Author: TJ Payne
Genre: Horror
Page Count: 323
Rating:❤❤❤❤
Backstory
Hi friends. I'm back with another hot take on the latest books I've read. This is the 3rd book I've read by TJ Payne even though I think it may actually have been the first book he published. I definitely didn't read his work in order, because I'm spicy like that and I don't follow rules. But I wanted to make sure I read everything he has to offer.
The Venue was such an original plot, I wanted to see what else was swimming around in that twisted brain of his. So here we are and guys? This one was...a lot.
I feel like it may have been a little bit naïve of me not to have prepared myself for it, because it is literally listed under the "horror" genre which I don't usually touch, but yeah, my brain didn't make that connection for whatever reason. I was shooketh reading this one. I think there were moments where I was literally clutching my imaginary pearls and reading with one eye open. Whew.
You know those movies you watch and midway through you think to yourself "Oh okay...I'm definitely going to have to watch some cartoons to cleanse my palette after this" ? You know those movies. We all have at least one. Well, this is the book version of that movie, let me tell you. Almost wanted to read a children's book afterwards just to make sure I could hit the reset button and sleep well that night. So yeah, without further ado, let's get in to it.
You know those movies that make you realize you're going to need to watch a cartoon or two afterwards? This was the book version of that type of movie.
Synopsis
Excerpt from Amazon
Joe works at a facility that performs human experimentation.
His work just followed him home.
The government wanted to unlock hidden abilities in the human mind.
They put subjects in extreme sensory deprivation.
All the test subjects went violently insane.
But the research continued.
Today it has been perfected.
Almost perfected.
My Thoughts
This book disturbed my spirit. Honestly, truly, WHOA. When I finished, I remember just closing my Paperwhite and going to do something else for a bit, just to give my poor brain a chance to process everything it had absorbed. I mean, if you can't tell from the cover of this book, this story is meant to be disturbing. It is meant to make you uncomfortable and honey let me tell you, mission accomplished. Let's take a deeper look into the story and talk about what I liked versus what I didn't like.
What I Liked About Intercepts
The originality of the plot was the biggest thing I enjoyed about this book, even if it did make me super uncomfy. I don't think I've seen anything else like this, but then again, I don't read much horror so I really am not sure. TJ Payne has come up with some pretty sick concepts in these three titles by him that I've read, but as a writer myself, I must give credit where it is due. It takes some serious thought and planning to be able to pull this off. Kudos to you, sir.
I appreciated the ending. While there were certain parts that were wrapped up nicely, for the most part the ending was not the typical "everything worked out in the end" type. Similar to movies like this, right when you think it all worked out, there's one final twist that punches you in the gut like the school bully on the playground. Didn't see it coming.
The writing was phenomenal and the story telling was superb. I enjoy the fact that TJ Payne doesn't use the super explanatory writing that some authors use. Where they describe literally everything in detail. I understand the need to paint the picture, but some of it should be left to the reader's interpretation. TJ added enough detail so we knew what we should be picturing, without overloading it to the point that the writing becomes tacky.
TJ Payne added just enough detail so we knew what we should be picturing, but not so much that the writing became tacky.
What I Didn't Like About Intercepts
I don't feel like I'm allowed to say I didn't like the gore. This is a horror book after all, so there's no surprise that this story had a lot of blood and guts in it. The descriptions of this alone made me sick to my stomach. It'd be cool to see this turned into a movie, but I don't think I'd be able to stomach it. It's a level of gore that rivals the Amazon Prime original show The Boys. I'd probably have to watch a lot of this movie with my eyes closed.
Recommend or Nah?
If you're a horror fan, absolutely read this book. You'll love it. I even enjoyed it and I don't typically read this genre (frankly, I don't think I'll be reading a whole bunch more of it). If gore, blood, and guts makes you so queasy that you can't finish your dinner, maybe skip this title and pick up something a little more light-hearted instead.
Intercepts by TJ Payne is Booky Babe Approved! Like I said, if you can handle gore then this is absolutely the book for you. The plot is incredible and it will keep you glued to your seat until you're done. If you can't handle gore and you decide to read this title anyway, because you grown and no one can tell you what to do, then don't say I didn't warn you. I don't want any of you in my DMs or my messages telling me I didn't give fair warning. Because I did.
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So there you have it friends. Intercepts by TJ Payne is available for purchase now on Amazon. If you decide to read it, make sure you come back and tell me what you think. Was the gore too much for you? Or did you thug it out til the end? What did you think of the ending? Follow The Booky Babe on instagram and like us on facebook and join the conversation! Can't wait to hear your thoughts.
Until then...
Happy Reading Babes!❤