Kat's Cupboard

The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson

A grisly tale of the dark side of emerging biotech possibilities. Set in present day central Oregon, the little town of Turner Falls is struck by an epidemic. Local biotech firm IMTECH experiments with skin like neurological implants, aimed to improve and control behavioral ways. IMTECH rapidly proceeds through the process, ignoring safety standards and preliminary research and testing, and goes straight to testing on teenagers, when the experiments spiral out of control. Local teens begin spreading the infection to each other and commence a brutal, town wide murder spree.

The population of Turner Falls dwindles down, with few remaining survivors, one of which is Lucy. The Loop follows Lucy, a troubled teenager with a traumatic past. She uses her survival instincts and quick thinking to unveil the secrets behind the epidemic, while also navigating teenage friendship and love.

The Loop was my first dive into the horror genre, though I do love a good science fiction book. This book didn’t have me on the edge of my seat, I wasn’t tearing through the pages waiting to see what happened next. It was more graphic than I was expecting, and sometimes felt like there were more graphic passages than there was storyline. Lucy had character development and depth, I enjoyed reading from the perspective of inside her mind, and felt empathy for her by the end of the book. However, I do wish the book would have gone into further detail about the implant and the outbreak. Toward the end of the book it felt like everything was rushed to tie up loose ends.

Overall, I wouldn’t see myself wanting to read this book a second time. I’d probably give it a 2/5 stars.