Rewind or Die, Book 4
Synopsis:
The summer of 1989 brought terror to the town of Shadows Creek, Florida in the form of a massacre at the local carnival, Cirque Berserk. One fateful night, a group of teens killed a dozen people then disappeared into thin air. No one knows why they did it, where they went, or even how many of them there were, but legend has it they still roam the abandoned carnival, looking for blood to spill.
Thirty years later, best friends, Sam and Rochelle, are in the midst of a boring senior trip when they learn about the infamous Cirque Berserk. Seeking one last adventure, they and their friends journey to the nearby Shadows Creek to see if the urban legends about Cirque Berserk are true. But waiting for them beyond the carnival gates is a night of brutality, bloodshed, and betrayal.
Will they make they make it out alive, or will the carnival’s past demons extinguish their futures?
Book 4 in the Rewind-or-Die series: imagine your local movie rental store back in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, remember all those fantastic covers. Remember taking those movies home and watching in awe as the stories unfolded in nasty rainbows of gore, remember the atmosphere and textures. Remember the blood.
Series:
Rewind or Die
Edition:
E-Book
My Thoughts:
Cirque Berserk is a really fun book. It’s a slasher with some truly unexpected elements thrown in. It slides backward and forward in time a little, but Guess makes it extremely easy to follow along with labeled passages.
Behind these gates lay dread and fear
Doomed are those who enter here
The story centers around a group of high school seniors in Florida going out for a last hurrah before graduation. When they just aren’t quite ready to let the night end, someone suggests they go visit Cirque Berserk, the creepy old abandoned amusement park. Totally not a terrible idea, right?
It’s like Scooby Doo had a baby with Friday the 13th up in there. It goes balls-to-the-wall crazy almost immediately.
If you like the kind of story where maybe you’re rooting for the villain (even when you know they’re the Bad Guy), Cirque Berserk might be just the book for you. Not to mention: it’s short, fast-paced, and basically marinated in cotton candy, kettle corn, and the blood of innocents. You know, Circus Juice. *shudder* I hate carnivals.
About the Author:
(from the author’s Goodreads profile)
Jessica Guess is a writer and English teacher who hails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She earned her Creative Writing MFA from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 2018 and is the founder of the website Black Girl’s Guide to Horror where she examines horror movies in terms of quality and intersectionality. Her creative work has been featured in Luna Station Quarterly and Mused BellaOnline Literary Review. She loves anything horror but especially slashers and werewolves with maybe a bit of romance thrown in. Jessica will read or watch nearly anything with a black female protagonist. Learn more on her website:
https://blackgirlsguidetohorror.com/
*note from Angie: now that I know that Jessica Guess has spent her time between MN and FL just like me, I feel like we just became best friends*
Rating:
Cirque Berserk is just a shitload of 80’s throwback, blood gushing fun!
Cirque Berserk By Jessica Guess Rewind or Die #4 Unnerving Magazine Published: February 20, 2020 ISBN: 1989206360 Paperback, E-book 111 Pages
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