Review : The Devouring
The Devouring by Simon Holt
Pages : 231
Genre : Young Adults, Horror
My Rating : 
I picked up The Devouring with no expectations. I think I saw the cover in a “Lookalike” at Pop Culture Junkie, but I had no idea what the book was about. So I read the dust jacket and decided to give it a try.
When Reggie reads about the Vours in a mysterious old journal, she assumes they are just the musings of an anonymous lunatic. But when her little brother, Henry, begins to act strangely, it’s clear that these creatures exist beyond a madwoman’s imagination, and Reggie finds out what happens when fears come to life.
To save the people she loves, Reggie must learn to survive in a world of nightmares. Can she devour her own fears before they devour her?
I’ve always loved horror movies. Most of the time, they divide in two categories : absolutely scary or incredibly funny. This seem to be true for horror books, too, and The Devouring was definitely on the scary side. With the action beginning right from the start, the book is a fast paced story that brings you quickly to the end, with a few surprises on its way. I read it in almost one sitting, unwilling to put it down before knowing how all this would end.
One of the book’s strenght was the characters, and most importantly, Reggie. I thought she was a complete character, in turns strong and scared, driven and unsure. Reggie is an horror fan, and you can see it in various moments, by her references to her favorite books and movies of the genre. She also has an interesting family story, and while I sometimes had a hard time connecting with her character, I did appreciate how this story comes into play through the whole book.
I would definitely recommend this book to horror fans. It’s a little too much to be called paranormal, but if you like nightmarish stories with a few gory details and a teen protagonist, this might be just right for you! The book will take you through the most various fears, from drowning to spiders with a killer clown on the way (I HATE clowns! They scare me, so you can guess, I didn’t really like that part!) Plus, the setting was original enough and there wasn’t a dull moment.
The Devouring, which has just been published to paperback, ends up with an opening that suggests a sequel. And sure enough, I found out that a second book is to be out in September! With its cool title and yellow-smoke cover, Soulstice promises to take the battle against evil even farther. And I SO want to read it! Not in September though; I wanna read it now! 😛
I’m not sure how I do with horror these day. I used to be so afraid when I read books like that. I had a thing with clowns too. I had a little clown bank that had to go bye-bye after I saw IT.
I never saw IT, because of the clow thing. My sister had the books and the covers freaked me out!
I still love horror though, but I prefer the kind that deals with “atmosphere” and “shadows” and psychology, than with blood and guts.
Well, guys, if you’re into really dark novels with adept psychological twists and full of the unexpected, you should definitely try my novel, “A Diary of Wasted Years.” It’s just published by Eloquent Books. Comes to grab you by the throat and certainly worth it. Every potential reader is welcome to check it out. I hope you enjoy it.
Thanks for your excellent review of The Devouring, and the mention of its sequel coming out in September, entitled, Soulstice: The Devouring, Book 2. The brief synopsis you gave sounds incredible–a book for any horror fan.
Could you take a look at my synopsis and comment as to whether you think it should fall under Gothic Horror. It seems to overlap other genres here and there. It is an ebook and does NOT need a reader, just your own PC or laptop. The link is below.
http://www.eloquentbooks.com/ForeverEndlessNight.html
Thanks for your review of The Devouring.
L.A. Wood
Forever Endless Night
One other thing about The Devouring and its sequel, Soulstice: the cover designs. I just noticed the “skull” that seems to be lurking in the bottom portion of the purple smoke. The yellow smoke (and neither appeared as smoke to me) seems to distract from the idea of a horror book–for myself, the synopsis would have to make up for the cover design, at least on the “yellow smoke” on Soulstice. The brightness seems to distract from the horror of it all–what do you think? Otherwise, Devouring sounds wonderful.
L.A. Wood
Forever Endless Night
How would most distinguish between “scary” and “horror?” Could there be a fine line between “light Horror” and “heavy horror,” so to speak? That is, where the former might not include so much blood and gore, while the latter clearly would.
Great review! I really want to read this, YA horroe is getting better and better.
I’ve never heard of this before, but it looks great!