Source Borrowed ARC
Published by Harlequin Teen on September 29, 2015
Borrowed ARC in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Rating:
Cover image and summary from Goodreads:
When sixteen-year-old Amanda Verner's family decides to move from their small mountain cabin to the vast prairie, she hopes it is her chance for a fresh start. She can leave behind the memory of the past winter; of her sickly Ma giving birth to a baby sister who cries endlessly; of the terrifying visions she saw as her sanity began to slip, the victim of cabin fever; and most of all, the memories of the boy she has been secretly meeting with as a distraction from her pain. The boy whose baby she now carries.
When the Verners arrive at their new home, a large cabin abandoned by its previous owners, they discover the inside covered in blood. And as the days pass, it is obvious to Amanda that something isn't right on the prairie. She's heard stories of lands being tainted by evil, of men losing their minds and killing their families, and there is something strange about the doctor and his son who live in the woods on the edge of the prairie. But with the guilt and shame of her sins weighing on her, Amanda can't be sure if the true evil lies in the land, or deep within her soul.
I was super excited to read this book! I love spooky, creepy YA horror and with October (and Halloween) around the corner, I felt like it was the right time to check this book out! Thank you to my friend Ciara for letting me read it 🙂
I loved the story’s setting: very remote and isolated, which definitely contributed to the spooky atmosphere. The tension and chills in this book were gradually built up, which I don’t usually mind (I actually enjoy that, for the most part), but much of this book felt very slow compared to the end, when suddenly everything ramped up and there were finally some truly frightening, creepy, chilling moments.
I agree with much of Beth’s Goodreads review (SPOILER ALERT IF YOU CLICK THE LINK), because I feel like at the end, the story became what I had hoped it would have been, but the first half or more of the book was not as scary, nor did it move as quickly, as the final section.
I also was left with a bunch of questions when I finished. However, it was a really fun read and I finished it in one day, because I simply couldn’t put it down. Recommended!