Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
The setting of the dormitory style cloistered mansion that this horror movie studio operates out of made me think it was going to be a scary but it’s not at all (someday I’ll quit judging books by their covers). Instead we have more of a humorous story about how “you can’t go home again”. I loved Dario. The conversations between he and his roommate, brother, etc were hilarious. It handled tough topics like child abuse, group homes, mental illness and parental estrangement without the heavy handed “afterschool special” preciousness that so many YA writers resort to.
2,5 that's right in the middle, can't give it more. guess it's me...
3.5 Stars
This was written for those of us that love trashy horror, giallo, twisted, straight-to-video, B-movies. The story was a bit bogged down in parts and tempted me to skip past sections but I didn't. The soul and humor of the story tho, was worth the whole reading.
This was written for those of us that love trashy horror, giallo, twisted, straight-to-video, B-movies. The story was a bit bogged down in parts and tempted me to skip past sections but I didn't. The soul and humor of the story tho, was worth the whole reading.
“My dad was notorious for overworking actors. He’d film screams until voices were completely shot. He felt there was a real terror that would creep into a scream after a certain point. He was always after that moment, that elusive truth… “Scream all night!” my dad would say, gleefully. It became a catchphrase. He started saying it whenever he was about to film a new scene.”
Where to begin? I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing a novel that’s been so unique in all my time of reading. Most of my friends here know that I gravitate toward the darker side of literature, so it’s no surprise that a YA dark comedy turned out to be right up my alley, but there is something really special about this one. Is it a contemporary? Yes. Is it disturbing? Absolutely! While difficult to pin down into a single classification, I decided to make my own: Scream All Night is a deeper look at the reconciliation of a dysfunctional family full of unusual storytelling and unsettling behavior.
“That’s when I first learned that with beauty comes a little bit of terror. That pretty much sums up my childhood here: something cool would happen immediately followed by something traumatic. I could never come to terms with those knee-jerk jumps.”
If you’re wanting just a little bit more than the blurb offers (let’s face it, this is a very specific type of story for a very specific type of reader), let me offer you a brief summary of chapter one. Dario is a 17-year-old guy who has had a really unusual childhood. He grew up on the private grounds of his father’s B-rated horror film studio called Moldavia Studios. After a beyond neglected childhood, Dario has become emancipated from his family and is living in a group home where, he’s not living as affluently but is supported by a few friends who care about him. When he receives a call to return home for his father’s live funeral (that would be a gathering where the terminal father is buried alive), Dario decides he needs to return home once and for all to come to terms with his past and put his demons to rest. To say the story begins with a bang might be an understatement.
“One day you’ll look back on your time here, and all of us, and you won’t feel the pain you do now. When that moment comes, you’ll know you’ve made it through all the darkness God drew for you and come out into the light.”
I’m ashamed to say that I wasn’t expecting the intricate exploration of grief and family dynamics in general here. I thought this would be a fun romp for sure, but surface level entertainment at best. Needless to say, Scream All Night was indeed much more. I felt Dario’s heart break with every disappointment that was flung his way, along with the neglect and abuse he suffered as a child stuck in a world of selfish adults. As he is forced to work through the death of his estranged father and all the regrets that bubble to the surface, there is also a great deal of forgiveness and reconciliation that occurs between multiple “family” members, both blood related or by choice. I think readers who enjoy bold plots that fall into a category of their own will really take to this one. Scream All Night is not for the faint of heart, but for readers who are searching for a novel with its own dark flair, stop searching-this is it! Highly recommended!
*Review copy furnished via the author/publisher.
Where to begin? I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing a novel that’s been so unique in all my time of reading. Most of my friends here know that I gravitate toward the darker side of literature, so it’s no surprise that a YA dark comedy turned out to be right up my alley, but there is something really special about this one. Is it a contemporary? Yes. Is it disturbing? Absolutely! While difficult to pin down into a single classification, I decided to make my own: Scream All Night is a deeper look at the reconciliation of a dysfunctional family full of unusual storytelling and unsettling behavior.
“That’s when I first learned that with beauty comes a little bit of terror. That pretty much sums up my childhood here: something cool would happen immediately followed by something traumatic. I could never come to terms with those knee-jerk jumps.”
If you’re wanting just a little bit more than the blurb offers (let’s face it, this is a very specific type of story for a very specific type of reader), let me offer you a brief summary of chapter one. Dario is a 17-year-old guy who has had a really unusual childhood. He grew up on the private grounds of his father’s B-rated horror film studio called Moldavia Studios. After a beyond neglected childhood, Dario has become emancipated from his family and is living in a group home where, he’s not living as affluently but is supported by a few friends who care about him. When he receives a call to return home for his father’s live funeral (that would be a gathering where the terminal father is buried alive), Dario decides he needs to return home once and for all to come to terms with his past and put his demons to rest. To say the story begins with a bang might be an understatement.
“One day you’ll look back on your time here, and all of us, and you won’t feel the pain you do now. When that moment comes, you’ll know you’ve made it through all the darkness God drew for you and come out into the light.”
I’m ashamed to say that I wasn’t expecting the intricate exploration of grief and family dynamics in general here. I thought this would be a fun romp for sure, but surface level entertainment at best. Needless to say, Scream All Night was indeed much more. I felt Dario’s heart break with every disappointment that was flung his way, along with the neglect and abuse he suffered as a child stuck in a world of selfish adults. As he is forced to work through the death of his estranged father and all the regrets that bubble to the surface, there is also a great deal of forgiveness and reconciliation that occurs between multiple “family” members, both blood related or by choice. I think readers who enjoy bold plots that fall into a category of their own will really take to this one. Scream All Night is not for the faint of heart, but for readers who are searching for a novel with its own dark flair, stop searching-this is it! Highly recommended!
*Review copy furnished via the author/publisher.
"Well, that was his second choice."
This was great! Oren frustrated me at first, but I really enjoyed the development of all the characters. And the excerpts from Oren's script had me roaring.
This was great! Oren frustrated me at first, but I really enjoyed the development of all the characters. And the excerpts from Oren's script had me roaring.
I loved this book! I honestly went into it thinking it was just going to be the literary equivalent of a jump/scare but it was funny and heartwarming and real. 4.5 stars.
#readathon
#readathon
4.5
This was a perfect Stephanie book. Our main character Dario Heyward was raised in a gothic castle that was also the set for many b-horror movies that his famous father directed (basically my fantasy life). After some traumatizing events he is legally emancipated from his parents and now lives in the Keenan group home, but as he returns home he find himself getting roped back into the world of Moldavia. I loved the idea of this character having to go and face his past, deal with difficult (quirky) family and cast members, and decide what a family legacy means to him. There was a lot of meat and depth to Dario's story.
There is a bit of the story that is dedicated to the technical part of movie-making that I didn't find quite as interesting as the rest of the book. People who love nods to pop culture (especially old creature-feature horror movies) and movie making will love this.
Trigger warnings for mental illness and child abuse
*sent a free copy in exchange for a review*
This was a perfect Stephanie book. Our main character Dario Heyward was raised in a gothic castle that was also the set for many b-horror movies that his famous father directed (basically my fantasy life). After some traumatizing events he is legally emancipated from his parents and now lives in the Keenan group home, but as he returns home he find himself getting roped back into the world of Moldavia. I loved the idea of this character having to go and face his past, deal with difficult (quirky) family and cast members, and decide what a family legacy means to him. There was a lot of meat and depth to Dario's story.
There is a bit of the story that is dedicated to the technical part of movie-making that I didn't find quite as interesting as the rest of the book. People who love nods to pop culture (especially old creature-feature horror movies) and movie making will love this.
Trigger warnings for mental illness and child abuse
*sent a free copy in exchange for a review*
This book wasn't for me due to style and tone, but I could see someone finding the quirky style and characters endearing.
The cover and the title for this book invoke a bloody expectation of the horrors to be found in its pages. And they are there, but they were not what this reader was expecting. “Scream All Night” is the mantra of the Moldovia B Horror movie studio. Think Elvira (if you are old enough) and the movies she used to push. That will give you a perfect idea of the movie that come out of Moldavian Pictures. Cult classics like Night of the Living Dead.
This sounds like an awesome place to grow up, until to see what is behind the fog machines and prosthetic makeup. Dario is just such a kid. His dad owns and runs Moldavia, and its more than a movie studio. It’s a home. It’s a family. It’s a nightmare. Dario’s mom isn’t in the picture. She’s cuckoo for Cooco Puffs. Literally. And dad isn’t much better. Dad casts Dario in a movie at age 12, and pretty much tortures him to get the performance he wants. This leads to Dario getting emancipated and willingly living in an orphanage. Six years have passed, and dad is on the way out. He’s 91 and wants to have a living funeral.
The funeral becomes way more than bargained for, and a the reading of wills takes place. Unbeknownst to everyone, dead dad left Dario in charge of the studio, and on a mission to make it solvent in 6 months. If he can’t, or chooses not to, the studio must be sold to their biggest competitor. This may sound like fun and games, but Dario has a much older brother and lets just say, I as a reader frequently judged his sanity.
This book was so much more than I was hoping it would be going in. I was expecting a blood gory horror novel and instead got the story of a young man trying to live life, and cope with a traumatic and neglected childhood. Once I started this book it was hard to put down. I just had to see how it ended. And while it has still left me hunting for a frightening tale to read this October, it filled me and my heart with more empathy and hopefulness than an entire library of Stephen King. I cannot wait to see what this author comes up with next.
This sounds like an awesome place to grow up, until to see what is behind the fog machines and prosthetic makeup. Dario is just such a kid. His dad owns and runs Moldavia, and its more than a movie studio. It’s a home. It’s a family. It’s a nightmare. Dario’s mom isn’t in the picture. She’s cuckoo for Cooco Puffs. Literally. And dad isn’t much better. Dad casts Dario in a movie at age 12, and pretty much tortures him to get the performance he wants. This leads to Dario getting emancipated and willingly living in an orphanage. Six years have passed, and dad is on the way out. He’s 91 and wants to have a living funeral.
The funeral becomes way more than bargained for, and a the reading of wills takes place. Unbeknownst to everyone, dead dad left Dario in charge of the studio, and on a mission to make it solvent in 6 months. If he can’t, or chooses not to, the studio must be sold to their biggest competitor. This may sound like fun and games, but Dario has a much older brother and lets just say, I as a reader frequently judged his sanity.
This book was so much more than I was hoping it would be going in. I was expecting a blood gory horror novel and instead got the story of a young man trying to live life, and cope with a traumatic and neglected childhood. Once I started this book it was hard to put down. I just had to see how it ended. And while it has still left me hunting for a frightening tale to read this October, it filled me and my heart with more empathy and hopefulness than an entire library of Stephen King. I cannot wait to see what this author comes up with next.
I really enjoyed this!
Dario is about to turn 18 is living voluntarily in a group foster home after legally emancipation himself from his family. But now his father is dying and the fate of the family's B Horror Movie empire rests in Dario's unwilling hands. Can he handle the ghosts, both literal and figurative, and return to the castle/movie studio home or will he ditch the kooky family and head to Harvard?
Dario is about to turn 18 is living voluntarily in a group foster home after legally emancipation himself from his family. But now his father is dying and the fate of the family's B Horror Movie empire rests in Dario's unwilling hands. Can he handle the ghosts, both literal and figurative, and return to the castle/movie studio home or will he ditch the kooky family and head to Harvard?