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Supernatural #10
Rite of Passage
Thirty years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a demonic supernatural force. Following the tragedy, their father taught the boys everything about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners of America... and how to kill it.
Laurel Hill, New Jersey is beginning to look like one of the unluckiest places on Earth when a series of mishaps hit the town. But Sam and Dean suspect it’s more than just bad luck. Along with Bobby Singer, the brothers soon realize that a powerful Japanese demon is encouraging the chaos. But the demon has bigger plans and they are going to need to make their own luck to stop it.
A Supernatural novel that reveals a previously unseen adventure for the Winchester brothers, from the hit TV series!
Laurel Hill, New Jersey is beginning to look like one of the unluckiest places on Earth when a series of mishaps hit the town. But Sam and Dean suspect it’s more than just bad luck. Along with Bobby Singer, the brothers soon realize that a powerful Japanese demon is encouraging the chaos. But the demon has bigger plans and they are going to need to make their own luck to stop it.
A Supernatural novel that reveals a previously unseen adventure for the Winchester brothers, from the hit TV series!
392 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
About the author
John Passarella
30 books160 followersBram Stoker Award-Winning co-author of Wither (which has been moved to the J. G. Passarella profile. Also, I'm the author of Wither's Rain, Wither's Legacy, Kindred Spirit, Shimmer, Exit Strategy & Others (fiction collection), and the media tie-in novels: Supernatural: COLD FIRE (MAR 2016), Night Terror & Rite of Passage, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Ghoul Trouble, Angel: Avatar & Monolith. Look for Grimm: The Chopping Block. My author website is Passarella.com
but I am also owner & web designer at AuthorPromo.com
but I am also owner & web designer at AuthorPromo.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
May 4, 2024
this 👏🏻 was 👏🏻 so 👏🏻 much 👏🏻 fun 👏🏻
July 13, 2019
This book is based on the television series and takes place during the seventh season. In this one, there is a creature that can manipulate his surroundings into events that will lead to mayhem and death. This creature seems invincible and the Winchesters and Bobby are hard pressed into finding a way to stop him.
This was an enjoyable offering from this universe. My best way of describing this story would be the movie Final Destination dropped into the Supernatural universe. The author does a terrific job with the scenes as the amount of destruction is massive in this book. I did think it did get a little too high because with all the events that were happening, one would think the government would intercede. I was very interested in the story but I think it would have been better served not taking place in this universe. The author seemed to devote more time to the new characters than the established characters. The story read as if the author had this idea for this story and then decided after it was completed to drop it in this universe.
I liked the story and for the most part I liked the execution of the story. The problem was that this did not feel exactly like a Supernatural story. Yes, the lore and the monsters are exciting on that show but the real selling point is the main characters and this book needed more of them.
This was an enjoyable offering from this universe. My best way of describing this story would be the movie Final Destination dropped into the Supernatural universe. The author does a terrific job with the scenes as the amount of destruction is massive in this book. I did think it did get a little too high because with all the events that were happening, one would think the government would intercede. I was very interested in the story but I think it would have been better served not taking place in this universe. The author seemed to devote more time to the new characters than the established characters. The story read as if the author had this idea for this story and then decided after it was completed to drop it in this universe.
I liked the story and for the most part I liked the execution of the story. The problem was that this did not feel exactly like a Supernatural story. Yes, the lore and the monsters are exciting on that show but the real selling point is the main characters and this book needed more of them.
June 8, 2015
Good book. Didn't like the oni though. Glad Bobby, Dean, and Sam were able to stop them. RIP Ryan and the people the oni killed.
April 5, 2013
Read my full review at wadingthroughbooks.wordpress.com!
This book is set during season 7 of the television show Supernatural. I usually like media tie-in novels–it’s a good way to tell stories about the characters or in the universe that can’t be done on the show, either because it would be too expensive to film or it isn’t suited to a television medium or just to expand the universe and find out what the characters do in between episodes. And I love Supernatural– the brothers’ relationship, the snark, the simultaneous wallowing in horror clichés while being completely aware that they are wallowing in clichés, the witty banter that makes me long for the days Joss Whedon had television shows on the air, the wonderful supporting characters (I still miss you Bobby!), and of course the glorious and unbridled snark…I love snark, ok? It’s a thing, I’m not working on it.
The novels are particularly apt for this show since season 4 introduced the Carver Edlund Supernatural books, featuring the brothers Sam and Dean who travel around the country killing monsters. While the books in the show were novelizations of the first few seasons and have never actually been published, actual Supernatural novels do add to the meta-awareness of the show, in the same way that the Richard Castle novels do for Castle.
Rite of Passage itself is a solid adventure, well-written and solidly in character with the show, and it contains the excellent research on monsters that Supernatural prides itself on. Why make up monsters for a tv show when there are hundreds throughout history and from different cultures?
This book is set during season 7 of the television show Supernatural. I usually like media tie-in novels–it’s a good way to tell stories about the characters or in the universe that can’t be done on the show, either because it would be too expensive to film or it isn’t suited to a television medium or just to expand the universe and find out what the characters do in between episodes. And I love Supernatural– the brothers’ relationship, the snark, the simultaneous wallowing in horror clichés while being completely aware that they are wallowing in clichés, the witty banter that makes me long for the days Joss Whedon had television shows on the air, the wonderful supporting characters (I still miss you Bobby!), and of course the glorious and unbridled snark…I love snark, ok? It’s a thing, I’m not working on it.
The novels are particularly apt for this show since season 4 introduced the Carver Edlund Supernatural books, featuring the brothers Sam and Dean who travel around the country killing monsters. While the books in the show were novelizations of the first few seasons and have never actually been published, actual Supernatural novels do add to the meta-awareness of the show, in the same way that the Richard Castle novels do for Castle.
Rite of Passage itself is a solid adventure, well-written and solidly in character with the show, and it contains the excellent research on monsters that Supernatural prides itself on. Why make up monsters for a tv show when there are hundreds throughout history and from different cultures?
December 5, 2023
Good "case ep" with a really interesting MOTW and a lot of excitement going on. Holy crap, a lot of people died in this one though. Oh, and you're allowed to take more than two pages to wrap up the story, John.
June 8, 2017
this was a good book...if u like supernatural u will like this......its a seperate story from the show but it is also in between episodes.....sam and dean are up to their old tricks again along with bobby......i highly recommend this book.
April 23, 2022
Good story, high on the Bobby content, which I love, but a bit low on the brotherly banter which I missed in this one.
October 11, 2021
Fairly solid, at least for the first half. It dragged on a little long by the end and, like others have said, there were way too many original characters. I do appreciate the idea that the author tried to break the mold. These tie-ins can get a bit cookie-cutter at times.
Merged review:
Fairly solid, at least for the first half. It dragged on a little long by the end and, like others have said, there were way too many original characters. I do appreciate the idea that the author tried to break the mold. These tie-ins can get a bit cookie-cutter at times.
Merged review:
Fairly solid, at least for the first half. It dragged on a little long by the end and, like others have said, there were way too many original characters. I do appreciate the idea that the author tried to break the mold. These tie-ins can get a bit cookie-cutter at times.
October 28, 2019
I am very much late to the party when it comes to Supernatural. As someone who's lurked in fandom spaces most of her life, I've known about this show for years, but only picked it up recently. And, if I'm watching the show, why not read the books while I'm at it?
As someone who also reads a lot of fanfiction, it's always an interesting turn to see how sanctioned spinoff novels differ from it. One thing to note about this one is its notable lack of focus on the main characters. They can't exactly develop Sam and Dean, of course, because it's not their right; it's the show's. But the book tries to make up for it by hyperfocusing on the side characters and villain(s).
Overall, it had an interesting plot, very SPN-like. The various accidents were gruesome and compelling to try to stop. But the villain itself seemed split - the first half has its focus on his ability to take small possibilities for disaster and push them to fruition, but rather than follow that to its natural conclusion, the book throws in that this demon wants a family, and is coming back to collect its sons/new wife to take back to its world.
Which isn't to say the plot couldn't juggle both, but - we spend a considerable amount of time with these three boys who've grown up the past eighteen years come into their power, only for them to not use the trademark bad-luck power that drew Sam and Dean to the location in the first place. It might've been poetic way to end their stories; that they've had bad luck all their lives and now have the power to give that bad luck to others, but no. It's just a mind-control bloodbath at the end, which seemed like a shame. On top of that, I didn't feel much sympathy for most of the characters, an the one I did, the one we were supposed to root for, was killed in a rather anticlimactic fashion.
The parts that did revolve around the supernatural accidents and the boys + Bobby investigating, however, were delightful. Sam struggles with keeping his head on his shoulders, Dean gets low key attached to a black cat that becomes useful at the end of the book, and Bobby's crotchety competence is always appreciated, no matter if it's on paper or on screen.
Overall, I enjoyed reading it. I wasn't aware the SPN books had so many installments, but I'll probably be picking up another again in the future.
As someone who also reads a lot of fanfiction, it's always an interesting turn to see how sanctioned spinoff novels differ from it. One thing to note about this one is its notable lack of focus on the main characters. They can't exactly develop Sam and Dean, of course, because it's not their right; it's the show's. But the book tries to make up for it by hyperfocusing on the side characters and villain(s).
Overall, it had an interesting plot, very SPN-like. The various accidents were gruesome and compelling to try to stop. But the villain itself seemed split - the first half has its focus on his ability to take small possibilities for disaster and push them to fruition, but rather than follow that to its natural conclusion, the book throws in that this demon wants a family, and is coming back to collect its sons/new wife to take back to its world.
Which isn't to say the plot couldn't juggle both, but - we spend a considerable amount of time with these three boys who've grown up the past eighteen years come into their power, only for them to not use the trademark bad-luck power that drew Sam and Dean to the location in the first place. It might've been poetic way to end their stories; that they've had bad luck all their lives and now have the power to give that bad luck to others, but no. It's just a mind-control bloodbath at the end, which seemed like a shame. On top of that, I didn't feel much sympathy for most of the characters, an the one I did, the one we were supposed to root for, was killed in a rather anticlimactic fashion.
The parts that did revolve around the supernatural accidents and the boys + Bobby investigating, however, were delightful. Sam struggles with keeping his head on his shoulders, Dean gets low key attached to a black cat that becomes useful at the end of the book, and Bobby's crotchety competence is always appreciated, no matter if it's on paper or on screen.
Overall, I enjoyed reading it. I wasn't aware the SPN books had so many installments, but I'll probably be picking up another again in the future.
April 3, 2019
I think John Passarella should just write all of the Supernatural novels. This is the second book of his I have read and it is by far one of the best in the series. While I thought the ending felt a bit rushed and kind of petered out in the wrap up, overall, I thought it was exciting, gruesome, and it felt like if a Supernatural episode was allowed to go with a hard R-rating. This might be the first Supernatural book or episode with a massive body count. I can't believe how many people Passarella kills, and none of is a nice little death. Bodies are crushed, decapitated, pulverized, you name it, it happens.
The story involves a supernatural being who is able to cause accidents that play out in an almost Rube Goldberg manner. At the same time, three young men are dealing with troubling home lives. I won't say what the connection is, but it adds something to the book getting chapters into their lives. Trust me, Dean, Sam, and Bobby aren't sidelined at all. They are racing to figure out what is happening in the town and how to stop it, but the three young men are given fully fleshed out lives and don't feel like random background characters. In fact, you actually root for one of the boys and his outcome is kind of heartbreaking.
While this is one of my favorite Supernatural books, I can't give it 5 stars because their are typos. Not many, but they are there. I was hoping this series was getting away from the incredibly poor editing that has plagued all of the earlier books. They aren't distracting or take anything away from the entire story, but I just wish the editor had really gone over the book with a fine tooth comb and the printers had gone over the prints at least 30 times.
I actually am looking forward to reading the next book in this series!
The story involves a supernatural being who is able to cause accidents that play out in an almost Rube Goldberg manner. At the same time, three young men are dealing with troubling home lives. I won't say what the connection is, but it adds something to the book getting chapters into their lives. Trust me, Dean, Sam, and Bobby aren't sidelined at all. They are racing to figure out what is happening in the town and how to stop it, but the three young men are given fully fleshed out lives and don't feel like random background characters. In fact, you actually root for one of the boys and his outcome is kind of heartbreaking.
While this is one of my favorite Supernatural books, I can't give it 5 stars because their are typos. Not many, but they are there. I was hoping this series was getting away from the incredibly poor editing that has plagued all of the earlier books. They aren't distracting or take anything away from the entire story, but I just wish the editor had really gone over the book with a fine tooth comb and the printers had gone over the prints at least 30 times.
I actually am looking forward to reading the next book in this series!
September 21, 2021
This book needs two different ratings. As a supernatural book 2.5 stars, as it's own book 4 stars.
I'll start with my first rating 2.5 stars - From a Supernatural stand point this book had little to do with the Winchesters with only a few chapters including the brothers along with Bobby trying to figure out what is happening with the town and stopping it. I was very disappointed with the lack of story line pertaining to Sam and Dean. Although I did like the author sticking to Sam's visions of Lucifer that happened within season 7 in which this book is set.
Onto my second rating 4 stars - The storyline of this book is really good and interesting. It mainly centers around the monster which is called an oni and these three different teenage boys that grew up in the town of Laurel Hill. Each of the boys had different upbringings with their families and were treated differently leading them into destructive paths, not really feeling as though they belonged. Each boy as the plot progresses and the main monster becoming stronger with each accident and mass murder and panic it creates, the boys start to get more violent thoughts and even lash out violently in their every day lives. As simialrities between the boys and the monster become more clear it isn't hard to figure out the boys are the offspring of the oni and he wants to make the boys full oni oppose to the half breeds they were born as.
This book in particular to the supernatural series really didn't need to be a supernatural book as like I stated above Sam and Dean even Bobby are barley in it, it would have done better as it's own stand alone book.
I'll start with my first rating 2.5 stars - From a Supernatural stand point this book had little to do with the Winchesters with only a few chapters including the brothers along with Bobby trying to figure out what is happening with the town and stopping it. I was very disappointed with the lack of story line pertaining to Sam and Dean. Although I did like the author sticking to Sam's visions of Lucifer that happened within season 7 in which this book is set.
Onto my second rating 4 stars - The storyline of this book is really good and interesting. It mainly centers around the monster which is called an oni and these three different teenage boys that grew up in the town of Laurel Hill. Each of the boys had different upbringings with their families and were treated differently leading them into destructive paths, not really feeling as though they belonged. Each boy as the plot progresses and the main monster becoming stronger with each accident and mass murder and panic it creates, the boys start to get more violent thoughts and even lash out violently in their every day lives. As simialrities between the boys and the monster become more clear it isn't hard to figure out the boys are the offspring of the oni and he wants to make the boys full oni oppose to the half breeds they were born as.
This book in particular to the supernatural series really didn't need to be a supernatural book as like I stated above Sam and Dean even Bobby are barley in it, it would have done better as it's own stand alone book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2018
After reading a few of these books I have to say that John Passarella's books are the bloodiest and most carnage filled. I get that Supernatural kills off a lot of people, but for the show they usually mention it off screen (ex: when Cas was killed people as God or any of season 5), while in the books we're reading about these people and seeing it. I get it. But man is the carnage level higher in his books.
Personality-wise Sam, Dean, and what little we saw of Bobby were actually pretty spot on. Season 7 Dean was very down, he had failed with Lisa, had a Lucifer crazed Sam who he hadn't seen in a year, and was feeling the loss of Cas all in a few episodes. Sam chipper can-do attitude was weird, but then I think it's Sam, he's already weird to me.
I loved that the baddie of the week was a Japanese based spirit, Teen Wolf did that in Season 3 with a kitsune and seeing Supernatural (even if it was the books) I enjoy seeing something that's not all Western mythology/Judeo-Christian stuff all the time.
The one big thing I didn't like were the extra character input from secondary characters, holy crap did I not care about a lot of this plot. I get that 2 of the kids were tortured souls and the 1 that has a stable piece of life was the sanest, but come on. Do I really need to know their entire life stories? Plus in the show when they gank someone it takes seconds, we get the gore but not the time. In the books we have a few pages, maybe even a chapter of them just killing people. We get it, they're dead.
Stick with Same and Dean (especially Dean) and we're good.
Personality-wise Sam, Dean, and what little we saw of Bobby were actually pretty spot on. Season 7 Dean was very down, he had failed with Lisa, had a Lucifer crazed Sam who he hadn't seen in a year, and was feeling the loss of Cas all in a few episodes. Sam chipper can-do attitude was weird, but then I think it's Sam, he's already weird to me.
I loved that the baddie of the week was a Japanese based spirit, Teen Wolf did that in Season 3 with a kitsune and seeing Supernatural (even if it was the books) I enjoy seeing something that's not all Western mythology/Judeo-Christian stuff all the time.
The one big thing I didn't like were the extra character input from secondary characters, holy crap did I not care about a lot of this plot. I get that 2 of the kids were tortured souls and the 1 that has a stable piece of life was the sanest, but come on. Do I really need to know their entire life stories? Plus in the show when they gank someone it takes seconds, we get the gore but not the time. In the books we have a few pages, maybe even a chapter of them just killing people. We get it, they're dead.
Stick with Same and Dean (especially Dean) and we're good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2019
This is the second Supernatural book I have read by John Passarella. In my review of
Night Terror
, the first, my major complaint wasn't so much Passarella's writing, but rather his inability to capture the Winchester brothers' nuances. There are things that are a big part of the show, like the song choices, Dean's love of food, or simply the banter between the two that make the TV series much more than a couple of guys fighting monsters. Everything else, though, like the violence, the speed at which the book movies, and the gore was spot on. It was just missing that intangible that makes Supernatural...Supernatural.
Passarella has stepped up his game with Rite of Passage. What was missing from Night Terror has found its way into the pages here, and it's very welcome. Granted, this is a book, so it's obviously hard to do musical cues, but Passarella does fit a few in nicely, as well as Dean's love for the greasy spoon. The banter is better, too. It's not the same level as the show, but it's a definite improvement over the previous novel.
You can read Steve's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
Passarella has stepped up his game with Rite of Passage. What was missing from Night Terror has found its way into the pages here, and it's very welcome. Granted, this is a book, so it's obviously hard to do musical cues, but Passarella does fit a few in nicely, as well as Dean's love for the greasy spoon. The banter is better, too. It's not the same level as the show, but it's a definite improvement over the previous novel.
You can read Steve's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
July 30, 2019
This book is readable and the prose wasn't bad. I read the whole book in one setting so it was definitely engaging, the problem with it (as several reviews have already pointed out) is that it just doesn't have enough Sam and Dean. They're barely in it, they barely defeat the monster, and the author spends way too much time with characters that I just don't care about.
The characters were written fine and I even enjoyed them every once in a while, but one does not pick up a Supernatural book because they want to read about your OCs. Sam and Dean's plot was basically, "Show up, research, run around like good samaritans, kill the monster at the end." There was no connection to the characters we actually cared about, and they were barely involved with the actual plot of the novel. Passarella tries to throw in some character development for Dean, "Oh hey! He's gonna keep up the good fight!" but it's extremely unearned as we've had no emotional growth from Dean throughout the novel, just "Dean is struggling because of the grind." to "Never mind, he's fine." But with absolutely nothing inbetween. Sam doesn't have an arc at all, and doesn't even get the opportunity to kill any of the monsters (c'mon, there were 4 of them and Dean killed 2 and Sam doesn't get to kill 1?)
This book definitely felt like the author had a cool idea and wanted to write it, and figured why not make an extra buck by putting it in the Supernatural universe. It's not a good supernatural book.
The characters were written fine and I even enjoyed them every once in a while, but one does not pick up a Supernatural book because they want to read about your OCs. Sam and Dean's plot was basically, "Show up, research, run around like good samaritans, kill the monster at the end." There was no connection to the characters we actually cared about, and they were barely involved with the actual plot of the novel. Passarella tries to throw in some character development for Dean, "Oh hey! He's gonna keep up the good fight!" but it's extremely unearned as we've had no emotional growth from Dean throughout the novel, just "Dean is struggling because of the grind." to "Never mind, he's fine." But with absolutely nothing inbetween. Sam doesn't have an arc at all, and doesn't even get the opportunity to kill any of the monsters (c'mon, there were 4 of them and Dean killed 2 and Sam doesn't get to kill 1?)
This book definitely felt like the author had a cool idea and wanted to write it, and figured why not make an extra buck by putting it in the Supernatural universe. It's not a good supernatural book.
January 28, 2021
This is the second Passarella novel in the series that I've read, and his writing is by far the best of the authors. The story was complex, but unwound naturally and smoothly, and the manor in which he handles the Winchesters, and finally Bobby in one of these books, was spot on. I did enjoy the whole story revolving around a different sort of demon. However, the one big issue I had with the narrative is that it was way too ridiculous for a Supernatural "episode." It felt like Passarella had a great idea for a story surrounding this particular mythology and was then hired to pen some SN books, so instead of saving it for one of his own novels, he stuck Sam and Dean into the story. Taking place in a very urban city in New Jersey, and not some tiny town with a population of 300 in the middle of Idaho, it was just unbelievable the amount of massive crashes, building collapses, fiery explosions, deadly viruses and mass casualties that occurred, and yet life goes on, nothing special happens except for the Winchesters trying to get to the core of things with the help of one cop. If something like this ever occurred, there would be a state of emergency, mass evacuations, reinforcements called in, but not in this book. This type of carnage only ever happened on season finales or premiers involving archangels and the gates of Hell opening. The book was well-written and entertaining, but it really was too ambitious a plot for Supernatural.
February 24, 2023
This was a very brooding intense and extremely gory story that did well to break out of the cookie cutter tie in brand but for that it does lose a star sadly.
Whilst bringing in Bobby and adding a bit more backstory through Roy, sadly this meant very little focus on the Winchester's which resulted in this being one of those yeah great episode unless you watch for the main characters then you are going to be deeply disappointed.
However, making the monster more of the focal point of the story and the twist that he was wreaking havoc while waiting to reunite his family was a real gut punch. Coupled with the fact that having sired his heirs in mayhem and leaving them motherless from birth as hybrids, the only way they could become Oni was to be birthed through blood stands in stark contrast to Sam and Dean and the rite of passage for many hunters.
As Bobby said to the police sergeant, it comes down to a choice between the ugly truth or the beautiful lie. A choice which haunts Ryan as he is forced to accept his oni heritage whilst trying to salvage his humanity in a desperate bid to avenge his mother.
This really is a story that leaves a lot to unpack when you take the time to step back and look at it. Where it seems to pointlessly focus on new characters it is actually setting the reader up for a climactic fall and realisation that this is the reality for Sam and Dean and that family and bonds are not always bound in blood.
Whilst bringing in Bobby and adding a bit more backstory through Roy, sadly this meant very little focus on the Winchester's which resulted in this being one of those yeah great episode unless you watch for the main characters then you are going to be deeply disappointed.
However, making the monster more of the focal point of the story and the twist that he was wreaking havoc while waiting to reunite his family was a real gut punch. Coupled with the fact that having sired his heirs in mayhem and leaving them motherless from birth as hybrids, the only way they could become Oni was to be birthed through blood stands in stark contrast to Sam and Dean and the rite of passage for many hunters.
As Bobby said to the police sergeant, it comes down to a choice between the ugly truth or the beautiful lie. A choice which haunts Ryan as he is forced to accept his oni heritage whilst trying to salvage his humanity in a desperate bid to avenge his mother.
This really is a story that leaves a lot to unpack when you take the time to step back and look at it. Where it seems to pointlessly focus on new characters it is actually setting the reader up for a climactic fall and realisation that this is the reality for Sam and Dean and that family and bonds are not always bound in blood.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2023
Would’ve been four stars if we’d gotten more Sam and Dean. But John Passarella likes his OC’s, and while some of them are pretty memorable (Sumiko, Jesse and Tora), most of us are reading these books because of the Winchester boys, and it’s always a bit meh when they’re not front and center - which they aren’t for a good third of the book.
That said, I really liked the monster of the week in this one! The concept of escalating accidents that are just waiting to happen is entertaining - in a cruel and sinister way. The Tora reminded me a lot of Death at first. It’s a bit weird how his purpose and modus change in the second half, but I still found it compelling enough to find myself turning the pages eagerly.
Sam and Dean are in character enough to make this an enjoyable adventure with lots of fun action and the odds stacked higher and higher against them. As with the other books, they’re lacking depth and character development, but I’ve learned not to expect that from the Supernatural tie-in novels anymore. It’s just not part of the concept and reserved for the show.
Except for not enough “screen time” for Sam and Dean, I’d consider “Rite of Passage” one of the better ones in the series.
Oh, and it has lots of Bobby Singer. Bonus points for that.
That said, I really liked the monster of the week in this one! The concept of escalating accidents that are just waiting to happen is entertaining - in a cruel and sinister way. The Tora reminded me a lot of Death at first. It’s a bit weird how his purpose and modus change in the second half, but I still found it compelling enough to find myself turning the pages eagerly.
Sam and Dean are in character enough to make this an enjoyable adventure with lots of fun action and the odds stacked higher and higher against them. As with the other books, they’re lacking depth and character development, but I’ve learned not to expect that from the Supernatural tie-in novels anymore. It’s just not part of the concept and reserved for the show.
Except for not enough “screen time” for Sam and Dean, I’d consider “Rite of Passage” one of the better ones in the series.
Oh, and it has lots of Bobby Singer. Bonus points for that.
January 22, 2021
Season7 Episode 8 "Time for a Wedding!"と Episode 9 "How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters"の間の物語。
サムの頭の中の壁が壊され、ルシファーの幻覚に悩まされている頃��話だ。
最初に言っておこう。
これを書いたJohn Passarella氏のスパナチュ小説と私はすこぶる相性が悪い。この人の作家としてのスキルにはもう不審感しかないので、読んでいてイライラしてしまう。
悲しいことにこの人の作品がスパナチュ小説シリーズを占める割合が結構高い。この人さえいなければスパナチュ愛パワーでどれだけ楽しく攻略できたことだろうかと思うのだが、まぁしょうがない。この先、この人の物語スキルが向上してくれることをひたすら祈るしかない。
ある平穏な街に不幸な事故が連鎖反応的に起こる。そういったことがなんども起こる。 これはおかしいということで、ディートとサムとボビーは調査にでかける。 その街にはボビーと昔なじみのハンターで今は引退しているロイがいて、ハンティングには一切巻き込まないという約束で家に泊まらせてもらうことになる。
今回の敵は日本の"鬼”。 杖の形した鉄の棒”金棒”を持っていて、ほとんど不死身。 それに対抗するには”豆まき”しかないぞ！
まぁ豆まきはディーンが拒んだので他の方法を調べましたが、決定打となったのは”おばけ”っていうね。
この作家さんの特徴でディーンやサムがほっとんどでてこなくて、やたらめったらオリジナルキャラのどうでもいい事情が懇切丁寧に描写されては惨殺されるっていうその繰り返し。
このキャラやエピソードはディーンやサムのこういう心情を描きたいからだろうかとか思うだけ無駄というか....。
前回の作品で存分に学習したのでそのあたりは黙々と読んだというか英文を追ったけどだからといって腹が立たないわけでもない。
こんな話に392ページも英語でつきあった自分を褒めてあげたい....。
サムの頭の中の壁が壊され、ルシファーの幻覚に悩まされている頃��話だ。
最初に言っておこう。
これを書いたJohn Passarella氏のスパナチュ小説と私はすこぶる相性が悪い。この人の作家としてのスキルにはもう不審感しかないので、読んでいてイライラしてしまう。
悲しいことにこの人の作品がスパナチュ小説シリーズを占める割合が結構高い。この人さえいなければスパナチュ愛パワーでどれだけ楽しく攻略できたことだろうかと思うのだが、まぁしょうがない。この先、この人の物語スキルが向上してくれることをひたすら祈るしかない。
ある平穏な街に不幸な事故が連鎖反応的に起こる。そういったことがなんども起こる。 これはおかしいということで、ディートとサムとボビーは調査にでかける。 その街にはボビーと昔なじみのハンターで今は引退しているロイがいて、ハンティングには一切巻き込まないという約束で家に泊まらせてもらうことになる。
今回の敵は日本の"鬼”。 杖の形した鉄の棒”金棒”を持っていて、ほとんど不死身。 それに対抗するには”豆まき”しかないぞ！
まぁ豆まきはディーンが拒んだので他の方法を調べましたが、決定打となったのは”おばけ”っていうね。
この作家さんの特徴でディーンやサムがほっとんどでてこなくて、やたらめったらオリジナルキャラのどうでもいい事情が懇切丁寧に描写されては惨殺されるっていうその繰り返し。
このキャラやエピソードはディーンやサムのこういう心情を描きたいからだろうかとか思うだけ無駄というか....。
前回の作品で存分に学習したのでそのあたりは黙々と読んだというか英文を追ったけどだからといって腹が立たないわけでもない。
こんな話に392ページも英語でつきあった自分を褒めてあげたい....。
March 21, 2017
It's easy to tell this was written by the same author as Night Terror; the same pacing is there, and the tightly wound description of the horrible and the macabre. This could easily be classified as horror, even when the description is fleeting and doesn't delve too deeply into the gory details.
The plot feels like it's focused away from the Winchesters a lot of the time; there are several side-stories that the book jumps into, to establish a (somewhat unsurprising) dramatic turn of events later. They are necessary, but are also easily mixed up in their similarity.
Pacing and tone work to carry the story without pause or a break from the action; there is nothing unnecessary to lull the reader away from what is happening, save for the tiny references that are sprinkled around to tie this story into the TV series canon.
The plot feels like it's focused away from the Winchesters a lot of the time; there are several side-stories that the book jumps into, to establish a (somewhat unsurprising) dramatic turn of events later. They are necessary, but are also easily mixed up in their similarity.
Pacing and tone work to carry the story without pause or a break from the action; there is nothing unnecessary to lull the reader away from what is happening, save for the tiny references that are sprinkled around to tie this story into the TV series canon.
August 17, 2020
I'm DNF'ing this book at page 116. I wasn't a fan of the earlier book in the series written by John Passarella, because I found the deaths in the book too gory and unnecessarily detailed.
But this book is even worse! So far several people have died horribly. It has been described in way too explicitly gory details and according to the reviews here, I understand that that goes on in the rest of the book too. The demon's pov with all the killing also takes up way too much of the book where I would much rather have heard more about Sam and Dean.
- So I won't wasting any more time reading this book and will be moving on to the next in the series
But this book is even worse! So far several people have died horribly. It has been described in way too explicitly gory details and according to the reviews here, I understand that that goes on in the rest of the book too. The demon's pov with all the killing also takes up way too much of the book where I would much rather have heard more about Sam and Dean.
- So I won't wasting any more time reading this book and will be moving on to the next in the series
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2022
This book wasn’t my favorite by far in this series. There wasn’t a lot of character development for any new characters that were introduced. I do like that this series focuses on mythology of cultures outside the United States. I just wish we were given more to the story. For 390 pages, there could have been better details about each moving part of the overall story. I also wasn’t a fan of how much it jumped back and forth between different characters.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a slow-paced, dark, adventurous, and tense read.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a slow-paced, dark, adventurous, and tense read.
July 29, 2018
Another late review since I didn't know these were on Goodreads. John Passarella really knows how to keep you entertained with this story. Since this one isn't actually in the show, it was still a really great read. Anything Supernatural based I will read. Rite of Passage is a lot darker than some of the others that I have read and it goes into great detail about it. Really made me think I was reading an actual episode from the TV series.
Great job! Loved it!
Great job! Loved it!
June 6, 2021
John Passerella definitely prefers the horror side of supernatural. This one was better than Night terror although it had a similar theme and execution: horrible things happening in a small town to a lot of people but Sam and Dean don’t know why. Lots of innocent lives lost. This time the research seems a little bit faster- but interestingly did not reveal a instakill option like the show would have. The author also tied in the Lucifer storyline nicely here.
November 23, 2017
The beginning was super just gory and upsetting and I really hated the enemy guy but then as it got further into the story (like the very ending) I started to actually care about the plot line I guess. would not read agin
took 13 days to read (which is a VERY long time)
onto the next supernatural book (ebook-i lowkey hate ebooks)
took 13 days to read (which is a VERY long time)
onto the next supernatural book (ebook-i lowkey hate ebooks)
July 13, 2018
While I wouldn’t say this was a good book I saw some improvement from the previous one I read from the same author. I did actually form an emotional attachment to one of the original characters which did not happen in the previous book. It still seemed to take me a long time to complete the book as I could easily put it down, not a page turner but readable.
January 22, 2020
This one was okay.
I feel like it would have been better if Sam and Dean had been in it more. There was so much about the other characters in it, which I know parts of that were necessary to the story, but a lot of it I felt was unnecessary. It didn't really get interesting until probably the last 100 pages.
I feel like it would have been better if Sam and Dean had been in it more. There was so much about the other characters in it, which I know parts of that were necessary to the story, but a lot of it I felt was unnecessary. It didn't really get interesting until probably the last 100 pages.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2022
Another good story, the author certainly likes his death and destruction in the most graphic ways. It was nice to have Bobby feature prominently and to have the hallucinations of Lucifer. It added a certain amount of jeopardy to solving the case. It was awfully convenient that Tara never tried to kill the brothers, a little too predictable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 4, 2022
Okay, this was a gory read but I kind of loved it! We spend a lot of time with this book’s monster and his victims but it’s actually balanced well, so it never feels like too much and you just want to get back to Sam and Dean. Also I loved having Bobby on a hunt! He was one of the best characters in the show.
August 27, 2022
The Winchesters are up against a supernatural threat the really got me to thinking about the Final Destination movie series - how many weird ways can we kill some people? Lots of fun, the author knows the franchise and it shows. Much higher body count than we normally get in a series, but hey when you are dropping buildings on people.....
February 24, 2023
Definitely one of the better Supernatural books written! I loved Bobby being a bigger part of this one and it had more of an episode feel to it. The only thing it is missing is some of that comedic brotherly banter but given the time it is placed in, I can understand why it wouldn't be a priority to include.
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