Demons and witches and cowboys, oh my!

When I saw Red Rabbit on Netgalley, I had no idea what to expect. I’m not really much of a horror fan but the publisher’s blurb intrigued me. The story is set in the old west only this old west is replete with witches and demons and all kinds of supernatural entities. A reward has been offered for powerful witch, Sadie Grace, dead or alive. Among the many seeking the reward is Old Tom, a witch finder. As he makes his way to capture her, he gathers a group of others to accompany him. They include two cowboy drifters just looking for a bit of adventure, a recently widowed school teacher, a young Mexican man who may also be sought by the law, and a little gir or maybe boy who Tom has named Rabbit. Rabbit never speaks but has an uncanny ability to sense when danger is imminent. And on their journey, danger is in no short supply including a vicious demon, cannibalism, and, of course, Sadie herself.

As I said, horror is not my usual choice of genre si I was not prepared for how much I enjoyed this book. There’s plenty of excitement, action, suspense, and spine tingling thrills as well as a whole lot of characters to care about but it’s probably not a good idea to get too attached. This is horror after all. Which brings me to a trigger warning. There are also plenty of grisly murders and gore so, if you’re squeamish this may not be the book for you. For me, though, this was one of the most entertaining books I’ve read or, in this case listened to all year. The story was narrated by John Parhilla and I suspect his spot-on narration went a long way in adding to my enjoyment.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiotape in exchange for an honest review. ( )

A witch who's not terribly evil unless she needs to protect herself, a mysterious child who attaches herself to an equally odd collection of folks heading toward where the witch allegedly lives in rural Kansas to maybe claim a bounty on her head and massacres aplenty. These are concocted to create an absolute page-turner that dances back and forth between horror and empathy. In the process I found myself feeling for many of the characters, intrigued by some of the twists, and extremely satisfied as I closed the cover. It feels far shorter than the 454 pages needed to tell the tale. ( )

A horror fantasy western with witches? Hell yes

This was a really fun and dark adventure story through a parallel version of our own world. There are demons, ghouls, ghosts and really great characters.

This isn't my usual genre at all my I really loved it, so give it a chance even if it's not your usual thing.

Thank you netgalley and Macmillan audio for giving me an advanced review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review, sorry for being a few days late! ( )