‘Followers’ by Christina Bergling – Book Review

We have become a tech savvy world. While technology has many advantages, it does have some disadvantages as well. An advantage might be that we can create ourselves and have an online presence. Creating this presence can further your passion and career. The disadvantage is that the internet makes you readily available and trackable. It also leaves you vulnerable, as you don’t really know who you may be interacting with online. Followers is the latest novel by Christina Bergling (read my interview with her here). I enjoy her books and her way of combining horror with modern technology! Another book she incorporated technology is The Rest Will Come. You may read my review of The Rest Will Come here and her book, The Waning, here. Read on for my spoiler free thoughts on Followers!

Followers Synopsis:

Sidney, a single mother with a dull day job, has big dreams of becoming a full-time horror reviewer and risqué gore model. She’s determined to make her website a success, and if her growing pool of online followers is any indication, things are looking good for her Elvira-esque aspirations. In fact, Sidney has so many followers that chatting with them is getting to be a job in itself. More than a job, it might be getting a little risky….

When Sidney is attacked on a dark trail late one night, it becomes clear that the horror she loves is bleeding into her real life. She learns that real-life horror is not a game, and being stalked isn’t flattering—it’s terrifying, and it could get her killed.

Sidney—and her loved ones—are now in serious danger. This follower isn’t just another online fan: he knows her movements, and he knows her routine. In fact, he’s right behind her… and when he gets close enough, he won’t take no for an answer.

My Thoughts:

You never know who is behind the screen. That’s the world we live in. We all have friends online that we haven’t met in person. We, of course, keep our guard up and try to be as careful as possible. Most people are genuinely harmless. But there is that element of people out there who use the internet to try mess with others. Some of them take it to the extreme.

Sidney, like many of us, works a job that she isn’t satisfied with. She wants much more, and she wants to have an online presence. This includes being a risqué gore model. Which, of course, brings out some weirdos and trolls messaging her. She juggles her time being a single mom and working a job she despises. Her passion is to be a reviewer as well as her gore modeling. She spends a lot of time balancing her online followers and trying to make the passion happen so that can be her job.

Almost a third of Followers is setting up Sidney’s character and background. It may seem a little long to get into the action. I felt that most of it was necessary to the plot, although maybe it could have been a tad shorter. But I honestly didn’t feel it took away from the plot flow.

Sidney is a relatable character. All the characters in Followers are developed and relatable in their own ways, even the bad guys. Sidney is a single mother. Some may believe she doesn’t care much about her child and that she just does her own thing. She doesn’t interact with the child as much as they think she should. I personally also didn’t find that to be completely true. The story is about Sidney, not about her child. The focus of the story is Sidney, so the way of writing her personal life makes sense to me. Those facts needed to be included to understand why Sidney is the way she is and does what she does.

Once the action starts, watch out! Adrenaline-racing, page-turning scenes! Sidney becomes one bad ass chick! There are no disappointing scenes at all! The story will also kept you guessing… who is really the bad guy here?

What I really adore about Followers are the references to many horror films and what being a horror fan is all about. Additionally, I love how Sidney uses horror as a coping mechanism. As a horror fan, that is me as well.

Final Thoughts:

If you are a horror fan and you like movies like Scream, Followers by Christina Bergling may be for you! Does Sidney make it as a final girl? You’ll have to read it and find out! Followers is out now and available on Crystal Lake Publishing’s website and Amazon (see the link above). Just in time for spooky season! Stay tuned to PopHorror for all your news, reviews, interviews and much more!