The Clown: A Halloween Land Story by Kevin J. Kennedy weaves a story of teenage love intertwined with a bloodthirsty carnival, featuring scenes that are straight from the darkest of nightmares.
Let’s dive in!
My Thoughts on The Clown: A Halloween Land Story by Kevin J. Kennedy –
Thrilled for a carnival to come to town, but not expecting much, these teenagers are shocked at the size of the carnival once they see it in all of its glory. Like any typical teenager, their night if filled with walking around to take in the sights, have fun on the rides, and slip away for some romance and beverages.
Their time at the carnival is all fun and games until they enter the Ghost House… While the host warns them of what’s to come, they all believe it’s just more fun. But of course, they’re about to find out otherwise.
When the terror begins, it hits hard and fast! The story is jam-packed with scenes of horror right up until the very end.
SO many of these action scenes had me holding my breath. With Kevin’s writing, you know he’s not afraid to go really dark. So even though I kept hoping for something good to happen, I continued to be shocked by all the bad. I mean, the scene where things start to shake and forge floors and walls begin to crack was pure nightmare fuel!
My Favorite Passages from The Clown –
She looked at the other houses in the street, and wondered what was going on inside them. She wondered how many people were really happy. Did some people just pretend, or were there some that found what they were looking for? And did you need to know what you were looking for to find it?
Everyone seemed so happy. How little it took to bring people together, and distract them from the nightmare that everyday life could be. People seemed to be lost in the world of the carnival. Thoughts of outstanding bills, credit card debt, cheating partners, unemployment, and everything else that people in the local towns were suffering from, was forgotten for the short time while they were here. Something about carnivals transports people to a different time. A simpler time, but when it comes down to it, people just want to feel happy.
The carnival was pushing her to feel depths of despair and pain that would have crushed most normal people, but Melissa wasn’t normal. She had been broken many times from a young age, and at some point, learned that she wasn’t made of glass. Pain was temporary, but being true to yourself was non-negotiable. Regret was the one thing she couldn’t live with.
He couldn’t believe his eyes. It should have smashed her teeth to pieces, but she had chomped straight through it like a shark biting a fish in half.
“Your blood is really pretty. I’m glad you aren’t keeping it on the inside anymore.”
My Final Thoughts on The Clown –
This was SO MUCH FUN! I love when tales start out hopeful and then turn to terror. As this was a prequel to Halloween Land, readers that have already read that tale know generally, where the story is going to end up. But how we get there is a ride of terror that will leave you on the edge of your seat!
Thanks for reading!
And thank you to the author for giving me the opportunity to beta-read this killer tale!
Related Reading:
Halloween Land is the first solo novella by Kevin J. Kennedy. This tale is about two teenagers who attend a carnival, but it’s not just any carnival… This is a magical one, and not everyone who enters the gates will walk back out.
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