by Josh Winning
Release Date: July 30, 2024
2024 G.P. Putnam's Sons
Ebook ARC: 314 Pages
ISBN: 978-0593544693
ASIN: B0CM5LXFZY
Audiobook: B0CMJSH7WZ
Genre: Fiction / Horror
Source: Review copy from publisher
3 / 5 Stars
Summary
After
sitcom star Willow tweeted herself into infamy and had to be dragged
blind-drunk out of a swimming pool, her agent shipped her off to the
woodsy and wonderfully anonymous confines of Camp Castaway. Tucked away
in the trees of upstate New York, Castaway is a summer camp for adults
in desperate need of leaving behind their mistakes, their social media
accounts, their lives. No real names, no phones…no way to call for
help. But the peaceful vibe is shattered when a terrifying woman pops
shrieking from the wardrobe in Willow’s room. Soon after, one of the
campers vanishes. Is Willow about to get cancelled all over again, this
time for good? Soon, terror grips the group, campers begin to lose their
heads—literally!—and Willow and her new friends are on the run.
My Thoughts
Heads Will Roll has an intriguing cover page which is what originally drew me to this book. I love reading camp horror, no matter how many tropes are included as they can be campy and fun and remind me of my teen years when my friends and I had sleepovers and watched these things ad nauseam. And though there was quite a bit of atmosphere in this book and I enjoyed the inclusion of the Knock-Knock Nancy local legend and how it was woven into the story, I don’t think the overall story quite worked.
Willow is the main character although you get a few chapters from other characters’ POV. While I enjoyed her character and waited to find out what she actually did to deserve being cancelled, I don’t feel like there was much character development as she felt very much one-dimensional. I did like how she thought some things through before doing them and liked some of the references to previous movies and such as that was fun. Because so much happens in a book such as this one, you don’t really get a chance to know all of the characters before they are…knocked off?
The plot moved along rather quickly, and while I definitely enjoyed the first half of the book for its suspense and intrigue, the second half kind of lost its momentum for me as it became a bit repetitive. Don’t get me wrong as there is plenty of slash and gash, but the pace was affected when the slashing started and this affected the overall tension. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how I should take the book; was it a serious slasher or was it a campy summer camp slasher making fun of the genre? Either way, the first half of the book was better than the second half even if the terror level was supposed to be higher in the second.
Verdict
Heads Will Roll was still a fun book and I did enjoy it quite a bit. There were some moments that stood out where I was caught unawares and I thought the overall concept was fun as it seems to have that feeling of summer camp and what it’s like when things go creepily wrong. I did think the both the plot and character development were a bit lacking as the plot seemed to become a bit repetitive in the second half and it lost momentum as it focused more on the slasher element. I also wasn’t a fan of the ending as it felt like things were somewhat unresolved. Overall though, if you like slasher camp novels, I would give this one a try.
Willow is the main character although you get a few chapters from other characters’ POV. While I enjoyed her character and waited to find out what she actually did to deserve being cancelled, I don’t feel like there was much character development as she felt very much one-dimensional. I did like how she thought some things through before doing them and liked some of the references to previous movies and such as that was fun. Because so much happens in a book such as this one, you don’t really get a chance to know all of the characters before they are…knocked off?
The plot moved along rather quickly, and while I definitely enjoyed the first half of the book for its suspense and intrigue, the second half kind of lost its momentum for me as it became a bit repetitive. Don’t get me wrong as there is plenty of slash and gash, but the pace was affected when the slashing started and this affected the overall tension. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how I should take the book; was it a serious slasher or was it a campy summer camp slasher making fun of the genre? Either way, the first half of the book was better than the second half even if the terror level was supposed to be higher in the second.
Verdict
Heads Will Roll was still a fun book and I did enjoy it quite a bit. There were some moments that stood out where I was caught unawares and I thought the overall concept was fun as it seems to have that feeling of summer camp and what it’s like when things go creepily wrong. I did think the both the plot and character development were a bit lacking as the plot seemed to become a bit repetitive in the second half and it lost momentum as it focused more on the slasher element. I also wasn’t a fan of the ending as it felt like things were somewhat unresolved. Overall though, if you like slasher camp novels, I would give this one a try.
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