This short horror story based on an American style camp is fast paced with a mystery to solve. I enjoyed reading this and will definitely be recommending it for teen readers!

Welcome to Camp Killer by Cynthia Murphy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication date: 7th September

An American style summer camp set up in the grounds of an English manor, ghost stories around a fire pit, what more could you want to start off the autumn reads! 🍂

This book was so much fun to read, it gave off real goosebumps (if you ever read them as a child) and American horror vibes (if it was YA). This is a YA thriller/horror so I really recommend it for those who maybe don’t like scary books but want to get into the spooky season 👻

I gave it 4⭐️s as I know it’s just a short story and there is only so much you can develop the characters in that time but I just wanted more of it! So much fun

Thank you to @barringtonstoke and @cynthiamurphyya for the ARC, the perfect start to autumn reads! 🤗

I was expecting something more intricate and ultimately it was clear the book was probably aimed at fairly young readers who might be less confident or enthusiastic in their reading - this is definitely for the younger end of YA readers rather than some YA books which can be interesting for adults too. Considering the book from that perspective, it had all the hallmarks of a fun horror/mystery book so could be a good way to encourage someone to get into reading. The different murder styles were certainly inventive! I was quite surprised at how brief the book was though - even given the context, it seemed like the plot was fairly surface level and there was lots that could have been explored more.

*3.5 stars*

A very quick read, fun summer camp vibes, it honestly reminded me of the game the Quarry if the Quarry was made properly.

I liked that it kept the suspense around who's the killer by giving each of the characters suspicious reactions, alibis etc.

I wish there was more physical description though, bc by the end of it I still couldn't picture a single hair color (it really does help picture the characters :( )

And finally, about the final reveal, I won't include any spoilers and will refer to the killer as "they", but as there is a non binary character I'd like to insist that when I say "they did this" I don't mean the character with they/them pronouns, just the killer who I won't name. I did see the plot twist coming but it was a good idea.

It all felt a bit cliché, for example the "villain talk" as you find in so many thrillers or movies. The killer just goes ahead and explains all of their plan, their motives etc, and here the person wasn't even asked?? like ok??? also, their motive was pretty weak, it didn't feel like a big enough reason to do all of it and go to that extent. I thought it was gonna be another character with a different motive, and honestly I wish I'd been right.

Anywayz it's super short so it's really not that serious, it was a fun slasher read (eventhough it wasn't as gore and slasher-like as I'd hoped) with cool summer camp vibes.

(don't know if it's because of the ARC format, edition or whatever but the chapters weren't separated on different pages, the dedication wasn't on its own page it appeared at the end of the legal stuff and above the first chapter. also the spaces between lines, dialogues etc was very irregular)

A camp slasher novella with goosebump vibes.

An American style summer camp set in England on the ground of an old haunted mansion. It starts with a ghost story around a fire when horrible things start happening to the counselors.

This was fun and fast paced. I wish the characters had a little more development-I kept getting them confused because they didn’t super stand out much. But definitely a fun one for kids.

Thanks to NetGalley and Barrington Stokes for an eARC.

This is a fun short read. The characters are enjoyable and the author really manages to give them personalities even with it being a short book. If you love camp slashers this is definitely for you. I did feel like there were times I wanted scenes to be a bit more flushed out but they were still great scenes. This book is engaging and fast paced. It was really fun.

Summer camp counselors are targeted and killed quickly at a camp in England. Who is killing the camp counselors? Could it be the ghost of a woman who killed her husband and then herself? Who will survive the night?

This is such a fun quick paced horror book that will keep you on your toes. I didn't know who the killer was until the end and that's always my favorite kind of story. Highly recommend for those who need and quick dose of horror.

3.5 stars rounded to 4. A typical young adult read, very short, good camp slasher fun! I read it in one sitting and enjoyed it very much. Perfect for young teenagers. No big surprises in the plot, but fast-paced, well written, and with interesting, relatable characters. Thank you NetGalley and the author for the ARC.

WELCOME TO CAMP KILLER is a fun, fast-paced summer horror story. It starts off with us hanging around some soon-to-be counselors and a campfire hearing stories about what happened at the camp in the past. Then all these... unfortunate events start to occur involving the counselors. Are they super bad accidents? Tragic coincidences? The past coming for them!? I think all MG horror fans will get a dose of nostalgic fun reading this and it's a great gateway horror book to bridge the gap for younger audiences. This one played out just like a movie in my head and I am here for that!

Welcome to Camp Killer is short horror story set in an American-style residential camp in England. Just after the arrival of the kids to the camp, the counselors notice some weird incidents happening.

Horror is a genre I have not particulary explored yet, so I really apprecited the simplicity and fast pace of this book. It was very easy to get into the book and the intrigue of what was going to happen next was always present. It kind of reminded me of Fear Street II, which I love it.

The plotwist was gooood, I didn't expected it! ((view spoiler)). I get that is a short story, but I feel like it could have been just a little longer, mostly to get to know the characters a bit better. For instance it would have been nice to have the kids around a couple of days instead of just one, to feel more the camp vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is quite a quick read, almost too quick in my opinion. I ended up not feeling connected with the characters or caring much about the story, which sucks because those things are needed in a slasher novel. I didn’t care who died or why the killer did it, but it was a fun quick read just in time for fall.

I love a good camp horror slasher novel. I always try to find out the twist or who did it first and I couldn’t figure it out with this one till the very end. The authors style of writing made me feel like I was there trying not to be killed and I love that. I’m definitely buying this because I love the cover

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. The following opinions are my own.

This one was almost nostalgic in that it really reminded me of goosebumps. I used to finish those books in one sitting. Completely glued to the pages. I liked that it was fast paced and was mildly creepy. But it was definitely for a younger audience I think.

I've always been a sucker for horror set in a summer camp, so when I read the synopsis of Welcome to Camp Killer, I was keen to dive in. Welcome to Camp Killer was a short, sharp, fast-paced read that easily held my attention and provided some tense thrills. It would be great for any fans of Goosebumps books - especially the ones set in summer camps!

Being a YA slasher horror aimed at ages 13+ (with a reading comprehension age of 8), this is an excellent addition to the genre with a fairly high body count, creepy atmosphere, and a mysterious killer. I'm also pleased to report that I did not pick the killer before they were revealed - I was guessing until the very end!

The language used was simple yet engaging and made Welcome to Camp Killer enjoyable to read. I also appreciated the clear, numbered chapters, which were around 10ish pages each - a feature that I think would make reading this book much more manageable and less daunting for the target audience, as Barrington Stoke aims to do.

Cynthia Murphy is a new author to me, but after seeing how she packed such a fun story into only a short novel (~128 pages), I'd definitely like to check out some of her other writing.

I would've liked to have learned a little more about the characters or seen them develop more, as some of them felt a little flat, but given this book's length and target age, I feel this is likely a non-issue.

Overall, I would have loved this book as a 13-year-old, and frankly, I loved it as a mid-20-year-old too.

Thank you to Cynthia Murphy, Barrington Stoke, and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Welcome to Camp Killer is a fast-paced story that hits many familiar tropes of horror stories set within a summer camp. The setting of the story Camp Miller is an American-styled summer camp built upon the grounds of an English manor. Although it does-supposedly-possess a story of an eerie ghost, I do wish the location and history had been better utilized for a more unique story.

The main characters are a group of camp counselors, their adult mentor and a very brief group of children campers. Due to the short nature of the story, the counselors are not overly developed beyond a few specific traits, which made it slightly more difficult to feel sorrowful once “accidents” began happening and bodies start to drop. Nevertheless, the events are gory without being gratuitous and the fiery finale does serve to wrap things up in a slightly predictable fashion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Barrington Stroke for providing me an arc of this novella in exchange for my honest review.

A death-packed, Final Destination-adjacent teen horror, written with the clarity and language for audiences aged nine and up, but – this being Barrington Stoke – for readers of thirteen and older, who need that difference to get over whatever hurdle is in the way of their reading ability. Holly is one of eight teens fetching up in the NW of England to be counsellors at an American summer camp-styled affair, because their parents all worked with the site's new owner at such a venue back in the day. The final evening before the guests arrive for week one, a ghost story gets shared over the marshmallows and fireside smuts, and after that the mysteries start to happen. Someone gets in bed to find they're not alone, someone nearly drowns with the kayaks, and everyone left keeps looking up to a mysterious add-on to the Gothic pile's tallest tower, from where a revenge-seeking woman may once have thrown herself to her death...

Getting this amount of grand guignol in a read for this audience must have been a task, but the author seems pretty much fit for it, until a few too many corpses just get thrown at us all at once, that is. But many a teen horror book has failed, and this doesn't – the creepiness is there, the genre savviness is not over-played and the whole really works. Someone is clearly posited as the one we should aim blame at, someone – the actual manager – gets ignored by all, and once again we see teens wrung through the mill of a lethal stay at camp – although here they do (collectively at least) have enough agency to get past the Generic Victim status. I would hope few actual nine year olds pick this up – I guess the unattractive cover will help in that – for while this not a full-on wound- and gore-fest this is not exactly cagey about what is happening. It's a four star, 13+ chiller.

But why a book designed for people with any of a number of reading issues has to go down the oh-so-counter-productive pronoun-mangling route, I have no idea.

This felt more like the synopsis of a book. I think it could have been filled in a bit; I would have liked more detail and character development. I really did not care if any of these kids died. The storyline seemed more like a young adult book with all the blood and killing, not a JV book.

Welcome to Camp Killer was such a fun, pacy and twisty read.

This novella chilled me on a hot, summery day. It is a quick read that does not let up on the graphic violence within its pages. Murphy has a reputation for consistent, creative and chilling YA horror narratives that is duly upheld here.

The setting is a uniquely bizarre one, with an Americanised summer camp within the grounds of a derelict English mansion. From just this, everything feels slightly off kilter and out of place. Murphy just lets rip from there with a rip-roaring narrative. The shorter pace, designed in keeping with Barrington Stoke’s aims, meant that I zipped through this. For a bit of context, Barrington Stoke works hard to publish super-readable, accessible books that help every child experience the joy of reading. This focus on accessibility and inclusion means that I have long been a champion of their work. It also means that their books are incredibly easy to read and feel like binge-watching one of your favourite TV shows. They just flow so well and their shorter length allows for pages to just keep turning.

Murphy packs one hell of a punch within that shorter space though. This is just as twisty and gut-punching as her other works. I always love that interplay between realistic slasher horror and the slight hint of the supernatural she always weaves in. Here, that is played off to great effect. You are constantly questioning everything and everyone you are presented with. The characterisation is distinctive and three-dimensional as well.

Welcome to Camp Killer proves just why Cynthia Murphy remains a consistent standout of YA horror.

A punchy, pacy YA thriller which puts me in mind of the classic Goosebumps books. Lots of intrigue around a classic whodunnit, and the setting of a dark and rainy North West summer camp was perfectly eerie.

Because this was pretty short, I didn't feel like I knew the characters particularly well, and the ending seemed to just arrive out of nowhere, but this is an excellent story if you want something quick and entertaining.

A short spooky YA read that perfectly achieves what it sets out to do. Perfect for fans of RL Stine, a great addition to the Barrington Stoke line!