From School Library Journal
Adult/High School A bright and shining gem of a book for fans of horror and dark fantasy. Each tale dances quite nimbly through familiar tropes of the genre. But it's Decker's delivery, with its depth of character and chilling imagery, that lifts these stories well above the normal. Hook House, for example, is a typical haunted-house tale, but it's uniquely driven by the strength of the central character. A family curse threatens to snare Sara, trapping her for the rest of her life in the family house just like her mother and grandmother before her. Ultimately, she fights against it to prevent her son from being trapped as well. In Tarissa, a period piece set in colonial America, the title character's sister is burned to death for practicing witchcraft. While the core of the story focuses on Tarissa avenging her sister's death, it ends on a note that is surprisingly heartfelt and even hopeful. Decker dips lightly into humor with The Clan. When a vampire moves into the house across the street from a powerful witch, a brutal yet comic feud develops. What makes the tale work so well is that while they have fantastic supernatural weapons to toss at each other, their personalities and complaints about one another are completely realistic and believable. Filled with plenty of spookiness and terror, the stories have just enough depth to appeal to readers who normally shy away from fantasy and horror. Matthew L. Moffett, Ford's Theatre Society, Washington, DC
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Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
