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lovelyjanelle13's review
4.0
I purchased this book from a library sale as an attempt to expand my reading genres and am pleasantly surprised. The premise is intriguing; a kid pays for a used phone to be able to call his girlfriend without having their parents interfering and ends up with a lot more than he bargained for. Once he turns the phone on, he receives calls from three different people: the previous owner of the phone, a woman needing help, and one claiming to be trapped in hell. The book follows this high school boy get sucked into a devious plot bigger than he ever could’ve imagined, and part of him likes it as he describes himself as always being good.
*SPOILER BELOW*
I was both happy and displeased by the ending. I think it may have been better to leave it at his execution to leave readers wondering whether or not the events that were told to him truly occurred or if it was all just an elaborate scheme to get someone else to take care of the dirty work for them.
*SPOILER BELOW*
I was both happy and displeased by the ending. I think it may have been better to leave it at his execution to leave readers wondering whether or not the events that were told to him truly occurred or if it was all just an elaborate scheme to get someone else to take care of the dirty work for them.
librariann's review
2.0
Ages 12+ (three or four swears, gore)
Contrived & poorly written. Aimed at a younger horror audience
Contrived & poorly written. Aimed at a younger horror audience
lanidon's review
5.0
This book is wild and so much darker than I expected but I loved it. Such a great time capsule and a lot of fun
funsizelibrarian's review
3.0
Nick is poor. So poor he lives in a tiny trailer, has no computer, and has to work everyday after school. And he has no cell phone. Then he gets the flyer: Cheapest prepaid cell phones in town. With his precious savings Nick buys a $20 phone (a refurbished with no caller ID) and 150 minutes. He's overjoyed and can't wait to talk to Jen, his girlfriend and the reason he bought the phone.
But as soon as Nick turns the phone on, the calls begin. A sobbing woman begging for help. A pushy man who urges Nick to steal cell phone accessories, but won't tell Nick what he wants. A heavily accented man who warns Nick not to trust "them." Then there are the games that come with the phone: Games From Real Hell. As the cell phone keeps ringing, a wretched, screeching cat noise, Nick gets more and more involved with the callers. Until, finally, they drag him into hell...
Hell Phone was a quick, easy read. Intriguing enough for teens who don't usually enjoy reading, and with a plot that holds a reader's interest. I enjoyed it, and recommend it for those who like a tiny rush of fear, but want to sleep well at night!
But as soon as Nick turns the phone on, the calls begin. A sobbing woman begging for help. A pushy man who urges Nick to steal cell phone accessories, but won't tell Nick what he wants. A heavily accented man who warns Nick not to trust "them." Then there are the games that come with the phone: Games From Real Hell. As the cell phone keeps ringing, a wretched, screeching cat noise, Nick gets more and more involved with the callers. Until, finally, they drag him into hell...
Hell Phone was a quick, easy read. Intriguing enough for teens who don't usually enjoy reading, and with a plot that holds a reader's interest. I enjoyed it, and recommend it for those who like a tiny rush of fear, but want to sleep well at night!
chukg's review
2.0
Sleator is nearly a guilty pleasure, most of his stuff is light and super basic, but he's always got some kind of weird twist or situation in it. This one is no exception -- kid buys a cheap cell phone, and the reason it's cheap is because he gets phone calls from Hell. And it has no caller ID!!
Anyway, Sleator can do better like Interstellar Pig or House of Stairs. Good thing this book was short.
Anyway, Sleator can do better like Interstellar Pig or House of Stairs. Good thing this book was short.
nervousnighthawk's review
5.0
I wouldn't say this was a great book in terms of ~quality~ and ~literature~ etc, but holy hell was it an entertaining read. Way better than I thought. It's one of those that's been sitting on my shelf for years now-- if I'd known it was this good, I'd have read it way sooner!
williamsdebbied's review
3.0
Nick Gordon is poor, but he's a good student who works hard at school and at his after school job He dreams of getting a scholarship so that he can go to college and get out of the dismal trailer park where he lives with his single mother. The greatest thing in his life is his girlfriend, Jen. Since his mom has a hard time paying the phone bill, Nick is often without a phone. He saves $50 and goes to a discount store where he is able to buy a cheap phone. Though it looks new, it lacks many features, most importantly, caller ID. As soon as Nick gets home with his new phone, he starts getting mysterious calls demanding his help. Are the calls really coming directly from Hell, or is it all just a plan to turn Nick into a criminal? Either way, Nick finds himself changing from a hard-working, honest young man to a criminal with frightening speed.
xantera's review
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A very easy and quick read that probably won't satisfy a distinguished reader, but this would be great for teens or adults who want an interesting, easy-to-follow story, and want to finish up a whole book with little to no effort. Not the most amazing and well-written story, but it's satisfying and has an interesting story to share.
lucillemeeps's review
3.0
I'm almost ashamed to say that I read this book because I was falling behind on my goodreads goal for the year, and I saw this at the library and thought it would be a quick read to boost me up. It turned out to be an alright read. There was a lot of focus on the class system- poor boy who lives in a trailer with his mum is going out with a beautiful rich girl. To keep in contact with her, the boy buys a cheap, used cell phone. The phone is strang- some of it's features are disabled and it is sold for an unusually low price. There is just one thing that I would like to point out: caller ID is not a standard feature on all phones. You have to pay extra to get caller ID. Everyone in this book seemed to think that it was normally a given that comes with the most basic, pay as you go phones. No. It's a pain in the ass that can cost something ridiculous like $7/month to get. So when every character who came into contact with the phone gasped at the lack of caller ID, it kind of bothered me. I know, really nitpicky, but it came up more often than one would think because of the other aspects of the phone.
There is a near constant stream of strange phone calls. Some are threatening. Some beg for help. Others give cryptic warnings. Of course, the owner of the phone is too curious to listen to common sense and get rid of the phone. He becomes ensnared by it and is drawn into a plot that reaches into new realms- namely, Hell. I liked that the author creates a new vision of hell and isn't afraid to sound kind of ridiculous. The ending was a little unsatisfactory. Won't say why, but you'll know what I mean if you read it. Anyways, it entertained me, and it didn't disappoint. It was a quick, somewhat silly read that had some decent action in it. The writing wasn't great, but there were a couple of interesting plot elements.
There is a near constant stream of strange phone calls. Some are threatening. Some beg for help. Others give cryptic warnings. Of course, the owner of the phone is too curious to listen to common sense and get rid of the phone. He becomes ensnared by it and is drawn into a plot that reaches into new realms- namely, Hell. I liked that the author creates a new vision of hell and isn't afraid to sound kind of ridiculous. The ending was a little unsatisfactory. Won't say why, but you'll know what I mean if you read it. Anyways, it entertained me, and it didn't disappoint. It was a quick, somewhat silly read that had some decent action in it. The writing wasn't great, but there were a couple of interesting plot elements.