Book Review: Horns by Joe Hill

Ignatius Martin Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with one hell of a hangover, a raging headache…and a pair of horns growing from his temples.

Because I’ve spent all of my reading time lately with children’s and young adult books, Horns was a real break away for me. For starters, it’s adult horror/dark fantasy. And not the kind of horror/dark fantasy for the faint hearted, not the sugary kind at all.

You see, Ig’s new horns make the people around him admit their worst secrets–those dark and terrible things that linger in the very blackest parts of their hearts and souls. (And I do mean dark and terrible. Probably the most terrifying thing about this book is just how real those are.) But, more than discovering things he never wanted to know about family members and strangers alike, Ig realises that his new power could help him find the person who murdered his girlfriend–a crime that has been pegged on him.

I read this book with my skin prickling. I can’t even begin to describe how creepy the real villain was. And the way Joe Hill uses description with action was utterly amazing. For example:

Then he wore a red suit of flame, became a living torch. He screamed, but couldn’t hear his own voice, because that was when the interior of the car ignited… (p. 270)

I have to admit, there was a part of the book where I almost put it down. Without spoilers, one of the main characters did something major and, well, I didn’t buy their motivation. But I’m glad I kept reading, because it turns out there was more to it. And the ending of the book was perfect in a wonderfully imperfect way. Okay. I know that’s cryptic. I guess you’ll have to read it.

Like I said, this book is not for the faint hearted, but if you love horror and dark, dark fantasy–the kind that will give you chills in the middle of the night–this book is for you.

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