Bunny's Reviews: Division X Review Spotlight

Congratulations to author August Hill on the release of his novel Division X, the perfect Halloween read!

Division X by August Hill is a twisted horror novel that delves into the lycanthrope genre with both feet. Most novels on lycanthropy have shifted more toward romanticizing them. This author has decided to remind readers and lovers of horror where it all began... with horrible monsters who have no qualms ripping you limb from limb, and if you're bitten? Good luck with the next full moon.

Division X starts the story off with a bang...a really big bang. Tons of gore, and tense situations, and it leaves you eager for more horror. As the story shifts forward, things tone down a bit. You still are going to get the horror scenes scattered throughout, but nothing as intense as the first chapter of this novel.

While the beginning unfolds with an unknown monster terrorizing innocents, the story shifts to another place in the country - Vermont. Where young Randi is sitting down to dinner with her aunt and uncle, and their family. They have no idea that just outside their window a monster lurks and that he's going to destroy everything about their lives.

This story definitely brings the shock element with particular situations in this story. The overall storyline is pretty good, but it starts to go off the rails with Randi herself. She survives the attack, but then she refuses to accept what happened to her when confronted by her surviving cousin. It's strange because she wanted to be believed herself earlier in the story, so what changed? It's just odd that she takes on a different take/version when it's convenient for her.

The storyline flow is okay, but I would have liked more dialogue between the characters. I would have also liked it more if the dialogue that is there between the characters flowed better. It comes off as messy in certain areas instead of flowing like natural conversations. The conversations don't all happen on the page which is disappointing.

There are further inconsistencies in the story that don't really make sense on the whole. I do understand certain elements of the storyline, allowing Randi to call home, but then it doesn't make sense on the whole. She's a danger to many, so keeping the majority of those she's around in the dark is a bizarre twist.

I will say that readers will love the nods to familiar horror elements in this story as well. You'll see what I mean when you get to the facility. I nearly fan-girled out. LOL! I'd really love to read how they acquired those particular items and creatures, so I'm hopeful that maybe the author will write stories covering those if he already hasn't.

This book overall has it's ups and downs. I would have liked it more if the horror element had been allowed to shine through more, but those who enjoy horror, you'll enjoy this book.

Thank you to the author, August Hill, and R&R Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Publication Date: October 20th, 2022

Genre: Supernatural Horror/ Lycanthropes

Publisher: Brother Mockingbird

TW: 80’s slasher gore in chapter one.

Twenty-four years old, no job, and kicked out by her parents, Randi Matheson is living at her aunt and uncle’s trying her hardest to complete a novel she can’t seem to start when a carnivorous monster interrupts her middling life on a full moon night. Attacked during an ordinary family dinner, Randi’s relatives are murdered, and she is bitten by the beast. Surviving the slaughter, Randi returns home to her distressed family only to become a monster herself under the next full moon. Nearly devouring her younger brother, she is stopped by the intervention of Division X, a company devoted to the killing and capture of paranormal threats. She awakens in a containment cell the next morning to be given an ultimatum… work for them as a new weapon in the fight against evil or be dissected. A cure to her lycanthropy is promised along the way, and with real motivation to stay alive, Randi pushes herself to the brink to return to her normal life. Small town horrors lie in wait with even smaller heroes to stand against them. Can Randi save them and herself, or will everything crumble to the wills of evil?

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I’m not me when I kill people. At least, that’s what I tell myself. I wake up, and I know I’ve done something horrible. My hands are covered in blood, my clothes are gone, and my stomach feels full. I don’t remember what I did. All I remember is the pain. It’s impossible to forget.

It starts with the fur. It spreads like fire, melting me. My bones go next, shifting, changing, breaking. I always cry, always scream, but I can live with the pain. I can’t live with what comes next. Something takes control and pushes me into the dark. I sleep a dreamless sleep, and when I wake up, the nightmare begins.

I don’t know them, the people I’ve killed, the ones I’ve eaten. But I do know they weren’t all bad. I live with the pain because I deserve it.

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About the Author

After receiving an education at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, August Hill started writing Division X, a supernatural horror filled with dark humor, adventure, and sinister creatures that leap off the pages.

His love for all things spooky and scary was unleashed when he discovered Jurassic Park at four years old and the R. L. Stine Goosebumps collection in elementary school. He holds a huge appreciation for 80’s horror and is partial to fun, dark, and witty ensemble casting with younger heroes. Some of his favorite influences include The Lost Boys, Aliens, Gremlins, and An American Werewolf in London to name a few.

Hill’s knack for writing fiction emerged at an early age when he wrote stories for his own enjoyment. He is a collector of horror films and is a board game enthusiast. When not writing, he can be found walking trails with his dog, enjoying movie nights with friends, spending time playing video games, and camping in Maine.

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