Horror
Date Published: 4/26/23
Publisher: Deadbolt Books
Welcome to Slashtag, the most immersive horror reality competition series in history! Tag along as seven of America's favorite celebrities step into the infamous Propitius Hotel, home to one of the most prolific serial killers in history - Arthur Wilson.
Arthur built and operated the Propitius Hotel from 1905 until 1928 when dozens of bodies were found in his hotel, along with countless hidden torture rooms throughout the hotel. Arthur disappeared, seemingly never to be caught. He then returned - nearly 40 years later - under the guise of a priest leading a congregation of 100 people back to his hotel, where he once again committed mass murder.
Enter Tawny Howlett - a top-tier lifestyle influencer who is in the midst of the crappiest week of her life. Her brand new health drink turned out to be tainted, and now thousands of her followers want nothing more than to see her social media empire crumble. In order to rehabilitate her image, she's agreed to take part in "Slashtag: The Ultimate Horror Experience".
At first it's all fun and games, until the team of seven celebs discover that the ghost is very real, and out for blood. In order to survive the three-day live-streamed event, Tawny and her fellow contestants must band together to try and send the spirit of Arthur Wilson straight to hell.
"I suddenly wish that I were just crazy. A hallucination would mean my brain is broken, which is something I’ve spent my entire adult life attempting to accept. If we’re both seeing this, it means the world is broken in a way my brain is not prepared to confront."
While Tawny has her hands full trying to survive a weekend at the Propitius Hotel, it's up to her younger sister April to work from the outside to try and find a way to save her sister, and uncover the dark truth behind the TV network that continues to air the deaths of some of America's top talent.
Together these seven doomed souls must solve the puzzles hidden within the hotel in order to vanquish the spirit of Arthur Wilson.
My Review
Slashtag is one of the horror novels with a fun, interesting premise that just seems to get crazier and more strange the farther into the story you go. It's definitely a wild ride from start to finish, and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.
The story follows 7 celebrities (and I use that term lightly) who have signed up to participate in a new reality TV competition. I say signed up, but... well, I won't spoil things.
Anyway, these celebs are going to be competing in a hotel which also happens to be the site of a real life murder or two (or hundreds). The hotel is supposedly haunted, and the premise is for the contestants to find and destroy the totems that will send the ghost back to Hell. Unfortunately for these seven, not only is the ghost real and out for blood, the show is also much more than they ever could have anticipated.
Will any of them make it out alive? Or will they become the newest victims of the Propitius Hotel?
I have to say, this book started off relatively normal. The main celeb is an influencer named Tawney who is dealing with a social media crisis. A health drink she's plastered her face on is tainted, and her followers are getting sick. To save face, Tawney joins the show even though she has no desire to participate. But Tawney also has secrets from her past that follow her, haunting her. Turns out, almost all of the celebs have secrets from their pasts that come back to haunt them. As the book progresses, things get more and more off the rails. The deeper into the hotel's mystery they go, the more they try to focus on finishing the "game", the worse it gets for all of them.
There's one movie this story really reminded me of, and it's mentioned in the book at least once, but I won't say which one it is because it might spoil things. And we don't want that.
I will say, I ended up having a soft spot for D-wreck, who comes across as this immature, douchey guy who needs to grow up. But by the end, well... no spoilers!
I also thought Tawney's sister was pretty great. Kiki annoyed the hell out of me. And I never really understood 100% what her trauma was. I got it, but I wasn't 100% sure about it. Maybe that's just me, though.
Overall, Slashtag is a fun horror novel with a fast-paced plot that will suck you right in and have you flipping pages quickly, anxiously wanting to know what's going to happen next. It's well-written, with a great cast of characters, and a thoroughly entertaining premise. Highly recommend!
4.5 stars!
About the Author
JON COHN IS A WRITER and professional board game designer based out of San Diego, California. You can follow him on Instagram and Twitter @joncohnauthor.
He would also love to give you free stuff like stories, audiobooks, and games by signing up for his mailing list at www.joncohnauthor.com.
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