Scuttle
Barnaby Walter

3.75 / 5

An entertaining creature feature with some knarly deaths, this book (particularly one terrifying scene) had my arachnophobia kicked into overdrive.

I've gotta learn, I can't handle these spider books. 😳🕷️🩸

But, as a horror novel, it certainly did its job. It horrified me.

For fans of creature features from eras past, if you can handle a few spiders, I'd recommend checking this novel out.

3.75 / 5

**Thank you to One More Chapter and NetGalley for the eARC of this unique title!**

Scuttle was a quick and easy read perfect for around the Halloween season which is what I was hoping for. Unfortunately it read a bit YA for me - minus the couple of R-rated bits (that I hated.) :(

I didn't ~hate~ the writing I just really don't think it was for me. None of the characters felt very developed for me and the jumps in the timeline were a bit jarring. I also felt that a lot of information that was thrown in was just filler.

Overall, I would give this author another try and I'm chalking this one up to just being a "creature feature" that was a bit thrown together.

I had a blast reading this. It was pure stilton. It was so cheesy - it had all the typical teen "movie" stereotypes. a moody angsy teenager at odds with his step-parent. moving to a new place trying to make friends. falls in with the popular kids, only to be made the target of a prank that spirals out of control. something strange happens after the prank,
theres even an interlude to the novel that has an origin story.
I dont know why this book is classed as scary, It was so ridiculous, I kept finding myself laughing while reading it.
If anyone else enjoyed a good old piss-take of horror, then this book is for you.
I loved it pure comedy.

This was a new author to me. What a creepy book I loved it will fldef search out other books by him

Thanks for the opportunity to review

A creature feature that takes place in the woods ON HALLOPWEEN?! Advertised as Carrie meets The Cabin in the Woods- This book sounded as if it was written for me. All of my favorite things in one book I went in with sky high hopes, unfortunately I was left confused and extremely disappointed.

I had a lot of issues with this book. By the synopsis I was led to believe this book was going to take place during a camping trip in the woods when in reality that's only a chapter or two of this book. As far as Carrie meets The Cabin In the Woods....yeah, no. There was no connection there aside from a brief bit in the woods and a character later seeking revenge.

So many things were thrown into this book with no actual purpose- the mother's addiction, the weird relationship and circumstances between his father and his mother, all of the male characters obsession with Hudson losing his "virginity". This led to a sexual assault scene in the tent where his best friend stood outside and cheered him on essentially? I will note that Hudson wanted to have sex with one person, but was tricked into sleeping with another. I almost stopped reading at this point (I should have) uninformed consent is not consent and that "joke" they played was unacceptable. This event does lead to something within the plot- but there could have been so many other ways to drive the plot.

I couldn't connect to nor did I care about ANY of the characters in this one. Hudson was annoying and everyone else was flat. The creatures origin story was absolute absurdity, and the book literally starts over half way through- right as the action started picking up it screeches to a halt and we start all over again. Right down to a character being obsessed with Hudson losing his "virginity" to the school's "easy" girl.

I just really didn't like anything at all about this book.

Gruesome Creature Feature!

A great horror read for the spooky season! I’ll admit it took me a while to get into but once it got going I found myself reading by torch light under the covers way into the night!

Fans of Carrie, The Fly and the 2024 film Sting will enjoy this book, the writing cannot compare to that of Carrie though I still had a fun time reading it.

Thank you Net Galley for the advanced reading copy, I will certainly be recommending this to fans of horror and/or the downright weird!

Hudson and his friends go camping in the woods. Some of the friends don't come back, the creepy horror starts as more people die. Set in Britain and America this is a horror novel to keep you up at night. Well written and plotted. Thanks to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for this review ARC

You know, I really enjoy horror books that make you think. Psychological dread is always part of the scare for me, and this was definitely a factor in this book! Yea it was cringe and scary and gross, but deeper than that in parts as well. Moves at a good pace for a horror novel which keeps your interest throughout, and I enjoyed the characters as well!

Thank you Netgalley, Barnaby Walter and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter | One More Chapter for the eArc of Scuttle.

I must admit, I was drawn in by the cover and the synopsis. I can't resist a good creature feature. In Scuttle we come across a teen who struggles to fit in socially as well as dealing with family drama. After a camp in the woods goes wrong and a girl is murdered. Who is to blame?

This is a slow burn to begin with and unfortunately, I did find the book and the writing a little clunky and didn't flow for me. However, curiosity got the better of me because it drew me in enough to want to know where it was going. I really enjoyed the premise and the sci fi aspect of this book. The eventual explanation and pay off of Scuttle made me think of a certain HG wells book. There was a nice balance between the plot and character building and the story unfolds in 2 main places which I got a good sense of. Its dark, creepy and atmospheric with some great tense scenes,

Mark Elstob, Francine Brody, Frazer Hadfield narrated Scuttle which I also listened to. I did enjoy the separate narrators who voiced the different characters and were all a pleasure to listen to.

3.5 stars for Storygraph, 3 stars for Netgalley, Amazon and Goodreads

A wonderfully creepy creature feature of a story. I honestly cannot think of a more perfect read for this Halloween. I loved it!

Imaginative and creepy horror tale, borrowing a few classic tropes and weaving a claustrophobic and gory tale that is somehow scary and kind of sad at the same time. Great for good scare!

3.5 stars for this delightfully dark creature feature, perfect for this (or any other) spooky season. The accompanying materials describe it as CARRIE meets “A Cabin in the Woods,” which doesn’t fit AT ALL, did whomever wrote this even read the book? Still good, though.

High school students Hudson and Kenny have planned a big Halloween party in Barret Forest, with Hudson participating against the wishes of his dad, Rex and stepdad, Mattias. Rex had previously taken Hudson from his mom, Adelaide, in the U.S. when she started drinking heavily and using drugs. Now Hudson is hoping for some alone time with his crush, Kirsten.

That’s not what happens at the party. Instead there’s a bit of a blackout from Hudson, but not so much of one he doesn’t have a pretty good idea of what he did. But, how? And why? His dad, who is a good father, comes to the rescue yet again and will do what it takes to protect his boy.

But for the cell phones and video chats and such this book could have taken place in 1981 (probably more feathered hair would be involved. Thanks for bringing that back and giving me nightmares, Miley!). The writing can occasionally be a bit awkward but this is pulpy done right with a satisfying ending. Fun. I’m rounding up, because it’s almost Halloween and the author’s name is Barnaby.

This is a new take on the teenage camping trip gone wrong. When Hudson goes camping with his so called friends, a girl ends up dead and he cannot remember what happens but thinks he might be responsible. He begins to realize that when his rage takes hold of him he begins to change literally! Into a huge spider! As the bodies begin to pile up, Hudson and his father move to the US to live with Hudson's mother who has an explanation on what is happening. The story really goes off the rails and it is horrifically fun. I would describe it as a revenge creature feature with some family trauma and sci-fi dribbled in.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy of this book.

Scuttle by Barnaby Walters, this is a horror story in the true sense of the word when the book begins we meet nice sweet Harrison living with his dad and is new much younger husband. In London Harrison is 15 and has a Best friend name Kenny who loves to read him about being a virgin. On Halloween night the trick is played on Harrison and people wind up dead but soon after things happened that caused Harrison and his dad to have to flee to Texas to live with Harrison‘s mom Adele under assume names. When they arrive Harrison who is now going by Eathan is shocked to learn his estranged mother knows more about what’s going on with him and he insist on knowing it all. They say when you know more about a situation you’re better apt to deal with it but will Harrison knowing help him live like a normal teenager with a normal life or is he just eluding himself. I didn’t know what to put in my review as I didn’t want to ruin it for anyone but OMG from what happens to Harrison to the origin story Adelaide tails tell the ending everything about this book was wholly unexpected and something I totally enjoyed. I love monster horror and I cannot think of one thing that would’ve made this story better it was so awesome I just loved it I really must’ve been in the mood for this book because I absolutely couldn’t put it down and totally consumed it all and wanted more. Can I just say I did feel bad for the husband though he seems so nice. #NetGalley,#HarperCollinsUK, #Barnaby Walters, #Scuttle,

I can't say I loved it, but I also didn't hate it. It could have been more realistic (as realistic as it could get for a kid turning into a spider), i just couldn't see it happening. I needed more background on why and it took a long time before any background was revealed. Token gay person - seems to be in all the books these days. The emotions were just not present, losing a spouse, kids being killed, it just felt empty.

It's that time of year and halloween looms, what more could you want than a fun romp - with spiders (eek!). If you enjoy YA horror then this one is for you. Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins and the author for allowing me to read this book.

I enjoyed this as a quick October read, and wasn't overly grossed out because I'm OK with spiders (worms on the other hand - ugh!). I guess what prevented me giving more stars was a lack of engagement with the lead characters, feeling the plot lost forward momentum after the move to America, and less interest in the sections written from the father's point of view.

As a horror fan I was drawn in right away, it was such a creepy and chilling read overall, perfect for Halloween.

I was hooked from the cover and description and enjoyed the horror element to this. It had had overall horror to it and the Halloween night element that I was looking for. The characters were realistic for the genre and worked with the horror element. I thought everything worked with what it was supposed to and enjoyed reading this. Barnaby Walter has a strong writing style and was glad I read this, it makes a great Halloween novel to read.

Hey, party in the woods on Halloween…what could go wrong? This is a wild adventure. And those that do not like spiders should steer clear. Hudson is kind of an odd kid. I don’t want to call him a loner or an outsider per se since he does have friends, but there is something different about him. And it’s something big. You see he’s kind of like the Hulk, but instead of turning into a giant green…well, Hulk, he turns into a spider. And he does so on the night of the Halloween party with brutal results. But this is just the start of the adventure as Hudson searches for the truth of what and why he is the way he is. Anyone thinking well this sounds crazy…is it any crazier than werewolves? No, we just aren’t used to were-spiders. The characters are decent, the story definitely interesting, the gore fits the story well. The book blurb states this book is for fans of King, Ward, and Wendig, and I suppose I can kind of see why they might say that. Though I wouldn’t consider Barnaby Walter to be in their league at this point. That being said, I was entertained from start to finish and would definitely check out more of his work in the future. As Halloween approaches this is definitely a fun/spooky story to get you into the spirit of the season. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.