What do you think?
Rate this book
Dread
Fourteen-year-old Nate Camden, who dreams of becoming a Navy SEAL, has just moved into Dark Pine Hills, a subdivision that has sat neglected and unfinished for some time. His father’s company has taken on the task of recrafting the area into a high-end development, a big opportunity the family can’t pass up. Nate does his best to settle in, and he quickly makes friends, even securing a starting spot on the football team. But it doesn’t take Nate long to suspect things are not as positive as they seem, just under the surface darkness lurks. It’s not just the discovery of neighbors’ family issues, or the protesters that claim the area is a paranormal vortex and should not be developed, or even the rumors that the surrounding forest is haunted. It is something much worse. Kids have come knocking, wanting to come in. The only problem is that judging by their soulless black eyes, they may not be human. Forced to believe the unbelievable, Nate will have to face his worst fears to protect the ones he loves.
ebook
Published October 2, 2016
2 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 13, 2018
The protesters warned them they believed there was a paranormal vortex in the woods. But no one, particularly not David Camden who had just purchased the abandoned development site, listened. Strange happenings can be explained away, accidents, frights, even the strange children with the empty eyes. But Nate knows there's something strange going on, and soon other people begin to see it too. The terror is escalating, he needs to find answers soon before there is no one left to ask the questions. The entities, alien, vampire, ghost, whatever these things could be are upping their game, and Nate and those he cares for seem to be most affected, or at least the only ones willing to acknowledge that something is very wrong in Dark Pine Hills
Joy Yehle's Dread has all the subtleties and atmosphere that I appreciated in the earlier works of Stephen King, such as The Tommyknockers and Needful Things. It is a not so typical ghost story, focused around the development site and school of Dark Pine Hills. There is tremendous character and setting building. The forging of relationships and the trials of everyday teenage life are paramount in this masterfully crafted tale. There's a sinister, creepy vibe to the story, subtle at first and escalating as it would in any good book. It is so easy to be drawn into this haunting book that you'll find it hard to put down.
Joy Yehle's Dread has all the subtleties and atmosphere that I appreciated in the earlier works of Stephen King, such as The Tommyknockers and Needful Things. It is a not so typical ghost story, focused around the development site and school of Dark Pine Hills. There is tremendous character and setting building. The forging of relationships and the trials of everyday teenage life are paramount in this masterfully crafted tale. There's a sinister, creepy vibe to the story, subtle at first and escalating as it would in any good book. It is so easy to be drawn into this haunting book that you'll find it hard to put down.
October 1, 2017
With a creepy and realistic vibe, Dread pulls you in right from the start and keeps you reading. Set in the middle of a spooky town, the end of this story will shock you! Dotted with believable characters and dialogue, I really felt myself drawn into the story, picturing every word inside my head.
A great read for Halloween. And if you’re a fan of Stephen King, this is definitely the story to check out!
A great read for Halloween. And if you’re a fan of Stephen King, this is definitely the story to check out!
October 11, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this book it is definitely a heart pounding page turner that was hard to put down, once the story got going. The author did a great job describing the characters made them seem real and easy to visualize. The descriptive imagery used in the suspenseful parts was well written and the helped move the story along quickly. The only issue I had with this book is at the end, I feel some of the story was left unexplained.
September 23, 2017
Dread is such an interesting book. A real grower. Initially I was concerned it wouldn’t appeal because of the age of the characters and because the North American setting was a little alien to me, but I completely fell into this book.
I loved the characters, found them very relatable. They all have their flaws, and this makes them both believable and interesting, even the young ones, and the relationships between the various characters (adult and younger folk) are perfectly observed. As the story went on, it really began to matter to me, what was going to happen to them all and there was nothing predictable about who was going to fall foul of the evil at the heart of the community, and when. In fact I ‘enjoyed’ that one of my favourite characters ended up very isolated – so it wasn’t predictable.
There’s some great action in this book, described very well, that quickens the pace, and I have to say, is vaguely reminiscent of Carrie by Stephen King – and there’s nothing wrong with that comparison, surely?
The story is fantastical, as you would expect, but the way the characters act and what they do, felt very real and natural. The dialogue was great.
The writing improves as the story goes on, as though the author becomes more confident. If you like fast-paced and original reading, horror without too much gore, I recommend you try Dread.
I loved the characters, found them very relatable. They all have their flaws, and this makes them both believable and interesting, even the young ones, and the relationships between the various characters (adult and younger folk) are perfectly observed. As the story went on, it really began to matter to me, what was going to happen to them all and there was nothing predictable about who was going to fall foul of the evil at the heart of the community, and when. In fact I ‘enjoyed’ that one of my favourite characters ended up very isolated – so it wasn’t predictable.
There’s some great action in this book, described very well, that quickens the pace, and I have to say, is vaguely reminiscent of Carrie by Stephen King – and there’s nothing wrong with that comparison, surely?
The story is fantastical, as you would expect, but the way the characters act and what they do, felt very real and natural. The dialogue was great.
The writing improves as the story goes on, as though the author becomes more confident. If you like fast-paced and original reading, horror without too much gore, I recommend you try Dread.
February 2, 2018
Are you going to bully someone? Think again.
A friend recommended this book to me but in spite of the title is very appealing to me, I can’t say the same about the plot. I am not used to reading stories with kids as main characters and sports. It’s just not my thing. But when I read 'soulless black eyed kids' immediately reminded me of Stephen King. So, I needed to give it a chance.
The characters in Dread are very well built and I liked the constant POV changes. Surprisingly, I liked the teen characters storylines because most of the time their stories were closely related to the plot, different from the adult ones. Their back-stories add nothing to the plot.
Despite the black eyed kids and the ‘let me in’ thing, Yehle was successful in making these clichés work on Dread. There was a lot of creepy stuff going on throughout the story, but for me, there could be more. Close to the end, a huge horror scene takes place and it is outstanding. You can feel as if you were actually there. There are a few loose ends but the ending is very good.
A friend recommended this book to me but in spite of the title is very appealing to me, I can’t say the same about the plot. I am not used to reading stories with kids as main characters and sports. It’s just not my thing. But when I read 'soulless black eyed kids' immediately reminded me of Stephen King. So, I needed to give it a chance.
The characters in Dread are very well built and I liked the constant POV changes. Surprisingly, I liked the teen characters storylines because most of the time their stories were closely related to the plot, different from the adult ones. Their back-stories add nothing to the plot.
Despite the black eyed kids and the ‘let me in’ thing, Yehle was successful in making these clichés work on Dread. There was a lot of creepy stuff going on throughout the story, but for me, there could be more. Close to the end, a huge horror scene takes place and it is outstanding. You can feel as if you were actually there. There are a few loose ends but the ending is very good.
August 21, 2017
Dread is such an original concept, with classic spookiness! I made the mistake of reading this alone at night after the kids were in bed and my wife out of town. Joy Yehle is very talented with sensory imagery, that it's easy to feel like you're right there in Dark Pine Hills, where creepy kids with black eyes are terrorizing the community!
Characters are very believable and dialogue feels quite natural within this story. The book also indirectly sends a message about the need for more awareness towards bullying and preventing negative influence from affecting our youth. I loved the underlying themes here, as they do make the reader ponder upon completion of the story!
A couple issues with plot development and resolution as far as certain characters go, but overall, this story was a fantastic horror that will keep you turning the pages well into the night! Bravo, Ms. Yehle!
Characters are very believable and dialogue feels quite natural within this story. The book also indirectly sends a message about the need for more awareness towards bullying and preventing negative influence from affecting our youth. I loved the underlying themes here, as they do make the reader ponder upon completion of the story!
A couple issues with plot development and resolution as far as certain characters go, but overall, this story was a fantastic horror that will keep you turning the pages well into the night! Bravo, Ms. Yehle!
August 1, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. The author's writing reminds me of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. She does a great job at depicting a small town and really ratchets up the creepiness. I could relate to the main character Nate and he reminded me of myself when I was in high school. I enjoyed the descriptive writing that the author provides and her ability to set up the scene. I recommend this book to anyone who is into the horror genre and is looking for a good fright. Definitely worth the read!
March 7, 2024
the last few chapters had me on the edge of my seat. overall a very interesting and scary concept!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews