Campfire by Shawn Sarles

     I had never even heard of this until I went to TLA this year. And me being a fan of horror, I grabbed it after hearing fans of R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike would like it. And whoever said that definitely knew what they were talking about because I realllllly liked this one. 

     Maddie and her family are camping. They are with a camp guide who knows his way around the forest. One night while they were out they decide to tell scary stories. Unfortunately, the next day, the stories start to come true…. But now Maddie and her family are stuck in the woods, terrified and running for their lives… Before one of the stories comes back to haunt them. 

     The ONLY thing I wasn’t a fan of was the ending. Well pause…. *SPOILER* I liked the ending, but not who it turned out to be. It was more of a thriller since the culprit ended up being a person and not the actual dreams come to life.(*END SPOILER*) I would have liked it more had it been that way. Then I would’ve given it 5 stars.

“His hand dipped into his pocket and pulled out that damn bell. He rang it.“

pg. 71

     I also wasn’t a fan of Maddie for some reason. I just couldn’t connect with her in the beginning of the story. It took a while for me to get into it. But when I did, I COULD NOT STOP READING. She made some bad choices and was OBVLIOUS in the beginning and it made me not like her at first. However, after awhile she got better at seeing things, but she still had no idea on what she should have been looking for.

“I’m not leaving you behind.“

pg. 113

     Last but not least, there’s the writing style. I really ejoyed it. It was cool how Sarles added the stories into the book. It was cool to read a story within a story. I just wish he had done them in a different order. Nit-picky I know, but the second story wasn’t nearly as creepy as the first, and I was expecting it to be. And when it wasn’t, it was a bit disappointing. But it certainly was as stabby as I wanted it to be. Call me terrible, but I loved all the blood and stabby that was in the book lol

“Some days, though- some days are still unbearable. Some days I need help. But that’s why I surround myself with people I love. With people who love me.“

pg. 229

    For a debut novel it was reallllly good. It took me back to the days where I curled up under my dining room table and scared myself while reading R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike. I can’t wait to see what else he comes up with. I need more good YA horror!