Action/Adventure Aficionados discussion

Our August Group Read for the theme of Cryptid/Creature Feature is The Jersey Devil by Hunter Shea.

Sorry I was so late posting this. I tried to do it before work, but my computer wasn't cooperating.

So far I really like this book. There are some descriptions of the female characters that make my eyes roll but the level of detail describing NJ's Pines is great!

I plan on starting this book later this week. I love it when the selected book is relatively cheap.

I started it this morning and read the first seven chapters. It's a fun B-story perfect for a made for TV movie (at least, up to this point). I glanced at a few general reviews before starting; either it's going to pick up a lot in the gruesome category, or I'm not as squeamish as earlier reviewers.

I really wanted to like this book and I really did for maybe 60% of it. Great descriptions of South Jersey and fun characters. However, trigger warning for why I ended up not liking it below.

(view spoiler)[Rape. So much rape... and Beastiality rape at that. This could have been a really awesome and fun creature feature but for some completely unnecessary reason the author decided to have a bunch of his female characters as rape victims. I am so sick of those trope that I see so often (mostly by male authors). (hide spoiler)]

I'm about two thirds done. There is a lot of action; unfortunately, it never really "counts." Numerous chapters introduce redshirts to immediately kill them off. They aren't around long enough to truly care for any. The named characters have Batman-level plot armor. There's a chance some may go down, but not until the last few chapters, meaning all the overwhelming odds in the first two acts don't build any suspense.

I see this story as a good creature feature of the B-movie variety. Great with popcorn, but not so much for full immersion.

Just finished it. The end battle was a shoot 'em up bonanza! Too bad the author's gun knowledge seemed lacking. Every time someone mentioned the stopping power of the AR-15 "cannon," I snickered. Body vaporizing grenades were silly too.

That being said, it was a fun little creature feature.