Review: Say Her Name - James Dawson

Say Her Name by James Dawson, published by Hot Key Books on 5th June 2014

Goodreads synopsis:
Roberta 'Bobbie' Rowe is not the kind of person who believes in ghosts. A Halloween dare at her ridiculously spooky boarding school is no big deal, especially when her best friend Naya and cute local boy Caine agree to join in too. They are ordered to summon the legendary ghost of 'Bloody Mary': say her name five times in front of a candlelit mirror, and she shall appear... But, surprise surprise, nothing happens. Or does it?

Next morning, Bobbie finds a message on her bathroom mirror... five days... but what does it mean? And who left it there? Things get increasingly weird and more terrifying for Bobbie and Naya, until it becomes all too clear that Bloody Mary was indeed called from the afterlife that night, and she is definitely not a friendly ghost. Bobbie, Naya and Caine are now in a race against time before their five days are up and Mary comes for them, as she has come for countless others before...

Review:
This is James Dawson's third book and his scariest one yet.  You'll be afraid to be home alone after reading this!

The story is set at a local girls' boarding school called Pipers Hall.  Bobbie, her best friend Naya and local boy Caine are all involved in a silly dare - to look in a mirror and say the name 'Bloody Mary' five times in a row.  They believe nothing will happen to them if they do, until one of their friends disappears and they realise that their own fates may hang in the balance. 

The book is divided into sections, each corresponding to one of the five days.  Bobbie is determined to get to the bottom of things and knows that she has to discover the truth but you're left in a perpetual state of doubt about whether she will be able to do it in time.  There's a clock ticking throughout the book and it keeps getting louder and louder. 

Super spooky and very scary, 'Say Her Name' is part horror and part ghost story.  James Dawson has really stamped his mark on this genre and is the master of making your knuckles turn white and your heart beat faster.  He draws the tension and shocks out wonderfully, as you're never quite sure whether something supernatural is really going on or whether there may well be a human hand behind it all. 

The climax of the book was frankly terrifying with the suspense cranked up to an all time high.  I love the way that even when you think everything is over, you are suddenly, at the very last moment, still left guessing.  Deliciously cruel but a brilliant twist all at the same time. 

Review: Cruel Summer - James Dawson

Cruel Summer by James Dawson, published by Indigo on 1st August 2013

Goodreads synopsis:
A year after Janey’s suicide, her friends reunite at a remote Spanish villa, desperate to put the past behind them. However, an unwelcome guest arrives claiming to have evidence that Jane was murdered. When she is found floating in the pool, it becomes clear one of them is a killer. Only one thing is for certain, surviving this holiday is going to be murder…

Review:
Fiendishly clever plot twists made this book impossible to put down.  I spent most of my time reading it literally on the edge of my seat, palms sweating and nails being bitten down to the quick!  If you haven't discovered author James Dawson yet then I recommend you go out and get yourself a copy of this title immediately. 

The story is about five school friends on holiday together in a Spanish villa.  There's Ryan and Katie, Katie's ex-boyfriend Ben, Greg and his sister Alisha and Greg's new girlfriend Erin.  They should be enjoying sun, sea and sand but then someone turns up who claims to have evidence that their friend Janey was murdered and everything starts to spiral horribly out of control. 

This book felt like a cross-between the film Scream and the TV show Harper's Island which I loved.  Everyone seemed to have a secret to hide and a motive for wanting to commit murder.  One of the characters, Ryan, who narrates part of the story, imagines him and his friends being part of a TV show so there are lots of bits which are clichés of horror films.  I thought that was a nice way of paying homage to what has obviously served as inspiration for the story, while at the same time providing plenty of original plot twists.   

The second-half of the book was particularly tense, gripping and exciting with lots of red herrings and devilish twists and turns to throw the reader off the scent.  Although I did eventually guess who the killer was, I didn't have a clue about their motive or the extent they were willing to go to in pursuit of their ultimate goal. 

I was a big fan of James Dawson's debut novel 'Hollow Pike' but he's outdone himself with his second novel.  This is the perfect read for a hot and sultry summer where murder is most definitely on the menu. 

Review: Hollow Pike - James Dawson

Hollow Pike by James Dawson, published by Indigo on 2nd February 2012

Goodreads synopsis:
Something wicked this way comes... She thought she'd be safe in the country, but you can't escape your own nightmares, and Lis London dreams repeatedly that someone is trying to kill her. Lis thinks she's being paranoid - after all who would want to murder her? She doesn't believe in the local legends of witchcraft. She doesn't believe that anything bad will really happen to her. You never do, do you? Not until you're alone in the woods, after dark - and a twig snaps... Hollow Pike - where witchcraft never sleeps.

Review:
There has been a lot of pre-publication buzz surrounding this debut by British author James Dawson, so I couldn't wait to pick it up as soon as it arrived.  I initially thought that it was going to be about witches and witchcraft but although that was an element of the story it didn't figure as predominantly as I'd imagined.  The plot is actually more concerned with learning to start life over with a fresh slate in front of you and given that chance what you'll do with it.  That's the dilemma that faces Lis London when she moves from her home in Wales to live with her sister in the town of Hollow Pike.

Told in a third person narrative, I was impressed that a male author could write so convincingly from a female point of view.  The dialogue was fresh and engaging and I immediately felt a connection to Lis who was bullied at her old school and has moved away to escape the people who've taunted her for so long.  The book conveys quite a serious message about the impact that bullying can have on people and this was dealt with in a sensitive manner but without pulling any punches about the damage that it can cause.   

I found the start of the book a little slow going which mainly focused on introducing the key players and establishing the plot.  However, the second half was much better with the tension really being ramped up, leading to an explosive ending which sent shivers down my spine.  The story itself seemed to change direction quite rapidly, but I thought it cleverly combined different genres, mixing together a paranormal tale about witches with a contemporary modern day thriller.  I would have liked to have seen more of the romance between Lis and local boy Danny, but on the other hand, it was nice to see girl power trumping the boys for once!     

Overall 'Hollow Pike' was an enjoyable and exciting read which continually left me guessing about all the secrets that the characters were keeping hidden.  I often didn't know who could be trusted and who was hiding something.  I'm really looking forward to future offerings from this very talented British author.    

Blog Tour: Hollow Pike - James Dawson

I have a fabulous guest post today from James Dawson, the debut author of 'Hollow Pike' which is a gripping and thrilling read about witchcraft and supernatural goings on.  If you haven't grabbed yourself a copy yet then what are you waiting for! 

Who is the ‘Girl Next Door’?

Please allow me to introduce Lis London, the main character of new YA thriller Hollow Pike. In the spirit of ‘show-not-tell’, to really get to know Miss London, you’ll have to buy the book (available now at all good bookshops!). Moreover, I’d really struggle to provide a list of adjectives to describe her, and yet I feel I know her inside out. You guessed it – she’s THE GIRL NEXT DOOR.

Readers of young adult fiction are more than familiar with this character. Bella Swan, Luce Price, Grace Brisbane and Nora Grey have all gone before Lis, perfect examples of the ‘relatable’ female protagonists of various sagas.

The girls above have a lot in common. First aesthetics. ‘Pretty-but-not-too-pretty’ is a mainstay of YA fiction. Why? All of the girls-next-door are beautiful (in a unique, quirky way) but more than their actual looks, it’s their perceived beauty that counts. A girl who knew she was hot would be a big turn off to any reader, but especially a teenage girl. No-one wants a vain, arrogant best friend – and the MC of a YA novel should be a potential BFF to the reader. Therefore, these girls are doomed to a life of unruly hair, slightly too prominent noses and frustrating ‘boyish’ figures.

Some personality traits are more desirable than others too. While a YA heroine is allowed flaws, her moral compass must firmly point north at all times. If she does stray from the righteous path, it must be because of a) love or b) some greater good. For instance, stealing, lying, betrayal and cheating – while fairly common place in most secondary schools, are not going to fly in YA. That’s right, our girl-next-door is a role model for young readers, whether she likes it or not. As an author, I knew Lis had to be a ‘good girl’, and that’s fine. Lis is a good egg – she loves her friends, she’s never judgemental and has ambition. If Lis inspires other young adults (male or female) to be good eggs too, that is a positive thing.

The funny thing is, the girl next door to me in South West London is a Ugandan Muslim girl who goes the high school up the road. No, the archetype we’re thinking of is Hayden Panettiere or Selena Gomez – who, in reality, are millionaires living in Hollywood mansions. These ‘All American Girls’, sociologically speaking, are constructed more as a remedy to other (often less flattering) cultural stereotypes such as ‘tomboy’, ‘girly girl’ or ‘femme fatale’. They don’t necessarily have characteristics of their own – what sets them apart is their lack of ‘traditional’ feminine traits. In the Marvel Comics world, Mary-Jane Watson is literally presented as the girl next door to Peter Parker – beyond this simple fact she is hard to describe. I personally think the archetype was set by Judy Garland as one Dorothy Gale in the Wizard of Oz – the wide eyed wonderment and moral purity filtering down to Buffy, Bella and beyond.

With this in mind, perhaps the Girl-Next-Door isn’t such a bad thing. Perhaps better to strive for an ‘average, approachable girl’ than a one-note ‘tomboy’. But I know what you’re shouting – there’s no such thing as an ‘average girl’, everyone’s different. All I could do, as an author, was think how I and my friends would react in the situations Lis finds herself in. While writing Hollow Pike, I based Lis on two very dear friends. This, to me, seemed like the best way of making Lis ‘real’. I wonder if all writers do this.

Anyway, I’d love to know what readers think of Lis London. She’s already my BFF, so I hope you take her to your hearts too. Look after her, she’s a good egg.