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Jeśli chodzi o horrory, zasady są proste:
Należy unikać opuszczonych budynków, takich jak stare domy czy magazyny.
Należy trzymać się razem – nie wolno się rozdzielać, nawet gdy tylko „chcemy coś sprawdzić”.
Jeśli gdzieś czai się morderca, trzeba sobie odpuścić wszelkie romansowanie.
Gdyby tylko zasady przetrwania w prawdziwym życiu były równie proste… Szkoła w Nowym Jorku w najbardziej zamożnej dzielnicy Upper East Side. Rachel Chavez do zamożnych nie należy, więc z innymi dzieli ją przepaść wielka jak cały Manhattan. Od bogatych rówieśników i ich nudnych tematów woli historie o maniakalnych mordercach, a horrory ogląda po to, żeby się uspokoić.
Wkrótce dziewczyna zostaje zwerbowana przez Klub Mary Shelley, którego członkowie organizują niezwykłe testy strachu, bazując na miejskich legendach i filmach grozy. Początkowo Rachel daje się wciągnąć w działalność klubu, organizując okrutne żarty, ale po jakimś czasie owe żarty stają się coraz poważniejsze, a w grę zaczyna wchodzić życie i zdrowie kolejnych osób. Rachel nie wie, komu może zaufać, a przed kim powinna mieć się na baczności. A na domiar złego, jej przeszłość postanawia o sobie przypomnieć.
Należy unikać opuszczonych budynków, takich jak stare domy czy magazyny.
Należy trzymać się razem – nie wolno się rozdzielać, nawet gdy tylko „chcemy coś sprawdzić”.
Jeśli gdzieś czai się morderca, trzeba sobie odpuścić wszelkie romansowanie.
Gdyby tylko zasady przetrwania w prawdziwym życiu były równie proste… Szkoła w Nowym Jorku w najbardziej zamożnej dzielnicy Upper East Side. Rachel Chavez do zamożnych nie należy, więc z innymi dzieli ją przepaść wielka jak cały Manhattan. Od bogatych rówieśników i ich nudnych tematów woli historie o maniakalnych mordercach, a horrory ogląda po to, żeby się uspokoić.
Wkrótce dziewczyna zostaje zwerbowana przez Klub Mary Shelley, którego członkowie organizują niezwykłe testy strachu, bazując na miejskich legendach i filmach grozy. Początkowo Rachel daje się wciągnąć w działalność klubu, organizując okrutne żarty, ale po jakimś czasie owe żarty stają się coraz poważniejsze, a w grę zaczyna wchodzić życie i zdrowie kolejnych osób. Rachel nie wie, komu może zaufać, a przed kim powinna mieć się na baczności. A na domiar złego, jej przeszłość postanawia o sobie przypomnieć.
400 pages, Paperback
First published April 13, 2021
532 people are currently reading
34302 people want to read
About the author
Goldy Moldavsky
13 books756 followersGoldy Moldavsky was born in Lima, Peru, and grew up in Brooklyn, where she still lives. Her novels include the New York Times bestseller, KILL THE BOY BAND, the Publishers Weekly bestseller, THE MARY SHELLEY CLUB, and the upcoming OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS, and BUBBLEGUM SHOES. You can find her on X and Instagram @goldywrites.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,156 reviews
November 1, 2022
"The brain does curious things when suddenly presented with something it cannot comprehend."
Finally, a new release that I've been highly anticipating that lived up to the hype! While I wasn't expecting so much of the plot to be filled with contemporary YA day-to-day drama, I still enjoyed the creepy vibe this story gave out. If you're a fan of the Scream franchise, this book is a must read. Dare I say it left the door open for a sequel? Maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part, but I wouldn't be mad about getting a few more answers to the happenings in Rachel's life and seeing how things play out after that final sentence. 👀
The book opens with a night like any other, or so we imagine. Rachel Chavez is at home, texting her best friend, when suddenly two masked men break in and attack her. In the struggle, one of the men runs and is never caught, but the other stays and tragedy ensues. Fast forward one year and we see Rachel at a new school, trying to move past the home invasion and make new friends, but it's hard when the majority of the student population comes from elite families and you're only there on scholarship because your mom is a teacher. Initially, Rachel makes some enemies, and then unknowingly sees something happen at a party that leads her on a path toward a secret society called the Mary Shelley Club.
Once initiated, Rachel finds solace and friendship with her new friends Freddie, Thayer, Bram, and Felicity. Dubbed the new girl, she is pleasantly surprised when she finds out that they know the details of what happened last year, and agree to keep her secret within the group. Outside of "meetings", the group conducts fear tests, which I'll let you discover more about on your own. As these tests progress, things escalate until an explosive ending reveals all. I'll say that I did have a bit of the who/why figured out early, but it was still such a fun ride seeing how everything would play out. I think the author did a fabulous job creating a growing sense of dread and escalating antics that really fleshed out the characters, and the complexity of the Mary Shelley Club and how far reaching it grew was really cool.
So... how about that sequel, eh?
Finally, a new release that I've been highly anticipating that lived up to the hype! While I wasn't expecting so much of the plot to be filled with contemporary YA day-to-day drama, I still enjoyed the creepy vibe this story gave out. If you're a fan of the Scream franchise, this book is a must read. Dare I say it left the door open for a sequel? Maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part, but I wouldn't be mad about getting a few more answers to the happenings in Rachel's life and seeing how things play out after that final sentence. 👀
The book opens with a night like any other, or so we imagine. Rachel Chavez is at home, texting her best friend, when suddenly two masked men break in and attack her. In the struggle, one of the men runs and is never caught, but the other stays and tragedy ensues. Fast forward one year and we see Rachel at a new school, trying to move past the home invasion and make new friends, but it's hard when the majority of the student population comes from elite families and you're only there on scholarship because your mom is a teacher. Initially, Rachel makes some enemies, and then unknowingly sees something happen at a party that leads her on a path toward a secret society called the Mary Shelley Club.
Once initiated, Rachel finds solace and friendship with her new friends Freddie, Thayer, Bram, and Felicity. Dubbed the new girl, she is pleasantly surprised when she finds out that they know the details of what happened last year, and agree to keep her secret within the group. Outside of "meetings", the group conducts fear tests, which I'll let you discover more about on your own. As these tests progress, things escalate until an explosive ending reveals all. I'll say that I did have a bit of the who/why figured out early, but it was still such a fun ride seeing how everything would play out. I think the author did a fabulous job creating a growing sense of dread and escalating antics that really fleshed out the characters, and the complexity of the Mary Shelley Club and how far reaching it grew was really cool.
So... how about that sequel, eh?
December 31, 2022
This is very much so in the same vein as pretty little liars and gossip girl. I never really felt the intensity of the situation going down, but I was entertained the whole way through. I really enjoyed the cast of characters as they each brought something so different to the table and that helped keep the book interesting. It's a solid spooky book for fans of spooky reads.
May 7, 2021
Well, I am severely disappointed.
I can say two positive things about The Mary Shelley Club:
1) Between the text size and the pacing, I couldn't put it down.
2) Goldy Moldavsky knows her stuff when it comes to horror. It's glaringly obvious when a character has an interest or love for something the author couldn't care less about, but you can tell that she has a love for horror films herself. Every name-drop felt intentional or was explicitly relevant to the plot as opposed to it coming off as the author going "see? see?? I know about those scary movies too!!"
And yeah, that's about all I liked. I found Rachel to be a very bland protagonist, and honestly a bit of a Not Like Other Girls girl. See, you guys? She's not like those dumb blondes, she has freckles and likes horror movies! The other characters were all either unlikable (and not in a fun way) or boring. Felicity was...mean, I guess? Not really anything else going on there. Thayer was the comic relief, Freddie was mysterious but ultimately so bland that
And speaking of twists, I called it, and also not in a fun way.
The writing was clunky and bland, and while the fear tests were an interesting concept, their executions came off as more funny than scary. Like dressing up as a clown to make your arch-enemy piss himself? Not scary, sorry.
I'm sure some people will get a kick out of this, but YA horror is becoming more and more evidently not my genre.
I can say two positive things about The Mary Shelley Club:
1) Between the text size and the pacing, I couldn't put it down.
2) Goldy Moldavsky knows her stuff when it comes to horror. It's glaringly obvious when a character has an interest or love for something the author couldn't care less about, but you can tell that she has a love for horror films herself. Every name-drop felt intentional or was explicitly relevant to the plot as opposed to it coming off as the author going "see? see?? I know about those scary movies too!!"
And yeah, that's about all I liked. I found Rachel to be a very bland protagonist, and honestly a bit of a Not Like Other Girls girl. See, you guys? She's not like those dumb blondes, she has freckles and likes horror movies! The other characters were all either unlikable (and not in a fun way) or boring. Felicity was...mean, I guess? Not really anything else going on there. Thayer was the comic relief, Freddie was mysterious but ultimately so bland that
And speaking of twists, I called it, and also not in a fun way.
The writing was clunky and bland, and while the fear tests were an interesting concept, their executions came off as more funny than scary. Like dressing up as a clown to make your arch-enemy piss himself? Not scary, sorry.
I'm sure some people will get a kick out of this, but YA horror is becoming more and more evidently not my genre.
December 19, 2025
4.5 Stars
So, even though the ya twats got on my nerves, I liked it and hope to get the hardcover.
If anyone knows of any awesome adult books written like this, please comment below 😘
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
So, even though the ya twats got on my nerves, I liked it and hope to get the hardcover.
If anyone knows of any awesome adult books written like this, please comment below 😘
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
July 3, 2021
The Mary Shelley Club
is an excellent YA thriller about a group of horror movie-obsessed students, with dashes of
Gossip Girl
thrown in for good measure.
“There’s nothing more visceral than being scared. It’s why some people love watching scary movies. I love being scared.”
Rachel is a scholarship student at tony Manchester Prep. It’s a fresh start after a tragedy forced her and her mother to leave their old home. But rather than dwell on traumatic memories, Rachel has taken to watching horror movies for comfort.
When her proximity to a prank involving a popular student gains her the kind of notoriety she doesn’t want, she also catches the attention of the Mary Shelley Club, a small group of students obsessed with horror movies. She’s thrilled to finally be a part of something, after feeling like she was on the outside looking in for so long.
The club conducts Fear Tests, elaborate pranks designed to significantly scare someone. Each club member gets to design a Fear Test, and all club members must participate in everyone's tests. But it’s not long before the tests seem to veer out of control and become dangerous, with components that seem to awaken the horrors Rachel has tried so hard to hide. Is someone in the club targeting her? Is someone else?
Man oh man, The Mary Shelley Club was so good. It’s rare that a nearly 500-page book is so addicting but I didn’t want to put it down. I loved the conversations about movies and how they foster a shared sense of belonging, and I loved how all of the horror movie tropes were played out—and I’m not even a horror movie fan because I’m a total chickens—t.
I hope there will be a sequel to this one. I loved discussing this during my buddy read with my friend Phil. We finally found a book we loved!!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2020 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2020.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
“There’s nothing more visceral than being scared. It’s why some people love watching scary movies. I love being scared.”
Rachel is a scholarship student at tony Manchester Prep. It’s a fresh start after a tragedy forced her and her mother to leave their old home. But rather than dwell on traumatic memories, Rachel has taken to watching horror movies for comfort.
When her proximity to a prank involving a popular student gains her the kind of notoriety she doesn’t want, she also catches the attention of the Mary Shelley Club, a small group of students obsessed with horror movies. She’s thrilled to finally be a part of something, after feeling like she was on the outside looking in for so long.
The club conducts Fear Tests, elaborate pranks designed to significantly scare someone. Each club member gets to design a Fear Test, and all club members must participate in everyone's tests. But it’s not long before the tests seem to veer out of control and become dangerous, with components that seem to awaken the horrors Rachel has tried so hard to hide. Is someone in the club targeting her? Is someone else?
Man oh man, The Mary Shelley Club was so good. It’s rare that a nearly 500-page book is so addicting but I didn’t want to put it down. I loved the conversations about movies and how they foster a shared sense of belonging, and I loved how all of the horror movie tropes were played out—and I’m not even a horror movie fan because I’m a total chickens—t.
I hope there will be a sequel to this one. I loved discussing this during my buddy read with my friend Phil. We finally found a book we loved!!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2020 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2020.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
August 24, 2021
Star Rating: —> 5 Stars
Honestly, there is absolutely no way I could give this any less than a 5 star rating. I started it today & just could NOT put. It. Down. It was all sorts of messed up, but I loved it! It actually scared me... which is HARD for a book to do! It had a few small issues for me, but nothing significant enough to pull down my rating!
But this YA contemporary thriller/horror novel was also SO FUN & witty and to my glee, filled with horror film "easter eggs" & facts. It was amazing! I really don't want to spoil the ending, so, i'll just say it was both gratifying & also extremely chilling 😉.
I loved the lead character, Rachel, SOMUCH. She is so strong in the face of horrifying things, even after being through SO much. Her POV was so much fun to read! I also loved that the game's targets' POV's were used for each game; that was a really cool touch, and each one was more chilling than the last!
Guys. I wouldn't even put this book down for FOOD. FOOD! That's saying something! Skipped dinner, haha, which is really something I do NOT do. Buuuuut, I dis for this! I was GLUEDDDD.
This book was honestly such an addictive, fun, absolute thrill to read, and I recommend 100% !!!
[FOOTNOTE: Also, personal story related to me reading this—I live in FL in an area that is surrounded by a nature preserve, so we get tons of palmetto bugs in our house, its just a joy of living in south FL (-___-), anyway, one of those little jerks apparently got into my bedroom & was on my ceiling (exposed ceiling that is 16 ft high)... and I had absolutely no idea until it FELL ON MY FREAKING SHOULDER DURING THE MOST INTENSE SCENE IN THE ENTIRE BOOK... and I SHRIEKED & honestly I think I blacked out for a bit there because the next thing I know my pillowcase is on the floor & I'm spraying the inch long bastard in a metric shit-ton of bug spray, my adrenaline so insane I can't even... yeah. This book had my heart racing to begin with (like I said it ACTUALLY SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME) & the universe played a cruel, CRUEL prank on me; I literally have never had something like that happen to me in my entire life, and I just cannot believe the TIMING! The book had me prepped for self defense with adrenaline, i'll tell you what!
Or... was this incident, or 'game' planned & executed by the Mary Shelley Club, right off the pages of the book? *waggles eyebrows* I suppose i'll never know ;) The game isn't over until the target has screamed.
And boy did I f*cking scream. 😂
Also, props to me being the Final Girl. Just giving credit where credit is due 🤷🏼♀️😝😎
I suppose between me & a palmetto bug, there was never a chance of another outcome but shhhh... I went through TRAUMA guys. Just let me have this one :-P]
Honestly, there is absolutely no way I could give this any less than a 5 star rating. I started it today & just could NOT put. It. Down. It was all sorts of messed up, but I loved it! It actually scared me... which is HARD for a book to do! It had a few small issues for me, but nothing significant enough to pull down my rating!
But this YA contemporary thriller/horror novel was also SO FUN & witty and to my glee, filled with horror film "easter eggs" & facts. It was amazing! I really don't want to spoil the ending, so, i'll just say it was both gratifying & also extremely chilling 😉.
I loved the lead character, Rachel, SOMUCH. She is so strong in the face of horrifying things, even after being through SO much. Her POV was so much fun to read! I also loved that the game's targets' POV's were used for each game; that was a really cool touch, and each one was more chilling than the last!
Guys. I wouldn't even put this book down for FOOD. FOOD! That's saying something! Skipped dinner, haha, which is really something I do NOT do. Buuuuut, I dis for this! I was GLUEDDDD.
This book was honestly such an addictive, fun, absolute thrill to read, and I recommend 100% !!!
[FOOTNOTE: Also, personal story related to me reading this—I live in FL in an area that is surrounded by a nature preserve, so we get tons of palmetto bugs in our house, its just a joy of living in south FL (-___-), anyway, one of those little jerks apparently got into my bedroom & was on my ceiling (exposed ceiling that is 16 ft high)... and I had absolutely no idea until it FELL ON MY FREAKING SHOULDER DURING THE MOST INTENSE SCENE IN THE ENTIRE BOOK... and I SHRIEKED & honestly I think I blacked out for a bit there because the next thing I know my pillowcase is on the floor & I'm spraying the inch long bastard in a metric shit-ton of bug spray, my adrenaline so insane I can't even... yeah. This book had my heart racing to begin with (like I said it ACTUALLY SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME) & the universe played a cruel, CRUEL prank on me; I literally have never had something like that happen to me in my entire life, and I just cannot believe the TIMING! The book had me prepped for self defense with adrenaline, i'll tell you what!
Or... was this incident, or 'game' planned & executed by the Mary Shelley Club, right off the pages of the book? *waggles eyebrows* I suppose i'll never know ;) The game isn't over until the target has screamed.
And boy did I f*cking scream. 😂
Also, props to me being the Final Girl. Just giving credit where credit is due 🤷🏼♀️😝😎
I suppose between me & a palmetto bug, there was never a chance of another outcome but shhhh... I went through TRAUMA guys. Just let me have this one :-P]
February 17, 2021
Ok..... seriously I have been dreaming about a YA thriller like this!!
Goldy... you're my new favorite author and I absolutely LOVED this YA thriller.
BUCKLE up ladies and gentleman. OH my guacamole you're in for a serious wild ride with this one. I am SOO lucky to have gotten an early copy of this masterpiece.
Let's meet Rachel... she has been attacked early on by two masked men when she is home alone. She is terrifed and is trying to recover from this horrible event. She transfers to a new school and is trying to build a new life in high school. Rachel soon learns about a mysterious "Mary Shelley Club" and is very intrigued since she loves horror movies.
Luckily, Rachel finds herself as a new member of this Mary Shelley Club and finds out that the number one goal is to scare people. Simple right?
Each member has what's called a "fear test." They each have to identify a target and the rest of the group plays along with the scene that is played out for that target.
This is all about you're going to get from me. This was pure GENIUS. I loved this book. Goldy does an amazing job in this unique and addicting YA thriller. It reads more of an adult thriller but does have aspects of a YA thriller.
Oh my... and Goldy you pulled it off. You got me at the end there with that twist. Will we be lucky enough to get a sequel!? Squeals with anticipation.
4.5/5 stars
Thank you so much to Macmillian/Henry Holt and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Pub date: 4/13/21
Published to GR: 2/16/21
Goldy... you're my new favorite author and I absolutely LOVED this YA thriller.
BUCKLE up ladies and gentleman. OH my guacamole you're in for a serious wild ride with this one. I am SOO lucky to have gotten an early copy of this masterpiece.
Let's meet Rachel... she has been attacked early on by two masked men when she is home alone. She is terrifed and is trying to recover from this horrible event. She transfers to a new school and is trying to build a new life in high school. Rachel soon learns about a mysterious "Mary Shelley Club" and is very intrigued since she loves horror movies.
Luckily, Rachel finds herself as a new member of this Mary Shelley Club and finds out that the number one goal is to scare people. Simple right?
Each member has what's called a "fear test." They each have to identify a target and the rest of the group plays along with the scene that is played out for that target.
This is all about you're going to get from me. This was pure GENIUS. I loved this book. Goldy does an amazing job in this unique and addicting YA thriller. It reads more of an adult thriller but does have aspects of a YA thriller.
Oh my... and Goldy you pulled it off. You got me at the end there with that twist. Will we be lucky enough to get a sequel!? Squeals with anticipation.
4.5/5 stars
Thank you so much to Macmillian/Henry Holt and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Pub date: 4/13/21
Published to GR: 2/16/21
April 14, 2021
Loved it! Sooooo good...
First things first, I'm not a kind of person who would be overly enthusiastic about a blurb mentioning One of Us is Lying. Scream? now we are talking. Mary Shelley? oh, yes, please. I love Frankenstein (with its monumental influence on our popculture) and I love the story behind its creation. In this case, the publicist's description was spot on and I enjoyed every minute of this wild ride.
Rachel Chavez is the proverbial new girl in a new school. Something bad happened to her last year which made her mum and Rachel move and change their job and school respectively. The only thing Rachel's mum insists on is Rachel keeping up her grades (you begin to wonder what exactly happened to have sent her into a spin last year, right?) and make friends. Which she kind of does. She even gets dragged (not literally, we haven't started on the horror part, but we'll get there, don't get too comfortable) to a teenage party in an abandoned house. A prank is played and the scene is set. Rachel makes an enemy of a popular girl who won't stop spreading her unsolicited opinion of Rachel ('Freak!).
When Rachel finally confronts the prankster, she discovers the existence of the most mysterious and be default exclusive The Mary Shelley Club. Perhaps,she has finally found 'her own tribe', people who appreciate horror movie tropes in all their marvelous variety and see the genre the way Rachel does- as a cleansing mechanism to flush out all the wrong things in one's life, an injection of adrenaline and courage. Perhaps, this is her way to face what happened to her, the changes in herself and her biggest fear. Perhaps, she can belong. But first, she needs to pass the Fear Test, and this is where what seems an innocent game is going to get deadly serious. As it would in any decent horror movie....
The writing style is effortless and easy to follow. You get so immersed in what Rachel experiences that it is as if you've stepped into her life. Or at the very least, a brilliant horror movie. you are a bit edgy and suspicious,but you can't turn your eyes off the screen. Ups! I meant to say off the page...
Rachel is a likeable and relatable protagonist. Don't we all want to fit in and belong, without sacrificing what makes us unique? How far would we go in this desire? How far would we push other people to get what we want and what would it do to us? Goldy Moldavsky masterfully renders this universal teenage angst in this exciting YA thriller.
Well-written, gripping, perceptive, The Mary Shelley is wickedly entertaining. I'm glad to have found a new author to watch out for- Goldy Moldavsky.
Thank you to Giselle from Xpresso Book tours, NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
First things first, I'm not a kind of person who would be overly enthusiastic about a blurb mentioning One of Us is Lying. Scream? now we are talking. Mary Shelley? oh, yes, please. I love Frankenstein (with its monumental influence on our popculture) and I love the story behind its creation. In this case, the publicist's description was spot on and I enjoyed every minute of this wild ride.
Rachel Chavez is the proverbial new girl in a new school. Something bad happened to her last year which made her mum and Rachel move and change their job and school respectively. The only thing Rachel's mum insists on is Rachel keeping up her grades (you begin to wonder what exactly happened to have sent her into a spin last year, right?) and make friends. Which she kind of does. She even gets dragged (not literally, we haven't started on the horror part, but we'll get there, don't get too comfortable) to a teenage party in an abandoned house. A prank is played and the scene is set. Rachel makes an enemy of a popular girl who won't stop spreading her unsolicited opinion of Rachel ('Freak!).
When Rachel finally confronts the prankster, she discovers the existence of the most mysterious and be default exclusive The Mary Shelley Club. Perhaps,she has finally found 'her own tribe', people who appreciate horror movie tropes in all their marvelous variety and see the genre the way Rachel does- as a cleansing mechanism to flush out all the wrong things in one's life, an injection of adrenaline and courage. Perhaps, this is her way to face what happened to her, the changes in herself and her biggest fear. Perhaps, she can belong. But first, she needs to pass the Fear Test, and this is where what seems an innocent game is going to get deadly serious. As it would in any decent horror movie....
The writing style is effortless and easy to follow. You get so immersed in what Rachel experiences that it is as if you've stepped into her life. Or at the very least, a brilliant horror movie. you are a bit edgy and suspicious,but you can't turn your eyes off the screen. Ups! I meant to say off the page...
Rachel is a likeable and relatable protagonist. Don't we all want to fit in and belong, without sacrificing what makes us unique? How far would we go in this desire? How far would we push other people to get what we want and what would it do to us? Goldy Moldavsky masterfully renders this universal teenage angst in this exciting YA thriller.
Well-written, gripping, perceptive, The Mary Shelley is wickedly entertaining. I'm glad to have found a new author to watch out for- Goldy Moldavsky.
Thank you to Giselle from Xpresso Book tours, NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
May 3, 2021
2.5 Stars
I loved the idea of a character using horror films to cope with their own trauma. As an avid horror reader, I can certainly relate to finding comfort in the genre. My biggest complaints about this book come from my usual issues with YA novel. I found the characters to be young and immature, going to parties and worrying about trivial relationship issues. If you enjoy meta horror books and don't mind reading in the YA age category, then you might enjoy this one.
I loved the idea of a character using horror films to cope with their own trauma. As an avid horror reader, I can certainly relate to finding comfort in the genre. My biggest complaints about this book come from my usual issues with YA novel. I found the characters to be young and immature, going to parties and worrying about trivial relationship issues. If you enjoy meta horror books and don't mind reading in the YA age category, then you might enjoy this one.
March 28, 2022
A self-aware horror movie trope-fest with intriguing drama and action to keep any mystery/thriller fan satisfied throughout the entire journey... Nice.
Concept: ★★★
Pacing: ★★★★
Mystery(s)/Reveal(s): ★★★
Enjoyment: ★★★★
So let's be honest: this is not the most unique concept in the world. It wasn't supposed to be.
The new girl at school becomes embroiled in something bigger than herself and finds herself consumed by a secretive group of students who do devious things at their prep school for the thrills and chills. They're horror movie experts with a need for thrills—and they call themselves the Mary Shelley Club. It's your standard setup for this kind of mystery/thriller, yes, but sometimes you choose the classics for a reason...
Rachel Chavez is no stranger to horror. A victim of a home invasion turned horrific, Rachel has turned to horror movies as means to cope with her trauma and inoculate herself against future fear. Is it healthy? Probably not. But is is working? Jury's out.
When Rachel attends a late-night party for her high school and witnesses a sinister prank and instead of getting scared, she laughs instead, Rachel brings herself to the attention of the Mary Shelley Club. They invite her in, and that's when things get interesting.
Because while the Mary Shelley Club members are supposed to be the horror that stalks their student body, Rachel can't help but notice that something seems to be stalking her too. And things might not be what they seem.
I thought this was an extremely well done book for its tropes. With the classic setup, character sheets, and mysteries included, The Mary Shelley Club was almost a nostalgic ride through the hits of young adult mysteries mixed with a dash of horror movie classics. I thoroughly enjoyed it. For someone who's read a fair few in this genre, the surprises were not earth-shattering, but I did find myself falling for a few of red herrings along the way and did get authentically surprised at one of the final elements.
A nicely done, nicely paced, and all-around enjoyable young adult thriller. Definitely pick this up if you're a fan of the genre.
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Concept: ★★★
Pacing: ★★★★
Mystery(s)/Reveal(s): ★★★
Enjoyment: ★★★★
So let's be honest: this is not the most unique concept in the world. It wasn't supposed to be.
The new girl at school becomes embroiled in something bigger than herself and finds herself consumed by a secretive group of students who do devious things at their prep school for the thrills and chills. They're horror movie experts with a need for thrills—and they call themselves the Mary Shelley Club. It's your standard setup for this kind of mystery/thriller, yes, but sometimes you choose the classics for a reason...
Rachel Chavez is no stranger to horror. A victim of a home invasion turned horrific, Rachel has turned to horror movies as means to cope with her trauma and inoculate herself against future fear. Is it healthy? Probably not. But is is working? Jury's out.
When Rachel attends a late-night party for her high school and witnesses a sinister prank and instead of getting scared, she laughs instead, Rachel brings herself to the attention of the Mary Shelley Club. They invite her in, and that's when things get interesting.
Because while the Mary Shelley Club members are supposed to be the horror that stalks their student body, Rachel can't help but notice that something seems to be stalking her too. And things might not be what they seem.
I thought this was an extremely well done book for its tropes. With the classic setup, character sheets, and mysteries included, The Mary Shelley Club was almost a nostalgic ride through the hits of young adult mysteries mixed with a dash of horror movie classics. I thoroughly enjoyed it. For someone who's read a fair few in this genre, the surprises were not earth-shattering, but I did find myself falling for a few of red herrings along the way and did get authentically surprised at one of the final elements.
A nicely done, nicely paced, and all-around enjoyable young adult thriller. Definitely pick this up if you're a fan of the genre.
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Read
May 24, 2021DNF at 30%. I just really really don’t like it. I so want to. The title and the cover is absolutely stunning. But I can’t get through it.
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April 11, 2021
⤅ This one's a bit of a rollercoaster. It starts out pretty solidly, has a strong middle, and then kind of descends into shaky melodrama at the end.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's skip back to the beginning.
Rachel Chavez and her mum have just moved to a new house in New York. Their reason for fleeing the old house? Rachel killed a home intruder, who later turned out to be a boy from her school. Now she's ready for a new start.
But one night at a party, she notices something weird. There's a manufactured 'horror prank' which targets Manchester Prep's queen bee, and a boy called Freddie seems to be behind it. When she confronts him, he denies it, but she eventually squeezes the truth out of him: he - along with a girl called Felicity, a boy called Thayer, and the queen bee's boyfriend Bram - are part of the Mary Shelley Club, a secret society dedicating to creating scares for their fellow classmates. It's structured as a game, and whoever can make their target scream in the best way wins.
Rachel is hooked immediately. But even as she gets closer and closer to Freddie, the rest of the Club seem frustratingly out of reach, especially Bram. And something's not quite right with the game. How far, exactly, are they allowed to go?
Okay, so this has a cool premise, and for the most part the execution is decent too. Rachel is a likeable heroine, desperate to fit in but also knowing she can't. Her fascination with old horror movies is a nice touch that ties the whole book together. I've never watched any myself though so I can't really comment.
The ending... I wasn't a fan of. It's very abrupt, there are a LOT of loose ends, and is edgy enough that one might call it a mild cliff-hanger. The thing is, I actually predicted the plot twist, then dismissed it because I saw there was only 5% of the book left and that wasn't enough to handle it well. I was right, it wasn't enough.
⤅ Overall
A sharp, mostly tight novel which isn't precisely scary but carries a good chill factor to it.
[Blog]
March 28, 2022
Do you hear that sound? That is the sound of my high pitched scream as I hurl this book across my living room (this is one of two times I've ever thrown a book in my life). I think this is quite possibly the absolute worst book I've ever read. It doesn't even deserve 1 star in my opinion.
Oh god, where to even start with this one? Do we start with Rachel, the absolute EMBODIMENT of a "pick me" girl? As if she wasn't already the worst, most annoying, "I'm not like other girls (moms), I'm a cool girl (mom)" ever, she was a horrible friend. Just everything about her was horrible. I hated her, I hated being in her head, I wish I could have ripped her from the pages and killed her myself. Ope.
Or maybe we start with the pretentious dialogue about horror movies? The awkward and clunky horror movie references and tropes? The way the writing feels like a child playing dress up? The fact that every. single. person. is two dimensional? That they all have these "secrets" and these "secrets" are why they joined the MSC, and yet WE NEVER KNOW WHAT THEY ARE?! The petty, ridiculous, cringe-y teenage mean girl drama? We could talk about the pacing, how it dragged and dragged, the endless paragraphs about the stupidest, most useless things like what watch someone was wearing, why someone liked sushi. How one of the most horrible things about this book is how horribly long it is.
Ugh! This book really was just absolutely awful and slogging my way through this was a cruel form of torture. The amount of eye-rolling, scoffing and face palming I did while reading this was unreal. I feel like this book rotted my brain away. Do I even like reading after this?
I feel like Moldavsky had a list of all her favorite horror movie tropes and all she cared about was checking each one off, shoving them down our throats, no matter how awfully they were written, placed, awkwardly thrown about. It wasn't fun, it wasn't campy, it was an absolute slaughtering (and not in a good way) of the horror genre.
And the saddest part of this whole thing is this was such a cool concept.
Don't even get me started about the "big reveal" at the end.
Overall feelings:
**This would have been an almost immediate DNF if I wasn't buddy reading.
Oh god, where to even start with this one? Do we start with Rachel, the absolute EMBODIMENT of a "pick me" girl? As if she wasn't already the worst, most annoying, "I'm not like other girls (moms), I'm a cool girl (mom)" ever, she was a horrible friend. Just everything about her was horrible. I hated her, I hated being in her head, I wish I could have ripped her from the pages and killed her myself. Ope.
Or maybe we start with the pretentious dialogue about horror movies? The awkward and clunky horror movie references and tropes? The way the writing feels like a child playing dress up? The fact that every. single. person. is two dimensional? That they all have these "secrets" and these "secrets" are why they joined the MSC, and yet WE NEVER KNOW WHAT THEY ARE?! The petty, ridiculous, cringe-y teenage mean girl drama? We could talk about the pacing, how it dragged and dragged, the endless paragraphs about the stupidest, most useless things like what watch someone was wearing, why someone liked sushi. How one of the most horrible things about this book is how horribly long it is.
Ugh! This book really was just absolutely awful and slogging my way through this was a cruel form of torture. The amount of eye-rolling, scoffing and face palming I did while reading this was unreal. I feel like this book rotted my brain away. Do I even like reading after this?
I feel like Moldavsky had a list of all her favorite horror movie tropes and all she cared about was checking each one off, shoving them down our throats, no matter how awfully they were written, placed, awkwardly thrown about. It wasn't fun, it wasn't campy, it was an absolute slaughtering (and not in a good way) of the horror genre.
And the saddest part of this whole thing is this was such a cool concept.
Don't even get me started about the "big reveal" at the end.
Overall feelings:
**This would have been an almost immediate DNF if I wasn't buddy reading.
March 9, 2021
Actual rating 3.5/5 stars.
The synopsis stated this book was "Scream meets Gossip Girl with a dash of One of Us is Lying" and I'd say that was a pretty apt comparison.
Rachel Chavez has overcome a tragic ordeal and her go-to coping mechanism is horror films, the gorier and the ghostlier the better. Few in her new school understand her obscure references and those who do seem to want nothing to do with her. Rachel is determined to infiltrate their ranks, but when she manages to do so she discovers there is far more than just a penchant for watching horror that binds them together. These differing individuals also like to create it, as well.
The crafting of different horror scenarios was such an awesome and unique addition to this story, but the more drama and angst filled sections in-between failed to appeal for me, in quite the same way. The contemporary genre was represented just as much as the thriller genre was and as I am someone who reads little from the former category, I found myself wading through some sections and longing to return to the thrills and chills I had come here anticipating. This was still a thoroughly engaging story, with many concluding twists I did not see coming, but wasn't wholly my vibe, throughout.
Also, the US title, The Mary Shelley Club, along with its creepy cover is far superior to the UK title, The Last Girl, with its bland gold one. Just sayin'.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Goldy Moldavsky, and the publisher, Electric Monkey, for this opportunity.
The synopsis stated this book was "Scream meets Gossip Girl with a dash of One of Us is Lying" and I'd say that was a pretty apt comparison.
Rachel Chavez has overcome a tragic ordeal and her go-to coping mechanism is horror films, the gorier and the ghostlier the better. Few in her new school understand her obscure references and those who do seem to want nothing to do with her. Rachel is determined to infiltrate their ranks, but when she manages to do so she discovers there is far more than just a penchant for watching horror that binds them together. These differing individuals also like to create it, as well.
The crafting of different horror scenarios was such an awesome and unique addition to this story, but the more drama and angst filled sections in-between failed to appeal for me, in quite the same way. The contemporary genre was represented just as much as the thriller genre was and as I am someone who reads little from the former category, I found myself wading through some sections and longing to return to the thrills and chills I had come here anticipating. This was still a thoroughly engaging story, with many concluding twists I did not see coming, but wasn't wholly my vibe, throughout.
Also, the US title, The Mary Shelley Club, along with its creepy cover is far superior to the UK title, The Last Girl, with its bland gold one. Just sayin'.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Goldy Moldavsky, and the publisher, Electric Monkey, for this opportunity.
July 6, 2021
I thought this was just okay. I liked the premise, but was hoping for it to be a little creepier. I also felt like it was pretty predictable. It does seem like it set up the option for a book two, though I’m torn on whether or not I’d read a sequel or not!
April 15, 2025
Elegimos este libro para leer con mi club de lectura, y la verdad es que fue medio un fail. Pero empiezo por destacar lo positivo. Creo que el libro es terriblemente divertido, casi no podía soltarlo. Cada vez que recurría a él lo avanzaba un montón porque es adictivo. Tiene un formato que recuerda muchísimo a ciertos clásicos del cine de terror. Esto último me lleva a destacar algo que me pareció muy interesante: se nota que está escrito por alguien que ama el cine de género, y que no mete referencias por meterlas, sino que sabe exactamente lo que hace. Los guiños y las referencias estuvieron muy bien, aún aquellos que no fueron explícitos y seguían un formato similar al de cierto tipo de películas (como el cine slasher, o el de home invasion). Incluso el final del libro tiene un estilo digno de película de terror. Aunque no catalogaría este libro como “terror” propiamente dicho, sí diría que se trata de un thriller que podría gustarle al público más joven que ame el terror.
Pero los guiños y el amor por el terror no fueron suficientes para rescatar este libro. Hay un montón de cosas que no me cerraron, y son el motivo por el que le doy 2 estrellas a esta obra. Empezando por el hecho de que sentí que la narración era excesivamente teen en su escritura, en los diálogos, en los planteos que se dan a lo largo de la historia (aunque, para ser sincera, creo que el verdadero problema es que no soy el target de la autora). Haciendo uso de un anglicismo muy popular entre el público teen (para no salir del tono, ¿no?), la novela tiene muchas situaciones que pecan de ser muy “cringe” por lo absurdas y juveniles que son dentro de un clima de tensión y seriedad. Hay varias incongruencias, quedan algunos cabos sueltos, cosas que no se terminan de entender. No sé, siento que el concepto estaba bueno, pero no estuvo bien aprovechado.
Pero los guiños y el amor por el terror no fueron suficientes para rescatar este libro. Hay un montón de cosas que no me cerraron, y son el motivo por el que le doy 2 estrellas a esta obra. Empezando por el hecho de que sentí que la narración era excesivamente teen en su escritura, en los diálogos, en los planteos que se dan a lo largo de la historia (aunque, para ser sincera, creo que el verdadero problema es que no soy el target de la autora). Haciendo uso de un anglicismo muy popular entre el público teen (para no salir del tono, ¿no?), la novela tiene muchas situaciones que pecan de ser muy “cringe” por lo absurdas y juveniles que son dentro de un clima de tensión y seriedad. Hay varias incongruencias, quedan algunos cabos sueltos, cosas que no se terminan de entender. No sé, siento que el concepto estaba bueno, pero no estuvo bien aprovechado.
May 31, 2022
This book isn’t quite what I was expecting. It’s a bit more of a high school drama, a la Pretty Little Liars, than a horror novel. That said, horror lovers will LOVE this book. The characters are all just as obsessed with horror movies as I am, and there are so many references to both popular films and the more obscure.
I loved the author’s voice. She writes like how a teenager talks, but it still has that level of carefully crafted linguistic style that really immerses the reader into the story and the youthful–and somewhat twisted–mind of Rachel.
The plot of the story is phenomenal. I was quite surprised by the great reveal at the end, even though I’d thought I’d considered every possible outcome. After knowing how the book ends, little narrative and stylistic choices throughout the story have become clear, and I’m marveling at the skilled storytelling of Goldy Modavsky. I can’t wait to read more of her stories! 5 stars.
I loved the author’s voice. She writes like how a teenager talks, but it still has that level of carefully crafted linguistic style that really immerses the reader into the story and the youthful–and somewhat twisted–mind of Rachel.
The plot of the story is phenomenal. I was quite surprised by the great reveal at the end, even though I’d thought I’d considered every possible outcome. After knowing how the book ends, little narrative and stylistic choices throughout the story have become clear, and I’m marveling at the skilled storytelling of Goldy Modavsky. I can’t wait to read more of her stories! 5 stars.
February 27, 2021
That was glorious!
September 11, 2024
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK! First off it was an incredibly easy read and I was able to finish it in a couple of days. My assumptions and theories were completely wrong. I was caught off guard by the insane plot twist. I fell in love with Rachel and how great of a main character she is. The ending sets it up perfectly for the sequel (will we get one? I sure hope so). I will recommend this to all of the fellow bookworms who like horror!
February 9, 2021
HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS FOLKS! Let me tell you about the best book you’ve never heard of. Thank you so much to Macmillian/Henry Holt and Goldy Moldavsky for the pleasure of reading this book that comes out on April 13. The Mary Shelley Club is a HIT! You will be hearing about this book in the future.
There are three things everyone knows about a good horror movie.
1. Avoid abandoned buildings at all times
2. Don’t split up - stay together, even if someone wants to “check something out”
3. If there is a murderer on the loose, don’t waste time making out
But what about real life?
The Mary Shelley Club begins Rachel being attacked by two masked men in her home. A year later her world is completely different. After transferring schools and starting to rebuild, Rachel copes by watching horror movies. She wants to master her fear, even if that means forgoing friendship. But sometimes friendship comes to you. For Rachel, it is in the form of The Mary Shelley Club, a secret and exclusive club on her new prep school’s campus. After stumbling into a prank they were pulling, Rachel finds herself being initiated into a club that has one goal - to truly scare people.
Each member of The Mary Shelley Club has a “fear test” where they plan the ultimate scary scenario and act it out. Each member has a role, and the group has a target that they want to get to scream. The four other members of the group have their own reasons for choosing their targets, and Rachel has a target of her own.
At one point in the book Rachel states, “you could say that slashers actually give the Final Girl the kind of agency that women in other film genres never experience”. This book is about female empowerment and the strength it takes to be a Final Girl. It is about overcoming fear in the world around you as well as the fear of yourself. The many references to the horror movie genre are entertaining and capture the reader’s attention in the way other plots can’t.
While some YA books learn towards fledgling romance and unnecessary drama, The Mary Shelley Club reads like an adult thriller. It does have many of the themes of a YA book, but is well done and enthralling. It was if Scream and A Good Girls Guide to Murder had a book baby, and would be a great choice for fans of thrillers, mysteries, YA, or any combination of the three. While some may not enjoy the open ending, I liked that it left room for a sequel. Things are explained just enough that you know why certain things happened, but there is room for more explanation in a future book. One thing is for sure- Goldy Moldavsky is one to watch. 5-stars!
First available on mysteryandsuspense.com
There are three things everyone knows about a good horror movie.
1. Avoid abandoned buildings at all times
2. Don’t split up - stay together, even if someone wants to “check something out”
3. If there is a murderer on the loose, don’t waste time making out
But what about real life?
The Mary Shelley Club begins Rachel being attacked by two masked men in her home. A year later her world is completely different. After transferring schools and starting to rebuild, Rachel copes by watching horror movies. She wants to master her fear, even if that means forgoing friendship. But sometimes friendship comes to you. For Rachel, it is in the form of The Mary Shelley Club, a secret and exclusive club on her new prep school’s campus. After stumbling into a prank they were pulling, Rachel finds herself being initiated into a club that has one goal - to truly scare people.
Each member of The Mary Shelley Club has a “fear test” where they plan the ultimate scary scenario and act it out. Each member has a role, and the group has a target that they want to get to scream. The four other members of the group have their own reasons for choosing their targets, and Rachel has a target of her own.
At one point in the book Rachel states, “you could say that slashers actually give the Final Girl the kind of agency that women in other film genres never experience”. This book is about female empowerment and the strength it takes to be a Final Girl. It is about overcoming fear in the world around you as well as the fear of yourself. The many references to the horror movie genre are entertaining and capture the reader’s attention in the way other plots can’t.
While some YA books learn towards fledgling romance and unnecessary drama, The Mary Shelley Club reads like an adult thriller. It does have many of the themes of a YA book, but is well done and enthralling. It was if Scream and A Good Girls Guide to Murder had a book baby, and would be a great choice for fans of thrillers, mysteries, YA, or any combination of the three. While some may not enjoy the open ending, I liked that it left room for a sequel. Things are explained just enough that you know why certain things happened, but there is room for more explanation in a future book. One thing is for sure- Goldy Moldavsky is one to watch. 5-stars!
First available on mysteryandsuspense.com
July 19, 2021
Do you understand what addiction is? Just like any other feeling, this too is pure, raw and exponential when fed with the right fodder.
This book was my addiction and the Mary Shelley club its fodder. I was compelled to spend nights, awake, looking like a zombie in the dark, devouring this book like one devours a late night snack. Was the horror fanatic in me overindulged? Definitely. I just can't give horror the sole bragging rights though. For someone who has the attention span of a fly, I did pretty well with this one. So yeah, the narration was impeccable too.
Was this book silly? Yes, hands down. Did I like silly? I was starving for it. I crammed it down my throat like it would all evaporate from the face of the Earth if I didn't.
I loved the characters, I loved the thrills, and yes, I also loved how predictable it felt it was, while it actually wasn't!
Pranks. Oh no, the Mary Shelley club prefers to call that the Art of Fear. To see how fear manifests, how it triggers the flight or fight response, and how it is possible to gain power over it. This exclusive club goes beyond anything and everything to achieve their goals. Sprinkled with the right amount of humour and suspense, the story twists and turns to an ending that is both unnerving and surreal. From Elite and The Babysitter to Get Even and Pretty Little Liars, this book has all the classic horror feels with just the bling to validate all the glamour.
This book was my addiction and the Mary Shelley club its fodder. I was compelled to spend nights, awake, looking like a zombie in the dark, devouring this book like one devours a late night snack. Was the horror fanatic in me overindulged? Definitely. I just can't give horror the sole bragging rights though. For someone who has the attention span of a fly, I did pretty well with this one. So yeah, the narration was impeccable too.
Was this book silly? Yes, hands down. Did I like silly? I was starving for it. I crammed it down my throat like it would all evaporate from the face of the Earth if I didn't.
I loved the characters, I loved the thrills, and yes, I also loved how predictable it felt it was, while it actually wasn't!
Pranks. Oh no, the Mary Shelley club prefers to call that the Art of Fear. To see how fear manifests, how it triggers the flight or fight response, and how it is possible to gain power over it. This exclusive club goes beyond anything and everything to achieve their goals. Sprinkled with the right amount of humour and suspense, the story twists and turns to an ending that is both unnerving and surreal. From Elite and The Babysitter to Get Even and Pretty Little Liars, this book has all the classic horror feels with just the bling to validate all the glamour.
July 4, 2023
This book was everything I wanted it to be. The blurb said Scream meets Gossip Girl and I found that to be spot on. It was campy, scary, thrilling, had me at the edge of my seat but, also had me laughing at loud.
Rachel survived an attack in her home a year prior. She goes to a new school but, is still learning to cope and move forward from her trauma. She gets involved in this club called The Mary Shelley club. They watch Horror movies and have these fear tests which all members are required to participate in. At first Rachel finds solace and a sense of belonging but, then the fear tests start to go wrong and the members of the club are being targeted.
I loved everything about this book. I went in with no expectations just hoping to be entertained and man was I ever. So glad I read this!
Rachel survived an attack in her home a year prior. She goes to a new school but, is still learning to cope and move forward from her trauma. She gets involved in this club called The Mary Shelley club. They watch Horror movies and have these fear tests which all members are required to participate in. At first Rachel finds solace and a sense of belonging but, then the fear tests start to go wrong and the members of the club are being targeted.
I loved everything about this book. I went in with no expectations just hoping to be entertained and man was I ever. So glad I read this!
May 19, 2021
Wow, that was an eventful roller-coaster! I completely steam rolled through this book, it grabbed me from the first page and refused to let me go again, even now after I've finished it I'm just sat here staring at it like "umm, what"?!? Such an unexpected ending!
March 16, 2021
I think The Mary Shelley Club might have the most horror movie references that I have ever read inside a book. If you're someone who loves or has a lot of knowledge about both old and modern horror movies, then this book is the perfect comfort read. While it may not deliver the best scares, the characters, setting, and instantly grabbing concept make a book that could easily be read overnight.
What I enjoyed the most is how The Mary Shelley Club had a very structural storyline. We have this secret club with a couple of members who have to scare their "target" victim with a carefully constructed setup. In between we learn more about Rachel as tensions and suspicions slowly begin to rise among the anonymous group.
Maybe a weird topic of conversation, but I haven't read that many YA Slashers, so I'm not really sure where they draw the line in terms of gore and such. While this book does prey on some pretty big fears like home invasion, the sequences or chapters where the club is encroaching on their target were hit or miss for me in terms of how creepy it was. Surprisingly, there was a lot more emphasis on the mystery and the whodunit factor of the book.
An easy-to-read slasher for those who might want to test their horror pop culture knowledge, this book should be on your radar!
What I enjoyed the most is how The Mary Shelley Club had a very structural storyline. We have this secret club with a couple of members who have to scare their "target" victim with a carefully constructed setup. In between we learn more about Rachel as tensions and suspicions slowly begin to rise among the anonymous group.
Maybe a weird topic of conversation, but I haven't read that many YA Slashers, so I'm not really sure where they draw the line in terms of gore and such. While this book does prey on some pretty big fears like home invasion, the sequences or chapters where the club is encroaching on their target were hit or miss for me in terms of how creepy it was. Surprisingly, there was a lot more emphasis on the mystery and the whodunit factor of the book.
An easy-to-read slasher for those who might want to test their horror pop culture knowledge, this book should be on your radar!
May 12, 2024
⋆౨ৎ 4★˚⟡˖ ࣪
↳ spice rating: 0/5
"real monsters aren't the ones created by man. the real monster is man himself."
⋆.˚➛ wow, this book was really good! going into the mary shelley club, i wasn’t sure how much i would enjoy it, but it surprised me in the best way!
- goldy moldavsky did an excellent job with the pacing of this story. while it did start a bit uninteresting, i was quickly hooked after about 125 pages! as soon as i’d feel bored, chaos would ensue, once again catching my attention. her writing style, while nothing extraordinary, was perfect for this story!
- the plot was very captivating! a group of teenagers causing havoc in the form of “fear tests” was something i’ve never read about before! i did guess most of the plot twists (including the major one towards the end), but i’m so glad the story ended the way it did! i can’t imagine a more compelling and shocking ending to this book.
- in all honesty, i had a hard time connecting to rachel chavez, the main character, in the beginning, but by the end of this book, i was rooting for her so much! she’s such a strong character and deserved so much better. my opinions on the side characters are split: i love half of them and despise the other half. but i don’t want to talk about them for the risk of accidentally spoiling the story!
⋆.˚➛ as a whole, i really enjoyed this book!! it’s perfect for lovers of horror movies, gothic atmospheres, and mysterious, secret clubs! try not to take it too seriously, and just enjoy yourself while reading this book. <3
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁
↳ spice rating: 0/5
"real monsters aren't the ones created by man. the real monster is man himself."
⋆.˚➛ wow, this book was really good! going into the mary shelley club, i wasn’t sure how much i would enjoy it, but it surprised me in the best way!
- goldy moldavsky did an excellent job with the pacing of this story. while it did start a bit uninteresting, i was quickly hooked after about 125 pages! as soon as i’d feel bored, chaos would ensue, once again catching my attention. her writing style, while nothing extraordinary, was perfect for this story!
- the plot was very captivating! a group of teenagers causing havoc in the form of “fear tests” was something i’ve never read about before! i did guess most of the plot twists (including the major one towards the end), but i’m so glad the story ended the way it did! i can’t imagine a more compelling and shocking ending to this book.
- in all honesty, i had a hard time connecting to rachel chavez, the main character, in the beginning, but by the end of this book, i was rooting for her so much! she’s such a strong character and deserved so much better. my opinions on the side characters are split: i love half of them and despise the other half. but i don’t want to talk about them for the risk of accidentally spoiling the story!
⋆.˚➛ as a whole, i really enjoyed this book!! it’s perfect for lovers of horror movies, gothic atmospheres, and mysterious, secret clubs! try not to take it too seriously, and just enjoy yourself while reading this book. <3
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September 1, 2021
Review published in: https://diagnosisbookaholic.blogspot....
I really try with YA novels, believe me, I do, but no matter how hard I try I can’t really connect with them and see what everyone else seems to do.
The premise of this one sounded so interesting. A mysterious club doing horror movies inspired pranks? Sold! Great premise, not so great execution.
I found the characters pretty bland. They were mostly rich, spoiled kids behaving obnoxiously like rich, spoiled kids just because they could. They were so immature I would have given them more than one slap. Funny thing was they thought they were really mature and had “the weight of the world on their shoulders” at 17 yo.
Another issue for me were the Fear Tests. While I appreciate how the author tried to tie them to different movies, I felt them lacking. For all their talk, some of them were pretty naive. Put a mask and…BOO!
It seemed like the plot was not going anywhere for almost 2/3 of the story, just a succession of Fear Tests and club meetings. The ending wasn’t satisfying at all, not only because it left things open for a possible sequel but because also left several questions unanswered. If the big reveal was supposed to make me shout “WHAT??!!” it just made me say “ok, whatever…” so…
Although it had some interesting aspects overall it was just an ok read for me.
I really try with YA novels, believe me, I do, but no matter how hard I try I can’t really connect with them and see what everyone else seems to do.
The premise of this one sounded so interesting. A mysterious club doing horror movies inspired pranks? Sold! Great premise, not so great execution.
I found the characters pretty bland. They were mostly rich, spoiled kids behaving obnoxiously like rich, spoiled kids just because they could. They were so immature I would have given them more than one slap. Funny thing was they thought they were really mature and had “the weight of the world on their shoulders” at 17 yo.
Another issue for me were the Fear Tests. While I appreciate how the author tried to tie them to different movies, I felt them lacking. For all their talk, some of them were pretty naive. Put a mask and…BOO!
It seemed like the plot was not going anywhere for almost 2/3 of the story, just a succession of Fear Tests and club meetings. The ending wasn’t satisfying at all, not only because it left things open for a possible sequel but because also left several questions unanswered. If the big reveal was supposed to make me shout “WHAT??!!” it just made me say “ok, whatever…” so…
Although it had some interesting aspects overall it was just an ok read for me.
June 13, 2023
This was a pretty solid high school setting, YA thriller \ horror. I was pleasantly surprised at the twists the plot took, sending me on a wild ride of "I have predicted the end!" to "Okay, maybe not!" and that's always my box to check for a decent thriller.
Not really any characters to love here, but maybe it was best not to get too attached anyways, being this genre. There was more time spent on Slasher films and modern horror movies in the kids' discussions than Mary Shelley, to my dismay, but it was a good listen. Lots of fun pop culture references, and I was chortling at an argument over Joshua Jackson's "best era".
Carla Corvo's performance elevated the material in a great way; her monotone valley girl accent used during a séance early in the book made me laugh out loud.
Overall a very satisfying, engaging audiobook.
Not really any characters to love here, but maybe it was best not to get too attached anyways, being this genre. There was more time spent on Slasher films and modern horror movies in the kids' discussions than Mary Shelley, to my dismay, but it was a good listen. Lots of fun pop culture references, and I was chortling at an argument over Joshua Jackson's "best era".
Carla Corvo's performance elevated the material in a great way; her monotone valley girl accent used during a séance early in the book made me laugh out loud.
Overall a very satisfying, engaging audiobook.
May 27, 2021
goldy promised a bodycount and she did not disappoint
February 5, 2022
I really loved Kill the Boy Band, and this book sounded so good, but it was just OK. It dragged on for entirely too long (it was 470 pages) and at the end of the day, I just wanted MORE. I didn't really care about or particularly like any of the characters and the mystery was just boring and predictable.
May 25, 2024
The horror sections of the book are where the strength lies.
I DO NOT recommend listening to this one, as the narrator makes a somewhat younger adult telling of horror even more young and annoying feeling. If I read the physical version of this book, I probably would have enjoyed it a LOT more.
Goldy Moldavsky created characters you wanted to see tortured and killed, which is a strength in the horror genre. So even though I was annoyed at times, I wasn't sad to see them end up as the butt of the pranks.
The weakness was that so much of the book was about the daily lives of vapid teens, which I didn't much care for. But those pranks from both sides were redemption-worthy. I do love the idea of the Mary Shelley Club in general.
I would read something else from Moldavsky in the future, but hopefully, that narrator isn't involved. I just know to check in the future.
Solid 3 stars.
I DO NOT recommend listening to this one, as the narrator makes a somewhat younger adult telling of horror even more young and annoying feeling. If I read the physical version of this book, I probably would have enjoyed it a LOT more.
Goldy Moldavsky created characters you wanted to see tortured and killed, which is a strength in the horror genre. So even though I was annoyed at times, I wasn't sad to see them end up as the butt of the pranks.
The weakness was that so much of the book was about the daily lives of vapid teens, which I didn't much care for. But those pranks from both sides were redemption-worthy. I do love the idea of the Mary Shelley Club in general.
I would read something else from Moldavsky in the future, but hopefully, that narrator isn't involved. I just know to check in the future.
Solid 3 stars.
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