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.

4.5 stars

This story made my skin crawl in the best way possible! If you're not at least a little bit terrified of big hairy spiders, I don't know what to say to you.

Hudson is a teenager living in the UK with his father and his father's young husband. On Halloween, Hudson attends an overnight "camp out" party in the woods behind his best friend's house. When a teenage prank turns bad, Hudson loses control of himself, transforming into a monster and it's carnage, literally.

This is a creature feature, coming of age story, an allegory for puberty and that scary time when a boy is becoming a man, not sure of who he is or where all this rage is coming from. The use of the spider to tell this story was so original, I absolutely love it.

Look out werewolves, the big hairy spiders are coming to take your crown!

Thank you to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Teenager Hudson attends a Halloween party in the woods, much to the disdain of his father. The party goes wrong when a girl ends up dead with what appears to be animal wounds. What creatures could have caused such horror?

Having enjoyed this author’s thrillers, I was intrigued to read a different genre by him. I have to admit that horror isn’t usually my go to book genre, with it tending to be very hit or miss, however I think it was done pretty well here, although there were some supernatural elements that I’m not a massive fan of. The story is definitely very creepy, with the author’s trademark dark, disturbing themes.

The atmosphere was created well and having a focus on spiders really added in the horror vibe. I could feel ‘scuttling’ all around me. The story is told in the voices of Hudson and his father and learning about their family dynamics adds more serious tones to the story. I found that some character names ended up being fairly similar and sometimes it read more as young adult. Saying that, this is an interesting, unique read and will be good for those who enjoy sci fi horror novels, especially around Halloween. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Chilling, Disturbing…
Chilling and disturbing in equal measure, a read rather perfect for the Halloween season. In rather a departure from the usual fare, the author succeeds in penning a tale that will take the reader deep into their own nightmares and, perhaps, their own personal fears. Cleverly woven, hugely atmospheric and highly imaginative.

"Scuttle" has a lot of potential, but the potential is only occasionally fulfilled. There's a solid story here, with great characters, but the middle part drags too much, and all the momentum from the first third evaporates. Here someone should have pointed out to the author how this shows indecisiveness about the direction of the plot; and indeed, the Halloween/supernatural horror type of story with which the novel begins, has been entirely forgotten by the last third: the science-fictional twist was extremely artificial, forced, and unattractive, and transformed the story into dark comedy rather than the -presumably intended- horror tale it promised to be.

To begin with, the premise sounded very interesting. Apparently the story was supposed to be a creature feature: a teenage boy, who lives with his gay father and his husband, is being pressured by his peers to lose his virginity no matter what; becuase of this, the boy gets into a very uncomfortable situation (he himself gives it the familiar word for "sexual intercourse without consent"), ending up with the boy discovering that, under these circumstances, he transforms into a huge human-eating spider shooting webs (I kid you not!). However, this is not your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, and soon things escalate into gore and mayhem.

The boy's part is told in first-person. The author chooses to tell the father's story also in first-person, alternating POVs as need be. So if you open the book at random, it's not immediately clear who's talking. Nor is it clear why the author chose this format for the father: probably some insights on parenthood were supposed to be given or implied, but, as far as I can see, absolutely nothing important comes through. Plus the father, a university professor married to a much younger man, is not easy to relate with; so whatever was the author's intention of telling the father's story in first-person, it's a complete failure in the end. This pretty much concludes the novel's first third.

Once trouble has begun, and the situation becomes literally irresolvable (police is involved, and lies and excuses have dried up), the author chooses to bring new characters into the story: the boy's mum herself and the father's father. The middle third of the book needs them, in order to explain the change of setting (the dad and the son evade police and find shelter in America - some huge suspension of disbelief is necessary here).

The last third of the book is essentially a repeat of the first, with the son finding new peers pressing him to have sex all over again. Predictably, things escalate in precisely the same way and mayhem ensues. This time, though, the creature feature turns into sci-fi horror. Thankfully, all the plotlines come together, and it falls to the father to provide closure. Or not.

I obviously had some problems with the structure and the format of the story, but, overall, this is not a bad horror novel: it has several promising scenes and good action sequences. It has to be said, however, that you have to read it with your moral eyes closed. Frankly, the whole story is morally bankrupt (i.e., don't expect any lessons in morality from anyone's attitude in this book). Though, of course lack of morals in a book is not a bad thing either, it becomes troublesome when the book is about kids, sex without consent, mental illness, murder, unaliving, and crime.

Weird, creepy and I couldn’t look away!
I really enjoyed this take on a horror book, perfect for the start of October.

Teen horror romp, told in a straightforward style.
When Hudson gets his mad up, he turns into a giant spider and has to feed...
Ideal for fans of an easy-read gorefest.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

At publication, I will post my review on my blog and on GoodReads.

Well that went unexpected places! Even after reading the synopsis (in my post book haze) I still feel as though this book took a HARD left into some weird horror territory.

In Scuttle we have 16yo Hudson who lives with his father and stepfather in England. He has a shaky relationship with his mother who lives back in the US. After a party at his buddy’s gets out of hand his life changes dramatically.

Obviously there are spiders involved hence the cover and title, but I wouldn’t rule this one out if you’re arachnophobic as the spider aspect isn’t necessarily the creepiest part of the book. I enjoyed the pacing in the first half but the book lulls a bit in the middle. But when things get wild again they go into ANOTHER territory I did not see coming. This book reminds me of two of my favorite Stephen King books (names withheld to avoid potential spoilers) in the best way.

This book does veer into the implausibility realm a bit, but I really enjoyed the ending. The characterization is great with likable protagonists and some wild deaths. I would absolutely recommend this book. I worried it would be YA in nature but there are definitely some adult scenes and deeper themes presented. If you vibe with creature feature mixed with WTF then check this one out.

Scuttle is one of those good old fashioned, coming of age creature feature horror novels like the ones we all grew up with (movies as well). The only part I didn't like was any remote mention of a spider because I'm an arachnophobe but this played out nicely when it comes to horror as you're supposed to feel fear and suspense.

Well that was a lot of fun! This is your old fashioned horror story. No over- worked theories - just spiders, blood and very sweaty palms. Loved it!

This book….wowser!
There were times I felt the tension actually rising in me, but I kept reading because I needed to know what was going on!

I don’t like horror movies, I also happen to really dislike spiders, so everything about this book I should have disliked, however I was hooked.

I’ve never read anything like this.
I was gripped from the start. The switch between father and son, being able to see the story from both sides was something I really liked. Short chapters. Quick descriptions to build tension.

Overall, the perfect October read. I wish I could into detail but I want to keep it spoiler free.
An absolutely brilliant read, that was fast paced, well written, dark and twisty and now my favourite by no Walter
This book would also make a fantastic film/tv series.

All Hudson wants to do is spend the night, Halloween night, in Barret Forest with his friends....and one girl in particular. What happens in the Forest, however, is anything normal. After a prank, Hudson fills with rage and... well, THINGS happen.

The premise is WHY these things are happening. The writing is gory, and really, kind of gross. It's a creature feature in a novel form.

I enjoyed this one, it was just creepy enough to keep me interested and engaged. I don't know if it's for everyone, but I liked it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Scuttle gets off to a bit of a slow start with its establishing focus on family drama, but finds its footing as a quick and freaky read around chapter 13.

Perhaps a bit more Kafka than King, but still a great October pick for those who aren’t afraid to waltz with a widow or tango with a tarantula.

Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the chance to review this ARC!

A creepy coming of age novel about a struggling teenage boy and a camping trip that goes dreadfully awry

Hudson is a teenage boy struggling with normal teen things—an overprotective dad, friendship drama, and the inability to flirt with the girl he likes—but that all changes on Halloween night. While out camping and drinking in the woods to celebrate the spooky season, something attacks a girl and leaves her dead in a bizarre way. From there, Hudson’s life goes off the rails.

The cover makes it clear that this is a spidery creature feature, and while the descriptions of gore are great, I could have done with creepier spider descriptions. I wanted my skin to crawl, but I didn’t really get that feeling all that often. I did however love how weird the explanation of everything is—it might not work for everyone, but it certainly worked for me!

Not the best creature feature but I do love the idea of like, “What if someone was kinda like the Hulk but turned into a spider instead of the (not so) jolly green giant?” I just sort of wanted more ridiculousness from this, I wanted the silliness dialed up to an 11, but that’s just how I prefer my creature features. Also…the book was…essentially written…like this…and I found it super…annoying…

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.