Mr Sparks

by Danny Weston

After his father goes missing in the Great War, Owen is abandoned to live with his cruel aunt, and wishes he could escape his life of drudgery in her small seaside guesthouse. There he meets a mysterious guest, who appears to make his ventriloquist’s dummy speak, even in his sleep.


Soon Owen realises that the dummy, Mr Sparks, can really talk – and he’s looking for a newer, younger puppetmaster. But Mr Sparks has a dark past . . .

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Historical

352 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2015

Reviews

[✟Roxanne✟(Death by Book Avalanche) ☠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow...

[Kirsty · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a fan. The puppet is too creepy and was worried I'd get nightmares.

[Ivy Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note to readers-

Don't worry! Tis' not scary :D Or is it? >:)

[Matthew Orrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was stunning! There is rarely a book that I will read whenever I get the chance but I have to say that this was that book, I never stopped reading it! I felt like I was there following each character on their journey through the book. I felt the emotions they felt and thanks to the amazing descriptive language- I saw what they saw.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of any genre; I myself do not normally read this genre. I really wish more books were like this. The only criticism I have is that I found the character of Mr Sparks hard to read- though this may have been Weston's intention- so I found it hard to hate him, sympathise with him or like him- as a person in a book, I loved the idea of the character.
Great job and I wish more books were like this.

[Amit · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best book in horror taste, if you know what I really mean to admit here. Though for my busy daily schedule it took a while to finish the book but when I did finish it Man what a page turner that was. Absolutely freaking awesome read it was. 100% recommended...

The book is all about a ventriloquist dummy which name was Mr. Sparks. A hideously and creepy as hell looking dummy who can talk all by itself without any help from anybody. The dummy got some history about it and though it was aware of it's existence but there's no doubt that the dummy was pure evil. But the boy didn't mind to having the dummy as his companion. Even though he was not much into him to going somewhere better place by living his cruel aunt but it seems at the time he got no control into himself. Well this the primary summery of this book and after that the story really get more interesting and creepy. & For Mr. Sparks that pure evil thing which got nothing real into it but somehow it survived has one fear to itself. What was it? Get the book and dig the answer. For me this one thoroughly entertained me. Thanks to the author from the bottom of my heart...

Rating : 5...

[Bookworm86 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for 'Mr Sparks' by Danny Weston

I decided to reserve this book at the library after reading 'The Haunting of Jessop Rise' by the same author. The story follows Owen and 'Mr Sparks' a talking dummy. I really can't say much more about this book without giving it away. I really enjoyed reading it and I thought the characters were fantastic. I really didn't know what to think of 'Mr Sparks' to be honest but I struggled to put the book down. It is not a scary book which is actually why I got it so that was a bit of a shame but good for people who won't be sure of the book because it looks scary. The only other part I'm unsure of is the heading seemed a bit quick... Maybe a second one will be written? I really liked the fact that the start of the book is set in Llandudno being Welsh myself and having visited there before. Overall I think this book deserved 4/5 which I have rated it on Goodreads and Amazon

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in one day as it was very compelling. Eerie and creepy, it was almost like a dark take on Pinocchio in reverse. Charlie was a strange character as the dummy because he was terrified of being destroyed and he really gets to Owen through making him feel guilty and promising him a better life. The suspense built up nicely from the chase with Quinn and Wilkins with Quinn's fanatical beliefs being revealed bit by bit as they try to capture Charlie and Owen. There was lots of emotion in the book through Owen's unfortunate life after the war - the loss of his Father and his Mother's breakdown. It was as good as The Piper which is the other book I have read by this author - he really has a way of making a reader feel uneasy and creeped out.

[Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Danny Weston strikes again! I honestly can’t get enough of his books and I’m always checking my local library website for his other works. This was his best so far in my opinion. Mr Sparks is the story of a Ventriloquist Dummy who has a mind of his own and while that is a concept which has been done several times in the past, it is done in a really unique way here which is somehow reminiscent of Pinocchio and Frankenstein. I must say though that this is not a creepy horror tale as most will assume but it is a great story of a Dummy who not only lives but has done for a very long time and of how he came to be. This really is amazing storytelling from Danny Weston. Fabulous!

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't scary at all, but Mr Sparks presented a good mix of hilarious and macabre. The dummy was a bit too humanized, and he wasn't as manipulative nor as formidable as he was said to be. Owen was a good 12-year-old horror/suspense character, though: clever but naive. But I probably loved Quinn the most because he was dark and mysterious but he wasn't the cliche sadistic villain who was more evil than the evil main character.

But too many things seemed to happen "accidentally" in the novel, and that just too convenient. The chase scenes were incredibly written, though.

[Katie Reeeee Eloise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love ventriloquist puppets and dummies and this was everything to read. The characters in the story, especially Owen and Mr Sparks, were the sort of characters you could easily get attached to. The ending was also such a shock to me yet it was such a great read. I would definitely recommend this book to teens and young adults.

[Cherelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reason i wanted to read this boo as because of the front cover, it remind me of slappy from the goosebumps book, i am glad i picked up this book i really enjoyed reading it, it had me laughing and shocked and even sad at times, i would definitely read this again.

[Hannah kirkham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love love love this book , the mystery behind it all was just astounding, it wasn’t as scary as I’d hoped which is why I’ve knocked a star off , and the dummy was far too humanised for my liking but above all the book was mysterious, witty and full of suspense. All in all a very good book.

[Renren TheChapterChaser · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book turned out to be way less scary than I expected. It's more like a Pinocchio-inspired story that teaches you a lot. Definitely YA, but still a fun read. It's well-written and has some really funny moments.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books that are set in time before the technology of today. Great plot, and out of nowhere, Owen's dad is alive and suffering from amnesia! I will more than likely try his other books now!

[donna craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book just because of the cover and it didn't disappoint .Owen is living with his aunt as his mum is in a mental asylum and his dad died in the war or did he .

[Siti Aisyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was expecting a killer dummy, but it was enjoyable.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the opening few scenes you gained a real insight into the setting and characters of the book. Set in a Welsh town, Owen is living with his stern aunt after the death of his father during ww1 and after his mother being admitted to a mental hospital. As the guest is checking in, you get a feel of the aftermath of the war as both Owen and his aunt worry the man is German and how the rest of the town would react to this. And all of that in the first 10 pages. I was excited.

I really enjoyed this but felt the plot was very accidental. I would have liked to know what Mr Sparks had in mine for Owen before he got hurt and needed to return to France.

[Vincent Ripley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book review will be posted on blog first.... http://www.mrripleysenchantedbooks.com

[Amie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! So many twists and turns. The characters were amazing, they weren't like any normal characters. Highly recommend, it's my favourite book this year!

[Diabolica · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright. I was expecting it to be a little creepy, but it was more of light read. Tbh it shouldn't be classified as YA., (which was where I found it). A lot of things in that book just happened very conveniently.