Monday, October 20, 2014

Review: MARY The Summoning by Hillary Monahan

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Series: Bloody Mary #1
Pages: 256
Received: Received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley

Release Date: September 2, 2014
Buy From Chapters.ca / Buy From BookDepository.com

Goodreads Synopsis:

There is a right way and a wrong way to summon her.

Jess had done the research. Success requires precision: a dark room, a mirror, a candle, salt, and four teenage girls. Each of them--Jess, Shauna, Kitty, and Anna--must link hands, follow the rules . . . and never let go.

A thrilling fear spins around the room the first time Jess calls her name: "Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. BLOODY MARY." A ripple of terror follows when a shadowy silhouette emerges through the fog, a specter trapped behind the mirror.

Once is not enough, though--at least not for Jess. Mary is called again. And again. But when their summoning circle is broken, Bloody Mary slips through the glass with a taste for revenge on her lips. As the girls struggle to escape Mary's wrath, loyalties are questioned, friendships are torn apart, and lives are forever altered.

A haunting trail of clues leads Shauna on a desperate search to uncover the legacy of Mary Worth. What she finds will change everything, but will it be enough to stop Mary--and Jess--before it's too late?

My Review:

This book was absolutely crazy, I did not expect it to be as creepy as it was, and I am glad that it exceeded my expectations. I was really interested to know how a story about the game Bloody Mary would come to be, and honestly this book really brought the ghost story to life even more. What I really found that made this book was the history of Mary Worth as these girls try to save themselves from this ghost.

Jess, Shauna, Kitty and Anna are a group of friends that one night decide to play Bloody Mary, but things end up going wrong and Mary comes out of the mirror and attempts to get her revenge. This situation really shows the friendship of these four girls as Mary sets her sights on one of them. Their lives are changed as Mary has the power to show up in any reflective surface, so Shauna begins to follow clues to find out who exactly Mary was.

Hillary Monahan definitely takes the idea of Bloody Mary to another level, I really believe that adding in historical factors to this story made it that much more enjoyable. Readers see a different side of Mary Worth, and as Shauna gets closer to certain details she finds out that there are many secrets still left to be uncovered. Hillary Monahan gave us a story to remember and definitely a great Halloween read. The scenes with Mary coming out of the mirror were so well written that I had to stop reading them at night because I felt I would get nightmares and not be able to look in a mirror again.

This book will definitely keep kids these days from ever wanting to try to call Bloody Mary themselves. I am interested to see what Hillary has next for the characters and for Bloody Mary. If you are looking for a good scare, I recommend checking this book out for sure! I for one can't wait for more of Mary's history. 

1 comment:

  1. I used to play the Bloody Mary "game" with my friends all the time when we were younger so I'm sure I would find this one plenty creepy as we always managed to scare ourselves somehow. Good to know you thought this one was a good Halloween read!

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