Author: James Dawson
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Publishing Date: 05/06/2014
Bobbie Rowe is not the
kind of person who believes in ghosts so when she’s dared to summon Bloody Mary
with her best friend Naya and cute local boy Caine, it’s no big deal. Nothing
happens, until the next morning when Bobbie finds a message on her bathroom
mirror: ‘five days'. But what does it mean? As their time runs out, Bobbie, Naya and Caine race to find out.
Ever since this book was announced, I’ve quite literally
been counting down the days. James Dawson never fails to impress with his
brilliant, inventive stories, and Say Her
Name lives up to that reputation he’s firmly set in my mind.
Say Her Name, while
being a truly creepy story also has a lot of other classic YA elements which
give you a bit of light relief every now and again – Bobbie and Naya have a
great friendship, there’s some cute romance bits, that sort of thing. Bobbie
grows so much from the very first chapter to the very end of the book, and she
is believable and adorable and I was cheering her on throughout. You get to dip
in and out of the little snapshots of Bobbie’s life you’re provided with (you
know, when she’s not being haunted and stuff). The background plays its part
and does its job but that’s all, and Dawson is able to get a beautiful balance
here. Also, in typical James Dawson fashion, it’s modern and up to date.
James does a fantastic job of building the tension slowly
and gracefully, until you’re suddenly sitting right in the corner of the sofa
unable to breathe properly and not entirely sure how you got to that point. But
you can’t put the book down, because you always need to know what happens next.
And with his big moments, he delivers. Mary is every bit as terrifying as the
old stories will tell you, but with a new refreshing twist and background which
may pull on your empathetic strings. I never thought I’d feel empathetic and
scared at the same time, but it happened.
5/5 stars easily, a truly creepy read.
*Book given to me by Hot Key Books in exchange for my honest review
Want a chance to own all three fiction books by James Dawson - Hollow Pike, Cruel Summer and the brand new Say Her Name? Enter the giveaway below for your chance to win all three.
*Giveaway closes on 13/06/2014*
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I've been really looking forward to reading this, especially since I enjoyed Cruel Summer so much (thanks again for the recommendation!). I'm glad to hear that you loved this one too x
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