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quirkylitlover's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I just finished the audiobook version of Scareville: How to Create a Monster by John Ward! The Scareville books are standalone stories, so no need to read Welcome to Scareville first (although it’s a GREAT read).
I enjoyed the main character, Emily, and her passion for all things Halloween. As an adult, I enjoyed the nostalgic factor and I think most middle grade horror readers will appreciate the yearning for a creepier Halloween. There were plenty of creepy moments in the story that will thrill young readers. Although I’m sure the story is still good as a physical book or ebook, I HAVE to recommend listening to the audio…the second half of the story had a couple of moments that spooked me as I drove to work in the dark!
I enjoyed the main character, Emily, and her passion for all things Halloween. As an adult, I enjoyed the nostalgic factor and I think most middle grade horror readers will appreciate the yearning for a creepier Halloween. There were plenty of creepy moments in the story that will thrill young readers. Although I’m sure the story is still good as a physical book or ebook, I HAVE to recommend listening to the audio…the second half of the story had a couple of moments that spooked me as I drove to work in the dark!
barmyjen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This felt like a real nostalgia trip, and is perfect for readers who loved goosebumps! The characters act like children, and the story fits really well as part of a spooky series, which is exactly what you want. The narrators voice also works really well for this story, and makes it really easy to listen to. I'll definitely be reading more from John Ward.
silenttwg's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Emily is a die-hard Halloween fan. It's all about the scares, the candy, the thrill of the spooky season for her, but somewhere along the lines, she became jaded by others enjoying the less spooky side of it. This is where her dreams of bygone days takes its toll on the entire town.
I really, really wanted to like this book. I grew up on Goosebumps, have shared that love to other young ones I know, so liked this concept a lot. And this feels like with some polishing, it could reach that level too, but it needs some more editing TLC and character/plot development.
I started counting the number of run-on sentences using "as", "before", "while" and other connector words. It was unfortunately very common. There were other distracting styles with the writing that would be caught with more polishing.
I also had a hard time with Emily. She struck me as a preteen but her attitude alternated between hating people having fun without being just in the spooky side, complaining that people didn't understand scary anymore, while simultaneously being startled by her bullies, her friends, her parents, her creation, the hayride, and being envious of her neighbors' impressively spooky setup. It made it very difficult to relate to. How can this kid be so jaded about things not being scary when she's practically jumping at her own shadow?
This is where I think some of the character development needs to be focused on. She gets so whiny and repetitive but it's not needed. She can feel underwhelmed by the silliness of halloween without it becoming her personality. It made her difficult to like though I think the teeny bopper is in there. Her whining was also too much of the focus of the plot.
Would have liked to see instead more of her creation's mischief, more investigation and bonding with her Scooby gang, more focus on the end scene and how they pulled together. Would have liked more and less all at once.
I really, really wanted to like this book. I grew up on Goosebumps, have shared that love to other young ones I know, so liked this concept a lot. And this feels like with some polishing, it could reach that level too, but it needs some more editing TLC and character/plot development.
I started counting the number of run-on sentences using "as", "before", "while" and other connector words. It was unfortunately very common. There were other distracting styles with the writing that would be caught with more polishing.
I also had a hard time with Emily. She struck me as a preteen but her attitude alternated between hating people having fun without being just in the spooky side, complaining that people didn't understand scary anymore, while simultaneously being startled by her bullies, her friends, her parents, her creation, the hayride, and being envious of her neighbors' impressively spooky setup. It made it very difficult to relate to. How can this kid be so jaded about things not being scary when she's practically jumping at her own shadow?
This is where I think some of the character development needs to be focused on. She gets so whiny and repetitive but it's not needed. She can feel underwhelmed by the silliness of halloween without it becoming her personality. It made her difficult to like though I think the teeny bopper is in there. Her whining was also too much of the focus of the plot.
Would have liked to see instead more of her creation's mischief, more investigation and bonding with her Scooby gang, more focus on the end scene and how they pulled together. Would have liked more and less all at once.