Title: Psychic Teenage Bloodbath II

Author: Carl John Lee

Release date: December 1st, 2023

I remember when Uncle Carl released his first novella, ‘The Blood Beast Mutations’ back in 2020 and he sent me a really kind email (actually his son sent it as Carl stays pretty off the grid) thanking me for reading it and saying such kind things. And at that time, I think I sent something back along the lines of – ‘it won’t be long until everyone is reading your work.’ And I meant it. And now, some three years later, it always fills me with great joy when I pop on Tik Tok or Books of Horror on FB or wherever and I see someone gushing about how amazing Carl John Lee’s books are. Because it’s true. Yes, Carl writes extreme horror, but – and I’ve said this before – his books are filled with real stories, layered approaches, relationship building and honest to god plots. It’s a novel with extreme moments, not just extreme moments with an after thought of story.

With last years outstanding, ‘Psychic Teenage Bloodbath,’ (and according to Goodreads numbers, Lee’s run away hit!), we were introduced to Susan, a girl trapped in a coma but possessing phenomenal powers of her mind. Things ended with a bang, between Susan, Charlie and Lynette – and while I won’t discuss that here for spoilers, be aware that going forward, if you’ve not read book one, some things might spoil it for you.

You’ve been warned.

What I liked: The second book picks up a bit after book one, where we find out that Susan did in fact take over Lynette’s body and banished her mind to the far reaches of her brain. Charlie at first wasn’t aware of this, believing her and Lynette had escaped Susan’s wrath, but once she understands the truth, she’s stuck in a physically and mentally abusive relationship which is ruled by Susan’s jealous iron fist.

When Charlie sees her chance, she takes it, purposefully trying to kill them both, but this is only the beginning. They awake now, in the dream world, the psychological realm, where Charlie searches for Lynette, and Susan seeks out both of them, desperate for vicious revenge.

It’s here that Carl John Lee does something remarkable unexpected. Within the pages of this brutally extreme novel, we get an emotional interlude. Charlie is reunited with her dog, Princess, who has been waiting for her since they passed away. Once Princess and Charlie are able to properly say goodbye they end up at the Rainbow Bridge and the reader ends up a bawling sack of unexpected sadness over this moment arriving seemingly out of nowhere. The story continues on with more blood, shredding and body cavity depravity, before we get an unexpected (and hilariously placed) celebrity cameo, before arriving at the last quarter where all bets are off.

I will say, the way Carl John Lee executes the ending of this story (pre-epilogue) is magnificent and shows his penchant for cinematic storytelling.

The epilogue opens the door for a potential third novel, and if it wasn’t for the Rainbow Bridge moment in the middle, would’ve been the most heart-wrenching thing ever to exist in a Carl John Lee novel.

What I didn’t like: As with all Carl John Lee releases, remember that this will have some truly brutal moments. Some of them have very specific purposes, while others work to set up something further down the line, but if you struggle with extreme, just know going in that this is a full on sensory assault.

Why you should read this: Fans of Carl John Lee’s will have already preordered this – like me (but thanks again for the digital ARC Uncle Carl!) – but if you’re looking for one of the most solid extreme storytellers to whisk you away into a world of love, lust, desire, depravity and debauchery, look no further. Pick up book one, read it, and get ready for this one, as it takes the story laid out in the first to a whole other level.

5/5