The Cult of the Spider People (Bone Chillers #1)
Heddy Johannesen
Bone Chillers, 2024
ISBN-13: 979-8342887618
I’m not a fan of spiders. I only like the kind that exist in fiction. And with a book like The Cult of the Spider People by Heddy Johannesen, there are a lot of spiders to contend with in this YA horror novel!
The town in which 17-year-old Piper and her boyfriend, Cory, live in has a spider problem. Tales of spider people abound, all of which the two teenagers shrug off as just urban legend. But when a strange spider creature is discovered in Piper’s home, the two teens investigate to find out where it came from. They enter through a door which Piper had said her father kept locked, and end up going through a portal that takes them to a horrific world called Arachnall, where a Spider King is set on making Piper his queen.
This is quite a scary story! From terrifying creatures that are half-human and half-spider to aggressive spiderlings that attack humans and drink their blood, this novel kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end!
I loved how the author describes the setting. It is so imaginative! As well as scary. She really knows how to set the stage for a frightening scene and create tension that kept me holding my breath!
I liked how Piper and Cory stayed true to each other no matter what happened, never abandoning their love for each other. Even as the two of them both had doubts about the ghost Josephine who claimed to be Piper’s mother, they kept working as a team and looked out for each other.
Josephine was a surprise character in the story. I knew that Piper’s mother was dead, but not much is revealed about her death. Readers find out why she is even in Arachnall later in the story, as well as how she tries to help the young teens to escape.
The author describes the setting so well. Here is an example of good description, taken from the scene where Piper and Cory enter the Spider Queen’s lair:
“An enormous black web spanned twenty meters swaying like a spectral ghost. The lair was replete with decrepit skeletons. Dead insects, humans, and animals hung from the web like baubles. Spiderling Arachnas wove silk cocoons, eager for an unwary victim. The stench of blood permeated the lair.
Something menacing rested above the web. The cocoons bearing dead and alive prey made her want to scream. Bones of every shape and size riddled the ground beneath the massive web. Blood coated everything. More of the strange Arachnall symbols were etched onto the cave walls. Lifeless eyes stared at her as she passed them. A spiderling crept out from the hollow mouth of a skeleton.”
The description of the Spider Queen is likewise terrifying. Then we have the scene describing something terrible happening to Piper close to the end of the story and it really sent a chill down my spine! Just picturing this made me shiver and as much as I wanted to finish reading the story to find out what happens next, I also wanted to stop reading because it was so frightening. (It really tapped in to my fear of spiders!) But I did finish reading until the end and it only made me hungry for more!
The Cult of the Spider People is a gripping tale of two teens who try to escape from a world of mutant spiders as well as a relentless Spider King. This story is full of shock and surprises, keeping readers guessing as they read each chapter. This book was enjoyable to read and it offered lots of good scares. I can’t wait to read the sequel, in the event there will be one.
Five stars
Disclaimer: I downloaded this ebook as part of my Kindle Unlimited subscription and this review is entirely voluntary.
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