Book Review: The Turning by Francine Prose

The Turning

Francine Prose

246 Pages

Published September 25th, 2012

A dark house.
An isolated island.
Strange dreams
and even stranger
visions . . .
Jack is spending the summer on a private island far from modern conveniences. No Wi-Fi, no cell service, no one else on the island but a housekeeper and the two very peculiar children in his care. The first time Jack sees the huge black mansion atop a windswept hill, he senses something cold, something more sinister than even the dark house itself.
Soon, he feels terribly isolated and alone. Yet he is not alone. The house has visitors—peering in the windows, staring from across the shore. But why doesn't anyone else see them . . . and what do they want? As secrets are revealed and darker truths surface, Jack desperately struggles to maintain a grip on reality. He knows what he sees, and he isn't crazy. . . . Or is he?
From nationally acclaimed author Francine Prose comes a mind-bending story that will leave you realizing how subtle the lines that separate reality, imagination, and insanity really are.

Have you ever read a book, not quite sure if the main character was crazy or not? I felt like this throughout the entirety of The Turning, a psychological thriller type young adult novel about a boy named Jack, who spends the summer on a pretty creepy little island. A single, very rich family inherits the island, and people around the area who know of the place are very wary of it.

The story starts with Jack boarding a boat to get on this island. Immediately he starts witnessing some pretty disturbing things, and his excitement about his summer away from home quickly turns to a feeling of uneasiness. The story follows his entire summer on the island, keeping watch over two young kids that are far from ordinary. They exchange silent glances, act nothing like regular kids and overall seem.. possessed by some sort of otherworldly spirit.

I felt like the point of this story was to follow along and separate fact from fiction. To see if Jack is crazy, suffering from some mental illness, or if the island really is possessed by two very evil and very real spirits. To be honest the book had be confused at many points, and bored at others. After the ending I still wasn't sure how I felt about it, and I didn't make a solid opinion on how sane our main character was.

Though the story dragged at points, the pacing was fast enough to be pleasurable at others. The creepiness factor is what kept me going, and what ultimately saved the book for me. Though not one of my favorites, The Turning was a good afternoon read.

Book Review: Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Hemlock

Kathleen Peacock

404 Pages

Published May 8th, 2012

Fans of Maggie Stiefvater and the hit television show True Blood will flock to this first book in the supernatural mystery series set in a town where werewolves live in plain sight.
Mackenzie Dobson's life has been turned upside down since she vowed to hunt her best friend Amy's killer: a white werewolf. Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country, and bloodlust is not easy to control. But it soon becomes clear that dangerous secrets are lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, Mac's hometown—and she is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her in grave danger.
Kathleen Peacock's thrilling debut novel provides readers with a mystery that Kimberly Derting, author of The Body Finder, calls "clever and frightening," while Sophie Jordan, New York Times bestselling author ofFirelight, raves: "Forget every werewolf book you've ever read. This one breaks the mold."

I'd been hearing rave reviews about this book for months and months before I picked it up.. I'm almost glad I waited because now I can get a hold of the second book without waiting! Hemlock exceeded my expectations and I loved it, even though I'm not normally a fan of werewolf books.

Werewolves are common knowledge where Mac is from. Her best friend was murdered by a werewolf and she'll stop at nothing to figure out who the killer was, though everyone else seems to have put the death behind them. Reading a story where the presence of these mythical beasts was well known and out in the open was different and quite refreshing. Most stories focus on the craziness of this concept, on the hiding of it. Hemlock is different, and different is almost always good in my book.

Mac was a strong character with many problems. She has no parents, but does have some very good friends, one of which.. you'll have to read and see. I loved her and all the rest of the characters, though I must say there were a heck of a lot of wolves in this little town. They just kept popping up out of the blue and I sat there again and again going: "whoa, you're one of them too?!" This book was quite a shocker.

Overall it was a great story that I finished in what I think was two sittings. A quick break for a bubble bath and some supper and I was back at this one. The good thing about waiting so long to read this one is that I can read the sequel asap!