The Devils You Know

September 1, 2017

Gr 8 Up-What happens when a family-friendly historical attraction turns out to be a house of horrors? Five Wisconsin teens find out the hard way on a field trip when they get trapped inside The Boulder House, an architectural marvel built by local resident Maxwell Cartwright Jr. in 1936. There he housed supernatural oddities from around the world, not to show them off but to infuse the house with evil. He sought revenge against the residents of the town, whom he blamed for his father's suicide. When the time is right, the house comes alive and captures people, strengthening its power. The five teens, goths Gretchen and Dylan, mean girl Ashley, self-assured Violet, and star athlete Paul, diverse in class, culture, and sexual orientation, are met with a demon. He challenges them to try and get out of the house alive; if they fail, they will be added to its collection of tortured souls. The author subverts the teens' stereotypical identities; eventually they confront what may be scariest of all-having their carefully constructed facades torn away and their secrets revealed. The well-paced narrative ratchets up the tension as the creatures the protagonists confront-violent dolls, crazed clowns, armored, ax-wielding knights, and more, all intent on killing the teens-get increasingly terrifying. The ending succeeds in being both satisfying and disturbing. VERDICT This will be a hit with horror fans, especially those who think nothing can scare them. A must-purchase for horror shelves.-Carla Riemer, Claremont Middle School, Oakland

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 15, 2017
Five high school seniors are lured into a game in which their souls are at stake. Maxwell Cartwright Jr., who reads like a demonic cross between the Goblin King and the Jigsaw killer from the Saw film franchise, traps five classmates in his cursed house, forcing them to play his game to win their freedom and escape death. White alpha girl Ashley, white goth boy Dylan, white fashion artist Gretchen, black basketball jock Paul, and shy white Violet eventually work together to make their way through room after room of horrors, until each is forced to confront both their most shameful secrets and their swiftly approaching demise. Atwood debuts with a hefty serving of uncanny gore and alluring malevolence, but missteps and lack of development undercut the fright. Disorienting leaps from one first-person-perspective chapter to another undermine the narrative urgency, repeatedly stalling the plot so each of the five protagonists can have a turn at soliloquizing underdeveloped terror into overwritten tedium. And while some of the teens' character-motivating secrets--right-wing Ashley's closeted queerness and crush on nemesis Gretchen, Gretchen's bravado-shielded shame about her poverty, and Violet's power-disparate sexual relationship with a teacher--bring the high stakes and moral complexity horror enthusiasts expect, the rest underwhelm. Dylan's home life as a wealthy evangelical and Paul's wonderfully geeky love of Shakespeare feel like lazy afterthoughts in comparison. Horror fans will find many classic and campy tropes but little substance. (Horror. 13-17)

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September 11, 2017
Each year, the senior class of Red River School has the opportunity to visit the legendary Boulder House. The house, built into a boulder, has grown to accommodate a collection of oddities belonging to its original owner, Maxwell Cartwright Jr., creating a labyrinth of rooms filled with strange artifacts. For Violet, Paul, Dylan, Ashley, and Gretchen, the trip is exactly what they need to get away from the drama of their lives. Little do they realize that the rumors about Boulder House are true: Cartwright is still collecting, but now he’s after the souls of visitors. Debut novelist Atwood combines humor and horror with precision, ensuring that this story remains as creepy as it is fun. Narration shifts among the five characters, allowing their distinct and robust personalities to emerge. From Ashley’s struggles of hiding her sexuality from her conservative family and judgmental friends to Paul’s concern that his classmates will realize that he’s neither brave nor cool, the teens’ individual struggles help them find the strength to fight for their lives. Ages 14–up. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

July 1, 2018
While visiting local historical attraction Boulder House for their senior trip, five teens discover the frightening truth: the mansion is alive and in need of more souls to strengthen its evil power. To escape, they must not only battle supernatural dangers but also confess their deepest secrets. The teens' first-person narratives are interspersed with vignettes from the house's disturbing history, heightening the tension of this trope-filled horror tale.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)