Hatched (Invisible Spiders: Book 1) [Book Review]

'Hatched' (Invisible Spiders: Book 1) is still currently free, on Kindle, through the end of the month. Is it worth the download? Read on to find out. . .

Genre - Horror
Year Published - 2013
Length - 328 (digital) pages
Written by Jason R. Davis​

Tagline: There is not a tagline for this book, but if there were, I would give it this one:
"If you see them, it's already too late."

Rating: 3 Skulls

Plot Summary:
It is the morning hours in the small town of Hammond, and as the town wakes up it finds that there is something spreading. Something that is not seen until it is too late because by then you are already infected. At that point, they are already... Hatched.

Review:
First of all, I just have to say that the concept of this book is brilliant! A completely new, refreshing take on the zombie genre.

So why only 3 Skulls, you ask?

This book started out as a strong 5 Skulls, however as different characters/storylines began to intertwine themselves, I repeatedly found myself wanting to get back to the "spiders" storyline. I understand that this is Book One of a proposed trilogy/series(?), which requires certain set-up, I just felt that some of the important information was left out/forgotten(?) I am hoping that the 2nd book gets back to ground zero, so to speak. Also, there are more than enough typos to warrant a mention here, which also distracts from the reality of the story.

Enough of the negative aspects (nothing that better editing and slightly fewer side-stories won't fix).

On to the positive.
Davis was super-smart to make the spiders in the story of the tiny, small variety (the size that can quickly scurry across your skin, before they burrow underneath...) Let's just say that if you are not already scared of spiders, reading this will make you paranoid/terrified of them!
[true story: while reading this book, I took several opportunities to enjoy the beautiful spring weather, and read the majority of it outside. At one point, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and, I promise, there was a little black spider scurrying across the porch. Needless to say, I held my breath for a moment!]

So, to answer the above question, yes, this book is worth the download (typos aside). Davis does not hold back on the horror aspects, and there is more than enough to keep you awake at night. I am looking forward to reading the next book.

Jason