Hello!! Hello again my spooky friends! Today I am celebrating the release of Stephen Graham Jones’ (SGJ) last book in his Indian Lake Trilogy. Jade Daniels must be one of the grittiest, “take no bullshit” final girl in the game. She has been a delight to follow. I enjoyed an angry 17-year-old slasher obsessed outcast in My Heart Is a Chainsaw and her journey home to Proofrock as Jennifer…trying to shed the “Jade” persona and still in denial about her final girl status in Don’t Fear the Reaper.
The final installment in the trilogy released Tuesday March 26th, the title: The Angel of Indian Lake. You can bet your ass I ordered my copy on release day.
I can’t wait to see how this all ends and where Jade Daniels ends up at the end of this spectacular tale and through all the hardships (and massacres). This blog isn’t going to be a deep dive into any of the first two books, it’s not going to be full of insight and dissections of plots, characters or social commentary. It is going to be more synopsis, opinion and excitement. I’m going to go real “fan girl” here, so forgive me or fan girl (or boy) out with me!
**I do intend to do a full review on The Angel of Indian Lake, so keep your eyes open for that next post. I am sure I will have that book devoured in no time and will try to have my official review up in a timely manner**
I just want to start this out with some love for SGJ. He’s a brilliant and stupidly talented writer. He can take you from the visceral to breathtaking. His stories descriptive, sometimes violent and beautiful all at the same time (weird to say beautiful in relation to horror, am I right?).
Stephen Graham Jones has written over 30 books, he teaches and has an impressive number of awards he’s won over the years for his writing. He has a distinct voice, a distinct style that has always stood out to me, and his writing is steeped in culture and heritage. He’s authentic, it shows and I (along with a ton of other horror book fanatics) am here for it. Certainly, he has cemented his status as one of the greatest horror story tellers we have.
In 2021, My Heart Is a Chainsaw was released, although I am a HUGE SGJ fan, I was late to the game on this one and didn’t read it until much later…. I ended up reading that and the second installment back-to-back, within 5 days (what can I say? It sucked me in, couldn’t stop turning the pages).
Below is just it’s quick synopsis:
“Jade Daniels is an angry, half-Indian outcast with an abusive father, an absent mother, and an entire town that wants nothing to do with her. She lives in her own world, a world in which protection comes from an unusual source: horror movies…especially the ones where a masked killer seeks revenge on a world that wronged them. And Jade narrates the quirky history of Proofrock as if it is one of those movies. But when blood actually starts to spill into the waters of Indian Lake, she pulls us into her dizzying, encyclopedic mind of blood and masked murderers, and predicts exactly how the plot will unfold.
Yet, even as Jade drags us into her dark fever dream, a surprising and intimate portrait emerges… a portrait of the scared and traumatized little girl beneath the Jason Voorhees mask: angry, yes, but also a girl who easily cries, fiercely loves, and desperately wants a home. A girl whose feelings are too big for her body.
My Heart Is a Chainsaw is her story, her homage to horror and revenge and triumph.” (Goodreads)
I do have a review of this up over there on the Goodreads site…so if you’re interested in a fast 2-minute review, hop over to my Goodreads page (you can find the link in my menu section). This book was so interesting, a little chaotic and over the top wonderful. When I thought it was going to zig – it zagged. The end NOT quite what I was expecting but I loved every single bit of it. If you love slasher movies, give it a read! Jade, her thoughts…reasonings and her exploration of famous and not-so-famous slasher flicks really is an homage to that genre from SGJ. There’s something in this book for everyone regardless of your horror genre preferences…
In 2023 fans of Jade Daniels and SGJ got the second installment of the trilogy, Don’t Fear the Reaper. I read this in 2 sittings, SOOO to say I loved it (and couldn’t get enough of it) is an understatement. Below is it’s quick synopsis from the Goodreads site:
“December 12th, 2019, Jade returns to the rural lake town of Proofrock the same day as convicted Indigenous serial killer Dark Mill South escapes into town to complete his revenge killings, in this riveting sequel to My Heart Is a Chainsaw from New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones.
Four years after her tumultuous senior year, Jade Daniels is released from prison right before Christmas when her conviction is overturned. But life beyond bars takes a dangerous turn as soon as she returns to Proofrock. Convicted Serial Killer, Dark Mill South, seeking revenge for thirty-eight Dakota men hanged in 1862, escapes from his prison transfer due to a blizzard, just outside of Proofrock, Idaho.
Dark Mill South’s Reunion Tour began on December 12th, 2019, a Thursday.
Thirty-six hours and twenty bodies later, on Friday the 13th, it would be over.” (Goodreads)
I don’t know which of the two novels I liked most…it’s probably a tie. There is a lot you can unpack from both novels. For it to be the “middle” novel, it packs a hell of a punch. It’s just as visceral and possibly faster paced than Chainsaw. While you try to dissect and figure out which one you like more it’s difficult, because both stories can be looked at and analyzed separately as their own. At the end of the day though, they’re two pieces of a whole…so you look at them separately and then together and see how they fit. My favorite thing about looking at them together and fitting them in the “whole” is you immediately see and feel the difference in our protagonist Jade. What I loved about her in Reaper is that you can immediately tell she’s grown up and is maturing.
There is a little bit of a time jump from the end of Chainsaw to Reaper. In the first book, we’re seeing everything unfold through Jade’s slasher-movie obsessed rose tinted glasses. In Reaper there’s a broader lens the reader gets to experience, and you get more narrative from some of the other people involved in this story. I loved both styles in both books. I feel like this is one of those skills SGJ uses that really just showcases how amazing of a storyteller he is. Both books feel so different reading, yet they’re unquestionably the same.
Both novels were well received. (That’s quite the understatement) There’s been a lot of praise and a lot of excitement for the final installment (Which is officially out!! Did I mention that already?)
This is no doubt one of the most lauded horror series/trilogies out in recent years. Both books were fantastic, and I plan on reading them until the spines crack and they fall apart…because what else do you do with the books you love? I have no doubt in my mind that The Angel of Indian Lake will be just as good, and just as much of an adventure as the first two books of the trilogy. I have high hopes, and even higher expectations…I have no doubt that SGJ will deliver us a stellar ending and a proper goodbye for one of the baddest final girls to ever grace the genre.
As always, please comment share your thoughts on the series. Did you love them? And follow me on my social medias! I am always wanting to connect with fellow horror fans. You can find my listed socials on the site’s menu dropdown. Thank you for reading, stay spooky my little ghoulies!
