Abandon Hope

by Michael Decamp

When Hope Spencer is thirteen years old, she and her mother move to the tiny community of Cutters Notch in forested southwestern Indiana to hide from Hope’s dangerous and abusive father. Unaware whether he is still in prison or has been freed, they settle into a new life under new identities. The athletic young girl becomes close friends with two boys in her quaint neighborhood, and when she mysteriously disappears one Saturday afternoon, they take on the task of finding her. Racing against time, the boys join forces with their state trooper neighbor and three other very unusual allies to battle against the evil taking aim at their friend. Will they find and rescue Hope, or will they fall victim themselves? Whatever happens, they are determined. They will not Abandon Hope. It is late September when Hope disappears. After Maggie, her mother, and their neighbor, Rick Anders, find Hope’s basketball in a nearby stream and her cellphone tossed in the weeds, an Amber Alert is sounded. She has been kidnapped. Rick, a state trooper, is assigned to team up with County Sheriff J.B. Dunlap to coordinate an intensive search. Meanwhile, Hope’s two best friends, Josh and Danny—both twelve years old—have a suspect in mind. After sunset, they decide to launch their own search by sneaking out through a bedroom window. Josh is athletic like Hope, but smaller and fearless. Danny is pudgy, nerdy, and hampered by fear, yet very loyal. Hope awakens in a darkened room, bound to a chair. Suffering from terror, sedation, and dehydration, she finds the resilience to develop her own escape plan. Like her mother, she suspects that the kidnapper may be her father, but she is unsure. Regardless, she is determined to fight. Watching through a dimensional portal manifested in a mirror are three beings from a parallel dimension. Inherently good, they are horrified by what they see and are moved to action. They decide to take dangerous risks to find a way to help. Behind the whole event is a dark entity influencing evil minds with violent ideas for its own benefit. Driving those with susceptible wills toward malevolent actions, it draws energy from the pain its puppets inflict on others. Will the rescuers find Hope in time? Can she survive until they reach her? Will they all fall victim to dark influences? Abandon Hope will keep you guessing, keep you on edge, and keep you turning pages.

Genres: Fantasy, Supernatural

220 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2019

Reviews

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abandon Hope by Michael Decamp is a young adult fantasy novel about a kidnapped girl and her friends attempt to find her. I did not realise that this was a child's book when I requested it but I did find the story interesting and exciting in parts. I would like to thank NetGalley and Dog Ear Publishing for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Time to go hunting.”

So, if Jeffrey Dahmer and Gollum had love child together it would be this book. Decamp takes you on a fantasy filled journey into a crazy read full of kidnapping, cannibalism and magic! This book is not my typical flavor but it was still a read I enjoyed. 4 stars

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Time to go hunting.”

So, if Jeffrey Dahmer and Gollum had love child together it would be this book. Decamp takes you on a fantasy filled journey into a crazy read full of kidnapping, cannibalism and magic! This book is not my typical flavor but it was still a read I enjoyed. 4 stars

[Cy Wyss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope is a thirteen year old girl who disappears from the tiny town of Cutter’s Notch, Indiana. Nightmare scenarios run through the minds of all who know her. The story is laced through with paranormal activity, from dark spectres to elves and flying reindeer. I feel the heroes are perfect as middle grade youths, because kids at that age are still open to magic. Any older, and their acceptance of the unlikely phenomena threading through their adventure would rank over the top for implausibility. In some ways, the bleak setting of Cutter’s Notch was incommensurate with the overall positive vibe of the book, however the main characters’ strength more than made up for the discord.

I found myself constantly wondering what the author would throw at his characters next, which is to say I was gripped by their plights. The eponymous character, Hope, (gratuitous title pun notwithstanding) is a very likable and capable young woman, not the wimpy victim of older fables who waits to be rescued by her hero. Hope’s supporting cast is dynamic and believable, each contributing his or her own power to the situation. The elves seem like something of a cross between Keebler and Tolkien, an unusual mix of pettiness and spirituality. I enjoyed the book and found it an easy read, with a minimum of inconsistency or errors. I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys a light middle grade thriller or a fun spiritual twist.

[Loraine Philliban · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Decamp entertains us with a fantasy/kidnap/cannibalism novel - an interesting concept that surprisingly worked well.
Hope Spencer is 13 and lives with her mother in a small hamlet having changed their names to try and evade Hope's father who is an extremely violent man.
Hope befriends Josh and Danny and the three are inseparable until one day hope is running an errand for her mum but then disappears without trace.
When the search gets underway the two boys become involved and are helped by an unlikely source..
A good read a bit gory in parts but enjoyable for fantasy lovers..

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first book by Michael Decamp and I LOVED it! It kept me on the edge of my seat, unable to turn the pages fast enough! A very engaging story and I look forward to reading more from him.

[Destiny Schweigel · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Abandon Hope had some strong elements, especially in its setting. Since the story takes place in the state and area where I live, I can say the author did a great job capturing the atmosphere and describing the environment in a way that felt authentic. The detailed descriptions throughout the book made it easy to picture each scene clearly.

However, I found myself confused by the paranormal aspect of the story. It felt somewhat forced and didn’t seem fully integrated into the overall plot. Rather than enhancing the suspense, it left me questioning why it was included at all.

I also felt that there wasn’t much character development from beginning to end, which made it harder to stay emotionally invested. While the writing itself was solid, the story lacked the level of suspense I was expecting. Unfortunately, I don’t feel compelled to continue the rest of the trilogy.

[Rubymay1029 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book! I am a fan of kiddie lit in general, but usually feel like they lack the meat of adult literature. This story did not lack meat. It jumped right into action and did not let up. I finished it less than 24 hours after I began.
The central characters were multi-dimensional and I cared about what happened to them, which is one of the things I look for in a book. There were a (very) few details that I didn't completely buy into, but doubt that any kid reading would even notice.
Overall, this is an entertaining story with just enough twists and surprises to keep the pages turning. I can't wait for my 12-year-old daughter to finish it so we can discuss!

[Savannah J. Goins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three kids are thrust into situations that would be terrifying even for adults, but they are not without supernatural assistants--who also steal their socks. One of my favorite things about this story are the shimmers. These portals between dimensions exist inside mirrors, and I'm still checking mine for other-worldly qualities. Hey, you're never too old for a little imagination. Overall, I enjoyed this story.

[Jeanie Linton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mike is the dad to one of my college friends. Our personal connection was my motivation to dive into a fiction book. I don’t read much fiction but this storyline kept me hooked. There were a few twists and turns that were not expected but made this mystery unique, suspenseful, yet feel good at the same time.

I can sense there will be a sequel and I’m excited yet scared!

[Amy Lenz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting book, unlike anything else I’ve read. Can be considered YA, but has a lot going on at many levels. Definitely recommend!

[eric behrendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.

I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure I would like the character twist but I was pleasantly surprised. I look forward to the next book.

[Gab]

DNF

[Brianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off, I think it is really lovely the Author took time to sign the books from the giveaway (even took the time to spell my name right, which never happens). I REALLY wanted to like this book as the description seemed promising, unfortunately it was just not for me. I do encourage others to read it and form their own opinions as I do see it has received rave reviews! Reasons it was not for me; 1. As a Pagan the Christian stories, references and undertones were off-putting, not a deal breaker but off-putting. 2. The writing style and some of the dialogue seemed very juvenile even for a YA book. 3. It felt very rushed (a lot of detail and back story was given to some things (to a fault) and not nearly enough to others) like someone came in with an idea for a 2 and a half hour long movie and was told to condense it into an hour. 4. It could be because this type of story is what I mostly read and watch but I had the killer(s) pegged by 15 pages in, very predictable. 5. The intermingling of horror (barely glossed over cannibalism) and "supernatural" was...odd?...the two did not seem (to me anyway) to mesh well. Almost as if two different stories were forced together. When certain creatures were introduced toward the end it completely lost me. It felt like they did not belong and were thrown in for extra magical/supernatural effect.

[Edward Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book.

I read this book last year but just realized I didn't write a review. There were moments I was holding my breath. If you want to read a well written book with characters you can clearly picture in your mind, then Abandon Hope is the book for you. A great combination of mystery and good vs. evil. Even though this book is dubbed young adult fantasy, any adult would also enjoy. I can't wait for the sequel to come out. I would not be surprised if this series became a movie.

[Candy]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The descriptions were vivid and painted a clear picture in my mind of the surroundings. It was refreshing to not have the mystery solved in my mind half way through the book. The author did a great job of guiding you to the wrong conclusions and then dropping another hint that sent you in a different direction. A very well written book that kept my interest throughout.

I enjoyed the spiritual and fantasy elements. One could read a deeper message being communicated between the lines. I also especially appreciated the clean language and attraction expressed without sexual connotations and vulgarity.

The characters were believable. The children were delightful and real. The ending leaves you wondering about the next book to come. A great read for almost teens/early teens but also an entertaining read for adults -- not too many books can entertain such a broad spectrum of ages.

A great first novel from Michael DeCamp! Can't wait to read his next one.

[Debbie Tanner]

I stopped reading this one after about 100 pages because the plot lines are so strange-a girl is kidnapped and her friends are trying to find her (although it appears they are so focused on one character that they are unable to consider any other suspects). Her kidnappers appear to have plans to eat her (eeewww) and then there is another set of characters that defy explanation. Too weird for me.