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Musings: A Ghost Story That Isn’t A Ghost Story: Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Atheneum, 2017

ISBN-13: 978-1481438254

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook

 

Fifteen-year-old Will’s brother Shawn has just been shot and killed by a member of a local gang. Will knows the rules: don’t cry, don’t snitch, and if someone you love gets killed, find the person who killed them and kill that person. Grieving and angry, he pries open a stuck drawer in his brother’s dresser and takes the loaded gun hidden inside so he can take his revenge. Will lives on the top floor of his apartment building, though, and he has to take the elevator down… and it’s a long way down, because on every floor, Will is forced to face the consequences of living with the rules, and of shooting to kill.

There is absolutely nothing about this book’s front, back, or inside cover that suggests that it is a ghost story.  It is dedicated to teens in detention centers. I didn’t have a clue what it was about when I initially picked it up, I just had read good things about Jason Reynolds and knew the book had won a number of awards, including the Newbery Honor (not sure how I feel about that– the audience for the Newbery is children up to age 14, and Will is 15– this is really YA). But in describing it to my mom, who has an interest in teens and gun violence, I had to explain to her that Will is confronted by ghosts while he is trapped in the elevator(ghosts are a turnoff for her).  Will’s “ghosts” aren’t very ghostly, though, which is one of the things that makes them so disorienting– Will is never quite sure whether they are alive or dead at first.

Long Way Down is a verse novel. There are frequent line breaks and plenty of white space on the page. The language is spare and powerful. Reynolds strips down feelings like grief, shame, anger, and sadness to the essentials by limiting how he puts words down on each page. Despite the pared-down text, Reynolds manages to draw the characters of Will’s ghosts with enough detail and emotional impact that readers will invest in discovering their relationships. Reynolds hasn’t written a horror story here, but it is a gripping and horrific story illustrating how this vicious cycle repeats, and the ambiguous ending is dread-inducing and heart-stopping. Highly recommended for middle, high school, and public libraries, and for readers 14-adult.

Note: Long Way Down has won a Newbery Honor Award, Coretta Scott King Honor Award, a Printz Honor Award, and is a National Book Award finalist.

Posted on December 21, 2018 by , Reply

Book List: It’s Teen Read Week! Revisiting Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’ Original Den of Shadows Quartet

The Den of Shadows Quartet: In the Forests of the Night (#1), Demon in My View (#2), Shattered Mirror (#3), Midnight Predator (#4) by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Ember, 2009

ISBN-13: 978-0385738941

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

In the days before Twilight and Harry Potter, and the explosion of paranormal creatures and vampires in YA fiction, fictional vampires were still mostly terrifying, although once Buffy came along, there was also a little romance. Thirteen-year-old Amelia Atwater-Rhodes entered this remarkably different publishing market with something new: even Amazon’s review suggests that teen readers of adult authors like Anne Rice might want to check this out. While L.J. Smith and Annette Curtis Klause had also written YA vampire novels, there’s nothing quite like being a teen reading a good book written by someone your own age, and the Den of Shadows books are very different from either The Vampire Diaries or The Silver Kiss. 

Atwater-Rhodes’ first book, In the Forests of the Night, was followed by three others: Demon in my View, Shattered Mirror, and Midnight Predator,  published in 2002. Monster Librarian reviewed these four books, which were extremely popular at the time, and were all written while she was still in her teens. After these four books, she changed to writing about shapeshifters (the Kiesha’ra series), and, honestly, I lost track of her books. She returned to writing books in the Den of Shadows world in 2008, completing four more: Persistence of Memory, Token of Darkness, All Just Glass, Poison Tree, and Promises to Keep, published in 2013.  She is still writing, has since moved on to write an additional fantasy trilogy (the Maeve’ra series), and has a contract to write for the adult market.

While I haven’t kept up on Atwater-Rhodes’ writing since her first Den of Shadows quartet, it’s pretty cool that she’s kept writing and her books have kept selling! So, for teenage writers everywhere, take heart. It is possible to achieve that dream.

 

Editor’s note: Reviews date from 2005.

 


In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Laurel Leaf, 2000

ISBN: 0440228166

Available: New and Used

 

In the Forests of the Night is the first in a series of books by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. She introduces us to Risika, a 300 year old vampire who finds herself in the territory of a rival vampire, Aubrey, who is responsible for killing her family. The book is divided up between the past, when Risika was first turned into a vampire 300 years ago; and the present day, where she must fight Aubrey. When I first started to review young adult horror, author Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’s name came up as a must-read author for teens. Much has been made of the fact that she was 14 when In the Forests of the Night was published. I can see why her books appeal to teen readers, especially reluctant readers. The action moves quickly and the writing style is easy to follow. Adult readers may also enjoy Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’ books. They are quick and addictive little reads, leaving you ready for more. In The Forests of the Night is a core title for young adult collections. Sequels include Demon in My View, Shattered Mirror, and Midnight Predator.

Contains: vampire violence, bloodletting.

 

Demon In My View by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Delacorte Press, 2000

ISBN: 038532720X

Available: New and Used.

 

Demon in My View is set in a world developed by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes where vampires exist, prey upon humans, and are hunted by witches. In this installment we are introduced to Jessica, a teen who is a social outcast, who has written a popular book about vampires and witches under a pen name. After the book is published two new students appear at her school: Caryn, who seems to go out of her way to befriend Jessica, and Alex, a teen who resembles the villainous vampire in her book. Demon In My View is a well-written book that will appeal to those who like the Buffy the Vampire Slayer books. It could have just as easily ended up in the paranormal romance category, but the vampires in this series are more predatory creature. I would recommend this book for those looking for additional vampire fiction. A core book in young adult vampire horror.

Contains: Violent fight sequence, blood sucking.

 

Shattered Mirror by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Laurel Leaf, 2003

ISBN: 0440229405

Available: New and Used.

 

Shattered Mirror  is the third book in Atwater-Rhodes’ world of vampires and witches. This time around the story is about teen vampire hunter Sarah Vida, who starts off believing all vampires should be destroyed. However, when two vampires, Nissa and Christopher, arrive at her school, she finds herself befriending them. She discovers that vampires are more than the simple killing machines her in which her mother has raised her to believe. An underlying story involves Sarah’s hunt for one of the most notorious vampires around, Nikolas. Another solid entry for the readers of vampire fiction. Atwater-Rhodes is a gifted story teller and doesn’t disappoint with this book. Another core book for the vampire collection.

Contains: Violence and blood sucking and letting,

Midnight Predator by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Delacorte Books, May, 2002

ISBN: 0385327943.

Available: New and Used

 

The fourth installment in Atwater-Rhodes’ series introduces two vampire hunters from a group called Crimson. Turquoise Drakaour and her rival, Raven, are hired to assassinate Jeshikah, a vampiress who has created a place called Midnight, where human beings are enslaved and broken for the use of vampires. Once a young girl captured by the vampires, Turquoise must deal with her tormented past and face her old vampire master in order to complete her mission.

Although this book follows the general formula that Atwater-Rhodes has used in her other books, its descriptions of abusive behavior toward the main character give it a darker tone. This difference makes it hard to reconcile the story with the universe she has created, so it is more difficult to escape into the world of the book. Fans of Atwater-Rhodes will probably enjoy this title, but it is not recommended as an introduction to her books. Other books in the series include  In the Forests of the Night, Demon in My View and Shattered Mirror.

Contains: descriptions of physical and psychological abus

 

Reviewed by Dylan Kowalewski

 

Posted on October 8, 2018 by , Reply

Book Review: The Wild Inside by Jamey Bradbury

The Wild Inside by Jamey Bradbury

William Morrow, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-0062741998

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook, audio CD

 

Mother’s rules: never lose sight of the house; never come in with dirty hands, and most importantly, never, ever, make a person bleed.

The Wild Inside is a different kind of thriller. It’s been compared to a mix of Stephen King and the Bronte sisters, but that’s an unfair deal. What Bradbury has done is something unique, and should stand apart from those names. It truly is a wild novel both in narrative and story, something that adventurous readers should devour this spring and summer, despite the arctic bite that infects every chapter. It should also resonate strongly with the YA crowd and would do well to infiltrate that market, too.

Tracey Petrikoff is an unusual young woman. Kicked out of school for fighting, she harbors a darkness that usually can be contained. She seeks to please her parents and loves her little brother, even if things get a little crazy. When her mother passes away, Tracy is forced to grow up and help her father, an Iditarod musher who has been suspended. She also races, and aches to make the profession her life, although her behavior steps in and keeps her sidelined.

She is forced to focus on her hunting and trapping, skills she excels at, as she has a natural sense of what the prey feels and thinks. She keeps her mother’s warnings at the front of her mind, yet impulsiveness often rears its ugly head. When a stranger crosses her path in the wild, her knife flashes and blood spills. Her father saves his life, unaware that it could be his daughter who nearly killed the man. After a discovery nearby threatens to change her life, Tracey finds her world slowly unraveling. Then a boy steps out of the same woods to rent a room on their property: a character who holds more secrets than she.

What sets The Wild Inside apart from other contemporary YA fare is Bradbury’s narrative style. First person narrative is common, but while it’s not always well done, here the author excels. Bradbury’s style is both razor sharp and claustrophobic, resulting in a tense, but welcoming read. Dialogue tags are thrown to the side, often clashing with internal thoughts, forcing the reader to discern which is which: a heady, often trippy, experience that may put off casual readers, but for the dedicated, will bring rewards. Tracey is one of the more memorable characters in recent YA literature due to her moral makeup and her struggles both within herself and with the outside world.

Recommended for the thriller lover who craves something different, much different and can handle a different kind of narrative.

Contains: gore, violence, murder, descriptions of child abuse, LGBTQ+ themes

Reviewed by Dave Simms

 

 

 

Posted on April 19, 2018 by , Reply
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