3.25⭐ ( )

Anthony Horowitz had always intrigued me as an author for the simplicity of his book covers despite how many pages were inside the adult novels. I had never read a Horowitz book and was eager to see his style. I can say without a shadow of a doubt, that this book was the embodiment of horror. ( )

I read this book several years ago and apparently liked it because I gave it 4 stars and remember finding it super scary. But now having reread it I dont know what I was thinking. This book is ableist drivel (disabled people are either icky and "hardly human" or creepy and mystical) and not scary so much as it was gross. Also quite unoriginal with its villans (oh no, evil lady witches with black cats and inverted crucifixes!) and terrible pacing. I used to devour those Alex Rider stories when I was younger but this Horowitz book is a real stinker. ( )

Matt is involved in a robbery where a guard is stabbed, and as part of a rehab program, he is sent to a small isolated town near York. While his guardian masquerades as a stern taskmaster, she is part of a coven trying to resurrect the Old Ones via the Raven's Gate, a circle of stones like Stonehenge, with Matt's blood sacrifice as the key element. Everyone who tries helping the 14-year old dies horribly, but he is at least educated by a group called the Nexus, who are dedicated to defeating evil. ( )

RGG: Excellent read. A sci-fi, horror Outsiders read-alike. Hi-lo for 8th Grade. Solid 7th Grade read.