This is a great creepy, quick read. Can't wait for the next installment. Great characters, great monsters, awesome. ( )

The Devouring was exactly what I expected it to be. Mind-numbingly and deliciously sinister horror wrapped up in a fantastically driven plot! (Hmm...that was a lot of adjectives, but apropos!) Thank you Simon Holt, you have my utter devotion.

Reggie discovers a journal about the Vours, but she thinks that it's all a story. If it's a story it can't hurt her right? Wrong. From the moment Reggie first found the journal I knew that I was in for a wild ride! As a big horror fan, I probably read more into plots than a lot of other people when it comes to these types of books. I want to be scared yes, but I want to be scared for a reason. I need to feel invested!

When the synopsis says that Reggie enters a living nightmare, I tell you friends, they really aren't lying. There are portions of the book that made me shiver and sigh audibly. When the words that you are reading on the page sneak into your head and present vivid pictures, you know that the writing is done well. When those words are horrifying, well let's just say Simon Holt accomplished this so well that I had a hard time reading this book after dark.

Reggie is a wonderful protagonist in this story. Like all of my favorite female main characters, she is spunky and smart. My favorite parts about her were her willingness to take on the responsibilities that were unfairly handed to her and her big family-centered heart. She reminded me a lot of myself in these two areas. Capable of turning into superwoman to protect her family if the need arises! Paired with wiry and nervous Aaron, they were the perfect pair to follow through this story.

Did I mention that Reggie has a passion for books and works in a book store? Yup, we could be friends.
( )

The existence of Vours, supernatural creatures who feast on fear and attack on the eve of the winter solstice, becomes a terrifying reality for fifteen-year-old Reggie when she begins to suspect that her timid younger brother might be one of their victims.

I'm being generous. ( )

I'm being generous. ( )