#BookReview ‘Camp Death’ by Jim Ody

About the book…

The place had a gruesome past that nobody wanted to talk about…

Camp Death is now a great place to spend the summer. Ritchie soon finds a group of outsiders like himself. Teenagers who ignore the organised activities, and bunk off in the old abandoned cabins deep in the woods. The cabins that have a history.

The campfire monster stories were meant to just scare them. Nobody expected them to come true. Then one of the teenagers disappears in the middle of the night.

Something is watching them. It hides in the woods and hunts at night.

Ritchie will have to uncover the secrets of the camp, and understand his own problems in order to survive.

Thanks so much to Zoe-Lee O’Farrell for the blog tour invite and Question Mark Press for the gifted e-arc of ‘Camp Death’ which is available to download now!

A subtle mix of genres and concepts, Camp Death is a great launch for Question Mark Press’ young adult reads, throwing back to summer camp tropes which have scared young and old alike, for decades.

This ‘camp’ has a dark history, and is not, strictly speaking, a camp, more of spa for parents(who stay in a hotel) and a log cabin shared with complete strangers with issues , for the kids.

Teen Ritchie, and his sister Sophie, have been packed off here by their well meaning parents for the summer, surprisingly not deterred by the name (Camp Deathe) and blissfully ignorant of its past.

If only they had checked the Trip Advisor reviews*!

A non specific camp, in a non specific time period, means that the author can play fast and loose with the details and build the mythology in the mind of the reader.

Aimed at teens with a view to indulging their attention spans (it is a short novel which can be read in 2 hours) and tying in to the Point Horror and Fear Street trends, it is accessible without being too gory, atmospheric without being overly derivative, making frequent use of punchy dialogue.

As a parent of teens, I would perhaps comment that it often reads a bit like what an adult would expect a teen to say, and is slightly overly expositional. But I am a reader in  her mid 40’s with an extensive history of reading horror from the age of 9 onwards, therefore I am not specifically the audience this book is aimed at. I can, however, see how the target audience would enjoy it.

Looking forward to reading more in the series!

• ‘1 star, would not recommend, no sleep due to howling beast through the night and teens blasting music and being annoying, no internet and too far from the nearest police station/medical center’

About the author…

Jim spent 10 years writing music reviews and interviewing bands for a rock music website. He also contributed lifestyle and comedic features and poems to a number of websites.

Jim writes Psychological/Thrillers, YA and Horror that often end with his trademark twists! He doesn’t believe in being restrained by genres and looks to blur the lines between them.

He has had thirteen novels, and well over a dozen short stories published, and re-published by Question Mark Press, Hambrook Press, Wolfgang Press, Limitless Publishing, Zombie Cupcake and Bloodhound Books.

Obsessed with writing, Jim has releases planned throughout 2021 and 2022. These include an anthology and the first book in a YA Horror series.

Jim is also the founder of Question Mark Press, a publisher that helps self-publishing authors to achieve their potential. He believes in Pay-It-Forward, and so authors retain all 100% of royalties.

Twitter @Jim_Ody_Author @QuestionPress  Instagram @jimodyauthor