Horns by Joe Hill

Horns by Joe Hill

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

At first Ig thought the horns were a hallucination, the product of a mind damaged by rage and grief. He had spent the last year in a lonely, private purgatory, following the death of his beloved, Merrin Williams, who was raped and murdered under inexplicable circumstances. A mental breakdown would have been the most natural thing in the world. But there was nothing natural about the horns, which were all too real.

Once the righteous Ig had enjoyed the life of the blessed: born into privilege, the second son of a renowned musician and younger brother of a rising late-night TV star, he had security, wealth, and a place in his community. Ig had it all, and more—he had Merrin and a love founded on shared daydreams, mutual daring, and unlikely midsummer magic.

But Merrin’s death damned all that. The only suspect in the crime, Ig was never charged or tried. And he was never cleared. In the court of public opinion in Gideon, New Hampshire, Ig is and always will be guilty because his rich and connected parents pulled strings to make the investigation go away. Nothing Ig can do, nothing he can say, matters. Everyone, it seems, including God, has abandoned him. Everyone, that is, but the devil inside. . . .

Now Ig is possessed of a terrible new power to go with his terrible new look—a macabre talent he intends to use to find the monster who killed Merrin and destroyed his life. Being good and praying for the best got him nowhere. It’s time for a little revenge. . . . It’s time the devil had his due. . . .

My Review:

First, a quick summary of my thoughts throughout the story . . .







I suppose you can tell I enjoyed myself. Joe Hill managed to keep me in suspense. He made me feel empathy for a creature I would never have before, kept me guessing everyone's intentions/involvement, long for the next chapter, and hope for justice in a more perverse way than usual.

This story started in the present, but then used flashbacks to fill in the blanks. Although this technique was strategic and well executed, I still preferred the current storyline the most (it's not like I didn't enjoy the flashbacks though). I liked Ig and his brother, I waffled on my feelings for Merrin, and I never trusted Lee. The self-righteous have always bothered me in books, they seem to be wearing that persona as a mask to hide a bigger and darker secret.

I'd definitely recommend this book, and have already.

Favorite Quote:

“You think you know someone. But mostly you just know what you want to know.”

Read from April 28 to May 04, 2015

Top 5 Genres*: Horror, Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller, Mystery
*According to Goodreads
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My ratings system
5 stars - I absolutely loved it
4 stars - Good book and would recommend
3 stars - Decent book, but wasn't spectacular
2 stars - Not good, but was able to finish it
1 stars - Did not finish (DNF) and I don't usually rate a book I haven't finished (just to be fair to the author)

View all my reviews