by William Sleator ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2006
Sleator devotes his considerable talents to a horror story this time. High-school student Nick and his mother live in near-poverty. Because his mother closely monitors use of their home phone, Nick buys a cell phone to talk more frequently to his girlfriend. But this phone brings weird and threatening calls and proves to have a direct connection to Hell. Nick’s life changes—and not for the better. The pitiful and self-pitying Nick, with his limited experience and lack of worldly knowledge, makes a great pawn for the predatory adults he meets when using the cell phone. The many unpleasant characters and the need for a big-time suspension of disbelief (a direct connection to where?) are countered by a dark, involving and fast-moving plot that surprises, shocks and—eventually—terrifies. Sleator cleverly uses Nick’s weaknesses to paint him into a corner, then pulls off a horrifying (but satisfactory) ending. Gross and yucky episodes, a suspense-filled plot and touches of macabre humor will appeal to both horror fans and reluctant readers. (Fiction. 13-15)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-8109-5479-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2006
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by Thomas Fahy ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2008
Allison, one of six children who survived the mass suicide of a cult five years before, returns home when one of the other survivors is found drowned on dry land. The teens haven’t seen each other since the fire that claimed their families’ lives, and the death of the cult leader’s son doesn’t provoke a heartwarming reunion. One by one, the teenagers die in horrific and unexplained ways: blinded, burnt alive, dismembered. Allison believes the deaths were predicted by their long-gone cult leader as the harbinger of world’s end. As old mysteries are revealed, motivations make less and less sense—these flat characters clearly act only to further the horror. The cult story line is an acceptable vehicle for a stock magical thriller, but that’s all it provides. For a richer story of teen survival among cultists, stick with Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville’s Armageddon Summer (1999). (Fiction. 13-15)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4169-4007-4
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2008
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by Bree Despain ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 28, 2010
This sequel to The Dark Divine (2009) falls into the classic Twilight patterns: a blank slate of a heroine and a reliance on sexual tension and vague presentiments of danger to drive the narrative. Grace Divine is a werewolf now, bitten by her rogue-werewolf brother Jude before he ran off. Her family is falling apart, with her mother increasingly unstable at the loss of a child and her father traveling around the country seeking his lost son. Grace’s only joy is her relationship with her boyfriend Daniel, himself a former werewolf but now disturbingly standoffish. Now Grace is receiving mysterious phone calls that appear to be from her brother and that may be connected to the town’s unsolved rash of vandalism. Though the plot drags, Despain’s fans will be pleased by the introduction of a flannel-clad hottie who is more than ready to comfort Grace during Daniel’s mysterious absences. For those who find a surfeit of rippling muscles and naked pecs to be sufficient for an enjoyable romance. (Paranormal romance. 13-15)
Pub Date: Dec. 28, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-60684-058-0
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Egmont USA
Review Posted Online: Dec. 25, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2010
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