This was a pretty good coming-of-age horror story, which is my favorite horror genre. I especially liked how tension was slowly built and for a long time, only subtle hints were made at something weird going on. Only at the end did it all come together for a shocking revelation. Of course I felt for Denny who at the age of seventeen already experienced terrible times but who did not become cynic and selfish like his foster sister Jen but still cared for others, especially his little foster brother Arnie. It felt unfair how he got caught in the middle of things he was not responsible for. Though of course he could have acted differently at the beginning, I understand that his shy and anxious nature - combined with the pressure put upon him by Jen and her bully boyfriend - prevented him from doing the right thing. Thus, a gruesome chain reaction was started that could not be stopped. While the ending came not totally unexpected, the details caught me unawares. While on the one hand I was fascinated by the clever net of revenge that was spun here, I was also a bit disappointed to realize what kind of evil was at work here. However, gripping writing and well-drawn characters make this book a worthwhile read.
(thanks to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own)
