Notice for Review Requests

I receive review requests weekly. However, my personal schedule is hectic and I no longer review actively. (I also manage another blog called The Toronto Cafe and Food Blog). I do read every request sent but I apologize in advance that I do not reply to them all.

If I do take on a request, I will forewarn that it may take some time before I can review it. I am now looking to review adult fiction and self-help books instead of young adult fiction because I have grown out of it. If you are to request a review for either adult fiction or self-help, I will more likely to give it a shot.

In the meantime, Stop, Drop, and Read! serves as an archive book review blog. When I have the time, I may post a review. Thank you for understanding.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Project 17 by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Title: Project 17
Author: Laurie Faria Stolarz
Age Group: Teens
# of Pages: 248
My Rating: 3.5/5

Danvers State Hospital is an asylum for the insane. It opened up more than a century ago and closed down in 1992. This asylum rumours to be haunted as of now it is abandoned for more than a decade. Within a week, it will be destroyed so new condos could be built upon the area.

Enter Derik LaPointe, an inspired director-to-be. He thinks this is the perfect time for him to jump at the chance, filming a reality document at Danvers. He plans on winning a film contest, a ticket out of taking over his parents' diner. Bring in five other classmates, all with their own reason to be in the film. They all sneak into the asylum at the dead of night. Except they got more than they bargained for.

Since this is a horror story, I expected it to be much more "horror-like". I started reading it last night at 11 PM, so I managed to read it in a scared mindset. There is this one part that really creeps me out and that is when Derik discovers a doll hanging from the noose in the middle a room that starts talking. But after that, it is not so creepy anymore, which isn't very fun because horror stories are supposed to scare you. I think that the author could be more descriptive in her writing. I'm sure it would be scarier if she describes the scenes more thoroughly. But indeed there are some "moments" where you get slight chills down your spine. What also could have been better is if she wrapped up the story more nicely. There are a few questions in my head that goes unanswered. Like, why did the place closed down? Or why did Christine Belle (a patient at the asylum who also has a similar name to my own character, Christie Bella Dang) ended up in there? This is more or so a fun read where you can speed through.

Won copy from Brooke Taylor Books.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is on my to-read list. It sounds entertaining, although those unanswered questions would bother me too.