When I received my review copy of The Devouring it came with a sticker on the front cover stating that I could get my money back if it wasn't scarier than Darren Shan. Although I didn't actually pay for this book, if I had I would definitely not be making use of this offer - I am a Darren Shan fan but The Devouring is much, much scarier.
I'm an absolute sucker for horror. I love it. Films, books, anything. Stephen King is my idol and I do wish there was more young adult horror. I find it's either adult (which is fine by me but it's not what I review) or a little too young for teens. Slight grumble aside, The Devouring is exactly what I'd been looking for. Perfect for teens, absolutely terrifying and brilliantly written. Definitely check it out - if you can stomach it.
The cover generated a lot of buzz on the blogs over the last few months and if you look at the picture I've included at the top of this review I'm sure you can see why. It's bold, in your face and extremely graphic - lovely stuff. The cover does set the tone for the rest of the book, though, so if that freaks you out you may be best to avoid this one. It really is scary.
The Vours are horrible, horrible villains. Ruthless, hell bent on nothing but terrifying their victims and scarily intelligent, they're fantastic to read about. Holt's description is second to none and I almost had to put the book down a couple of times to calm myself before I carried on - all the signs of a brilliant horror novel.
I think this one would work brilliantly in film. The Vours are so visual and there are so many scenes that I really saw playing out in my head as I was reading them - lots of drowning and nightmares and that excellent scene at the funfair. Funfairs have always creeped me out - and clowns. Yes, both of there feature in The Devouring. Awesome.
If you're not a horror fan and you're easily scared then I would exercise a little caution before reading The Devouring. I loved it but then again I love being scared. If you're prone to freaking yourself out then you probably will have nightmares to be honest - but a little scare isn't going to hurt anyone. Be brave and pick up a copy of this brilliant book.
