Review: This House is Haunted by John Boyne

Publisher: Doubleday
Pages: 204

Received: Received a copy from Random House of Canada in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: April 25, 2013
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Goodreads Synopsis:

1867. Eliza Caine arrives in Norfolk to take up her position as governess at Gaudlin Hall on a dark and chilling night. As she makes her way across the station platform, a pair of invisible hands push her from behind into the path of an approaching train. She is only saved by the vigilance of a passing doctor.

When she finally arrives, shaken, at the hall she is greeted by the two children in her care, Isabella and Eustace. There are no parents, no adults at all, and no one to represent her mysterious employer. The children offer no explanation. Later that night in her room, a second terrifying experience further reinforces the sense that something is very wrong.

From the moment she rises the following morning, her every step seems dogged by a malign presence which lives within Gaudlin's walls. Eliza realises that if she and the children are to survive its violent attentions, she must first uncover the hall's long-buried secrets and confront the demons of its past.

My Review:

For such a short book, this story definitely packed a lot in it. I was sent this book a little while ago and I let it sit on my shelf not really knowing much about it. I'm glad I decided to finally get around to reading it. It was a perfect amount of creepiness to it that really made the book. This was a dark story and yet in a weird way it is also kind of a loving story, and I really enjoyed that addition.

Right from the beginning of the book you can see that something is not right, and Eliza notices it as well. Things just keep going from bad to worse, and Eliza spends her time investigating what happened at this house. What I really liked was what Eliza would do for these children, it is her job to take care of Isabella and Eustace and she takes that very seriously.

The children were very interesting characters, and the way they acted really added to the story. They have had some tough times, and you can see that they have some coping problems. These children were creepy and you had no idea what was going on, Isabella was the more special of the two I believe. All in all, Eliza was such a strong character, in the beginning she seems like a very innocent girl who doesn't really know a lot about the world, but you see her strength as she deals with the people in town and she tries to unravel the mystery of Gaudlin Hall.

This book kept me up at night, wondering what crazy things would happen next for Eliza and the children. The ending of this book was crazy and I loved what happened, and how you certain things get explained. The one thing about this book that really kept me going was how throughout the story, John Boyne really shows that family is everything, it makes you think sometimes about what you have and that you need to cherish those close to you.

This was a perfect ghost story, and one that will keep you going, you just won't want to put it down. 

Review: The Bear by Claire Cameron

Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Pages: 240

Received: Received a copy from Random House of Canada in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: February 11, 2014
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Goodreads Synopsis:

A powerfully suspenseful story narrated by a young girl who must fend for herself and her little brother after a brutal bear attack.

While camping with her family on a remote island, five-year-old Anna awakes in the night to the sound of her mother screaming. A rogue black bear, 300 pounds of fury, is attacking the family's campsite, pouncing on her parents as prey.

At her dying mother's faint urging, Anna manages to get her brother into the family's canoe and paddle away. But when the canoe dumps the two children on the edge of the woods, and the sister and brother must battle hunger, the elements, and a dangerous wilderness, we see Anna's heartbreaking love for her family--and her struggle to be brave when nothing in her world seems safe anymore.

Told in the honest, raw voice of five-year-old Anna, this is a riveting story of love, courage, and survival.

My Review:

Oh my, what a book this was. I had such difficulties putting this down, I just wanted the story to keep going. I really believe that Claire Cameron did an amazing job writing this, she had the perfect voice for the narrator. This book is terrifying because it is something that could potentially happen, and as you go on you just want these two children to be okay.

I loved the voice of Anna, in ways it reminded me of ROOM by Emma Donaghue (which is a favourite of mine). Readers can really feel the innocence in the voice and how confusing the situation is for the children because of their age. It was very interesting to see how Anna got through everything, and seeing how she takes care of her little brother (even though she doesn't always like him).

This is such an honest story but because Anna is such a young narrator, she sees everything differently, which is what makes this story so unique. It was heartbreaking to imagine what these two children had to go through, there were so many things that two young children would not understand and would not know how to battle. The weather and the dangers of being in the wilderness, but through it all, Anna's fierce love of her family is what gets her through.

I think this is a strong story for anyone, it's a story that is about heart and doing anything you can to survive the worst situation possible. If a child of this age can survive a situation like this, than what can't we get through in our everyday lives. I want to recommend this book to so many people because I know that it is such a loveable book, and I think that the ending worked well, and really finished the story off perfectly. 

Review: The Kept by James Scott

Publisher: Harper
Pages: 368

Received: Received a copy from the publisher through Edelweiss

Release Date: February 4, 2014
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Goodreads Synopsis:

Set in rural New York state at the turn of the twentieth century, superb new talent James Scott makes his literary debut with The Kept—a propulsive novel reminiscent of the works of Michael Ondaatje, Cormac McCarthy, and Bonnie Jo Campbell, in which a mother and her young son embark on a quest to avenge a terrible and violent tragedy that has shattered their secluded family.

In the winter of 1897, a trio of killers descends upon an isolated farm in upstate New York. Midwife Elspeth Howell returns home to the carnage: her husband, and four of her children, murdered. Before she can discover her remaining son Caleb, alive and hiding in the kitchen pantry, another shot rings out over the snow-covered valley. Twelve-year-old Caleb must tend to his mother until she recovers enough for them to take to the frozen wilderness in search of the men responsible.

A scorching portrait of a merciless world — of guilt and lost innocence, atonement and retribution, resilience and sacrifice, pregnant obsession and primal adolescence — The Kept introduces an old-beyond-his-years protagonist as indelible and heartbreaking as Mattie Ross of True Grit or Jimmy Blevins of All the Pretty Horses, as well as a shape-shifting mother as enigmatic and mysterious as a character drawn by Russell Banks or Marilynne Robinson.

My Review:

I think this was an amazing debut novel, the story and the characters were intriguing and the way that it is written really makes you think about things. We are quickly introduced to Elspeth as she is returning home to her family, and what she finds is the most disturbing scene anyone could come home to. She finds her family murdered, yet her one son is hiding in the pantry. Elspeth and her son Caleb soon leave their home and look to find revenge on those that have caused this tragedy.

The story is told in alternating viewpoints from Elspeth and Caleb, to be honest I was more interested in Caleb's part of the story. It was interesting to see how this boy had to grow up so quickly and how he took to this. Caleb has been isolated with his family his entire life and this is his first time in a town with so many people. Readers watch as Caleb grows and becomes someone far beyond his age, doing whatever he can to avenge his family, but along the way secrets also come out that make him wonder what he really knows.

Though I was interested in Caleb's portion more, Elspeth's story also gives readers a lot of history sporadically through the story. I did like how Elspeth establishes herself in this town and takes her time in being strategic with who and what she is looking for, but along the way Elspeth runs into quite a few problems that stall her ideas. Most of Elspeth's story is seeing reminders of her past in almost everything that she passes, and it really let's you understand her more.

This story really portrays family in a different way and gives readers two distinct voices in fiction. This book takes some dark turns and gives a portrayal of a dark world, where no one is innocent, no matter what. Reading about the journey and how Caleb and Elspeth's relationship grew and changed really made the story. This is one book that will keep you on the edge trying to figure out everything that is going on and what kinds of secrets can be kept and for how long. This story shows that not everything will stay hidden forever.