Review: The Devouring

By Simon Holt
Paperback, 256 pages
 Little Brown & Company
June 01, 2009

" When dark creeps in and eats the light,

Burry your fears on Sorry night..."

Fifteen-year-old Reggie doesn’t know who penned the mysterious journal about the Vours, wicked creatures that inhabit children’s bodies on Sorry Night, the darkness of the winter solstice. Once inside a human, the Vour assumes the victim’s personality, banishing their soul to a dark netherworld called a fearscape. Frightening, but thought to be only the musings of an anonymous lunatic...until a midnight game awakens an ancient evil. After playing with the journal’s incantations on Sorry Night, Reggie and her best friend Aaron discover the story of the Vours is all too real. When a demonic force consumes Reggie’s little brother, Henry, she must race to save him. Slowly, she uncovers the truth: Vours have existed since the dawn of mankind, feeding on humanity’s fright. Reggie acquires the ability to enter victims’ fearscapes, psychic prisons sculpted from pure terror. Once inside, she must empower victims to conquer their fear and destroy the Vours that have enslaved them. Together with a small band of believers, Reggie wages war against an enemy she cannot touch or reason with, creatures powerful enough to enslave human bodies and steal souls without detection. The Vours gorge themselves on human fear-feeding their guile, their cruelty, and their power. A cataclysm called “The Devouring” approaches, and only Reggie Halloway can stop it. (Borders.com)

**************

So The Devouring was something I didn't expect. The storyline was somewhat different. Starting off in the past we get a look at the history of the main story. Then we speed through time to present day with Reggie, A teenage girl who is left in charge of her younger brother and most of the daily chores of motherhood after her mother picks up and leaves.

With Reggies dad always working Reggie and Henry, along with best friend Aaron are thrown in to the realm of the Vours...demons who possess the body.

Holt gives a good story that has plenty of twists and turns. There really isn't much romance in this book, which oddly enough works for the story. It was all about her love for her brother and the race to save him.

For me The Devouring was a little slow, at times I lost interest. I could have used a little more detail and maybe something other then the main plot which was to save Henry. I really feel that if the book had branched off into a few more areas it would have been better. Toward the end of the book it did pick back up and there were a few unexpected turns. I think that as a whole this book was good but not one of my top reads. I give The Devouring 2 Hoots. I have the Second book in the series and have yet to pick it up.