The Ravenous by Amy Lukavics
Author: Amy Lukavics
Published: September 26, 2017
299 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
From the outside, the Cane family looks like they have it all. A successful military father, a loving mother and five beautiful teenage daughters. But on the inside, life isn’t quite so idyllic: the Cane sisters can barely stand each other, their father is always away, and their neglectful mother struggles with addiction and depression.
When their youngest and most beloved sister, Rose, dies in a tragic accident, Mona Cane and her sisters are devastated. And when she is brought back from the dead, they are relieved. But soon they discover that Rose must eat human flesh to survive, and when their mother abandons them, the sisters will find out just how far they’ll go to keep their family together.
Kim’s Review
This book . . . Whoa. Lukavics has become one of my favorite authors. She does creepy so dang well and I can always count on her to write a great book! The Ravenous is actually her most unusual. Yet it’s so simple! There actually isn’t much to say because the story is straightforward. The synopsis pretty much covers the story, but saying that the journey is just as great as the destination totally applies here. It’s so full of emotion and insanity and realism (considering the unrealistic elements), it was rather overwhelming, in a great way!
This is a short review so y’all can go out and get The Ravenous and read it and experience all of it for yourselves! The one downfall is that there is a lot of language and adult themes so definitely save it for older teens. But I would definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for an unusual, creepy read!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
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Bad Girls Don’t Die
Author: Katie Alender
Published: April 21, 2009
346 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Alexis thought she led a typically dysfunctional high school existence. Dysfunctional like her parents’ marriage; her doll-crazy twelve-year-old sister, Kasey; and even her own anti-social, anti-cheerleader attitude. When a family fight results in some tearful sisterly bonding, Alexis realizes that her life is creeping from dysfunction into danger. Kasey is acting stranger than ever: her blue eyes go green sometimes; she uses old-fashioned language; and she even loses track of chunks of time, claiming to know nothing about her strange behavior. Their old house is changing, too. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in.
Alexis wants to think that it’s all in her head, but soon, what she liked to think of as silly parlor tricks are becoming life-threatening–to her, her family, and to her budding relationship with the class president. Alexis knows she’s the only person who can stop Kasey — but what if that green-eyed girl isn’t even Kasey anymore?
Kim’s Review:
Another series that I didn’t know was a series until I was hooked . . . Just great. But the nice thing is that this first book ended without a cliffhanger, so finishing the series is not time sensitive. I enjoyed this book a lot!
My only real issue was Alexis herself. I find rebellious, lazy teens to be exasperating and obnoxious, especially when they acknowledge their rebelliousness and laziness! Unfortunately, Alexis’s bad attitude was integral to her character so I guess it was unavoidable. That’s my only real problem with this book. I actually really liked the story; I got it, I picked up all the details so I understood what was happening. I thought Kasey was the perfect “villain,” since she wasn’t the greatest chick to begin with, it was an easy throw to nasty, demon possessed girl. Carter was cool, if a little unrealistically perfect. The original story of the little bullied girl fascinated me enough that I definitely want to continue the series. Overall, good book and I look forward to the other books!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
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The Signalman: A Ghost Story by Charles Dickens
Author: Charles Dickens
76 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
“The Signal-Man” is a horror story by Charles Dickens, first published as part of the Mugby Junction collection in the 1866 Christmas edition of All the Year Round. The railway signal-man of the title tells the narrator of an apparition that has been haunting him. Each spectral appearance precedes a tragic event on the railway on which the signalman works. The signalman’s work is at a signal-box in a deep cutting near a tunnel entrance on a lonely stretch of the railway line, and he controls the movements of passing trains. When there is danger, his fellow signalmen alert him by telegraph and alarms. Three times, he receives phantom warnings of danger when his bell rings in a fashion that only he can hear. Each warning is followed by the appearance of the spectre, and then by a terrible accident.
Kim’s Review
Ivan took me to London and of course I had to visit several bookstores while there. We went to Hatchards, the oldest bookstore in London. Founded in 1797, and with several floors filled with books, I geeked out. It was pretty funny to watch Ivan, he might have geeked out a little more than I did. I’m used to bookstores so my passion is little more subtle but he was gaping with his mouth hanging open! He could not get over the multiple floors and he just stared up the spiral staircase with eyes filled with wonder!
All that said, I bought a cute little booklet edition of The Signalman by Charles Dickens. I had already seen his burial place in Westminster, so it just felt right! The Signalman is a simple, straightforward read. It’s creepy without being scary. In the same style as A Christmas Carol, Dickens conjured up a spectre that chills the reader and imagined railway accidents that convey true tragedy (my gosh, who the heck is writing this review???? lol). I really liked it! The story was spooky and the characters engaging. It took me all of half an hour to read it so pretty much anyone can read it. I actually think this is a good classic to give to younger readers. It won’t overload their brains and they’ll find a ghost story appealing. An excellent little story!!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
