLATTERPUNK😭,. This book is getting the pedestal of all shelf since ive never felt in anyway like this b4
——————————————————————
➕➖0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟✖️➗
Date Read: Sunday, March 2, 2025
Book Length: 38k words: i feel like the universe had a general plan of making me read only short books because i don't think this shit is a coincidence anymore, why do i only read short books?!?
Disturbingness scale: i don't know what's wirse: the most horrifying depictions of torture you will ever see or Willow very much well written romance story but his life just got ruined by a splatterpunk author, THIS SHOULD BE A CUTESY 🥰 COZY ROMANCE BOOK❕❗out of 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ potatoes 🥔: 9️⃣7️⃣
——————————————————————
Okay now why did i think that? First, the prologue of this book shows a person witnessing the murder of her friend and her friend's brother by a killer clown but the story doesn't revolve around HER.
When chapter one starts we got introduced to Willow, a very lost gay man that is extremely well written and one that i would really connect with and sympathise with, he reminds me so much of the characters from 'A little life'. His life story and where he got to know is genuinely a really good start to a good contemporary romance novel he meets this guy named roger who is primarily i think will be his love interest, but why the end of part 1 and probably where part 2 starts, it all goes down.
——————————————————————
This was a transition to a perfect romance book, the tension, the proximity the character development, the plot, it was all created so beautiful to the point where i thought that willow and roger would be together. The first part of the book is what i would find in not just a random romance book but a very good romance book. All this time while i was reading the first part of the book i was thinking "How did this even became a splatterpunk book?" I was giggling, i was kicking my legs in the airbecause of the most beautiful romance story between willow and roger is...
But then willow gets kidnapped...randomly idk along with another random side character named chester.
It doesn't even make sense why willow and chester would be the ones who would get kidnapped. Chester is such a random character why him? And not roger? And it almost seems like all throughout the book, the rest of the book the author just kind of forgot every character that exists on the first part, it's almost like the author wrote two different books all in one, the first one being the "part one" of this book in the second one being the "part 2 and part 3", it was so out of place because all throughout reading it i just can't stop thinking about the first part which is willow's romance story, it was just that after the first part the genre was just changed, very suddenly, very interruptedly, very unexpectedly and pretty much a jump down in quality.
If you're going to make a book about Willow's romance story,. THEN MAKE A BOOK ABOUT WILLOW'S ROMANCE STORY AND NOT SUDDENLY CHANGE IT INTO 'OOPS WILLOW SUDDENLY GOT KIDNAPPED WITH ANOTHER CHARACTER THAT IS NOT HIS LOVE INTEREST AND NOW HE MUST SURVIVE A DEADLY GAME BECAUSE ✨SURPRISE SURPRISE THIS BOOK IS NOW NOT ABOUT HIS ROMANCE STORY✨.'
——————————————————————
And Look at this bitch in the epilogue
"his boyfriend –a gentle man named Lyle"
WHO THE FUCK IS LYLE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!!?
what
WHAT HAPPENED T0 ROGER IN PART 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! U SERIOUS?,. YOURE LEAVING THE BEST GAY ROMANCE STORY EVER FOR YOUR NEW BOYFRIEND NAMED LYLE?
hey author, babe, i know u can write what i can only possibly explain is the best gay romance i have ever read,. BUT THIS? NAH,. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE, NUMBER ONE WHO THE FUCK IS LYLE AND NUMBER TWO WHY DID YOU FORGET ROGER IN PART 1.
——————————————————————
I would like to propose a different fucking ending, Not just a different ending but an entire new book in itself. I demand a continuation of willow's romance story and if the author can't seem to do that i would just think that the whole "he gets kidnapped" thing didn't actually happen.
This was after Willow plans to go to a bachelor's party (but now he didn't gets kidnapped while going there)
he successfully went to the bachelor's party, he performs his anti-sex work as the fiance of the person who hosted the bachelor's party calls him to do as a gig. After that he did the gig really well that the person who hosted the bachelor's party tipped him a huge amount of money enough for him and Roger to start a new life on their own. He went home to to his most loving (soon to be) boyfriend ever, he revealed to everyone that he can finally quit his work as a sex worker, Roger on the other hand confesses that he likes Willow in which willow gets surprised but eventually says that he also likes Roger back, and both of them quit doing their sex work, lived on their own after that, finds new work, buys living expenses, the new book premiarily focuses on them going on cute dates and both of them lived happily ever after,. THE FUCKING END,. NO KIDNAPPING, NO CLOWN MURDERERS, NO LYLE IN THE EPILOGUE, NO NOTHING
do you see how cute and wholesome the end of their love story is ❤️💗💓?
I dont care how much gruesome torture they did to that 8-year old, that 13-year old, that mall clown, Bruno and his wife and his damn unborn fetus, or even to Andy,. The author fucking ruined the best gay romance book this book could ever be that has tons of potential. I don't care how good the revenge ending is.
THEY
RUINED
MY
GAY
ROMANCE
BOOK
IN
PART
1
In conclusion:
1. The antagonist was so horribly written
2. Should have been a romance book :/
3. The gore itself is one of the most disturbing and most in depth torture scenes ive ever read so it's hitting two birds in one stone which added to the horrible change from romance to splatterpunk... Becomes one of the most disturbing pieces of literature that i have ever read.
4. Who the fuck is lyle
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*Pre-Read✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
Well some other person on tiktok said that all the other people are wrong and that this is the most disturbing book in the world.
April 14, 2024
Superbly written and extremely fast paced throughout the whole book and it doesn't let up at all,it is brutal,bloody and nasty.
The "Wishbone" scene will never leave me unless I scrub it away with bleach & steel wool!!
There is every trigger warning in this book imaginable...so just be aware of this before you decide to read it! Its not for the easily offended or the faint hearted!!
I found the ending a little disappointing,but it didn't spoil reading the book for me though.
Only 4 Shit Scary Clown Stars 💩😨🤡 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Because of the ending!
The "Wishbone" scene will never leave me unless I scrub it away with bleach & steel wool!!
There is every trigger warning in this book imaginable...so just be aware of this before you decide to read it! Its not for the easily offended or the faint hearted!!
I found the ending a little disappointing,but it didn't spoil reading the book for me though.
Only 4 Shit Scary Clown Stars 💩😨🤡 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Because of the ending!
August 1, 2022
4.5 I’ll be thinking about this one for a while. There was one scene that will haunt me for a long time and it was definitely out of my comfort zone for sure. Otherwise a wild ride I really liked
May 17, 2024
I was excited to read this as I was pretty invested with the clown sightings back in 2016. All I knew about this book before reading was that it was about the sightings. I'm probably not alone in assuming the antagonists in this were going to be the clowns. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that was not the case lol
This being my second read of Sonnet, I can certainly say she is a great writer. The way the gore and torture was written in this book made my skin crawl in the best way!! Unfortunately, there was quite a bit of grammatical/spelling errors, but I would still recommend this to extreme horror/splatterpunk fans
This being my second read of Sonnet, I can certainly say she is a great writer. The way the gore and torture was written in this book made my skin crawl in the best way!! Unfortunately, there was quite a bit of grammatical/spelling errors, but I would still recommend this to extreme horror/splatterpunk fans
April 19, 2022
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. I am here.
This is my first read by author Judith Sonnet, and it won’t be my last. Although extreme to the max, Judith infused humour to mitigate some of the worse and most disgusting scenes. I loved the characters, including the fact that we had a final girl that was male, Black, and gay, which is rare in horror overall. The introduction was also awesome… roped me right into the story. I did feel like the wrap up was a little hard to buy into (shades of the movie “Martyrs”), and the “moral of the story” was a little bit disjointed, but overall, a good and fun read!
This is my first read by author Judith Sonnet, and it won’t be my last. Although extreme to the max, Judith infused humour to mitigate some of the worse and most disgusting scenes. I loved the characters, including the fact that we had a final girl that was male, Black, and gay, which is rare in horror overall. The introduction was also awesome… roped me right into the story. I did feel like the wrap up was a little hard to buy into (shades of the movie “Martyrs”), and the “moral of the story” was a little bit disjointed, but overall, a good and fun read!
May 7, 2023
“Wishbone”
Hahhahaa Jesus fucking Christ 💀
Don’t read this if you’re sensitive. Don’t read this if you can’t laugh at fucked up shit.
Hahhahaa Jesus fucking Christ 💀
Don’t read this if you’re sensitive. Don’t read this if you can’t laugh at fucked up shit.
![Profile Image for ❀ Alex ❀ [Hiatus] .](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1724819109i%2F127505214._UX200_CR0%2C35%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
dnf
October 22, 2024DNF @ 15%
Nah I've hit my limit with extreme horror.
Nah I've hit my limit with extreme horror.
May 9, 2023
TW: Cheating, classism, homophobia, gore, language, racism, murder, death of baby, penis harm, rape, racism, death of child
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:In 2016, a mysterious prank overtook America. The streets and the forests were overflowing with people dressed as killer clowns.
It was harmless and fun.
Just a quick and cheap scare exacerbated by the media...
But an angry group has decided to put a stop to the national nonsense.
They have abducted a group of clowns... and have taken them deep into the woods. A male stripper, a gaggle of social media influencers, a party-clown, and a few other innocents.
Now, they are chasing them... hunting them... trapping them... and TORTURING them. A simple death seems like a mercy.
It's up to one clown to fight for survival... and maybe live to see another day!
Release Date: February 28th, 2022
Genre: Extreme Horror
Pages: 142
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
What I Liked:
1. Drawings included in chapters
2. The writing style is very good
3. Wasn't too predictable
4. Insane extreme scenes
5. Love the author's notes
What I Didn't Like:
1. Plot holes
2. The art stopped half way through the book
Overall Thoughts:
Yes! Judith Sonnet did it. This book solved the problem I had with the last book I read from her; No one rides for free. I know this book has more pages so it gave me an idea on who all the characters were. I cared about them.
I feel like what lacked in No One Rides For Free was gone in this book, which is odd to me because this was written before No One Rides For Free. I really feel like the character development in this book made me feel for the people. I had a chance to feel for Willow and everything he went though.
The torture was on point. I feel like there was parts where I would gag. Some parts were so disgusting. The gore was definitely here.
I loved the pictures that were included with each murder. I thought that added a nice touch of gore and helped imagine what was happening. I did have a problem with some of the pictures didn't match with what had happened.
An example was;
In the photo Chester had a spear that went through his right eye.
It's mentioned that it's night so there are so many scenes that I don't understand are able to happen. I know it's mentioned in the far distance that there is a light on to lure people that way. One is them being able to run through the woods with no lights. Another is the man getting so close to hitting Willow with the arrows with zero lights. Add in the fact that at night and from a distance the group is able to see the one man's head is bruised. Also also seeing down in this 9ft pit that Chester has been killed in.
The womb scene had me wanting to vomit.
Always a Penectomy scene. Splatterpunk/extreme horror always hate dicks. I guess this makes sense as most men are scared of having dick removed and some women are scared of men abusing them sexually with their dicks.
Final Thoughts:
I respect Judith Sonnet as well as other authors. You can't please everyone with everything you read. I've had to learn what I like from extreme horror/splatterpunk from reading to know that I need a story to accompany my gore. I need to unthe character to know why this person doesn't deserve to be hurt. This book did a fantastic job at that. Through the intense scenes I was able to learn about the characters and feel for them. This had it all - gore, revenge, heartbreak, redemption, a great plot, and messed up characters. I'm seriously impressed. I will definitely be reading other books from Judith Sonnet!
Oh and in so happy Willow got his happy ending. Dude deserved it!
Recommend For:
• Revenge plot line
• Tons of gore
• Strong gay black lead
IG | Blog
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:In 2016, a mysterious prank overtook America. The streets and the forests were overflowing with people dressed as killer clowns.
It was harmless and fun.
Just a quick and cheap scare exacerbated by the media...
But an angry group has decided to put a stop to the national nonsense.
They have abducted a group of clowns... and have taken them deep into the woods. A male stripper, a gaggle of social media influencers, a party-clown, and a few other innocents.
Now, they are chasing them... hunting them... trapping them... and TORTURING them. A simple death seems like a mercy.
It's up to one clown to fight for survival... and maybe live to see another day!
Release Date: February 28th, 2022
Genre: Extreme Horror
Pages: 142
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
What I Liked:
1. Drawings included in chapters
2. The writing style is very good
3. Wasn't too predictable
4. Insane extreme scenes
5. Love the author's notes
What I Didn't Like:
1. Plot holes
2. The art stopped half way through the book
Overall Thoughts:
Yes! Judith Sonnet did it. This book solved the problem I had with the last book I read from her; No one rides for free. I know this book has more pages so it gave me an idea on who all the characters were. I cared about them.
I feel like what lacked in No One Rides For Free was gone in this book, which is odd to me because this was written before No One Rides For Free. I really feel like the character development in this book made me feel for the people. I had a chance to feel for Willow and everything he went though.
The torture was on point. I feel like there was parts where I would gag. Some parts were so disgusting. The gore was definitely here.
I loved the pictures that were included with each murder. I thought that added a nice touch of gore and helped imagine what was happening. I did have a problem with some of the pictures didn't match with what had happened.
An example was;
"The third had cracked through the back of his head and stuck out from his left eye-socket. The eye was stuck to the stake’s splintered tip. The shaft of the stake was greased with milky fluids as well as blood."
In the photo Chester had a spear that went through his right eye.
It's mentioned that it's night so there are so many scenes that I don't understand are able to happen. I know it's mentioned in the far distance that there is a light on to lure people that way. One is them being able to run through the woods with no lights. Another is the man getting so close to hitting Willow with the arrows with zero lights. Add in the fact that at night and from a distance the group is able to see the one man's head is bruised. Also also seeing down in this 9ft pit that Chester has been killed in.
The womb scene had me wanting to vomit.
Always a Penectomy scene. Splatterpunk/extreme horror always hate dicks. I guess this makes sense as most men are scared of having dick removed and some women are scared of men abusing them sexually with their dicks.
Final Thoughts:
I respect Judith Sonnet as well as other authors. You can't please everyone with everything you read. I've had to learn what I like from extreme horror/splatterpunk from reading to know that I need a story to accompany my gore. I need to unthe character to know why this person doesn't deserve to be hurt. This book did a fantastic job at that. Through the intense scenes I was able to learn about the characters and feel for them. This had it all - gore, revenge, heartbreak, redemption, a great plot, and messed up characters. I'm seriously impressed. I will definitely be reading other books from Judith Sonnet!
Oh and in so happy Willow got his happy ending. Dude deserved it!
Recommend For:
• Revenge plot line
• Tons of gore
• Strong gay black lead
IG | Blog
March 7, 2022
Okay, writing this while I'm fresh from finishing, and just going to let it flow without spoilers.
I was initially worried when I started Clown Hunt. This is my first book by Sonnet, and didn't really know what was in store other than hints made by the warnings. My concerns were that a) This would be a very politically driven book and that political message would take preference over the plot, and b) That there might be no plot and just scenes of violence (I adore splatter, but this concern is never far away when I try someone new).
Rest assured, as the book progressed, I felt this wasn't a politically driven book. What we have is simply a group of different characters from varying backgrounds and it makes the book all the stronger for it. The motivations for the villains are also open to interpretation, and as the author states in the afterword, this had no particular political standing. Be that as it may, this is one of the most inclusive books I've read of late (wink, wink. More on that later!). And as for my second concern, don't worry, we have plenty of high-paced plot with the nastiness the icing on a very entertaining cake! I read this over a couple of day due to the clip it blasts along at and the uncertainty around every corner. Great characters, great story.
Let's go into cliched review here. Deep breath: This book is not for the faint hearted (a classic). This book is not for the squeamish (another). Sonnet goes all in with the gore and bodily fluids and in the best manner of inclusivity, no one is safe from the nastiest of fates. NO ONE. Sonnet is an equal opportunity monster!
But then, early in the book when it takes time to introduce us to the main character Willow, this was also very engaging story telling. Goes to show that Sonnet isn't just a one trick gore pony.
Did I mention that the book has internal illustrations that are just as sickening? Dip of the cap to the artist BLUE. These pictures looked great, even on my very old Kindle.
But what stopped a full 5* rating? The book could really do with a through edit, as typos remain and grammar around dialogue was inconsistent. While I was able to habituate to this (and the fast pace helped) it takes the shine off a little bit. I hope this can be easily remedied, as the end result would be a solid, very strong entry in the splatter genre.
I've recommended this to splatter readers and will continue to do so. In the arena of splatterpunk writers...I think we have a new contender!
I was initially worried when I started Clown Hunt. This is my first book by Sonnet, and didn't really know what was in store other than hints made by the warnings. My concerns were that a) This would be a very politically driven book and that political message would take preference over the plot, and b) That there might be no plot and just scenes of violence (I adore splatter, but this concern is never far away when I try someone new).
Rest assured, as the book progressed, I felt this wasn't a politically driven book. What we have is simply a group of different characters from varying backgrounds and it makes the book all the stronger for it. The motivations for the villains are also open to interpretation, and as the author states in the afterword, this had no particular political standing. Be that as it may, this is one of the most inclusive books I've read of late (wink, wink. More on that later!). And as for my second concern, don't worry, we have plenty of high-paced plot with the nastiness the icing on a very entertaining cake! I read this over a couple of day due to the clip it blasts along at and the uncertainty around every corner. Great characters, great story.
Let's go into cliched review here. Deep breath: This book is not for the faint hearted (a classic). This book is not for the squeamish (another). Sonnet goes all in with the gore and bodily fluids and in the best manner of inclusivity, no one is safe from the nastiest of fates. NO ONE. Sonnet is an equal opportunity monster!
But then, early in the book when it takes time to introduce us to the main character Willow, this was also very engaging story telling. Goes to show that Sonnet isn't just a one trick gore pony.
Did I mention that the book has internal illustrations that are just as sickening? Dip of the cap to the artist BLUE. These pictures looked great, even on my very old Kindle.
But what stopped a full 5* rating? The book could really do with a through edit, as typos remain and grammar around dialogue was inconsistent. While I was able to habituate to this (and the fast pace helped) it takes the shine off a little bit. I hope this can be easily remedied, as the end result would be a solid, very strong entry in the splatter genre.
I've recommended this to splatter readers and will continue to do so. In the arena of splatterpunk writers...I think we have a new contender!
September 11, 2022
I'm throwing in the towel on extreme horror. The spelling mistakes, the grammar issues, the nonsensical analogies, and the repetitive tropes are just not for me. To steal a phrase, I'm just too old for this sh*t. I don't feel the need to prove myself as a horror fan, or test my limits. I know my limits and I'm good with them. Thanks but no thanks.
July 24, 2022
First book read for Summerween done, and this was something else. Super gory and intense, but also a very fast read.
March 25, 2022
This was brilliant. Very gory and exciting and the writing is excellent too. Really enjoyed this and I plan on working my way through all of the authors books
March 23, 2022
A group of eight people all dressed as clowns are herded together to be chased, tortured and eventually murdered. Their crime? Putting on a clown suit.
The premise of this book had me sold instantly. The execution of the story had my high hopes slightly squashed with little niggling things that just didn't sit right. The gore factor is definitely ten out of ten but I felt like the book lacked body and a genuine storyline.
First thing I thought of when reading this book was the infamous clown sightings of 2016. Coincidence Judith chose to set her book in 2016 or had she done her research on events of that year and wanted to loosely base the book on real events?
Gore factor. There is a content warning with this book.Be sure to read it thoroughly before diving into this book. I have never been affected mentally or emotionally by anything I've read but I found my trigger point in this book. It most definitely isn't for the squeamish.
Judith Sonnet is on a roll this year with book releases and more on the not to far horizon. As much as I am enjoying the books I have noticed that the editing is suffering. There are frequent typos and grammar errors throughout this book which really started to irk me.
Extreme horror is a male dominated genre by far. I can see Judith Sonnet becoming big in the extreme horror world.
The premise of this book had me sold instantly. The execution of the story had my high hopes slightly squashed with little niggling things that just didn't sit right. The gore factor is definitely ten out of ten but I felt like the book lacked body and a genuine storyline.
First thing I thought of when reading this book was the infamous clown sightings of 2016. Coincidence Judith chose to set her book in 2016 or had she done her research on events of that year and wanted to loosely base the book on real events?
Gore factor. There is a content warning with this book.Be sure to read it thoroughly before diving into this book. I have never been affected mentally or emotionally by anything I've read but I found my trigger point in this book. It most definitely isn't for the squeamish.
Judith Sonnet is on a roll this year with book releases and more on the not to far horizon. As much as I am enjoying the books I have noticed that the editing is suffering. There are frequent typos and grammar errors throughout this book which really started to irk me.
Extreme horror is a male dominated genre by far. I can see Judith Sonnet becoming big in the extreme horror world.
January 19, 2023
The Clown Hunt has a Trigger Warning on the title page that says, “The Clown Hunt is a disturbing, offensive, gruesome, violent, and upsetting book.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. This warning is intended by the author to show consideration and respect for the reader’s feelings … because the story doesn’t.
The Clown Hunt by Judith Sonnet is hardcore extreme horror, but it has a solid story and vivid, engaging characters. I felt for and with the main character, Willow, as well as the supporting characters. I even came to understand the sick psychopathy driving the bad guys—not empathize with it, just understand the whats and whys.
This is not a typical clown story, not an evil clown story, not even really a clown story. Yes, it’s about people kidnapping and hunting clowns as the synopsis blurb says, but it’s also about proverbial witch hunts in general, about societal stereotyping and persecution. And in that, it is ultimately Splatterpunk. Excellent, gruesome, graphic Splatterpunk.
The Clown Hunt is more than a fantastic read, it’s an impactful, entertaining, and disturbing experience. If you can stomach extreme content, vicious torture, and brutal psychological torment, I urge you to experience Judith Sonnet’s Clown Hunt.
The Clown Hunt by Judith Sonnet is hardcore extreme horror, but it has a solid story and vivid, engaging characters. I felt for and with the main character, Willow, as well as the supporting characters. I even came to understand the sick psychopathy driving the bad guys—not empathize with it, just understand the whats and whys.
This is not a typical clown story, not an evil clown story, not even really a clown story. Yes, it’s about people kidnapping and hunting clowns as the synopsis blurb says, but it’s also about proverbial witch hunts in general, about societal stereotyping and persecution. And in that, it is ultimately Splatterpunk. Excellent, gruesome, graphic Splatterpunk.
The Clown Hunt is more than a fantastic read, it’s an impactful, entertaining, and disturbing experience. If you can stomach extreme content, vicious torture, and brutal psychological torment, I urge you to experience Judith Sonnet’s Clown Hunt.
July 22, 2022
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up. Objectively, I think extreme horror fans will LOVE this. The main character Willow is interesting and easy to root for (a queer black man living in Arkansas and REALLY down on his luck.) The plot is fun. The kills are imaginative, disgusting and intense. And for a self pub book, I thought the writing was great.
All that said, extreme horror is just not my vibe. I pick one up periodically when I’m feeling some fomo or a cover hooks me in, but I am always inevitably reminded that extreme horror is just not what does it for me.
watch my reading vlog here: https://youtu.be/RAM1xnQEQvU
All that said, extreme horror is just not my vibe. I pick one up periodically when I’m feeling some fomo or a cover hooks me in, but I am always inevitably reminded that extreme horror is just not what does it for me.
watch my reading vlog here: https://youtu.be/RAM1xnQEQvU
January 3, 2023
I wanted to start off my new reading challenge with an author who’s put out so many books I wanted to read and so little time to read them. After getting hooked by Torture The Sinners and No One Rides For Free I wanted to look into one of their more popular books. And The Clown Hunt was definitely one of their bests. The story is gripping, the characters make you feel dread on what will happen to them and when Judith axes them off you feel sick.
November 23, 2022
This is a beautifully written tale of extreme horror filled with blood sprayed gore, despicable characters and clowns both good and bad. Trigger warnings for sure.
May 27, 2024
Why did I read this?
July 26, 2023
I'm fucking scared of clowns. Everyone around me knows this. They creep me out so much. It was no surprise that I had to scare myself with this one considering I'm a fan of this author and she got me into extreme horror/splatterpunk. The second I picked this amazing book up, I couldn't put it down. I fucking couldn't even if someone broke in my house my eyes would've stayed glued to the book that's how amazing this story is. One of the coolest, if not then the best, clown horror I have read with a couple of unexpected surprises.
May 17, 2022
If you're looking for a story that starts from the get go and doesn't let up, then this is the book for you. It's raw and brutal. The torture scenes are graphic and awesome. For a novella, there was quite a bit more character building than I expected. I read it quicker than I expected, which I guess a great thing.
I found the ending a bit far-fetched, but that doesn't take away from the fact of how much I enjoyed the rest of this story.
I found the ending a bit far-fetched, but that doesn't take away from the fact of how much I enjoyed the rest of this story.
July 26, 2022
I am going to be as brutal in my remarks as the contents of this book was: This is a work of gratuitous violence without any socially redeeming value to it. I am only glad that my Kindle version only cost me $1.50. Don't waste your time on this trash!
January 8, 2023
What a fun read!
This was my first read of Judith Sonnet and it certainly won’t be my last.
I had great fun reading this. I hate clowns.
EVERYONE F*****G HATES CLOWNS.
This tale was a great tale of blind vengeance and righteous vengeance and it had some spectacular kills.
I’d highly recommend to anyone who enjoys extreme reads, but it certainly won’t be suitable for the faint hearted.
This was my first read of Judith Sonnet and it certainly won’t be my last.
I had great fun reading this. I hate clowns.
EVERYONE F*****G HATES CLOWNS.
This tale was a great tale of blind vengeance and righteous vengeance and it had some spectacular kills.
I’d highly recommend to anyone who enjoys extreme reads, but it certainly won’t be suitable for the faint hearted.
October 18, 2022
Disturbing, definitely had to pause a few times, I'd recommend it but read the TW first and take them seriously.
July 31, 2022
This is not for the faint of heart. I'm glad there were trigger warnings right of the bat. So do yourself a favor, and read those warnings!
I wanted to stop reading so many times because of how graphic, disturbing, and gory some of the scenes got, but I kept reading because I really needed to see what the point of it all was and if it had a satisfying ending. Needless to say, the ending was satisfying!
The reason for my high rating is not because I enjoyed all the disturbing content, but because in a literary sense, this book has a good plot, solid story, and some interesting characters. All that was done in less than 200 pages. Pretty impressive. You know the writing is good when you can picture certain details in your head. It was descriptive and immersive. I constantly wanted to stop reading, but also couldn't stop reading. It was a crazy wild ride.
I wanted to stop reading so many times because of how graphic, disturbing, and gory some of the scenes got, but I kept reading because I really needed to see what the point of it all was and if it had a satisfying ending. Needless to say, the ending was satisfying!
The reason for my high rating is not because I enjoyed all the disturbing content, but because in a literary sense, this book has a good plot, solid story, and some interesting characters. All that was done in less than 200 pages. Pretty impressive. You know the writing is good when you can picture certain details in your head. It was descriptive and immersive. I constantly wanted to stop reading, but also couldn't stop reading. It was a crazy wild ride.
April 13, 2022
Hardcore horror. Very very raw.
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