I obtained a evaluation copy from the writer. This doesn’t have an effect on the contents of my evaluation and all opinions are my very own.

Bones of Our Stars, Blood of Our World by Cullen Bunn

Mogsy’s Ranking: 3.5 of 5 stars

Style: Horror

Sequence: Stand Alone

Writer: Gallery Books (November 11, 2025)

Size: 464 pages

Creator Data: Web site

I’ve by no means learn Cullen Bunn earlier than, however his identify has been on my radar due to my occasional wanderings into the comics world. And since small city horror is like my catnip, I used to be immediately intrigued once I heard about his new full-length novel Bones of Our Stars, Blood of Our World. Higher but, the e-book’s description was giving off robust Stephen King’s It vibes.

Set off the coast of North Carolina, the story opens with a violent double homicide that instantly rattles the small, peaceable group of Wilson Island. And it’s not simply the lack of lie that’s unsettling, however the surprising method wherein the victims have been killed—the brutality and gruesomeness of it elevating questions on whether or not it might need been ritualistic. The scenario escalates when, in his haste to get away on foot, the killer has a close to miss with a teen behind the wheel of a truck. The ensuing accident leaves the car totaled, the driving force shaken however unhurt, and the mysterious perpetrator nonetheless at massive. The one proof left behind is a bloody pile of organs, strewn throughout the street after the escaping killer dropped his bag of grisly trophies.

As phrase spreads, the entire city is about on edge. Willa, whose boyfriend was the driving force of the truck, discovers that she is pregnant, throwing each their post-graduation plans into uncertainty. The incident additionally has Sheriff Buck and his deputies scrambling to make sense of the killings, working across the clock to determine the assassin. In the meantime, some residents of Wilson Island really feel the official response isn’t quick sufficient and determine to take issues into their very own arms, together with an area pest-control crew that finally ends up getting greater than they bargained for. Then there’s the Warlock, a nerdy former D&D dungeon grasp and island outcast whose information of the obscure might need him enjoying an even bigger half within the investigation than anybody might have anticipated.

What follows is a narrative that’s surprisingly expansive in scope however nonetheless retains itself tightly targeted on the small circle of individuals caught up within the motion. The creator jumps between the views as extra characters are pulled into the thriller, the shifting POVs and the frequent little interludes in between all methods to indicate the weirdness creeping in. For me, that’s the place the Stephen King affect is felt probably the most, however in a manner that feels extra like homage than imitation as the stress builds steadily. There’s that sense of a small city carrying outdated secrets and techniques, and one thing horrible lurking beneath all of it, inflicting sure residents to expertise horrifying issues that defy any form of logic, resembling actuality warping visions and creatures that shouldn’t exist.

The primary half of the e-book was very pleasing. Bunn does a great job constructing ambiance and making a thriller that actually pulled me in. There’s a cinematic, nearly storyboard or sequential-like construction to the way in which he tells a narrative, probably because of his skilled background in graphic novels. And when coping with such an enormous forged, perhaps that have is useful too when staging what the characters do and the place they have to be. Once they all began encountering totally different variations of the island’s horror, that form of setup might have simply felt repetitive, however issues have been typically well-paced and for probably the most half stayed participating.

That stated, momentum began flagging within the second half and the ultimate act additionally ran a bit too lengthy. There are nonetheless loads of attention-grabbing concepts and creepy moments, however the pacing isn’t as tight as it’s at first. By the point the climax arrived, I wasn’t feeling it as I hoped to be—not as a result of I didn’t care about how the decision will pan out, however as a result of I felt we have been simply enjoying for time. The ending doesn’t fairly unravel, however a faster wrap up would have stored the suspense excessive and the surprises extra impactful.

Regardless of its points, I nonetheless genuinely loved Bones of Our Stars, Blood of Our World. The premise is bold, and Cullen Bunn does a stable job with constructing a tense, immersive ambiance. In fact, with any novel debut there’s some room for enchancment, primarily with reference to pacing. Nonetheless, there’s no denying the creativeness on show, particularly within the “bizarre horror” division. I simply want the center part had maintained the identical power in order that the second half landed stronger. However for followers of Stephen King and It—or that something-is-seriously-wrong-in-this-small-town vibe—this one is price a glance.