I don't read a ton of horror, but to me THIS is what I want from YA Horror- atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere. I want creepiness, history, paranormal elements, and SURPRISES. That stuff was all there. I don't think this is going to be something I'll be remembering forever, but it was super entertaining while I was reading it.

Lucy is growing up in a huge, creepy, old house. She lives there, gets tutored there, attends parties there. Everything happens in the house to the point where she's totally isolated from the outside. Her whole world is her aunt (who is more like a mom to her) and her cousin/best friend. One day, her aunt walks into the woods and doesn't come back. Everything changes from there. Margaret starts acting crazy, and her father is carrying on business as usual-- as if his commitments to the "club" are more important than their family.

There were moments that were a tad graphic. Maybe I'm a baby (maybe that's why I don't read a lot of horror??), but I have limits on what I can take when it comes to blood and guts. This didn't cross that line, but it came close.

I was wishing that the characters were a bit more developed. There's a cook and her daughter that move into the house at one point, and I really thought the daughter was going to become a bigger part of the story. This was just one of the many missed opportunities to really take this book to the next level.

I love an ending that doesn't tie every last thing together, but this ending had me turning the last page and looking around like "that's it??!!". I was really engulfed in the story and felt some type of way about the way the ending rushed along. There were THINGS about the house and it's history that could have been explored and explained. There were THINGS about the Acosta family that could have been looked into. The story started to go that way and then BOOM, here's the grand finale.

OVERALL: I feel like this book IS YA Horror. Is it the most memorable book in the world? No. Does it go as deep as I would like it to? No. But it's creepy and addicting and truly embodies the genre it represents. I definitely recommend reading this in anticipation of Halloween, or just for a fun creep-out.

My Blog:

( )

I'm not a fan of creepy book. But I will read them, because so many of my students love them. This one had me intrigued, but confused. I had a hard time getting the setting figured out. I thought it was historical because they dress for dinner in this old Victorian mansion, and have fire places in their bedrooms that they use for heat. But Lucy and Margaret are schooled at home, online. Oh, that means computers. So, current day, I guess. Dad is distant and secretive. Margaret goes mad after her mother disappears. There are noises in the wall. Lucy cuts herself to release her pain. But Lucy is the strong one? I know this us jumbled, but so were my thoughts as I read this.

Spoiler.............................................................................................................................................................








The ending felt weak, very weak. I was frustrated, and left wondering about Vanessa, who was there in the climactic scene and then just not mentioned anymore. And Lucy just gives up and caves to this weird bug creature, who has gained power from the deaths of dinner guests, Lucy's father, and others. Lucy will remain to lure new worshipers for the "Mother." What? Why? ( )

A dark tale which broaches certain subjects that especially teens will relate to—family, self-mutilation, loneliness, and grief. I quite enjoyed The Women in the Walls with its eerie atmosphere and gory scenes (I always seem to like those things in a book), but I will admit that the ending didn't satisfy me as much as Daughters onto Devils' ending did. It felt just a tad too rushed. That being said, The Women in the Walls is a great YA Horror (upper-YA in particular) that certainly provides enough creepiness for a horror-lover. ( )

This was definitely not like "Daughters Unto Devils." It had a ton of potential to be utterly scary, but fizzled. I gave this 3 stars only because the story up until the end was so great...then ending, not so much. ( )

"Walter the cook killed himself in his little bedroom downstairs, just a few hours after saying good-night." That is the first sentence in the book and it lets you know right off the bat that you are in for one creepy ride. I had previously read this author's other book Daughters Unto Devils, and while it was not perfect I liked that the story was a kind of Little House on the Prairie horror novel. This book started out creepily enough but the pacing was not good. A family composed of a father, aunt, and two cousins lives in a remote Victorian mansion. First the cook kills himself and then the aunt goes on a walk and disappears. The walls begin to talk to the cousins and then a lot of really bad things happen.

I don't know where to begin to fix this. The underlying story was good but the book dragged in the middle and too much happened at once in the end. I think this author might do better out of the YA genre. She has really good ideas but can't seem to fully develop them in the confines of a short YA novel. Also she really likes to curse which seems odd in a book aimed at young readers. The horror things are really horrifying. The author definitely knows how to write a dark story but it feels choppy and not fully cooked. I would still be interested in checking out her next book because I like how her mind works. A bonus point awarded for working in a Harry Potter reference. ( )