This
is a young adult paranormal novel and a good read. The hero, Calloway, is
strong and likable but is still the epitome of teenhood – confused. Having
worked with teenagers most of my adult life, the author did a really great job
of making him real without being really annoying. He manages to be nice but is
still intriguing enough that teenagers won’t just blow him off.
The
first sentence drops you straight into the action with an intriguing hook: “The
eerie shadows cast by the trees frightened Calloway the most.” I immediately
wanted to know more. The next scene is a huge change of pace as the hero is
joining his family for dinner – no hint of the paranormal and the dangers that
might be following him home. This introduces other supporting characters who
are along for the ride.
It’s
a good plot with lots of action, the characters are interesting although you
occasionally want to smack some of them, and the ‘messages’ – that what you are
is more important than what you have, that all people have some good in them
and that even good people make mistakes – are subtle enough that the target
audience won’t just roll their eyes.
Probably
the weakest part of this book for me is the ending. It’s not exactly a
cliffhanger but there isn’t a strong sense of conclusion either. And if you’re
looking for a happily ever after, there isn’t one. I think I would prefer
reading it after book 2 is out and I can move right on. I’ll drop this into my
‘re-read’ file and bring it out when book 2 comes around. I’m looking forward
to it.
On
a purely personal level, I did have trouble with name of the bad guys. Every
time I saw ‘Hara-Kir’ I wanted to read it as hari kari… which made it a little
harder to take them seriously as demonic villains.
I
received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
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