CURSE OF THE PIGMAN
By Asher Ellis
Published by Silver Shamrock Publishing
I went into Curse of the Pigman without any knowledge of its blurbs or synopsis – that’s how much I trust Silver Shamrock. I will excitedly start reading any of their titles without knowing a damn thing about them.
So, here’s what I thought this was going to be: there’s a killer that is possessed by a demon (or thinks that he is), and for whatever reason he has chosen a pig persona when he kills/eats people.
Here’s what the story really is about (without giving away too much): there’s a town that is cursed by a voracious hunger if a certain sacrifice isn’t made every decade. This hunger is so intense that it brings about insanity and cannibalistic tendencies.
I’m glad I was wrong – not that my assumption would have bored me or anything – but I definitely enjoyed the reality of the story more than what I was guessing. I loved the idea of a town that goes crazy after running late on a sacrifice. The danger in having much of the population go crazy and start eating everything (and everyone) in sight was creepy, violent, and intense. As such, this novel had a lot of suspense and action, all of which drips in horror.
There are several scenes that really stood out above others, like when Jason finds the three teenagers and their campfire – I loved that one. Or when Tracey first finds her husband following the start of the craze – too bad they didn’t get in a brawl!
I will admit I felt like the ending was a little anticlimactic – and there were moments where the writing seemed less developed for whatever reason – but, overall, I really had fun with this novel. I would have liked more time with the actual pig demon (that end “battle” felt too short-lived and mostly bloodless), but Ellis has left this open for a sequel – here’s to hoping he writes one!
Curse of the Pigman is a rush of unsettling excitement!
*I received a paperback ARC from the publisher for review consideration.*
Review by Aiden Merchant (Author of Dead as Soon as Born)
www.aidenmerchant.com (Also on Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads, and Amazon)
contact@aidenmerchant.com (Contact for review consideration)
AIDEN MERCHANT 
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