“Dark Mill South’s Reunion Tour began on December 12th, 2019, a Thursday. Thirty-six hours and twenty bodies later, on Friday the 13th, it would be over,” (Jones 19).
Four years after Jennifer Daniels survives a slasher she falls right back into it just as she’s found herself back in Proofrock, Idaho. Convicted serial killer Dark Mill South escapes during his prison transfer during a blizzard and in thirty-six hours will wreak bloody havoc on the town. But after four years Jennifer is different now, it’s time for another final girl to save the day. Slashers are behind her, right?
I let my disappointment in My Heart Is a Chainsaw be known in my last review, so I was hesitant about reading this one. But I’ve had the ARC for Don’t Fear the Reaper for nearly a year now (sorry, I read 83 books though in 2023 so that must count for something) and have just recently come into a digital ARC of The Angel of Indian Lake (thanks Simon and Schuster!) so in good faith, I’m reading the series. And let me tell you, I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed this sequel!
Is it still slasher central? If you’re reading Stephen Graham Jones it can’t be avoided, but I was proud that I actually recognized some of the movies referenced in this one. Again, I’m not a big slasher fan, I liked some of the more modern movie references like Happy Death Day, Ready or Not, and Get Out and how well it fit in with the story. My Heart Is a Chainsaw dealt with the original, lesser known slashers like Bay of Blood and The Slumber Party Massacre and I like that Jones centered his final girls around the different tropes the final girls in these movies were characterized and change from then to now. It fit really well with the story and I liked the acknowledgement on how tropes can adapt and change in genres.
Jones also uses multiple third person perspectives in this novel which I think fit so much better and made the story a lot more interesting. I liked getting into the heads of some of the other Proofrock residents and I think it made the story flow a lot better. I also enjoyed the parallels between this book and it’s predecessor of having narrative chapters interspersed with a student writing an assignment on slashes to their history teachers, similar to how Jones acknowledges how tropes can change he uses a similar format to show different relationships in this sequel.
The chapters are still incredibly long which can be a lot at times, even with the varied point-of-views, and the slasher talk is incredibly heavy as well, which is to be expected. The whole thing also gets a bit muddled and confusing near the end so it’s a little confusing about who the villain really is, but it’s a slasher and it’s a sequel with the promise to be bloodier than the last which Jones definitely delivers. I also understand that the end fits well with horror and slashes that are coming out today.
Don’t Fear the Reaper is a phenomenal sequel to this series. Slasher fans are sure to love the nods to the genre and horror fans will enjoy the ride. I can’t wait to see what the final book has in store!
Publication: February 7 2023
Publisher: Saga Press
Pages: 480 (ARC Paperback)
Source: Owned
Genre: Fiction, Horror, Slasher, Mystery, Indigenous
My Rating: ⛤⛤⛤.5
Summary:
Four years after her tumultuous senior year, Jade Daniels is released from prison right before Christmas when her conviction is overturned. But life beyond bars takes a dangerous turn as soon as she returns to Proofrock. Convicted Serial Killer, Dark Mill South, seeking revenge for thirty-eight Dakota men hanged in 1862, escapes from his prison transfer due to a blizzard, just outside of Proofrock, Idaho.
Dark Mill South’s Reunion Tour began on December 12th, 2019, a Thursday.
Thirty-six hours and twenty bodies later, on Friday the 13th, it would be over.
Sarah O'Connor 