Customer Reviews

The Devouring

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"When dark creeps in and eats the light,
Bury your fears on Sorry Night.
For in the winter's blackest hours,
Comes the feasting of the Vours,
No one can see it, the life they stole,
Your body's here but not your soul..."

THE VOURS: Evil, demonic beings that inhabit human bodies on Sorry Night, the darkest hours of the winter solstice.

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?

The Devouring is an engrossing tale of terror that will have you wondering: what if your worst fears became your living nightmare?

The Devouring is a truly horrifying read. The writing catches your attention from the beginning and you devour the book in one sitting. Some parts of the book just sent shivers up and down your spine. The book kept you on the edge of your seat and it made you cringe in horror as you read the book. Regina was a great character who never gave up, she tried to save her little brother no matter the cost.She also had real problems as well as demonic ones. The plot went in a steady pace that wasn't too slow but it wasn't too fast as well. It was just right. Brother/Sister relationships were tested, fears were overcome, and friendships were strengthened in this book.If you are a truly horror book fan you will not be disappointed. I eagerly await for the sequel!
-Carol
[...]

THREE QUICK POINTS
* Point 1: A bit chilling. At least, the beginning was. What would you do if some creepy dark creature offered to eat your fears?

* Point 2: Mmmm, cheesy cliché filling. The entire middle section of the book is devoted more to shock value than fear factor.

* Point 3: The end is curiosity inducing. If I didn't know better, I'd say I'd been devoured because I'm anxious to read the next installment.

SHORT SYNOPSIS
When her mother ups and leaves, Regina must help take care of her younger brother Henry while their father runs his construction business. Reggie, along with her best friend Aaron, is an avid reader and horror fan. One of her rituals with Henry is to read him scary bedtime stories, the most recent of which is from the journal of a seemingly crazy woman where she talks about frightening creatures called Vours. On a lark, Reggie and Aaron decide they're going to summon a Vour. Of course, they don't really expect anything to happen, but something does--to Henry--and it's up to them to solve the mystery and save Reggie's little brother.

MY THOUGHTS
Some parts were good, and some parts were lame, but something must have been done right because I have a burning desire to read the next book.

The story unfolded well; the process of Henry's devouring was downright chilling (that makes up the first quarter of the book). I was hoping the momentum would continue, but it petered out and the story became something straight out of a B horror movie.

Although Henry is acting differently (like people and pets dropping dead in his presence), neither Reggie nor Aaron wonder whether he's possessed until well after any clear thinking person would have. But I was willing to forgive that.

What I had difficulty forgiving was the gore-for-scare effect filling out the story, some of the dialogue was pure cheesy cliché, and character development left much to be desired.

Call me jaded, but anyone who's ever watched more than a few classic horror movies would see right through it--in fact, I laughed a couple times. I truly wish it had more of the creepy ominous psychologically frightening effect displayed in the beginning (that section should not be read at night or in the dark), but if wishes were pennies, I'd be a millionaire.

What has my panties in a bunch, though, is the fact that I really, really want to read the next book. The Devouring ended at the beginning of a bigger mystery. It's not to say that The Devouring wasn't a full story in and of itself--it was, thank goodness--but the story left me wondering: Who is Eben really? What are the Vours? And what is their ultimate plot? (Which is what a good series style book ought to do.)

That's why this book was so difficult to rate. On one hand, a chunk of the story I would consider lame in the horror department, relying more on clichéd gore than suspenseful gore, but on the other hand, it did an amazing job of painting a larger story, piquing curiosity, and it *was* a fun read. So I'll just say this: if you're a fan of horror and have read/watched many horror novels/movies, you won't find too many surprises here, but the mystery of the Vours is great.

Reggie Halloway is a fourteen year old girl with many more responsibilities than a normal teenager. She has to act as mother to her little brother Henry since their mother walked out on them without a word and her father has proven useless in this respect. She is also a big horror fan and is lucky enough to have a job at a horror themed book store. She finds a weird journal in a shipment and borrows it for a little while. Within the journal is the story of the Vours, spirits that take over human bodies on the night of the winter solstice or Sorry Night. Reggie and her best friend Aaron decide to have a little fun and see if it's true by facing the thing they fear the most to see if they are taken over by the Vours. They aren't, but after that night Henry acts very differently. He destroys the things he loves the most, abhors the cold, talks in a very creepy voice, and revels in cruelty. Is he possessed by a Vour? If so, how can they save him without killing him?

I knew I had to read this book when I read a very positive review of it in a horror movie magazine. It isn't typical for them to review any young adult novels let alone give it a positive review. When I finally read the book a while later, it completely surpassed my expectations. I don't know what's happened to the teen horror books I'm reading lately, but I hope it's a sign of a continuing trend. This book creeped me out and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. Some of the situations and characters used in the fearscapes to scare terrify the people are possessed by the Vours in their own minds are some of the most chilling I've ever seen or read about. I would absolutely love to see this novel as a movie, but because of the target audience, I fear it wouldn't be as scary as the book.

I loved pretty much everything about this book. Reggie and Aaron, our young heroes, are normal kids, but with added amounts of brains and bravery. Reggie is relentless in her pursuit to save her brother, even putting herself in grave danger. In addition to the supernatural problems in their lives, they still have to deal with school and family. When they contend with the Vour inside Henry, the Vour can be very manipulative and turn people against them, making everything more difficult. I really like and respect these characters. The entire mythos of the Vours is completely unique. I've never heard of any supernatural creatures quite like them. I can't wait to delve deeper and learn more about these mysterious and evil creatures.

I can't wait to read the second book in the series. I would recommend this book to anyone who can stomach more gore than is usually typical for young adult novels.

The first few lines I thought this was another too tame teen book, but I turned the page and got creeped out. This book knows how and when to get creepy. If you like genuine chills, give this book a read. You have to face your fears(or perhaps eat them)to survive.

This book was better than I expected. It is quite accurately described as "horror," and fulfills the genre quite nicely. If you are prone to nightmares or have a weak stomach, I would recommend skipping this one. I feel that YAs are sometimes toned down for the age of their readers, but not in this case--in the prologue alone, there is a very disturbing scene where a drunken father lashes his son to a scarecrow stand--super creepy! If you like a good scare and books on the darker side, this one is for you. Leave the nightlight on!

Horror fan Reggie and her friend Aaron discover an old journal that describes a woman's horrifying experience of her brother's possession with a wraith-like being she calls a Vour. Vours can only accomplish a possession on Sorry Night, the eve of the Winter Solstice, when a person is terrified. Inspired and always looking for a good scare, Reggie and Aaron attempt to summon a Vour by facing their biggest fears on Sorry Night. As they try to scare themselves, Reggie's younger brother Henry, panicked by Reggie's bedtime story about the Vours, lies terrified in his bed. Henry is taken over by a Vour, and it is up to Reggie and Aaron to battle the Vour for Henry's soul.

Oh, wow, this book was awesome! Finally, a main character with backbone! Reggie knew what had to be done and she didn't spend pages freaking out, panicking, or lamenting about how she can't do this. Instead, she bluntly told herself, "You have to do this or you'll die," and that was all there was to it. There was one scene in an old house with a Vour that was just awesome and makes the whole book worth reading.

The Vours were a creepy, believable bad guy that seem to be just a regular run-of-the-mill ghoul until you reach the end and so much more depth is hinted at and revealed. Until that ending I thought the book was good, but not worth reading the sequel, but, wow, that ending changed everything! I thought the sequel was going to be just more battles with the Vours, but the ending reveals that there is something much larger afoot and this first encounter was only the beginning. Now I'll definitely be checking out the next book.

So, with all that awesome, why the lower rating? Mostly because the book was written in a very amateurish manner. The characters were pretty undeveloped and the good-guy/bad-guy surprises were fun, but so very, very cheesy. The secondary characters were beyond cardboard, and their convenient presence and then absences were completely unbelievable. There was a pretty major scene toward the end that was like a mash-up of a bunch of B horror movies, which again was fun, but when you make a B movie montage, you're also getting a large dose of B movie cheese.

Overall, I laughed a lot, was definitely scared, and was pretty much at the edge of my seat flipping pages because the action starts right away and doesn't let up. Recommended.

The story took awhile to engage my interest and I don't know if I would have kept reading after the first chapter if I hadn't heard good things about it on other blogs.

Reggie is a normal teenager who resents having to play mother to her younger brother and doesn't like that she has so much responsibility at such a young age. It was refreshing to have a believable teen with no superpowers as a lead character, and that is one of the reasons I kept reading.

After reading an old journal about evil creatures called Vours to her younger brother Henry, Reggie begins to suspect that Henry has become a victim and is trapped in a living nightmare. It's up to Reggie and her friend Aaron to figure things out and try to save Henry. The story started off a little slow, but did pick up the pace after awhile.

Gave this book a 3/5 rating as I thought it was just okay. Didn't keep me on the edge of my seat or scare the pants off me, but didn't bore me to tears either. The fears that the characters have to try and overcome were a little cliched and I would have liked to have seen a bit more originality there, but the descriptions were pretty well done. Since I already own the sequel, I'll read it to see what happens next, but I'm in no hurry. I'd recommend that you check out several reviews to make up your mind if you want to read this one or not, as some people loved it while my reaction was more tepid.

Summary: Reggie finds a mysterious journal at her job at a local book store. She reads it compulsivly and learns about "Vour". She finds it to be an interesting, imaginative story or the diary of a lunatic. She decides to read it to her little brother Henry, who she basically takes care of. Her mom ran out on them and her dad is also busy. Her brother finds the "Vour" to be scary and the fact that Sorry Night is the next day makes him fear it more. Reggie and her best friend, Aaron laugh at the book and on Sorry Night, try to find the "Vour".
After Sorry Night, Henry acts strange and he just keeps on getting stranger. Reggie thinks that he might have become a "Vour". She must go past her deepest fears and bring back her brother.
My Review: This book was very creepy, yet addicting. The writing was alright, but it could have been better. I liked the characters for the most part. Thought their fears seemed very cliche. I did like this part of the book:
"When dark creeps in and eats the light,
Bury your fears on Sorry Night.
For in the winter's blackest hours,
Comes the feasting of the Vours,
No one can see it, the life they stole,
Your body's here but not your soul..."
The creation of the "Vours" was convincing and well developed. The ending wasn't that great. It was too abrupt. I had a lot of questions, left unanswered. In all, If you are looking for a bone chilling read, I would recommend it.

This holiday season promises to be anything but merry for Reggie. Ever since her mom left, she has become a surrogate mother for her younger brother and responsible for every household chore, and her relationship with her father shaky. In her free time, Reggie indulges in horror stories, a love she shares with her best friend Aaron. But when they stumble across an old journal titled The Devouring, Aaron and Reggie will discover the chilling truth about hellish creatures called Vours firsthand when one inhabits the body of Reggie's younger brother Henry. Now the three of them find themselves caught up in a deadly fight that is larger and much more dangerous than they ever could have imagined.

There is no doubt about it: The Devouring is one unnerving and frightening read. Simon Holt creates ideal characters for the plot: a protagonist who is fallible, yet determined and intelligent, the awesome best friend with some more-than-best-friend potential, and the handsome older guy. The plot moves at a quick pace so as not to be boring, though Holt saves the edge-of-your-seat brand of suspense until towards the end of the novel. The Devouring is also kept tasteful as far as horror novels go, without an overflow of unnecessary gore (though be warned, there is a little) or avid descriptions of pointless details whose main goal is to strike fear in the heart of the reader. Instead, the real thrills and chills come from the mystery, power, and evil that are the Vours and Aaron and Reggie's struggle to find their weakness before it's too late. The ending is rather abrupt, but promises a sequel that will hopefully further enlighten readers when it comes to the Vours and be just as haunting.

I received an ARC of this book and found so many things that drew me in from the opening pages. The characters are realistic, strong-willed and have problems that most people can relate to (we've all had that younger brother who at least *seems* possessed...).

However, I believe that the real genius behind "Sorry Night" lies in the fact that it rarely tries to scare its readers using the traditional methods of BOOM! (monster jumps out of closet). Sorry Night is more "Nightmare on Elm Street" than "Alone in the Dark", and (in my opinion) more "weird fiction" than "horror". The scare tactics are meant to attack irrational fears, which I've found tend to be our strongest. It made me feel like I was a kid playing Silent Hill again, in the lowest floor of the hospital... you can *feel* that monsters are all around, but you... just... can't... *see* them!

Also, the window in the house that led to another room... I loved it.

I felt the same sort of delicious unease reading Sorry Night that I feel reading H.P. Lovecraft. The book promises to be the start of a wonderful and chilling series.