The Hobgoblin of Little Minds by Mark Matthews | Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Hobgoblin of Little Minds by Mark Matthews
Published by Wicked Run Press on January 28, 2021
ISBN: 9780578786834
Genres: Fiction, Horror, Psychological
Pages: 204
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
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Kori Persephone Driscoe suffered through her dad's mental illness. All she wanted was for him to get better, but instead he disappeared. Kori trespasses into the abandoned Northville Psychiatric Hospital, the last place her dad was treated, seeking solace and traces of his memory. What she finds instead is something no longer human living deep in the underground tunnels.
During the last days of the hospital, a rogue psychiatrist had been manipulating the mood swings of the mentally ill, transforming patients into savage, manic creatures who seek justice by the light of the full moon. When the creatures hunt for prey, only an escaped patient and her beloved child can help Kori survive. But they better act fast, because the creatures want blood, Kori wants to save her dad, and the whole hospital is about to be blown to pieces and bury Kori alive.

The Hobgoblin of Little Minds…just how on earth do you review something of such important magnitude?  The implications, the research, and the depth of such a poetic narrative…it blew my mind.  This is the type of book that authors spend their entire careers trying to pen.  The depth of feeling took it to a higher level, the bar being set with flair and empathy.  This is the kind of horror that gets my gears churning, there is nothing more horrifying than the human condition and Matthews handed me a hand grenade. 

The Hobgoblin of Little Minds was a journey.  Get that seatbelt locked in tight because you will suffer whiplash but it’s the kind of shock that is needed for you to fully get the message that Matthews is conveying.  Just from the synopsis alone, I knew this was going to be a good read, this was an astounding read, however.  We have many questions and themes interweaving to bring the reader an explosive plot.  Religion, faith, guilt, mental health, and public perception.  The book had quite the profound effect on me and wanted the read to last but also wanting to know what would happen next.  Mr Matthews is very much the trickster!

This story does not beat around the bush…no it leads you up a secluded path and jumps out at you when you least expect it.  A story that at its very core feels like more an investigation at how people are treated with mental illness and the implications of having such, socially.  Be prepared for Matthews to transport you into the story, I always felt like I was there, walking the halls of the hospital, feeling the anguish, and feeling the pain the characters were in.  it only takes a sentence for the author to bring everything to life. 

Our Protagonist, Kori has had her fair share of heartache.  Her father is diagnosed with bipolar Disorder.  His medication doesn’t seem to be helping with his symptoms.  Fully medicated he’s completely numb, nothing like she remembers him to be and when in mania, he is excitable, and they can have fun together…until he comes down again.  He’s had multiple enforced stays in hospital but now he’s in permanently.  His final stay in hospital has him meeting Dr Zita and well, his life will forever be changed. 

The Hobgoblin of Little Minds obviously had Werewolves playing an integral part in the storytelling and let me tell you – these creatures were scary as all hell!  It was a deep exploration of how mental and health and being an actual monster can be metaphorically connected.  The closing of the book leaves you searching for answers to the questions that the reader wasn’t even aware were hidden in plain sight. 

The Hobgoblin of Little Minds is disquieting and disturbing.  Its how you want all psychological horror and Monster Horror to be crafted.  It’s a story so deeply etched in desperation and pain, its masterful. 

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ABOUT MARK MATTHEWS

Mark Matthews is a graduate of the University of Michigan and a licensed professional counselor who has worked in behavioral health for over 20 years. He is the author of On the Lips of Children, All Smoke Rises, and Milk-Blood, as well as the editor of Lullabies for Suffering and Garden of Fiends: Tales of Addiction Horror. His new novel, The Hobgoblin of Little Minds, will be available in Feb, 2021. He lives near Detroit with his family. Reach him at WickedRunPress@gmail.com

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