The Ravenous - Hardcover

Amy Lukavics lurks within the forested mountains of Prescott, Arizona, along with her husband and two precious squidlings. When she isn't reading or writing creepy stories, she enjoys cooking, crafting and playing many video games. She is the author of Daughters unto Devils and The Women in the Walls.

Gr 10 Up—The Cane sisters—Juliet, Taylor, Anya, Mona, and Rose—seem to be a loving, tight-knit group. However, their home life is far from perfect. Their dad, an army colonel, is away most of the time, their mom struggles with alcoholism and depression, Juliet rules the house in their mother's absence with an iron fist, and each sister has her own issue. Taylor is a mini-clone of Juliet, Anya smokes weed and spends most of her time texting her girlfriend while ignoring the family, and Mona copes with anxiety by hitting the bottle. The one thing keeping the fragile family together is Rose, the youngest and sweetest sister. After a freak accident kills Rose, the family threatens to disintegrate, but then Rose is mysteriously brought back to life—with a craving for human flesh. Lukavics splatters the pages with blood, guts, and mature language, but underneath there are stark commentaries on addiction, mental health, and just how far people are willing to go to protect the ones they love. The narrative is told from the perspective of Mona as she watches Juliet crumbles under the pressure of keeping Rose alive and descend into madness while her family relentlessly falls apart. Sisterhood dynamics are laid bare under extreme circumstances in this story, which makes for an ultimately nerve-fraying read. A shocking, albeit somewhat rushed ending concludes a harrowing and truly frightening text. VERDICT A must-have for horror collections. Future fans of Stephen King will devour this one.—Tyler Hixson, Brooklyn Public Library