FEAR FARM By Vincent Ralph
I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Fear Farm by Vincent Ralph Series: Bleak Haven #4
Published by Wednesday Books on 9/15/26
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 236
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The Fear Farm fright-fest is the one night of the year when Bleak Haven’s residents are happy to be afraid.
Most people turn a blind eye to the "accidents" that have previously blighted the attraction, but seventeen-year-old Tori Swift has other ideas.
Convinced that there’s an aspiring killer in their midst, Tori auditions alongside her classmates, perfecting her role as the ideal villain while secretly searching for the real thing.
But when tragedy strikes, a murderer is suddenly on the loose in a place where everyone pays to be terrified.
Short and Sweet Review
Fear Farm is Bleak Haven’s annual fright fest, but there’s always been something a little too real about the “accidents” that happen there. Tori Swift is convinced that someone is behind them, especially after her sister nearly dies at the attraction. Determined to find out who is responsible, Tori joins the cast and takes on the role of a killer while secretly investigating everyone around her. But before the attraction can even open to the public, a man in a pig mask shows up and turns the entire place into a real life nightmare. Suddenly, Tori and her classmates aren’t pretending to be chased by a killer anymore, they’re actually trying to survive one.
I thought this was a fun addition to the Bleak Haven series. The first half was definitely a struggle for me. Tori is investigating the strange accidents and trying to figure out who might be behind them, but there wasn’t enough happening to really keep me invested. There were little things happening here and there, but I found myself waiting for the story to really get going. I also didn’t connect with Tori as much as I wanted to, and I wasn’t completely sold on her motivation for getting involved in the first place.
The second half of the book was better. Once the man in the pig mask shows up and the murders begin, the story completely changes. It turns into the kind of fast paced slasher I was expecting, with the characters trapped in a place designed to scare people while an actual killer is hunting them. I liked how each murder had its own setup, and some of them were definitely brutal. This part of the book had the tension and chaos that I was missing in the beginning, and I flew through the last portion because I needed to know who was behind the mask.
The killer reveal was probably my favorite part because I genuinely didn’t figure it out. I had a few theories throughout the book, and I was completely wrong about who was responsible. I also liked how everything came together toward the end and how the reveal connected back to the events that had been happening at Fear Farm. There are quite a few characters to keep track of, which made some of the relationships a little difficult to follow, but the book is still a pretty quick and easy read.
Overall, Fear Farm was a decent conclusion to the Bleak Haven series. I enjoyed the creepy setting, the slasher atmosphere, and especially the final portion of the story, but the slow first half and my lack of connection with the characters kept it from being a higher rating for me. If you enjoy YA horror, haunted attractions, masked killers, gruesome murders, and classic slasher vibes, this is a fun spooky season read. Just be prepared for the story to take a while before it really gets going.