Camp Damascus

Camp Damascus

2023 • 246 pages

Ratings53

Average rating3.8

15

really solid horror for something that feels like YA (though I'm not sure it technically is). love the idea of religious deconstruction through a queer lens buuuut
1) the pacing of this felt off, though it may be just because I was expecting a different story based on the synopsis. I thought this would take place at the camp & we would be watching our MC go through the program, then taking it down from the inside out. but the camp isn't even really discussed at length until almost 50% of the way through the book.
2) some of the messaging felt really heavy handed. for ex., “Faith is just a vessel, and while it can be used to justify horrible things, maybe I'm letting the aggressors off the hook by blaming faith itself.” I think this heavy delivery of the messaging really gave it that YA feel and we weren't able to make these conclusions on our own.
3) I would expect more...inner turmoil I guess? when our MC realizes what happened. instead she's just like "oh right I'm gay. let's kill these demons!"

August 31, 2023