Big Bad - Review

Author: Chandler Baker

Genre: Horror 

Format: eBook

Pages: 59

I will say I'm really liking this collection from Amazon Prime. A fact I have a love-and-hate relationship with. Because Amazon. However, the authors have really brought their best to this collection. I feel like my only issues with these stories are all personal ones. Big Bad is the third of a six-book series. I'm definitely going to finish the whole series. I was actually excited about this one because I haven't read anything by Chandler Baker before, and this felt like a great way to jump into a new author.

Personally, there was a lot I liked about this book. Mostly Rachel's point-of-view and both of the girls' point-of-view as well. I loved that it was placed in Oregon. I can't think of a better place for a werewolf to lie low than in the Pacific Northwest. I also really liked the way that Baker allowed the story itself to unfold. There is a lot of foreshadowing, build-up, and also some easy clues to building your own theory one what's going to happen.

Werewolf stories still aren't my go-to creature features, but Chandler did a great job of keeping me pulled in with the little lifts of the curtain to this family's past. While we never got a full story, we got enough of a picture painted that we know why they had to leave their original home and head to the West Coast. It's enough of a teaser that you want to know more, but are satisfied with the fact that you didn't. And, it fits into the telling of the story perfectly. An explanation as to why this emotion, or this hesitation, was happening.

I will say Odie is my favorite part of this book. She had some of my favorite moments because she's so little and the world so new, and kids that age rarely have a filter. It also makes them unreasonably brave even when she's scared. I thought I had her begged from the get-go, but the twist at the end caught me entirely off guard. Now I want a book just about Odie like years later.

On that note, I really liked the relationship between the sisters. It felt real and solid, but not perfect. June and Odie are so night and day, but they love each other. And I liked watching them trying to protect each other as the night went on and got progressively more scary for them.

The only negative things for me are I wasn't overly fond of their father. I hated most of those sections and sped read through them. Trying to only pick up the parts that mattered. Throughout the whole short story, I just wanted to smack him. I'm pretty sure if I was Rachel I would have eaten him months ago. He does a solid job of trying to keep Harold away, but that leads to the other things I didn't like. The fight between the two of them fell flat for me. I don't even think I read it all. It was very weird. But, also Harold sort of seems like the world's worst werewolf hunter. I felt like the father (no I cannot remember his name) should have noticed way sooner what he was. I called in the first seconds of the man just showing up.

I will say the ending of this book was solid. That part had me on the edge of my seat because I thought for sure I had figured it out, but then nope, wrong. It was not what I thought. However, it was enough to bring this book back around for me. I definitely need to check some other stuff by Chandler Baker because as a whole I did like this story.

HAPPY READING!!