The Advent from Hell
Struggling with increasing tensions in a last-ditch attempt to bring the family together, Adam books a winter vacation to a cabin up in the mountains. With his wife closing off and the girls more interested in their cell phones than they are paying attention to their surroundings Adam hopes to fix this. When they arrive after hours of driving the remote mountain cabin and the snowy backdrop seems to be just what the family needed to lighten the mood. And when a stocking appears tacked to the barn door on their first morning after arrival, the family chalks it up to their host attempting to spread some holiday cheer. With the dawning of each new day a new item is placed into the stocking. What starts out as harmless and a tad confusing quickly escalates as the items left become more gruesome and sinister. With no way to contact their host Adam decides to leave and return to civilization. As they set out on the long trek down the mountain they are stalked by a mysterious man in a snowsuit. What was supposed to be a seven-day family bonding vacation deteriorates into twenty-five days of torture, intimidation and sheer Hell for the Gray family.
25 Days is the newest release by author Per Jacobsen and I discovered it while scrolling on social media. I was intrigued by the premise, the synopsis and the author’s approach that this novel could be read either in a normal manner or as a chapter a day leading up to Christmas as the final 25th day. I chose the latter approach and began reading on December 1. This is a unique approach to a book and a method of reading, but it was very effective. Each day’s chapter revealed a little more of the story and as the Grays’ predicament developed and became more and more dire, I anticipated reading the next day’s installment. As with all good horror stories involving psychotic maniacs there always seems to be a crack left open for a revisit or a part two. 25 Days is no exception and while I expected a twist ending, Jacobsen’s reveal left me wanting more. Whether there will be a 25 more days type of story in the future is yet to be seen.
For fans of horror featuring stalkers, psychological and physical torture, and books that ooze with a feeling of dread that does not go away when the last word is read 25 Days is a solid read for any time of the year.
Jennly Reads 