i would of liked just more chater after the fight. ( )

Half way through I decided that this reminded me a lot of Lord Loss by Darren Shan. I'm not going to go into much detail but if you have ever read the book you will probably agree or understand why I think it.

It was a very unique idea and for it's target audience it was great. Sadly at 22 I think I'm just a little too old for most YA books no matter how much I love Cliff McNish.

I loved the characters though, but don't think enough time went to the character build up. I also feel like the story moved to quick but considering it was only 250 pages or so I understand. But found it hard that Sav was so quick to accept everything that was happening. It was slightly unrealistic.
I personal think it might have been better as more than one book that way there could have been suspense. ( )

Overall ★★★★★
Story ★★★★★
Characters ★★★★★
Writing ★★★★★
Ending ★★★★★

It’s incredibly rare that a book manages to vault itself onto my “favorite books ever” list within the first two paragraphs. Only one book comes to mind, at least within recent memory: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman captivated me by the first line. Now I’ve found a second: Cliff McNish’s Savannah Grey, and it did so with incredible force.

What did it? Paragraph number 2: “Reaching number thirty-three, Savannah Grey’s house, the Horror dropped its star-shaped head on one side, knotted its murderous claws behind its back, and tried to work out the most entertaining way to reach Savannah’s bedroom. There were many ways available, but the Horror was young and like all young things, it liked to use its teeth.”

How, I ask, can a book be dull with an opening like that? I was immediately captivated. Not even the change in narrative styles to first person once Savannah awoke diminished the storytelling. I was delighted when I saw that the original voice returned every few chapters to detail more of the Horror and the ancient Ocrassa that controlled it. Neither voice suffered, instead offering a depth to the already compelling story.

While the human characters were well crafted, the monsters came to life with a vibrancy that made me want to see the child-like Horror prance about in a stolen leotard and chasse and leap about while terrorizing humans. The way McNish tells of the Ocrassa’s history is as though he is telling of the Earth itself, incredibly powerful and moving. While explicitly evil, the Ocrassa is rendered in such a way that its actions seemed logical given what it was. I’ve never seen a writer make monsters feel so natural in our world. It’s incredible and not something I can accurately express in a brief review.

In addition to all this, the book ends exactly where and as it should. While there are some flaws (which I’d daresay are minor in comparison to its incredible strengths), I’ve read so few books that seemed nearly perfect in so many ways. This is one you have to read for yourself. Although many of you may disagree with my thoughts, you can’t read this and not wonder at the incredibly rich and original universe McNish created here. It’s astounding.
( )

Savannah Grey has a new home, new foster parents and a new issue. There is something strange going on in her throat, she's making strange sounds and it's making her very worried. She's also reflexly protectective of it, dangerously so.

She has a feeling something is following her and is trying to do something and she's not sure what that something is. She's also attracted to Reece who has some of the same abilities.

It twists and turns and the ending came as a shock, even if it was flagged and perfect for the story. An excellent read. ( )

I was expecting creepy when I picked this book up (based solely on the cover, which I think is amazing!), but I didn't quite know what it was going to be like. This was beyond creepy. Maybe it's because I have a bit of a neck phobia, with fears of choking. McNish does an excellent job of describing exactly what Savannah is going through and it really brings to life her terror over what is happening to her.

Savannah was a likable enough character, believable in her fear and in her sudden crazy desire to protect what is in her throat. She confused and scared pretty much the entire book and it works well to keep the suspense going, wondering if the thing inside of her is good or evil.

But it's the monsters that are amazing. They are described in a way that brings them to life and unlike so many other storybook monsters we get inside their minds and are able to understand what is driving them to do what they are attempting. McNish does such a good job of this that there were points that I even felt sympathy for them.

The best part is that I was completely surprised by the ending. Looking back I can see the little things that would have pointed me in the right direction, but even then I wouldn't have expected it. Wonderful book and definitely a read for anyone looking for a bit of creepiness. ( )