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A review by sunsoar25
Scream All Night by Derek Milman
5.0
I received an ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
It's been three years since Dario Heyward has been home to Moldavia Studios and he has no plans of ever going back. The iconic castle was the set, studio, and home to the cast and crew of dozens of cult classic B-horror movies. Then Oren, Dario’s older brother, invites him to come back for a mysterious ceremony involving his father and a tribute to his first film, The Curse of the Mummy’s Tongue. Dario doesn't plan on staying long, but this will let him have closure on his past and he'll get to catch up with Hayley, his first love and his costar in Zombie Children of the Harvest Sun, a production fraught with real tragedy. He'll finally get to say goodbye to his old life. Before he knows it, Dario gets sucked right back into the twisted world of Moldavia and everything he left behind. Now that he only has a few months save the failing movie studio, he'll have to confront his past head on along with his future dreams.
Scream All Night by Derek Milman was one of my most anticipated YA debuts and luckily for me it was an absolute delight to read. I can honestly say that this is one of the most original YA novels I've had the opportunity to read - and it was exactly up my alley. If you follow me on Twitter, you might have noticed that I talk quite a bit about the horror host Svengoolie and the movies that he shows on MeTV. Long story short, but I'm a fan of cult classic B-horror movies and it's fun to chat with other fans. Anyway, I've never read a YA novel so prominently featuring these types of movies and the behind scenes work on them, but Milman does a remarkable job of bringing a dose of unsettling and absurdist dark humor to his standalone YA contemporary set in a horror film studio about a very dysfunctional family. The author also does a brilliant job of bringing all of the characters to life from Dario, Oren (a total scene stealer), Jude, Hayley, the crew, and even those that don't have a lot page time still bring a good deal to bear on the story and the core cast. I loved that all of the characters manage to feel incredibly real, if flawed and a little strange. They feel like people you could actually meet who are doing their best to figure out where they truly belong in the world. Dario's arc over the course of the novel is quite rewarding begins to sort out his priorities. Plus, the setting is totally awesome and crucial to the story - I'd don't know about you, but I'd love to explore Moldavia Castle.
Overall, Scream All Night by Derek Milman is a uniquely original must-read YA debut. I couldn't get enough of his brand of contemporary and I couldn't stop turning the pages. I was truly invested in Dario's story and watching him grow and come into his own. Like our cast, I also felt completely immersed in the insular bubble that is the studio. Seriously, this book has everything I love from fantastic characters, the mother of all dysfunctional families, a great setting and excellent world-building, a decent emotional gut punch of a backstory, laugh out loud dark comedy, and plenty of references and tidbits to keep us horror fans satisfied. Basically, you need Derek Milman's debut in your life. I'm dying to see what he'll come up with next!
Thanks again, Edelweiss!
It's been three years since Dario Heyward has been home to Moldavia Studios and he has no plans of ever going back. The iconic castle was the set, studio, and home to the cast and crew of dozens of cult classic B-horror movies. Then Oren, Dario’s older brother, invites him to come back for a mysterious ceremony involving his father and a tribute to his first film, The Curse of the Mummy’s Tongue. Dario doesn't plan on staying long, but this will let him have closure on his past and he'll get to catch up with Hayley, his first love and his costar in Zombie Children of the Harvest Sun, a production fraught with real tragedy. He'll finally get to say goodbye to his old life. Before he knows it, Dario gets sucked right back into the twisted world of Moldavia and everything he left behind. Now that he only has a few months save the failing movie studio, he'll have to confront his past head on along with his future dreams.
Scream All Night by Derek Milman was one of my most anticipated YA debuts and luckily for me it was an absolute delight to read. I can honestly say that this is one of the most original YA novels I've had the opportunity to read - and it was exactly up my alley. If you follow me on Twitter, you might have noticed that I talk quite a bit about the horror host Svengoolie and the movies that he shows on MeTV. Long story short, but I'm a fan of cult classic B-horror movies and it's fun to chat with other fans. Anyway, I've never read a YA novel so prominently featuring these types of movies and the behind scenes work on them, but Milman does a remarkable job of bringing a dose of unsettling and absurdist dark humor to his standalone YA contemporary set in a horror film studio about a very dysfunctional family. The author also does a brilliant job of bringing all of the characters to life from Dario, Oren (a total scene stealer), Jude, Hayley, the crew, and even those that don't have a lot page time still bring a good deal to bear on the story and the core cast. I loved that all of the characters manage to feel incredibly real, if flawed and a little strange. They feel like people you could actually meet who are doing their best to figure out where they truly belong in the world. Dario's arc over the course of the novel is quite rewarding begins to sort out his priorities. Plus, the setting is totally awesome and crucial to the story - I'd don't know about you, but I'd love to explore Moldavia Castle.
Overall, Scream All Night by Derek Milman is a uniquely original must-read YA debut. I couldn't get enough of his brand of contemporary and I couldn't stop turning the pages. I was truly invested in Dario's story and watching him grow and come into his own. Like our cast, I also felt completely immersed in the insular bubble that is the studio. Seriously, this book has everything I love from fantastic characters, the mother of all dysfunctional families, a great setting and excellent world-building, a decent emotional gut punch of a backstory, laugh out loud dark comedy, and plenty of references and tidbits to keep us horror fans satisfied. Basically, you need Derek Milman's debut in your life. I'm dying to see what he'll come up with next!
Thanks again, Edelweiss!