panI wanted to like this one so much. The premise was good but it fell so flat for me. I thought the characters were very one tone, I wish they would have had more personality. I also discovered so many plot holes that it was hard to ignore. It also was very much a YA book, not an adult book. I also got bored at many points of the book, there was good graphics of insects, though. 2/5
pickAudio. So I do think I missed some plot device, whereas the story is incredibly written. But it made me so mad how the church was treating people. It was very engaging, and not as scary to keep me from waiting to know what was happening.
The implication of the church in utilizing demons to scare people into not being gay, a conversion therapy camp, was really well put. Writing was disjointed at times, yet almost always engaging
pickFinished this this weekend for my book club. Really appropriate timing, and super satisfying for my need for justice and retribution. Recommended, especially right now in the US.
#lgbtqia
pickLove! I‘ve been trying horror as an adult recently and this was the perfect title for that. The religious trauma was so well done. The fears of someone who is queer and attends church/has a lot of faith were so similar to how I felt when I started my own journey to self discovery.
Seriously creepy and seriously amazing! Have recommended to others and they have also loved it.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Social commentary mixed with horror may seem like an odd combination, but honestly, it makes sense. Literal name-tag wearing demons are tasked with aiding in coercive conversion therapy. The realistic parts are the true terror. Other small details are a bit gag-worthy. Mayflies will never be viewed the same again. A solid read by an author whose real name is unknown. He seems an interesting fellow, indeed.
Spooky season school car rider line accessories. Not pictured, but always present, is my good boy, Champ.
pickA solid horror novel. A Christian evangelical cult has the most successful gay conversion camp ever. By which I mean, it‘s not successful at all, but they do open portals to hell.
pickThe real horror of the gay conversion camp was the doctrine and the prejudice of the church members and not the supernatural terrors. Which was, I guess, the point. The book made lots of good points. The writing seemed just a little immature at times.
3.5 ⭐️s
pickA creepy story about a Christian conversion camp that is truly evil.
Rose lives in this severely religious community and thinks everything is going well until she starts literally seeing demons 😈
pickThis is the first Tingle book I‘ve read. It‘s surprisingly serious compared to much of his work. I found the book to be creative and frightening in the sense that I could see certain conservative groups implementing this kind of strategy to prevent people from living authentic, LGBTQ lives. We‘ll just say it makes conversion therapy look like amateur hour. I think Tingle landed the ending well, which I find rare in general and especially horror.
pickMostly a pick, but i did find the ending conclusions made by the MC the soso part.
I‘m not a happy endings MUST be the conclusion for all books. In fact, this book does have a generally happy ending…but it also felt hopeless?
Overall though, I liked it. Again, personally I wanted simmering more in the end. But I do recommend it as a great horror romp!
(I genuinely thinks it was great!)
pickBook # 4 for #24in24. This made me sad. I hate when kids are the victims of adult bigotry. We follow Rose Darling a 20yo member of The Kingdom of the Pine religion. Their claim to fame is Camp Damascus, a conversion camp with major results. It‘s funny because most of the book doesn‘t even take place there but it is no less compelling. Rose Darling starts to see scary apparitions and throws up mayflies every so often. What could be wrong? Pick!
Loved it! Book 74 in 2023. Gay conversion camp horror and it was SO GOOD! Very clever and never really expected what came next.
Rose Darling is a devout follower of her church in small town Montana. But she starts questioning her faith and seeing some pretty creepy shit.
I thought it was really clever and very well written! I‘ll definitely read more Chuck Tingle horror if it arrives. I would consider this horror lite. Not too spooky.
I had heard of Chuck Tingle but this is my first time reading and this is really good so far. Gay conversion camp horror. I am not a religious person, so I can‘t say with certainty but it sure seems like he‘s really hit all the right notes. Hoping to finish for the weekend!
pickThis seems incorrectly marketed as adult horror, as it feels like YA. I like YA so not a problem. I thought Tingle would follow a certain path for the story and when he didn‘t I was a little confused. I also think there might have been a pacing issue at times and that it possibly could have been tightened up some. Even so, I liked this. I don‘t want to say I enjoyed it because when you pull back the horror elements, this is just about truly ⬇️
pickI‘ve known for years now that I‘m almost certainly autistic. And I‘ve had the powerful experience of seeing aspects of myself represented in fiction that I‘d gone a lifetime without seeing before—Celeste Ng did that for me as an Asian American. But it still surprised me how moving and affirming it was to read a book like this, one with an autistic protagonist. I‘ve appreciated Chuck Tingle for a long time now, and I‘m so glad this book exists.
I‘m so so excited! A day when my toughest choice is knitting or reading is a good day!
pickI‘ve known about Chuck Tingle for 9 years now and initially, he was good for a bunch of laughs scrolling through his Amazon catalogue and a fun party gag or inappropriate gift, but it seems he‘s ventured into serious horror. I was a bit skeptical at first that this wouldn‘t have some gay dinosaur or inanimate object love carefully hidden within, but no, it was a well constructed horror novel about the fucked-up nature of gay conversion camps.
pickBook 185🎧 3.3⭐️
Some great LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent representation in this one👏🏻
Wasn‘t quite as creepy as I was expecting, although I didn‘t care for the throwing up of Shad-flies (May Flys)😂
Kinda cheating a little but the cover is mostly orange shades!
I‘m super excited to get into this one this weekend!
#scarathon #scarathonphotochallenge #teamBOOklovers
pickThis was a really entertaining original horror novel from the king of quirky gay erotica. This features a 20 year old woman who is part of a Christian community that starts to have some weird physical reactions and starting to have some random flashes of memory that lead her to unlocking a dark secret connected to her community‘s famous conversion camp. Obviously, this could have some triggers but it could also could be greatly cathartic.⬇️
pick4.5⭐ I was pleasantly surprised by this audiobook. I have heard of Chuck Tingle because of his ridiculous erotica, but I've never actually read more than small passages. I was intrigued when I learned of his foray into horror, and I was not disappointed. (cont'd.)
so-soWhile I applaud the author for the creativity of the premise for this book, the execution for me was just a hot mess.
I wanted to love this because it has a lot of things I crave in a good horror/thriller, but I just couldn't stay engaged with the story because it was all over the place. 😕
pick8-27-23: My 82nd finished book of 2023! Rose Darling is a member of the Church of the Pine in Neverton, Montana. Life starts getting weird after a friends party goes awry. Then a life altering collision brings memories back that change everything. The Church of the Pine owns Camp Damascus, the worlds most effective gay conversion camp, run by Pastor Bend, and he must be stopped. Horrific in its imagery and ideas, this one makes you angry.
pickLoved the metaphor & the action, 🌈 & autism representation. It was a really fun ride, with some gross & horrifying moments.
Figured I‘d show off my deathmoth earrings, there‘s a lot bugs in this one 😂
Oh good, it‘s time for #20in4 !!! @Andrew65
I‘m behind on a #lmpbc book would love to be able to mail it out Monday, I‘m behind on #Losersclub
Karin has a new book out, I have 2 audiobooks due back soon! Definitely have had some life challenges that have demanded my attention, and that‘s ok, but I‘m going to take advantage of a break in the chaos and get caught up.
I‘ll be #ReadingWesteros also, of course!
pickNotorious scribe Chuck Tingle departs from his subversive, gay erotica, bizarro fiction to pen a more serious horror novel. Using the metaphor of gay conversion therapy at the aforementioned Camp Damascus, this is a story of religious trauma and marginalizing specific groups through corruption and suppression.
“The point is, I was doing all these things because God said it was right. My whole life, that was always the motivation, but is that real genuine good? Is something righteous if you're doing it because you're worried about getting punished? I want to do something good. Not out of fear of punishment, or because someone else told me it was the right thing. I want to do something good for goodness' sake.“
“They may be ruthless and single minded, but they're not doing this out of hate,“ Saul continues. “At least, they don't think they are. They're doing it out of a sick, ass-backward love.“
“Either way, I don't wanna be a part of it,“ I proclaim.
Saul just nods, smiling to himself. “I'm just not okay with letting them define God's love. This is my little way of doing something about it.“
See my thoughts on this quote below in the comments!
“According to the congregation, my sin outweighs any discomfort about demonic collaboration, and while this might seem like impossible mental gymnastics to outsiders, it makes perfect sense to me. It's hardly the worst thing organized religion has come up with.“
“Slowly disconnecting from your community - from your family - is difficult, and while it seems like unearthing their sinister motives and dark secrets might make the process easier, it will never entirely quell the pain.“
pickWow. Chuck Tingle has written a deeply introspective, poignant, harrowing, empowering, and truly terrifying novel. Yes, you heard me. CHUCK TINGLE WROTE THIS AND IT'S AMAZING!
I have a lot of thoughts about this book, so read the rest of my opinions in the comments below... 👇👇👇
Oh boy....😂 My hold for this book finally came in! I'm excited but also terrified at the same time! I still can't get over the fact that Chuck Tingle has written a proper book, and a horror book no less! 😱
pickI think if you come into this with the right expectations most will enjoy this book. Is it the book of the year, no. But it is an easy to read, enjoyable hero. What elevates it is the perspective on the cruel practice of conversion therapy. Which I think we have gotten used to treating as a joke, because it is so ludicrous. And Chuck reframes that to what it really is for the vulnerable teens who are subjected to it, a horror story. Soft pick.
pickI. LOVED. THIS. BOOK!!! Chuck Tingle takes the real life horrors of a gay conversion camp and turns it into literal demonic horror. One of my favorite things about this genre is body horror and I could feel my skin crawl in several scenes in this book. Queer and downright original, this quick read will both traumatize and empower you at the same time!
panRose, 20 years old on Autism spectrum, lives in a small town in Montana which is famous for the gay conversion camp her Christian Community created. Young gay people are brought to Camp Damascus to "Love right!"
Through a few body horror moments, demon sightings, and an accident, Rose is suddenly aware that she must have been at Camp, but can't remember it. She is determined to find out more.
Reads like YA horror, including happy-ish ending.
#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl
"You've got no shadow," Martina informs me, gazing down at my feet and then shifting her eyes back up to mine.
#NetGalley #ARC #MountARC
#JubilantJuly @Andrew65
Camp Damascus | 
