I’ll get straight to what I liked about this book, the time and energy Shea put into building character. Or as some writing gurus will tell you, write what you know. And in Shea's own words, elements of this story are very personal.

It's a slow development of character for a good two thirds of the story. The creature in question doesn’t rear its ugly head until the bitter end, but that's okay. The story isn’t really about the creature itself, but of the creature as a manifestation brought on by the every day horrors of living with a brutal and uncompromising disease. Literally.

Kate is the one who lives in pain every day of her life. Her husband Andrew loves her and just wants her to be well, but her ever constant need for care wears on him as well. So they take a trip to the wilds of Maine hoping to enjoy nature and some alone time for healing.

But the disease isn’t forgiving, and the creature in question is eventually drawn to it.

I’m not going to give away any more spoilers than that. The slow development of the plot to get to the final moments of horror is essential to this story (in my opinion), so stick with it.

I’m glad I did. ( )

I have been a fan of Hunter Shea for a few years now. I believe I have read most if not all of his work. I can usually count on his books to remind me of lazy Saturdays as a kid reading through my horror comics or watching the creature double feature on my old TV that got 3 channels back in the 80s. I've often described his books as "a fun read."
Creature is a whole other level of horror than I was expecting. It's much more dark and serious. It feels real. If you have ever suffered chronic pain you are going to find an instant kinship with Kate. It will take you back to your darkest days. If you have not known this kind of pain you will at least feel sympathy for her and her husband Andrew, who due to her debilitating illnesses has had to become her caretaker yet somehow remained a real husband. Kate and Andrew despite everything have remained madly in love. Not that fake romance novel type love either, I mean the real kind where you sometimes get on each other's nerves to the point that you can't stand to be in the same room together but before you walk out you still make damned sure they have everything they need, and you know you're coming back. Andrew would do anything for Kate, and it is in that spirit that he takes her to a lake house for the summer where he hopes she can find some relief and some happiness before her next horrible round of doctor appointments in the fall. This was a 5 star read for me.

I received an advance copy for review. ( )

This was a roller coaster ride of human emotions so strong that it brings what the true meaning of pain and suffering is to the raw surface. I have never read a horror book that touched upon the human suffering that people go through the way this book did.

Kate Woodson lives day in and day out with massive chronic pain and autoimmune diseases. She doesn't have a normal life like most people as she has to stay in the house and sometimes is bed ridden. Her husband, Andrew, is a devoted husband who looks after her and tries to keep her in up beat spirits even when the spirits are low to the ground.

Andrew decides to take Kate away from the house and go somewhere peaceful hoping to give her a nice holiday for the summer. Andrew finds a cottage near a lake that is out in the backwoods of Maine. Once they arrive and move into the cottage, the stillness and quiet of the peaceful place is shattered by unearthly screams and howls. They soon realize that the wildlife of the woods is not part of the howling chaos and when more things start happening to them at the cottage, the more frightened they become as something roams the woods not of this world.

The "Creature" wrecks havoc on Andrew and Kate's emotions as they not only have to endure what is going on outside the cottage, but they have to endure what Kate is going through inside with her chronic pain. What was suppose to be a nice getaway, turns out to be a ride into the hellish unknown!

This was a suspenseful, tense, frightening, emotional read and the author, Hunter Shea, builds the story up from the beginning and brings everything to a boiling crescendo about the middle of the book where it just takes off like a rocket with twists and turns! I read this book in two days as I couldn't hardly put it down!

Five stars all the way for this one. Highly recommend to all horror fans! ( )

This is actually a love story. Yup, a Hunter Shea love story. So, of course, that means that something will go absolutely wrong. Not in the usual kind of love story way, in a more bloody way. This is also a book that demands patience. Pretty much all the action, all the carnage happens at the end. But, there are, of course, hints along the way that something is wrong that something WILL GO wrong.

The star of the book is for me, is not any human, it's Buttons or But-But that he's so lovey called by his humans. This adorable old beagle is the one that I worried most about while reading the book. It is a horror book, and God knows that no one is safe, especially not pets when it comes to horror books. So, I had some moments of angst for poor But-But...

As a horror book is this not as scary as THE JERSEY DEVIL, my favorite Hunter Shea book. However, the author's note after the book explains why this is such a personal book for Shea. The knowledge that the theme of this book is very personal for the author made me look back at the story with much more understanding. That is why I wrote that this is a love story. The heart of the story is the love between two humans (and a dog) and the knowledge that time is limited for their love.

I will end this review by saying that I have had a couple of days to reflect on the book and I've come to the conclusion that had I read it with little less hope of being really horrified or creeped out had I perhaps liked the story a bit more. Part of what made me a bit disappointed was that I figured out the twist quite early on. And, that just took away part of the enjoyment for me. The horror part did just not rock my boat.

I want to thank Flame Tree Press for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! ( )

This is actually a love story. Yup, a Hunter Shea love story. So, of course, that means that something will go absolutely wrong. Not in the usual kind of love story way, in a more bloody way. This is also a book that demands patience. Pretty much all the action, all the carnage happens at the end. But, there are, of course, hints along the way that something is wrong that something WILL GO wrong.

The star of the book is for me, is not any human, it's Buttons or But-But that he's so lovey called by his humans. This adorable old beagle is the one that I worried most about while reading the book. It is a horror book, and God knows that no one is safe, especially not pets when it comes to horror books. So, I had some moments of angst for poor But-But...

As a horror book is this not as scary as THE JERSEY DEVIL, my favorite Hunter Shea book. However, the author's note after the book explains why this is such a personal book for Shea. The knowledge that the theme of this book is very personal for the author made me look back at the story with much more understanding. That is why I wrote that this is a love story. The heart of the story is the love between two humans (and a dog) and the knowledge that time is limited for their love.

I will end this review by saying that I have had a couple of days to reflect on the book and I've come to the conclusion that had I read it with little less hope of being really horrified or creeped out had I perhaps liked the story a bit more. Part of what made me a bit disappointed was that I figured out the twist quite early on. And, that just took away part of the enjoyment for me. The horror part did just not rock my boat.

I want to thank Flame Tree Press for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! ( )