Book Review: 7 Weeks in Hell
Hello World!
How are you holding up? If you’re like me, you must be DYING for the weekend to get here already. There have been some work changes for me that have kept me running around like a chicken with my head cut off, and I’m frankly mentally exhausted.
Mini stress rant aside, today I’m stopping by with my review of another read! This time I read 7 Weeks in Hell by Iseult Murphy.
This is a sequel to 7 Days in Hell, which was thoroughly frightening, so I had to give this a try!
Major apologies for taking so long to read this (I read the first one in September and this came out in October). I bit off more than I could chew last year with reads, but this year I’m lowering my expectations and following through more on my series reads.
Alright, on to the review!
Blurb:
Still traumatised by the events of Halloween in the tiny village of Basard, Vicky Murtagh has moved to the Irish city of Galway to forge a new life, but the ghosts of her past have followed her west.
Veterinarian, John Tighe, wants to find out why the city’s pets are viciously attacking their owners. As violence increases on the streets of Galway, he wonders if the conspiracy theories of the shut-in who lives in the apartment across from his might make sense.
The Better Living Program promises to revolutionise people’s lives, but Violet Casey is more interested in learning how to use its business model to become as successful as its creator. Could the company that has rejuvenated Galway also be responsible for its downfall?
Three people linked by a web of horror as their lives descend into 7 Weeks in Hell, to Hell or to Galway.
GoodReads
The Review:
I gave this novel four stars!
Set eighteen months after the events of the first book, we continue to follow Vicky’s life. Vicky struggles to get by, suffering from a condition that makes her see people as the undead. Naturally, she’s terrified to go outside and stays inside her apartment. But when some scary changes begin to occur in her neighborhood, Vicky has to get over her past and get brave quick, or there could be some deadly consequences.
I’ve been a big fan of Murphy since reading her first book in this series 7 Days in Hell, and this did not disappoint!
The characters were fun and had depth. There are two main characters, Vicky from the last book, and John, a new character. Vicky is a completely different person from before, and it was really sad to see how the events of the first book scarred her. It was also extremely believable and three-dimensional. John was everything that Vicky wasn’t, brave and strong, a sturdy support structure for her.
I started out liking John a bit more than Vicky, but by the end I ended up liking both characters equally. Oh, and there’s a cute Boxer doggy!
The bad guys were pretty great too. Not quite as three-dimensional as Vicky, but they were vile, especially Violet. *shudders* Talk about screwed up!
The plot was extremely entertaining. I’m not the biggest zombie fan, but Murphy’s take on them is new and refreshing. This book reminded me of Doctor Sleep in some ways, but went further than that with the horror element. There were a couple scenes where I just had to set the book down and say, ‘Man, that was seriously messed up.’
If I had to pick at anything, I would point out is that in places the typos drew me out of the story, especially near the end. Other than that, no serious complaints!
This was a well thought out novel with unique characters and a plot that will make your blood curdle. Definitely worth a read!
That’s a Wrap!
Thanks for stopping by, and happy reading!
Have you read this book before? What did you think? Do you have a book recommendation similar to this one? Feel free to share in the comments!
If you’d like to see other reviews of mine, feel free to check out the book review section of my blog or my GoodReads. You can also follow my GoodReads reviews here. There are some great binge-worthy books on there!
Have a great day!
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There is an element like Dr. Sleep. I enjoyed this book. I think I gave it 4 stars as well. Pretty fun, and gory.:-)
Yeah! I thought of another movie similarity but forgot by the time I reviewed lol.
Totally. Cant wait to see what Iseult comes up with next!
What’s a weekend? I do love Galway, so I might have to give this a try.
Lol, right? Aha, you may love this series then. Your Cassie Black book is up next!
Ooh! I’ve gotten a few reviews back and I’m feeling a lot more confident about it 😉
Aww, yay! I’m glad you’re feeling better about it. I start reading tomorrow morning. Can’t wait! I’m sure I’ll love it to pieces. 🙂
This was true horror, in my opinion, because the antagonists were so strong, Galway was filled with a chilling sense of indomitable evil, there were shocking deaths and the manner in which some of them occurred, the action was well-paced, the characters were fantastic, and there was a dark vein of humor running throughout the narrative. The characters’ decisions and reflections on various facets of life are insightful, but I found a really strong message that I won’t reveal for fear of giving the narrative away.
Thanks for stopping by! Couldn’t agree more. The author wasn’t afraid to go there with the horror, and it was quite the thrilling ride. Definitely a read I won’t forget anytime soon.