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.
Cruel Angels Past Sundown by Hailey Piper Series: Splatter Western #17
Published by Death's Head Press on July 25 2023
Genres: Adult, Horror, splatter western
Pages: 190
Format: Finished paperback
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A weird and bloody tale with plenty of surprises, Hailey Piper’s latest is a nightmarish trip to Hell and back.
This is my first time reading Hailey Piper, and I’m not sure why it took me so long! Cruel Angels Past Sundown has such an interesting mix of elements, and it did not go where I was expecting it to go. The author mixes splatter western, body horror and even a touch of romance with religious themes, and the result is a bloody, scary story about one woman’s journey through Hell. This isn’t a comfortable read by any means, but Piper’s unique voice and skillful writing compelled me to read to the bitter end.
Annette Klein and her husband Frank live on a ranch and have created a happy but unconventional life together. But one evening, a naked pregnant woman carrying a cavalry saber approaches their fence. Annette immediately tries to assist the woman, leading her into the house and covering her with a blanket. What they don’t know (but are about to find out) is that the woman is infected with a plague of sorts and causes those around her to become lethargic and compliant. Minutes after they welcome her into their home, the woman follows Frank into the bedroom and guts him with her saber. Annette is horrified by the unexpected violence and blood, but her nightmare is just beginning. Hot on the heels of the pregnant woman (dubbed Saber by Annette) is a priest named Balthazar, who spouts religious rhetoric and carries a lethal looking dagger.
Annette escapes to Slim’s Respite, the local tavern, but Saber and Balthazar are still on the hunt and have followed her, intent on killing everyone in their path. Then a bounty hunter named Gloria shows up to help, and she and Annette find themselves on a very strange journey.
This story definitely falls on the “weird fiction” side of things. From the beginning, I felt a little out of my element, even though I’ve read quite a bit of horror over the years. Piper’s characters are unpredictable, which makes the story exciting to read, but also a bit challenging at times. Annette’s personal journey is the main focus, although she draws others into her orbit as she tries to evade Balthazar and later finds herself in a nightmare landscape and has to figure out how to get home. Piper’s visions of Heaven and Hell are frightening and hallucinatory, and she even adds cosmic horror elements to make things weirder.
I loved the relationships in the story. Annette and Frank were never able to have children—to Frank’s dismay and Annette’s relief—and this pushed them to experiment with an open marriage. Annette found comfort and love in the arms of several women, including Gloria the bounty hunter, but her love for Frank never wavered. During her horrific journey, Annette comes face to face with her feelings for both Frank and Gloria. Frank is now dead and she feels remorse at not being able to save him, and Gloria can’t understand why she mourns him so much. Even Balthazar, the evil villain of the story, offers Annette some insight into her relationships, and by the end she seems to have made peace with her choices.
The deeper Annette and Gloria go into Balthazar’s nightmare, the weirder things get. A lot happens in the last half of the story, and not all of it makes sense. There’s a scary angel who shows up (one of the “cruel angels” in the title), a sort of cosmic horror of an angel that probably doesn’t deserve the title of “angel” at all. As for Saber, she has her own journey, and she turned out to be a much different person that the scary, saber-wielding woman we meet in the beginning.
The last few chapters felt like a fever dream, and I was rooting for Annette to make it out of her nightmare safe and sound. I was very pleased that the author chose a hopeful ending for her story, it made all the painful parts worth it. I’m very glad I read this book, uncomfortable as it was, and I cannot wait to read more books by this talented author.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
This one sounds really unique!
It really was, and I loved her writing style:-)
Damn it’s perfect for Halloween but so not for me Tammy
Ha ha definitely not for you, Sophie!
This sounds really interesting and I’m glad you read and enjoyed it. I will definitely look for a copy now.
I can see you enjoying this too!
Sounds different.
It was, I’m so glad I read it:-)
Great review, Tammy! I’m pretty sure I’ve never read a western horror book but I’m all here for it. It really sounds so good. And is it just me or does the person in the middle of the cover lowkey look like a vampire from Buffy? 😮
Ha ha that is the evil priest, but I know what you mean:-)
Wow, there’s a lot going on here!
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There was a lot going on, and I think the author handled all the elements really well:-)
“Splatter Western” is a new one on me o.O
It’s sort of a niche sub genre:-)
Man, I thought I was all done with splatter horror, but this looks like such wild fun!
It’s been a while since I read any splatter horror, and honestly I’m ready for more:-)
I know I like fantasy westerns but now I’m starting to wonder if I should check out splatter westerns too 😀
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It was definitely splattery, but so unique:-)
This one probably isn’t for me but it does sound like a fun and unique read!
It’s definitely not for everyone, but it was unique!
This sounds crazy – in a totally good way.
Lynn 😀
It was both crazy and good:-)
Thank you for a cracking review – which let me know that this one is absolutely not for me:)). Sounds an interesting read, though and I’m glad you enjoyed it so much, Tammy.
Definitely not for you! Ha ha. But I’m glad I finally read Hailey Piper:-)
Sounds definitely weird, but also like it was a really good read! Thanks for sharing, I hadn’t heard of this one before!
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