My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix // The Best Ending Possible

My Best Friend's Exorcism, by Grady Hendrix
Publication: May 17, 2016, by Quirk Books
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Horror
Pages: 336
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: ½

Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fifth grade, when they bonded over a shared love of E.T., roller-skating parties, and scratch-and-sniff stickers. But when they arrive at high school, things change. Gretchen begins to act . . . different. And as the strange coincidences and bizarre behavior start to pile up, Abby realizes there’s only one possible explanation: Gretchen, her favorite person in the world, has a demon living inside her. And Abby is not about to let anyone or anything come between her and her best friend. With help from some unlikely allies, Abby embarks on a quest to save Gretchen. But is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?

My Thoughts:

Horror stories make me giddy, excited and really creeped out. REALLY CREEPED OUT. But for me, the "being creeped out" part is the absolute fun of it all. It makes me so happy, so excited and so obsessed with the book that I'm reading, showing that the purpose is being put to good use. Most likely, the author's purpose of writing any horror fiction story is to entertain readers with a genre (especially in YA) that is rarely seen because some people cannot take it. I was definitely entertained with Grady Hendrix's first YA-based novel, My Best Friend's Exorcism. I couldn't stop reading, especially towards the end, and I knew, from the start, that it will turn out to be absolute perfection. Well, I wouldn't call it perfect at all, since Hendrix did take a long time to get to the actual exorcism, the part that I knew would occur and that I was looking forward to the most. 

My Best Friend's Exorcism has the best setting ever: the late 1980s. I am a teenager, so I seriously have limited knowledge of the time where my parents were teenagers, except for the cheesy disco music that they still like to "ooh" and "awe" over constantly. From the gorgeous cover, mimicking a high school yearbook, to the actual references made in the novel, 1988 seems fantastic. Hendrix seems to have so much experience with this era, having lived in it as well, and it's something new for us YA readers who are either used to reading about (a) the future, where everything is scientific and eerie, (b) the past, especially real historical times or (c) the present. There's nothing about 1980 in any YA book, except for Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. I would love to applaud Grady for this great premise.

It seems right to have this kind of book placed in the 80s era. That is the era where people were superstitious (not that they currently aren't), where unimaginable things were believed in, where people didn't have the technology that we are fortunate to have today, minus Abby's creepy Mickey Mouse telephone. Me imagining these characters' wacky hair and outfits is so intriguing. The setting of Charleston, South Carolina, which today is still known as one of the most haunted places in the world is just my favourite thing about the story itself... and of course, the aftermath of everything that happened to the two best friends (and protagonists).

"You know, Abby, this is one of those things that's broken, and it's not getting fixed. Some mistakes are forever, and you committed one. Welcome to the rest of your long, lonely life" (301).

This is all about what the title screams out at you: an exorcism of a best friend of someone. Well, that someone is Abby Rivers, who is our protagonist. In the beginning of the story, Hendrix explains Abby's past and how she met her best friend, Gretchen. We quickly skip along Abby's child and soon meet her sophomore year in high school where she notices Gretchen's personality changing, and how harshly her parents treat her. The only explanation behind all of her weird antics and sayings? A demon named Andras.

AGH. The possession that Gretchen experienced in the novel is no surprise—we knew that it would happen, but we obviously did not know how. I wish there was more "horror," more freaky moments in this story minus the ending where things really shape up. I felt that a lot of the story was filler, trying to get us to know the characters really well—perfectly, perhaps—but I didn't need that. Abby spent so much time making excuses for Gretchen, trying to not realize that what was really happening was not an illness or anything like that, but a demonic possession somehow. Rape came into question, but the real answer was something supernatural that could definitely make you cringe. People have described this book as gory, as a little too much, but I would disagree with that in some points of the story. We honestly only got into the real fast-paced stuff in the last fifty pages. I would rate those fifty pages 5 stars, but everything else seemed like a three star rating. I had issues with a lot of things, but most of that was because of the plot. 

It seems that Grady Hendrix has experience with writing things about Satan and demons. I scrolled through a list of his other books, and they all seem to be horror stories. I'm surprised that he rolled this one down a little—I hope it's not for the reason that this was written for an young adult audience. Everything was just plain old high school drama that we constantly see in contemporaries these days. We see the characters experimenting with drugs, sneaking out, lying to their parents, having fun, partying—it's nothing new, in that way. And when I look at all of the events from that perspective, it makes me wonder if the world really changed at all from the 80s, if this is Hendrix's view of teenagers during that time. I guess the yearbook cover really did hint at "HIGH SCHOOL" all along.

"I love you, Abby. You're my best friend, and my mirror, and my reflection, and you are me, and you are everything I love and everything I hate, and I will never give up on you" (322).

Cheers for the mega adorable friendship between Gretchen and Abby. I WANT SOMETHING LIKE THEIRS. Girl power? Yes. Romance? No. Thank goodness for that extra detail, too. Not every YA book needs romance, and I feel that some authors need to take that into consideration when they write books these days. People, like myself, prefer books that are unique over those that have been written over and over again, it seems. 

My Best Friend's Exorcism's ending, as well as its setting, were the best parts of the story. Your jaw will drop when you discover who will take the hands of the exorcism and sew everything together. Yay for independence (Abby's character) and yay for a beautifully mended friendship between two girls who come from different families and different lives, but have always tried their best to stay/stick together. This contained a ton of filler that was just meant for readers to get to know the characters better, but you will see—it's a little too much. I'M SO EXCITED FOR HORRORSTÖR NOW.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What is the most recent YA horror book you've read? What do you think of Horrorstor, if you have read it? What are some other YA exorcist stories?

Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs // A Terrifying, Beautiful Ending

Library of Souls (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #3), by Ransom Riggs
Publication: September 22, 2015, by Quirk Books
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Time Traveling, Fantasy
Pages: 458
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Rating: ½

The adventure that began with Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and continued in Hollow City comes to a thrilling conclusion with Library of Souls. As the story opens, sixteen-year-old Jacob discovers a powerful new ability, and soon he’s diving through history to rescue his peculiar companions from a heavily guarded fortress. Accompanying Jacob on his journey are Emma Bloom, a girl with fire at her fingertips, and Addison MacHenry, a dog with a nose for sniffing out lost children.
They’ll travel from modern-day London to the labyrinthine alleys of Devil’s Acre, the most wretched slum in all of Victorian England. It’s a place where the fate of peculiar children everywhere will be decided once and for all. Like its predecessors, Library of Souls blends thrilling fantasy with never-before-published vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reading experience.

My Thoughts:

Library of Souls initially was one of my most anticipated series finales ever. Did I stress the word "ever" quite a bit? Ransom Riggs is a favourite author of mine and the way he portrays time traveling through Jacob's perspective is truly lovely. I have been waiting for this book to be released for ages, and it has seemed that Hollow City came to my heart years and years ago. Since I know that a lot of us are fans of the trilogy who might have been there from the start and continued to read every book as they were released, it is difficult to remember what happened in the past.

Thankfully, Ransom Riggs did a stellar job at reminding us of who was who, and what had just happened. The rest of the two books passed by in a blur, and I was hesitant to read this novel only because of what happened before. Without going too much into detail, Mr. Riggs hit the greatness spot-on and gave readers a gorgeous experience of the world of the peculiar characters with strange, eerie talents.

You see, every novel incorporates a new adventure for the characters. This time around, Jacob and his friends are travelling to Victorian London to Devil's Acre, which the author will go into more detail throughout the story. Without beginning a whole new plot, the author does hand readers a new experience and adventure which compliments the plot quite nicely. Now, it is the end of the adventure and thrilling fantasy where Jacob has to really understand what his life will consist of afterwards, making his grandfather proud, in a way.

"That was the most unthinkable of all. I could never; I loved Emma, and I'd told her so, and I wouldn't leave her behind for anything. And not because I was noble or brave or chivalrous. I'm not any of those things. I was afraid that leaving her behind would rip me in half." (19)

One of the reasons why I love this series so much is for the characters. They are all a different kind of person, all contain different personality traits and flaws. They are imperfect, and not only physically, as Ransom chose photos to compliment them, but they also admit their imperfections. Jacob, a natural, "normal" human, admits his flaws of being selfish, of desiring so much and never wanting to lose the things that he loves. He is so smart but amazing, as are the rest of them. Some characters are easy to forget about, but I will never forget about these. I actually encourage you to test me in a few years. I cannot promise that I will remember, but I do have high hopes that I will.

This series was really the first to introduce me to Victorian, gothic fantasy. There is time travelling, and a bunch of creepy references to abnormal powers that Riggs' characters contain. But the adventure of the crew heading on an adventure to Devil's Acre is memorable. The descriptions are so vivid, I could picture the setting perfectly, with its London grey skies and rain pouring, the voice of Addison whining and Jacob and Emma's chemistry. There is actually an one in a million chance for a book to make me feel this way, and I am glad to admit that this one sure did.

"One's peculiarity is a sacred gift," Emma said. "To sell it cheapens what is most special about us." It sounded like she was parroting a platitude that had been drilled into her from an early age." (104)

The ending was rough, aside from everything. I could ask for more, I wanted more, actually. It seemed like the sequel could have been a nicer finish than this one, because nothing new occurred that made me rip my eyeballs out of my sockets... that kind of thing if you don't picture the gore. Sorry to get that image in your mind, just, never mind. Questions were answered, la la dee dah, and there is slight chance for some kind of peculiar continuation (see my play of words there?) but that's. It. This was satisfying, and a happy ending when the whole SERIES IS DARK AND GLOOMY. I WANT DARK AND GLOOMY. I WANT SERIOUS FEELS. None of that people, I apologize.

Aside from everything, this is the worst book of the series. I hate typing in those rapid, DARING sentences into reviews, especially when I really, REALLY enjoyed the other books of the series, but the truth has to come out. But please, do not jump on me, fellow fangirls, because it was not hideous or bad or anything. The ending was not pleasing, there was boredom, and that is it. You cannot go back into a story and expect a different reaction unless your tastes have changed, which I somewhat hope that mine will change in a few years. This series is beautiful, and it is a sad farewell from my side, but I do promise that I will get back to it someday because it cannot leave my world like that. Library of Souls does have its place in a library in my legit soul. That is intended.

What do you think about rereading a great series with a horrible ending? Would you want to? Would you expect something different to come out of it the second time around?