Adam CesareRezensionen

Trashy, low-camp riff on The Postman Always Rings Twice. That’s a compliment. Stop & Shop employees in the low-budget horror community. Short chapters, short page count. Perfect fit for the grimy subject matter, tone hits the way it should. It’s crime fiction, dig it.

This is a fresh take on the typical slasher and I really enjoyed it. Not really scary for my tastes but then again, slashers have never been scary for me.
Writing was A . Gonna read the second one soon!

This felt like watching a slightly cheesy but very fresh-faced Halloween slasher flick and I totally enjoyed it! It walked a great line between familiar tropes and new horror, creating a solid balance all throughout, and I think anyone who loves the genre will love this, too! The pacing was a little weird at times, slow and then very rushed, but the story is intriguing enough that it’s not too much of a problem. Perfect October YA read.

Angry boomer meets Texas chainsaw in the lower B rated tone. The beginning was a bit vapid, and all of the twists were super obvious. The ONLY thing that I got a happy surprise from was the romantic reveal at the end. Will not be reading the sequel

A group of teens find themselves under siege by killer clowns in a tiny Midwestern town. What starts as a very retro 80s slasher throwback (Ceasare clearly wants to remind you about the satantic panic of the 80s) becomes sometime even more sinister, more nowish. This is a story of the real life fears teens have to contend with - from gun violence to the insidious “Make __ Great Again” groupthink. It's true adults just don't understand teens but in this case, they want to wipe the teens out, so the teens can't change the town and the country.

YA horror is having a moment and Ceasare certainly pushes the boundaries of YA with the brutal novel that is not for the faint of heart. This is a brutal horror novel that just happens to feature a group of teens as the protagonists. Clown in a Cornfield perfectly encapsulates the generational and ideological divide currently shaping today’s politics. It's horrifying.

Such a good, quick horror/slasher. Classic set-up with the family moving from the city for a “fresh start” to soon discover the rural Midwest town they’ve ended up in has some… baggage to say the least. This was absolutely gripping once everything kicked off. While some points were a bit predictable as it followed the almost standard slasher formula, but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable and there were still some good surprises. I’m looking forward to reading book two

Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare has been a book I've been yearning for since I heard it came out. The title alone is intriguing - clowns are creepy and now they are in a cornfield? That's an absolute nightmare! Throw in this is a YA novel with LGBTQ representation all mixed in with an epic thrill ride of a plot that throws horrific clowns at us? I AM IN.

This book was a fast paced book that brought some giggles and lots of 'Oh' faces as the horror went down. Quinn Maybrook and her Father, Dr. Maybrook move to the itsy, bitsy town of Kettle Springs for a fresh start. The town has been rotting away since the Baypen Corn Syrup Factory shut down with the teens running wild and enjoying their youth and the adults blaming the teens for the horrible town. After a tragic death of a local teen, things just seem to get worse... until Frendo, the Baypen creepy clown mascot shows up and starts a killing spree.

Ohhhhh boy. If you want an R rated gore fest with creepy clowns, this book is for you. There's a serial killer going around in a small town knocking people off and there's clearly some dark stuff going down too. Oh, and teenagers. You know horror teenagers is always a bad mix.

I thoroughly enjoy how fast paced this book was and how it really packs a punch. The ending was hinted at along the way, but you'll only get it if you really pay attention. I'm a little disappointed in myself that I didn't guess the complete ending, but I did get about 75% of it right as I was theorizing what was going on. Definitely a must read for horror fans! What an easy but brutal read.

Five out of five stars.

Quinn & her doctor dad move from Philly to a small Missouri town. Stereotypical small town with the diner, movie theater, weekend farm parties, catty high school jock, bitch, outsider, etc. Thin plot of a killer clown that's the town mascot that's creepy. The plot was a mess easing between if it was the parents or the kids who where the real troublemakers. Skip ahead to the party int he cornfield where all the kids are getting killed by people dressed in clown suits. Apparently the adults wanted to wipe out the generation of kids because they were "bad" and didn't care about anything but social media, etc. All stemming from the jock's sister's death. Ugh..the stupidity & shock factor killings was cliche like a b-horror movie with no plot. The only thing missing was the damsel in distress in the cornfield with high heels on. The book ended with the possibility of a sequel which I wouldn't waste my time on

Quick and enjoyable. I grew up on Long Island (though much farther west than this takes place) and the nostalgia was fun.

A refreshing take on a satanic cult story. Usually these types of stories are good vs evil, and it was interesting to read an evil vs evil story.

There are two short stories in this collection.

The first story I didn't really get. It seemed pointless. The writing was fine, but there seemed to be no plot and then it was over.

I really liked the second story, so much so that I wish there was more. It felt like a first chapter of a longer novel and it ended so abruptly that the story as a whole didn't feel satisfying, it felt unfinished.

Overall, I do like the writing style and I have two novels by the same author that I look forward to reading.

4.5/5 - WOW.
I haven't been super impressed with YA horror in the past, but this was such a pleasant surprise. The ending was not hastily wrapped up, no one had plot armor like I thought they did, and the characters were wonderfully fleshed out. Bloody, gory, full of clowns and intrigue, this book really stands out in its genre.

Wow this was better than I expected. I bought it because I loved the title and it was on sale.
The first third of the book is slow and it is essentially a YA book but the story actually worked, For a horror slasher story. The book was a little vague on when it was supposed to take place or maybe just some of the dates didn’t sync correctly. And it’s clearly written by someone who has spent most if not all their life on the east coast as the Midwest stereotypes were quite laughable.

**Contains a few spoilers***I was looking forward to this. The first book had more than a few cheesy moments, stereotypes and hinted social propaganda, but the matrix of the story and the characters made up for those grievances.....I was hoping this one would be even better.

But alas, yet again, a modern book falls victim to over modernization, trying extremely too hard to push the woke agenda. The small town that needed big city outsiders to "fix" it....the female Sheriff.... the"redneck" conspiracy theorist.... the gay love triangle....the never before mentioned character of undistinguishable gender, whom was supposedly involved in the cornfield massacres...the entitled attitude of the main female protagonist, Quinn.....I'm all for most of these things, but this went too far to be believable, it just felt like the writer was attempting to be trendy.

Cole and Rust, a gay couple, are my favorite characters, I really like their relationship, why not keep it wholesome?? Why must all relationships be sabotaged in new entertainment?? Do these writers really think every human being is deplorable and without morals?? Being a YA book, I really felt like Cesare missed an opportunity to set good examples here.

The cheesy vigilante ending is a bit ridiculous.

Sadly, this wasn't even close to being as good as the first one.

What's scarier than clowns and cornfields?? Not alot. I was immediately taken by the cover and title of this book, synopsis was an after thought. Character development was pretty much absent, which is common in YA books. This book did play pretty heavy on stereotypes, although not always a negative thing, I did feel it was intended that way here.

I've mentioned, in past reviews, my thoughts on writers imparting their personal views in their work.....distastful. Unfortunately, this is becoming a trend I keep encountering in modern fiction. I did appreciate that Cesare had Quinn, the main female protagonist, come to the realization that some small town stereotypes, and even some of her own hang ups, were incorrect. A nice way too knock down social walls, especially seeing the targeted audience here. That said, it did still feel abit biased all in all.

The " Broke Back Mountain" scene at the end....clearly a last minute throw in, fan service, to keep the more progressive readers happy.... was cheesy and completely unrealistic.

Conclusion.....outside of some small personal gripes, and a few cheesy aspects, the book was pretty good. The negatives aren't enough to keep me from reading part 2.½

CW: Violent gory deaths...lots of them!

Well I enjoyed this fun YA slasher horror!

Clowns and cornfields.

Both have frequently featured in horror books and movies and are super creepy. Kudos to Adam for successfully combining these two scary elements into a fast paced blood bath. The tension is built up nicely with an underlying sense of menace in the town, and then WHAM, it transitions into a thrilling action story with a lot of running, screaming, hacking and hiding. Surprisingly, we do actually get to know the characters quite well, and we also develop a good understanding of the atmosphere and conflict within the town. Highly entertaining!

I’ve been waiting so long to read this and it did not disappoint! Perfect YA slasher novel with clowns

A fun, breezy horror story with plenty to keep things entertaining throughout.

Craziest, goriest clown story I have read in a while. OG Townies don’t like the new generation, so what do they do? Get “Frendo” the clown to get rid of the trouble makers…little did they realize, the teens would fight back. If you like lots of gore and twists and turns, this is the book for you!

Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives definitely had an interesting premise. Famous from the attack the year before, Quinn, Cole, and Rust want only for life to return to normal so they can continue on with their lives and try to heal from the horrifying events through which they survived. However, social media attacks have turned people against them, manipulating the information and creating chaos. And while I loved the ideas and definitely believed there is some truth to it in our current world situation, I did feel like this book suffered a bit compared to the previous one in that the tension and suspense just wasn't there and that crazy action that was in the first book was also missing.

Quinn is one of my favourite characters in this book; she is tough, devious, and just a lot of fun to read about. Her father is now the town mayor and spends the majority of his time trying to get the town back to normalcy, despite its growing attraction for those tourists searching for all things macabre and horrifying, wanting to see where all the killing occurred. Naturally, some members of the town obliged by creating a tourist attraction for those to purchase tickets and visit the cornfield where the 'event' happened a year before, to the disgust of some of the other townspeople, setting up an interesting scenario of us against them making the reader wonder how all of this was going to reach a boiling point and spill over.

When attacks started happening all over the place, Quinn, Rust, and Cole were forced to head back to Kettle Springs. This was a bit predictable as naturally, the three would need to be back in the same town in order for them to face down the cyberattackers who were actually heading to their town to take matters into their own hands. This is also where things gets a bit muddled. I really enjoyed the first half of the book, the setup, the attacks, and wondered how the author was going to set them up again for some disaster. Unfortunately, I felt like all three of these characters changed and I was left trying to figure out what had happened, when suddenly the action started. For whatever reason, I found it a bit more difficult to connect with the characters and believe me, with Cole behaving the way he did, I was rooting for Rust to find someone who was worthy of him. It was interesting to learn the perspectives of a couple of other characters and what they thought about the events the previous year and how it affected their lives, something I wished the author would delve into a bit more deeply. So, while the author did try to examine the affects of a community shattered by loss, I don't think he went far enough or deep enough into the psychological effects and consequences of such an occurrence.

Verdict
Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives was a solid book, with an interesting group of characters at its core, although I would like to see more character development within those characters. I did like how the author tried to use social media as an explosive tool for creating chaos as I think it's definitely relevant in our day and age. There was a bit of an exploration about ethics and morals for some of those wearing clown suits and how they regretted their actions, but I am begging the author not to go down that route. They brutally killed teenagers with machetes, etc..., should there be a redemption arc? Hell, no!! And this is where I absolutely loved the end of this book, the best chapter if you ask me, which makes me hopeful that book three will be a beautiful chaotic mess. I can't wait!!½

This novel was equally as excited at the first! The final three--the saviors and survivors--of of the previous year's massacre in the corn maze are back for more shenanigans. Quinn, Cole, and Rust are the main survivors of the Frendo the Clown Massacre. For the last year they have been healing, surviving, and planning for the next massacre. The crazed mob is back in town, looking to take down the final three.

This story picked up from book one, but was it's own story. There was a different cast of villains, who had their on motivations for storming the small town and causing mayhem. It was exciting, thrilling and kept me guessing as to what would happen next. There were a few twist and turns, which made this such a great read. I almost want another sequel, but too much of a good thing and all that.

Highly recommend!

This was a good second book. I loved yhe first book more. The POV changes through me throughout. I would like another book based solely on the Final Chapter: Clown in a Cornfield 3: Revenge. Lol

Oh wow!!!!! I didn't know what I was getting into when I started this book, but I loved every minute of it. This book had me on the edge of my seat while it took me on a roller coaster ride. This book had me screaming out in terror and cheering with triumph. Quinn is an amazing character that I loved throughout the book. She was a little clueless on a few things, but otherwise a total bad @ss. Ending was great and I can't wait for book 2. I already pre-ordered it.

Good book!

Not what I expected but liked it. Kept me drawn in. Liked the protagonist. Quick read. The concept was unexpected. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

What?! Another Dark Crystal entry that has no reviews? Looks like today is my lucky day! This is one of the best bestiaries I've ever come across for a specific franchise in general. The layout, format, artwork and text is just mind blowing. It definitely flows like a field guide and is easy to digest. The font for the text maybe difficult for some to read, but I didn't have any major problems. There's guaranteed to be something in here you've never seen before- plenty of creatures even I had never heard of before picking this up. Your Dark Crystal collection just is not complete unless you own this. I can't understand even in my free time how anyone could rate this below 4.5 stars.