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Summer's End
When her little sister and the other children begin disappearing from the sands of Cape Cod and from the very memories of their loved ones, Amy must find a way to rescue them before the summer comes to a close. Original.
- GenresYoung AdultHorror
164 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1994
33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 18, 2020
What a fantastic little surprise this 90s YA horror tale was!
Amy Meyer travels to Cyder Island with her family because there's a boarding school her delinquent older sister is being sent to. She makes a few friends, but something sinister is definitely going on on the island. The Islanders (people who were born there) all have breath that smell like onion. Then a couple of boys disappear, but their mother claims that she never had any children. And then Amy's younger sister, Sarah, vanishes, and her own mother claims she doesn't exist...
Summer's End creates its own intriguing mythology, and the book's only downside is that it wasn't longer, so this could be explored even more! (The book is only 160 odd pages long.) I don't want to reveal too much about the plot, because this story is absolutely bonkers. It's spooky, atmospheric, creepy and even disturbing, whilst having remarkably limited violence.
Amy is a well-developed protagonist, always trying to think of how to act smart in a situation so similar to the horror movies she enjoys watching. I quite enjoyed much of the dialogue, particularly between Amy, her mother and her siblings. They came across as a real family, which helps up the tension and terror when Amy's own family is impacted by the island's secrets.
The plot is extremely well put together, with lots of "a-ha" moments along the way , along with one particular plot twist that completely blew my socks off!
Despite its short length that prevents a fuller exploration of the island's mythology, everything in this inventive, low-key YA horror story worked for me. It's quite unlike most of the YA that was being released at the time, and really should be hunted down if you're a fan of the genre!
Amy Meyer travels to Cyder Island with her family because there's a boarding school her delinquent older sister is being sent to. She makes a few friends, but something sinister is definitely going on on the island. The Islanders (people who were born there) all have breath that smell like onion. Then a couple of boys disappear, but their mother claims that she never had any children. And then Amy's younger sister, Sarah, vanishes, and her own mother claims she doesn't exist...
Summer's End creates its own intriguing mythology, and the book's only downside is that it wasn't longer, so this could be explored even more! (The book is only 160 odd pages long.) I don't want to reveal too much about the plot, because this story is absolutely bonkers. It's spooky, atmospheric, creepy and even disturbing, whilst having remarkably limited violence.
Amy is a well-developed protagonist, always trying to think of how to act smart in a situation so similar to the horror movies she enjoys watching. I quite enjoyed much of the dialogue, particularly between Amy, her mother and her siblings. They came across as a real family, which helps up the tension and terror when Amy's own family is impacted by the island's secrets.
The plot is extremely well put together, with lots of "a-ha" moments along the way , along with one particular plot twist that completely blew my socks off!
Despite its short length that prevents a fuller exploration of the island's mythology, everything in this inventive, low-key YA horror story worked for me. It's quite unlike most of the YA that was being released at the time, and really should be hunted down if you're a fan of the genre!
September 18, 2022
These are the cupcakes of anger!
Here is the liquorice of lies.
Utter nonsense.
I laughed the whole way through.
I loved it.
Here is the liquorice of lies.
Utter nonsense.
I laughed the whole way through.
I loved it.
June 25, 2024
WHAT in the FEVER DREAM did I just read.
I could just not quite get into this one. It felt like it was trying to be three different stories.
There are too many random characters that get introduced and immediately forgotten, but this is not an “everyone gets murdered one by one” story booooo (despite the “and then there were none” on the cover—lol v misleading).
I think the overall concept is interesting, but just not done in a way that feels cohesive and compelling.
Girl visits island with her family and her little sister disappears, but not just disappears—her existence seems to be completely erased, and yet she’s the only one who remembers her. This is such a creepy angle, but the story devolves into ancient vampyre (yes, vampyre with ‘y’) territory and I just couldn’t get into all the lore.
Why do some of the memories remain and why are only some people affected though? This is never addressed.
We’ve got islanders with bad breath who never age and a master vampyre that’s feeding on these islanders and a caretaker and a hookman and surprise the hookman is her dad but he can exist off-island and then he shows up to help jk he tries to sacrifice her??
Favorite scene: master vampyre is momentarily weakened by a seizure bc he consumed the main character’s little sister who is affected by epilepsy.
Also, the master vampyre keeps reciting poetry at our protag against her will.
Nothing gets resolved. Nothing.
Didn’t really understand the climax—the master vampyre seems to be defeated but our main character gets stuck on the island, forever 15, inherited vampyre powers.
I could just not quite get into this one. It felt like it was trying to be three different stories.
There are too many random characters that get introduced and immediately forgotten, but this is not an “everyone gets murdered one by one” story booooo (despite the “and then there were none” on the cover—lol v misleading).
I think the overall concept is interesting, but just not done in a way that feels cohesive and compelling.
Girl visits island with her family and her little sister disappears, but not just disappears—her existence seems to be completely erased, and yet she’s the only one who remembers her. This is such a creepy angle, but the story devolves into ancient vampyre (yes, vampyre with ‘y’) territory and I just couldn’t get into all the lore.
Why do some of the memories remain and why are only some people affected though? This is never addressed.
We’ve got islanders with bad breath who never age and a master vampyre that’s feeding on these islanders and a caretaker and a hookman and surprise the hookman is her dad but he can exist off-island and then he shows up to help jk he tries to sacrifice her??
Favorite scene: master vampyre is momentarily weakened by a seizure bc he consumed the main character’s little sister who is affected by epilepsy.
Also, the master vampyre keeps reciting poetry at our protag against her will.
Nothing gets resolved. Nothing.
Didn’t really understand the climax—the master vampyre seems to be defeated but our main character gets stuck on the island, forever 15, inherited vampyre powers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2024
Um... what?
July 10, 2016
A really extrordinary book. I really enjoyed the lore the story makes up. I really enjoyed the plot as it's very suspenseful and interesting. I enjoyed the main character as she actually undergoes development in order to solve the conflict. The problem with the book is its length as it's a bit short that some areas are unexplained because of it.
Overall, I;m glad I read this book and is willing to reread some time.
Overall, I;m glad I read this book and is willing to reread some time.
August 29, 2021
Competently written though it goes all weird at the end. Twilight Zone meets vampires. Somewhat summery. Takes place in a fishing town and they even have a Hookman like I Know What You Did Last Summer. My cover shows a face in the sky which is terrifying.
June 5, 2023
One of the few genuinely haunting books I’ve ever read. And I swear it changes every time I read it.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews