Courtney Alameda

And they lived happily ever after...

Had my life been a movie, like I often wish it was, that would have scrolled across the screen as I flipped the last few pages of this book. Shutter and I started out on rocky terrain. I just wasn't sure we were compatible, and worried we wouldn't go the distance. Then, about halfway through, something magical happened. My eyes were glued to the page. My heart was beating a mile a minute. I was hooked. Redemption!

If you want to know why I chose this show more book, look no further than the fact that the Helsings and Stokers are involved. Descendants of the vampire elite? Yes please, and thank you. I had visions of stakes flying, havoc being wrought and all manner of creepy baddies appearing as I turned the first page of this book. As it turns out, I was right on all accounts! I'll simply say this: don't give up on this story. The beginning does start out a bit slow, but once things pick up? You'll be holding on for dear life.

I think my favorite piece was that Shutter is a "girl saves the boy" type story. Micheline isn't afraid of things that go bump in the night. She doesn't need anyone to save her, except herself. She does, however, appreciate the way a perfectly synchronized team works. I loved her fire. I was attracted to her strength. What sold me indefinitely though was her willingness to admit when she'd been bested, although not by the creatures she'd assume would ultimately take her down. Cryptic you say? Yes, intentionally. I won't spoil a minute for you.

Although this started slow, I can't give it any less than four stars. The middle, and the ending, were completely brilliant. They caught me up, covered me in necrotic gore, and left me breathless. I'm so happy, I could cry. show less

OK. OK. "Shutter" is really amazing. I can't believe this is Alameda's first book, etc etc etc. WOW.

The writing is solid and atmospheric and the main group of protagonists is extremely likeable. Micheline, our narrator, is both a bad-ass slayer of the undead and an emotionally complex, PTSD-suffering teenage girl. I had one issue with her, and that was that she wasn't catching onto Dracula's identity quickly enough. I know she's grown up thinking vampires don't have souls, making the show more enemy's identity implausible, but with ALL THE CLUES, good lord MICHELINE. Other than that, she didn't suffer from a case of character dumbs, so all is forgiven and she was an enjoyable (if messed up) head to be inside. The boys were all fun to get to know as well. Jude ended up being more fleshed-out than I was thinking he'd be, Oliver was the nerd-tech-with-the-high-kill-count of my dreams, and, what can I say, Ryder was hot, Australian, and good with a gun. Let there be more secret-badass Bianca in future books, please.

OK, so the atmosphere and world-building was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I admit, I became wary of this book when I noticed the "Van Helsing" connection in the blurb (big shoes to fill, etc). It could have gone so wrong, but instead it went so right and HOORAH for including THE SEWARDS. Loved the almost immediate classification of the levels of necrotics. (WHAT IS A GLASGOW GIRL IN THIS WORLD BTW PLEASE BE IN FUTURE BOOKS). Though with the inclusion of vampires, and the disturbing/horrifying/bloodcurdling descriptions of every other necrotic in the story, I was hoping Dracula would reveal his "true form" or something at the end. Some unhinged jaw, extreme-Nosferatu-looking thing. And maybe he still will in later books, who knows. I also loved the ghost-hunting technology and the "science" behind it. Capturing ghosts in cameras? COOL. Sapping their energy frame by frame? COOL. Just very different. (Thank you for not wielding a crossbow, Micheline *wipes brow*)

The hospital portion at the beginning really set the atmosphere for the rest of book. Gore, jump scares, AND creep-up-on-you-slow-horror. The poem *shudder*. The ghost RIPPING OUT OF A CORPSE *screams*. And then Micheline's back story *ugly crying/more screaming*. Everything was so well-described and the atmosphere so fully-realized that I felt like I was playing through a top-level survival horror game.

In summary: *standing ovation* show less

Recommended?: Oh hell yes. Especially if you love horror and supernatural adventures, friends-as-family and teens hunting monsters, I think you will love this book. (Note: Micheline’s world is a world of men, and there are very few other female characters, which is unfortunate.)

“I have a duty to do, a duty to others, a duty to you, a duty to the dead, and by God, I shall do it.”

Oh, that motto.

I have been looking forward to SHUTTER from the moment I first saw the cover last year. It’s show more a gorgeous, creepy cover, and I had high hopes for the book. SHUTTER, and Alameda’s writing, definitely met my expectations. What better day to share a review of one of my new favorite books in one of my favorite genres than on Friday the 13th, one of my favorite days. There are motorcycles and monsters and guns. It’s no wonder I love this book.

SHUTTER is a ghost story and a monster story all rolled up into one. It incorporates all sorts of wonderful horror elements: creepy mirrors, jump scares, monsters and monstrous creations, and friends teaming up to save themselves and to save the world. Alameda’s descriptions, while sometimes over the top (in a cheesy horror movie way that I still appreciate), are amazing. There’s blood and gore and scary things around every corner.

(I never found myself actually scared, because I read and watch a lot of horror, and I am difficult to scare, but Alameda made me care about the characters and therefore worry about their fates. Even at the slowest moments, I never disengaged with the story.)

Micheline is a fantastic hero and narrator, and a great continuation of the Helsing line. I love that she’s stubborn and secretive and know-it-all and confident and just a little full of herself. She’s a Helsing. Not only is she a Helsing, but she’s the last Helsing, and she’s been raised as monster hunting royalty. An overly-confident, slightly condescending, strong-willed Helsing with a superiority complex? SAY IT AIN’T SO. I would have expected nothing less from a descendant of the original. She messes up, and she gets scared, and she pays the price, but she keeps going, and she’s wonderful.

I was impressed with the action sequences. Fight scenes can be hard to write, especially when there are multiple scenes close together and you have to not only make each one dynamic and frightening and dangerous, but must keep them from sounding similar. Alameda does an amazing job at this. Each different fight scene kept the stakes high and the adrenaline flowing, and I loved them.

I didn’t find the forbidden romance as believable as the rest of the writing and characterizations, but it didn’t take away from the story for me. I don’t really care about Micheline and Ryder’s relationship, except that I loved Micheline as a character and therefore want her to be happy. Still, there were a couple of nice scenes between them, and it never distracted me from the horror adventures.

The friendships between Micheline and her team were really well done. I loved the way they cared for each other, had each other’s backs, and were loyal no matter what else happened or what else their families might want. They are a wonderful chosen family, and I love them for it.

I did find the plot fairly predictable, but in that way where I find most horror at least somewhat predictable. I’m not necessarily looking for a surprise, I want to care about the characters and immerse myself in a creepy, monstrous world, and SHUTTER definitely delivered. There was one particular plot thread where I thought the characters were being incredibly stupid and ignoring obvious points (carrying the idiot ball), but mostly I was thrilled to be along for the ride.

That makes my one big complaint even more frustrating to me. I love this book and the characters. Because I love it so much, I am disappointed by the fact there are basically no other girls in the story. Micheline’s world is a world of boys, and that frustrates the hell out of me. There is absolutely no reason her team couldn’t have included other girls, no reason friendships between girls couldn’t be just as important as the friendships between the boys or between a girl and the boys. Micheline is a fantastic hero, but the few other girls mentioned are love interests (of straight boys, natch) and victims, with very little else to do, and that is disappointing.

In the end, I loved the writing and the world Alameda created, and was absolutely caught up with the characters and their adventures hunting monsters, but I wish there had been more girls and girl friendships. show less

Micheline Helsing is a tetrochromat, who has the ability to see different types of ghostlight thanks to an extra color receptor in her eyes. She's famous due to her lineage, her very recognizable name, and her stellar reputation for destroying corporeal and noncorporeal undead. One day, she and her crew (made up of Oliver the technogeek, Jude the psychic, and Ryder the fighter) are called to an emergency situation at a hospital where the original team was overwhelmed by a ghost. They charge show more in despite being still students (and technically shouldn't be there at all) and predictably are also overwhelmed by a creature unlike anything they've seen. Now, all are bound by ghostly chains that grow tighter and colder every day until they are eventually the ghost's puppets. Micheline and her friends only have a few days to exorcise the creature and free themselves before they are as good as dead.

Young adult horror is typically pretty boring, predictable, and super toned down for the audience. I keep reading them to try to find those gems that capture horror and don't let the age group of the target audience water down the story. Shutter is one of those gems and I loved it. The world is incredible. I was expecting a Buffy the Vampire Slayer style world where there are supernatural creatures, but they are hidden from the public because the creatures of worlds beyond our own would shatter their fragile little minds. I was wrong. The story has a very cool alternate reality where the first instance paranecrotic creatures were discovered in the 15th century during the Black Death pandemic. Later, in the late 19th century, the Helsing, Stoker, Seward, Harker, and McCoy families joined forces and created an organization to fight the various types of undead, resulting in Dracula's death and the in depth study of these harmful creatures. Fast forward over a hundred years and the Helsing Corps is alive and thriving, keeping the public safe from the undead menace. This story feels like peering through a keyhole into the world with so many other possibilities and stories within it. It's the mark of a fleshed out world and a feeling look forward to. The mechanics of the world are supported with logical and scientific explanations for a supernatural phenomena. Modern technology and scientific advances will logically dispel the mystery around such creatures and provide scientific solutions through experimentation and study. I especially enjoyed Micheline's method of capturing ghost energy in her SLR camera and imprisoning it in film as opposed to using bulky mirrors.

The characters are vivid and enjoyable to read. Micheline is tough, accomplished, and smart, but also emotionally crippled by grief and prone to reckless behavior. She feels crushing guilt because she assumes responsibility for her mother's and little brothers' deaths, aided by her accusing and equally grief stricken father. Before this event, she was the first woman to successfully lead the Helsing Corps against the undead. She takes her calling and the family business very seriously and even discovered the effectiveness of an SLR camera as a weapon against incorporeal foes. Because of the tragedy that tore her family apart, Micheline is the last of the Helsing line. Therefore, her father expects her to marry an appropriate man from an approved bloodline and produce heirs like a broodmare. Micheline has her own ideas on the subject. Her heart lies with Ryder, the boy she grew up with who came from nothing but has become a very accomplished member of the Corps. Micheline's father wants to control all aspects of her life, including her reproductive choices. The chains that wrap so tightly around the young heroes is representative at least partially of the expectations of authority figures and the inability to choose freely. While the forbidden love angle is typical in young adult fiction, I enjoyed it and it had its place in the story without overpowering the more important conflicts. My favorite minor character is Oliver because of his contrast with Micheline. His life is the opposite of hers with supportive parents who challenge him instead of crush his spirit. He also views everything through a scientific and logical lens.

Shutter is thematically similar to The Babadook. The tragedy of the possession of her mother and the resulting deaths of her mother and her little brothers shattered Micheline's world. None of her other accomplishments really mean anything to her because she failed her family when they needed her most. Her relationship with her father is completely obliterated because of unprocessed and ignored grief. For so long, she thought that simply locking away any feelings, including love and affection, towards her family would lessen her pain. Their old house is a time capsule, frozen at the moment of these traumatic deaths. They even opted to leave most of their things there instead of bearing even happy memories those things conjure of their deceased loved ones. Both she and her father are too busy ignoring their feelings and each other to heal and go on with their lives. He smothers her with rules, expectations, and commands while she rebels in quiet ways until their conflict explodes with physical violence from her father. The chains that grow and constrict her throughout the novel are also symbolic of this grief and how she can't truly move on from it. The ghost turns out to be her mother, so the central conflict of the story becomes actually about confronting her feelings, acknowledging this very formative event, accepting the deaths of her mother and brothers, and moving on.

My only problem with the novel is fairly minor. The choice of the Catholic faith as the one to protect its followers from evil was odd because of the focus on the scientific method of studying and destroying these monsters. It simply felt out of place. Religion didn't have a lot to do with novel, but Oliver and others of Micheline's crew were considered vulnerable to this evil because of their lack of faith. I suspect this is a nod to Bram Stoker's Dracula and its methods of dealing with vampires rather than endorsing religion, but it still bothered me. Shutter is an excellent young adult horror novel that not only tackles realistic issues like grief and familial expectations, but creates an impressive alternate history with vampires, ghosts, and zombies. The story is fast paced and exciting with relatable characters, action, and a large dollop of blood and gore. I hope it's the first in a series that will continue and I look forward to more from Courtney Alameda. show less