Angry and alone, Gianna tests urban legend and writes the name Madelyn in blood on the mirror of the Witching House. When the ghost actually answers, she gains an unexpected friend. But soon Gianna learns friendship isn’t what the dead girl wants the most. Madelyn wants revenge for her murder. Can Gianna stop her before half the town is dead?
Dark bleatings, my lovelies! And Happy Spooky Season! Just in time for Halloween, author John Everson has unleashed this haunting, witchy novel, ready to mystify and mortify all who dare crack open the cover.
The story follows a teenager called Gianna, who moves to a new small town only to find that ‘small town charm’ and the notion that small towns are friendly might not be true. At least, not for her. The one person who is kind to her does not publicly enjoy their friendship unconditionally, let’s just say. A boy who asks her out turns out to not just be an asshole, but an ABSOLUTE asshole. She’s lonely, she’s upset, and she feels powerless. She has nowhere to turn, it seems, and so she wonders if a particularly creepy local rumour might be true. There’s an old, burned down house not too far from where she lives, and legend has it that a certain powerful past member of the town can be sought inside, if only you follow the right steps….
This book didn’t exist all the way back when I was a teenager struggling with my own alienated existence, but I really wish it had been so that I could have discovered this then. It doesn’t fall into the “good for her” category, nor does it fit in to a sweet revenge kind of bracket. This story is about a young girl thinking she’s finally making a friend that wants to help her, only to find herself in an increasingly hellish scenario that she doesn’t know how to escape from, wrestling with whether or not her guilt over incidents she was complicit in are her fault. I found Gianna well-written for many reasons, not least of all because she’s making decisions based on her current pain and her limited life experience, and her naivety is very obvious. Some of the situations she finds herself in could be written off as the consequences of her own stupid actions, were this a middle-aged character, but this is just a kid struggling with a very limited amount of knowledge, no allies, and no experience with what she’s found herself mixed up in. I found her a very sympathetic character.
Though I do think the book dragged a bit in the middle for me, I really did enjoy the read. I’d say this is suited to adults and a more mature YA audience that can handle some quite considerable violence!
If you’d like to check out the book or the author, I’ve popped some links below for you:
Bleeeeat!
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