Monsterland

By Michael Okon

Welcome to Monsterland—the scariest place on Earth.

 

Wyatt Baldwin's senior year is not going well. His parents divorce, then his dad mysteriously dies. He's not exactly comfortable with his new stepfather, Carter White, either. An ongoing debate with his best friends Melvin and Howard Drucker over which monster is superior has gotten stale. He'd much rather spend his days with beautiful and popular Jade. However, she's dating the brash high-school quarterback Nolan, and Wyatt thinks he doesn't stand a chance. 

 

But everything changes when Wyatt and his friends are invited to attend the grand opening of Monsterland, a groundbreaking theme park where guests can interact with vampires in Vampire Village, be chased by werewolves on the River Run, and walk among the dead in Zombieville.

 

With real werewolves, vampires and zombies as the main attractions, what could possibly go wrong?

• Language: English
• Publisher: WordFire Press
• Release date: Oct 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781614755951

Reviews for Monsterland

[sennebec · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fast, fun, exciting read. It took about 4 hours to do so. It's a good one for horror fans of any age, with appealing teen protagonists (although brother Sean is a bit of a jerk), plenty of werewolves (who get my sympathy vote), flesh-falling-off zombies, cheesy vampires and a megalomaniacal villain.

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

More, More, More. Reading this book was an entertaining, awesome read! You can really tell that Mr. Okon has a storyteller DNA in his soul. Plus the fact that Mr. Okon is a movie buff shows in this book. I could see this book being made into a movie. Yet, I cringle at the idea a bit only because I would not want this book to be hacked up into something that it is not. Yes, there is blood and gore but not over the top or cheesy. Doctor Vincent Konrad may have seemed crazy to some but he had a great vision for a theme park. In fact, if you think about it Dr. Konrad is like John Hammond, founder of Jurassic Park. Both parks sounded good but neither men expected their attractions to attack back. There were so many great moments and lines from this book that are worth quoting. Yet, I really like Keep Calm and Monster On. Don't walk but run and pick up a copy of this book today. Monsterland is a masterpiece of great storytelling by a talented writer!

[manka23 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received an Advanced Reading Copy from the author.Werewolves, vampires and zombies, oh my! But don’t be misled, this is no Wizard of Oz. Monsterland is a far cry from the land of dreams that is Disneyland, and is much more comparable to the freak show of Ripley’s Believe it or Not filled with horrors like Jurrasic Park. Monsterland is a theme park filled with the creatures that plague your nightmares. The horror movie buff in me would absolutely love to have an all access pass to the theme park, so I was filled with delight when I was given the opportunity to read and review this novel.With such a great concept my expectations were high as I jumped into this novel. Michael Okon does not disappoint, fulfilling my fantasies with great writing and multiple points of view. I found that aspect in particular to be great with this novel, because there are so many interesting perspectives to be seen within Monsterland.The characters are each unique and entertaining. They have more dimension than most characters in horror movies, but not too much that the story gets bogged down with backgrounds. They make for the perfect cast to attend the disastrous opening night of Monsterland.I found myself trying very hard to pace myself with reading this one. Honestly, my only real complaint is that it wasn’t long enough! I loved this story and would have appreciated another hundred or two hundred pages. This is exactly the type of ride I like to be taken on, and I didn’t want to get off.Michael Okon crafts a fabulous novel with unique, unforgettable characters. I have a novella by him, A History Major, that I can’t wait to dive into. He really has a gift for storytelling.The world building was done fabulously. There were believable backgrounds that explain how it could be possible for there to be a world that had not only vampires, but also werewolves and zombies, excuse me, the vitality-challenged. It all comes together seamlessly as the plot lines converge to make for an explosive ending. As the first novel I have read by Michael Okon, I am impressed.

[lawonder10 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Carter had married Wyatt and Sean's mother well after the divorce which left mother and sons struggling to survive. Working as a policeman, Carter didn't make a lit of money, but the two of them were able to at least care for their own, plus, the two boys basic needs..Carter had never before been married, nor have children. He was learning how to be a parent, but it wasn't easy. The boys seemed to like him, yet resented him making any effort to set rules or enforce any type pf discipline. After the marriage, the boys biological father died in an accident. Although their biological dad never offered any type of attention to them, the boys still refused to acknowledge Carter as their Dad,While the boys were out with peers, a once in a lifetime opportunity was offered to them. Now all they had to do ws convince their mom and Carter to let them embrace it. To everyone's shock, Carter agreed to let them go, since he would be there because of his work.Little did anyone know how life-changing this would be to everyone involved.The author had a vivid, gruesome imagination. The story "flowed" steadily and smoothly, captivating the readers interest.Some of the events were surprising, others predictable. However, the story was an interesting tale, weaving in paranormal societies.Within the book content, it addressed several social issues. including bullying. It emphasized the fact that bullies aren't respected, nor liked. Whereas the issues were addressed the plot took them to the extreme.This YA Novel is very graphically, morbidly, violent and is not recommended to those under the age of seventeen.The character were realistic, the events depicted well and the overall literary accomplishments were impressively disturbing.. There were brief gaps in going from one scene to another.*This book was gifted me with no pressure for a positive review. This is my honest review.

[juliecracchiolo · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Monsterland has been billed as the scariest theme park ever. It houses the things that people fear most: vampires, werewolves, and zombies. Much like Disneyland, the park is divided into three areas: Vampire Village, Zombieville, and River Run.The brainchild behind the park is Dr. Vincent Conrad, who has spent years gathering the near-extinct populations of vampires, werewolves, and zombies. In addition to actually seeing the creatures, one of the lures of the park is that visitors can interact with them. Conrad not only gathered enough specimens for a park in Cooper Valley, California, he gathered enough to open six parks around the world in China, Australia, Brazil, France, South Africa, and Egypt.As the story opens, opening day is near, and excitement is building, especially for three nerdy high school friends, Howard, Melvin, and Wyatt. The guys are desperate to get their hands on the most-sought-after tickets in the world. A chance encounter in a local burger joint with Dr. Conrad, and the teenagers not only get tickets, Conrad gives them exclusive behind-the scenes tickets. The same types of tickets world leaders, like the President of the United States, have.Of course, something goes horribly wrong, which makes the entire plot predictable. And of course, what happens in California is happening around the globe.Just for the record, I usually don’t read books that contain vampires, werewolves, and zombies. I read this book because I have enjoyed other books by Michael Phillip Cash, and he sent me a copy. Another area I had trouble with was confusion between the characters whose names were similar. For example, I kept getting Wyatt’s stepfather, Carter, confused with Conrad. There were other instances, but I forget them now. One of the boys kinda disappeared after they entered the park, which I found odd.I give Monsterland 3 out of 5 stars. The plot flowed, the story has good structure. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either.