Unfortunately, I DNFed this book in the first 15%. It just didn't grab my attention.

For something titled 'The Lovecraft Squad' there's very little Lovecraft. A few name drops but honestly it read like a kind of standard supernatural/zombie horror novel. It started off interesting then quickly turned into a not-so-great revamp of Dante's 'Inferno.'

When I read the word 'twonk' at the beginning of this book I knew I'd enjoy it and continued to read it as I wanted to see if it popped up again, it didn't but the 'wtf!?' moments in the book kept me intrigued.

It's violent, weird, funny and chock full of creepy 'huh' moments as well as the 'wtf!?' moments I've just mentioned.

Fun read that I flew through in one sitting.

Highly recommended

So folks, I really, really, really wanted to love this book, especially since I am a big fan of Lovecraft and his universe. At the risk of sounding like a total dweeb (although I may have already failed because who says dweeb nowadays?) I even played the Call of Cthulhu table top game because I love Lovecraft horror so much. The beginning of the book shows two teenage boys breaking into a construction site, H.G. Wells old home to find some treasure. My mind played it out like a movie and I loved that, Probert has such an amazing way with words and horror writing in general that when those creepy parts came up I actually cringed at it as if I was seeing it in real life. While this book did not give me nightmares (that would take a lot to do), anyone who was not used to horror genre may have trouble.

The beginning of the book had such great pacing, it seemed as if things would settle down, then it would come back, settle down again and take you for another ride. The story itself was great, the setup, the backstory, the creepiness of the church. I loved that he used characters I knew of to set the history. I even recommended that my husband read it and I don't ever do that. The newspaper articles, the scribbled notes, the transcripts from news shows added major depth to a already great written book.

While I loved the story, and Probert's writing, his characters just didn't do it for me. When the story would turn it's focus to a character I hated it. I didn't like anyone of them. Honestly if they all died I think it would have made the story for me. Karen and Chambers the two main characters annoyed the hell out of me, their emerging romance, their dialogue, Their actions just made me scoff as well as want to just skip pages. I couldn't connect to them in anyway that made me root for them. I really wanted to like Chambers considering he is a forensic pathologist a field I want to get into, but I just still couldn't like him.

Anything thing that bothered me was even though this book is the first in it's series I felt as if I was missing a book, as if this was not the first but the second in a ongoing series. The characters would mention a person or a event that had occurred and I wondered if I have accidentally skipped something, I even made a search just to double check that this was the first book. It didn't give me the setup or backstory I needed, maybe that's why I couldn't connect to the characters because I felt like I was missing something.

the first half was quite good but the second half just got a bit confusing and boring,couldnt finish it which is a shame as I am a big Lovecraft fan.

The Lovecraft Squad is a book that promising in the beginning of the book, but unfortunately didn't manage to be interesting all the way until the end.

I loved the beginning of the book. Two boys are investigating a building site and they find a skull, a bone and a pot in the place where H.G. Wells house once upon a time had stood. I found this part chilling and the story just kept on being interesting, the discovery of scrolls that tells about the end of time. It was fascinating and intriguing and the idea of 7 people entering the haunted All Hallows Church and spending four days there sounded so incredibly awesome.

However, it's here the story started to drag a bit. At first, I loved the events (apparitions, etc.) at the church, but it came to a point when the story just didn't intrigue as much as it had before. The "surviving" members of the team is going beneath the church and into another world, it was pretty easy to see which world this was, but it took some time before this was addressed by one of them (hint a classic book about hell). And, they traveled from one level to another and I grew more and more bored and I had a suspicion that a certain twist would occur here and I was right.

But, despite this did the book end in an interesting way, and yes I would read the next book in the series. Partly because of the cliffhanger ending, but I did find the book, for the most part interesting.

THE LOVECRAFT SQUAD, by John Llewellyn Probert, started off with a bang! The premise of what two boys "stumbled" into, combined with an "expert" from America's special knowledge of, really kept this novel going at a fast pace.

At least, for the fist 30-40% of the novel. After that, I found that things got a little more "cliched" in general, and even the dialog between the main characters seemed a bit of a stretch.

A solid first "half", followed by a lesser "second". I may try the next book in this series, just on the beginning strength, and see how it holds up from there.

*I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley. All opinions are uniquely my own.*

Have you ever read a book that seemed longer than its stated number of pages? Usually those are not very entertaining. One of the weird thing about The Lovecraft Squad: All Hallows Horror is that it is entertaining as Hell (pun intended for those who read it).
I'm lying. It is even better than that. It is packed.

The pace is perfect. You are slowly introduced to the main characters one chapter at a time, then the events slowly start moving forward. All thanks to the curiosity of two teenage boys.
It doesn't happen all at once, though. It takes a while to get to what the book summary promises: a group of people entering a supposedly haunted church. It takes a while to even mention the place. I admit I didn't read the blurb before reading the book. The title was enough for me. The book has a great and creepy beginning, one of the best I've come across and, unlike some stories I've read, the story only becomes better as it picks up speed and, boy, does it ever!

The characters are interesting enough, although this book relies more on the story rather than its characters. If you've ever watched or read a story where a group of people ends up in a haunted place, you know how it goes. This isn't criticism, just a fact. Trust me, the story is so rich and perfectly paced, it is enough. How the author develops this particular story and connects it to various others - from classics to Lovecraft to films. Also, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that he played a game or two.

Needless to say, I loved it. I loved every single moment of this book. And I can't possibly explain how grateful I am that the author didn't use it to preach about whatever it is the main issue of today. This one will be good any time you read it, especially if you are a fan.
If you are in the mood for a great story that perfectly pays homage to Lovecraft and some other works (it would be a spoiler if I reveal the backbone of almost half the book), then get this book and have fun.

The only thing I found out of the ordinary is American spelling.

ARC received from Pegasus Books via NetGalley