Soulstice by Simon Holt

It has been six months since the events that transpired in The Devouring took place. For the past six months Reggie Halloway has seen nor heard anything from the Vours.

Although they are survivors, Reggie, her brother Henry and her best friend Aaron, are all still affected by their ordeal from six months prior. Reggie has nightmares and cannot put aside her terrible memories. Henry not only has war wounds but he has become a quiet boy who continues to suffer from nightmares and violent episodes. Aaron seems to be the one least affected, but he is worried for his friend and continues to worry about the investigation taking place regarding the disappearance of town golden boy Quinn Waters - which we all know he is now swimming with the fishes after his Vour possession.

And then everything goes to hell in a hand basket - the Vours make their move against Aaron and Quinn Waters somehow survived his drowning in freezing water and is back looking to pair up with Reggie - since his Vour brethren have turned against him. As Reggie continues to learn more and more about the Vours - she begins to realize that there are more townfolk possessed then she anticipated. She does not know who to believe, who to trust - for the one least expected might just turn out to be a Vour.

Let me start by saying that I found The Devouring to be very scary - well I found that Soulstice upped the scariness stakes. The Devouring was more about developing the atmosphere, getting a feel for the Vours and what they stand for. In Soulstice, Mr. Holt focuses more on fear. The scenes are tense, terrifying and I could not help but be fascinated by them. I also found it to be more fast-paced, picking you up right from the start and not letting you take a breather until you were done with it (at least that is the way it was with me).

I really like Reggie - she is a smart, strong heroine - at times she even has this Buffy-esque type feel to her. The Vours and their madness and the twists and turns along the story will have you at the edge of your seat. Mr. Holt's writing is intense and graphic when it comes to bringing any child's (including my own) fear to light. The fearscape he creates (although shorter than in The Devouring) was even more creepy then the first. And can we talk about the nasty cliffhanger at the end - I was like Oh, hell naw!!! I can't believe it ended that abruptly... very evil, very, very evil Mr. Holt!

All in all, a deliciously creepy series. One that I think that will cater to not only teens looking for a scary book but one that will also seduce lovers of horror. This is definitely not one you want to read before bedtime as I guarantee you will have a hard time falling to sleep. I personally cannot wait to see what will happen next - I look forward to the next installment, Fearscape, scheduled to release Fall 2010. Yikes!