Hi all!
Welcome back to The Ultimate Reading Challenge! I outlined in 2022 how the new series will work here, so check that out before progressing further. For my fourth challenge, I read indie horror novel: Montague’s Carnival of Delights and Terror by Jamie Stewart. I absolutely had to purchase it after seeing the cover! If you want more book recommendations like this, click here. Today I want to discuss my thoughts on it and what my prize was for completing the prompt. Without further ado, let’s get into it!
Spoilers Ahead!
Plot: ‘Montague’s Carnival of Delights and Terror’ by Jamie Stewart:
Kansas, 1983. Joe Cage wanders into the quiet farming community of Marybell looking for work. To his good fortune, he discovers that he isn’t the only stranger that’s come to town. Montague’s Carnival of Delights and Terror, a travelling carnival, is setting up and looking for help.
Lily Grey, like the other kids, is excited at the prospect of riding the rides, especially Journey Through The Crypt – the carnival’s ghost train. That is, until she goes missing inside it, and all that can be found of her is a teddy bear coated in blood…
Review: ‘Montague’s Carnival of Delights and Terror’ by Jamie Stewart:
Jamie’s writing definitely gave me Stephen King vibes. You can tell that he is inspired by him. I kept picturing Doctor Sleep in relation to the blood-sucking carnies. This is a vampire tale done well. I must admit, I was hoping for more of a haunted carnival vibe, but it ended up going in quite a different and interesting direction. Overall, the story was quite chilling and a lot scarier than I originally anticipated. For the most part, I enjoyed it. It would make a great book to screen adaptation. There were some cringy sex scenes but that is a minor gripe. Please check out Jamie and his other works here.
I gave the book 3.5/5 stars.
Prize For Completing The Challenge:
As you can see below, my prize for completing the prompt was a colourful magnetic bookmark of books stacked on top of one another. I collect magnetic bookmarks, so I was thrilled to receive this gift! It’s definitely my favourite so far.
Thank you so much for reading! I will see you next month for a new bookish challenge!
Peace & Love xoxo