The Devouring by Simon Holt

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Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (September 1, 2008)

BOOK DESCRIPTION: When Reggie finds an old journal and reads about the Vours, supernatural creatures who feast on fear and attack on the eve of the winter solstice, she assumes they are just the musings of some lunatic author. But soon, they become a terrifying reality when she begins to suspect that her timid younger brother might be one of their victims. 

Risking her life and her sanity, Reggie enters a living nightmare to save the people she loves. Can she devour own her fears before they devour her? 

MY REVIEW: I found the cover and blurb intriguing so I borrowed The Devouring from the library. Not to sound corny but I devoured this book in one night, staying up later than usual to make sure I finished. Holt's book is a wonderful find. Part mystery, part horror, it is a true page turner. 

Reggie is a horror movie/book fan, but when her younger brother Henry begins acting strangely, she wonders if the mysterious book she found contains any truth on its pages. The book describes evil beings called Vours who inhabit humans by recreating their greatest fears on Soulstice night (December 22nd). Sweet Henry is now mean and she suspects he killed his beloved pet hamster. Reggie's best friend, Aaron, is a brain and he helps her figure out if the Vours really do exist. Along the way Reggie learns her crush on hot jock Quinn is not a good thing and people, especially her boss at the bookstore she works at, Eben, are not always what they appear to be.

Fast paced, engrossing, I really enjoyed The Devouring. The dialogue is so realistic and the characters very believable. I found the nightmare scapes a bit overly gory, but it was necessary to flesh out the horror of the evil beings. It's great to read a scary YA novel that actually delivers.

RATING: ++++ 

BOOK SOURCE: Library

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