A review by bleaksalad
Suffer the Children by Craig DiLouie

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Suffer The Children was a good read until it wasn’t. The premise is endearing and the way events play out is believable and horrific in exactly the way I had hoped. I loved that the true horrors of the book were not the vampire-like children, but the effects such an event had on parents. What the world turned into when parents would go to any length to save their children was truly the scariest part. 

However, I felt like I only ever knew the characters at a surface level, which made it hard for me to care about what happened to them. It also made it easier to hate them as events spiraled out of control. Ramona was an incredibly interesting character and her mental deterioration made total sense, but I just couldn’t help but wish her the WORST from the start. In the end, the only person with sane logic was David. 

Don’t be misled into thinking this is a creature feature or centered around the monstrous children. This horror novel focuses on the terrifying nature of humanity and how people react when their own is at stake. Definitely worth a read if you’re into horror, but it’ll be low on your list of favorite. 
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