b00k r3vi3ws

Lea Sutter is a travel adventure writer and blogger. She decides to travel to Cape Le Chat Noir, is a tiny island that has a reputation for being cursed. Even with a hurricane heading towards the island Lea takes a trip to this intriguing island. But the hurricane leaves the island in ruins and Lea finds 12 year-old twin boys on the beach who were now orphans. Feeling an instant connection, Lea decides to adopt them. It takes her some convincing to get her husband Mark, a child psychologist, on the same page with her on this matter. They already have two children, Ira and Elena, and so settling down with two more almost teenage sons was going to take some work that they were prepared for – or they thought so!

I have been a huge R.L.Stine fan while growing up, thanks to his Goosebumps books. Horror is a difficult genre to write and there are very few authors who can do it well by keeping clear of the line that when crossed turns horror factors into downright tacky situations. R.L.Stine is one of those authors who can write horror stories and write them well. So I had certain expectations from the book when I picked this one up.

I have to admit that the author is as usual perfect when it comes to setting up the backdrop of the story and describing certain situations expertly. Whether be it on the cursed island or back home at Long Island, Lea and Mark’s world and surroundings are vividly clear to the readers. As for characterisation, I did like the way he built each one up. From the adventurous Lea to the somewhat sceptic Mark – there is a variety and individualistic feel in the characters. I also like the narration style of the story. Narrated in third person, the story gives you the feeling of that of watching a movie as scenes change and characters come and go out of focus. There was an expected yet surprising twist in the end which effectively rounds up the story.

Everything was good about this book yet I can’t help but feel that there was something missing. It may be because I had set up my expectation standard way to high from what I remember feeling about the Goosebumps stories. In any case, this book is absolutely worth investing your time and money in if you love Horror stories.