Pages: 255
Released On: 27/09/2020
Newfoundland, Canada, 1992.
Gale Harbour hasn’t seen any excitement since the military abandoned the base there thirty years ago, unless you count the Tuesday night 2-for-1 video rentals at Jerry’s Video Shack. So, when a dead body turns up floating in the town water supply, all evidence seems to point to a boring accident.
Niall, Pius, and Harper are dealing with pre-teen awkwardness in the last days of summer before the start of high school. The same night the body is found, the three of them witness unusual lights in the sky over the bay.
Is it a coincidence? Are the lights connected to the rapidly-increasing string of mysterious deaths? And what does the creepy old lady at the nursing home have to do with it? There is an evil older than time hidden deep beneath the waters of the North Atlantic. It is hungry, and vengeful, and it has its sights set on Gale Harbour to begin its path of destruction. All that stands in its way are a group of kids who would rather be playing Street Fighter II.
*****
Thanks to Gallant-King for sending me a copy of this title in return for an honest review.
There is some serious ‘90’s nostalgia in this book which gives it a familiar, comfortable feeling.
It may be an unconscious bias, and I feel bad about saying it, but my brain would normally pass over books with titles like this – they remind me of the type of movies called “Giant Lobster versus Tiny Cow” – which is terrible really and I’ve clearly been missing out as this book was really enjoyable.
I like the focus being on the child characters; they’re not just accessories to the older characters, they’re given the full brunt of responsibilities and they handle it so well. The characters are also so well rounded and easily identifiable as kids you would have known if you were a teenager in the 1990’s.
It is so well written and intricately planned. It is multi-layered and it drops hints throughout the book as to other characters and future plot points, which allows you to get a proper payoff at the end.
It does touch on sensitive topics such as single parenthood, grief, bullying, hormones, memory loss, and not forgetting the murderous space creature, but overall the book doesn’t take itself too seriously, nor does it patronise or talk down to a younger audience.
It is fast paced and exciting to read; probably aimed at a younger readership but I really enjoyed it and I’m nearly 30. It is proper fun. As you get older, books that are ‘appropriate’ reads start to become more serious. When did you last read a book that was just fun? This is exactly that, and I’m excited to read the upcoming sequel.
Books By Your Bedside 