Book Review: Division X by Ryan August Hill

The monster killing business isn't all it's cracked up to be.

We all have a monster within... understatement of the year.

Twenty-four years old, no job, and kicked out by her parents, Randi Matheson is living at her aunt and uncle’s trying her hardest to complete a novel she can’t seem to start when a carnivorous monster interrupts her middling life on a full moon night. Attacked during an ordinary family dinner, Randi’s relatives are murdered, and she is bitten by the beast.

Surviving the slaughter, Randi returns home to her distressed family only to become a monster herself under the next full moon. Nearly devouring her younger brother, she is stopped by the intervention of Division X, a company devoted to the killing and capture of paranormal threats.

She awakens in a containment cell the next morning to be given an ultimatum… work for them as a new weapon in the fight against evil or be dissected. A cure to her lycanthropy is promised along the way, and with real motivation to stay alive, Randi pushes herself to the brink to return to her normal life. Small town horrors lie in wait with even smaller heroes to stand against them.

Can Randi save them and herself, or will everything crumble to the wills of evil?

GENRE: Supernatural Horror / Monster Fiction

PURCHASE LINKS: Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: After receiving an education at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, August Hill started writing Division X, a supernatural horror filled with dark humor, adventure, and sinister creatures that leap off the pages. His love for all things spooky and scary was unleashed when he discovered Jurassic Park at four years old and the R. L. Stine Goosebumps collection in elementary school. He holds a huge appreciation for 80’s horror and is partial to fun, dark, and witty ensemble casting with younger heroes.

Hill’s knack for writing fiction emerged at an early age when he wrote stories for his own enjoyment. He is a collector of horror films and is a board game enthusiast. When not writing, he can be found walking trails with his dog, enjoying movie nights with friends, spending time playing video games, and camping in Maine. www.augusthillauthor.com

Review & Recommended Listening

The blurb focuses on Randi, but in the book we are actually introduced to some members of Division X first — Briggs, his partner Sebastian, and The Boss. I love multi-POV stories, and this not only had that but also several subplots, featuring a different monster/creature and a different combination of people facing the threat. While that's all good, that might come as a surprise for some readers who take the blurb to heart, and it actually threw me off as I'd expected the tale to unfold from Randi's perspective. There's also a fair bit of POV switching within the chapters, though I can't conclude if it's actually head-hopping or my copy's just missing some paragraph breaks.

But don't let that deter you, because this a fun read! It's fast-paced with lots of action, though it gets gory in places with some slasher elements. If you love your monsters, several make their appearance. There are fun characters too, and for a horror novel there's quite a bit of humor, which is rather refreshing.

(Apparently this is the first installment of a series, so please do keep that in mind and expect not to get all your questions answered!)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommended Listening: As I mentioned in my open call for books to review, I’ll now be adding a song to my reviews! It’ll be one that either sums up the book for me, what I’d imagine in a trailer were it a movie, something that I associate with the story or one of the characters for whatever reason… or maybe even an original inspired by it 😉

I see your monsters

I see your pain