Feral

by Holly Schindler

The Lovely Bones meets Black Swan in this haunting psychological thriller with twists and turns that will make you question everything you think you know.

It’s too late for you. You’re dead. Those words continue to haunt Claire Cain months after she barely survived a brutal beating in Chicago. So when her father is offered a job in another state, Claire is hopeful that getting out will offer her a way to start anew.

But when she arrives in Peculiar, Missouri, Claire feels an overwhelming sense of danger, and her fears are confirmed when she discovers the body of a popular high school student in the icy woods behind the school, surrounded by the town’s feral cats. While everyone is quick to say it was an accident, Claire knows there’s more to it, and vows to learn the truth about what happened.

But the closer she gets to uncovering the mystery, the closer she also gets to realizing a frightening reality about herself and the damage she truly sustained in that Chicago alley….

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Paranormal, Mystery Thriller, Fantasy

417 pages, Hardcover

First published August 26, 2014

About the author

Holly Schindler’s work has received starred reviews in Booklist and Publishers Weekly, has won silver and gold medals in ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year and the IPPY Awards, respectively, has been featured on Booklist’s Best First Novels for Youth and School Library Journal’s What’s Hot in YA, and has been a PW Pick of the Week. She can usually be found consuming large quantities of coffee and working on her next book. She can also be found at hollyschindler.com.

Reviews

[Giselle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Feral was a very strange read. And I'm usually really good with strange - I love a book that brings something new and so bizarre that you're like WTF! the whole way through - think Charm & Strange or (Don't You) Forget About Me. Feral, though, was not this good kind of strange. It was cringe-worthy and full of absurd weirdness that just left me annoyed.

It starts with a girl - Claire - who gets attacked in a Chicago alley - apparently one of the safe alleys. Due to the anxiety she suffers from since, they decide to start fresh in a new eccentric little town. This is where she starts seeing the spirit of a murdered girl, driving Claire to solve this murder. This sounds all pretty generic supernatural-thriller stuff, but as the story progressed it just got wacky and ridiculous. For instance, the ghost in question could feel pain inflicted on her physical body after her death. Umm ok. See-through brain receptors come with us in the after-life, I guess. But my favorite part: when this ghost possesses a cat! Claire sees her faded, ghostly face behind the cat's and everything - right before she eats a rat! A freaking stray cat who's just always there. This town has like a million cats, who just about get as much airtime in this story as the MC herself. *shudders* Oh and I hope you're not squeamish, because there's detailed accounts of cats eating dead things. Like mice and a human body. Yep.

Anyways… Then we're supposed to feel horror and shock from Claire's "connection" to this dead girl, which was made to be this epic "OMG I'm reliving my tragedy!!" storyline but this was reeeaally stretched. Like:

It was all connected. Claire could feel it. Serena had stayed to work on a story about a boy up to no good and had turned up dead. Claire had written a story about a boy up to his own kind of no good, and had turned up beaten to a pulp in the middle of a Chicago parking lot. The kind of beaten that had very nearly resulted in her own death.

It was too similar. Too, too similar. There were no mere coincidences this strong.

Eeeh wut?

As for the rest. The characters were unmemorable - the secondary characters were especially boring. The writing style was not my favorite at all. It felt like a workout to read it at times with its drawn out sentences, unnecessary details, and continuous use of odd metaphors that made me cringe.

Strangely, with all that irritated me, I was still slightly entertained by it all and curious about where it was going. I really liked the concept in the end; I think it touches on an important topic that should be explored more in YA, but the execution could definitely use some work.

--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads

Mini Review:

Ooh I don’t even know where to begin with this. Being a total wimp, I found myself underneath the covers while reading this. If you want a book with a creep factor, here is one you want to consider.

The opening of this book starts out really well. We are in the perspective a girl who has been murdered and her body is being dragged from the murder scene across an oval. The descriptions are pretty damn detailed and graphic, and had me on high alert from the get go. Who is the girl and why is she dead? Who is her killer? Chapter 1 then switches into Claire’s perspective, a girl who went through a near death experience recently. While she lived she was damaged not only physically but also mentally. When her father gets an opportunity to leave their town, they move to Peculiar, Missouri–but there’s a lot going on in that small town. In fact, Claire finds a dead girl in the woods on her first week upon arrival. Creepy doesn’t even begin to explain it.

Unfortunately, I felt that the weakest point of the book was in the characters. Put it candidly: they were bland. I did like Claire’s back story etc. but that’s as far as my interest in the characters go. Each one more insipid than the next. I cannot even remember any of their names (well, apart from this girl called Becca) because they all merged together for me. Anyway, I absolutely could not stand Becca. She was so self-centred and I was constantly suspicious of her. Though I get this was probably the author’s intention, but Becca made me want to rip my hair out.

The mystery was a nice element of the story. The feral cats made me get shivers down my arms–though I don’t really get what the point was with those cats. I was rather confused in the end in that retrospect. The mystery aspect definitely messes with you and while I was a little disappointed with the ending to that plot line, it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.

I liked the fact that there was no romance and that this book wasn’t just a mystery thriller. There was quite some character development for Claire as she was still rather caught up from her terrible experience.

All in all, Feral was an eerie psychological thriller that despite a few qualms, was enjoyable. The creepy descriptions is definitely worth it as well as the plot line.

~Thank you HarperTeen for the review copy!~

[Nemo (The ☾Moonlight☾ Library) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claire Cain only just survived a brutal gang beating in a car park in Chicago, and when her father gets a job in small town Peculiar, so they pack up and move, hoping to give Claire a fresh start. Arriving at the same time as an ice storm, a local school girl goes missing and Claire later discovers her body in the mysterious woods surrounded by the town’s large feral cat colony. The town dismisses the death as an accident, but Claire’s journalistic integrity won’t let her rest until she really solves the mystery of a girl dying in the woods she was terrified of, uncovering scandals and conspiracies in her wake.

I fell in love with Feral from the very first page. It depicts violence unflinchingly, honestly, and graphically, and I couldn’t help but find it very beautiful. I really admire Schindler’s storytelling ability. I felt very early on that my heart might get broken whilst reading this book and from the very start I trusted Schindler to flay my soul and relished in all the emotions I experienced during Claire’s horrific backstory. I gladly offered my heart to be broken and I wasn’t disappointed.

Initially I felt the first third of the novel was very strong, and then when weird things started happening, I did get a little confused because I thought the book was meant to be a contemporary thriller. Then I thought I’d approach it as more of like a magical realism, like Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma, and I started being able to accept the weird. I really like novels like this, ones really truly based in reality but with something a little strange going on, some kind of supernatural twist without the book changing genres. I think Schindler pulled it all off really well, especially at the climax and denouement when everything was explained and it all made perfect sense.

One thing I will mention is that I never really got a sense of character of the supporting cast until the final few chapters of the book. It’s no spoiler to say that a male character is heavily involved in Serena’s death, as that is revealed in the first few pages: so the question becomes which boy of the supporting cast, and why? And while I tend to follow foreshadowing pretty well, I did suspect the wrong character for most of the novel and I didn’t see the motivation from the true culprit until it was revealed. Maybe I struggled with this because several of the male characters seemed to blend in to one.

Overall I really fell and fell hard for Feral. I’m totally buying a hard copy of this novel because I suspect I’ll want to re-read it whenever I want my heart flayed by a master of storytelling.

Thanks to HarperTeen and Edelweiss for providing a free advanced reader’s copy for an honest review.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

It doesn't take long to sense there's more to Feral than meets the eye. The story opens in Peculiar, Missouri, with dead high-schooler Serena Sims being dragged into the woods by an unidentified assailant trying to hide her body before police arrive. Who would have killed Serena, a standout journalist for the school newspaper? Who would drag her corpse across the dirty ground and dump her in the woods to rot and be feasted on by animals? It's a mystery to be unraveled in the four hundred seventeen pages of Feral, but Serena isn't the only troubled girl on our radar. Claire Cain was a decorated student-journalist at a Chicago high school when her life suddenly detonated. A gang of boys intent on revenge for a story she broke involving illegal drug trafficking followed her into an alley and attacked Claire. They bloodied her body, shattered bones, and were on the verge of worse before police intervened. Claire needed medical attention for months to piece her together again, and suffered major scarring. Her friends at school treated her like a fragile thing until Claire couldn't tolerate any more. She distanced herself from even her best friend Rachelle, preferring isolation to being regarded as damaged goods. For the first semester of Claire's junior year, she and her professor father have moved to Peculiar for a sabbatical, where Claire hopes to get a temporary fresh start in a school where no one has heard of her incident in Chicago. Maybe she can find peace in small-town Missouri.

The Cains arrive in Peculiar at a weird moment. Locals are worried about Serena, a student gone missing days ago. Her friends—Becca, Owen, Chas, and Rich, who lives across the street from Claire's new residence—take Claire into their circle right away and help her adjust. The transition isn't totally smooth, though, and an emotional reaction by Claire one afternoon leads her to Serena's body in the woods, mangled by feral cats hungry for meat. The town is devastated, but the sheriff allays concerns of foul play with his announcement that Serena's death was an accident. Claire, however, isn't so sure he's done his due diligence. She becomes convinced Serena was murdered when a vision appears to her at the funeral, of Serena unwilling to cross over to the next plane. Serena's spirit enters Sweet Pea, a feral cat she took special care of, and Claire fears the possessed cat wants her as its victim. But who would believe this paranormal tale only Claire can bear witness to?

Serena was on the trail of a big story at the time of her death, and the only way to appease her spirit may be to finish the investigation she started. The evidence leads Claire on a winding road around Peculiar, hinting that school faculty and Serena's friends have dark secrets of their own. Sweet Pea stalks Claire, Serena's ghost poised for the right moment to prey on the new girl and take over her body, but Claire refuses to give in. Horrific spectral visions must not stop her from digging up the truth about who killed Serena. But sensitive secrets tend to be guarded fiercely, and Claire is in jeopardy in the material world as she closes in on what happened to Serena. Is Peculiar fated for another grisly murder...and is Claire about to relive the nightmare in Chicago that forever altered her life?

I was skeptical for much of the book that Holly Schindler could pull everything together into a cohesive story, but she does a decent job of it. Plot elements that seem tangential or illogical have valid explanations for the most part, even if getting to the explanations requires patience. Feral contains aspects of magical realism, psychological horror, and realistic fiction, but these eventually harmonize better than they seem to through most of the book. The best part is the ending, a poignant collage of scenes that see the characters embrace their own different versions of closure. It resonates with how closure usually feels in real life: only semi-successful, and mixed with sadness and regret. Accepting that is essential to emotional and psychological healing. I'm not certain I'd rate Feral the full two stars, but there's a fair chance. It's hard to pinpoint what type of reader would love this book, but if Feral can sneak behind your defenses, you might find that it's a new favorite. The story offers a lot to think on.

"We can't torture ourselves about the past. We mourn, and in so doing, we learn about ourselves. We let our grief teach us about who we want to be."

—Pastor Ray, Feral, P. 262

[Maja (The Nocturnal Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

If there’s one thing that can be pointed out in favor of Holly Schindler’s first YA novel, it’s the breathtaking originality of her story. Feral is unlike anything I’ve ever read: bold, gruesome and above all, beautifully written. In that, Schindler can easily be compared to Kendare Blake or Barry Lyga: authors who don’t shy away from gory details, but embrace them as a necessity for their narrative. Schindler’s writing is gorgeously lyrical, perfect for creating a deep, chilling atmosphere. It brings forth images of ice storms and fogs, dead bodies and feral cats, and her skilled sentences are more than enough to send a chilling sensation down our spines.

Schilling took her time in building this story, choosing to focus on the details, and it must be said that her pacing suffered for it. The first half of Feral is very slow, which is fine to a point, but then it becomes a bit tedious and confusing. Then, when things finally start picking up, she tries to do too much at once, which causes further damage to the main storyline. Instead of focusing on one thing – the murder of Serena Sims – Schindler tried to squeeze in two additional subplots, and completely ruined the flow of her narrative.

The (feral) cats play a pretty big part in this book, but I can’t say I understand their role. I liked it when they first started showing up because I had no idea where Schindler was going with them and I expected it to be something brilliant. And yet, now that I’ve finished the story, I’m still not sure what she was trying to achieve, and I think the story could have functioned much better without them.

I do however applaud Schindler for managing to avoid romance completely. Her main character, Claire, is too damaged from the brutal attack she suffered to even think about trusting someone enough to start a relationship, and I’m glad she wasn’t magically cured by some pretty boy with soulful eyes. But romance aside, the non-romantic relationships she managed to build needed more work, as did her characterization, especially when it comes to her secondary characters.

Overall, Feral is worthy of attention mostly because it brings something new to the YA genre, but Schindler’s work needs more focus, more careful characterization and a better sense of pace. There is great potential in her writing, and if she spends some time working on those few weak points, we can expect marvelous things from her in the future.

[AH]

This is a DNF (did not finish review).

I tried. This book just did not hold my interest. First of all, if your character is dead, how can they possibly feel pain? Second, what's with all the cats? (Nice tie in to the title....) Third, I don't think I can take a book with high school angst right now.

Some readers may enjoy this book. Sadly, it wasn't for me.

Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperTeen for a review copy of this book.

[Rayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Feral is a bizarre, disconcerting and unflinching novel that, while perhaps a bit longer than it had any need to be, managed to keep me intrigued from beginning to end with its eerie and original plot, amazing atmosphere, and intense psychological undertones.

After starting strong with back to back chapters full of gruesome descriptions and unflinching brutality, Feral took a while to get back into the rhythm with which it kicked off. Truth be told, there were several times in the story when the novel crossed the line into boring and uneventful territory. As much as I'd like to say that the atmosphere made it worth it, the fact still stands that sometimes that wasn't enough, not even for me. This book is about a 100 pages too long and there's a long, trying part of continuous exposition that seemed like it would never end. At that point, I felt completely disconnected from the novel and I had begun to think that there was very little the novel could do to turn me around. I can't remember the exact point in the story where it happened, but somehow, the novel managed to turn me around and I felt like my unwillingness to give up on my curiosity paid off. I can see how many readers would be turned off with the book because of that stretch of pages where the story seems to go nowhere, but personally, the strength of the atmosphere and the quick psychological unraveling that followed made it worth it.

What's interesting about Feral is that, even though the core of the novel is the mystery of what happened to Serena, it never felt to me like that was the actual focus of the novel. It's not only the amount of different ongoing plot lines, it was more about how that mystery triggered some really intense psychological issues and made the book into the paranoid, strange and eerie novel it was. In fact, the mystery itself is not hard to predict. While the novel does turn into a confusing blur of reality and fantasy, the murderer is pretty much pointed out to the reader since the beginning. I was a bit surprised by how the murder happened, but definitely not by the who or the why.

The characterization in this novel is rather strange. I don't feel like the characters were entirely flat, but their characterization is definitely minimal and they remain slightly underdeveloped as the story goes. What's interesting is that, while the characters themselves weren't what you would call profound, the relationships established between them before Claire even arrived at Peculiar always gave me the feeling that they were complex and full of history, even though the author never actually spends a much time developing them or focusing on them. All of them added dimension to the characters and made them intriguing, allowing them to step out from their stereotypes in a way that made them seem original and different, even if they were not fully fleshed out by themselves.

The writing in the novel is great, particularly in the descriptions of gory or eerie scenes, which the author wrote with such care and attention to detail, it was very easy to immerse oneself entirely in them, but there were some odd lines and strange word choices along the way. Where this novel truly excels is in the atmosphere it managed to create for this town. This novel is being shelved as horror, but I wouldn't really identify it as such. It has a couple of gruesome and disturbing scenes, one or two that could pass as a horror, but the book is more eerie and creepy than outright horror, and all that's due to the fantastic atmosphere that the author infused this town with. There's been a lot of talk about the feral cats in this book, and their presence did, in fact, add a lot to the tension and atmosphere in the novel, but once the climax came along, their role in the story, especially in the way Claire saw them, felt a bit silly to me.

There's no romance in the novel, for which I'm grateful because I don't think the book needed it in the slightest. The resolution of the novel is a bit strange and I'm not entirely sold on it, but it was definitely interesting and took the novel in a turn that, while not entirely unexpected, it didn't fail to be engaging and thought-provoking.

Feral was a nice surprise for me. It took some time getting used to, but it sank its claws on me and ended up being a very riveting experience. Bizarre and eerie but mesmerizing, Feral is an original, atmospheric and fascinating psychological thriller I was very glad I decided to pick up.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
17-year-old Claire was the victim of a horrible attack that left her scared both physically and mentally. When she moves to the small town of Peculiar, she somehow finds herself involved in uncovering an attack on another girl that resulted in her death.
Who killed Serena? And will Claire find out before something happens to her?


This was an okay story, but it did seem to drag a bit.

Claire was an okay character. The attack that happened to her at the beginning of the book was horrific, so it was really brave of her to carry on with her life the way she did after everything she had been through. I did wonder at times though how much of the weird stuff that was going on was really paranormal in nature, and how much was due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder following the attack.

The storyline in this was pretty good, but I found the pace to be a bit too slow. At the 35% mark I felt like I had been reading for ages, and very little had happened. I wanted things to develop quicker, I wanted to get answers quicker, I want more spooky stuff, and more excitement, but the slow pace made this drag for me, which was disappointing. There were some gruesome scenes, that I would expect to find in a horror story, but there weren’t a lot of them, so this was quite light on the horror (thankfully).
There wasn’t really any romance in here, other than as a detail of the mystery rather than an actual romance.
The ending to this was okay, and I was glad to find out what had really happened to Serena, I just wish it hadn’t taken quite so long to get there though.
Overall; okay story, but it dragged,
6.5 out of 10.

[Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I love when a book turns out to be darker and more twisted than I could have imagined.

I love when I get so wrapped up in the story that I too want to look behind my shoulder and make sure no one is following me, or that my neighbors aren't peering at me from closed blinds, that there are no ferals running rampant behind me, lurking around the corners and lying in wait for just the right moment to pounce.

The imagery in this is so beautifully done. So vivid and horrifying, so cringe worthy that I don't know whether to be in awe of the author's talent or slightly disgusted by it.

We are thrust right into a dark and horrifying scene only to be thrown right into another one, similar in circumstance but with very different outcomes. Two girls destined to have their lives intertwined by a violence that was as disturbing to read about, as it was gut wrenching to imagine and even though at times I felt sick to my stomach with the vivid details, I also found myself completely fascinated by it as well.

This book was such a crazy ride. It had so many ups and downs to it. So many “huh?” moments that you never quite got a grasp on what was reality and what may have been the ramblings and imaginations of a very disturbed and very broken young girl.

But either way, I was there, right with it holding on tight right up to that very strange, very curious ending. In fact, I would even say I was really into this until that ending. The ending was just too weird. Too many twists and things happened that just had me questioning everything and not questioning in a kept me guessing way but a questioning in a what the heck just happened kind of way.

It wrapped up a little too neatly with explanations for everything without really explaining anything. Ghosts, possessions, demons, imaginations, hallucinations? PTSD? What?

I still don't know how I feel about this one. Was the writing good? Yes it was.

Was I pulled into the twisted slightly macabre storyline? Why yes, yes I was.

Was it all just a little too weird and a little too descriptive but still irresistible? Again, yes.

But was I happy with it all?

Honestly, still not sure. So for now, I am going to give this one a very neutral but still very well earned three stars. Why three and not four? Because that ending threw me and I think I still need to process everything that happened and how it all ended. Bit the writing, the writing I can't deny. The author has talent and that talent needs to be acknowledged and recognized.

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 Lonely Cloud.

Feral is a story about two girls told in third person. This, right here, is my first problem with this book. Lately, a lot of mystery/ thrillers are using third person which is great if you have a bunch of characters but Feral only has two. Two! More accurately, one and a half so there's no point for it. If the first thing about the novel pissed me off, can you imagine how many other things did also?

A lot, that's how many.

Not a lot happens in Feral, which makes it a half-assed novel in my books. Seriously, from 10/15% all the way to like, 85% it's all just boring high school crap. Moreover, the killer is beyond obvious. It's so obvious that my cat could have figured it out ! The second they come into the story, the author doesn't even try to hide who it is, instead, she leaves such obvious hints about it to make sure that everyone knows who it is. IN COMING SPOILER!





In addition to this unrealistic bullshit, Serena gets turned in a cat, (I'm assuming for the first time in her life) yet she gracefully knows how to walk and hiss and be a legit cat without ever stumbling, falling, freaking out, or anything at all that would even remotely suggest that she has no idea what she's doing as a cat. Ridiculous.

End of spoiler!

The characters are really forgettable and annoying. They barely do anything at all but complain. The whole town is boring. Nothing happens and then there are all of these random ass cats that doesn't even add the creepy feeling that Schindler is trying so fucking hard to achieve.

Somehow, however, I had managed to find a couple of nice/mediocre things this book has like Serena's perspective as a dead person is pretty cool at first. I also liked Claire's past and how big or a role it plays in the story.

Holly Schindler could have made Feral into a much better book if only she made it more realistic and all around more creative and suspenseful. I don't recommend this one to anyone because of how completely pointless it is.

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read this book last year and enjoyed myself quite a lot. It started of extremely creepy - with scenes so brutal, repulsive and downright disturbing, I was sure this was going to be one of the creepiest, most horrific books I have ever read. But then, it kind of slowed down towards the end and got more confusing with every chapter. The creepy atmosphere thinned down and eventually disappeared all together, and all that remained was a pretty generic murder mystery. Not a bad murder mystery by any standards, but not quite a great one either.

What we have here is a strange combination of a murder mystery with vague supernatural elements. Being big on horror and supernatural stuff (especially ghosts), I expected to love this book. I didn't. I liked it quite a lot and still thought it was well written, captivating and very uniquely put together, but because of the wordy prose and the far fetched plot line, I can't say that I loved this book.

The book is written in a pretty captivating prose. The narration is at times a bit too wordy and unnecessarily metaphorical, but overall the author does a decent job of moving things along at a nice pace and keeping the reader engaged. At the beginning, the atmosphere is creepy and haunting, there are many scenes that are downright disturbing and nauseating (scenes like cats feeding on the dead girl's body and - get that - the girl being able to feel all of it), but after a few chapters and some flinch-worthy shockers, the level of creepy and disturbing decreases noticeably.

Overall, this book is very different from anything I've read so far. I think strange would be a good word to describe it. The idea of seeing, hearing and feeling everything even after you're long, long dead, is a very disquieting one. I didn't think it added much to the plot line itself, but it was an interesting new concept for sure.

I guess I can say that I enjoyed Feral, though I hoped for a more jaw dropping ending. Nevertheless, this was a solid supernatural thriller and murder mystery.

[Valerie Sparkle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of those books that was really good at the beginning but I didn't like how things turned out in the end.

[pampampampampam]

This started out very strongly, and then devolved into a hot mess of "Whaaaat?" very quickly. This saddened me. I was reading this on my Kindle, and one of the very great disadvantages of ebooks is that you can't properly skim a book to the end. You have to navigate to the very end and then work your way backwards. Humph.

The book opens with a murder. Serena, a budding journalist and high school student from Peculiar, Missouri, has been killed. Only she's not quite gone yet. She still feels, but her heart's not beating. She's aware of her body, but can't move it. She's trapped as her killer drags her through the woods and leaves her under a fallen tree during an ice storm. This passage was so gripping and visceral that I was really excited for the prose in the rest of the book.

And then I met Claire. Claire Cain is the "high school winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award--already, for an article she wrote her freshman year. She was destined for great things, every one of her teachers swore, and now, in her sophomore year, the journalism instructor eagerly approved when Claire wanted to write a piece on the incident with Rachelle ... Awe trailed behind her in the hallways, because stopping gossip was a power all her classmates wished they had."

This isn't an impersonal narrator telling us this, by the way. It's Claire.

We're treated to an exceptionally long flashback/dream wherein Claire's actions make me question her supposed genius. It's late. It's dark. She's at the University of Chicago Library and when her friend doesn't come to walk her home, she decides to walk herself. Then, when she realizes she's being followed, she goes down an alley because "in Chicago, alleys are as common as trees, after all; they've never been the sinister shadow to her that they might have been had she grown up in another city."

I'm sorry. What? NO ALLEYS EVER. NO. This is a #NO. I live close to Chicago. I go down there relatively often. I never think to myself, "Hey, an alley! That's totally safe because it's a Chicago alley!" Does this author know how many people get shot in Chicago every night???

Actually, I'm thinking the author isn't super familiar with Chicago. As Claire tries to escape from her pursuers (IN THE ALLEY), there's an ice storm. I live about 60 miles north of Chicago. We sometimes get freezing rain, but not the kind of ice storms that happen in the south. We get blizzards and the dreaded Lake Effect Snow. This is Chicago's reaction to the ice storm: "It seems as though the entirety of Chicago has rushed inside, all of them shaking their heads in disbelief. 'An ice storm in April,' they're all saying, as they thunk saucepans onto stoves, boiling milk for hot cocoa. 'Who'd have ever thought?' "

It's really not uncommon for it to snow in April 'round these parts. We don't react in disbelief, just crankiness and anger. Also, this author seems to think that no one in the Chicagoland area owns a microwave. I don't think I've ever boiled milk on the stove for hot cocoa. Not even when I didn't own a microwave.

Anyway, during the ice storm, she's attacked and brutally beaten by a group of boys because of her muckraking journalist ways. After this, she feels that her best friend, Rachelle, has changed and is afraid she (Claire) will break. So, Claire doesn't mind that her supergenius Dad (like dad, like daughter) accepts a 6 month teaching assignment in Peculiar, Missouri.

Outside of town, they stop at a gas station, where Claire sees two teens pull up in a car, arguing. The girl is Becca, best friend of Serena (the girl who was killed, but no one knows that yet). Her friend is "a beautiful stranger, with the chiseled face of a TV star and blond hair gelled perfectly from a side part over the top of his head. He wore jeans so dark and crisp they seemed almost dressy, along with a dark turtleneck underneath a black wool coat--nothing at all like the puffy ski coats or the jackets emblazoned with team logos the boys wore back in Chicago." Ugh. So, of course he's gorgeous. This whole thing made me gag. Plus, it's not like no one has style in Chicago. There are snazzy dudes down there.

Inside, Becca and the boy, Owen, start arguing with Serena's ex-boyfriend Chas and his new ladylove, Ruthie. Ruthie has "voluptuous curves" and shyly "hugged her chest, forcing her cleavage to bulge out of the top of her tight sweater." Well, heaven forbid girls have curves. And you know those curvy girls are boyfriend stealers! I cannot believe I am reading this.

Then the dead girl starts sort of talking to Claire through feral cats and I gave up because this was so flat. As far as I could tell by skimming the story, everything is explained away by PTSD. Hooray.

Maybe things got better as the story progressed. I was hampered by the main character's self-absorption.

I received an ARC of this title from Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[~Tina~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Our story starts in Chicago, in an alley, where Claire Cain was viciously attacked by a gang of drug dealers. Months later, Claire's father wanted to get her away from the haunting memories and accepted his sabbatical semester in Peculiar, Missouri. Hopeful of a fresh start with no reminders of what she endured in Chicago, Claire found Peculiar living up to it's name when strange things started to happen with Claire somehow in the middle between a missing girl an urban legend and hungry feral cats. What happened to Claire and the missing girl, Serena, connected them, but with the staggering similarities they also shared prompted Claire to make it her mission and solve the mystery surrounding Serena's death. They all say it was an accident, but Claire knows it was murder.

First off, I have to give huge props for this creepy as hell concept. I don't think I've read anything like this, definitely a new spin on supernatural books. Schindler writing is very bold and unflinching, the way she sets the tone of the book and how she describes some of the more brutal scenes were all vividly graphic and left very little to the imagination. She draws the reader through the eyes of two victims who are, in their own way, trying to survive and while it wasn't always clear why they were connected, the intrigue, mystery and suspense made this an incredibly consuming read. However, while the writing was indeed strong, it tended to get a bit repetitive at times and there were some pockets in the pacing that felt a little dragged out.

I was really impressed with Claire. I respect her strength and bravery to move forward after such a vicious attack and my heart really went out to her for everything that she's been put through both in Chicago and Peculiar. She's a fighter, a survivor and only knows one ways to face her darkness, which is head-on. But she also has a very deep morbid side throughout the book, I can understand the why's but at times it felt a little overwhelming and depressing.
I'm not sure what I can say about the other characters in this book, I liked Rich and I loved Claire's dad, but other then that, I can't say that I really liked anyone else. The way they were first introduced felt awkward and rushed since Claire barely knew any of her classmates but they didn't seem very shy to share personal information and problems with each other and about Serena. They're a very dramatic group that were hard to connect with and weren't very likeable.
Then we have Serena, which despite being dead, I feel I understood fairly well through memories and her own horrific experience. She was a good girl, but death has warped her into something vicious and wrong. I do love the way Schindler portrayed her and I have to say, she has a pretty dame wicked version of what death is like. It was probably the most freakiest part of the entire story.
I liked the ending and even though I guessed who the murderer was early on, the why's still surprised me. I was also left a bit confused between the supernatural events that took place and Claire's PTSD. The explanation was fuzzy and I was never quite sure what was real and what was a hallucination. Also, sadly there was zero romance in this one, which was disappointing since Claire could have used the distraction from all the trauma in her life and it would have been nice to see her happy for a change.

All in all,Feral turned out to be one helluva read. It's a dark, disturbing and a different supernatural thriller mystery that may have had some flawed moments, but overall still an entertaining and edgy escape perfect for fans who like there stories gory and gruesome. A chilling read!

[Eridiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm so happy to be finally done with this book. It was so ridiculous that I had to make myself finish it. I wanted a creepy mystery. And what did I get instead? Some weird story with a stupid and frustrating protagonist.

This Claire was really trying to make stupid decisions to piss me off. Why did she run away from her new friends (whom I always got confused with, who dated who?) who clearly just wanted to help her and get her home? I could clearly see that the author wanted her in the forest to find the body, but that action was not believable. Then she didn't go to the doctor about her scratches made by a wild cat! I was so mad at her that I just wished her leg would fall off to teach her a lesson. And then she intentionally got separated from Rich. In the forest. In the dark. I got tired of shaking my head, rolling my eyes and facepalming because of this stupid girl.

All those "visions" weren't creepy, they just bored the hell out of me. I got so tired of them. Oh, and there were so many of them. Too many.

And one more thing. I love cats, I've had them my whole life. But this book made me hate them. They were portrayed as some ugly hissing monsters hungry for your soul. Now I need to watch millions of cute cat videos and throw this fucking book out of my head forever.

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, I loved this book, such a great and creepy mystery, lots of twists and turns, so enjoyable! Really loved this book!

[Roxanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little strange and I wanted more connection with some of the characters. Unique mystery.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pleasant surprise. I wasn't sure what to expect. And even once I was into the book, I wasn't sure where it was going, but it was a good read. I did figure it out, but I still truly enjoyed the story. And the writing had some beautiful moments that I took a moment to appreciate each time I came across one. And I really like that. Definitely worth a read.

[Red · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feral is a slow read, it shouldn't be a slow read, with barely over four-hundred pages you'd expect a brisk read or a speedy read, some late-night quickie, but this does not deliver such.

There is a great deal of repetition I never expected to notice, but with how some lines promote deja vu, I found myself rereading parts. Phrases you could turn a drinking game into may well include: fat tail, dragging something, entrails, and fog. The cats eat mice and for some reason it's hyper focused on. Towards the end, it really gets darker, a weird detailing of a wound, a description of a gutted rat dragged across a bed, and opened food sounding a touch too gross. These moments really stand out because the rest of the book is not on par with this Stephen King-esque manner of description and instead mostly describe a dress as gossamer or a houses' interior. Just to veer into a description of guts around the end.

The cats are not evil, I saw some people here and elsewhere say the cats are written as bad or evil, but in fact, they're written as cats. Feral cats. There is a great danger in feral cat populations, and this book does address that well.

Serena after death is a massive ass, like straight out malicious, and in many ways it ruins any pity for her character. She dies and her soul lingers, but her actions towards the MC are truly malicious, cruel, and she makes numerous murder attempts. The end of the book tries to wave these crimes away, say they never really happened, but then turns around and shows Serena still messing with people, proving it's not the MC's mental illness.

If the writer meant for a fake out or double fake out, they handled it messily, the ending reads like it's all supposed to be Claire's mental illness/disorder that's why everything was seen and perceived a certain way, but within the ending we have the opposite said, Serena IS lingering, and she IS manipulating things and making things happen. Thus Serena gets no redemption, even in death, Claire's therapy is extended because there's actually spirits but she simply "accepts" she made it all up because, you know, mentally unwell.

This book isn't awful, first third or fourth is fun, pulls you in, but the rest is a slog, you either binge read it or you get burned out. It took me longer than I wanted to finish this book off. A real shame. I would recommend, but it's not a good book to reread until years have passed between the first reading.

[미셸 (Undeniably Book Nerdy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark and weird but it kept my interest. Full review to come.

Full Review (originally posted on Michelle & Leslie's Book Picks book blog):
I read Feral in two days and after reading late into the night, I even dreamed about it--nothing scary, just from the point I stopped reading my subconscious kinda filled in the next scene. I've read three books by Holly Schindler so far, including Feral, and I gotta say this one is really different from her previous novels--Playing Hurt was an emotional summer romance about two injured athletes (my review) and The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky was about a very special little girl and folk art that made me smile all the way through (my review), but Feral was weird and dark.

The novel opened up with two very violent scenes. In the first scene, set in Peculiar, Missouri, the murder was dragging the body of Serena Sims through the woods to hide it, but somehow the spirit of the dead girl could still feel everything--the pain of being dragged on the ground, the agony when thick branches of tree fell on her, the feral cats feasting on her body... **shudders** And then, we were taken to Chicago and a different girl, Claire Cain, who was brutally assaulted by a group of young men. Those two scenes were very graphic and hard to read and they went on way too long, in my opinion.

Then, things calmed down. Claire Cain's father was on sabbatical to study a cave in Peculiar and Claire was relieved to not have to go back to her school and face all the stares and pitying looks of her classmates. She tried to put a brave face for her father and physically she might have been okay (you know, except for the all the horrendous scars beneath her clothes), but you know she's not fully recovered mentally. She's having horrible nightmares and strange noises and people sent her into a panic. When she stumbled on the body of Serena Sims, things became worse. She became obsessed with finding out exactly what happened to Serena and Claire started having freaky hallucinations about Serena, the town's feral cats and a strange fog.

Feral is part psychological thriller (were Claire hallucinations real--was she really being haunted by Serena's ghost?), part mystery (who killed Serena Sims?) as well as part paranormal (we see through Serena's spirit's eyes a few times throughout the novel). I was able to figure out the mystery of who Serena's killer was very early on and the secret the killer was trying to hide, as well as whether the hallucinations were real or not. Really, once you start reading, it's not hard to put the pieces together.

But I wanted to know Claire's fate by the end of the novel--will she eventually join Serena's spirit? Yet, I never fully connected with Claire or any of the characters in Feral, despite being invested in wanting to know what will happen to her. It was hard to connect with Claire. In the small glimpse we had of her before she was assaulted, she seemed very full of herself. I was horrified with what she went through, but even after I never really warmed up to her.

My favorite thing about the novel was the setting. The ice storm, the creaking trees, the cold, wet ground, the grotesque feral cats, the fog... all of these make the novel very atmospheric and I was able to picture Peculiar in my mind so clearly.

My thoughts about Feral is all over the place. It's one of those books where I didn't love it but I didn't hate it. I liked it and I read it fairly quickly but I had issues with it. Some parts of the novel dragged and other parts I was riveted. I gotta say, though, it was a fascinating look at a victim in the aftermath of a horrible crime. If you like psychological thrillers, I do think Feral is worth picking up. It was dark, it was freaky at times, especially the scenes with the cats (I'm a cat person but in this book they were EEEWWWW!!) and it did take some strange turns.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

How far would you go to escape the horrors of your past? To regain the life you had before? Well, for junior journalist Claire Cain, moving states away wasn't far enough. Danger and mystery follow her from Chicago to Peculiar, Missouri where she stumbles upon the corpse of a missing high school student in the woods behind the town's school, and it's up to Clair to figure out the truth behind the girl's death.

Wow guys. Wow. This is probably the fastest I've ever finished a book of this size (apart from the Harry Potter series) I literally could not put it down. The synopsis did not lie when it said "The Lovely Bones meets Black Swan". I could see influences of both stories and how they came together beautifully to create this psychological thriller.

It's been a while since I've yelled at the pages like one would yell at a movie screen; asking who did it, voicing my opinions, pleading to be right or wrong, shouting out in fear or surprise. I must admit I let out a string of "oh god oh god oh god"s and a generous amount of colorful swears more than a few times during my read.

Feral is not just the name of this book, it's a theme that resonates throughout the story. Feral are the cats that overpopulate the small town of Peculiar. Feral are the nightmares that haunt Claire. Feral are the scars left behind by her attack, and the attackers themselves.

I absolutely loved all the characters in this book, even the ones I thought I shouldn't. They were all written fantastically, and their personalities were really set apart. No one really blended into the other, and it made it very easy to distinguish who was who.

Another thing I loved was that there was no love interest with the main character, Clair, as I feared there would be when she first meets Rich Ray in Peculiar, Missouri. Nothing more than friendship blossoms between them, and that is SO refreshing to see. There was nothing to distract from the main plot of the book, and that, I think, was what helped me fly through it so fast. There was no side distractions, every turn of the page brought me closer to knowing the truth.

One of the greatest things about this read was that I was never sure about who the killer was until the very end. I jumped from character to character and back to a previous character- I probably suspected everyone at one point or another, and the reveal still surprised me.

The only tiniest issues I had were two things. Claire's over use of "ground beef" to describe her body after her beating in Chicago- the scene haunts her so she goes back to it frequently, and for me, there was just too much ground beef, but not enough to hinder my enjoyment of the story. And sometimes sentences seemed either lazy or incomplete to me. An example being something like " "I don't know." he grunted, turning the keys in the ignition." " To me it just seemed like there should be more to the end of the sentence. But again, in no way did it hinder the flow of the story or my enjoyment.

All in all, this was a brilliant read, and I so enjoyed how enthralled I got reading it. It's rare for me to be completely submerged in a book from page one. And I hope you all find the same enthrallment as I did. I definitely recommend this book to fans of The Lovely Bones, Black Swan, Stephen King, and M. Night Shyamalan to name a few.

Thanks so much to the author, Holly Schindler, for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved it, as you can tell.

[BookLoversLife · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claire has her whole life ahead of her. She is a budding journalist and loves writing the truth. When a new kid arrives in school Claire and her BFF, Rachelle, try to be nice to him, only for him to sneer at them. When some drugs are found in Rachelles locker, Claire knows that the new kid put them there. She shows everyone the truth and the new kid is expelled. A while later Claire is on her way home from the library when she is attacked by a gang of boys. the new kid included. She suffers an horrific attack and is left for dead.

When Claires dad is offered a six month job in Peculiar he decides to take it. Both he and Claire figure it will be a new start and take Claire away from the reminders of what happens. But in Peculiar, a girl is murdered. A girl who used to live in the house Claire is renting out. When Claire starts seeing freaky things she knows that its up to her to solve Serenas death quickly before time runs out.

My initial thoughts on finishing Feral was to shiver because wow those cats were freaky!! Then it was to be in awe of the authors mind. This book was just mind boggling!!

Poor Claire!! I felt so bad for her but I also admired her spirit. After the beating she suffered in Chicago she just wants a normal life. She wants her best friend back and not to be treating her like she is breakable. When her dad is offered the sabbatical she thinks it is a great idea and hopes that life in a small town will help her heal. When she gets there the first thing she sees are the towns Feral cats. they seem to be everywhere. Then at the gas station she hears about the missing girl and is concerned about her but since she didn't know her she isn't to upset. Not long after that though she stumbles upon the missing girls body in the woods, which by the way is being eaten by the cats, and from then on her life spirals out of control.

Rich was the best character. Claire describes him as a man mountain. I loved how kind, understanding and just how much of a nice guy he was. He lives across from where Claire is renting and used to be best friends with Serena when they were young. I loved his friendship with Claire and how supportive he was.

Becca on the other hand annoyed me at times. She was best friends with Serena and the whole way through the book she is riddled with guilt about how she treated Serena and tries to cling to Claire. Becca seemed so needy and whining and I found it hard to really like her. I know she was hurting but yet we never really see a big change in her.

No onto the cats. I think if I ever saw that many cats in one place from now on Id freak. They were so scary and I think I'm going to have nightmares after reading certain parts. *Shudder*

Overall Feral was such a surprise. I adored the authors style. She drew you in and made you think a certain thing was going to happen and then bam she turned it right around. I thought I knew who the murderer was but I was wrong, although the actual murdered was my number 2 suspect! Holly Schindler has created a hauntingly creepy book. It was thrilling, spine tingling and as I said earlier mind boggling! With its ghosts, chilling subject matter and down right fereeeeky cats, Feral is a must read. While this is my first book by this author, it definitely isn't going to be my last.

[Stormi (StormReads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually gave it a 2.5 rating on my blog. I was given this book by Edelweiss and publisher for a fair and honest review.

First Thoughts: This book went in a direction I totally wasn't expecting.

One of the definitions of Feral is existing in a wild or untamed state. This is the definition I would use to describe the main character of this novel. Feral from the blurb on the back made me think that this book was going to go one way, and at time I was slightly confused but not in a bad way. I just had a different plot in mind and then I started leaning toward the way the author goes and then it was just ah, okay I just didn't think it was going to be a book about that.

This is really a hard book to review without giving away things but I will try.

Claire Cain is a newspaper woman and she loves working on her schools paper. She is always out to get the truth and when a friend of hers is accused of something bad, she sets out to prove it wasn’t her. This was at her old school and something traumatic happened to make her father decide to take a sabbatical and move to Peculiar.

When they arrive in Peculiar there in the middle of an ice storm and they stop at a convenience store called Bout Out. It is here that we first learn of a missing girl. It’s also the first time we get a glimpse of a group of Feral cats. Because of the traumatic thing that happened in her in Chicago she is very on edge about everything. Then one day a few of the kids are trying to get her to rid home with them and she gets spooked and runs off and into the woods where she discovers the missing girl.

After finding the missing girl it is when some really weird things start happening to the main character and it seems like every time something happens those scary cats are always around.

Now I know all this sounds pretty cool and it really is one of those that you would have to read to really understand why at the end I just sort of went..really.

What I liked about this story was how well the writer did with the details of the story. She paints a really graphic picture in your head without actually being that graphic. So those people who are more squeamish with graphic details wouldn’t have a problem reading the what could be really gross parts (if it was a Stephen King novel).

What I didn’t like about this story was the main character and how she treated her friend back home. Now I understand that she was having a hard time coping with what happened to her in Chicago and with this new thing that has happened in Peculiar, but it was just rude. Her friend was really worried about her and she just kept pushing the ignore button and it really made me not like the MC. It really wasn’t as suspenseful as I was hoping from the blurb and the cover pic.

I really enjoyed this book at the beginning when we start off with a murder and then the incident in Chicago and then she finds the body. Then it sort of falls flat and slow then I got sort of interested in the ending and even in the end it was like really…

So overall, I think it was a unique story but just needed a little something more. I liked it but I didn’t like..I am really on the edge about this one so I think you just have to read it and form your own opinion.

[Erin Arkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feral by Holly Schindler was an interesting read. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure where this one was going to go but the first few chapters really grabbed my attention and from there I wasn’t sure what to expect.

The book starts out from the point of view of Serena who happens to be dead. We don’t really find anything out other than the fact that her killer is dragging her out to the woods behind the school. One of the things I liked about this story was that perspective – especially this chapter.

Flowing into chapter two, we find out more about Claire Cain who is the main character. After she has survived an attack, Claire’s father is offered a sabbatical in Peculiar, Missouri and Claire jumps at the chance to get out of Chicago and away from her friend who she feels is treating her differently since the attack. Immediately when they get to Peculiar, Claire realizes something isn’t right and she is pulled into the mystery of what happened to Serena.

Claire was an interesting character. I thought Schindler did a great job showing the reader the impact the attack had on her and how it changed her and her relationships with those around her. She put up a good front but there were times that I just wanted her to tell her dad she needed help or she was still afraid. I have a feeling he knew something was up but he never pushed her and that was another frustration.

As Claire digs into the mystery of what happened to Serena, we learn more about her as well as the other people in town. As things progress, Claire begins to focus on the feral cats in town and I have to say, this is the part that seemed a bit odd to me. Perhaps I didn’t “get it” but it seemed to drag the story out and I’m not really sure what Schindler was trying to do. I’m pretty sure the cat plot line could be lifted out and the story would still be solid. Admittedly, I was able to push through these sections and get to the heart of the story which I actually enjoyed.

Additionally, since Claire wasn’t willing to talk to her father, I wanted her to be able to lean on Rich. There were a number of times where her inner dialogue was prompting her to just open up to him and tell him what was going on and I really wanted her to do it. I understand that she has some trust issues and a lot of fear yet about what happened but she definitely needed someone to rely on and I got the sense that he wanted to help her out. He seemed like a solid character from the brief glimpses we got into who he is and his background.

There were a few twists and turns in this story and although I figured out who did it about half way through, it wasn’t clear what really happened and why until the very end. If you are looking for a mystery that includes some pretty creepy writing and points of view (these were some of my favorite parts of this book) you should check this one out when you can.

Thank you to Harper Teen and Edelweiss for the review copy.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Feral by Holly Schindler was such a freaky read! It hand my mind reeling from the very first page, I had absolutely no idea what was going on and I loved every moment of it.

Claire and her father have moved to small town Peculiar, strange things begin to happen and Claire is convinced the ghost of Serena Sims is haunting her so she makes it her mission to solve the mystery of her death which was brutally detailed in the first chapter. It was gruesome, thrilling, and suspenseful and to be honest I was baffled by what was going on; it was an edge of your seat angst-filled book that had me glued to the pages.

The characters were written well but not all of them were likeable, Claire was a broken character after a brutal attack left her for dead; with unresolved, big issues you could certainly understand her fears and reactions. Her father was an amazing support as was Rich who became a great friend. Becca’s actions were questionable and forced, she was guilt-ridden and I spent the book wondering if there was more to it, her interactions with the other characters gave me the feeling she was hiding something.

The murder/mystery aspect was done well, everyone to me was s suspect but there was a certain someone who did stand out and in the end I was right in accusing them. I won’t reveal too much to avoid spoilers but everything came together nicely, there were surprising twists and turns along the way that kept things interesting.

Holly Schindlers writing drew me in from the first page with her chilling, descriptive storytelling, the psychological aspect was done well as was the characterisations; even her imagery of the feral overpopulation of the cats was freaky! There were small parts of the story that did become quite sluggish but needing to know what was going on kept me powering through it.

What surprised me was the uncertain feeling this book has – there were no conclusive answers initially which left me confused but also intrigued by what was actually happening, the mental and emotional aspects were compelling, I was absorbed by the mystery and left saddened by the believability of the subject matter; it’s a story which makes you think and the overall message is heartbreaking.

Overall, Feral is a great psychological thriller with an intriguing mystery; it’s a book which is dark and gritty and held my attention throughout wanting to know more about Claire and what was going on with her, with feral cats, a freaky ghost, wonderful writing and an interesting cast of characters – Feral was a book that had me mesmerised and the outcome certainly surprised me.

[Jenea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feral is one strange book for sure, but in a good way. It ended up being a little different than I expected but I thought it was pretty good. It follows a young girl named Claire, who was brutally and violently attacked and now it trying to pick up the pieces. Her father takes her to a small town to basically have a sabbatical, only it doesn’t turn out that way. She finds herself in a situation that no girl would want. She finds the body of a girl that has been missing, only it is surrounded cats that won’t let anyone near the body of Serena. Sounds creepy right!?

Claire is a strong girl, she has been through an awful attack but her strength to move past it was admirable. And she still deal with the trauma of it but pushes through it. Claire is a fighter. Claire’s father was wonderful, so supportive and caring when it came to his daughter. Even through what took place in the their new home, he never let her go through any of it by herself. The rest of the cast each had their own little weirdness to add and they played their parts well too.

The plot starts off strong and was engrossing, and we are thrown into a violent and terrifying scene only to be taken right into another. Once we make past that, it slows down though, and with the towns name being Peculiar I guess I should have been more prepared for some craziness and creepiness too. With the slower pace we get to see what Serena is seeing and Claire as well and her flashbacks to events that happened. Now the whole thing with the feral cats was especially eerie. The mystery behind Serena’s murder was laid out a little at a time to piece together and I really didn’t figure the “who did it” until the end right along with Claire. I guess I was to engrossed with the creepy cats to be paying attention the clues. The ending does wrap everything up and I was pretty happy with it.

Feral is one disturbing and completely fascinating read and fans of psychological thriller with a good mystery too will enjoy this one.




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[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am very confused about this book. Not by it — I understand the story just fine — but about this book. How I feel about it. What I think about it. Do I like it? Don’t I? What do I think about it? Why?

Usually those are somewhat easy questions for me to answer. But, I’m not sure this time — and, no, it’s not “writer’s block” or anything like that. I started out liking it, and quickly found myself thinking it was pretty darn good. I was eager to get into it, really get submersed in the story. And then Claire went bat-shit crazy. And, somehow, her classmates — Rich and Becca especially — don’t get weird about it. Somehow they keep trying to be her friends. I don’t know about you, but high school wasn’t like that for me. If I’d done and said some of what she did, I’d have been a social pariah!

The book is creepy. Very creepy. And it makes feral cats seem like tools of Satan — or something. I love cats, and they have never freaked me out before. But this book, well, they’re quite freaky. And, well, it’s also a bit gross — and that’s putting it mildly. If you’re squeamish, proceed with caution!

The end, I think, did play out pretty well. Claire grew. She matured. And she came to some understandings about things she clearly hadn’t had before.

This book was very, very predictable. I figured out pretty early who “he” is. And I had a pretty good — and accurate idea — what was going on with Claire. There were a couple of things I didn’t quite get, but they were really not a huge surprise either.

So, after all of this, how do I feel about this book? Let’s think. I liked it at first, then really liked it. Then Claire became an idiot. An absolute idiot. Yes, that is explained, but that part was drawn out way too long. And everyone around her — her father and Rich especially — seemed to not pick up at all on her craziness. I find that hard to believe.

The middle third or so, I often felt I had to force myself to keep reading. I was so ready to make it a DNF. But, I wanted to see if the story could recover. See if I could find the ending worth pushing through all the stuff I just couldn’t stomach. And, well, I felt the ending was pretty satisfying (although, there was one pairing I was hoping to happen that just didn’t). Not awesome-so-glad-I-saw-this-through satisfying. But good enough. I’m glad to know exactly what happened. And the final chapter, that part was touching, sweet, and pretty close to perfect. But, well, it wasn’t enough to fully redeem the sludge in the middle.

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly Schindler’s FERAL promised to be like THE LOVELY BONES meets BLACK SWAN and it did not disappoint. From the first two opening scenes, I knew this was going to be one of those true psychological thrillers, emphasis on the psychological aspect.

*pumps fists*

I was disturbed.

I was horrified.

I was cringing back from the pages, peering through my fingers, and feeling so utterly overwhelmed. I freaking LOVED it.

Schindler did a phenomenal job with making the reader FEEL like they were slowing becoming unhinged and unbalanced right along with the main character. I love books with unreliable narrators, and Claire, the MC, is absolutely convincing in this role. It’s so hard to come across a contemporary novel that really takes the reader on a psychological mind melt, and this work has definite nods towards classic masters (like Hitchcock) in this genre. I felt myself questioning my own sanity and judgment of what was real and what could be fantasy with each new page I turned.

The atmosphere in FERAL was also extremely well crafted. I could clearly picture being in this creepy, foggy town that lived up to its name of “Peculiar.” The entire cast of characters added to this haunted setting – and at times it felt like it had shades of Stephen King’s horrorlicious style. I love how King can make a small town absolutely terrifying, even by having a character simply walk to the store for some milk while you’re screaming “Look behind you!” only to realize that all is safe…for now. Schindler did that beautifully. You find yourself constantly on edge, wondering what horror is going to take place next, and questioning everyone and their motives.

Characters are not all perfect, the good ones have flaws, and blemishes and chinks in their armor. It’s what being human is all about, and FERAL is great with delving into humanity. Victims of violence go through a multitude of emotions, and not all of them are going to be pleasant. Sometimes we have to learn who we’re not before we become the person we’re meant to be. I loved Claire. She had ups and downs, and I was right there with her throughout her journey.

Hands down, I’d recommend this book to anyone who’s a fan of true psychological thrillers.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a few of Holly's books, so when I found out about Feral, and that it was going to be a creepy, mystery novel I knew I had to read it.
The first 'chapter' we see is Serena's and it's quite a gruesome one at that. She is murdered and her murderer is trying to hide her body, but Serena can still feel and hear, so we get her thoughts and feelings about what is happening, what she feels, and the unnatural angles her body is left in. The proceeding chapter is just as nail biting, when we join Claire. I have never been so nervous when reading a book before, this was real nail biting stuff, and I devoured it.
Claire is brutally attacked for helping her friend, Rachelle, and now has scars as a constant reminder of that day, a day that haunts her dreams. She moves to Perculiar for a sabbatical for Dad, but is perfect for Claire to get away from everything that reminds her about attack, even Rachelle is now a stranger to her.

Feral was an interesting read, that really grabbed hold. I like how it was a mix of paranormal and mystery, how we never really know what's going on, and as the story progresses we see even more paranormal activity. Reading Feral we get to see various views, we visit Serena a few times as she tries to deal with what s going on, we also get a few bits of information of past events. However, seeing what Claire went through, and is still going through now is really dramatic stuff, and my heart broke for Claire, and for anyone who has ever experienced what she has.

Regardless of her past, and her visions paired with paranormal goings on, Claire is a fighter, and she is determined to see Serena's story get full closure and see an end to it all. Her determination is admirable, but occasionally stupid with the circumstances she puts herself into. The new friends she makes are a mixture of all personalities, and I surprisingly liked them all, even with their attitude problems.

The ending of Feral I was expecting more from, I wanted a big dramatic ending, like the beginning of the book, and sadly for me it just didn't make it. However ending was great, and wraps up book perfectly.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed in Feral, but it's going to be difficult to explain because I won't give away any spoilers.

Claire has suffered a violent attack in her home town of Chicago that has left her scarred -- both emotionally and physically. Her father gets a semester sabbatical in Peculiar, Missouri, so Claire is going with him. They arrive during a freak ice storm and things just get weirder from there.

The book opens with the narrative voice of Serena, who is dead and being dragged across a field behind the school during the ice storm. She is left there, under a broken tree branch.

Claire discovers the body a few days later being chewed on by the town's many feral cats. Claire believes there's more to Serena's death, which has been categorized as an accident.

On the surface, Feral is an interesting story, but the way Claire finds out what happens is just weird. It's supernatural, but because Claire is the only one experiencing the supernatural events, it doesn't feel authentic. Some of the decisions made by Claire and those around her benefit the plot, but don't really make sense. Some of the reactions by the characters didn't feel authentic. I can't really be specific, but I just didn't like the way the whole thing played out.

The writing is great, the story moves along at a pace that keeps you interested. I couldn't connect with the characters, but that's because I didn't buy into what was happening. There are some creepy and gory descriptions that are well done too.

For me, Feral was underwhelming. I never wanted to not finish -- I had to see if what I thought happened really happened. And I was mostly right, but had some of the details wrong. If you like murder mysteries that are more mysterious than just who committed the crime, you may be interested in Feral.