The Devouring by Simon Holt

THE VOURS: Evil, demonic beings that inhabit human bodies on Sorry Night, the darkest hours of the winter solstice.

When Reggie reads about the Vours in a mysterious old journal, she assumes they are just the musings of an anonymous lunatic. But when her little brother, Henry, begins to act strangely, it's clear that these creatures exist beyond a madwoman's imagination, and Reggie finds out what happens when fears come to life.

To save the people she loves, Reggie must learn to survive in a world of nightmares. Can she devour her own fears before they devour her? [borrowed from GoodReads.com]

I really can't say I am a fan of things scary. I avoid scary movies like the plague. To be quite honest, I always tell the hubs "if we are ever caught in a scary movie-type scenario, run with the kids, I'm going to be the one who trips and falls and gets keeeled by the monster".

With that said, The Devouring, was all that and a bag of chips for me. I was scared, I was excited, I was at the edge-of-my-seat, I was taken in from the start and spit out at the end... and then I couldn't stop thinking about it. There were plenty of parts that gave me goosebumps and had me looking for a bright, sunny spot to read it in.

I really liked Reggie. I love her go get 'em attitude. She had no fears when it came to standing up for those she loves. I also loved her relationship with her BFF and sidekick, Aaron. Hopefully a love interest will spark between the two in the next book (keeping fingers crossed).

I will forewarn though, this is not for the faint of heart. There were some instances that were pretty gruesome - I didn't think it was overkill, but I can see where some might. This is definitely geared for the older teen - Mr. Holt's writing is simple, to the point, and there is some mild violence with hardly any bad language. I personally think it's a great read for lovers of horror / slasher movies no matter the age. It really was deliciously creepy.