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TEENREADS.COM
- reviewed by
Sally M Tibbetts |
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Grubbs Grady
knows how to get
into trouble. It
seems that most
of his life is
spent in yelling
fights with his
parents or
getting revenge
on his sister
Gret for
whatever. It's
not that his mom
and dad are all
that bad, but
they're just
parents:
misguided and
very bossy. It's
not that his
sister is that
bad, but wait
--- she is, and
she certainly
deserved those
rat guts smeared
in her hair.
At least Grubbs
is a pretty fair
chess player and
holds his own
(most of the
time) against
his family. So
what's the big
deal anyway?
Just typical
adolescent stuff
when you get
right down to
it, but Grubbs
soon falls into
a most horrific
world when he
witnesses
something so
ghastly that it
almost destroys
him. It does
destroy his
family.
Blood
everywhere.
Nightmarish
splashes and
gory pools. Wild
streaks across
the floor and
walls.
...The dripping
sound --- a body
hanging upside
down from the
webby ceiling in
the center of
the room. No
head. Blood
drops to the
floor from the
gaping red O of
the neck. Even
without the
head, I
recognize him.
"DAD!" I
scream....
None of this
seems possible.
None of this IS
possible because
even Grubbs, in
his somewhat
lucid moments,
cannot get
anyone to
believe what he
has seen. He
lives with his
nightmares and a
world of doctors
and nurses who
have given up on
him. Then one
day someone
comes to him and
knows that he is
telling the
truth. His Uncle
Dervish takes
him from the
hospital and
into a world he
promises will be
safe from the
demons that
killed his
family. But
there are rules,
there is magic,
and there are so
many unanswered
questions. Can
he possibly
trust what this
strange relative
tells him? Can
Grubbs ever
trust again?
Over time Uncle
Dervish, with
great patience,
tries to explain
many things.
Grubbs is also
able to become
friends with a
strange young
man known as
Bill-E. He and
Bill-E are close
in age and seem
to find many
common bonds ---
he accepts the
demon story and
Grubbs feels he
has found a
confidant. But
in unexpected
ways, Bill-E
introduces more
complications
into his life.
As Grubbs
continues to
fight for his
sanity, he
begins to
realize that
someday,
somewhere, he
must face this
horrible demon
known as Lord
Loss and the
minions that are
responsible for
his family's
destruction.
But how will he
deal with the
mysteries that
seem to surround
his uncle and
even Bill-E? Is
it possible that
Bill-E is
telling him the
truth about
Uncle Dervish
and that Bill-E
actually might
be his cousin?
Much sooner than
he is ready,
Grubbs is again
fighting dark
forces ---
forces that not
only threaten
him, but also
his uncle and
Bill-E.
Darren Shan,
author of the
Cirque du Freak
novels,
again brings his
skill as a
storyteller into
full swing with
this newest
book, the first
in a series. The
characters are
well-realized
and the
development of
Grubbs is
especially good.
This is not a
book for the
faint of heart
--- it could
easily keep you
awake at night
because you want
to find out
what's going on
in this strange
family. But
again, it might
simply keep you
up because those
demons are
likely to scare
anyone.
Readers who
enjoy
supernatural
stories spilling
with splashes of
gore eagerly
will be awaiting
Book Two in the
Demonata
series.
http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/0316114995.asp
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