The Devouring (The Devouring Series #1)

Reviewed by Samantha Clanton, aka "Harlequin Twilight" for TeensReadToo.com

Reggie Halloway is a freshman in high school, she's a bit awkward, and since her mother left her family, she has had to take over the household duties and become a "surrogate-mother" for her younger brother, Henry.

Reggie is a horror junkie. She can recall the works of Poe and Lovecraft from memory, but she also tries to make her little brother braver by reading him some of these same stories. While at work in a local horror bookstore, Reggie comes across a journal titled The Devouring, which contains the scribbling and drawings of someone that would put a madwoman to shame.

This journal contains the creepy, shiver-inducing story of The Vours. The Vours are these demonic, creepy-as-hell beings that inhabit a host on Sorry Night (it's December 22), then devour their fear and take over. They turn your brother, sister, friend, or loved one into a hollow shell of what they once were.

Then Henry starts acting strange - he becomes dark, cold, distant, mean. Reggie, with the help of her nerdy but enjoyable friend Aaron, comes to realize that what they wrote off as the musings of a lunatic are true. These creatures not only exist but they have taken Henry.

Reggie then has to find out what happens when your deepest fears become reality. She needs to learn how to save the people she cares for by figuring out how to survive within a world that's one big nightmare. She has to decide if she can devour her own fears before those fears devour not only her, but also the people she loves.

Talk about scary. This is not a story for the faint of heart. Sometimes the imagery is so vivid that you can picture it within your head. If you've never had a story that stayed in your head, then be prepared, because after reading THE DEVOURING it sticks for a bit.

For me, at least, the story has made me think more about my own fears. Could I be so terrified that my guard was so low as to allow a demon into my head and let it put me in my own personal form of Hell? I don't think so, but you never know. You must conquer your fears, before they conquer you.

It's a terrifying story, but terrifying in a good way. Put on some happy music, and settle in for a horrifying, yet fascinating, ride.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Not that scary...

The story took awhile to engage my interest and I don't know if I would have kept reading after the first chapter if I hadn't heard good things about it on other blogs.

Reggie is a normal teenager who resents having to play mother to her younger brother and doesn't like that she has so much responsibility at such a young age. It was refreshing to have a believable teen with no superpowers as a lead character, and that is one of the reasons I kept reading.

After reading an old journal about evil creatures called Vours to her younger brother Henry, Reggie begins to suspect that Henry has become a victim and is trapped in a living nightmare. It's up to Reggie and her friend Aaron to figure things out and try to save Henry. The story started off a little slow, but did pick up the pace after awhile.

Gave this book a 3/5 rating as I thought it was just okay. Didn't keep me on the edge of my seat or scare the pants off me, but didn't bore me to tears either. The fears that the characters have to try and overcome were a little cliched and I would have liked to have seen a bit more originality there, but the descriptions were pretty well done. Since I already own the sequel, I'll read it to see what happens next, but I'm in no hurry. I'd recommend that you check out several reviews to make up your mind if you want to read this one or not, as some people loved it while my reaction was more tepid.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Page turner

I read it on a sick day at home, and thought it was an intense page turner that captured my interest by the end of the prologue. With a repeted rhyme that could be said by an insane child in a horror flick, this tale is sure to chill you. It will have you flipping page after page, a great read.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Chell

Very good ! Very creative ! If they make a movie I hope they do not ruin it !

Freaky and fantastic!

I love this book, yes it could be gory and freaky at times but it kept me on my toes and wanting more. Already bought the next two! I would not read this though if you don't like graphic scary scenes.

It was chillling

It made me want to keep turning the pages!!! It is a wonderful book for people who like thriller books. It has made me so scared at one point to where i had to close it. But it was fantastic & i cant wait to check out the next one!!!! (:

Perfect Pulse Raiser

I read this book on a whim. One of my friends got it from the library and I borrowed it from her. Within a few chapters I was hooked! The fear is written so well that it exudes from the pages and raised my pulse at each turn. It is for specific readers though, it is scary and causes nightmares if you aren't careful. This series has become one of my favorites. The story is original and will keep you guessing throughout the entire series! This is a definite must read for horror fans!!

The best book ever!!!!!!!

Omg i love love loved this book! At times it was really scary and made you want to close the book but you couldnt because it was just so good and you had to know what happens next!

You will love this book! (And be scared!)

This book is one of the best books I've ever read, and I would recomend it highly. It is about a girl named Reggie who, along with her best friend Aaron, discovers the existance of "Vours", who posses scared people on the winter solstice.

I loved the characters, my favorite was Aaron, and the plot was fantastic. The only problem I had was that it was a little difficult to read sometimes, and I found myself backtracking. But overall this is a great book for anyone over 12.

Great BOOK!

What a way to scare the crap out of me! I must say, this book was awesome! Lots of fear, adrenaline, and pure excitement while I read this. I was also glad that I read this book during the day. To read this at night will sure bring me nightmares.




The paranormal touch to it was one I've seen before, but was played out well within the book. I love how it took us back to past and then thrusting me back to the future again. All the research that Aaron and Reggie did, had me doing a happy dance. I love reading that in a book. Where you read the characters discovering secrets on how to beat this or that. Just awesome.




I love the love and drama in the book. The family goes through so much leaving most of the responsibilities on Reggie. Reggie being a teenager, who has now has to become a adult. I felt her pain, her anger as to why she had to do it. I was glad to see her pick up everything with such a great amount of maturity. Her love for her brother was breathtaking and refreshing. She sacrafice everything she should to help save his life. Truly selfless.




I was angery at her father on how he handled things. I admit I felt for him too. I understood his pain, but he still had a reponsiblitty to his children and for him to check out like that just made me angry. Aaron was a refreshing touch. He was a great buffer in things and is always there for Reggie. I have no doubt that maybe there might me something between Reggie and him in future books.




Now Mr. Eben. He is a character that left me speechless and curious. My eyes narrowed in the book when he was there all of the sudden. I wondered what part he played? He is someone I definitely can't wait to see what secrets he is hiding.

My new favorite book

YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!! The devouring sucked me into it's world of never ending horror with just the first page. If you love to be chilled to the bone on stormy nights this book is perfect for you! come play a game of throw paint at a decapitated head until it's brain explodes and eat some human flesh on a stick! Or munch on a few spiders and escape a deadly fire! though remember that the greatest fear of all is fear itself..........This book is packed with action and suspence.....I LOVE IT and i hope you enjoy it as much as i did.

Eh.

This book was okay for me. I was more like an influence of a lot of other books rather than one individual book...but then again, that's how most of the teenage books are today. I'm just saying I could easily forget it, not that I didn't enjoy it at the time (which I did), I just wouldn't read it again.

A Chilling Tale that Will Have You Turning On the Lights and Looking Under the Bed

Sorry Night comes but once a year and when Reggie discovers a strange journal describing monstrous beings called Vours that steal the bodies of the fearful on that night, she can't wait to scare herself. Reggie and her best friend Aaron have a fearful night, but it's Reggie's 8 year-old brother Henry who is really terrified. Henry believes in the Vours and that belief gives them power. Henry's fear, combined with Sorry Night, results in Reggie realizing that some monsters are real. And the Vours have taken her brother. Reggie lives for horror, but what happens when the horror becomes real life and Reggie must fight her deepest fears to save the person she loves most?

Reggie is a horror movie buff with an incredible love for her younger brother Henry. She is only 15, but after her mother walks out on her family, Reggie basically becomes Henry's mom. She does everything a mother and housewife would do, while attempting to maintain her own identity and be a teenager. The responsibility that is thrust at Reggie is too much for such a young girl to handle. Reggie is angry at her mother for leaving, but at the same time, she is absolutely desperate for her to return. Everyday, Reggie cries in the shower because she has to put on a brave face and be the strong one for Henry. Her only reprieve and outlet for a normal teenage life, comes in the form of Reggie's best friend Aaron. Aaron is a caffeine junkie who also has a love for anything to do with horror. They watch the movies, read the books, and their self-declared geekdom works for them. Together, they make quite the team and when they think they can save Henry from the Vour who has his body, Reggie's bravery and Aaron's wits are all they have to depend on.

The Vours have the ability to take over the body of the most fearful people. Henry is a naturally skittish child, so when Reggie reads from the journal, he is 100% convinced that Vours are real. The day after Sorry Night, Henry is no longer the sweet child that he once was and it soon becomes clear that he has been taken over. The Vours prey on a person's deepest, darkest fears and once they have you, your soul could be lost forever. Reggie is able to connect with Henry's soul through his body and she is thrust into his most potent fears. This place is called a fearscape and it could very well hold the secrets to saving Henry.

The Devouring seems to have gotten a lot of mixed reviews and I began reading it with no expectations at all. Let me just say that I was amazed. Simon Holt has created a fearful, bone-chilling story that could easily become a terrifying horror film. It also happens to have what may be the best prologue I have ever read. I was instantly sucked into the story and there was no letting up. The story is based on fear and supernatural creatures that lurk in the night, but it also focuses on the real, human issues that Reggie faces without her mother. Reggie would do anything to save her brother because she loves him.

At the heart, The Devouring is a blood-curdling YA horror novel. The story is quite graphic and that may turn many readers off, but it works so well here. The gore and the blood aren't overdone and they help to create a perfectly creepy atmosphere that will have you turning on every light and looking under the bed. The Devouring is a chilling tale with a piercing cold that tears the skin and penetrates the heart. The Devouring will shake you to the core and make you ask, 'what am I really afraid

Loved This Book

This book was the most thrilling book iv have read yet its really scared me i should say, but over all it was so good that i couldn't put it down. I recommend the book to every one even those who don't read its so easy to read and one of the best story's ever I truly love this book

Absolutely horrifying - a great horror novel!

This book was so good I wanted to stay up at night to finish it. The prologue was so good and gripping that I had to continue reading it to see what would happen. The book had all the makings to become a horror movie itself. The writing was great and an easy read. It had very well written descriptions of horror scenes which is enough to put the reader on edge. Some parts were so well written I found myself reacting to it out loud while reading.

Fear is the main theme here, and Reggie has a giant phobia of spiders. Naturally, there are many scenes which include spiders. I'm rather scared of spiders myself and I could just feel my skin crawl as I read the parts where Reggie is constantly terrorized by them. As said before, the horror scenes are excellent and picturing them isn't so hard. It brings the reader right into the book as if one was beside Reggie herself.

I like Reggie. She's the typical horror heroine you find in horror movies. Strong, attempting to live life as normal as possible, until the Vours come in and turn her life upside down. Her friend Aaron is also, your typical side kick in a horror movie who is the brains and helps Reggie get to the bottom of understand and figuring out the Vours. Then there's Eben, who's the mysterious good guy but with a horrible secret.

However, like any horror movie, it doesn't stop there. There is a second book out (called Soulstice) which I am definitely getting once I have the chance to. The Devouring is definitely worth reading if you feel like reading something creepy and terrifying. Yet, there are still questions to be answered. There is blood and gore in the book. So those that aren't partial to it should avoid this book. However those that want a scare should definitely pick this up.

Overall, one of my favorite reads of this year. I am glad I picked this book up. I was pleasantly scared.

The devouring has my vote forever

I am just recently into the whole horror thing, I found this book in my local Barnes and noble, I just happend to come upon it I am a 16 year old who enjoys reading any kind of book. This book caught my eye by the little poem, you shall call it. I recommend it for any horror fan who loves a good tale, and it's thank god not one of those vampire books you see these days!, I've enjoyed this book so much I got the second book read it, and then in disappointment have to wait till fall for the third book. The book was so good I found myself dreaming about it and getting the chills from reading certain parts!, this book will always be one of my favorites!

sleep with the lights off. . .

the first time i read this book, it scared me to death. the fact that you can never tell who the vours are creeped me out the most. they could be anywhere and you would never know it until it was too late. the best part about the book was that it wasnt cliched at all (well some of the fears were but the actual plot line was not). most horror stories make you want to sleep with your lights on but this one will have you making sure that your lights are off since that is what attracts the vours to you. i recommend this book to anyone and everyone. you will not regret it, it is so good. you should also look up the british cover. it is gruesome.

<3 this book

I have read this book several times and it has to be one of my favorites...I higly recommend this book to other readers it has a lot of twisting action although its pretty disgusting in some point but its awesome!! :D i hope to buy also the second book :] hope u liike this book!!

Creepy but smart!

Excellent, well written, scary in an intelligent way. Makes you think about fear and how you personally deal with it. Strong female protagonist--not ala Twilight's helpless cutie who has to be rescued by vying boys--without compromising male characters. Much better role model for teen girls....and boys' take on them. 2nd book, Solstice, delves even further. In the horror/fantasy genre that is popular today, but original in its creepiness and character development.

Things that go bump in the night!

The Devouring has to be one of the most disturbing books I have read in a long time, probably ever! And its a teen novel!! But I mean it in a good way. The book is very creative in its story line and development of the plot it excellent. The characters are very round and complex. The mood and theme are extremely dark. The description is some of the best I have read in a long time. Although, the details get quite descriptive and a little gory when the story gets into the climax. Not what I expected at all! But all together a really good read, one time though for me. The depth the author goes to in describing how the psyche develops our most intense fears is amazing and chilling to the bone. Definitely and unforgettable book. I reccomend for anyone who likes dark and macabre stories, or Stephen King/Anne Rice.