Raven's Point [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Melinda Metz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2004

No one who lives on the beautiful little island of Raven's Point knows of the island's dark history, of the evil that was born there. Why would they? They've got too much going on in their lives to worry aboutmassacres hundreds of years ago.

Jane Romano's brother, Elijah, is in a coma. She spends most of her time trying to keep her parents from completely losing it. Friends? Fun? Not anymore. And maybe never again.

Tavia Burrows is trying to get it through her head that Elijah, her first love, first kiss, first everything, is never coming back to her. She has college to think about. And maybe even a new boyfriend. If she can survive the next few weeks on Raven's Point.

Seth McFadden is new in town. He's noticed Jane noticing him. He's not planning on doing anything about it, though, because he has a secret that he knows would make a girl like Jane run away from him.

Soon Jane, Tavia, and Seth will be forced to learn the truth about their island's violent past -- and their part in it. They are going to have to face the evil that came to life in the place they call home, or Raven's Point and everyone on it will be destroyed.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9–When inhabitants of Raven's Point begin to exhibit bizarre and violent behavior, several teens try to find out why. They soon discover that an evil being is feeding off of the residents and becoming stronger every day. Visions from the past and a bit of historical research reveal that a similar situation plagued the town during the Colonial era. The characters must use this information, as well as their own newfound supernatural abilities, to figure out how to save the people they love. Many contemporary teen issues are woven into the plot, including bulimia and sexual awareness, as is the theme of good versus evil. Although promising, all of these elements result in a cluttered book, and the characters aren't developed enough to engage readers. Descriptions of the strange behaviors keep readers interested, but are not smoothly integrated into the narrative. The evil is so nebulous that it seems more of plot contrivance than a logical force. However, there's plenty here for youngsters who love the "gross" factor, including a woman who cuts off her hand with a power saw. Fans of Metz's series fiction, such as "Roswell High" (Simon Pulse), will probably look for her latest novel.–Molly S. Kinney, Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Both the romance and the gore in this fast-paced thriller are tinged with suspense." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"Meshes supernatural elements into a cohesive and suspenseful narrative. A solid story." -- Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• ISBN-10: 0060523719
• ASIN: B000IOEYV4
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,615,731 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Melinda Metz grew up in San Jose, California. People sometimes ask if she knows the way there. She kinda does, but she has an off-kilter sense of direction, so to be confident of arriving, it's better to consult some kind of navigational device.

Her mother tried to teach her to read in kindergarten, but Melinda had no interest. She also had no interest in learning to write her name. (FYI, when Melinda was in kindergarten it was all about finger-painting, play time, and naps.) Eventually, she mastered both and even majored in English at San Jose State University.

After college, Melinda moved to Manhattan to seek her fortune, which involved learning to identify fruits and vegetables while working at a grocery store,
making $2.73 working backstage for an off-off Broadway play (her part of the box-office profits), and editing books.

Melinda and the lovely and talented Laura J. Burns pretty much became unofficial writing partners when they were editors at the same company. They teamed up to brainstorm story ideas, and at some point their brains fused in some key places. Later they worked on the Roswell High book series, Laura developing and editing the series, Melinda writing.

That series led to Melinda and Laura, now an official writing team, writing two TV pilots, moving to L.A. to work on the Roswell TV show, and briefly living in Toronto while on the writing staff of 1-800-Missing. They both continue to write books, together and separately.

Melinda has never regretted learning to read and write her name.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Okay..., August 25, 2004

By 

kmr (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raven's Point (Hardcover)

Raven's Point was a bit of a pointless book- but if you're into the gruesome/horror/confusing types of stories, I guess it was okay (and only okay). It's basically about a small island that is slowly being destroyed by an ancient (confusing and unexplained) evil that has come back after centuries. Four teenagers must try to do what their past lives did not suceed at: destroy the evil forever with their (odd, confusing, unexplained) powers before it destroys their town (again). Quite gory, gruesome, and chilling for a thunderstormy night read- but there is a bit of a plot lack so I won't suggest looking forward to any big twists or anything you haven't predicted.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Silly with a badly developed plot and too much gore., August 22, 2004

By 

atlantis_girl - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raven's Point (Hardcover)

I found this book rather pointless. The plot was poorly developed, with not enough background given for the development of the "evil" that was out to get everyone. The "special powers" the main characters had were incredibly silly, and confusing as well! Not to mention, this book had too much gore that did NOTHING to further the plot. What happened to Melinda Metz? Roswell High and Fingerprints were so good... among my favorite series ever... and now THIS!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Eeew., August 22, 2004

By 

jaina_solo "jaina_solo" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raven's Point (Hardcover)

This book was so disgusting. I don't know how I finished reading it. It's about teenagers on an island. They have to fight an evil that lingers there from centuries before. Not only was this book unnecessarily violent and gruesome and gory but the plot was ridiculous. The "evil" was never explained, where it came from, why it's evil, etc etc etc. Also the teenagers' powers were extremely silly and the conclusion was ridiculous and unsatisfying. I can't recommend this book to anyone!