3 1/2 - 4 HeartsReview written for MM Good Book Reviews
Cody’s family moved to Florida after Cody’s failed suicide attempt in the hopes that a new start will bring Cody out of his depression. Cody hates Florida so he sulks alone in his house waiting for school to start, but he begins to notice something wrong on the street, there’s no signs of life. Cody begins to investigate the strange absence of neighbours and comes across a demonic survivors group on-line that talks about his street, and Cody strengthens his resolve not to fall victim to the terrible monster.
This is a great young adult paranormal story that delicately borders the horror genre. Cody is sixteen, he suffered bullying when he was outed by someone he thought liked him, now after a failed suicide attempt his parents have moved to Florida so he can have a new start. Cody has noticed something wrong on their street though and is determined to get to the bottom of it, it leads his to make horrifying discoveries and leads him on a path that will test his sanity and make some unusual friends.
I really enjoyed this book with its mysterious paranormal aspects and the friendships Cody discovers with a diverse group of demonic attack survivors and the sweet relationship he develops with Adam, a young man who survived an attack similar to his own. The way the story develops is wonderful, making you wonder at first if Cody isn’t really just imagining it all and is losing his sanity, the way that it further develops to include everyone from the DSG and leads us on a further adventure than just Tanglewood.
Cody is a typical teenager, he mopes and whines, is depressed and doesn’t want to do anything. The new friends he meets are brilliant, Adam a teenager who has been through hell and locked up in a mental institution, Dominic an older gentleman who has been hunted by a curse, Lin who lost her son to an evil spirit, Caleb who lost a friend in a strange way and Naomi who had a narrow escape from a succubus’s son. Together they come together to help each other out and it makes a great story. I am looking forward to the sequel Clearclay Park to see what this group of people face next.
I recommend this to those who love young adult stories, paranormal bordering on horror, twists and taking on the paranormal and a happy for now ending.
