The Sacrifice Box, by Martin Stewart (Blog Tour) ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Coming-of-age stories, Historical Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Thriller, YA Fiction

Thanks to a NetGalley and Viking Books for Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Release Date: August 28th, 2018

368 Pages

Synopsis: A horror story about friendship, growing up, and finding a place in the world: Gremlins meets The Breakfast Club by way of Stephen King and Stranger Things.

1982, the summer before seventh grade. Five kids with nothing in common—Sep, Arkle, Hadley, Lamb, and Mack—become instant friends. On the last day of summer, they find a stone box buried in the forest, and each places an object inside to seal their friendship. And they make rules:

Never come to the box alone.

Never open it after dark.

Never take back your sacrifice.

1986, the summer before eleventh grade. The five haven’t spoken since that day in 1982. Sep has gone through the past four years alone and plans to escape to boarding school. But strange things are happening—mirrors are breaking unexpectedly, electricity is flickering in and out, and people are coming down with inexplicable physical ailments. 

Someone has broken the rules. And it seems the five committed more than objects to the box’s ancient stone—they gave it their deepest secrets and darkest fears, and now these are being returned in a flood of shambling corpses, murderous toys, and undead pets. The gang must reunite in an attempt to discover the secrets of the sacrifice box—and Sep might be the only one who can stem its tide of evil before it’s too late.

Before I give you my review of The Sacrifice Box, I have to give animal lovers fair warning: A LOT of them die in this book, and in some pretty gruesome ways. Humans do as well, but let’s be honest, it’s our fuzzy four-legged friends that we really hate seeing perish. What? I’m just saying what we’re all thinking! Anyway, if you have a problem with books like Stephen King’s Pet Semetary, then this twisted tale may not be for you.

 

Okay, now for the nitty gritty. As the premise states, The Sacrifice Box is part Stranger Things, part Breakfast Club, part Gremlins, and definitely has a mix of Stephen King—specifically Stand By Me, It, and Pet Semetary. This could have been a red hot derivative mess, but Martin Stewart takes all these elements and skillfully blends them into a nightmarish concoction that captured my attention so thoroughly I finished it in one sitting.

 

There were two issues I had which prevented me from giving this 5 stars. While I loved the main character September “Sep” Hope, I didn’t find the other characters quite as well rounded. There’s a lot of action going on in this story and it flips between different timelines, and I think that because there was so much happening, the characters’ development suffered a bit. My other problem was with the ending which I felt was too rushed and left a few loose ends. Because I’m a reader who likes her books to be neatly tied up, especially when they’re standalones, I was a little frustrated by this.

Despite these issues, I absolutely loved The Sacrifice Box and I think fans of hardcore horror will really enjoy this. The book is marketed as YA, but I would strongly recommend it for 16 year-olds and up due to all the blood, gore, and overall scariness of it. It’s an entertaining mix of terrifying horror and a poignant coming-of-age story that looks at love, friendship, and the secrets we all keep hidden deep within ourselves.

 

You’re probably wondering “Kim! What’s up with the creepy gifs?” Well, if you choose to read this let’s just say you might want to lock up any stuffed animals and dolls in the house. And you might want to keep an eye on your pets. Um, and be wary of birds, squirrels, deer, and…Just don’t go outside until you’ve recovered from reading this book!

About the Author:

Martin Stewart has previously worked as an English teacher, university lecturer, barman, recycling technician, and golf caddy. A native of Glasgow, he now lives on Scotland’s west coast with his wife, baby daughter, and a very big dog. He enjoys cooking with eggs, running on the beach, re-watching his favorite films, and buying books to feed his to-be-read pile. 

You can also find him here:

Twitter – https://mobile.twitter.com/martinjstewart

Goodreads – https://goodreads.com/author/show/238277.Martin_Stewart

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/martin_j_stewart/

 

 

The Cheerleaders, by Kara Thomas ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Abortion, Coming-of-age stories, Murder, Mystery, Statutory Rape, Suicide, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: July 31st, 2018

384 Pages

Synopsis: There are no more cheerleaders in the town of Sunnybrook.

First there was the car accident—two girls hitting a tree on a rainy night. Not long after, the murders happened those two girls were killed by the man next door. The police shot him, so no one will ever know why he did it. Monica’s sister was the last cheerleader to die. After her suicide, Sunnybrook High disbanded the cheer squad. No one wanted to be reminded of the girls they lost.

That was five years ago. Now the faculty and students at Sunnybrook High want to remember the lost cheerleaders. But for Monica, it’s not that easy. She just wants to forget. Only, Monica’s world is starting to unravel. There are the letters in her stepdad’s desk, an unearthed, years-old cell phone, a strange new friend at school…Whatever happened five years ago isn’t over. Some people in town know more than they’re saying. And somehow Monica is at the center of it all. 

There are no more cheerleaders in Sunnybrook, but that doesn’t mean anyone else is safe.

Before I begin I want to list a few trigger warnings: Statutory Rape, Suicide, Teen Pregnancy, Abortion, Murder, and Drug Abuse.

Phew. So, you might have surmised that The Cheerleaders is a pretty grim read, and you’d be right. It’s dark and gritty, and surprisingly realistic. I would have given it 5 stars except for one thing that kept bothering me through the book. Before I tell you you need to know this verges on spoiler territory, so if you haven’t read the book but are planning to, skip the next paragraph.

***As the book opens, sixteen-year-old Monica has just had an abortion after having a short relationship with a guy ten years her senior. It’s kind of dropped in there and then doesn’t go anywhere until the man shows up as a new coach at her high school. The big problem I had which caused me to to mark the book down a full point, was that instead of acknowledging directly that their sleeping together was statutory rape, there’s more victim shaming, especially from Monica herself, which really annoyed me. I kept hoping that by the end of the book Monica would realize that this creep took advantage of her at a time when she was especially vulnerable, but nope, that never happened. I don’t understand why Kaza Thomas decided to go this route, especially with the current social climate and the Me Too movement. It’s too bad because otherwise I loved everything else about the book. ***End of spoiler***

Monica is someone I think most teens will relate to. She’s not perfect and she tends to act impulsively, but her heart is in the right place. While she didn’t have a close friendship with her older sister, she’s determined to discover the truth. The relationship between family members is realistic as are the ones Monica has with her friends. There are also chapters that are interspersed from Monica’s sister Jen which looks back at the events of five years ago and what led up to the deaths of five teenage girls in such a short amount of time. The mystery kept me guessing for much of the book and there were quite a few twists that caught me by surprise. 

Overall, The Cheerleaders is an intriguing whodunnit that does a good job of avoiding the usual suspension of disbelief issues that are prevalent in many similar amateur teen sleuth stories. It doesn’t have a happily-ever-after ending, but it provides closure for the characters and leaves the reader hopeful for Monica and her family. 

 

 

The Future Will Be BS Free, by Will McIntosh ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Coming-of-age stories, Dystopian Fiction, Humor, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s  for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Release Date: July 24th, 2018

352 Pages

Synopsis: In this terrifyingly timely tale for fans of The Eye of Minds, a teen and his group of friends find themselves on the run after using a genius lie-detector contraption to expose their corrupt government.

In a Putin-esque near-future America, the gifted and talented high school has just been eliminated, and Sam and his friends have been using their unexpected free time to work on a tiny, undetectable, utterly reliable lie detector. They’re all in it for the money—except Theo, their visionary. For Theo, it’s about crafting a better world. A BS-free world, where no one can lie, and the honest will thrive.

Just when they finish the prototype and turn down an offer to sell their brainchild to a huge corporation, Theo is found dead. Greedy companies, corrupt privatized police, and even the president herself will stop at nothing to steal the Truth App. Sam sets his sights on exposing all the lies and holding everyone accountable. 

But he and his friends quickly realize the costs of a  S-free world: the lives of loved ones, and political and economic stability. They now face a difficult question: Is the world capable of operating without lies, or are lies what hold it together?

I enjoyed Will McIntosh’s Burning Midnight, so I knew I had to request  The Future Will Be BS Free as soon as I spied it on NetGalley, especially after reading that intriguing premise. While I didn’t like it as much as the previous book, there is much to recommend about it.

First, before contemplating reading this, please bear in mind that Sam, the main character, is a sexually frustrated seventeen-year-old. He comes from a poor background, his mother is disabled, and the girl he’s in love with, (who happens to also be his best friend), doesn’t return his feelings. He does some horrible things, but given his background his actions are somewhat understandable. Throughout the book he demonstrably grows and matures and by the end of the book I actually liked him.

The story itself is credible, as are the diverse characters, both teens and adults. And, I was kept on my toes regarding how it was going to end which is always a good thing. 

Overall, The Future Will Be BS Free, is a fast-paced, and thought-provoking YA novel that successfully combines dystopian fiction with a coming-of-age story. It also scarily echoes much of what is happening in our world today. While there are some cringeworthy moments in the romantic subplot that I didn’t think was necessary, I think this would be a great choice for high school book discussion groups.

 

 

Gray Wolf Island, by Tracey Neithercott ~ 3.0 Stars

Tags

Coming-of-age stories, Coping With Loss and Grief, Magical Realism, Sexual Assault, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

336 Pages

Synopsis: Right before Sadie died, she begged her sister, Ruby, to do the one thing she could never do herself: Find the treasure on Gray Wolf Island. 

With just a mysterious treasure map as a guide, Ruby reluctantly allows some friends with her on the hunt, each of whom is touched by magic: a boy allegedly born to a virgin, a girl who never sleeps, a boy who can forsee his own death, and a boy with deep ties to the island. Each of them is also keeping a secret—something they’ll have to reveal in order to reach the treasure.

As the secrets come to light, Ruby will have to decide: Can she make peace with her friends’ troubled pasts and continue to trust them? Can she forgive herself for doing the unspeakable? Deep in the wilderness of Gray Wolf Island, Ruby’s choices will determine if they make it out with the treasure—or merely with their lives.

Gray Wolf Island is the debut novel of Tracey Neithercott, and although it wasn’t quite what I expected, I still enjoyed it. One word of warning: There is a sexual assault (not rape) scene that’s briefly talked about. It takes place in the past and it’s not graphic, but it could be a trigger for some readers.

The story centers around the familiar trope of a group of misfits who are on a quest. This particular one is led by Ruby, who is still grieving the loss of her twin sister Sadie who died the previous year. Ruby was already more of an introvert than her vivacious twin, but there’s a secret that Ruby is hiding concerning Sadie’s death from cancer, that has made overdraw even more into herself. I have to admit I didn’t like Ruby at first. She’s very standoffish and cold in the beginning. But once she and the other teens arrive at the island, she slowly opens up more and I felt more connected.

The other characters are delightfully quirky, but they’re all hiding secrets as well, some darker than others. I thought they were all likable, but they seem immature for the sixteen-year-olds they’re supposed to be. There’s also a romance that develops between Ruby and Elliott, the so-called bad boy, that came off rather forced.

There were a few other issues that kept this from being a perfect read for me. First, the rather cavalier manner in which Ruby’s parents permitt her to go off on this excursion just wasn’t realistic, especially given that that they had lost their other daughter. The pacing was also a bit strange. There were some moments of excitement and action, but many others where the story was too wordy and dragged, and I found myself skimming. And the ending was much too rushed and abrupt for my taste.

Despite the problems I had with Gray Wolf Island, I still enjoyed it. It’s definitely more character-driven than plot-driven, so if you like that style of writing, coupled with a trace of magical realism, than I recommend you give this a try.

Who Killed Christopher Goodman?: Based on a True Crime ~ By Allan Wolf – 2.5 Stars

Tags

1970s, Coming-of-age stories, Murder Mystery, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

288 Pages

Synopsis: Everyone likes Chris Goodman. Sure he’s a little odd. He wears those funny bell-bottoms and he really likes the word ennui and he shakes your hand when he meets you, but he’s also the kind of guy who’s always up for a good time, always happy to lend a hand. Everybody likes Chris Goodman, which makes it especially shocking when he’s murdered. Here, in a stunning multi-voiced narrative including the perspective of the fifteen-year-old killer and based on a true and terrible crime that occurred when he was in high school, author Allan Wolf sets out to answer the first question that comes to mind in moments of unthinkable tragedy: how could a thing like this happen?

Who Killed Christopher Goodman is the first book I’ve read by Allan Wolf. I started it about 4:00 yesterday afternoon and finished it just after 11:00 last night. This wasn’t because it had a fast pace however. It was more that I found myself skimming through it. Right now I’m feeling so guilty about not liking it more, mainly because the story is based on the murder of a friend and classmate of the author’s, back in 1979. The story mainly focuses on the events leading up to the murder from the perspective of six of the characters.  They’re stereotypical of characters found in most coming-of-age novels: Sweet shy girl, football player, disabled genius, likable boy next door, juvenile delinquent, etc. The problem is their voices are indistinguishable from one another. There are definitely signs of the possibility of deeper depth being given to them such as the football player being an animal lover and amateur taxidermist, but the author never completely follows through. I think part of the problem is this book is too short to support this kind of story with so many voices. It alternates so fast between the teens that you’re never able to establish a connection with any of them. Ironically, the one character who I found fascinating was the murder victim, Christopher Goodman, but we never hear from him. There are only these tantalizing glimpses of him through the others’ eyes, which was disappointing. The author does a fabulous job capturing the setting and nuances of a small town nearing the end of the 1970s though. From the clothes, to the cars, and the music, I was instantly transported back in time. And for all the faults I found with the book, I’m glad I kept reading because the author’s afterword touched me in a way the story did not. Wolf talks about how the death of his friend has haunted him his entire life, until finally he felt like he had to write this book. It’s emotional and beautiful, and had me tearing up a bit. Okay. Now I feel even more horrible. I have to be honest though and say, Who Killed Christopher Goodman is a promising story, but ultimately unsatisfying. 

 

 

 

The Cresswell Plot ~ By Eliza Wass – 4.0 Stars

Tags

Abuse, Coming-of-age stories, Contemporary Fiction, Cults, Incest, Poverty, Religious Fanaticism, YA Fiction

Thank you NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: June 7th, 2016

Synopsis: Castella Cresswell and her five siblings–Hannan, Caspar, Mortimer, Delvive, and Jerusalem–know what it’s like to be different. For years, their world has been confined to their ramshackle family home deep in the woods of upstate New York. They abide by the strict word of God, whose messages come directly from their father.

Slowly, Castley and her siblings start to test the boundaries of the laws that bind them. But, at school, they’re still the freaks they’ve always been to the outside world. Marked by their plain clothing. Unexplained bruising. Utter isolation from their classmates. That is, until Castley is forced to partner with the totally irritating, totally normal George Gray, who offers her a glimpse of a life filled with freedom and choice.

Castley’s world rapidly expands beyond the woods she knows so well and the beliefs she once thought were only truths. There is a future waiting for her if she can escape her father’s grasp, but Castley refuses to leave her siblings behind. Just as she begins to form a plan, her father makes a chilling announcement: the Cresswells will soon return to their home in heaven. With time running out on all their lives, Castley must expose the depth of her father’s lies. The forest has buried the truth in darkness for far too long. Castley might be their last hope for salvation.

The Cresswell Plot is a book that has no supernatural monsters  that go bump in the night, yet it’s extremely unsettling nonetheless. First of all, the writing is gorgeous and almost lyrical in its complexity. Eliza Wass does a wonderful job adding layer after layer to this story. While I wouldn’t call this a thriller, the tension kept builds in such a way that I was actually anxious toward the end. This is partly because I wound up getting so emotionally attached to Castley. Growing up in a dysfunctional family myself (although not a cult), I completely related to her coming to terms with what her father is, and her yearning to be free and live a normal life. Add to that her loyalty and love for her brothers and sisters, and she makes for an extremely empathetic teen. In spite of her upbringing she has a strength of character that I really admired. Her siblings have a much more difficult time breaking free from their father’s teachings, but their struggles are explored in a realistic way, you can’t help but feel sympathy for them. I do wish that the reasons for the parents’ religious fanaticism had been explored a little more fully. There’s a part in the book where Castley discovers that once upon a time her parents were regular teens, but this is just touched upon and quickly dropped. I also thought the end was a little abrupt and wrapped things up a too neatly. Overall though, The Cresswell Plot is a twisted and compelling story that takes an insightful and compassionate look into a family dealing with poverty, mental illness, and abuse. Because of these themes as well as the topic of incest being briefly brought up, I would recommend this for older teens. I also think it would be a great selection for book discussion groups. This is the debut novel by Eliza Wass, but I’ve already added her to my list of authors to watch.

 

Relativity ~ By Antonia Hayes – 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Australia, Coming-of-age stories, Family Relationships, Science

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Ethan Forsythe, an exceptionally talented boy obsessed with physics and astronomy, has been raised alone by his mother in Sydney, Australia. Claire, a former professional ballerina, has been a wonderful parent to Ethan, but he’s becoming increasingly curious about his father’s absence in his life. Claire is fiercely protective of her talented, vulnerable son–and of her own feelings. But when Ethan falls ill, tied to a tragic event that occurred during his infancy, her tightly-held world is split open.

Thousands of miles away on the western coast of Australia, Mark is trying to forget about the events that tore his family apart, but an unexpected call forces him to confront his past and return home. When Ethan secretly intercepts a letter from Mark to Claire, he unleashes long-suppressed forces that–like gravity–pull the three together again, testing the limits of love and forgiveness.

Told from the alternating points of view of Ethan and each of his parents, Relativity is a poetic and soul-searing exploration of unbreakable bonds, irreversible acts, the limits of science and the magnitude of love.

This incredibly moving novel takes a close look at a family who was torn apart by a horrific act of violence, as well as the aftermath thirteen years later. Picture if you will, skipping a stone across a pond and watching the ripples that form in its wake. That’s how I felt while reading this heartbreaking yet humorous story. The chapters alternate in the third person between Ethan, Claire, and Mark which gives the reader a real sense of each of them. Ethan is indisputably the heart and soul of this story. He’s an immensely likable and sympathetic character who is trying his best to understand and deal with what’s happening to him. Claire, as a single mother who loves her son and is desperately trying to keep her child safe, is someone that many readers will relate to. Mark is the weakest one in the book. It’s not made clear until near the end as to whether he was truly guilty of what he was accused of, but by that time I already actively disliked him. No matter what happened when Ethan was four months old, Mark could have made more of an effort to reach out to Claire and his son yet he chose not to. Instead he’s a self-pitying man who chooses to live in denial rather than be a part of his son’s life. The story itself is beautifully written and Antonia Hayes does a masterful job balancing each character’s backstory while through Ethan’s actions, she brings them inexorably together. There was one rather bizarre scene involving Ethan building a time machine with his newfound friend Allison which was a bit perplexing. It was the one jarring note in an otherwise smoothly flowing story. There was also the issue of bullying that took center stage at the beginning, but was rather hastily dropped without any kind of resolution. Overall though I think Relativity is a novel that successfully combines a coming-of-age story with thought-provoking life lessons and raises the question of whether someone can or should be forgiven for an abhorrent act committed in the heat of a moment. It would be a perfect selection for any book discussion group. I find it hard to believe that this is the first book by Antonia Hayes and I’m looking forward to seeing what she comes out with next.

Dead Ringer ~ By Jessie Rosen – 4.0 Stars

Tags

Bullying, Coming-of-age stories, High School, Mystery, Suspense, YA Fiction

I received this e-book from NetGalley and Full Fathom Five Digital in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: From the moment Laura Rivers steps foot into Englewood High, she notices the stares–and they aren’t the typical once-overs every pretty new girl endures. The students seem confused and …spooked. Whispers echoing through the halls confirm that something is seriously off. “That new girl looks just like her”, they say.

It turns out that Laura has a doppelganger, and it isn’t just anyone–it’s Sarah Castro-Tanner, the girl who killed herself by jumping into the Navasink River one year ago.

Laura is determined not to let the gossip ruin her chances of making a fresh start. Thanks to her charming personality and California tan, she captures the eye of Englewood’s undisputed golden boy, Charlie Sanders, and it’s only a matter of time before they make their relationship official.

But something is making Charlie and his friends paranoid–and Laura soon discovers it has to do with Sarah Castro-Tanner.

What really happened to Sarah? Why is Charlie unraveling? And how does Laura Rivers fit into it all?

After all, she’s the dead ringer for a dead girl.

This is one of those books that while I had a couple of issues with it I think teens will absolutely love it.

One of those issues concerns the characters which in the beginning seem pretty one-dimensional and stereotypical. You’ve got the mean girl, her bestie/follower, the golden boy who everyone worships, and his best friend/jock, and the mysterious new girl whose arrival throws everyone into a tizzy. When I first started reading I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to finish.I kept plodding along though and after reading the first few chapters I had one of those “Aha!” moments as I began to see what the author was trying to accomplish. Because the book is told from three different perspectives you get much more insight into what makes them tick, and you discover there’s more to them than what meets the eye. This also allows you to connect with them in a way you didn’t think you would at the beginning.

If I was going to pick a central theme for this book it would be deception. Just about everyone is hiding secrets which all come back to the main mystery: What really happened the night Sarah died? The answer is oh so slowly revealed, but not in a bad way. This is a mystery that isn’t quick to give you the answer. It teasingly drops clues like breadcrumbs and drags out the suspense until its cliffhanger ending which for me was the biggest surprise of all. Usually books like this are standalone ones that tie things up in a neat little package. By the end of the story, while the central mystery is solved, there’s a whole new host of problems in store for the characters. 

Dead Ringer is a combination of Pretty Little Liars and the tv series Revenge, with a sprinkle of Veronica Mars, which are all guilty pleasures of mine. A tad melodramatic at times, it’s still a fun sudsy story which I think will have many readers clamoring for more. 

 

Brother ~ Ania Ahlborn – 4.5 Nightmarish Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Appalachia, Coming-of-age stories, Family Relationships, Horror, Mystery, Suspense

 I received this e-Arc from NetGalley and Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: September 9th, 20015

Synopsis: Deep in the heart of Appalachia stands a crooked farmhouse miles from any road. The Morrows keep to themselves, and it’s served them well so far. When girls go missing off the side of the highway, the cops don’t knock on their door. Which is a good thing, seeing as to what’s buried in the Morrows’ backyard.

But nineteen-year-old Michael Morrow isn’t like the rest of his family. He doesn’t take pleasure in the screams that echo through the trees. Michael pines for normalcy, and he’s sure that someday he’ll see the world beyond West Virginia. When he meets Alice, a pretty girl working at a record shop in the small nearby town of Dahlia, he’s immediately smitten. For a moment, he nearly forgets about the monster he’s become. But his brother Rebel, is all too eager to remind Michael of his place.

Creepy, horrifying, twisted, and deeply disturbing. Those are just a few adjectives that come to mind after reading Brother. But this is a good thing, because this book has everything a great horror novel should have. Plenty of psychological suspense, a few graphically gory scenes and seriously demented and complicated characters who you pray you’ll never meet in real life. This book was so atmospheric that I had Dueling Banjos from the movie Deliverance stuck in my head the entire time I was reading it.

Set in the 1980s, the first part of the story focuses on this evil and monstrous family unit, who kidnap young girls, and well, I’ll leave the rest to your imagination. The family is led by parents Wade and Claudine, who definitely aren’t Ward and June Cleaver types. Then there’s the seriously deviant oldest brother Ray, who likes to be called Reb, (short for Rebel) followed by Misty Dawn, who’s a young version of Stevie Nicks. Rounding out the group is young Michael who was kidnapped at the age of four and “adopted” by the Morrows. The beginning of the book alternates chapters detailing the family’s history, with ones exploring the early periods of Reb and Michael’s relationship as well as that of their sister Lauralyn, who is mysteriously absent from the present day passages.

Without venturing into spoiler territory let’s just say the family dynamic is extremely complicated and adds another layer of darkness to the story. While the majority of the plot revolves around Michael and Reb, you actually find out quite a bit about the other Morrows. The only exception is Wade where there’s not a lot said about except that he’s a Vietnam vet. The only family members who you feel any sympathy for are the two sisters and Michael. The latter especially evokes torn feelings. While he’s participated in his “adopted” family’s evil pastime, it sickens him and he struggles with feelings of guilt. He longs to escape from them and enter the real world, but he’s afraid of what will happen to Misty Dawn if he leaves. Michael is also firmly under Reb’s thumb. While I’m not a psychologist, it’s not difficult to see that Michael suffers from PTSD and Stockholm Syndrome. When he meets Alice, these feelings rise up even more so. While he tries to protect Alice from his evil family, it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that their paths will cross, especially since Reb is involved and manipulating people and events.

There are a few scenes that are extremely graphic which not only detail what is done to the poor girls, but also the abuse that Michael and his sisters are forced to endure. However, Ahlborn employs psychological suspense as the main device in mesmerizing her readers. 

Ahlborn masterfully combines the themes of horror and abuse, with a more traditional coming-of-age story. The result is an intense and shocking read that is definitely not for the faint of heart. If you enjoy true horror with a southern gothic flare, I highly recommend this. Just don’t read it right before bedtime. Or while you’re on a road trip. Or camping.

 

 

When We Were Animals – By Joshua Gaylord ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Coming-of-age stories, Father-Daughter Relationships, Gothic Fiction, Peer Pressure, Sexual Identity

 I received this ebook from NetGalley and Mulholland Books in exchange for an honest review.

A small Midwestern town hides a dark and shameful secret. When they hit puberty, teenagers “breach”, that is, they run wild and naked through the streets under the three nights of each full moon. They fight, have sex, and basically destroy everything in their way. Promising her father she’ll resist, Lumen Ann Fowler begins investigating the mystery behind this ritual. As she does, and the town’s past comes to light, it soon becomes evident that Lumen and her father are harboring secrets of their own.

~”It’s funny how many ways there are to hurt people. As many ways to hurt as there are species of flower. Whole bouquets of hurt.” ~

Did you ever read a book and wonder what it was you just read? That was my reaction after finishing this well written, yet disquieting story. The novel is written in the first person and is part memoir, part coming-of-age novel. The story begins with a now adult Lumen who is married, has a small child, and is living in a different town. As she reflects back to her childhood, the history of not only the town, but the relationship between Lumen and her father, is slowly revealed. This is a town which is completely unremarkable except for this bizarre change that affects its teenagers and marks each of them for roughly a year. In a way, the breaching reminded me of the complete breakdown of civilized behavior in Lord of the Flies. In the classic however, the breakdown happens when schoolchildren are completely isolated from adults and society. That’s not the case in this instance. The breaching, which is not supernatural in nature, has always existed in this tiny Appalachian like town, and no one seems to know why, or how to prevent it. On nights of the full moon, adults hide in their houses with their younger children and teenagers who have already breached. Then at dawn, they welcome their exhausted wild ones back home after a depravity filled night. Lumen has always been a little different from her peers, and since her mother mysteriously didn’t breach, Lumen thinks neither will she. She discovers when she’s sixteen, that she’s not immune to this condition but while she’s compelled to join the others, she’s still holds herself separate. In doing so, she discovers a mystery that leads her back to her deceased mother, and her own relationship with her father. Lumen is a complex and conflicted character. She and her father love each other, but the special closeness they had shared when she was young is no longer there. You can see how that hurt has affected her permanently during the chapters where she’s describing her present day life. She’s never told her husband about her past, and you can see how there’s a disconnect between them. Lumen, who’s now known as Ann Borden, actually finds it hard relating to anyone. It’s difficult to describe further what happens in this book without giving away spoilers. Joshua Gaylord’s narrative is beautiful, and perfectly captures the voice of the young confused Lumen who is battling both her own sexuality, and the expectations of her father and her peers. I think you could say that the entire story is a metaphor for not only adolescence, but the darker instincts that we tend to keep hidden. When We We Animals is not for everyone. Some of it is pretty disturbing. If you do decide to try it though, you won’t soon forget it.