Publisher: Hot Key Books
Source: Purchased
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Blurb:
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...
The novel is set in an all girls boarding school in England. I loved this setting as I felt that not only did the old building enhance the spooky-ness, the interactions between the girls were really well written. The hierarchical nature of the school is something that many can relate to. The novel plays upon many secondary school tropes such as the outcast / misfit girl, our protagonist Bobbie, being put in situations against the most popular mean girl in school. I really enjoyed this setting for the novel and found it interesting to read about.
As with any of Juno's novels, the character are phenomenally written. The main character Bobbie is shy, introverted and a little bit of a misfit in comparison to her other classmates. Her best friend is loud, pretty and charismatic. Their friendship was great to read about, the way they bounced off each other and were polar opposites and yet such close friends.
The main love interest also fulfills another "horror movie trope" by being the sporty guy. He was a great character. I really enjoyed Caine's growing friendship with Bobbie and how we got to delve behind his sporty persona and see more within his character. Dawson writes such brilliant romantic tension scenes and this novel is no different.
I read the novel mostly at night, and yes...it was quite spooky! I really enjoyed learning more about the Bloody Mary lore and backstory. Dawson had clearly done her research. The novel is filled with suspense, lot twists and chilling scenes. Although I wasn't scared out of my skin, I did find myself reading with all the lights on! There were lots of "horror cliches" but Juno's unique spin on them made them wonderfully engaging. Very well written, perfect for Halloween time.
The plot was engaging, scary and fun. Although I did find a few scenes slow and was not the biggest fan of the very end, the novel was gripping and a joy to read. The twist near the latter half of the book had me completely shook! Dawson's novels have perfect pacy with three dimensional character and lots of modern references. It was great to stumble upon references to John Green and Supernatural. The novel is perfect to be read in autumn / winter time.
Overall a spooky novel filled with wonderful characters and Dawson's unique style.
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