Servants of the Storm by
Delilah S Dawson
Series: It’s not currently
showing up as a series on GoodReads, but considering the ending, I sincerely
hope there’s going to be a sequel!
Published: August 5th,
2014
Publisher: Simon Pulse
384 pages (ARC)
Genre: Young adult paranormal thriller
Acquired this book: Won from Simon & Schuster
Canada through First Reads on GoodReads
Warning: May contain spoilers
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A year ago Hurricane
Josephine swept through Savannah, Georgia, leaving behind nothing but death and
destruction — and taking the life of Dovey's best friend, Carly. Since that
night, Dovey has been in a medicated haze, numb to everything around her.
But recently she's started to believe she's seeing things that can't be real...including Carly at their favorite cafe. Determined to learn the truth, Dovey stops taking her pills. And the world that opens up to her is unlike anything she could have imagined.
As Dovey slips deeper into the shadowy corners of Savannah — where the dark and horrifying secrets lurk — she learns that the storm that destroyed her city and stole her friend was much more than a force of nature. And now the sinister beings truly responsible are out to finish what they started.
Dovey's running out of time and torn between two paths. Will she trust her childhood friend Baker, who can't see the threatening darkness but promises to never give up on Dovey and Carly? Or will she plot with the sexy stranger, Isaac, who offers all the answers — for a price? Soon Dovey realizes that the danger closing in has little to do with Carly...and everything to do with Dovey herself.
But recently she's started to believe she's seeing things that can't be real...including Carly at their favorite cafe. Determined to learn the truth, Dovey stops taking her pills. And the world that opens up to her is unlike anything she could have imagined.
As Dovey slips deeper into the shadowy corners of Savannah — where the dark and horrifying secrets lurk — she learns that the storm that destroyed her city and stole her friend was much more than a force of nature. And now the sinister beings truly responsible are out to finish what they started.
Dovey's running out of time and torn between two paths. Will she trust her childhood friend Baker, who can't see the threatening darkness but promises to never give up on Dovey and Carly? Or will she plot with the sexy stranger, Isaac, who offers all the answers — for a price? Soon Dovey realizes that the danger closing in has little to do with Carly...and everything to do with Dovey herself.
Servants of the Storm is a creepy, atmospheric southern paranormal
mystery. I don’t usually read many scary novels, because I’m a total weenie
when it comes to being scared. I was drawn in by the cover and synopsis of this
one though, and I’m glad I made an exception.
This book was gruesome,
twisted, disturbing, and heartbreaking. The first chapter was absolutely horrifying,
and it sucked me in instantly. When Hurricane Josephine rips through Savannah,
it leaves chaos, devastation, and death in its wake. One of those deaths was
Dovey’s best friend, Carly. In the aftermath of the hurricane and the loss of
her best friend, Dovey basically has a psychotic break and has to go on
mind-numbing medication. She spends the next year living in a fog until she
sees Carly and decides to go off the medication so she’ll know what’s real and
what not.
I liked Dovey, even though
I never really connected with her. I loved that she was a loyal friend and
wanted to figure out what was going on so her best friend could be at peace. As
much as I liked her, I wanted to shake her on numerous occasions; she was
constantly putting herself in dangerous situations. She was impulsive and
sometimes downright stupid. Also, most people would have been horrified and
traumatized by the things she saw, but at times she barely had any reaction.
Servants of the Storm was filled with great descriptions. You could see
the decay, smell the rot, see how post-Josephine Savannah had turned into a
place of squalor, dark shadows, and sinister beings. Everything was easy to
picture, which often added to the creep-factor of the book, because a lot of
the things that happened were so horrific.
I wouldn’t say there was
‘a romance’ in this novel. There were hints of romance, and a kinda-sorta love
triangle, but Dovey was so focused on her mission, nothing ever really
developed romantically. I liked Baker and Isaac a lot - each of them had great
qualities, and they were good to Dovey. I appreciated that it didn’t turn into
one of those stories where the heroine is deeply immersed in the action and
mystery one minute, but then it turns into a soppy romance where she can’t
function without the boy’s help. Dovey maintained her independence, and while
one of the guys was often with her, it wasn’t because she needed them.
Overall, Servants of
the Storm was a compelling read. It had a great concept, and I think Dawson
did a good job executing it. As of right now, I’m not seeing on GoodReads that
there’s a sequel, but after the total mindf*ck ending, I sure hope there is! Be
sure to give this book a chance if you like eerie, twisted paranormal or horror
stories with lots of mystery.
Have you read Servants of the Storm?
What did you think? If you haven't read it, is it
on your TBR list? Do you like horror? How about paranormal?
Is this the book that almost went into the freezer? It sounds very engrossing.
ReplyDeleteYes, Sarah, this it is! ;-)
ReplyDelete