Our Winter Monster is the Horror Book of the Year

 

Credit to Amazon.com: Our Winter Monster: 9781641296335: Mahoney, Dennis: Books

I know that it’s way too early to state I found the horror book of the year, but Our Winter Monster is way too original to not mention this. I was in Barnes & Noble last year, and I had found the hardcover to Our Winter Monster by accident, and I remember how I couldn’t take my eyes off the cover. 

I had a gut feeling this book was a masterpiece, I’m not sure how I knew this, but this cover could never leave the back of my head. I wanted to buy it so bad at the time, but I’m not exactly a fan of hardcovers, so I told myself to wait until it would eventually be released in paperback format. 

I’m so glad I waited, because I was finally able to purchase a copy last week in another Barnes & Noble. This felt like I was holding onto a goldmine, and it certainly continued to feel that way once I started to read the book. I don’t normally mention this as often when it comes to horror stories, but this novel literally blown me away. 

Our Winter Monster is only 270 pages, but the author, Dennis Mahoney, was able to create a horror masterpiece, one that is going to stay with me for a very long time. The novel is an excellent study of characters, features extreme gore that was totally unexpected, and has a monster that is rarely used in horror, along with a unique spin on your typical snow creature. 

Warning: Spoiler warning here! Please turn back if you don’t want to hear anything about this story. It’s such an original horror tale that should never be spoiled to another horror fan who loves to read these kinds of stories!

We follow the story of a couple, who is struggling in their relationship. We don’t exactly have an idea why, but judging from the dynamic of the couple, we have some form of idea. Holly appears to be the stronger one of the relationship, while Brian is seen as the ‘weak one.’ They are currently on vacation, wanting to spend time together, but they encounter a blizzard while driving on the road. 

The couple is swarmed by the blizzard, and Brian is suddenly pulled out of the vehicle by an unseen force. Holly gets an a car accident, and when she discovers that Brian is missing, she becomes determined to find him. Brian awakens somewhere else, confused with how he ended up somewhere else, trying to figure out whether or not an actual monster grabbed him out of the vehicle. 

The couple try to find each other, while looking for help in a village called Pinebuck, that has a horrible history of a young couple that went missing. Holly and Brian find themselves being terrorized by this snow monster, who only appears when either one of the couple is experiencing distress in some way. Brian and Holly realize that the monster appears and uses their bodies to kill or destroy, because of a traumatic event that occurred during their relationship, something that has haunted them for a long time. 

This story is batshit crazy from start to finish, as we wonder what is going to happen with the couple, as they are both being heavily investigated by the town’s sheriff, who wonders how two humans are able to cause so much damage to humans and the town itself. 

I had finished this book in three days. I couldn’t stop reading the book, it’s an impressive feat with how the author was able to fit so much story into a 270-page book, while tackling so many horror themes at once! 

Every horror fan needs to go check out this story! I guarantee you will be utterly amazed and sickened by the gore that takes place in the novel! This story is a horror fan’s dream!