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Comes the Night
Alex Robbins, Brooke Saunders and Maryanne Hemlock could not be more different, yet they all have something in common — deep and soul-searing pain. They are also all students at Streep Academy, a boarding school just one step away from juvie, where they've come to complete high school. The three have been relegated to Harvell House, the residence reserved for the hardest cases, the so-called Rejects from Reject Row. In the forbidden attic of the old Victorian house-turned-residence, the girls discover the diary of Connie Harvell, a young woman who was confined and abused there some 50 years ago. In the end, Connie’s attic prison couldn't hold her—not completely. She found a way out. At least a dark part of her did. And after reading her diary, the girls discover they can escape at will too. A terrifying, thrilling flight from their bodies and their troubles.
But God help them, their pain isn't all they leave behind when they join with the night. And God help anyone who’s wronged them...
But God help them, their pain isn't all they leave behind when they join with the night. And God help anyone who’s wronged them...
330 pages, Paperback
First published November 27, 2012
32 people are currently reading
1052 people want to read
About the author
Norah Wilson
33 books415 followersA USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance, romantic suspense and paranormal romance, Norah lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick, with her husband, two adult children, two dogs (Ruby and Neva) and two cats (Ruckus and Milo).
Norah is a three-time finalist in the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart contest. In 2003, she won Dorchester Publishing's New Voice in Romance contest.
In addition to writing romance, Norah also writes in the mystery and YA genres with writing partner Heather Doherty. The mystery is the cozy variety, not the thriller variety (they dare you to read a Dix Dodd mystery and not laugh out loud).
Norah is a three-time finalist in the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart contest. In 2003, she won Dorchester Publishing's New Voice in Romance contest.
In addition to writing romance, Norah also writes in the mystery and YA genres with writing partner Heather Doherty. The mystery is the cozy variety, not the thriller variety (they dare you to read a Dix Dodd mystery and not laugh out loud).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
May 17, 2013
Alex is at another year at the boarding school. She wakes up the next day and feels off. She has been raped. But does not recall anything that has happened.. She decides not to share this with anyone just because who will believe her. She comes upon a diary that was written 50 years ago from a girl that went to the same school.
Next she has 2 other roommate. But once it starts going into their back story I was getting confused who's POV I was in.
This will take you on their journey of pain and they will grow from there pain. The secrets in the diary they all share and learn how can they be free.
This is a good story, I read it quite quickly. Looking forward to where this is going to move next.
I received an ARC for exchange for an honest review.
Next she has 2 other roommate. But once it starts going into their back story I was getting confused who's POV I was in.
This will take you on their journey of pain and they will grow from there pain. The secrets in the diary they all share and learn how can they be free.
This is a good story, I read it quite quickly. Looking forward to where this is going to move next.
I received an ARC for exchange for an honest review.
March 3, 2013
"Comes the night" is a thriller with elements of psychological horror.It is filled with intense emotions of loss,pain ,jubilation over freedom and vengeance.The intense emotions were hard to take at times but overall the book is great,it keeps us guessing for most of it the the characters are great.
Alex,Brooke and Maryanne are roommates in Harvell House .They all have felt loss in their life and deal with it in their own way.Alex finds the dairy of Connie Harvell a girl who was brutalized and abused in the attic of the very same house 50 years ago.In the dairy they find way of having power over night.With three very different personalities how they deal with having such a power and the mystery of who is that hurt Alex form the rest of the story.
The story is told from the girls' perspective and you can feel the bond between them grow throughout the book.
Alex,Brooke and Maryanne are roommates in Harvell House .They all have felt loss in their life and deal with it in their own way.Alex finds the dairy of Connie Harvell a girl who was brutalized and abused in the attic of the very same house 50 years ago.In the dairy they find way of having power over night.With three very different personalities how they deal with having such a power and the mystery of who is that hurt Alex form the rest of the story.
The story is told from the girls' perspective and you can feel the bond between them grow throughout the book.
October 20, 2016
"Sometimes survival is all we have to start with."
A story of three girls - hurting and lost, they find comfort and strength with each other. This book is about perseverance and the ability to overcome what you never thought you could.
I really enjoyed the very different personalities of Maryanne, Alex and Brooke. I also love that they would not typically be friends - but it's amazing what shared pain and heartache can do to bond people.
The story had solid writing and the casting was incredibly interesting. I didn't mind the extra information in places in order to set up the series because it left me wanting to read the next one.
A story of three girls - hurting and lost, they find comfort and strength with each other. This book is about perseverance and the ability to overcome what you never thought you could.
I really enjoyed the very different personalities of Maryanne, Alex and Brooke. I also love that they would not typically be friends - but it's amazing what shared pain and heartache can do to bond people.
The story had solid writing and the casting was incredibly interesting. I didn't mind the extra information in places in order to set up the series because it left me wanting to read the next one.
February 20, 2013
This was a fantastic book! It has so much wrapped up into one story that binds together beautifully! Pain, Faith, Friendship, Love, and some great paranormal abilities also!!
I actually shed a tear or two!
Look forward to the next book!
I actually shed a tear or two!
Look forward to the next book!
March 19, 2013
I ablosluty love the book. I also love the character Alex and what she want through. It pull me in from the first chapaters. I'm giving this book 5 stars.
March 14, 2013
I received this book from LibraryThing Member Giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
"Comes the Night" is an amazing story of loss, pain and the wish to escape into the night. The story is told from three different perspectives: Alex, Brooke, and Maryanne. All of the three girls are attending a Harvell House(boarding school), and they are also roommates. Harvell House is said to be for the hardest cases, the bad girls or "Rejects". What I really liked is how different each character was! Alex is a bad girl, who always gets in trouble. But on the very firs day, everything changed. She made a mistake, that would change her. Brooke is your typical rich "popular" girl. Brooke has a smart mouth and might seem like a mean girl, but there is also secret side Then of course there is Maryanne. Maryanne is a quit, smart, a good girl. Than what does Maryanne doing in Harvell House? Well you see that's the awesome part of the story that really kept me going. She has a secret. Hell. They all have secrets. A dark secrets, secrets that they don't want others to find out.
What linked those three totally different people together? A diary. Alex found a diary in a attic. A diary that belong to Connie Harvell. A young girl who was looked in the attic, her prison, where she was abused and killed in the end. Connie wasn't completely imprisoned. She found a way out, at least a part of her did. After reading the diary, the girls found out that they can escape it all too. They can become one with the night. They can forget their pain, at least for a couple of hours they can escape.
I honestly loved the story! From the very beginning, I wanted more. Norah Wilson had a very strong beginning. In most books that would of not worked, but she made it work. I also enjoyed the characters! I loved how they developed and how we saw the real them. How strong but at the same time fragile they were. This book really was a crazy, thrilling, and emotional ride. I loved every page of it!
"Comes the Night" is an amazing story of loss, pain and the wish to escape into the night. The story is told from three different perspectives: Alex, Brooke, and Maryanne. All of the three girls are attending a Harvell House(boarding school), and they are also roommates. Harvell House is said to be for the hardest cases, the bad girls or "Rejects". What I really liked is how different each character was! Alex is a bad girl, who always gets in trouble. But on the very firs day, everything changed. She made a mistake, that would change her. Brooke is your typical rich "popular" girl. Brooke has a smart mouth and might seem like a mean girl, but there is also secret side Then of course there is Maryanne. Maryanne is a quit, smart, a good girl. Than what does Maryanne doing in Harvell House? Well you see that's the awesome part of the story that really kept me going. She has a secret. Hell. They all have secrets. A dark secrets, secrets that they don't want others to find out.
What linked those three totally different people together? A diary. Alex found a diary in a attic. A diary that belong to Connie Harvell. A young girl who was looked in the attic, her prison, where she was abused and killed in the end. Connie wasn't completely imprisoned. She found a way out, at least a part of her did. After reading the diary, the girls found out that they can escape it all too. They can become one with the night. They can forget their pain, at least for a couple of hours they can escape.
I honestly loved the story! From the very beginning, I wanted more. Norah Wilson had a very strong beginning. In most books that would of not worked, but she made it work. I also enjoyed the characters! I loved how they developed and how we saw the real them. How strong but at the same time fragile they were. This book really was a crazy, thrilling, and emotional ride. I loved every page of it!
February 1, 2013
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchanged for an honest review via Lovers of Paranormal Group.
Wow... just wow...
The story starts with a bang, which could have been a bad thing, but it wasn't. Yes the story starts strong with a big event and slowly introduces us to all the characters of the story. Fortunately the story was mysterious enough to continue to hold my attention. It had so much to offer that even after the expected "dip" of the story, it continued to be interesting.
In the book, we are introduced to three very different characters with two things in common... The first is pain. Each one of them has a different kind of pain and they each react and deal differently to it. The second is the need to be free of the pain. Their need of escape from it is palpable, even desperate. The problem is... how far can they go before they start losing themselves? how much could their freedom cost them?
The author does a great job delivering several messages with one story. Behind every pain there is always something else buried deep, which could be rescued or lost forever.
I greatly enjoyed reading this first installment of the series and I hope I get the opportunity to read the next book.
Wow... just wow...
The story starts with a bang, which could have been a bad thing, but it wasn't. Yes the story starts strong with a big event and slowly introduces us to all the characters of the story. Fortunately the story was mysterious enough to continue to hold my attention. It had so much to offer that even after the expected "dip" of the story, it continued to be interesting.
In the book, we are introduced to three very different characters with two things in common... The first is pain. Each one of them has a different kind of pain and they each react and deal differently to it. The second is the need to be free of the pain. Their need of escape from it is palpable, even desperate. The problem is... how far can they go before they start losing themselves? how much could their freedom cost them?
The author does a great job delivering several messages with one story. Behind every pain there is always something else buried deep, which could be rescued or lost forever.
I greatly enjoyed reading this first installment of the series and I hope I get the opportunity to read the next book.
February 5, 2013
This is the second novel by Norah and Heather that I have read. I love their style and uniqueness. They work well together and I look forward to their work.
When I first started this novel, I was intrigued, then it did get a bit odd, but over time, it picked right back up, and filled my interest and left me yearning to know more. This is the first in a series, and I look forward to what's next.
When three very different girls come together in a housing residence for school, I looked for fights and major arguments to break out. That wasn't even close to what happened. A goody-two shoes, a rebel, and a trouble maker can get along, and they can bond well. They can also discover the unknown in the attic of an old house that used to be one girl's prison. With only one way to escape, and being falsely accused, fleeing seems to be the only option. But it's not what you think. Alex, Brooke , and Maryanne have discovered an amazing way to escape the world, but realizing that all those years ago, it's the only way that a young girl named Connie could escape for good, it makes them uncover the truth to the past and unbury all those hidden secrets.
When I first started this novel, I was intrigued, then it did get a bit odd, but over time, it picked right back up, and filled my interest and left me yearning to know more. This is the first in a series, and I look forward to what's next.
When three very different girls come together in a housing residence for school, I looked for fights and major arguments to break out. That wasn't even close to what happened. A goody-two shoes, a rebel, and a trouble maker can get along, and they can bond well. They can also discover the unknown in the attic of an old house that used to be one girl's prison. With only one way to escape, and being falsely accused, fleeing seems to be the only option. But it's not what you think. Alex, Brooke , and Maryanne have discovered an amazing way to escape the world, but realizing that all those years ago, it's the only way that a young girl named Connie could escape for good, it makes them uncover the truth to the past and unbury all those hidden secrets.
February 2, 2013
I recieved this book in exchange for my honest review...
I really enjoyed this book! It was truly unique in its plot while touching upon something that so many girls endure. It was very empowering, but I found Brooke to be a tad bit too shallow...which I imagine she was supposed to be, so it was okay - I just found it hard to connect with her. I think it would have been just as good if it had been from Alex's viewpoint only. I loved her! I found myself looking forward to reading from her point of view. She had the most depth and was easy to relate to. I wanted to jump in the book and kick butt right along with her!
Overall, I loved the plot, loved the empowerment message, and really enjoyed going through each of the girls' inner struggles in which they all came out on top. A definite read!
I really enjoyed this book! It was truly unique in its plot while touching upon something that so many girls endure. It was very empowering, but I found Brooke to be a tad bit too shallow...which I imagine she was supposed to be, so it was okay - I just found it hard to connect with her. I think it would have been just as good if it had been from Alex's viewpoint only. I loved her! I found myself looking forward to reading from her point of view. She had the most depth and was easy to relate to. I wanted to jump in the book and kick butt right along with her!
Overall, I loved the plot, loved the empowerment message, and really enjoyed going through each of the girls' inner struggles in which they all came out on top. A definite read!
February 18, 2013
I was given this book to read for free as part of a book club on Goodreads.com. This is my own opinion of the book. I really enjoyed it. I was drawn in by the first page. Three different girls are roommates at a boarding school full of secrets. They all have their own personal demons that haunt them. They discover a diary in the attic of the school that leads them on an adventure and solve a mystery surrounding the school.
October 23, 2016
This seemed like the type of book I would enjoy. However, I did not enjoy it. It is about 3 girls who are complete disasters for people. I get that something bad happened to Alex. If I went through what she did I would be messed up too. Thankfully she got justice in the end. Brooke was my least favorite person she was so obsessed with ruining Seth's life. I understand that he was a creep but still. It was cool that they learned to cast but of course they abused that power. Since I just couldn't like or care for these characters I had to give this a 1 star.
April 21, 2019
It's the first book in the series, but it definitely works as a standalone book, and I love when an author can pull that off. Like you can go on to the next book if you want to, but you don't really HAVE TO in order to find out how the story ends. The three main characters all have their unique personalities and issues to deal with, but they are brought together as friends by a common experience. Also a plus. Overall, I'd say it was a pretty good book with some fantasy, horror, and suspense as well as a bit of mystery all mixed in there.
December 26, 2017
Interesting paranormal story about four high school girls escaping reality. It discusses hard topics like rape, troubled homes and abuse and includes sexual content and cursing. Overall, a decent story, especially the last few chapters, but I don't think it's appropriate for young teens and won't need to read the rest of the series.
September 22, 2021
I didn't get this at all.
I wanted to like it but it was a little too weird for me.
I wanted to like it but it was a little too weird for me.
March 2, 2013
Comes the Night. Really? Wow. Don't let the title fool you. This is not some insipid romance novel about an untouchable princess in an ivory tower awaiting the night when her lover comes to her window to steal a kiss. Far from it, thank all that's sacred - but I'll get to the story in a moment. Comes the Night is the first book in the Casters series, centering on supernatural events that take place at night, and some reference to night in the title is pretty much inevitable. Get over it, and read this book.
Technically, I had very few quibbles with Comes the Night; just the occasional missing paragraph indentation or incorrect tense, and once paragraph in which several sentences with the same word ("They") for no apparent reason. It drives me batty when a book is so blemished with grammatical errors that I can't enjoy the story. This particular story was compelling enough for me to ignore the rare errors - but again, I'll get to that in a moment. :)
One inconsistency stood out, but it was about as troubling as some jerk slipping anchovies onto your pizza when you detest the salty little buggers but aren't deathly allergic to them. A great deal of fuss is made by two of the main characters, Brooke and Alex, over the third MC, Maryanne, and her pristine language, yet some of the chapters told from Maryanne's point of view are salted with some rather spicy phrases; then when she does let some less than ladylike words escape her mouth, the other two girls are surprised and amused. Distracting? Only marginally. Enough to ruin the story? Definitely not.
As with a lot of young adult novels, Comes the Night takes place at a school, specifically a boarding school. It's not a school for the magically well-endowed or the offspring of immortals, though; it's just an ordinary high school, with one residence hall set aside for the troublemakers, the suffering, the unwanted. Enter Alex, Maryanne, and Brooke. In fact, enter Alex two days early. Showing up before any of the other students have arrived proves to be the worst mistake she's ever made in her increasingly troubled life, a mistake that she vows to keep to herself, if she can remember what happened.
Maryanne, with her top grades, wholesome language, and concern for others, doesn't belong with the Rejects on Reject Row. It's her desperate need to leave home that lands her in the last available residence hall at Streep Academy. She's exactly the type of girl that badass, hell-raising Alex would normally avoid, so of course they end up rooming together. In a poorly-written book she could easily have become the type of smarmy, smug, self-righteous little cow we'd all like to drag to the nearest butcher. It's a good thing that Maryanne is stronger than that. No one would ever guess she has a secret just as dire as Alex's - and that's the way Maryanne intends to keep it.
Even rich, sophisticated, snotty Brooke has a hidden side, though it takes a while to figure out that things are less than perfect in her perfect little world. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Brooke's inner torment, like Maryanne's, reveals itself gradually, which gave me time to get to know her and stop despising her.
It isn't long before the three roommates are sharing the tragic secret of a fourth teenage girl, a tragedy that ironically unites them in some of the most thrilling moments of their lives. Their new-found paranormal ability gives Maryanne a reprieve from her painful memories, Alex a chance to recover hers, and Brooke the opportunity for revenge. Ultimately, the terrors of the past intrude forcefully on their lives and threaten to destroy them all.
Comes the Night is a deftly plotted mystery, a young adult novel of growth and change, and an intriguing journey into the supernatural. The story raced, leaving me at the end of each chapter breathlessly demanding to know what happened next. If you liked Hex Hall or Anna Dressed in Blood, chances are good you'll like this one too. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!
(This review also appears on my review site, http://curiousvolumes.com.)
Technically, I had very few quibbles with Comes the Night; just the occasional missing paragraph indentation or incorrect tense, and once paragraph in which several sentences with the same word ("They") for no apparent reason. It drives me batty when a book is so blemished with grammatical errors that I can't enjoy the story. This particular story was compelling enough for me to ignore the rare errors - but again, I'll get to that in a moment. :)
One inconsistency stood out, but it was about as troubling as some jerk slipping anchovies onto your pizza when you detest the salty little buggers but aren't deathly allergic to them. A great deal of fuss is made by two of the main characters, Brooke and Alex, over the third MC, Maryanne, and her pristine language, yet some of the chapters told from Maryanne's point of view are salted with some rather spicy phrases; then when she does let some less than ladylike words escape her mouth, the other two girls are surprised and amused. Distracting? Only marginally. Enough to ruin the story? Definitely not.
As with a lot of young adult novels, Comes the Night takes place at a school, specifically a boarding school. It's not a school for the magically well-endowed or the offspring of immortals, though; it's just an ordinary high school, with one residence hall set aside for the troublemakers, the suffering, the unwanted. Enter Alex, Maryanne, and Brooke. In fact, enter Alex two days early. Showing up before any of the other students have arrived proves to be the worst mistake she's ever made in her increasingly troubled life, a mistake that she vows to keep to herself, if she can remember what happened.
Maryanne, with her top grades, wholesome language, and concern for others, doesn't belong with the Rejects on Reject Row. It's her desperate need to leave home that lands her in the last available residence hall at Streep Academy. She's exactly the type of girl that badass, hell-raising Alex would normally avoid, so of course they end up rooming together. In a poorly-written book she could easily have become the type of smarmy, smug, self-righteous little cow we'd all like to drag to the nearest butcher. It's a good thing that Maryanne is stronger than that. No one would ever guess she has a secret just as dire as Alex's - and that's the way Maryanne intends to keep it.
Even rich, sophisticated, snotty Brooke has a hidden side, though it takes a while to figure out that things are less than perfect in her perfect little world. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Brooke's inner torment, like Maryanne's, reveals itself gradually, which gave me time to get to know her and stop despising her.
It isn't long before the three roommates are sharing the tragic secret of a fourth teenage girl, a tragedy that ironically unites them in some of the most thrilling moments of their lives. Their new-found paranormal ability gives Maryanne a reprieve from her painful memories, Alex a chance to recover hers, and Brooke the opportunity for revenge. Ultimately, the terrors of the past intrude forcefully on their lives and threaten to destroy them all.
Comes the Night is a deftly plotted mystery, a young adult novel of growth and change, and an intriguing journey into the supernatural. The story raced, leaving me at the end of each chapter breathlessly demanding to know what happened next. If you liked Hex Hall or Anna Dressed in Blood, chances are good you'll like this one too. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!
(This review also appears on my review site, http://curiousvolumes.com.)
May 21, 2013
This was such a great story! It's really awesome when you find a book with a plot that's new and interesting, and this was that book for me. The beginning hooked me right away, and the characters began to feel like friends. I thought I knew the way the story was going to go, but it went another direction and left me breathless with anticipation of what was going to happen next.
These three girls, Alex, Maryanne, and Brooke, all have the kind of lives they're desperate to run away from, and when they discover a way to do exactly that, there's no stopping them. On the outside, they couldn't appear to be more different, but once I got to know them better, I could see just how much alike they really were deep down. I could feel how alone they felt with seemingly no one to turn to for comfort and very little coping skills.
I couldn't blame them for wanting out - who hasn't felt like that at one time or another? I know I have, and especially back when I was their age. The problem with the girls' discovery is they always have to come back where their issues are waiting for them, and the momentary relief came at a cost. I tensed up, knowing this temporary freedom would cause casting to become as addictive as a drug. I knew they'd want to want to do it more and more without caring about the long term consequences, and I was on the edge of my seat wondering when they would have to pay the price.
Who wouldn't want to escape his or her life if it wasn't a happy one? But if it meant you'd have to leave your body vulnerable as well as various other consequences, would you still want to do it? Especially if you didn't even know what the price was? I don't think I would - I'd be too afraid of something really awful happening to me or to someone I care about, even if I was desperate to escape my life for a while. In the long run, I'm not sure it would be worth it. On the other hand, the feeling of freedom would call to me, and that would be hard to resist. I'm sure this is why the girls wanted to keep leaving once they had that first taste of becoming one with the night.
I didn't think I'd like Alex and especially not Brooke. Maryanne was easy for me to connect with from the beginning - she seemed the most like me, someone I could really identify with. Surprisingly, Alex and Brooke grew on me, and I ended up identifying with them in ways I couldn't see in the beginning. The secret hurt and guilt this trio carries around is all the more painful because each is carrying her burden alone. There were times when I just wanted to yell at them to share their secrets with each other! I wanted to tell them it would be better to talk it out so maybe they wouldn't feel so alone.
The ending was done in a way that didn't leave you hanging by a thread as to what will happen next, but it also set up perfectly for the next book in the series, making me want to know what Alex, Brooke, and Maryanne will be up to next. I definitely was happy to not be left with a huge cliffhanger! After the intensity of the last part of the book, my heart couldn't have taken one! Read this book, and you'll see what I mean. :)
I received a complimentary copy of this book for the blog tour.
These three girls, Alex, Maryanne, and Brooke, all have the kind of lives they're desperate to run away from, and when they discover a way to do exactly that, there's no stopping them. On the outside, they couldn't appear to be more different, but once I got to know them better, I could see just how much alike they really were deep down. I could feel how alone they felt with seemingly no one to turn to for comfort and very little coping skills.
I couldn't blame them for wanting out - who hasn't felt like that at one time or another? I know I have, and especially back when I was their age. The problem with the girls' discovery is they always have to come back where their issues are waiting for them, and the momentary relief came at a cost. I tensed up, knowing this temporary freedom would cause casting to become as addictive as a drug. I knew they'd want to want to do it more and more without caring about the long term consequences, and I was on the edge of my seat wondering when they would have to pay the price.
Who wouldn't want to escape his or her life if it wasn't a happy one? But if it meant you'd have to leave your body vulnerable as well as various other consequences, would you still want to do it? Especially if you didn't even know what the price was? I don't think I would - I'd be too afraid of something really awful happening to me or to someone I care about, even if I was desperate to escape my life for a while. In the long run, I'm not sure it would be worth it. On the other hand, the feeling of freedom would call to me, and that would be hard to resist. I'm sure this is why the girls wanted to keep leaving once they had that first taste of becoming one with the night.
I didn't think I'd like Alex and especially not Brooke. Maryanne was easy for me to connect with from the beginning - she seemed the most like me, someone I could really identify with. Surprisingly, Alex and Brooke grew on me, and I ended up identifying with them in ways I couldn't see in the beginning. The secret hurt and guilt this trio carries around is all the more painful because each is carrying her burden alone. There were times when I just wanted to yell at them to share their secrets with each other! I wanted to tell them it would be better to talk it out so maybe they wouldn't feel so alone.
The ending was done in a way that didn't leave you hanging by a thread as to what will happen next, but it also set up perfectly for the next book in the series, making me want to know what Alex, Brooke, and Maryanne will be up to next. I definitely was happy to not be left with a huge cliffhanger! After the intensity of the last part of the book, my heart couldn't have taken one! Read this book, and you'll see what I mean. :)
I received a complimentary copy of this book for the blog tour.
January 7, 2013
Comes the Night by Norah WilsonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
4****Stars
Book: Comes The Night
Series: Casters
Author: Norah Wilson/Heather Doherty
Publisher: Something Shiny Press
Genre: Romantic Fantasy
Rating: Mix of YA Thriller/Paranormal w/ Adult Themes
Length of book: Novel (330 pgs)
Review:
This novel dragged me through several mixed emotions while reading it. It started out with some notes from a diary of a long dead girl and then shifts to a 17ish girl waking from a rape (thankfully no details). Obviously, the author has my attention at this point, then she spends the next several chapters boring me to death with necessary but dry background information of the 3 main characters in this novel Alex, Brook and Maryanne. The problem is the information is presented in such a way that you are not attracted to any of the characters (in fact I really did not like them) but I think that may have been partly intended since the novel tries to set a vision of teenage angst, depression and guilt which is what motivates these girls to do some of the things in the book. It is a mystery, a thriller and to some extent a paranormal “coming of age” story.
Let me make this clear, I usually have no interest in such stories, they tend to bore me or at best leave me with no sense of connection with the book because most teenage problems in most of these books border on mundane at best and stupid in too many to name.
After I got through the first 30% of the book, I actually started to get into the story because the characters were evolving and the story was getting VERY interesting (I should mention you will have to suspend your logical mind to enjoy this novel in places).
I cannot say much more without spoiling the book but among the things that have to be addressed are catching a rapist, a murderer and a bit of revenge on people who do and don’t deserve it. Oh, let me not forget the ghost we meet along the way, yep quite a kitchen sink of paranormal and thriller. Get this book, if you can drag yourself to the 30% mark you will be glad you read it. 4 Star reading and maybe a bit more …. and you should be aware, these are good people at heart but still seriously flawed and we shall see more in subsequent books which are sure to be coming since a few things are left open.
Reviewed by: Douglas C. Meeks
Member of the Paranormal Romance Review Team
View all my reviews
May 25, 2013
This review originally appeared on my blog, www.leeanna.me.
COMES THE NIGHT is the story of three living girls, Alex, Maryanne, and Brooke, and one dead girl, Connie. The four are connected when Alex finds Connie’s old diary in the attic of their school dormitory. Shocked by the tales of abuse with the diary’s pages, the girls learn about Connie’s method of coping, and eventually they try out her method, too.
Alex, Maryanne, and Brooke attend Streep Academy, best described as a boarding school for troubled and out of control teens. They live in Harvell House, aka the house of the worst of the worst. As it turns out, Harvell was also Connie’s prison -- she was locked in the attic by her stepfather.
COMES THE NIGHT is definitely a dark book for mature teens. There are some things that may be triggers for readers, such as rape, incest, and child neglect. The book starts with Alex waking up after being raped, and her struggles to remember what happened that night are a big part of the story, even though she keeps it a secret. Maryanne and Brooke have their own issues they’re working through; I’ll let you discover them on your own.
Connie’s method of coping turns out to be a type of astral projection, something she and the other girls call “casting.” It leads to the three girls haunting the town, almost as if they are living ghosts. I was really curious about casting, and would have liked to learn more about it. Why it’s possible, how Connie discovered it, etc. I do understand the girls didn’t have those answers, so hopefully more shows up in the next book. COMES THE NIGHT is the first in a trilogy, the Casters Series.
I enjoyed reading COMES THE NIGHT, although the book didn’t grab me. It was well-written, with an intriguing hook -- the casting -- and also, I liked that the authors weren’t afraid to harm their characters. There was a part where I wasn’t sure if one of the main characters would wake up from a serious injury -- I like having worry moments like that. But I figured out most of the story early on; there was perhaps a bit much foreshadowing. The way the girls acted while out casting bugged me sometimes -- they were kind of juvenile and petty -- but I also am sure that’s how lots of teens would act with such a power in their hands.
The main stories within COMES THE NIGHT are wrapped up by the end of the book, and I am curious to see where the authors will take the characters in the next book.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I also participated in the blog tour for this book.
See more of my reviews:
COMES THE NIGHT is the story of three living girls, Alex, Maryanne, and Brooke, and one dead girl, Connie. The four are connected when Alex finds Connie’s old diary in the attic of their school dormitory. Shocked by the tales of abuse with the diary’s pages, the girls learn about Connie’s method of coping, and eventually they try out her method, too.
Alex, Maryanne, and Brooke attend Streep Academy, best described as a boarding school for troubled and out of control teens. They live in Harvell House, aka the house of the worst of the worst. As it turns out, Harvell was also Connie’s prison -- she was locked in the attic by her stepfather.
COMES THE NIGHT is definitely a dark book for mature teens. There are some things that may be triggers for readers, such as rape, incest, and child neglect. The book starts with Alex waking up after being raped, and her struggles to remember what happened that night are a big part of the story, even though she keeps it a secret. Maryanne and Brooke have their own issues they’re working through; I’ll let you discover them on your own.
Connie’s method of coping turns out to be a type of astral projection, something she and the other girls call “casting.” It leads to the three girls haunting the town, almost as if they are living ghosts. I was really curious about casting, and would have liked to learn more about it. Why it’s possible, how Connie discovered it, etc. I do understand the girls didn’t have those answers, so hopefully more shows up in the next book. COMES THE NIGHT is the first in a trilogy, the Casters Series.
I enjoyed reading COMES THE NIGHT, although the book didn’t grab me. It was well-written, with an intriguing hook -- the casting -- and also, I liked that the authors weren’t afraid to harm their characters. There was a part where I wasn’t sure if one of the main characters would wake up from a serious injury -- I like having worry moments like that. But I figured out most of the story early on; there was perhaps a bit much foreshadowing. The way the girls acted while out casting bugged me sometimes -- they were kind of juvenile and petty -- but I also am sure that’s how lots of teens would act with such a power in their hands.
The main stories within COMES THE NIGHT are wrapped up by the end of the book, and I am curious to see where the authors will take the characters in the next book.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I also participated in the blog tour for this book.
See more of my reviews:
May 14, 2013
3.75 STARS
Alex returns for another year at Streep Academy, where she will be joined by roommates Maryanne and Brooke in the sinister Harvell House. But before the school year officially starts, Alex wakes up in the attic of the house after being attacked but remembering nothing. She also finds an old diary that belonged to a girl their age who used to live in the house. Alex shares the secrets of the diary and the attic with her roommates, and they all learn of an exhilarating way to escape their troubles.
But before long they are abusing their new power, and must remind each other to withhold themselves before things get way out of hand. While they're enjoying what they've found in themselves, there's also the matter of what happened to the girl in the diary. The three girls' school year is going to be beyond interesting, that's for sure.
It did take me several chapters to really get interested in this book, but once I did I couldn't stop reading. Alex and her roommates and all so different, each with their own internal pain they need to deal with. But the way they come together through something so unique was nice to watch.
The main thing I had trouble with was the language and diction, not only in the way the characters speak, but in the writing itself. I'm not sure the ages of the authors, but I found it very hard to believe that three 17 year old girls would speak in the way they do in this book. The writing style was just hard for me to get into, and some of it was very repetitive.
The story is told in alternating perspectives from all three of the girls, but is told in third person point of view. It takes a long while to get completely into the backstory of each girl, but once you do, it's clear to see why each one is so hurt. Alex is the tough girl with a secret she wants no one to ever learn, because she doesn't want their pity. Maryanne is the quiet one who may not have told the entire truth when it comes to the recent death of her baby brother. Brooke is the sassy city girl who may put up an attitude, but secretly harbors insecurities she can't get over. Although the three girls start the school year barely talking to each other, they can all sense each other hiding something and it brings them closer together.
I really liked the unique supernatural themes of this book, and although it had many layers and different plot threads to follow, the complexity was not bothersome at all. The ending was fitting and sad, and although this is a series, I felt this book could have been left just as it is and be a complete story. I'm not sure what else the girls may have to get into, but I'll definitely love to read more of their adventures together.
Alex returns for another year at Streep Academy, where she will be joined by roommates Maryanne and Brooke in the sinister Harvell House. But before the school year officially starts, Alex wakes up in the attic of the house after being attacked but remembering nothing. She also finds an old diary that belonged to a girl their age who used to live in the house. Alex shares the secrets of the diary and the attic with her roommates, and they all learn of an exhilarating way to escape their troubles.
But before long they are abusing their new power, and must remind each other to withhold themselves before things get way out of hand. While they're enjoying what they've found in themselves, there's also the matter of what happened to the girl in the diary. The three girls' school year is going to be beyond interesting, that's for sure.
It did take me several chapters to really get interested in this book, but once I did I couldn't stop reading. Alex and her roommates and all so different, each with their own internal pain they need to deal with. But the way they come together through something so unique was nice to watch.
The main thing I had trouble with was the language and diction, not only in the way the characters speak, but in the writing itself. I'm not sure the ages of the authors, but I found it very hard to believe that three 17 year old girls would speak in the way they do in this book. The writing style was just hard for me to get into, and some of it was very repetitive.
The story is told in alternating perspectives from all three of the girls, but is told in third person point of view. It takes a long while to get completely into the backstory of each girl, but once you do, it's clear to see why each one is so hurt. Alex is the tough girl with a secret she wants no one to ever learn, because she doesn't want their pity. Maryanne is the quiet one who may not have told the entire truth when it comes to the recent death of her baby brother. Brooke is the sassy city girl who may put up an attitude, but secretly harbors insecurities she can't get over. Although the three girls start the school year barely talking to each other, they can all sense each other hiding something and it brings them closer together.
I really liked the unique supernatural themes of this book, and although it had many layers and different plot threads to follow, the complexity was not bothersome at all. The ending was fitting and sad, and although this is a series, I felt this book could have been left just as it is and be a complete story. I'm not sure what else the girls may have to get into, but I'll definitely love to read more of their adventures together.
March 3, 2013
Norah Wilson succeeding in writing a wonderful story in "Comes the Night." Alex is known as a "party girl" and a bad-ass. She enjoys drinking, drugs, partying, and hanging out with a bad crowd. However, all that changes after she experiences a horrible tragedy that leaves her shaken and forever changed. She attends a boarding school that is known for housing kids who are either trouble or have been cast aside from their families for various reasons. After the troubling event that shakes Alex to her very core, she comes upon a diary in the attic of Harvell House that belonged to a teenage girl named Connie, who lived in the house years before the school was formed and who suffered through rape, abuse, and eventually murder at the hands of her step-brother, Billy. The diary is a compilation of Connie's experiences and desperation to find some way out of her terrible situation. Alex finds a form of solace in Connie's words as she is able to relate to Connie's suffering. Maryanne and Brooke become Alex's new roommates for the school year and although they all come from very different backgrounds and have very different personalities, they come together over Connie's diary as well as their own personal suffering. In the pages of the diary Connie speaks of a phenomenon that she was able to achieve called "casting out." Casting out is the ability to leave one's physical body behind and exit out into the night in a conscious yet shadow like form. Once the girls find that they too can cast out, as Connie did years prior, they find that they are able to find some relief from their suffering while out in their caster forms roaming freely through the night. Through this experience the girls come together and form a sister like bond. However, things aren't going to be all fun and games for the girls as they soon discover.
I found this story to be a bit hard to get into at first, however, once I got about half way through the plot really drew me into the world the girls were living in and their suffering made them seem all the more human and easy to relate to. This story definitely has a dark and somber tone at points but the strength they are able to find in one another is truly amazing. I look forward to seeing where the author takes this series and how the characters develop. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read that encompasses paranormal aspects while also showing the inner strength that we all possess.
** I received this book in exchange for an honest review**
I found this story to be a bit hard to get into at first, however, once I got about half way through the plot really drew me into the world the girls were living in and their suffering made them seem all the more human and easy to relate to. This story definitely has a dark and somber tone at points but the strength they are able to find in one another is truly amazing. I look forward to seeing where the author takes this series and how the characters develop. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read that encompasses paranormal aspects while also showing the inner strength that we all possess.
** I received this book in exchange for an honest review**
May 19, 2013
I received a free copy of Norah Wilson’s novel “Comes the Night” in exchange for an honest review.
It’s Alex Robbins’ senior year and she’s returning to Streep Academy, a boarding school. She’s been placed in Harvell House – a place that’s also known as Reject Row – with two other girls who couldn’t be more unlike her if possible and are fighting their own demons. Yet somehow the girls bond upon finding the diary of a woman named Connie Harvell, a woman who through reading her diary they get to know and learn of a world beyond the attic called “casting”, a world that’s thrilling yet dangerous.
Upon hearing “Casters”, I assumed this book would be a lot like “Beautiful Creatures” but boy, was I wrong. Not in a bad way though. I admit the book started off a little slower than I would have preferred – and to me, it was a little hard to get into as it jumped around from one girl’s perspective to another’s. However, midway through the book, I couldn’t it down. I felt drawn into the story of “casting” which, unlike my original assumptions of being able to cast spells, actually meant being able to leave their bodies and travel around almost unseen and without being harmed for the most part.
I loved how complex the characters got as the story progressed. Alex was battling her foggy memories of being attacked in the attic by an unknown man, Maryanne was dealing with the loss of her brother and her part in his death and Brooke was trying to regain her footing after her social status plummeted due to rejection and her need for revenge. I enjoyed watching three completely different girls bond over the diary and their newfound abilities to “escape”. And most of all, I loved how their bonded with Connie’s ghost and helped her find her peace after the horrific life she had led up to her death.
All in all, I really enjoyed this story and I’m happy that I didn’t give up on it in the beginning. It’s a definite must read for those who enjoy supernatural mysteries.
A quick warning, though. This book does include references to rape and violence.
{Review for the blog tour stop at Once Upon a Book.}
It’s Alex Robbins’ senior year and she’s returning to Streep Academy, a boarding school. She’s been placed in Harvell House – a place that’s also known as Reject Row – with two other girls who couldn’t be more unlike her if possible and are fighting their own demons. Yet somehow the girls bond upon finding the diary of a woman named Connie Harvell, a woman who through reading her diary they get to know and learn of a world beyond the attic called “casting”, a world that’s thrilling yet dangerous.
Upon hearing “Casters”, I assumed this book would be a lot like “Beautiful Creatures” but boy, was I wrong. Not in a bad way though. I admit the book started off a little slower than I would have preferred – and to me, it was a little hard to get into as it jumped around from one girl’s perspective to another’s. However, midway through the book, I couldn’t it down. I felt drawn into the story of “casting” which, unlike my original assumptions of being able to cast spells, actually meant being able to leave their bodies and travel around almost unseen and without being harmed for the most part.
I loved how complex the characters got as the story progressed. Alex was battling her foggy memories of being attacked in the attic by an unknown man, Maryanne was dealing with the loss of her brother and her part in his death and Brooke was trying to regain her footing after her social status plummeted due to rejection and her need for revenge. I enjoyed watching three completely different girls bond over the diary and their newfound abilities to “escape”. And most of all, I loved how their bonded with Connie’s ghost and helped her find her peace after the horrific life she had led up to her death.
All in all, I really enjoyed this story and I’m happy that I didn’t give up on it in the beginning. It’s a definite must read for those who enjoy supernatural mysteries.
A quick warning, though. This book does include references to rape and violence.
{Review for the blog tour stop at Once Upon a Book.}
May 16, 2013
I received Comes the Night in return for an honest review as part of the tour hosted by AToMR Tours. Alex has arrived at school a few days early reading to start a new year and turn over a new leaf. It’s before the other girls arrive that she’s attacked, raped and left with limited memories in the attic of the house. Alex finds the diary of a girl who was imprisoned in the attic fifty years early. As she reads Connie’s story she learns that had a secret escape after from the house when it was dark.
Alex befriends her roommate Brooke and Maryanne who each have their own secrets that tie the girls together. With the help of Connie’s diary the girls are able to learn to cast out the window into the night school in the form of a dark shadow like figure. As the girls explore the night in their new forms Brooke uses her form to torment the boy whom she loves and has turned against her. They also encounter the cast of Connie while saving Brooke from being caught one night. As the girls get to know the girl from the diary they decide the only thing to do is help her.
I loved Comes the Night an engaging story that captivates the imagination. The characters are broken, they each have their own emotional issues from rape, rejection even guilt that drives them to cast out. I love that the characters have real life problem yet the book has a paranormal twist. I really connected with all the characters, it was an emotional adventure. I think Connie’s story is powerful, it tells the story of a girl who survived which is exactly what the girls needed to learn. I felt the casting was a way for the characters to escape the real life in a unique way. The book is beautifully written from start to finish it flows well that teens as well as adults will enjoy it. I can’t say enough how much I loved the book I can’t wait to read the next one I even which I normally don’t do read the teaser in this one. I want it now!
Alex befriends her roommate Brooke and Maryanne who each have their own secrets that tie the girls together. With the help of Connie’s diary the girls are able to learn to cast out the window into the night school in the form of a dark shadow like figure. As the girls explore the night in their new forms Brooke uses her form to torment the boy whom she loves and has turned against her. They also encounter the cast of Connie while saving Brooke from being caught one night. As the girls get to know the girl from the diary they decide the only thing to do is help her.
I loved Comes the Night an engaging story that captivates the imagination. The characters are broken, they each have their own emotional issues from rape, rejection even guilt that drives them to cast out. I love that the characters have real life problem yet the book has a paranormal twist. I really connected with all the characters, it was an emotional adventure. I think Connie’s story is powerful, it tells the story of a girl who survived which is exactly what the girls needed to learn. I felt the casting was a way for the characters to escape the real life in a unique way. The book is beautifully written from start to finish it flows well that teens as well as adults will enjoy it. I can’t say enough how much I loved the book I can’t wait to read the next one I even which I normally don’t do read the teaser in this one. I want it now!
May 18, 2013
3.5 Stars
'Comes the Night' is the first book in a interesting New Adult/YA paranormal series that follows three main characters: Alex Robbins, Brooke Saunders, and Maryanne Hemlock. They are students at Streep Academy and are also roommates at the creepy old Harvell House. When Alex discovers an old diary by a young girl named Connie Harvell, who was kept locked in the attic of the house and basically tortured, she takes it with her and reads it with her roommates. What they discover is far more than they ever imagined. The diary details Connie's miserable life, along with her description of "casting out" into the night. Following the diary's details, the girls discover they can also cast out of their bodies and join with the night, although they have no idea exactly what they've gotten themselves into.
This was a really fascinating paranormal novel with an original plot. I loved reading about how the girls could cast out of their bodies along with all the history about the town and the Harvell House. The story is told in alternating viewpoints, between the three main characters. I found this approach to be good for the novel because I got to get a glimpse inside each girl's mind to see how they reacted to and felt about all the happenings in the story. It made for an interesting plot and the development throughout the book was definitely unique because of it. The plot itself was highly intriguing and brought some fresh air to the YA and New Adult paranormal genre. The writing was well done with a fast pace and good flow to the book. I did find it confusing at times to keep up with who was narrating at the time, but it wasn't a big deal and I ended up liking the differing POVs. Overall, this was a great start to what promises to be an interesting new YA paranormal series, and is definitely one that fans of the genre will want to pick up.
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
'Comes the Night' is the first book in a interesting New Adult/YA paranormal series that follows three main characters: Alex Robbins, Brooke Saunders, and Maryanne Hemlock. They are students at Streep Academy and are also roommates at the creepy old Harvell House. When Alex discovers an old diary by a young girl named Connie Harvell, who was kept locked in the attic of the house and basically tortured, she takes it with her and reads it with her roommates. What they discover is far more than they ever imagined. The diary details Connie's miserable life, along with her description of "casting out" into the night. Following the diary's details, the girls discover they can also cast out of their bodies and join with the night, although they have no idea exactly what they've gotten themselves into.
This was a really fascinating paranormal novel with an original plot. I loved reading about how the girls could cast out of their bodies along with all the history about the town and the Harvell House. The story is told in alternating viewpoints, between the three main characters. I found this approach to be good for the novel because I got to get a glimpse inside each girl's mind to see how they reacted to and felt about all the happenings in the story. It made for an interesting plot and the development throughout the book was definitely unique because of it. The plot itself was highly intriguing and brought some fresh air to the YA and New Adult paranormal genre. The writing was well done with a fast pace and good flow to the book. I did find it confusing at times to keep up with who was narrating at the time, but it wasn't a big deal and I ended up liking the differing POVs. Overall, this was a great start to what promises to be an interesting new YA paranormal series, and is definitely one that fans of the genre will want to pick up.
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
January 31, 2013
I received 'Comes the Night' by Norah Wilson for free from the author in exchange for an honest, unbaised review, as a member of my Goodreads book club. All thoughts and opinions are mine, all mine.
A young woman wakes up in a strange place, battered and abused....and with no memory of how she got to be there, what happened, or who did these things to her. Alex is a hard-partying tough girl, staying at a boarding house called Harvell House while she finishes high school; but with this horrifying incident, she struggles just to make it through each day. She wants to change, start a fresh life - but can she overcome her fear and finally remember the details of that chilling encounter?
Brooke is a wise-cracking smartass and (not happy to be) fellow roommate of Alex.She is privileged and beautiful with a gritty exterior, but inside she is a frightened little girl, doing anything she can to get the affection and attention she craves so much. She moves to Harvell House in an effort to flee the confines of her home with her mother and strict new stepfather. After being used and then ceremonially dumped by Seth Walker, her heart is broken and she burns for revenge.
Maryanne is an enigma -- smart, quiet, a "good girl", with a family who loves her -- what the heck is she doing at Harvell House, or "Reject Row" as the town calls it? The truth is that she is in pain. Pain at the loss of her baby brother, and the crippling grief of her guilt. She ran from her home in an effort to not feel the sting of guilt in her parents' eyes everytime they looked at her.
Their shared pain is what brought these three girls together and made them unlikely friends. Their pain is kept secret and unshared, but they are all able to sense it within each other. They find a way to escape their pain together - with the help of long dead Connie Harvell.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book.
That is all.
A young woman wakes up in a strange place, battered and abused....and with no memory of how she got to be there, what happened, or who did these things to her. Alex is a hard-partying tough girl, staying at a boarding house called Harvell House while she finishes high school; but with this horrifying incident, she struggles just to make it through each day. She wants to change, start a fresh life - but can she overcome her fear and finally remember the details of that chilling encounter?
Brooke is a wise-cracking smartass and (not happy to be) fellow roommate of Alex.She is privileged and beautiful with a gritty exterior, but inside she is a frightened little girl, doing anything she can to get the affection and attention she craves so much. She moves to Harvell House in an effort to flee the confines of her home with her mother and strict new stepfather. After being used and then ceremonially dumped by Seth Walker, her heart is broken and she burns for revenge.
Maryanne is an enigma -- smart, quiet, a "good girl", with a family who loves her -- what the heck is she doing at Harvell House, or "Reject Row" as the town calls it? The truth is that she is in pain. Pain at the loss of her baby brother, and the crippling grief of her guilt. She ran from her home in an effort to not feel the sting of guilt in her parents' eyes everytime they looked at her.
Their shared pain is what brought these three girls together and made them unlikely friends. Their pain is kept secret and unshared, but they are all able to sense it within each other. They find a way to escape their pain together - with the help of long dead Connie Harvell.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book.
That is all.
May 18, 2013
Comes the Night has a beautiful cover which immediately drew me to the book, but unfortunately I found the story did not offer the content I was hoping for and to be honest in the beginning I skimmed through some chapters in a rush to reach the end :-(.
I found Brooke, Maryanne and Alex odd story mates and never really felt that they connected. Although all the girls have their issues, Alex is obviously dealing with more since her early arrival at Harvell House. However I found that rather than feel sympathy for her I actually disliked her more because she withdraws and becomes obsessed with Connie and the diary.
Brooke is self-centred and ultimately the tricks she plays prove to be dangerous and life-threatening. She uses her bitchiness as a front but still I found nothing I wanted to connect to underneath that, even at the end of the story.
Maryanne's character is the one who perhaps I felt the most empathy for, as I feel it is her family story pre-Harvell which the reader is told in most detail. Maryanne is the one in the group who is willing to do anything to keep the peace amongst the three, but perhaps also the one who has most need to be a Caster.
I feel that as the girls delve deeper into Connie's diary and they become more skilled at Casting Norah Wilson and Heather Doherty weave a mystery which is suspenseful, frightening and emotional. It was at this time I found myself reading every word and unable to put the book down!
For me Comes the Night was like a game of soccer, with two halves, but I am glad that I gave it the opportunity to be enjoyable! I would recommend this to fans of YA paranormal fiction.
I found Brooke, Maryanne and Alex odd story mates and never really felt that they connected. Although all the girls have their issues, Alex is obviously dealing with more since her early arrival at Harvell House. However I found that rather than feel sympathy for her I actually disliked her more because she withdraws and becomes obsessed with Connie and the diary.
Brooke is self-centred and ultimately the tricks she plays prove to be dangerous and life-threatening. She uses her bitchiness as a front but still I found nothing I wanted to connect to underneath that, even at the end of the story.
Maryanne's character is the one who perhaps I felt the most empathy for, as I feel it is her family story pre-Harvell which the reader is told in most detail. Maryanne is the one in the group who is willing to do anything to keep the peace amongst the three, but perhaps also the one who has most need to be a Caster.
I feel that as the girls delve deeper into Connie's diary and they become more skilled at Casting Norah Wilson and Heather Doherty weave a mystery which is suspenseful, frightening and emotional. It was at this time I found myself reading every word and unable to put the book down!
For me Comes the Night was like a game of soccer, with two halves, but I am glad that I gave it the opportunity to be enjoyable! I would recommend this to fans of YA paranormal fiction.
March 17, 2013
Alex Robbins, Brooke Saunders, and Maryanne Hemlock have a lot in common. They share a room at the famed Harvell House. They all have troubled pasts that they keep secret. And they all make trips to the attic together to cast out into the night. After Alex finds the long lost diary of a young girl, Connie Harvell, who was raped and tortured in the attic of Harvell House, the trio discover that she had a supernatural ability. Connie could escape the confines of her prison by separating from her body, all the while maintaining a vague awareness of what her body was experiencing. Reenacting the words they find scrawled across the pages, the girls learn that they too can cast out of their bodies and soar through the town, leaving their cares in the attic along with their bodies. But what happens when they get carried away and the legend of the Mansbridge Heller comes back to life and the town starts to hunt for this soul-stealing entity?
Comes The Night is an interesting supernatural tale that exemplifies empowered women in the roles of the main characters. It was nice to read about strong women as most-often in supernatural fiction women become the prey of the male characters. I have a lot of questions that still remain unanswered regarding the premise for this novel, but I hope that they will be answered in the next installment of the series. The writing is decent but at times the dialogue feels forced. I would recommend this novel to readers of YA Paranormal Fiction.
Comes The Night is an interesting supernatural tale that exemplifies empowered women in the roles of the main characters. It was nice to read about strong women as most-often in supernatural fiction women become the prey of the male characters. I have a lot of questions that still remain unanswered regarding the premise for this novel, but I hope that they will be answered in the next installment of the series. The writing is decent but at times the dialogue feels forced. I would recommend this novel to readers of YA Paranormal Fiction.
May 15, 2013
Comes The Night is a very unique story. At first I was like what the heck is going on because of the suspense and paranormal thrill the story had but the more I delve into it the more I liked it. It was one roller coaster of a ride. This is a story about three girls who are so different from one another but they have one thing in common. There is the good girl, the rebel, and the trouble maker. They are sent to a boarding school that is more like a last resort before you go to juvie because your parents can't handle you. Alex, Brooke, and Maryanne are not bad girls really. They are misunderstood but when they meet up at Streep Academy's Harvell House they realize they have something in common and that is a soul seering pain that will not go away.
Once they are at Harvell House they find a diary written by Connie Harvell a girl who was confined and abused in this same house they are staying in over fifty years ago. The girls feel like she is a kindred spirit and what they find in the diary will forever change their lives. The girls realize they can get rid of the pain they carry but it comes with a price and is the price worth it? These are the questions the girls have to answer for themselves.
They know they are worth anything because their parents just dumped them without a look back. So what do they have to lose? Can they remove their pain and remove themselves from reality? Will it work or will the pain get worse?
This is a must read! I loved all the high and lows and the back drop of what happened to Connie Harvell.
Once they are at Harvell House they find a diary written by Connie Harvell a girl who was confined and abused in this same house they are staying in over fifty years ago. The girls feel like she is a kindred spirit and what they find in the diary will forever change their lives. The girls realize they can get rid of the pain they carry but it comes with a price and is the price worth it? These are the questions the girls have to answer for themselves.
They know they are worth anything because their parents just dumped them without a look back. So what do they have to lose? Can they remove their pain and remove themselves from reality? Will it work or will the pain get worse?
This is a must read! I loved all the high and lows and the back drop of what happened to Connie Harvell.
November 2, 2013
I received the book for a honest review and as a part of the tour for the second one! Thanks!:) Original post on http://nervidetoamna.blogspot.ro/
This book was different, so different. I mean I knew after I read the synopsis, but I wasn’t expecting so many things to happen. And for me was a creepy book, and even I’m not such a big fan of scary books I enjoyed this one. I mean is not so creepy, but for a person who don’t read so much horror, is a little.
I won’t talk about the story too much ’cause I don’t want to spoil you, but is kind of a original idea, I haven’t read something like this before, and this is a good thing. But the book is full of suspense and tension and everytime is something happening or something hidden is discovered and old secrets are broken. And all that spooky feeling is everywhere and it was like I was reading my Haloween lecture earlier : )).
The characters are well described and more I liked Alex and Brooke, but M. is cute too, just it didn’t really caught my attention. Maybe in the next book the situation will change. Each girl has secrets or fears and in that dark place you can imagine how all is going crazy.
And how crazy the things will go when the present meets the past and the revenge is so strong? What the girls would do to escape? Would they achieve their goal? With which price?
I really liked the book, it was a good read, I won’t say light and cute, cause it wasn’t, but if you like this kind of lecture, I recommend it to you. And I can’t wait to read the next one.
This book was different, so different. I mean I knew after I read the synopsis, but I wasn’t expecting so many things to happen. And for me was a creepy book, and even I’m not such a big fan of scary books I enjoyed this one. I mean is not so creepy, but for a person who don’t read so much horror, is a little.
I won’t talk about the story too much ’cause I don’t want to spoil you, but is kind of a original idea, I haven’t read something like this before, and this is a good thing. But the book is full of suspense and tension and everytime is something happening or something hidden is discovered and old secrets are broken. And all that spooky feeling is everywhere and it was like I was reading my Haloween lecture earlier : )).
The characters are well described and more I liked Alex and Brooke, but M. is cute too, just it didn’t really caught my attention. Maybe in the next book the situation will change. Each girl has secrets or fears and in that dark place you can imagine how all is going crazy.
And how crazy the things will go when the present meets the past and the revenge is so strong? What the girls would do to escape? Would they achieve their goal? With which price?
I really liked the book, it was a good read, I won’t say light and cute, cause it wasn’t, but if you like this kind of lecture, I recommend it to you. And I can’t wait to read the next one.
May 14, 2013
Review first posted on http://beanieboo78.wordpress.com/
I enjoyed this story, really enjoyed it. I’m just struggling to find the words to explain why I enjoyed it. Especially spoiler free words.
The book opens with an excerpt from Connie’s diary, and follows on with Alex waking in attic in the morning and realising that she has been raped but unable to remember any of the details of her night before. Given her history and the fact that she cant remember anything, Alex chooses not to tell anyone fearing they wouldn’t believe her. She finds Connie’s diary in the attic’s rafters and discovers Connie’s horrible truth. When one of her room-mates discovers Connie’s diary Alex agrees to read it with them in the attic. It is at this point the girls discover they are able to ‘cast’.
The book focuses on Alex, Brooke and Maryanne. Three girls who wouldn’t be friends if they hadn’t been forced together as room mates. Three girls who wouldn’t be friends if they hadn’t discovered the horrible things that Connie had to endure. Three girls who became sisters in the night.
Each girl has a story of their own, a story they don’t want everyone to know about. And one of the things I enjoyed about this story is the fact that we don’t get the ‘wave of a magic wand’ that makes everything all better. This tale is dark and gripping, its full of teenage angst with a touch of paranormal and thriller thrown in.
I enjoyed this story, really enjoyed it. I’m just struggling to find the words to explain why I enjoyed it. Especially spoiler free words.
The book opens with an excerpt from Connie’s diary, and follows on with Alex waking in attic in the morning and realising that she has been raped but unable to remember any of the details of her night before. Given her history and the fact that she cant remember anything, Alex chooses not to tell anyone fearing they wouldn’t believe her. She finds Connie’s diary in the attic’s rafters and discovers Connie’s horrible truth. When one of her room-mates discovers Connie’s diary Alex agrees to read it with them in the attic. It is at this point the girls discover they are able to ‘cast’.
The book focuses on Alex, Brooke and Maryanne. Three girls who wouldn’t be friends if they hadn’t been forced together as room mates. Three girls who wouldn’t be friends if they hadn’t discovered the horrible things that Connie had to endure. Three girls who became sisters in the night.
Each girl has a story of their own, a story they don’t want everyone to know about. And one of the things I enjoyed about this story is the fact that we don’t get the ‘wave of a magic wand’ that makes everything all better. This tale is dark and gripping, its full of teenage angst with a touch of paranormal and thriller thrown in.
July 25, 2013
What is the book about?
Streep Academy is a boarding school for the troubled and out of control teenagers. Alex Robbins, Maryanne Hemlock, and Brooke Saunders find an old diary in the attic of the Harvell House their school dorm, which is known as having the worst of the worst.
It's the diary of Connie, an abused young girl who was locked in the attic by her stepfather and abused constantly. Alex, Maryanne, and Brooke all have their own issues that they are trying to cope with as well. Connie's method of coping is very unique, she calls it "casting out," and the girls eventually learn how to practice casting out as well.
What did I think of the book?
I would definitely consider this to be a very dark book that would only be meant for a more mature teenager. This book kind of reminds me of V.C. Andrews (Flowers in the Attic).
The whole concept of Connie's "casting" is such an intriguing hook, I couldn't put the book down. Just when you think you know the direction the book is taking, you'll be thrown in the complete opposite direction. Don't worry, it's a great thing to find a book with a new and interesting concept.
Who wouldn't want the powers that they possess? The only thing that might hold you back is the consequences to your actions are unknown. I highly recommend this book to any mature young adult who can handle reading about topics like rape and torture of young girls. I give this book 5/5!
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