Natasha
- Aug 1, 2023
- 3 min read

Boys In The Valley by Philip Fracassi Review

Title: Boys In The Valley

Author: Philip Fracassi

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Orbit Books

Pages: 352

Release Date: 13 July 2023

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Hello fellow book lovers! Today I'm sharing my review for Boys In The Valley By Philip Fracassi. Drenched in blood, occultism and claustrophobic levels of suspense and paranoia, Philip Fracassi’s newest book was soo spine-chillingly creepy I’ve literally been forced to sleep with the lights on!

Synopsis

St. Vincent's Orphanage for Boys. Turn of the century, in a remote valley in Pennsylvania.

Here, under the watchful eyes of several priests, thirty boys work, learn, and worship. Peter Barlow, orphaned as a child by a gruesome murder, has made a new life here. As he approaches adulthood, he has friends, a future. . . a family.

Then, late one stormy night, a group of men arrive at their door, one of whom is badly wounded, occult symbols carved into his flesh. His death releases an ancient evil that spreads like sickness, infecting St. Vincent's and the children within.

Soon, boys begin acting differently, forming groups. Taking sides. Others turn up dead. Now Peter and those dear to him must choose sides of their own, each of them knowing their lives - and perhaps their eternal souls - are at risk.

Review

I’m not usually a huge horror reader (I’m actually a huge scaredy cat when it comes to anything remotely creepy) but when I saw this described as The Exorcist meets Lord of The Flies I couldn’t resist checking this out—and I’m soo glad I did.

The writing was phenomenally suspenseful and soo viscerally descriptive that I felt truly immersed (and terrified!) Not only by the demon possession/ slasher aspects of the plot, but by the sheer hopelessness we see these boys forced to endure, beaten and starved into submission.

Honestly, I was kind of an emotional mess before anything even remotely Exorcist-y even took place. Philip Fracassi does give us just enough time to start getting attached to these characters—before promptly throwing us into the emotional deep end to watch as the chaos inevitably unfolds.

And unfold it does, with one of the most brutal and viscerally gory scenes I’ve ever read. The creeping sense of dread also doesn’t really let up either and, with a Lord of The Flies-style mentality taking shape, absolutely no one is guaranteed safety.

I also really enjoyed the use of multiple POVs as it really helped to get into the minds of—as well as understand—the emotions and thought processes of our characters (specifically Peter, David, Johnson and Father Andrew.)

As I said before, I’m not usually a Horror reader so my frame of reference is pretty small. But, if you love folksy, rural horror with as much character development as there is blood soaked action, then you don’t want to miss this heart-poundingly terrifying story.

As always, given the themes and content of the book, readers should definitely check TWs before picking this up— and also invest in a night light, you’re probably gonna need it!

Also, a huge thank you to Nazia at Orbit Books for the physical copy.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

About The Author

Philip Fracassi is the author of the award-winning story collection, Beneath a Pale Sky, which received a starred review from Library Journal, was named “Best Collection of the Year” by Rue Morgue Magazine, and was a finalist for the Bram Stoker award. His previous story collection, Behold the Void, was named “Best Collection of the Year” from both This Is Horror and Strange Aeons Magazine.

His debut novel, Boys in the Valley, was published on Halloween 2021, by Earthling Press. His novels include Don’t Let Them Get You Down (Zagava Press), A Child Alone with Strangers (Talos Press), Gothic (Cemetery Dance), and a global trade edition of Boys in the Valley (Tor Nightfire / Orbit UK).

Philip’s books are translated into multiple languages and have been favorably reviewed in The New York Times, LOCUS Magazine, Rue Morgue and many other magazines, blogs and review sites.

As a screenwriter, his feature films have been distributed by Disney Entertainment and Lifetime Television, with several projects in various stages of development.

Boys In The Valley by Philip Fracassi Review

Hello fellow book lovers! Today I'm sharing my review for Boys In The Valley By Philip Fracassi. Drenched in blood, occultism and claustrophobic levels of suspense and paranoia, Philip Fracassi’s newest book was soo spine-chillingly creepy I’ve literally been forced to sleep with the lights on!

Synopsis

St. Vincent's Orphanage for Boys. Turn of the century, in a remote valley in Pennsylvania.

Here, under the watchful eyes of several priests, thirty boys work, learn, and worship. Peter Barlow, orphaned as a child by a gruesome murder, has made a new life here. As he approaches adulthood, he has friends, a future. . . a family.

Then, late one stormy night, a group of men arrive at their door, one of whom is badly wounded, occult symbols carved into his flesh. His death releases an ancient evil that spreads like sickness, infecting St. Vincent's and the children within.

Soon, boys begin acting differently, forming groups. Taking sides. Others turn up dead. Now Peter and those dear to him must choose sides of their own, each of them knowing their lives - and perhaps their eternal souls - are at risk.

Review

I’m not usually a huge horror reader (I’m actually a huge scaredy cat when it comes to anything remotely creepy) but when I saw this described as The Exorcist meets Lord of The Flies I couldn’t resist checking this out—and I’m soo glad I did.

The writing was phenomenally suspenseful and soo viscerally descriptive that I felt truly immersed (and terrified!) Not only by the demon possession/ slasher aspects of the plot, but by the sheer hopelessness we see these boys forced to endure, beaten and starved into submission.

Honestly, I was kind of an emotional mess before anything even remotely Exorcist-y even took place. Philip Fracassi does give us just enough time to start getting attached to these characters—before promptly throwing us into the emotional deep end to watch as the chaos inevitably unfolds.

And unfold it does, with one of the most brutal and viscerally gory scenes I’ve ever read. The creeping sense of dread also doesn’t really let up either and, with a Lord of The Flies-style mentality taking shape, absolutely no one is guaranteed safety.

I also really enjoyed the use of multiple POVs as it really helped to get into the minds of—as well as understand—the emotions and thought processes of our characters (specifically Peter, David, Johnson and Father Andrew.)

As I said before, I’m not usually a Horror reader so my frame of reference is pretty small. But, if you love folksy, rural horror with as much character development as there is blood soaked action, then you don’t want to miss this heart-poundingly terrifying story.

As always, given the themes and content of the book, readers should definitely check TWs before picking this up— and also invest in a night light, you’re probably gonna need it!

Also, a huge thank you to Nazia at Orbit Books for the physical copy.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

About The Author

His debut novel, Boys in the Valley, was published on Halloween 2021, by Earthling Press. His novels include Don’t Let Them Get You Down (Zagava Press), A Child Alone with Strangers (Talos Press), Gothic (Cemetery Dance), and a global trade edition of Boys in the Valley (Tor Nightfire / Orbit UK).

Philip’s books are translated into multiple languages and have been favorably reviewed in The New York Times, LOCUS Magazine, Rue Morgue and many other magazines, blogs and review sites.

As a screenwriter, his feature films have been distributed by Disney Entertainment and Lifetime Television, with several projects in various stages of development.

He currently lives in Los Angeles, California

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