The Devouring by Simon Holt

It’s happens on Sorry Night…they come to feed on your worst fears….and this time it’s Jeremiah’s turn. He forgot to put the cattle up for the night and now his father has tied him up outside…and the shadows are coming for me.

That’s the tale Regina begins reading to her little brother Henry one night. Not an especially good bedtime story, but Reg tries to convince Henry that in order not to be scared, you have to scare yourself. But his little ten-year old mind can’t wrap itself around that concept.

Regina’s life has changed in the past year. Her mother left the family one day, and her father, although he is there physically, isn’t really there. She takes care of Henry, the house, and herself and wishes her mother would come back soon. But it’s been six months since she left. The only friend Regina has is Aaron, and they both share the same fascination with the supernatural and everything gory and bloody that’s ever been put out on videotape or DVD. Now Reg has something interesting to show Aaron – a book she found at the bookstore she works at that tells about the Vours and how they showed up on December 22nd to possess Jeremiah. After reading about it, both of them decide to call up the Vours using their deepest fears – hers of spiders and his of drowning – but the spell doesn’t work…on them….

Instead, Henry has become the innocent victim, and the Vour is creating chaos. It begins to work on making Reg as crazy as it did to Hannah in the past by playing on her fears while inhabiting Henry’s body to full possession.

This is a fast-paced, absorbing read that will fascinate readers from beginning to end. The plot moves quickly from the past to the present. The characters in the book are solid from start to finish, including the adults and the phatasms. Nothing is left but the reader’s imagination as the storyline continues to the final showdown between Regina and the Vours. Small surprising twists in the plot only add to the pace of this book. If Shan’s Demonata series, Shusterman’s Full Tilt, or anything by Stephen King fly off the shelves, then this book should be a must to pick up. Watch out…a new master of YA horror just made his debut. I’m hoping there will be a sequel…