Reaper: A Horror Novella by Jonathan Pongratz

Gregory and his little sister Imogen love spending Halloween with their parents. But this year is different. If he proves he can take care of Imogen all by himself, he’ll finally have the allowance he’s dreamed of. 

That was before the basement door opened on its own. Before the strange door appeared in the basement and Imogen was taken from him by the monster. 

Now everyone in town is blaming him for her disappearance, but no one is listening to his story. Where did the door come from? What was that creature? And most of all, can he find his sister before it’s too late, or will he bury his memories of her along with his parents?

Format: ebook
Narrator: n/a
Performance: n/a
Story: 🌑🌑🌑🌑🌓

The good ole classic boogeyman tale was given new shine and polish in this spine-tingling novella by Jonathan Pongratz.

Reaper is reminiscent of the beloved R.L. Stine stories of my childhood. Small town, Halloween, creepy basements, doors that appear out of nowhere, suspicious adults, mysterious disappearances, things that go bump in the night, all delivered in vivid details that jump out of the page. 

The writing is done in middle grade style, which I liked, but there were cuss words popping up here and there. I have no problems with cuss words, I am just a bit confused about the intended audience. I would recommend this for anybody looking for quick, satisfying chills.

The suspenseful build-up was well-executed. The level of horror is in keeping with the MG writing style though I think it could still have gone a notch higher. I did relished the hair-raising fun as the they unfolded and the boss fight had my pulse speeding up. The novella only had 67 pages but it had many twists and surprises. And just when I thought it was over, here comes an even bigger can of worms!

Oh, shit Gregory! What have you done??!! 

P.S.

Thank you to the author, Jonathan Pongratz, for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Soundtrack

I Don't Wanna Die In The Basement

Dee Dee Ramone

Hop Around

I don't wanna die in the basement (x3)
Oh no
I don't wanna die in the basement (x3)
Oh no
I don't wanna die in the basement (x3)
Oh no
There's something down there (x3)
In the basement