The Devouring by Simon Holt

The Devouring is like watching a very, very spooky, Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode crossed with a cheesy, Nightmare on Elm street movie. Holt does a great job of catching your attention and at moments the writing sends chills up and down your spine( or course, I was reading this at night, during a thunderstorm). The characters are well developed. This book knows how and when to get creepy. The scare tactic is not tamed down for this YA novel. The Devouring has a strong and satisfying finish and is set up nicely for the sequel.

Grade: A

Synopsis When Reggie finds an old journal and reads about the Vours, supernatural creatures who feast on fear and attack on the eve of the winter solstice, she assumes they are just the musings of some lunatic author. But soon, they become a terrifying reality when she begins to suspect that her timid younger brother might be one of their victims.Risking her life and her sanity, Reggie enters a living nightmare to save the people she loves. Can she devour own her fears before they devour her?Bone-chilling, terrifying, thrilling...what are you waiting for?