A badly wounded man, occult symbols carved into his flesh, brings down a sickness on St. Vincent's Orphanage for Boys. A sickness that spreads through the orphanage like rot.
The boys start to change. They huddle, whisper, plot. Peter, one of the older boys, watches it unfold. Lines are drawn. Sides are chosen. Unease turns into violence, and then carnage.
Boys in the Valley is a story of how far evil pushes you, what you give up to fight back, and who you become when darkness forces your hand. It's an isolating book, set in a remote orphanage. No escape as the blizzard rages, and only a few adults to turn to.
The Vibe
Some, I can tell, even find it exciting. As if it were a game, all this murder.
Boys in the Valley is squarely a 4 candle darkness book. And honestly, it's pushing five with the sheer amount of carnage (not in the least considering who's on the receiving end). There's no flinching here. If you need boundaries in your horror, maybe turn elsewhere. No one is off limits. Evil doesn't discriminate in the orphanage.
The writing is clean and fast-paced. Fracassi's prose is easy to follow, and action scenes are exciting and clear, crucial when your novel contains this much carnage.
The build up is fantastic as the tension mounts, but later the story devolves into just carnage. The religious themes get hammered home, as Peter's priestly potential proves powerful. The plot lacks surprises, outside of Fracassi's creativity in killing characters. The ending itself works, but getting there drags. It's a 3 star journey overall.