Jason Offutt

The story follows Thomas, a young kid living on a farm. Within only a few pages he meets a fairy-like creature in the family cornfield and from there we’re off and running. It’s hard to really say much more of the events that follow without running into some serious spoilers. We get an apocalyptic doom approaching, a well-done antagonist and a complicated love interest. Thomas was an easily likeable character, one you root for but also annoys you slightly, which I found worked really well. It was great to see how others around our main character saw glimmers and slices of approaching doom and how its tendrils really slinked out and grabbed ahold of them. There were a few parts that came off a bit under-whelming and under-described or merely glossed over. For example, the character of Bobby when we first meet him. The entire scene is slightly more than odd. Bobby and his parents go camping. He meets a boy, and the boy touches him inappropriately and just like that we have pages of massive violence. The cops arrive and Bobby tells them what happened but truthfully, not as much detail is given as the scene would indicate should have happened. It just seemed a bit deflating. The book's psychological elements are great, and you get sucked along and drawn right in. The author has done a great job of taking a seemingly basic idea and building on it. At the end I have to say that this was a really fun, but brutal book, with lots of twists and turns.… (mais)

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: The Girl in the Corn

Thank you to Blackthorn Book Tours for providing me a copy of this novel! I voluntarily leave this review.

Dauðr has found a way into our world. A creature who feeds on death and consumes the living. As a child, Thomas faced Dauðr in his parents' cornfield but was not strong enough to destroy it. Instead, Dauðr returned to the shadows, waiting for its moment to reemerge. When a boy named Robert makes his first kill, Dauðr relishes in the moment, drinking down the soul of Robert’s victim. It will take years for Robert to realize Dauðr’s influence in his exploits. And once he does, he knows he’s gone too far to ever turn back. As an adult, Thomas will have to face Dauðr once more and this time if he fails, the entire world will fall with him.

The Girl in the Corn will place readers into the point of view of a murderer. From his life as a child growing up in a dysfunctional family, to life after he commits his first crime. Robert is a deranged man whom evil has chosen to partner with. His thought process is oftentimes immature as if he is stuck as a young boy, and it fits so well with his character. It makes Dauðr’s influence all the more powerful when it makes Robert, sometimes forcefully, commit heinous acts.

Although some of the more disturbing events that set Robert in motion as the antagonist are a bit abrupt. While the story leads readers towards the moment of Robert’s first kill, the build-up in apprehension and the overall wording used didn’t quite sit well. There was a lack of tension in the scene and some of the background elements took away from the focus that should have been spent on Robert. However, once he starts down his dark path, the momentum his story gains is riveting.

Thomas’ point of view is such a drastic difference from Robert’s. He struggles in his daily life due to the events of his childhood. And while he doesn’t lead the perfect life, he does the best he can with his situation. Watching him manage the mundane issues in life whereas Robert is dealing more with the supernatural was a great contrast. As the story progresses, Thomas does become more involved with Dauðr once more and it is all the more dramatic because of the way his life is portrayed. Not to mention some of the twists that are thrown into Thomas’s storyline.

The overall tone of this story is dark and disturbing. Please be advised there are moments of violence towards people of all ages as well as animals. Jason Offutt has created well-rounded villains and ensures audiences will be alarmed at their sinister actions. Nothing is easy for our main protagonist Thomas, and there are many moments where he finds himself faced with impossible situations. Not to mention the supernatural elements of this novel added a great layer of complexity and a touch of Norse mythology.

The Girl in the Corn is a gritty and intense read, suitable for adults that are not afraid to walk on the dark side of fiction. No mercy is spared, and no detail is left unturned. Be prepared to jump into the mind of a murderer and the supernatural creature who influences him. And watch as our reluctant hero does all he can to face down against Dauðr. This is a story that will, without a doubt, leave you unsettled.… (mais)