Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫/5

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while (hello, all two of you), you know that I’ve been really enjoying Stephen Graham Jones for the last couple years, and in particular the books in his Indian Lake series. Though I was ravenously hungry for the conclusion to this trilogy, after its release in March I waited patiently for my turn to borrow the audiobook of The Angel of Indian Lake from my local library through the Libby app. It was worth the wait—though now that I’ve seen these characters through to the end, I’m a little sad that it’s over.

Summary:
Jade Daniels is getting by, somehow. With medication for her trauma and a new job as the history teacher at her old high school, she tries to put the past behind her. But it’s kind of hard when, once again, people around her start dying. As she fights for her own life and the lives of those she loves, she’ll have to marshal all her final-girl strength to lay to rest—once and for all—the evil fueling the carnage in Proofrock.

***

Fast-paced, thrilling and more violent than ever, The Angel of Indian Lake pulls no punches. The prologue does a great job setting the tone, and then we’re right back with Jade as she tries to hold it together in order to navigate this new bloodbath. Seeing her (and Letha as well) develop as a character throughout this series has been a real treat. I think she’s one of my favorite paper friends I’ve made on my reading journey over the past couple years. The desire to see how she’ll claw her way out of challenge after challenge makes this book an incredible page-turner

My only frustration here was the number of callbacks throughout the book. It was constantly referencing characters I’d completely forgotten about, and paired with the heart-poundingly fast pace of the plot, it was a little confusing to follow. I think that means I just need to re-read from the beginning, which I’m actually not mad about.

All in all, I thought The Angel of Indian Lake was a brilliant conclusion to the fun and bloody Indian Lake Trilogy—altogether a fully fitting tribute to the slasher genre.

If you’re intrigued by this review and curious about the rest of this series, check out my reviews of the first two books, My Heart is a Chainsaw and Don’t Fear the Reaper.