Krista Reviews: Simon Holt’s – “The Devouring”

The Vours: Evil, demonic beings that inhabit human bodies on Sorry Night, the darkest hours of the winter solstice.

When Reggie reads about the Vours in a mysterious old journal, she assumes they are just the musings of an anonymous lunatic. But then her little brother, Henry, begins to act strangely, and it’s clear that these creatures exist beyond a madwoman’s imagination. Reggie finds out what happens when fears come to life.

To save the people she loves, Reggie must learn to survive in a world of nightmares. Can she devour her own fears before they devour her? The Devouring is an engrossing tale of terror that will have you wondering: what if your worst fears became your living nightmare?

This book is very much a psychological thriller. You go inside the mind to battle the insecurities and doubts that the Vour has taken control of. It creeps inside you, makes you feel that there is no escape, and builds walls filled with horror that stop you from pushing it out. You then sink into yourself until you’re gone.

There is so much more I want to say, but am also struggling not to say too much. The book has fantastic, easy to relate to, and, at times, funny characters. It also has great pacing and constant fear building throughout the story—you won’t want to put it down.

Simon Holt is a genius when it comes to scaring the pants off you. I was entertained, I will be having nightmares, and I definitely will be picking up the rest of this series immediately. This story left me saying OMG! It made my skin crawl and put my senses into overdrive. There was one page in particular where I even read it with one eye closed and the other barely open. I needed to find out what happened next, but I am so grossed out by they spiders that it gave me shivers. From that page on, I read with voracity. I knew that there was no way I was going to bed until it was finished.

Pick this one up! It’s a young adult novel, but it is creepy; if you are prone to nightmares, you may need to beware. I feel like writing to all major motion pictures and pushing this book. I would love to see it as a movie! I am speechless and all I have to say is WOW!