The Haunted is perfect for young readers who want a little spooky in their books.
Fast-paced and mysterious, The Haunted is a spooky tale sure to bring the chills to young horror lovers.
Hendricks and her family move away from their old town as a sort of fresh start, and make their way to a beautiful fixer-upper in a super small, close knit town. Little do they know that the house is actually an infamous one, and everyone in this town has a different story about it. Soon after moving in, strange and spooky things keep happening around Hendricks and she believes it’s mostly stress making her see and feel various things. It’s not until she meets Eddie that she begins to understand that perhaps the stories about the house are true.
There were many things I found enjoyable with The Haunted and the horror aspects didn’t hold back. Keep in mind that this is a YA book, so if you’re an adult looking to have the pants scared off you, this isn’t the book for you. Having said that, it’s certainly a great book to start with if your young readers are looking for an introduction into horror.
However, even with the many enjoyable things, there were many things I didn’t enjoy. Particularly the odd pacing and the unbelievable mundane things. No, I’m not talking about hauntings and ghosts being unbelievable, I’m talking about realistic events that don’t make any sense whatsoever. For example — Brady has just lain down for a nap when Hendricks got home from school, and by ten something at night, it was referenced that he was still “napping”. That’s one long (convenient) nap. And the insta-love was decidedly off-putting, especially since both parties spent very little time together. And I get that those things aren’t the focus of this book by any means, but I prefer mundane, simple, everyday things to just make sense and they just....didn’t.
All told, there were many elements I enjoyed, and there were many elements I didn’t, so The Haunted earns a solid 3 from me. Had the realistic, everyday things been more believable, I’d have definitely rated much higher. Would I still recommend this? Absolutely. Especially for young readers who want to read something spooky, but fall into that weird space where they’ve outgrown Goosebumps but aren’t quite ready for adult horror. This book would be perfect for any young reader who falls into that space and I’m sure they would love all the creepy happenings inside this book.
*ARC received courtesy of BookishFirst.
Hendricks and her family move away from their old town as a sort of fresh start, and make their way to a beautiful fixer-upper in a super small, close knit town. Little do they know that the house is actually an infamous one, and everyone in this town has a different story about it. Soon after moving in, strange and spooky things keep happening around Hendricks and she believes it’s mostly stress making her see and feel various things. It’s not until she meets Eddie that she begins to understand that perhaps the stories about the house are true.
There were many things I found enjoyable with The Haunted and the horror aspects didn’t hold back. Keep in mind that this is a YA book, so if you’re an adult looking to have the pants scared off you, this isn’t the book for you. Having said that, it’s certainly a great book to start with if your young readers are looking for an introduction into horror.
However, even with the many enjoyable things, there were many things I didn’t enjoy. Particularly the odd pacing and the unbelievable mundane things. No, I’m not talking about hauntings and ghosts being unbelievable, I’m talking about realistic events that don’t make any sense whatsoever. For example — Brady has just lain down for a nap when Hendricks got home from school, and by ten something at night, it was referenced that he was still “napping”. That’s one long (convenient) nap. And the insta-love was decidedly off-putting, especially since both parties spent very little time together. And I get that those things aren’t the focus of this book by any means, but I prefer mundane, simple, everyday things to just make sense and they just....didn’t.
All told, there were many elements I enjoyed, and there were many elements I didn’t, so The Haunted earns a solid 3 from me. Had the realistic, everyday things been more believable, I’d have definitely rated much higher. Would I still recommend this? Absolutely. Especially for young readers who want to read something spooky, but fall into that weird space where they’ve outgrown Goosebumps but aren’t quite ready for adult horror. This book would be perfect for any young reader who falls into that space and I’m sure they would love all the creepy happenings inside this book.
*ARC received courtesy of BookishFirst.