Don't Fear the Reaper

I loved the first book in this series, but this one didn't quite hit those heights for me. Let's look at the positives first. Dark Mill South is an excellent villain, right out of the classic Jason or Michael mould. There are some really inventive slayings and set pieces here as well, and Proofrock feels like a real place. But at the same time, it feels a little bloated. It's nearly 500 pages long, which is too much for the genre - a great slasher movie should be a tight 90 minutes in and out, not some latter day Scorsese three hour epic! One of the best things about the first book for me was the focus on Jade and her journey from troubled teen to some kind of understanding and (whisper it) redemption. This one doesn't have that same kind of emotional throughline, and it's poorer as a result. I'd guess these are just middle volume blues - let's hope there's a barnstorming conclusion to come to Jade and Letha's story!