Review: Daughters Unto Devils - Amy Lukavics

Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics, published by Simon and Schuster on 8th October 2015

Goodreads synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Amanda Verner fears she is losing her mind. When her family move from their small mountain cabin to the vast prairie, Amanda hopes she can leave her haunting memories behind: of her sickly Ma giving birth to a terribly afflicted baby; of the cabin fever that claimed Amanda's sanity; of the boy who she has been meeting in secret...

But the Verners arrive on the prairie to find their new home soaked in blood. So much blood. And Amanda has heard stories - about men becoming unhinged and killing their families, about the land being tainted by wickedness. With guilty secrets weighing down on her, Amanda can't be sure if the true evil lies in the land, or within her soul...

Review:
I will read just about anything and everything but I'll admit that I'm not normally a big fan of the horror genre.  I think it's partly because I have such an overactive imagination that horror is often too much for me to stomach.  However, I wouldn't say that 'Daughters Unto Devils' is out and out horror - or at least not until the very end, when yes, you will need to ensure that every light in the house is on.  Or better yet, read it in broad daylight and not just before bed.  You will most definitely regret it otherwise.

Sixteen year old Amanda and her family live in a small cabin in the mountains.  Cooped up with her siblings and parents, during a long and tough winter, Amanda none the less has a secret of her own -  a boy she has been meeting without their knowledge.  When the family uproot and move to the prairie, it is a fresh start for Amanda, but something is out there and evil lurks everywhere. 

The tension ramps up from the very beginning of the book.  I knew something terrible was going to happen but I didn't know what and I didn't know when.  That was enough to keep me on the edge of my seat throughout.  The evil when it came, crept under my skin.  There is one scene in particular which totally crept me out.  I wanted to look away but I was glued to the page with horror.  You'll know the moment when you get to it. 

Amy Lukavics's debut novel is a great read, which I've seen described as Little House on the Prairie meets The Crucible.  This is the perfect spooky Halloween read, although if you are of a nervous disposition then beware.  This book is not for the faint hearted!