The Ravenous by Amy Lukavics
Reviewed by: Sylvia Shults, Circulation
Genre: Horror
Suggested Age: Adults, Teens
What is the book about?: Mona and her four sisters are army brats. Their father, a colonel, is away serving the country most of the time. Their mother is distant emotionally rather than physically, as she battles depression. A tragedy pulls the family together for a split second, then sets the survivors spinning on a trajectory that quickly spirals out of control.
My Review: I don’t care much for brooding, angsty teen vampires. But a cannibal? Well, now, that’s a change of pace! This book was a deliciously gruesome horror story. With several characters to keep track of, the author did a great job of delineating each sister’s personality in the very first chapter. She kept up that attention to character all through the book, while ratcheting up the tension to piano-wire-garrote-tightness through the entire story. At first, the tension was interpersonal, as the sisters squabbled amongst each other and tried to survive their mother’s mental illness and their father’s perennial absence. But after the youngest sister, Rose, died in a completely random accident — and was resurrected by their mother — the stakes became much, much higher. Sisters were pitted against each other in a vicious fight for mental stability, and later, bare survival. I hesitated to give this book five stars at first, simply because the denouement was a bit simple. The ending was GREAT, but the wrap-up was a bit tidy. I’d have liked a bit more soul-searching on the survivors’ part. But yeah, I’m giving it four and a half stars, because the nail-biting tension in the book was JUST what I needed to take my mind off my own issues for an evening.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Gory, Tense, Riveting.
Give This a Try if You Like… the stand-alone episodes of Supernatural.
Rating: 4.5/5
About FDL Reads
Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library. Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available. If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently. We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!