I just finished Holly Horror minutes ago, and WOW am I lost in a post-book delirium like no other. This was excellent. I was fully captured by the story all the way through--I finished this in one day, less than 12 hours, because I could not use my free time for anything else once it started.
This book is advertised as a retelling of a classic with a twist, but the classic you think it is, I don't think it's that. I don't know if I want to even say because it may be spoiler-y, but woof when the references start really hitting you, they hit hard.
The characters felt real, and loveable, and frustrating at times but in the way that real people you love are. The story was VERY spooky and terrifying at parts--I found myself afraid to keep reading more than once because the spookies had fully set in. On top of it all though, there are standout portions of this book that really hit home for me, and I think hit home for a lot of people, that I fully did not expect in a YA horror book. The discussions of family trauma, outrunning our past, the lost, listless feelings of adolescence, and the need to feel in control of our futures--that's what sets this book apart.
The author's prose is absolutely stunning. There are so many subtle little references and metaphors and stylistic choices that are just delicious to read. This does what the best YA does--it's a clearly accessible book, appropriately categorized as young adult, but doesn't read so young that it alienates an older audience.
I can't express enough how much I was not expecting to fall so deeply in love with this book. I also cannot express how salty I am that I do not instantly have more of this story in front of me because I am SO INVESTED in what happens next.
5/5 stars, a new favorite for sure.
This book is advertised as a retelling of a classic with a twist, but the classic you think it is, I don't think it's that. I don't know if I want to even say because it may be spoiler-y, but woof when the references start really hitting you, they hit hard.
The characters felt real, and loveable, and frustrating at times but in the way that real people you love are. The story was VERY spooky and terrifying at parts--I found myself afraid to keep reading more than once because the spookies had fully set in. On top of it all though, there are standout portions of this book that really hit home for me, and I think hit home for a lot of people, that I fully did not expect in a YA horror book. The discussions of family trauma, outrunning our past, the lost, listless feelings of adolescence, and the need to feel in control of our futures--that's what sets this book apart.
The author's prose is absolutely stunning. There are so many subtle little references and metaphors and stylistic choices that are just delicious to read. This does what the best YA does--it's a clearly accessible book, appropriately categorized as young adult, but doesn't read so young that it alienates an older audience.
I can't express enough how much I was not expecting to fall so deeply in love with this book. I also cannot express how salty I am that I do not instantly have more of this story in front of me because I am SO INVESTED in what happens next.
5/5 stars, a new favorite for sure.