Ritualistic Human Sacrifice

By: C.V. Hunt

Narrated by: Andersen Prunty

Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's Summary

Nick Graves is a miserable man. Every day he comes home from his dream job to a stale marriage. On the day he finally summons the courage to tell his wife, Eve, he wants a divorce she has exciting news for him - she's pregnant. Nick is a spiteful man. He purchases his dream home in an ideal location far away from family, friends, and coworkers. It's a life changing decision he's chosen to make without Eve's consultation. Nick is a terrified man. He quickly realizes the residents of his new hometown are a bit eccentric. After a trip to the local doctor's office Eve begins to behave strangely. And once Nick finds out what's really going on he'll never be able to look at Eve the same way.

©2015 C.V. Hunt (P)2016 C.V. Hunt

Loved it

Fans of extream horror need this in their collection
A Great story that blends erotic with cringe inducing moments
Excellent narration by Andersen he handles the subject matter flawlessly
Definitely going to do a deep dive on this author highly recommended
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review

Delivers what it says on the tin...just barely!

What disappointed you about Ritualistic Human Sacrifice?

Despite giving every appearance of being a horror novel, nothing all that horrific happens until the very end of the book! For most of its length, this is an occasionally amusing but mostly plodding tale of domestic discontent, involving a thoroughly nasty fellow whose plans to divorce his wife are thwarted by her unwanted (by the husband, at least) pregnancy.

This is essentially a short story padded out to novel length with a number of unnecessary scenes, such as one where the narrator meets with his boss about being permitted to work from home (this following a previous scene where the narrator meets with someone else at his company about being permitted to work from home), or one where the couple go grocery shopping and we're treated to a helpfully detailed description of their purchases.

To be sure, when the actual horrific events occur (spoiler alert -- they do involve Ritualistic Human Sacrifice), they are pretty gruesome and disturbing, but ultimately this is the literary equivalent of a bottle labeled "Grapefruit Juice" that turns out to contain only 5% actual grapefruit juice.

What three words best describe Andersen Prunty’s performance?

Flat Affect Theater

Any additional comments?

I guess I should have been upset at being sold a horror novel that turns out to contain very little actual horror -- and what there is of what one might recognizably term "horror" is mostly just erotica with some gross-out details thrown in -- but the egregiousness of this book actually amused me to the point where I enjoyed the experience. I was left feeling as if I'd been trolled, but with a degree of audacity that was at first startling, then astounding, and finally almost charming.

Is this a bad novel? Yes -- the writing is competent but unremarkable, the characters' behavior and choices defy all logic, and there are not merely gaping plot holes but several points where the author seems to have forgotten what she wrote just a couple of chapters earlier. As a piece of literature and as a horror novel, it fails in some critical ways. Yet, there's sort of a shaggy dog quality to the whole thing that almost redeems it. I can't in good conscience recommend this book, but I have to admit I did find it strangely compelling.

Pass

Probably was the points, but main character was blah and you could set a drinking game to the number of times the author wrote c**t.

too much meat beat

absolutely fucked up. good. disgusting. but way too many times the main character would beat his meat and the author would describe the porno he was watching. the first time I was like, damn, that dirty. the second time seemed like I had heard it already. 3rd ,4th, 5th(?) time was just like ok man get on with the story. the ending was brutal but a bit out of place. wish the story was longer. seemed too quick. but honestly, the most fucked up cult shit I ever read. wow.

Well, that was something!

A horrible man is about to surprise his horrible wife with an “I want a divorce” pronouncement but she foils his plans with an announcement of her own and this sets into motion a strange series of events that escalates into an all out disgusting display of over the top sexual nastiness and other grossities.

If this is your thing you will have fun. I suppose fun might be the wrong word choice but if you picked up a book called Ritualistic Human Sacrifice I think you'll get what I’m trying to say here.

The story is told from Nick’s POV. He is a germaphobe and he is revolted by everything that isn’t young and perfect, and perfectly clean and fresh smelling. You will despise Nick, most likely. His wife isn’t much better. They’re both selfish and passive-aggressive and kind of deserve each other, if you’re asking me. Midway through the book I caught some clues that Nick was too dense to notice because he was too busy scrubbing his hands and thinking ugly thoughts about everyone. I anxiously listened and couldn't wait for some terrible things to befall some of these terrible people.

The terrible things take quite a while to happen. Much of the book is spent listening to Nick rant internally about everything and silently put down everyone around him. He’s a gross person. I don’t know if I made that clear enough already, haha. But the fun of this book is the anticipation. I knew something strange was going on and something horrible was going to happen and I could NOT wait for it to begin! I mean, if you are dumb enough to buy a house that smells of death and of poo simply to spite your wife then you probably deserve whatever is hiding behind the black door.

I was not let down. This is an extreme horror novel and it doesn't leave anything to the imagination. Trust me. Please tread lightly here if you don’t want to read graphic sexual violence. It over floweth in the final chapters. This is not a gentle warning. Also take a good long look at that cover. It gives you clues as to what might be in store for you. I’ve been reading gross things since I was a kid and I can stomach a lot but some of this was a bit much even for me. Fortunately there were moments of sick humor here to lighten up the mood and keep things readable. You’ll either want to read this madness or you won’t. Personally, I thought it was gross (oh yes) and ridiculously over the top but seeing Nick have to deal with it all was worth it to me.

I knocked off a star because it took too long to get going and my pesky brain couldn’t make sense of some of the plot turns. I also wish it had been even more brutal in the end for one particular person but there may be something wrong with me.

Narration Notes: I think narrator Anderson Prunty did a fantastic job with the voices. The tone fit the characters and his female voices didn’t make me cringe. Major points for that. The straight up narration bits felt a wee bit underplayed at times but it might’ve been a good choice considering how insane the story got near the end.

If you like horror like this is your book

Not only does the husband nicks passive aggressive actions against his wife makes no logical sense hers in response to him make no sense. He is angry because the day he was going to tell her they were getting a divorce she pops up pregnant and like all stupid men he blamed leave as if she did it all by herself. As a poor little Nick couldn’t of done anything to prevent it. Then he buys this humongous house two hours away he starts working at home and tells her she has to quit her job because there’s no schools in the area. Where in America is there no schools in the area. Especially when the first day they show up there’s a teenager working at the grocery store where did she go to school? Anyway, Eve quits her job then he tells her that she can’t put out knickknacks chicken dip and put the spices away in the kitchen where she wants them and she agrees. He tells her she can have one room to decorate for her self but you must keep the door shut at all times. Yes this sounds like a wonderful man to raise a child with. I had to stop reading halfway through to go read the summary again, because I could’ve sworn this was a horror story. I read the summary and yes it alluded to it being one. The narrative does not. At least not until the end when they barrage you with some of the craziest shit I’ve ever read. Not to mention the pointless things of a Roddick explicit sex that I found to be unnecessary. They could’ve eluded to him masturbating without all the detail and gotten just as much out of the same if not more than with the detail. I gave this book 3 stars the narrator is a very creepy voice and did a great job. I did read this until the end because something compelled me to do so. I guess I had invested all that time and wanted to see the end. I just feel like I wasted a good day on trash. I am not going to recommend this book just read at your own risk. It does it when you eat a good meal and you save the best for last it’s as if they saved all the horrible parts for the end and in no way is that a good thing.

Spectacular narration and engrossing extreme horror

Well, this book is an experience. Extreme horror? Transgressive fiction? I think those fit.

A quick note about Andersen Prunty’s narration before I move onto the story. He did a perfect job at bringing the MC to life. His deadpan delivery added new layers to this story and I honestly think I enjoyed it more because of it. I’m still a newbie audiobook user; this is only my second book, but his voice is clear and articulate and made for an enjoyable listening experience.

The story. CV Hunt has created a main character that is a complete jerk. Narcissistic, unhappy with everything, and sometimes just bitchy. BUT! He’s clear about what he wants and doesn’t want out of life, and while I often sat in shock at many things he did I also appreciated how solid and true his behaviors were to his character. I mean, his “plan” - just spot-on villainous behavior. I’d also like to commend the author on the dry humor woven in in some parts. I found myself chuckling a few times; sometimes from shock and other times for reasons I can’t quite articulate.

Read other reviews and you’ll likely see comments on the sexual/gross content of this book. It’s exists throughout. If you have any triggers associated with rape, alternative sexual violence, and/or abortion, then this isn’t for you. And that’s fine. I can handle quite a bit and this pushed MY boundaries. I can definitely see why some did not like this and will choose not to read it.

I’ve reflected a bit - I wanted to try to figure why there was SO MUCH sex and violence. Why it needed to push those boundaries I’m comfortable with. I think, for me, it was both the rising curve and the destruction of Nick’s character arc. Once his plan is in motion, what else could possibly exist to punish this guy? How about a manifestation of every desire and phobia he ever had, all mixed into one. Yeah - that would do it.

In closing, I’ve now read three books from CV Hunt. All are unique and wholly different from the rest. I’ll definitely be reading more from her AND listening to more books narrated by Prunty.

A twisted interesting view

An engrossing story which captivates and describes the interesting viewpoint of the twisted and damned.

C.V. Hunt... giant cojones.

Sick, twisted and truly depraved. The writing is spot one and narration (Audible read) is great! Not for the faint of heart. Highly recommend to anyone who thinks they can stick with it.

An okay start, followed by extreme disappointment and irritation

I love good horror novels. This was far from good. What starts as a promising story that peaks your interest early proceeds off a cliff of boring, repetitive erotica that feels like a bad Eli Roth movie. Torture porn with little depth, little story, and a protagonist (I use the term loosely...) so abhorrent that I found myself finishing the book just in the hope that he does not make it to the end. I cheered for the antagonists, but I don’t believe that’s what the authors intention was.

The story was shallow, and felt like a short novella stretched to novel length with boring, repetitive filler, all of which serving to make me hate the protagonist even more.

Part of me wonders if the feminist angle here was intentional. It could have been, and if it was, it’s not well explored enough to make things worthwhile, given the end.

The narrator is droll and dull, though after a while it lended well enough to the attitude of the wretched dirtbag of a protagonist and his attitude.

Ultimately, this was a wild disappointment, frustrating, and overall an irritating experience on multiple levels. This second book I’ve read/listened to by C.V. Hunt, and has solidified my distaste for her lackluster work.

Give the narrator a chance

To begin with, the narrator sounded flat and bored sounding and I almost gave up, but it quickly becomes apparent this is a character choice that works really well. His voices for the other characters are varied and interesting.

Rosemary's Baby ​meets ​American Psycho

If you're familiar with C.V.'s work you know what you're getting into, if not, take a ​close ​look at that cover art for a not so subtle clue. The bastard lovechild of ​​Rosemary's Baby ​meets ​American Psycho ​meets ​Nymphomaniac​, Andersen Prunty's matter-of-fact narration perfectly captures the story's narcissistic protagonist, Nick. If you like your horror explicit, high on sex, full of hate, and no holds barred this one may be for you