DNF'd at 160-something pages.

Gosh, was this boring. There were too many POVs and I was bored during all of them. Many parts were overly wordy, and it could've used a good editing down. I also just don't like books about cults. I find them so one note and uninteresting. I really wish that I knew about that before I bought this book.

I've got incredibly mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, Dubeau's writing and story engaged me right from the beginning, and the premise is so interesting that it kept me hooked ever at points where the book lagged a bit. On the other hand, part of the problem here was that the book was drastically in need of editing down--overwriting was a serious problem throughout the book, whether it came down to head-hopping offering more POVs of a scene than necessary or the author feeling the need to 'tell' what he was already showing, or scenes that simply could have been quite a bit shorter and had more power as a result. So much detail and overwriting went into nearly every scene, the story just didn't have the momentum it should have--and so, in the end, it felt like it had been far too long even though the conclusion and climax had themselves felt rushed and a little bit unsatisfying (more like the first book in a series vs. the stand-alone I thought it was when I began reading).

I don't know. I'd probably give the author another try, but not if it was another book through this publisher since I think editing was one of the big problems here, as the book could have been a lot stronger if the over-writing had been cut down on and the ending given more heft. ( )

A God in the Shed by J.F. Dubeau is a wonderful horror story woven around a small town and a God of Hate and Death. The plot is fantastic and spine chilling. The book really lived up to my expectations as with every page something new comes up. The twists and turns were mind blowing. You will definitely not be able to put down the book. The book deserves a 5 star rating.

Read full review on bibliophileverse.blogspot.com ( )

Hmmm. This is a frustrating one. 3.5 stars grudgingly rounded up to four. Why?

Because at times, this novel was as brilliant as they come. Imagination and horror to spare.

And then there were the times when it almost felt like either a second, far less talented author took over, or else sections were simply skipped over in the editing process.

For every stunning scene of the titular God in the shed (those scenes just pretty much sing), there's a scene of stunningly clunky dialogue. For every gorgeous scene of magic or supernatural occurrences, there's a scene of someone losing a mother, a father, a girlfriend, who simply seem to shrug it off within pages.

All told, I think Dubeau mostly pulled the story off—despite it being needlessly overcomplicated—but I can't help but despair of what an amazing novel with would have been with more even writing and editing. ( )

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A fan of gothic stories set in small towns with worldly terrors, I went into A God in the Shed by J-F Dubeau with giddy excitement. While it started strong, ultimately it left me bored.

The prologue started with such promise. It was truly terrifying, well written, and hooked me straightaway. I wondered what would happen now with this cave dwelling god. How will this small town endure?

The answer? Pretty easily. The majority of the book consists of alternating points of view from everyone in this small town all wondering how they can use the god to further their own agendas. There is never any sense of fear or worry until the very end, and even then, it fizzles. We hear that suddenly, the god is finally going to make his move, but nothing happens. The end. Literally, the town is no better or worse than they were at the start. I don’t understand what the purpose was, the driving force of the book because we start at point A, walk around aimlessly, and end at point A.

So, why the two stars? Because it wasn’t necessarily bad, it just didn’t capture me. It simply existed. It was like going on a car ride around the block. Sure, you got out of the house, but did you really accomplish anything in the end? I don’t know, I’ve struggled with writing the review for A God in the Shed by J-F Dubeau for weeks now simply because I don’t know what to say. With books I’ve disliked, I try to be constructive and break down what didn’t work, what was problematic. With books I’ve liked, I talk about what worked, what made it stand out from others. With this, I just have nothing.

// I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this title. // ( )