Author: Joseph Fink
Genre: horror
Similar books: The Sisters of Straygarden Place by Hayley Chewins
Spell & Spindle by Michelle Shusterman
Rating:
Summary (provided by publisher): Esther Gold loves Halloween more than anything in the world. So she is determined to go trick-or-treating again this year despite the fact that her parents think she is officially too old. Esther has it all planned out, from her costume to her candy-collecting strategy. But when the night rolls around, something feels . . . off.
No one is answering their door. The moon is an unnatural shade of orange. Strange children wander the streets, wearing creepy costumes that might not be costumes at all. And it seems like the only people besides Esther who are awake to see it all are her best friend, her school bully, and her grown-up next-door neighbor.
Together, this unlikely crew must find a way to lift the curse that has been placed upon their small town before it’s too late. Because someone is out to make sure Halloween never comes to an end. And even Esther doesn’t want to be trapped in this night forever.
My opinion: Most horror stories are truly only scary once. A truly frightening tale needs atmosphere, a constant sense of dread and wrong in the world. That's certainly a strength in this book. Early on we see creepy ice cream trucks, kids in tattered costumes. We are set up with a once in a lifetime Halloween, the perfect time for something scary to happen. Unfortunately, that's where things start to go off the rails. What begins as a world just a little bit off quickly veers into increasing unreality. Add in a cliche cast of characters and oft repeated details and this book becomes tiresome. It's a shame, since the overall plot was interesting. I could have accepted the unreality of the plot, this complex tale of other dimensions and magic, if only the characters had felt more realistic.
More information: The Halloween Moon releases July 27.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
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