Darkfever (Fever, #1)
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Publication Date: 10/31/06
Publisher: Delacorte

Blurb (GR): MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman.

Or so she thinks…until something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae….

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands…

Review:
I started this book to see what all the hoopla was about on Goodreads. People are crazy for it! After reading the first installment, I can totally see why that is. I fell into the storyline extremely quickly and devoured the book in two days. (I would've read it in one sitting if I'd had the time!)

While I thoroughly enjoy most urban fantasy-type books (I don't want to pigeonhole this book into any one category--it truly has a lot of...well, a lot of genres:)), I found it refreshing that Karen Marie Moning left out most of the fluff. I'm sick of reading about "nice vampires" and romantic interludes with all sorts of supernatural beings. This book has a little romance but, for the most part, those storylines are left open for the later books in the series. At least, I hope they are played out later. *crosses fingers*

And don't get me wrong, Moning definitely leaves in some fluffier elements. MacKayla Lane is a girly-girl to the max but I also found that refreshing considering the number of kickass-perfect-at-everything-and-not-concerned-with-looks heroines in urban fantasy books. I found her less annoying than Sookie Stackhouse and, while they both make tons of ridiculous decisions, I didn't mind Mac's because they led to such well-written fight scenes and descriptions of crazy-ass monsters. Speaking of the monsters and the entire cast of characters, I wish this book series was a TV show or movie--I'd love to see an imagining of this world!

Anyway, I don't want to beat a dead horse--there are tons of good reviews already for this book and now you know I feel pretty much the same way as the majority. And you spent 30 seconds figuring that out:)

On to the next! (which I have on hold at the library:) Yay!)

P.S. Once upon a time, an idiotic American girl went to Ireland. (Don't get your panties in a bunch, the girl is me, not Mac) Upon arrival with her friends, she left her purse in a taxi cab with lots of money and her passport. (Yes, I am that stupid). At the hostel, the front desk people were adamant that the driver would bring it back. Wha-wha-wha-whaaaat? And you know what? HE DID at the end of his shift. (I know, right?) Anyway, the point of this is that I did not believe all these meanies were running around Ireland. From my trips there, I can tell you that everyone is beyond nice!

Masked Pleasures
Authors: Michael M. Jones, Anya Levin, Victoria Pond, and Brandi Guthrie. Edited by Jennifer Levine
Publication Date: 2/27/11
Publisher: Circlet Press, Inc.

Blurb (GR): This anthology of erotic fantasy features stories inspired by the cover photo. Writers were challenged to use the photo as their muse or inspiration and to let their imagination take over from there. The result is a collection of stories at once nostalgic and looking toward the future, finished off with a dash of hope and a sprinkle of romance.

Everyone knows the phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words." But what if the picture begs for more than a thousand words? This anthology features stories that were inspired by the cover photo. Writers were challenged to use the photo as their muse or inspiration and to let their imagination take over from there. The result is a collection of stories at once nostalgic and looking toward the future, finished off with a dash of hope and a sprinkle of romance.

Michael M. Jones's "Devil's Masquerade" takes us through an erotic masquerade filled with disguised nobles, following the lovers Agents Starling and Grace as they search for a rogue sex demon; Brandi Guthrie's "The Seer's Mask" lets us into the mind of Gadeah, a powerful seer tormented by the lack of meaningful love in her life; Victoria Pond's "Heir Apparent" tells of His Lady Highness, a princess forced into playing the role of a knight after both her brother and husband are killed, who discovers a long-lost loved one hidden in a tower far away; and Anya Levin's "An Unusual Legacy" explores a futuristic world in which a group of rebels creates Freedom, an invitation-only chance to temporarily experience life without the constant informative babble of the identification interface.

Through this compilation of stories, editor Jennifer Levine has once again given readers the chance to get to know an interesting variety of characters, desires, and circumstances, proving that a picture really can be worth much more than a thousand words.

Contents:
Devil's Masquerade by Michael M. Jones
The Seer's Mask by Brandi Guthrie
Heir Apparent by Victoria Pond
An Unusual Legacy by Anya Levin

Review:
Devil’s Masquerade by Michael M. Jones--

Writing - 4/5
Story - 3/5
Spiciness - 2/5

In this short story, two undercover ducal agents are infiltrating a Devil’s Masquerade evening where the highest echelon of society gathers to engage in a night of debauchery. An incubus or succubus has been sighted in the area and the two agents are tasked to weed the demon out of the crowd, because everyone knows a sex demon can’t say no to a night of zero inhibitions. I don’t want to spoil the seksy times but I was surprised that it was lady on lady action. I’m glad to see this story being written but it did absolutely nothing for my nether regions. (Erm, awkwardness) Continuing with the awkwardness, I find the idea of orgies fascinating. How people can just let go completely and then, presumably, return to their everyday lives I may never know. What if you saw the person you caroused with somewhere random? Also, I’ve always wanted to go to a masquerade ball. Sometimes I think that if I ever get married, it would be pretty sweet to have a masquerade ball wedding…then I realize that I hate that kind of stuff (themed weddings) and I’d hate myself a little bit for doing something like that. I’d better settle on a masquerade ball-themed New Year’s Eve party and cross it off my bucket list. (which I also don’t have)

Michael M. Jones is skilled enough in his writing. I’m sometimes wary of ebook releases but there were absolutely no editing errors that drove me up the wall which was refreshing and I quite liked Jones’ style. My only gripe—there seemed to be waaaay too much silk flowing around curves and between legs and, well, everywhere. I mean, I like silk as much as the next girl…actually, maybe I don’t.

The Seer’s Mask by Brandi Guthrie

Writing - 3/5
Story - 3/5
Spiciness - 3/5

The Seer’s Mask is about, wait for it, a seer that places irremovable masks on prisoners of war. Gadeah, the seer in question, is head of a group of Sisters who rule the kingdom and Aamir is a sexy POW who I picture to look like Khal Drogo (HOT). Anyway, Aamir wears the seer’s mask and he is relegated to be Gadeah’s sexual slave, though she has never utilized his services despite her impotent consort. Guess what? Not fo long, bitches. This story takes place almost exclusively in the bedroom and I totally would’ve given it 4 stars in the spiciness department if it weren’t for a few sentences that had to do with areolae and sacs…ew. Buzz Killington.

Short stories are hard for me because I always want more of everything—character development, plot, description, and that is just not possible. Especially in the case of an erotica anthology where the authors have to include sex scenes in their short page allotment. I think this story of Ms. Guthrie’s could easily be elaborated into a longer novella or inserted into a full-length novel and I would read it. Just less mentions of those aforementioned words, please!

Heir Apparent by Victoria Pond

Writing - 4/5
Story - 3/5
Spiciness - 3/5

Heir Apparent feels like a short story written in a well-established fantasy realm. Margaret, heir to the throne since the death of her brother and husband, is sent on a soothsayer’s quest to find one whom she believed to be lost forever and, since this is part of an erotica anthology, I think we all know what she finds at the end of her quest. The writing was fluid and I enjoyed the fact that there was more dialogue and a sense of humor inserted into this story. I was/am skeptical about some aspects of the story (climbing a tower in full armor? I don’t think that is possible. ) However, I was invested in this story’s characters more so than in the preceding stories—I only wish there was, and excuse the pun (or don’t), more completion in the sex department. As it is, it is a bit unfulfilling.

My only other minor annoyance was about how/why he was in the tower. Unanswered questions abound but I guess it is a good sign that I enjoyed it enough to want to know the answers. This is the perfect time to fess up that I know the author of this short story. Also that I will saturate her with wine at the next book club until she answers ALL the questions for me. Bwahahahaha.

An Unusual Legacy by Anya Levin

Writing - 3/5
Story - 2.5/5
Spiciness - 4.5/5

Oo-ee, voyeurism and sex with a stranger? Obviously, this is one hot little story. However, I had to reread the first two pages three times before I resigned myself to having no clue what was going on. Maybe it is because I was reading it in the middle of the night or perhaps I am an idiot? Hopefully it is the former, otherwise I should probably give my degrees back. Anyway, this one kind of reads like The Matrix except when the main character takes the red pill and goes down the rabbit hole, it is sexy time with strangers and Laurence Fishburne isn’t there telling her what to do. This story was rather frustrating because I loathed the setup, loved the middle, and thought the ending was interesting if still a little bit confusing. I’d love to blurb the plot but I would probably muddle it up--how depressing is that? Either way, I wish Ms. Levin would’ve just simplified it, taken out the entire Jenny/Leonie love backstory and proceeded with a standard VR-type storyline.


Overall, I thought this anthology was well done. The editing was fabulous and I didn’t find any errors—a wonder in the ebook world! (Seriously, I find errors in my Kindle books all the time—even the ones with major releases.) All four stories were entertaining and varied enough to keep my interest. I only wonder who the primary audience is for the book—it seems like there is something for everyone and that is a risky move to take. Being something for everyone almost necessarily means that a lot of the book might not appeal to each reader. Regardless, it is worth its $3.99 price tag and I’d definitely read more from each of the authors. It was interesting to see how the prompt picture inspired their stories and if any readers know of any more good picture prompted anthologies, rec them to me because I enjoyed the idea.

All Summer in a Day
Author: Ray Bradbury
Publication Date: 1954

Blurb (GR):  Margot is a nine year old girl whose family moved from Earth to Venus when she was four. She remembers the sun shining on Earth – something that it rarely does on Venus. All of the rain and cloud cover on her new planet are affecting her emotions, but her chance to see the sun once again is quickly approaching. The story takes place on the one day when the rain will stop and the sun will shine for a couple of hours. All of the children in Margot’s class are eagerly awaiting their first glimpse of the sun, but when the teacher leaves for a few minutes they decide to pull a very mean prank on Margot.

Review: Ray Bradbury broke my heart in four pages. Poor Margot, kids can be such assholes sometimes.

Available online many places; Here's one of them.

Call Me Irresistible (Wynette, Texas, #6)
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Published: 1/18/11
Publisher: William Morrow

Blurb (GR): R.S.V.P. to the most riotous wedding of the year . . .

Lucy Jorik is the daughter of a former president of the United States.

Meg Koranda is the offspring of legends.

One of them is about to marry Mr. Irresistible—Ted Beaudine—the favorite son of Wynette, Texas. The other is not happy about it and is determined to save her friend from a mess of heartache.

But even though Meg knows that breaking up her best friend's wedding is the right thing to do, no one else seems to agree. Faster than Lucy can say "I don't," Meg becomes the most hated woman in town—a town she's stuck in with a dead car, an empty wallet, and a very angry bridegroom. Broke, stranded, and without her famous parents at her back, Meg is sure she can survive on her own wits. What's the worst that can happen? Lose her heart to the one and only Mr. Irresistible? Not likely. Not likely at all.

Review:
I had book club on Saturday and we talked about the different types of readers and how what you read affects your ratings and reviews on Goodreads. If you are a heavy enough GR user, you know who the people are in every group— It’s funny to read the reviews of romance books that primarily lit fic readers write. It’s also funny to read the reviews of, well, more complicated reads done by people who do not usually venture into those realms. That’s why I am a fan of Vinaya’s “comparative 5 stars” shelf…but not enough of a fan to go through all my books and change all my ratings. At least for me, there are some books that I rate 4 or 5 stars that might not get the same rating when compared to books in other genres but that definitely stand out amongst their direct competitors. However, there are obviously always those that will hold their own against even the most nitpicky readers. Anyway, I love Susan Elizabeth Phillips books. Compared to other books in her genre, she is consistent in her plotwork and writing. I know that I will laugh at her jokes, fall for several characters (not necessarily in a romantic sense, just that I root for them) and get some reassurances that I’ll be able to figure everything out in my life, like why I can never figure out a third item for lists I write.

This book might not appeal to those who haven’t read and enjoyed other SEP books, specifically Fancy Pants (Gah, that title, I know) and Lady Be Good. Her series books tend to be massively self-referential, which can be enjoyable if you remember all the characters and storylines from her other books but I think it might/probably would hinder the enjoyment of those who are unfamiliar with her earlier work. Characters also show up from Glitter Baby, What I Did For Love, and First Lady. Another point we discussed at book club was whether or not we enjoyed authors who set several books in the same world despite them not really being a series. (In case anyone is wondering, our book club pick was The Windup Girl, whose author has written several other stories in the same world.) Feelings ran the gamut from love to author laziness. In the case of romance series, I appreciate the little glimpses we get into the lives of characters after their particular romantic stories have been told, but sometimes I get sick of reading about the “couple that is still head over heels who are still having wild sex and have several perfect children and perfect lives.” (*cough*Nora Roberts *cough*)This book was a little too heavy on the "Look! Those other characters are still in love!" but I still loved reading about Ted and Meg falling for each other.

The story in Call Me Irresistible felt (maybe too) similar to Ain’t She Sweet. Main female character that people believe is too entitled? Check. Made to work at a job that might be considered beneath her but she scrapes by and maintains her dignity and honor? Check. And she is ridiculed and made to feel unwelcome by the townspeople? Check. While the male romantic interest is a guy whose life she arguably ruined? Check. He treats her like dirt? Check. Until they fall in love? Check. Uh oh.

But I gave it four stars! (on Goodreads' 5 star scale, 7/10 here) That’s right, and I am sticking to my guns. I don’t care that it wasn’t very original. All I care about is that when I laid in my bed to go to sleep and picked this book up, I didn’t put it down until it was done.

Hard Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires, #4)
Author: Chloe Neill
Published: 5/3/11
Publisher: NAL Trade

Blurb (GR): Times are hard for newly minted vampire Merit. Ever since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals--and they're camping outside of Cadogan House with protest signs that could turn to pitchforks at any moment. Inside its doors, things between Merit and her Master, green-eyed heartbreaker Ethan Sullivan are ... tense. But then the mayor of Chicago calls Merit and Ethan to a clandestine meeting and tells them about a violent vamp attack that has left three women missing. His message is simple: get your House in order. Or else.

Merit needs to get to the bottom of this crime, but it doesn't help that she can't tell who's on her side. So she secretly calls in a favor from someone who's tall, dark, and part of underground vamp group that may have some deep intel on the attack. Merit soon finds herself in the heady, dark heart of Chicago's supernatural society--a world full of vampires who seem too ready to fulfill the protesting human's worst fears, and a place where she'll learn that you can't be a vampire without getting a little blood on your hands...

Review:
Holy curveball, Batman! As I was nearing the end of this book, I kept thinking, “Oh, I totally know what the crazy jawdropper at the end of this book is going to be. Come on people, duhhh” as I paged through the windup. NOPE, it turns out this book just wiped that smug look off my face. I will put spoilers in this review where spoilers are due but LISTEN UP, COMPULSIVE SPOILER CLICKERS/READERS!! If you click on the spoilers and intend to read this book, you might as well get a Flannery-shaped voodoo doll so you can stick it with pins because I will have totally ruined your reading experience. You heard it here first.

So anyway, if you have been following this series, you might want to reread Twice Bitten before reading this one. There is a rather large cast of characters in this series and while I remembered the names for the most part, I couldn’t completely remember everyone’s history and their personalities…of course, that could have something to do with me frantically reading all three published books in two days around Christmastime. Either way, I bet your enjoyment would be greatly increased if you didn’t have the memory jogging to do. As it is, this book picks up almost directly after the ending of its predecessor. (obviously I can’t recount that ending as it is a huge spoiler)

The writing is consistent with other installments of the series, which is pretty refreshing considering how other series I read have been increasingly disappointing or just feel like filler. While they all have airs of political feuds in them, the theme is much more present in this one and I wasn’t the hugest fan. I mean, let’s be honest here. Are we in the cone of silence? Okay, we all know one of the biggest, if not THE biggest reason we read series like this is for all the hot guys and *fingers crossed* sexy times. I’ll read about power struggles or solving mysteries but for a series like this one, I’m always hoping for some hotness. Aaaaand , this one is sadly light on it. As it is on Mallory and Catcher, whom I’ve come to really enjoy. I felt like their storyline was rather unnecessary to the overall book and it felt like they were there only to provide readers the reminder that they are, in fact, huge characters in the series. Did anyone else feel this way? Maybe it was just me. It was just too much power struggle and not enough fun, friendships, romance, etc. There was ass-kicking, though, which is always great.

I am rather embarrassingly in love with the idea of vampire Houses and the whole fraternity/sorority feel of all the different Chicagoland (and otherwise) groups of vampires. While reading, I daydream about what kind of house would be the coolest to be a part of—then I push up my metaphorical nerd glasses and wonder how it is I even have any friends:) Anyway, other books in the series gave us an understanding of the Cadogan (obviously) and Navarre houses, but this one lets us in on Grey House and I have to say, it sounds pretty choice. I’d definitely want to be hanging out with them in their sweet pad.

And then come my annoyances:

***SPOILER ALERT***

You know that love interest? That guy you’ve been rooting for for several books? The one who has super sexy awesomeness with Merit in the last book? Well, Chloe Neill brings him out of nowhere into a fight in the last 10 pages and then stakes him a few sentences later. WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? I’m not going to say I’m annoyed that he was killed—it’s okay with me. I’m excited to see where the series will go from here--I’m just a bit disappointed at the execution and how much was done in the last 15 or so pages. And speaking of that, her dad is such an asshole! As is Darius. I wish characters had less of that stuff, what do you call them? Oh, morals. I wish someone would’ve just staked that bastard and Celina from the get-go. Jeez, where are the vigilantes when you need them? ;-) Also, Morgan is hot but a douche, and Jonah’s room sounds awesome. I’d hit that.

***END SPOILERS***

All in all, I still really enjoyed this one. Fun times in Chicagoland!

The Girl Next Door
Author: Jack Ketchum
Published: 1989
Publisher: Dorchester Books, Leisure Books

Blurb (GR): A teenage girl is held captive and brutally tortured by neighborhood children. Based on a true story, this shocking novel reveals the depravity of which we are all capable.

Review:
This is a fictional story based on an actual 1965 killing of a teenage girl in Indiana. The girl, Sylvia Likens and her sister Jenny were put into the care of a single mother by her carnie parents. The woman, Gertrude Baniszewski, several of her children, and some neighborhood children tortured and eventually murdered Sylvia. She was forced to endure unbelievable atrocities like scalding baths, the carving of words into her body with needles, repeated beatings, eating feces, and worse. Ketchum describes, in graphic detail, what those events might’ve been like, from the point of view of the next door neighbor boy. Teenage Davy lives on a dead-end street and has been hanging out with the same neighborhood kids for his entire childhood. One day, while catching crayfish, he meets Meg, who has just moved with her sister into Davy’s next door neighbor’s home. Meg and Susan’s parents were killed in an auto accident and the only relative to take them in is Ruth, a single mother of three boys. There’s not too much need to go into the plot from here because you all know where it is going. I knew where it was going as well, but that didn’t make it any easier to read.

A few weeks ago, I saw a story on the news about two 48-year old twins in Houston who lived with their mother’s decomposing body after she passed away. I watched in horror as the newscasters described how the grown men frankly told police officers that she had tripped and fell while they were watching the BCS championship and then they just left her there, conscious and able to speak, until she passed a few days later. And the reason that they gave for not calling anyone after her death? Inability to pay for burial expenses. (a judge has not ruled on their mental ability to stand trial as of 5/5/11) What made me think of this story in relation to the book was my wondering about how the hell anyone could ever passively watch someone tortured or slowly dying. Davy knows that Meg is being tortured and I was fascinated with his reasoning about why everything was happening and whether he should do anything about it. Ruth and other perpetrators of such atrocities just be mentally unstable...at least I hope that is the case. But there were/are just so many other people involved in crimes like this--are they all mentally unwell? I’d love to be able to say that a crime as atrocious as this could never happen nowadays but it just did. Angela McAnulty starved, abused, tortured, and eventually killed her own daughter in Eugene, Oregon just last year. There were other people living in the house at the time. HOW? How can these people not report what is going on?

In terms of the book, loosely basing a story on real life events really gives an author an out. I want to say that x,y, and z didn’t seem realistic or probably didn’t/couldn’t happen but I haven’t gone through the notes on the trials so maybe they actually did. I always get a horrible feeling in my stomach when characters tell the police about something and then the police either (1)don’t take them seriously; (2) brush it off; or (3) don’t trust a child and then turn them back over to their abuser. I can’t pretend to know how much work police men and women have but it is horrible to hear of events like this happening and to know that they were absolutely preventable if someone had intervened.

This is a hard book to stomach. I recommend it to no one and everyone at the same time. No one will “enjoy” reading it. A lot of people probably won’t make it through the whole book. It is filled with sick, sick things. But sick things that happened and are still happening, which makes it all the more painful to read. There is a special place in hell for people that torture children.

Let's Go Play at the Adams'
Author: Mendal Johnson
Publication Date: 12/1/84
Publisher: Golden Apple

Blurb (GR): Surely, it was only a game. In the orderly, pleasant world Barbara inhabited, nice children -- and they were nice children -- didn't hold an adult captive.

But what Barbara didn't count on was the heady effect their new-found freedom would have on the children. Their wealthy parents were away in Europe, and in this rural area of Maryland, the next house was easily a quarter of a mile away. The power of adults was in their hands, and they were tempted by it. They tasted it and toyed with it -- their only aim was to test its limits. Each child was consumed by his own individual lust and caught up with the others in sadistic manipulation and passion, until finally, step by step, their grim game strips away the layers of childishness to reveal the vicious psyche, conceived in evil and educated in society's sophisticated violence, that lies always within civilized men.

More than a terrifying horror story, Let's Go Play At The Adams' is a compelling psychological exercise of brooding insights and deadly implications

Review:
I like to be shocked. I like that feeling when I’m reading a book and I think to myself, “there’s no way the author is going to go there…oh, my gosh…he’s going there, OH MY GOSH, WE’RE THERE, so far past acceptability.” That’s why I’m trying to make way through a list of books that readers have told me are “the most disturbing book they’ve ever read.” Let’s Go Play At The Adams’ by Mendal Johnson made nearly every list I’ve looked at so it was an obvious choice for me. Comparisons are made between this work of fictional horror and Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door, which has a very similar plot structure but is based on a true crime.  Ketchum’s novel horrified me in so many ways—it was graphic and it felt over-the-top, but I just couldn’t stop reading it. Let’s Go Play felt stronger in terms of writing but I’m just going to say it: I was rather bored.  This is the part of the review where most of you are going to think I’m a lunatic, but I guess I was expecting there to be as much graphic torture in this one as there was in The Girl Next Door, and there absolutely is not.

Whereas Ketchum’s novel focuses on what it could be like for a bystander to see and ultimately participate in such horrific behavior, Let’s Go Play at the Adams’ puts more emphasis on how both the perpetrators and the victim would feel in a captivity and torture situation. The narration remains in third-person throughout but regularly shifts focus from the captors to the captive. In terms of plot, it is very basic.  A brother and sister (very Brady-Bunchily named Bobby and Cindy) are left in the care of a babysitter, Barbara, while their parents are on vacation abroad. Very early on in the vacation, Bobby, Cindy, and three neighborhood kids drug Barbara and then proceed to keep her captive in the house. After about 20 pages of this, that’s when I started to get bored. I was mentally prepared for the worst. I was ready for some horror movie gore and…nothing. Basically, this entire book reads like the kids all wondering how they could do something like this, patting themselves on the back for succeeding at their “game,” and Barbara wondering how these “good kids” could do this to her and how she could be so idiotic as to let it happen.

That’s not to say that there aren’t a few sections that many readers might find hard to read—there is  a sexual abuse scene that was rough and a section near the ending as well, but overall, I spent more time learning  about the mundane trials of having a captive than I did being horrified. Oh, they tied up her ankles instead of her thighs this time. Oh, now she’s on a chair instead of the bed. So now they are taking her to the bathroom and giving her a bath.  I understand the reasoning for this deliberate tactic of the author—what started out as a game was no longer fun.  Part of the allure of staying up late and eating whatever you want as a child is seeing if you can get away with it. When there is no one there to keep it hidden from, it becomes dull.  But imagine if you went to see a horror movie when someone got kidnapped and then most of the movie was spent feeding the captive chicken sandwiches and Coke, switching up the ropes, and the captor wondering if he would get away with it. Who would pay to watch that kind of horror movie? 

While I know crimes like this actually do occur, I felt like the nonchalance of the children was not very believable. Ahh, might as well just do this or that. They seemed to have no regard for or understanding of human life. I know that the value of a life is something foreign to many young children but these “children” were more early to mid-teens. One of them was nearly 17—and the babysitter was only 20.  I suppose I was just surprised because the children in The Girl Next Door were heavily influenced by an absolutely unfit mother or other family situations that might make them more likely to keep things hidden or to partake in abuse. Here, no one’s family life is really mentioned. All the children seem to come from regular families and live in large houses on the water. Maybe it is more disturbing when there seems to be no backstory. I mean, I’ve seen enough of those news reports where flabbergasted neighbors go on about how that nice man could never have done something so horrific. Yeah, right. 

So, in sum, if you’re thinking of taking a trip down horrific lane, I’d start with this one before reading The Girl Next Door. If you can’t make it through this, there is no way in hell you could make it through that.