Starers by Nathan Robinson

Starers by Nathan Robinson

3.5 stars

The Keene family awakens one morning like any other day, but there’s a strange man standing at the bus stop that was there last night. Things get weirder when neighbors and townspeople start surrounding the house in a hypnotized trance. The crowd grows bigger and bigger and the Keene family finds themselves under siege. Will the family be able to find the cause of the Starers or make it out alive? I probably would’ve never even been slightly interested in this book until I read Emily May's review. I probably would’ve never even come across this book, but I’m glad that I did. I haven’t read a horror novel in years, which is odd because I used to be a rabid little horror and mystery fan. Robinson style reminds me a lot of King’s in ways. I personally enjoyed Robinson writing much more than King’s but it’s a style preference. Robinson weaves a truly captivating tale of horror. Something so simple plot wise is scarier than the ugliest and cruelest of monsters. While this novel isn’t perfect it has a lot of great aspects to it.


The main male character is Dylan Keene. He is a father, husband, and brother. I don’t particularly like Dylan, but he is a good guy at heart. He does his best to protect his family and while I didn’t always like him, he has good intentions and I admire him for that.


The Villain- I personally think that this villain is one encountered several times in movies and books. So it’s not completely original, but the shape or body he took form in was an interesting and creeptastic one.


Villain Scale: 8

The Keenes, aside from Dylan, consist of Kirsty, Lucy, and Lennon. All characters play a role in this book and aren’t just props are tools. Kirsty is Dylan’s wife and Lucy’s mother. She’s level-headed, but also scared. She struggles with depression and it doesn’t always show, but you can see it underlying in her thoughts. Lucy is Dylan and Kirsty’s daughter. She was recently caught in a very compromising position at school with another boy in a closet. Lucy is probably the most complex character of this entire novel. I never know what her intentions are or whether or not to like her. She has a terrible temper and one that she is well aware of and even uses it against her peers at school. Lennon is my favorite character of Starers. He is always cracking jokes even in the most serious of times. He struggles with alcohol and is a heavy chain smoker. Lennon is pretty much the shadow of his brother and relies on him for a place to stay every now and then.

Character Scale: 9

While I’m rather disappointed in the ending I’m satisfied with it at the same time. I wish it was longer and that it hadn’t ended so abruptly. I appreciate that kind of ending though because I do like open endings if done right and this one was done right. I still have questions that I wish were answered, but I’m okay with it if they never are. I can’t help but wonder what this would be like if it was a movie. I think it would be a very good one. The writing is very vivid and it makes it easy to picture things your mind so I guess it is like a movie, but in a book. Those are always the best.


Cover Thoughts: I personally love the cover. It’s creeptastic and who doesn’t love a well drawn-out cover. I love how it fits the story and even though it’s not completely correct it’s a pretty good cover.

Thank you, Nathan Robinson for providing me kindly with a copy of your book in exchange for an honest review. It is greatly appreciated!