Synopsis
The final installment in the most lauded trilogy in the history of horror novels picks up four years after Don’t Fear the Reaper as Jade returns to Proofrock, Idaho, to build a life after the years of sacrifice—only to find the Lake Witch is waiting for her in New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones’s finale.
It’s been four years in prison since Jade Daniels last saw her hometown of Proofrock, Idaho, the day she took the fall, protecting her friend Letha and her family from incrimination. Since then, her reputation, and the town, have changed dramatically. There’s a lot of unfinished business in Proofrock, from serial killer cultists to the rich trying to buy Western authenticity. But there’s one aspect of Proofrock no one wants to confront…until Jade comes back to town. The curse of the Lake Witch is waiting, and now is the time for the final stand.
New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones has crafted an epic horror trilogy of generational trauma from the Indigenous to the townies rooted in the mountains of Idaho. It is a story of the American west written in blood.
Review
A huge, huge thank you to Saga Press for the ARC!
Endings, saying goodbye, or departing, are hard things. Endings signify the end of a chapter, an era, a devoted time spent with a person, place, or thing that while painful, proves to be necessary. The same can be said for Jade Daniels’ story which comes to a close with the final installment of The Indian Lake Trilogy, The Angel of Indian Lake. Normally, I would use this opening paragraph to sum things up in the journey thus far (especially in a series), but let’s be honest here, there simply is not enough room. Instead, I’ll give you what you need to know: we follow Jade Daniels in her hometown of Proofrock four years following the events of the previous novel, Don’t Fear the Reaper. Of course, normal is something Proofrock knows nothing about, and in true “go big or go home” fashion, Stephen Graham Jones gives us a memorable, heartfelt finale.
The Angel of Indian Lake is a novel jam-packed with gore, violence, and danger from the very start, something Stephen Graham Jones has come to write quite masterfully. While there’s a strong chance you’ll get lost in the fray as a reader, SGJ places you squarely in Jade’s shoes, a character whose headspace has become a comfortable place for navigating the chaotic world around her. There’s a certain disorientation, a cadence of chaos, that has become a staple in this series as the town of Proofrock constantly descends into madness at every turn. However, Jade’s expertise lends a very welcome helping hand to, not only navigate, but survive the unthinkable from serial killers, slashers, monsters, and lake witches. This sense of resiliency, tenacity, and humanity make this nonstop flow of violence more than bearable, all thanks to Jade.
The action and kills that transpire over the course of this novel serve to punch a harsh blow, more so than the previous two novels. Yet SGJ also gives us a lot of humor with this last chapter to break up the bloodshed. The Angel of Indian Lake walks this very delicate line of feeling too preposterous or too devastating, taking us through a wide array of emotions at such a rapid pace. By far, this has been (equally) the most enjoyable yet heartbreaking novel SGJ has written. Apart from Jade, characters such as Letha, Banner, and Adie tug on our heartstrings constantly to ground this otherworldly experience into a place of harsh reality. Especially knowing this is the end of the line, anything is possible, and the stakes have never been higher for our beloved final girl.
Jade Daniels is easily the most iconic final girl in modern horror fiction for a plethora of reasons, namely her quirks, her unconventional intelligence, her perseverance, and above all her heart. To say she’s been through a lot is probably the grossest understatement possible, having survived more than her fair share of trauma up to this point. These instances of violence and more importantly, her survival, have shaped her into the woman she is, one with the greatest capacity for love in contrast to the harm she’s suffered. And we, as readers, have been with her nearly every step of the way. She’s a character that’s hard to let go of, one that sticks with your soul and heart when you’re facing the unthinkable. When all the odds are stacked against her in the darkest of landscapes, Jade fights to find the light.
Our farewell to Jade, The Angel of Indian Lake delivers the horrific slasher action promised in previous installments of the series and capitalizes on the character growth of our heroine to give us one hell of an emotional ending. Stephen Graham Jones emphasizes a certain elegance and grace with his conclusion to the saga that has captured the attention and hearts of so many over the last three years. Goodbyes are hard and often come with a certain degree of pain; however, this sendoff, born from a place of resilience, leaves me in a state of hope. Thank you, Stephen Graham Jones, for the gift of Jade Daniels.
The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones releases on March 26, 2024, from Saga Press.
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