The Devouring Sorry Night by Simon Holt
Author: Simon Holt
Edition: ARC (ALA Annual 2008)
______
______
When 15-year-old Reggie comes across a diary she assumes it was written by a lunatic woman. The diary speaks of the Vours, wicked creatures that steal into the frightened minds of children on Sorry Night (the longest night of the year, the Winter Solstice). Banishing the child’s consciousness to his or her fearscape (the amygdala), the Vour controls the body and mind. Though a horror junkie herself, Reggie cannot believe her brother, Henry, may have been possessed by a Vour after frightening him on Sorry Night until her brother sends Reggie a gift: her worst fear. Now it falls to Reggie and her best friend Aaron to save her brother. But Henry is not the only Vour walking pretending to be human.
______
______
A solid thriller. I admit, I scare easily but this was a smooth read. The main characters (Reggie, Aaron and Henry) were well developed . There were few supporting characters (work-a-holic dad, absent mother, friendly store-owner) who were shallow but present. The conclusion left me thinking there will be follow up books (and much more to come regarding the friendly store-owner). The cover is gorgeous and caught my eye immediately. It’s one of the first ALA ARCs I’ve read and I’m glad I did. Conventional horrors (clowns, hospitals) are included but that did it for me. This is something I’d recommend to Cirque Du Freak fans looking for another good scare!
