4 out of 4 stars
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Shelby Lamb’s debut novel, Something, is the first book in the Wisteria series. Filled with spine-chilling moments and mature content, it is not intended for sensitive readers or weak stomachs. However, if you get a thrill from disturbing, unsettling phenomena and the thought of someone watching you from the shadows, then this book will probably be right up your alley.
Something follows several teenagers, starting with suicidal Aubrey, who is heart-broken and desperate after being dumped by her boyfriend. Nathan can’t get away from his crazy ex and has too much on his plate already, dealing with his own depressed mother and needy sister, not to mention keeping his new girlfriend a secret from Aubrey. Bella is an aspiring porn star with a perfect body and the party-girl attitude to match, if only that annoying Aubrey would quit showing up and ruining all the fun. Kendra is a soon-to-be teen mom to twin girls who finds comfort in chatting online with her new friend Aubrey, as they can relate to each other as outcasts among their peers.
Aubrey finds a book in a used book store, titled Something, which is filled with chilling poetry that draws her into its pages. It’s subtle at first, but mysterious things begin happening around Aubrey. Through Aubrey, the other characters also come into contact with the book and experience similar creepy moments. Moving shadows. Hallucinations. Horned creatures. Something very evil is lurking within the pages of Aubrey’s new book.
What shocked me the most about this book was the abundant use of sexual content. It seemed to go even beyond erotic with some pretty detailed and disgusting imagery that is almost gag-worthy. I suppose that this imagery is part of the book’s appeal, but readers should be warned that there is almost an excess of disturbing content within these pages. Personally, I didn’t mind it so much, as it added to the creepiness of the book, which is what I enjoy most, but it’s certainly not suitable for younger readers or those who are sensitive to such material.
Overall, the book is well-planned and well-written. There are a few awkward sentences here and there throughout the book and a couple of cases of missing punctuation, but the writing quality is actually quite excellent and makes for a pleasant read, filled with poetic descriptions and unexpected thrills. At first, I thought that the multiple characters seemed a bit random and difficult to follow, but they all eventually come together in a nice, concise way that only adds to the quality of the story as a whole. The trouble with multiple perspectives is usually redundancy that bogs down the story; that doesn’t happen at all with this book. Each perspective is unique and refreshing, and there is no overlapping content. Without the different viewpoints, the story would have been a bit lacking, so I’m glad to see that the author made the bold choice to go with this style of story-telling.
Although there are a few instances in which additional editing would be beneficial, I can only deduct a few tenths of a point for such minor errors (that are hardly noticeable for the most part). Rounded up, my final rating is 4 out of 4 stars for this excellent, suspenseful horror novel, and I am already looking forward to the next book in the series. Recommended to fans of creepy and disturbing content, you will probably want to sleep with the light on for a few days after reading this book.
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Something (Wisteria 1)
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