The Devouring by Simon Holt

From the Publisher

"When dark creeps in and eats the light,
Bury your fears on Sorry Night.
For in the winter's blackest hours,
Comes the feasting of the Vours,
No one can see it, the life they stole,
Your body's here but not your soul..."

THE VOURS: Evil, demonic beings that inhabit human bodies on Sorry Night, the darkest hours of the winter solstice.

When Reggie reads about the Vours in a mysterious old journal, she assumes they are just the musings of an anonymous lunatic. But when her little brother, Henry, begins to act strangely, it's clear that these creatures exist beyond a madwoman's imagination, and Reggie finds out what happens when fears come to life.

To save the people she loves, Reggie must learn to survive in a world of nightmares. Can she devour her own fears before they devour her?

The Devouring is an engrossing tale of terror that will have you wondering: what if your worst fears became your living nightmare?

Children's Literature

What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of spiders? Are you afraid of the dark? The death of a loved one? If you are alone on Sorry Night and you let your fear show, the Vours will take possession of your body. It will become an evil and murderous being. When the Vours take possession of eight-year-old Henry's body, his older sister Reggie must face her deepest fears in an effort to save him. Fortunately, she has read the handwritten journal that describes other people's experiences with the monstrous Vours. Armed with a vague understanding of what she is confronting, Reggie and her friend Aaron attempt to scare the Vour out of Henry. All three of them confront inconceivable horrors and nearly die in the process of trying to save Henry. This gruesome but gripping novel will keep you on the edge of your seat as you witness Reggie's terrors and contemplate your own fears. Reviewer: Denise Daley

VOYA

Reggie (Regina) and her best friend Aaron are horror freaks-movies, books, television-they love it all. But when Reggie finds an antique journal at the bookstore where she works and reads an eerie story of an incident of body and soul possession on Sorry Night, she and Aaron begin to wonder if they have taken their hobby a bit too far. The Vours, creepy beings that feed off of people's fears, are invited into the house by a curious Reggie and Aaron, but it is Reggie's young brother Henry who suffers the repercussions. Once Reggie realizes that Henry's body has been inhabited by a Vour, and both Reggie and Aaron-with the help of Reggie's eccentric boss-have to face their own fears in order to save him. They could lose their lives in the process. The world of young adult literature is in desperate need of more horror-teens clamor for really scary, keep-you-awake-at-night stories. Holt's novel fits the bill in many respects and some teens (especially younger ones) will be sucked into the story for its spooky elements and moments of sheer disgustingness. Older, more erudite teens might find the characters rather whiny and hollow at times, and some of the twists and turns are utterly predictable and even cartoonish. Add this book to the collection if middle schoolers will not stop demanding scary stuff and they have read the Shusterman fairy-tale series. Reviewer: Kimberly Paone

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up

Comparable to books by R. L. Stine and Stephen King, The Devouring will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Reggie is a horror fanatic. When she finds a journal in a box of used books at the bookstore where she works, she "borrows" it. It tells of the Vours, black smokelike beings that possess humans who can't conquer their fear on Sorry Night (the eve of the winter solstice). Reggie and her friend Aaron attempt to make the Vours materialize but instead they possess her little brother. In a fight to the death, Reggie joins the battle of humanity against the Vours. This story contains classic elements of the genre: a horrific monster, fusion (where two different entities are fused into one), and the process of discovery. The book has some graphic content, blood, and gore, which only add to the chills. A must-have for horror fans.-June H. Keuhn, Corning East High School, NY

Kirkus Reviews

"When the dark creeps in and eats the light, / Bury your fears on Sorry Night," begins this creepy tale that reads like A Nightmare on Elm Street with a dollop of demonic possession. Reggie Halloway, a mousy girl and avid horror fan, discovers a strange journal while working at an occult bookstore. Upon investigation, she learns about the Vours, horrific demons who feed on fear and take over the body, morphing its host into a cold, cruel creature. When, as a prank, Reggie and her friend Aaron attempt to summon a Vour, things go horribly awry and a Vour takes over the body of her little brother, Henry. Reggie then must battle the Vours to try to get her brother's soul back into his body. In this introductory volume, cinematic in its scope, Holt borrows conventions from many horror films, including a Stygian carnival complete with killer clowns and dreams in which injuries can manifest themselves in the real world. A scary yarn spun at breakneck speed, perfect for those chilly winter nights. (Horror. 14 & up)

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