Horror – NEVER JUDGE TEEN BOOKS BY THEIR COVERS

Eclipse (Twilight Series #3) by Stephenie Meyer

Blurb: ‘Bella?’ Edward’s soft voice came from behind me. I turned to see him spring lightly up the porch steps, his hair windblown from running. He pulled me into his arms at once, and kissed me again. His kiss frightened me. There was too much tension, too strong an edge to the way his lips crushed mine – like he was afraid we had only so much time left to us.
As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob – knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

Price: £5.99

Age: 13+

The first book review of 2017, yay!

I definitely enjoyed this more than the second book in the series (New Moon).

This book was much better than the 2nd but it still hasn’t beaten the 1st book. I really liked the increase in characters in this book (including new recruits to the werewolf gang) as the same old characters were starting to get a bit boring to read about. This book was a lot more thrilling and violent than the others for reasons that I cannot say because they would be spoilers. I liked this book more because Bella was less of a drip and it was a lot more exciting with some Vampire problems (in Seattle). The only thing I would say is there were a lot of moments where nothing was really happening and there was just a boring conversation. Also, there were stupid arguments with Edward and Jacob which were completely unnecessary and petty, which annoyed quite a bit. All in all, I did like the book and would recommend it, so it gets a 7.5 out of 10.

Asylum (#1) by Madeleine Roux

jimbob Blurb: For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, the New Hampshire College Prep program is the chance of a lifetime. Except that when Dan arrives, he finds that the usual summer housing has been closed, forcing students to stay in the crumbling Brookline Dorm formerly a psychiatric hospital. As Dan and his new friends Abby and Jordan start exploring Brookline’s twisty halls and hidden basement, they uncover disturbing secrets about what really went on here . . . secrets that link Dan and his friends to the asylum’s dark past. Because Brookline was no ordinary mental hospital, and there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.”

Age: 14+

Price: £7.99

You probably know that it is Halloween tomorrow and I am soooooo excited as it is one of my favourite times of the year (can’t wait to go ‘Trick or Treating’). So here is a creepy/scary book for you.

This book is absolutely terrifying and addictive. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My best friend lent it to me after reading the whole series (this is the first one by the way) and said I should read it, so I did, and BAM!!!! I love it! It is so scary and creepy and I couldn’t put it down. My favourite character was definitely Abby and I like Jordan as well. There was a really clever plot twist at the end that I really enjoyed. My favourite bit however was near the end when suddenly everything pieced together and you finally understood everything. You should definitely read this book as it is perfect for giving you nightmares on Halloween night (don’t worry, it’s not that creepy). I give it a 10 out of 10!!!!!! And recommend it to both genders and to anyone who loved ‘Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children’. And…….

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge

Blurb: Faith’s father has been found dead under mysterious circumstances, and as she is searching through his belongings for clues she discovers a strange tree. The tree only grows healthy and bears fruit if you whisper a lie to it. The fruit of the tree, when eaten, will deliver a hidden truth to the person who consumes it. The bigger the lie, the more people who believe it, the bigger the truth that is uncovered.

The girl realizes that she is good at lying and that the tree might hold the key to her father’s murder, so she begins to spread untruths far and wide across her small island community. But as her tales spiral out of control, she discovers that where lies seduce, truths shatter . . .

Age: 12+

Price: £6.99

As you may know, this is a well recognised book, having won the Costa Award which is a very big book award, and was nominated for the Bookseller YA shortlist award 2016. I read this book and I really enjoyed it. I have read another Frances Hardinge book called ‘Cuckoo Song’ click this link to read the review of it….http://larawhitfield.co.uk/?p=162 but personally I preferred ‘The Lie Tree’. Unlike her other books, this one includes a murder and I know all of them are mystery books, but this one is an actual murder story! I liked that you have no idea who the murderer is right up until just before it is revealed. This book is set in the 1860s as Frances said at Hay Festival and I found it really sad that the main character Faith, was turned down by her Father and his scientist colleges because she was female. This book is full of secrets and lies and it is very superstitious which I could relate to. However, the thing that made love the book the most and that probbly pushed it from a 9 to a 10 was simply the way that it was written, I just love the way that Frances Hardinge writes her books. The way a book is written tends to change things, maybe it’s just me (oh well). I had my copy of this book signed by Frances Hardinge at the Hay Festival as well which is an extra bonus. This book is for both genders and I give this book a 10 out of 10 stars and hope you enjoy it too.

P.S. I am finally on Instagram, username is NJTBBTC

P.P.S. NJTBBTC unless you haven’t worked it out stands for Never Judge Teen Books By Their Covers….

The Withered Arm by Thomas Hardy

Blurb: The road from Anglebury to Holmstoke is in general level; but there is one place where a sharp ascent breaks its monotony. Farmers homeward-bound from the former market-town, who trot all the rest of the way, walk their horses up this short incline. The next evening, while the sun was yet bright, a handsome new gig, with a lemon-coloured body and red wheels, was spinning westward along the level highway at the heels of a powerful mare. The driver was a yeoman in the prime of life, cleanly shaven like an actor, his face being toned to that bluish-vermilion hue which so often graces a thriving farmer’s features when returning home after successful dealings in the town. Beside him sat a woman, many years his junior—almost, indeed, a girl. Her face too was fresh in colour, but it was of a totally different quality—soft and evanescent, like the light under a heap of rose-petals

Price: £1.00 or free on the kindle

Age: 13+

This book is a short story by a very well respected author. The book is creepy and weird, but not so much scary (I don’t know if I was meant to find it scary, so watch out) yet it still comes into the horror category. It is a victorian so some readers may struggle with the language, but I didn’t find it very difficult so you probably won’t either. I got this book for my birthday and it took me about 45 mins to read it, it is very short and definetly worth reading. It is about a woman who accidently curses her ex-husbands new wife. Hence the title, it’s about a woman with a withered arm and lots of odd things happen along the way. This book is absolutely amazing and I highly reccommmend it to anyone who is into short but intruiging stories. This is aimed at both girls and boys and I hope you enjoy the book.

Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Blurb: A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children;, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here – one of whom was his own grandfather – were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow – impossible though it seems – they may still be alive.

Price: £7.99

Age: 13+

WARNING: This book is creepy!

This book is by far the weirdest book I have ever read, and if you thought that Frances Hardinge wrote weird books, then think again! I came across this book because of my best friend, she was talking non stop about it and then she lent it to me to read. So, obviously I read it. The start wasn’t my favourite part of the book, I liked the very first chapter with his granddad telling the stories, but then, I don’t really know, I guess it didn’t fit in as well as the rest of the book. But after the not as good part, came the great part. This book is about a boy who meets a load of children who have strange abilities, and then becomes friends with them. There is a film being made about this book, so read the book before you see the film because the film looks amazing! There is some swearing in the book which I highly doubt will be in the film, but you never know. This book is part of a series, the second one is called ‘Hollow City’ and the third is called ‘Library of Souls’. I can’t wait to read the other two, please give this book a go if you like weirdness and horror.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Scariest book I have ever read!!!

Blurb: When blood is the bounty, purity is priceless.

Count Dracula’s castle is a hellish world where night is day, pleasure is pain and the blood of the innocent is prized above all. Young Jonathan Harker is begged by locals not to go there – but business must be done.

So Jonathan approaches the dark gates and then his nightmare begins. His beloved wife, Mina, and other souls have fallen under the Count’s horrifying spell. Dracula must be destroyed.

Age: 13+

Price: £6.99

This book is gory, terrifying and sexy in some parts of the novel. This book is an old classic, published in 1887 which makes older than any of the other books that I have posted or talked about on this website. This is the scariest book I have ever read and one of the best. Aimed at both genders and I give it 10 out of 10 stars. Please tell your parents you are reading this because it is a scary novel, also I would suggest that you are a confident reader to read this book as some of the words and language they use is hard to understand in some places. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did, please tell me if you loved it or hated. This book will completely change your perspective of Vampires as Bram Stoker was the man who invented the vampires and the thing about garlic, teaks, crucifixes, etc.

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge

Blurb: The first things to shift were the doll’s eyes, the beautiful grey green glass eyes. Slowly they swivelled, until their gaze was resting on Triss’ s face. The tiny mouth moved, opened to speak.

‘What are you doing here?’ It was uttered in tones of outrage and surprise, and in a voice as cold and musical as the clinking of cups. ‘Who do you think you are? This is my family.’

When Triss wakes up after an accident, she knows that something is very wrong. She is insatiably hungry; her sister seems scared of her and her parents whisper behind closed doors. She looks through her diary to try to remember, but the pages have been ripped out.

Soon Triss discovers that what happened to her is more strange and terrible than she could ever have imagined, and that she is quite literally not herself. In a quest find the truth she must travel into the terrifying Underbelly of the city to meet a twisted architect who has dark designs on her family – before it’s too late . . .

Age: 12+

Price: £7.99

This is a horror novel, so if you are not into those kind of things, don’t read it! Personally, I didn’t find it very scary, but I have read a lot of scary novels, so that might be why. This has an original story line and is hard to predict what will happen next, if you love surprises, this is the book for you, however, if you don’t like creepy doll’s, DO NOT READ THIS!!! This book is mostly aimed at girls, and I give 9.5 stars out of 10.