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Book Description
A cool and edgy supernatural teen thriller from the master fantasy writer, Graham Joyce.
Product Description
The time has come . . .
Sophie and James's paths don't cross. Why would they? She's from rough Abbey South School and he's your typical Castle Gate posh geek. They have nothing in common.
Or so they thought. For the truth is that they both share a special and dangerous gift: they are savants. Innately sensitive to the presence of ghosts and spirits, they share strange visions and visitations from frightening messengers.
With no one else to turn to, they must come together to understand the meaning of the spectres and apparitions that they sense all over their town.
Why have they been chosen? Who are these unhappy souls calling from afar? What dangers lurk behind the shadowy eyes of strangers? And can Sophie and James overcome the presence of evil to save their friends and themselves?
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Surprised to find no one has reviewed this book yet, so I'll share my thoughts. I bought this book as I'm a huge fan of Graham Joyce, whether it's his adult fiction, his YA books or his football memoir!
The story is a good yarn and well told. Great visuals -- I particularly liked the sequences where Sophie meets people in her dreams. The protagonists are realistic and very likable, just as the antagonist is a seriously disturbing entity who 'possesses' young children. So far, so Joyce. My one reservation -- and the reason for the missing star in my overall rating -- is I felt there was a missed opportunity. It would have been good if the entity was a metaphor (I'm being careful not to drop a spoiler here). I'm not saying children's books must always carry a moral message, but this was one book that would have benefited from it. You almost feel that Joyce was heading that way then swerved away at the last minute.
This book seemed to be aimed at a slightly younger audience than previous titles such as 'Do the Creepy Thing', 'TWOC', 'Three Ways to Snog an Alien'. Not sure if that was an intentional thing or just the way it came out of the oven. I've passed it over to my nine-year-old daughter whereas I'd think twice about letting her read the other titles I mentioned. And, for the record, she is burning through it. So that's four stars from me and a potential five stars from her.
Mind you, we are both curious as to the title, 'The Devil's Ladder'. Its a bit cryptic to say the least. Not what either of us expected at all.
The story is a good yarn and well told. Great visuals -- I particularly liked the sequences where Sophie meets people in her dreams. The protagonists are realistic and very likable, just as the antagonist is a seriously disturbing entity who 'possesses' young children. So far, so Joyce. My one reservation -- and the reason for the missing star in my overall rating -- is I felt there was a missed opportunity. It would have been good if the entity was a metaphor (I'm being careful not to drop a spoiler here). I'm not saying children's books must always carry a moral message, but this was one book that would have benefited from it. You almost feel that Joyce was heading that way then swerved away at the last minute.
This book seemed to be aimed at a slightly younger audience than previous titles such as 'Do the Creepy Thing', 'TWOC', 'Three Ways to Snog an Alien'. Not sure if that was an intentional thing or just the way it came out of the oven. I've passed it over to my nine-year-old daughter whereas I'd think twice about letting her read the other titles I mentioned. And, for the record, she is burning through it. So that's four stars from me and a potential five stars from her.
Mind you, we are both curious as to the title, 'The Devil's Ladder'. Its a bit cryptic to say the least. Not what either of us expected at all.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a straight-up ghost story for teens. Sophie befriends the geeky James when they both see an ominous, quickly-vanishing message on a wall: "The time has come." Their smart but decrepit old friend, Mrs Royston, explains that they are ...moreThis is a straight-up ghost story for teens. Sophie befriends the geeky James when they both see an ominous, quickly-vanishing message on a wall: "The time has come." Their smart but decrepit old friend, Mrs Royston, explains that they are 'savants', gifted(?) with the ability to see what others can't. Weird dreams lead them to explore an abandoned house, where unquiet spirits roam. The demonic climax is dark and exciting.
This is all very atmospheric and creepy, but it also holds the reader with its compelling characters: Sophie and James are very believable teenagers, fun to read about, and indeed the novel sets up the possibility of 'psychic detective' sequels.
(The title, however, is wildly irrelevant to the book, which barely features a ladder, and when it does it's just that: a ladder. Doubtless dreamt up by the publisher's marketing department!)
This is all very atmospheric and creepy, but it also holds the reader with its compelling characters: Sophie and James are very believable teenagers, fun to read about, and indeed the novel sets up the possibility of 'psychic detective' sequels.
(The title, however, is wildly irrelevant to the book, which barely features a ladder, and when it does it's just that: a ladder. Doubtless dreamt up by the publisher's marketing department!)
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