e-Audio, 09:27:24
Narrated by: J.D. Jackson
Release Date: September 17, 2024
Published by: Scholastic Press
Read from: September 4-7, 2024
Stand-alone
Source: Audible (I also received an ARC from the Texas Library Association Conference. This did nothing to influence my review)
Content Warning: Death of a Parent, Violence, Injury/Injury Detail, Grief, Racism, Cancer, Animal Death, Bullying, Panic Attacks/Disorders
For Readers Interested In: Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Horror, Slow-burn Horror, Demons, YASometimes a little fear is a good thing…
Cade Webster lives between worlds. He’s a standout football star at the right school but lives in the wrong neighborhood–if you let his classmates tell it. Everywhere but home, people are afraid of him for one reason or another. Afraid he’s too big, too fast, too ambitious, too Black.
Then one fateful night, to avoid a dangerous encounter with the police, he ducks into a pawn shop. An impulse purchase and misspoken desire change everything when Cade tells the shopkeeper he wishes people would stop acting so scared around him, and the wish is granted…
At first, it feels like things have taken a turn for the better. But it’s not just Cade that people no longer fear–it’s everything. With Cade spreading this newfound “courage” wherever he goes, anything can happen. Fearless acts of violence begin to escalate in both his neighborhood and at school. Something monstrous is clearly at work and it’s up to Cade to stop it. But just what did he buy and what’s the price to undo the damage? After all, the devil’s in the details.
*MY THOUGHTS*
This book was one of my most anticipated since I heard him talk about it in April during the Tx Library Association Conference. I got the ARC there and almost started reading it during the luncheon I got it from. And lo and behold, Giles does not disappoint.
Ok so first thing first…. Did this remind anyone else of Rumpelstiltskin? lol But for real, I hated the plot of this. Because that asshole man KNEW he didn’t explain the terms and agreements to that boy! Him saying that was an accident and it shouldn’t have held up on anything. lol And if you’re asking, YES I was yelling this at the book as I was reading. Because wtf?! This whole thing should have been null and void. He should have taken his Black mama in there lol
But for real, I thought this was such an interesting concept. These were things I NEVER would have thought of. The football scene?! Yo that was crazy! It turned into a damn wrestling match. And the driving thing? I would have panicked. But I did like that it helped in certain situations. Definitely something that makes you think. And as someone who loves horror, I can’t say that’s something I often look for in a horror book. I’m mostly looking for the scary shit, but this one came with the creeps and stuff to make you think. And I’m here for it.
The entire book I was waiting on the scary stuff to happen, but this is a slow burn. You won’t be getting jump scares from this one. But once it gets to the meat of the story, it starts to get crazy. And let me tell you, this isn’t something I was expecting. I guess I thought because it was a slow burn I wasn’t expecting anything to come from it, but this truly scared me in some places. The whole car thing? Oof hell of a clever way to make traveling souls. But I kept imagining the sounds and the screaming and yeah, I’m good on that. But with that being said, this horror is about a demon and those types of horror stories just creep me out anyway. And in this one, the vibes are vibing.
As football girly I was excited to see that there’s actually some football in this one. I’m definitely going to add this to my football lists. Don’t get it twisted tho. It’s not going to change anything if you don’t like football. It’s still something that you can enjoy if you don’t like the game. But I will say, it does deal with a tad bit of violence on the field.
Last but not least, I have to know. Was I the only one who caught the “death of the DJ?” I had to Google the name and make sure they weren’t talking about someone in real life! I love when that happens! (Also if there was one for The Getaway, so if you caught it, please don’t tell me what it is lol) I just checked it out and plan to read it soon!
Overall, I give this
