Scarewaves

Scarewaves #1

by Trevor Henderson

Internet horror superstar Trevor Henderson is famous for his ghastly creations and hair-raising creepypastas. Now he brings that talent for the terrifying to this debut middle-grade thriller.

You don’t stay out after dark in Beacon Point…

The small town of Beacon Point has always been plagued by eerie local phenomena. It’s a town where disappearances are common, strange creatures have been sighted with unnerving frequency, and a ghastly secret lurks in the woods.

The adults in town are oblivious to these strange occurrences. Others prefer not to talk or even think about them. But over the course of several terrifying nights, a group of kids will come face to face with the horrors hiding within their sleepy town. Guided by the mysterious radio host Alan Graves, they must follow the clues to a terrifying secret before it eats them alive.

Genres: Horror, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fantasy, Halloween, Audiobook, Thriller

208 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2023

Reviews

[megs_bookrack · Rating 5 out of 5]

**4.5-stars rounded up **

The small town of Beacon Point has a long and lurid history of eerie local phenomena. People disappear on the regular and creepy creatures are sighted just as regularly.

The adult residents of the town prefer not to talk about these unpleasantries, so they tend to turn the other way, or sweep unsavory incidents under the proverbial rug.



Regardless of the adults lack of action. over the course of several increasingly scary nights, a group of the local kids are forced to work together to try to find out the truth about their town. They need to put a stop to the horrors, before the horrors put a stop to them.

With fast-paced, intense chapters following the kids, as well as excerpts from a local radio show relaying the past spooky history of the town, Scarewaves is a wildly-entertaining read!



I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook for this one and cannot recommend it highly enough. The production is so well done. It had me giddy!

I particularly enjoyed the sections from the radio show. The narration of the show host, Alan Graves, was so convincing. I would frequently forget what I was listening to, it sounded so much like a creepy podcast. Also included, fantastic sound effects that made those parts extra fun.



I really enjoyed the initial set-up to this one as well. We have a new girl in town, a social outcast, and other kids becoming friends with a cause, and an urgency. They need to figure the mystery of their town out and they learn to rely on one another rather quickly because of that.

I was also so impressed with the horror imagery that Henderson brought to the page. I mean, I know I shouldn't have been surprised by that, as it is what he does. If you are familiar with Henderson's illustrations, you know he has an incredibly dark and vivid imagination. We love to see it!



As far as Middle Grade Horror goes, this definitely is top shelf work. There are legit scary moments in this. I would have been obsessed with this as a kid. Heck, I'm almost obsessed with it as an adult!

An absolute monster of a debut for Henderson. I definitely recommend if you are a fan of Spooky Middle Grade that you add this one to your TBR immediately.



Thank you so much to the publisher, Scholastic Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was an darkly delightful read!

[Alex | | findingmontauk1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of middle grade horror and when I saw Trevor Henderson had an upcoming release I just knew I had to check it out. I have been a fan of Henderson's illustrations and artwork for some time now, so I just had to know how those same thoughts that created some amazing and terrifying images would translate into words and a story. And I can say YES YES YES! Some of these monsters in Scarewaves are absolutely terrifying to imagine as an adult, let alone as a younger reader. I devoured this book and know my younger self would have, too. This is the kind of book that awakens the horror-loving self within and sets readers up for a lifelong relationship with horror in all forms of media. In addition to the horror, Scarewaves brings together all the small town vibes and ALL the friendship and camaraderie. This is the type of book you might pick up at one of those school book fairs and know nothing about it, but then it turns out to be on of the best things you've read and a book that will stay with you for years to come. There are some truly tense scenes and absolutely horrifying imagery with some of these monsters, and I can say that I will not be looking out my windows at night towards the trees behind my house ANY time soon.

I can't wait for more stories from Trevor Henderson as Scarewaves proves his talents are so multifaceted and that he is just a true gem in the horror community for all ages.

[Jason Harlow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Internet horror guy and cryptid fanatic Trevor Henderson brings us an entertaining spooky middle grade effort that just missed the mark. The book begins with a girl named Beverly vanishing and gives us a ton of insight towards the town of Beacon Point and its creepy monsters. The radio show (cleverly titled BCON) with Alan Graves was probably the most entertaining because it told us about the lore of the town, but the characters themselves were hard to get excited about. The town's creepy monsters were cool but because this is geared toward younger readers, there of course are no serial killers or any villains that seem too scary or threatening. There are some cool illustrations but without them, this would be a lot less exciting. This definitely doesn't suck, so it gets a 3/5 from me. I'll probably check out the sequel at some point.

[Silvie Klokgieter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wanneer Mary naar Beacon Point verhuist, beweert haar nieuwe vriend Lucas dat er monsters in en om het huis van Mary dwalen. Hier blijkt geen woord van gelogen wanneer Mary wordt aangevallen door een wezen dat als twee druppels water op haar lijkt.

Ook in de rest van het dorp worden kinderen aangevallen door griezelige monsters. De kinderen willen hulp inschakelen, maar worden niet geloofd door de volwassenen. Nu zit er niks anders op dan hun eigen plan te trekken om te bewijzen dat de monsters wél echt bestaan. Maar of dat nou zo’n goed idee is?

'Angstgolven' is inmiddels het tiende deel van de Horrorland serie en deze keer gaat het over een dorpje genaamd 'Beacon Point'. Het begint meteen met een hele spannende proloog.

Je leest vanuit verschillende personages. Zo is er Mary. Zij is pas naar dit dorpje verhuisd. Maar ook lees je over Lucas. Hij woont op een boerderij, samen met zijn vader, en maakt daar ook iets heel vreemds en engs mee. Vervolgens lees je nog over Byron, een andere jongen die ook hele enge dingen ziet.

Sommige hoofdstukken wisselen af met fragmenten uit een radioprogramma. Hier kom je meer over de vreemde gebeurtenissen uit het verleden te weten. Monsters...verdwijningen.... Het is overduidelijk dat er iets goed mis is met 'Beacon Point'.

'Angstgolven' vond ik echt een heel goed verhaal! De sfeer is zo duister, donker en eng. Ik verplaatste mij even in een kind van tien en ik denk dat ik dit persoonlijk het engste deel tot nu toe vind.

Trevor heeft de enge omgeving en monsters ontzettend goed op papier weten over te brengen. Daarbij vond ik het ook leuk om er eens illustraties bij te zien. Dit was een mooie toevoeging.

'Angstgolven' heb ik in één ruk uitgelezen. En ja, ik zeg het nogmaals: het is het beste deel tot nu toe!

Ik wil @kluitman en @horrorland_kluitman heel erg bedanken voor deze spannende verrassing!

Beoordeling: 4,0/4,5 ⭐️

[Lor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trevor is one of the most passionate and fun-loving horror creators around and this book is a testament to his righteous spooky prowess. Some of these creepies are so iconic already!!!

[DAISY READS HORROR · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a creepy eerie cover! This story had so many spooky elements. I loved the deer monsters and the parts of the story that had the radio host talking about the scary history of the town. That was a fun portion to add to the story. If this turns into a series I’d love to read the rest and find out what happens with the rest of the kids & creatures. 👀

**thank you to the publisher for allowing me to review this book**

[Katie T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid middle grade spooky read.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun book! I loved the way Henderson's art was woven into the narrative, the inclusion of the radio show excerpts, and the way the whole story tied together. As an adult I enjoyed it immensely, and am psyched to see middle grade fiction getting such a delightfully spooky boost.

[Megyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up!

Scare waves is a middle grade horror book about a group of kids who all have encounters with monsters but all of the adults don’t believe them. Many other kids have gone missing in their town and their are a lot of stories and myths about their town. They ban together to try and stop these monsters and save the kids in their town.

This book was just ok for me. I liked the radio show aspects sprinkled in, I’m a sucker for mixed media in books. I liked all of the characters and the monsters were all very creepy and scary. The book also had illustrations throughout (which didn’t show up on my kindle but I’m sure will be great when published.)

I’m not a fan about how many characters were introduced and how many of them went missing and never heard from again in the book. There were too many characters introduced and too much going on. I think a couple of these characters could’ve been taken out without having a big impact on the story. I also feel like the ending was a bit lackluster and I wasn’t to totally happy with it.

I think it was a good debut novel and it had a good creepy vibe. However, there were a couple of thinks that bothered me throughout. Thanks so much to netgalley and scholastic for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Holly Dimitrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminds me of a 90's YA horror, You know like the ones that would have gotten from the school book fairs. I loved it as an adult and would have been obsessed with it as a kid (like I was all YA horror books). This book gave me all the nostalgic vibes that I needed. So many throwbacks and now let's talk about the Radio Show that was in the book, awesome!!! It was a great addition and added so much to the fun spooky vibes in the book.
Kids have a scary time, and Parents are not around or whatnot; typical for a YA horror book, yes but this book has so much more. The great imagery, I have read adult horror with less. The creepy parts were great and were def scary. Loved it all.
Oh and the characters, they were great. I loved the element of the new girl in town. That just stepped up this book in my opinion.
I have nothing but great things to say about this book, it is def a must-read for kids and adults. You will not be disappointed.

The above is my opinion/review. I am so glad to have the opportunity to have read this book as an ARC, thanks to the publishers and NetGalley. I can't wait to see what else this author writes next. My review is my own, honest and voluntary.

[Steve Stred · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll admit, that up until about maybe four years ago, I wasn’t familiar with Trevor Henderson’s online creations. It wasn’t until my son began scouring Youtube for crazy creatures to watch and start to draw and try and build with Playdoh and Lego, that he came across Siren Head, Long Horse, Cartoon Cat and many many more. I’ve never much time looking at Creepypasta stuff, nor on Reddit, so that was all a new world to me. And, when we both found out Trevor was Canadian, it made us smile with glee! Since then, I’ve been fortunate to have connected with Trevor and when he announced this book, my son and I were over the moon! A middle grade horror novel would be a perfect book for us to read together!

Now, typically, this would be a book I’d read in one or two sittings, but because we were reading it together, as well as other books, it took us far longer than normal, but even with the pauses in between chapters, it was a book that we were always excited to jump back into.

What I liked: The story follows young teen, Mary, who has just moved to Beacon Point with her parents. She’s upset – as anyone that age would be – that she needs to start over and is worried about making friends. Worse still, as soon as they arrive at their new house, she starts to hear noises in the attic. Unbeknownst to her, Beacon Point has a history of odd occurrences and strange sightings, and with that backdrop in place, Henderson introduces us to a rag-tag group of misfits who all begin to see strange creatures and deal with unexplainable phenomenon.

The story is told with the pacing expected of a book you’d find at a Scholastic Book Fair, each chapter giving us more story while cementing who each character (both human and otherwise is) and, as one would expect, Henderson has included some gloriously gorgeous illustrations within, which worked really well to reinforce the horror’s described. As the book moves along, we get “interludes” between chapters. Transcriptions from Alan Graves’ BCON Radio show about the odd history of Beacon Point. These were perfectly done, and with us reading it with the covers pulled up to our chins, we felt like we were listening to the broadcast in secret each time.

The story goes where you’d expect it – and not in a negative way – with the kids having to band together to try and find a way to stop the monsters from catching them and to keep Beacon Point safe. The end quarter felt even more frenzied than the middle portion, which is saying something when you consider all the beasties introduced.

The ending was great and does leave the door open for more adventures in Beacon Point in the future.

What I didn’t like: Once we were done, my son and I chatted about anything we found strange within and both of us agreed that the resolution of Alan Graves’ character didn’t feel as fleshed out as we both hoped for. It worked for the story, but it did feel a bit ‘over-and-done-with’ in rapid fashion.

Why you should buy this: This story is ENTERTAINING from page one, when we meet Bev. I felt like I was discovering The Monster Squad all over again, and it was such a wonderful experience to read this with my son. Saying that, even if you don’t have kids, this one is a fun read for horror lovers of all ages. As for content – there’s some scary moments, some freaky illustrations, but if your young one enjoys the creepier side of things, this one will be just fine for them. My son is seven and he was so amped throughout.

Overall, Trevor Henderson has created a book that will stand the test of time and become a surefire classic of the Book Fair worlds and one that in twenty and thirty years, those kids who’ve now grown and had their own will be sharing with their young ones. Really well done and this would make a perfect Christmas gift for the young readers in your life.

[Priscilla BookaddictNL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trevor Henderson is een fervent horror liefhebber en horror is hem met de paplepel ingegoten. Het grote publiek in het horrorgenre kent Trevor van zijn gruwelijke horror illustraties.

Dit jaar debuteerde hij zowel in eigen land als in Nederland met zijn eerste jeugdboek ‘Scarewaves‘, in het Nederlands ‘Angstgolven‘.

In ‘Angstgolven‘ volgen we verschillende personages. Jongeren die in Beacon Point wonen en op hun eigen manier geconfronteerd worden met paranormale gebeurtenissen.

Dit verhaal wordt vanuit verschillende perspectieven vertelt, maar het personage van Mary is mij het meest bijgebleven. Zij komt namelijk nieuw in Beacon Point wonen met haar ouders en wordt al snel geconfronteerd met vreemde gebeurtenissen in haar nieuwe, oude vervallen huis.

De verschillende perspectieven zijn echter mijn eerste punt van aandacht. In totaal zijn er negen personages en tot de helft van het boek dus negen verschillende verhalen.

Het leidde mij persoonlijk enorm af van het verhaal. De personages zijn niet voldoende uitgewerkt en het ontbreekt aan achtergrondinformatie en verdieping om echt een band met hen te krijgen.

Daarnaast is er weinig tot geen echte opbouw aan spanning aanwezig. Doordat de hoofdstukken steeds vanuit een ander personage zijn geschreven, bouwt de spanning in het totale verhaal naar mijn mening niet echt op.

Een aantal gemiste kansen als je het mij vraagt. Zeker in een jeugdboek waarbij je hoopt dat de lezer zichzelf zou kunnen herkennen in één van hen.

De perspectieven van de jongeren worden afgewisseld met, wat naar het lijkt, een transcript van een radio uitzending. Persoonlijk vond ik deze hoofdstukken het meeste bijdragen aan de creepy vibes.

Pas over de helft van het boek lijken de betrokken jongeren in dit verhaal elkaar op te zoeken en plannen te maken voor de grote jacht op de paranormale gebeurtenissen.

Echter mistte ik hierbij absoluut een betere beschrijving van de totstandkoming van hun connectie.

Omdat er teveel tijd is besteedt aan de persoonlijke verhalen, die niet voldoende waren uitgewerkt naar mijn mening, blijft er te weinig ruimte over om de jongeren als groep samen te beschrijven.

Hierdoor voelt het verhaal na de eerste helft, tot aan het einde, vluchtig. Ik mistte daardoor wederom de spanning.

Daarnaast bleef ik mijzelf continu afvragen, ‘waarom gebeurt dit?’, ‘waar komt dit vandaan?’ en ‘wat is het totale plaatje?’.

Wat betreft de schrijfstijl van Trevor Henderson kan ik zeggen dat hij het absoluut in zich heeft om verhalen te schrijven. Echter is het wel van belang dat hij zich gaat ontwikkelen op het gebied van personages en het plot.

De unieke monsters in het verhaal en hun beschrijving waren echter wel heel erg gaaf. Al denk ik dat deze nog beter uit de verf zouden zijn gekomen wanneer ze, net als de personages, gehalveerd zouden worden.

Het einde van dit verhaal kwam wat mij betreft nogal abrupt.

Alle illustraties in dit boek zijn gemaakt door Trevor zelf en wat deze illustraties betreft krijgt hij absoluut complimenten.

Ze zijn duister en griezelig en dragen zeker bij aan de ondersteuning van zijn verhaal.

Conclusie
‘Angstgolven‘ is een uniek verhaal, echter had het wat mij betreft beter uitgewerkt mogen worden.

De jeugd kan zeker een ingewikkelder plot aan en het leek hier en daar alsof Trevor het niet goed aandurfde.

Er waren teveel personages in dit verhaal waardoor er te weinig aandacht is besteedt aan een gedegen uitwerking. Dit is ook ten koste gegaan van de spanning en het plot.

Ondanks dat dit boek mij niet wist te bekoren, ben ik wel benieuwd naar de ontwikkeling van Trevor als auteur.

[Iselleleest · Rating 3 out of 5]

In het stadje Beacon Point gaan al jaren gruwelijke legendes rond. Verdwijningen zijn hier de normaalste zaak van de wereld en regelmatig worden er allerlei vreemde wezens gespot.
De meeste inwoners lijken het niet eens te merken. Anderen praten er niet over.
Maar dan komt er een groepje kinderen oog in oog te staan met de walgelijke verschrikkingen die zich in hun stadje schuilhouden. Ze zullen moeten samenwerken om de aanwijzingen op te volgen en een huiveringwekkend geheim te ontrafelen - voor het hen zal verslinden.

'Wees voorzichtig, wees alert, en blijf vooral weg uit het bos.'

De boeken van de Horrorland-serie vervelen nóóit. Het zijn stuk voor stuk heerlijke, griezelige verhalen waarmee je alles om je heen even kunt vergeten. Voor iedereen zit er wel een verhaal tussen.
'Angstgolven' is alweer het tiende deel in deze serie, maar het eerste deel dat geschreven is door Trevor Henderson.

Het verhaal speelt zich af in Beacon Point, waar we verschillende personages volgen. Beverly, Mary, Lucas, Byron, Todd, Jeremy, Kyle, Jennifer en Rebecca hebben allen iets gemeen. Ze wonen allemaal in een stadje dat vervloekt lijkt.

De diverse verhaallijnen worden afgewisseld door fragmenten van de BCON Radio Mystery Show dat gepresenteerd wordt door Allan Graves. Allan heeft zich verdiept in de legendes over Beacon Point en al snel blijkt dat de geschiedenis zich lijkt te herhalen.

''s Nachts kon je het bos maar beter mijden. Bev rilde. Het gevoel dat er naar haar werd gekeken drukte opeens zwaar op haar.'

Trevor Henderson heeft een soepele, beeldende schrijfstijl en met zijn spooky illustraties brengt hij dit verhaal echt tot leven. Het is met vlagen spannend, maar toch werd ik niet helemaal opgezogen door het verhaal. Ik bleef op afstand, doordat sommige ontwikkelingen uit de lucht vielen. Ontwikkelingen die in mijn ogen iets meer uitwerking nodig hadden, want nu bleef ik met een aantal vragen achter.

Maak kennis met het bovennatuurlijke: de Vreemdeling, de niet-herten, de dubbelganger, Meneer Zakkop én de kraaienfeeks. Ze zullen ervoor zorgen dat je nóóit meer alleen in het donker het bos in gaat. ***

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, solid! But I don't really feel as though I should round it up. Great horror elements, great illustrations. But there were just too many characters, and I was never sure who to get invested in and who was going to be disposable each time a chapter started and a new name was added to the roster. It felt a little clunky that way, and made me connect with the flow of the story less. Took me a bit longer than I meant to finish it. Still a fun romp though, and very short, and absolutely worth the time. I loved the little radio transcriptions to help fill in the lore.

[Soph · Rating 4 out of 5]

a quick little 4.5 hr audio book on 1.25 speed that i thoroughly enjoyed!! it was eery and the radio show segments especially were so well done!! i love how the story came together and the individual characters were well thought out. this was really really fun and i thought it was great!!

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrifying and scary read that will be sure to keep you up at night!


A book I just couldn’t resist when I saw it come up on Twitter. I just HAD to have this one! I love super dark and scary books and this one looked to be perfect for my horror needs~

😍 Let’s start! The cover! That is just so amazingly scary, it terrifies me!
😍 That the book starts off with a bang. We follow a girl named Beverly who isn’t too happy with her parents. She is walking towards her home from soccer/football and then she hears and sees things. What is next? I won’t tell you, but it was scary! And then we start with Mary, who is moving to the town.
😍 I loved the various characters we get to meet. Mary was my favourite, followed by Lucas, Byron, Rebecca, Jennifer, and Kyle. The last three may partially be because we see them rarely, just one or two chapters and then it isn’t until the end when the kids all gather that we see them again.
😍 The scary stuff that happens in this book. From scarecrows to arms reaching out through walls to a strange tall man with a hidden face (be sure not to see because YIKES) who can just enter your home and say hi (yes, really). This town is messed up and I was wondering why the heck people would stay. I mean, as soon as I would have seen one of those demented deer? Or that guy with the tall hat? BYEEEEEEE! waves and leaves as soon as the night is gone and day is here again

😍 The illustrations were just SO A-PLUS. I mean, some were terrifying, and some were just BEYOND terrifying. That one where Mary finds something in the attic? It was the middle of the night when I read that and, um, thanks for the nightmares dear author, haha. That was just NOPE. But I also loved it, haha.
😍 The radio stuff in between the chapters. We get a bit of an insight in the town, what happened in the past, the sacrifices, the disappearances, the monsters, and more.
😍 The strange stuff that happened when the monsters popped up. Radio static. Strange words. Phones and other stuff not working. Brrrr! As if the monsters weren’t scary enough.

😍 Loved the various POVs, not just the kids that will eventually find each other and form a group (so Mary, Lucas, Byron, Rebecca, Kyle, and Jennifer), but also see the kids/teens that are disappearing in weird/strange/well thank you but no thank you ways. Yep. We get those POVs too, and I just loved it so much.
😍 When the group got together, that spooky night of theirs and all that we find out! That had me just on the edge of my seat (it was morning/day by then I eventually managed to fall asleep). It was a ride and I was definitely shouting at the kids at times just MOVE MOVE and OH NO don’t trust x or y. I loved the things we found out about the monsters, about the radio, and about other parts. There are still some questions left for me, given what we have learned so far over the book’s course.
😍 How dark it got at times. Nobody is safe. And that is something I love. When authors don’t shy away from making sure the stakes are high.

There is one thing. It is a big one. I need more! Please Trevor Henderson, please, oh please. Write more like this! It can be a sequel to this one. It can be something totally new. But I have a craving for more spookiness by you!

I would HIGHLY recommend this spooky book to everyone. Enjoy not being able to sleep, haha.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Rob Crypt · Rating 4 out of 5]

first read of spooky season! i loved this book by trevor, it's a fantastic nostalgia experience as an older reader and if i was in my teens i'd be desperate for more

[W. L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. I like how the story was crafted. I just think there was too many point of views that could make a kind of conflicting or took away from the story. Especially since this is the middle grade book, this is gonna be for a young readers, who may not be able to grasp all of those characters.

I like the idea of the creatures I just wish there was some backstory to how they came to be/their purpose. They all had some back stories but not all were in depth. Some just simply existed. The ending was a bit predictable with the radio host but I wished there was an explanation of the ending and how what happened had to do with the creatures.

[Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every town has its stories of haunted houses and strange sightings, Beacon Point seems to have a few. The local horror radio host, Alan Graves, is well known for his town's creepypastas. So many stories of monsters and people disappearing in town every year. Of course if you ask any adult, those stories are silly nonsense. However the children in Beacon Point are starting to find out that his stories are real. What lurks in the woods?

I absolutely enjoyed this book from start to finish! Each chapter got freakier and creepier than the last. I liked being able to see each kid's point of view and experiencing how they were feeling and thinking. It was cool that every child had a different type of creature that was coming after them. I honestly didn't see the ending coming and had a great time reading. I recommend this spooky book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Scholastic for the eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Reggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of Trevor’s art for a while and this did not disappoint! Short and spooky, with some good setup for what I hope is a continued series.

[Kim Coenen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Het is al lange tijd geleden dat ik boeken las van de Horrorland serie, dat terwijl ik dol ben op dit soort spannend, huiveringwekkende en meest bizarre en fantasierijke verhalen. Ik was dan ook door het dolle heen toen ik een recensie-exemplaar ontving van Uitgeverij Kluitman met dit nieuwe boek. Het boek heeft een fantastische, enge en spannende cover het lichaam van een wezen dan enkel een groot en angstaanjagende mond heeft en een hoed en jas draagt in een duister bos met handen rondom, geeft me het gevoel dat ik een erg spannend en gaaf verhaal ga lezen. Ik heb hoge verwachtingen.

In het stadje Beacon Point gaan de meest gruwelijke verhalen en legendes rond. Er verdwijnen met de regelmaat mensen spoorloos en wanneer de duisternis valt worden er overal vreemde wezens gespot. De meeste inwoners lijken het niet eens te merken, anderen durven er niet over te praten. Wanneer meerdere jongeren oog in oog staan met deze walgelijke en onverklaarbare verschrikkingen die in het stadje schuil gaan, besluiten ze samen een oplossing te zoeken. Ze volgen de aanwijzingen om vervolgens een huiveringwekkend geheim te ontrafelen. Zal het hen lukken voordat een van hen wordt verslonden.

Trevor Henderson heeft een enorm fantasierijke, levendige en filmische schrijfstijl. Hiermee weet hij dit spannende verhaal zo om te toveren dat je je helemaal in het spooky stadje Beacon Point bij de jongeren waant. Hij weet de omgeving, situatie en gebeurtenissen enorm levendig te beschrijven en ook de dialogen zijn sterk en realistisch. Daarbij weet Trevor Henderson de verhaallijn perfect op de juiste momenten te versnellen en te vertragen om de spanning te verhogen.

Het verhaal is geschreven vanuit meerdere jongeren en personages die in het stadje Beacon Point wonen. Naast de gebeurtenissen en wendingen in hun leven volgen er tussendoor afleveringen die in de ether worden uitgezonden met verhalen van de legendes uit het stadje die gepresenteerd worden door Alan Graves. Deze mix zorgt voor een spannende opbouw van de verhaallijn.

Het verhaal heeft een enorm spannende, fantasierijke en sterke verhaallijn. Eerst is het een verzameling van losse gebeurtenissen die jongeren ervaren in het stadje Beacon Point, totdat ze elkaar op school treffen, hun ervaringen hierover delen en besluiten samen te werken. Naast de horrorverhalen en de onverwachte gebeurtenissen en de wendingen vind ik het enorm mooi hoe vriendschap en samenwerken in het verhaal centraal staan. Trevor Henderson weet op krachtige wijze de jongeren samen te brengen en samen een huiveringwekkend geheim te ontrafelen. Met een mooi einde sluit het verhaal af.

Angstgolven is een enorm spannend, origineel en fantasierijk horrorverhaal voor kinderen vanaf ongeveer 10 jaar. Trevor Henderson heeft een levendige en filmische schrijfstijl, waardoor je helemaal opgaat in het spannende en angstaanjagende verhaal. Het zijn eerst losstaande verhalen van jongeren, die vervolgens vriendschap sluiten en samen een huiveringwekkend geheim ontrafelen. Dikke aanrader!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid middle grade horror. Was a very fun read.

In this story we are following a few different kids as they experience some of the horrors that their local town is known for, while also occasionally getting transcripts from a local radio host explaining the lore of the local monsters. Eventually, these horrors lead these kids to each other, where they seek to find some answers as to why this is happening. This all leads to a final battle, to try and stop these creatures before they can cause anymore havoc. This back and forth between these two different types of stories was great. The author gave us just enough to understand what exactly was going with each of these kids and their monsters, then gives us further explanation with the radio transcripts to fully round out the story.

While this book was not the scariest story I have ever read (which also has to do with the intended age of the reader, which I am not) the unsettling feeling was very prominent throughout the story. If I was the age of the intended audience, this defiantly would have been pretty scary.

Overall, though, this story was a great time all around and I am glad I was able to get to read it.

[Patrick Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book to preview it for my middle school class library. I think my students are going to love this because it's a fantastic creeper.

Middle schooler Mary and her parents have moved to Beacon Point, a city set among the woods, and she's finding it hard to adjust. Her first day she eats lunch with Lucas, who lives with dad on a farm, and where he's been having strange things occur with Mr. Sackhead, a scarecrow. Also joining them is short Byron who says the town is full of monsters and they should protect themselves.

Mary and many other students are stalked and attacked by a variety of monsters that are absolute terrors. I'm sure the illustrations helped fuel the fear I felt as I was reading this. The design of the creatures seems very Japanese. I've seen and read much Japanese horror and they seemed familiar. The deer are particularly creepy creatures. The reason behind the menacing creatures is excellent.

The book ends well for everyone, though the door is left open for a sequel, and checking online I see there is one. I might have to pick that book up with my own money.

Highly recommended for young readers and adults.

[Dayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was genuinely creepy.

I 100% would have had nightmares as a kid. There were some chapters where I was glad I had the lights on. And I know I'm probably a scaredy cat, but this book was actually really unsettling. I'd even say that this had moments that were almost TOO intense for a middle grade novel.

Gave me IT vibes, but for preteens. Especially with that sense of dread and the sightings of the creepy things that haunt the town. The way Henderson showed us the end of various characters also gave me that similar vibe because it went beyond the MC and her own experiences. I really liked how he did this because it involved the whole town. It was very creative and i loved how we got chapters from the victims' perspectives.

The monsters were a bit too well described and were actually so creepy. I can tell the author has experience creating scary stories that will haunt the readers long past "the end". This was almost masterful, especially for middle grade. I think this is one of those MGLit horror novels that will be a hidden surprise that kids will stumble on, not something that is going to be very mainstream--but I think adults and teens should definitely read this one.

Also, this would be a terrifying movie, to be completely honest.

One of the obvious signs, for me, that this is truly a middle grade novel was that ending. It was quick and a bit too easy? But that being said, this is a kids book and honestly, sometimes things are just that easy. I can't wait for book two!

If you have a little who loves horror stories, I definitely recommend this one but keep in mind that this one is genuinely scary LOL.

Happy reading!

[Kay S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god. This book is so scary. I LOVED IT! The audiobook is amazingly produced and narrated. It's terrifying and fun and everything most horror novels for adults can't manage.

Once I got hold of the physical copy though... IT HAS ILLUSTRATIONS! Oh my gosh. Obviously influenced by the illustrations of Stephen Gammell and the internet's fascination with all things cryptids, these images only add to the terror. Readers don't just have to imagine what the creatures look like... they're right there on the page. The Not-Deer are particularly well done!

The kids in the book are young enough that their parents can brush the stuff off as nightmares or running away and that in and of itself is scary, never mind the creatures hunting the town's children. The fact that adults are ignorant to their children's problems and can't/won't do anything to stop them, despite having lost a few, is scarier than the doppelganger!

[J.E. Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a hard sell on YA, but my wife really liked this one, so I gave it a shot. It's not disappointing. The monsters have a Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark vibe, and there was an allusion to The Thing that I truly appreciated.

The kids in this are just this side of one-dimensional, though. They didn't give me the "archetype" feel, either. They feel very interchangeable. Maybe some narrative sacrifices needed to be made. It could also be a genre convention that I am ignorant of.

The monsters are creepy--I won't forget the centipede anytime soon--and there is nothing in here that I would not recommend to a younger audience. It was enjoyable.

[Augie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trevor Henderson's illustrations drew my eye to this one, but unfortunately I do not think his strengths lie in narrative storytelling. There are too many characters, too many monsters, and not enough page time to make any of them particularly memorable. The many chapters that end in a one-off character being killed off-page and the spooky stories told by the radio personality seem more like an excuse to give Henderson a wide cast of monsters to draw and would have perhaps been better served by a short fiction collection a la Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. As is, the characters are simplistic, the tension static, the time period ambiguous in a way that feels unintentional and, while readers of the target age group may not notice or care, the monsters feel very mid-2010s creepypasta—eerie smiling strangers and not-deer—which I don't even think highlight Henderson's talent as a creature designer. A disappointment all around.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really enjoyable middle school horror book. It would be a good way for younger readers to dip their toes into the horror genre. I was sucked right in and thoroughly captivated. The characters were great. I loved how mismatched they were, they could come together to solve what is going on in the town. This is a great debut!

[Mary Fleureau · Rating 3 out of 5]

C'était carrément cool ! Une petite lecture sympathique, qui se lit facilement et qui est vraiment inspirée de ce trope que j'adore, le groupe de gamins "loosers" qui doit sauver la ville parce que les adultes sont nuls. Des refs que j'adore à la popculture internet et jeux vidéos d'horreur (Slanderman, Alan Wake...). Des chapitres ultra courts et une plume simple. Non vraiment, bien sympa !

[Sarah Stubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was part of a very old backlog of NetGalley ARCS I had but I also bought it after it released.

I tandem read this with the audiobook (which was well done and fun for the radio segments). I really dug how creepy this was. It was scarier than a Goosebumps book but maybe a smidge less than Fear Street. Definitely would read more from Trevor Henderson.