A bit of a downer, but phenomenally well done horror
This book is a bit of a downer, but it kept me turning pages and it has a gripping and positive ending.
Poor Jake does not have the best life to begin with and things only get darker when this poor baby medium comes up against the vengeful ghost of school shooter, Sawyer.
There is so much that happens as the story progresses to show both how Sawyer got to be a vengeful ghost and how Jake experiences the world and all he has to put up with. The parallels between the two are many, but as much as situations are similar, they have very different support systems. And that is ultimately what leads to the big faceoff in the exciting conclusion.
I fully believe that Douglass earns all the praise this book is receiving just from how humanely he treats Sawyer and the fact that his mental state might have led him to do what he did, but it was totally the fault of the adult in his life, his mom, not taking mental health seriously and apparently only caring about what others might say about her son being in treatment.
It's dark and a bit depressing, but very well written with a plot that pulls you in and doesn't let go. I see why it's been getting such great press.
Happy thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the read!
Poor Jake does not have the best life to begin with and things only get darker when this poor baby medium comes up against the vengeful ghost of school shooter, Sawyer.
There is so much that happens as the story progresses to show both how Sawyer got to be a vengeful ghost and how Jake experiences the world and all he has to put up with. The parallels between the two are many, but as much as situations are similar, they have very different support systems. And that is ultimately what leads to the big faceoff in the exciting conclusion.
I fully believe that Douglass earns all the praise this book is receiving just from how humanely he treats Sawyer and the fact that his mental state might have led him to do what he did, but it was totally the fault of the adult in his life, his mom, not taking mental health seriously and apparently only caring about what others might say about her son being in treatment.
It's dark and a bit depressing, but very well written with a plot that pulls you in and doesn't let go. I see why it's been getting such great press.
Happy thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the read!