OVERVIEW
I am a fan of this young writer, and this book is as good as the others I’ve read. It is Book 2 in a horror series, and is as scary as Book 1.
BLURB
In New Haven, everything is changing. And there’s no going back now.
It’s been weeks since Allison went missing, and everyone has given up except for Kaia. New Haven mourns their dead as she keeps looking. And now, she’s starting to find answers.
As the unsolved cases pile up, a new discovery in the forest offers hope. But it also threatens to unbury all of New Haven’s darkest secrets.
For the Woods family, it will take everything they have. For Kaia, it’s the last chance.
There are some shadows you can’t keep underground.
STORY
In book 1, Kaia’s best friend, Alison, has disappeared into an abandoned house on the outskirts of the town. This house has been long-feared, and mysterious lights are often seen there.
After searching for Alison, the townsfolk and the sheriff presume her to be dead.
In this book, we learn that Kaia does not believe her friend is dead, and determines to find Alison.
With a mystery boy, who appears not to know things any normal boy would know (even about baseball) and the letters from an unknown source, we are plunged into a world of monstrous happenings.
Is Alison alive? Did her new husband kill her, as he claims? What is lurking in the old house, and will it venture forth to wreak havoc on the town?
I don’t want to give away too much, so I’ll stop there.
CHARACTERS
There are many characters in this book, all of whom relate their bits of the story. This isn’t confusing, as David Kummer devotes a clearly named chapter to each.
Kaia is filled with anxiety for her friend. She has put off going to university for a year after the traumatic events of the previous few weeks. She is clearly suffering from PTSD.
We see Malaki, Alison’s husband, gradually descend into madness after he and Alison visited the house, and their experiences there.
Naomi Woods is Kaia’s mother. She is a strong woman who will give everything to protect her children. This is a strength and a weakness.
Rhys is a mysterious boy. He was found in book 1 walking along the road at night and was taken in by the Woods family. They can find out nothing about him. He also has little, if any, knowledge of 21st century USA. We see him learning about the modern world.
There are many other characters, all complex with their own agendas, but to analyse them all would make this review far too long. You need to read the books yourselves to find out.
WRITING
David Kummer does an excellent job of building tension. The oppressive heat of the summer seems to weigh on the characters, creating the feeling of waiting for something to happen, be it simply rain, or something deadly from the house. This feeling permeates the whole book.
There are a few grammatical errors, but not enough to spoil my pleasure in reading. But I do wish authors would learn how to use ‘lay’ and ‘lie’!
I gave this book 4* and thoroughly recommend it and Book 1.
My ranking of books. In order to get a particular number of stars, it is not necessary to meet all the criteria. This is a guide only.
5* Exceptional. Wonderful story. Setting well drawn, and characters believable–not perfect, but with flaws. Will keep you up all night. No typos or grammatical errors.
4* A thoroughly enjoyable read. Great and original story. Believable setting and characters. Very few grammatical errors or typos.
3* I enjoyed it. Good story. Characters need some development. Some typos or grammatical errors.
2* Not for me. Story not very strong. Unbelievable and flat characters. Setting not clearly defined. Many typos or grammatical errors.
1* I hated it. Story almost non-existent. Setting poor. Possibly couldn’t finish it.
Do you enjoy the horror genre? It’s not something I usually go for, but I an really enjoying this series, Can ‘t wait until book 3 comes out.
Dragons Rule OK. V.M.Sang (author) 