Passover by Frances Williams and Robert P. Arthur
Published April 1st 2015
There is something horrifically dark and biblical about the murders, occurring house by house and involving first-born sons. Only the Sheltons dare remain in the village of Zebulon, Virginia, on the night of Passover, with only the county s small sheriff s department to protect them from a baffling evil stirred up by the holocaust of another era. Proceeded by a re-emergence of the biblical plagues that beset Egypt, a tormented and pain-wracked ghost storms the bloodied windows and doors of the Shelton s huge home with Death Angel fury. Characters fall, one by one, scarecrows from the fields become automatons whose fingers spout flame. Cats die and re-animate. The Sheltons have resources: intelligence, a dedicated sheriff, a grandmother s wisdom and revelations about the supernatural, but can the family learn to work together by nightfall? Passover is a beautifully written modern novel in real time, covering the day and early evening. It is not only a supernatural thriller; it is also a domestic drama, a study of fear, and a love story featuring an eldest son and a young ghost that will charm.
This book started off incredibly creepy and scary. I was super pumped because I love the horror genre in books and Passover seemed like the perfect fit for me. However, after the first 26%, I started to get bored and by 29% the plot had taken such a crazy turn and it turned into a movie from the Sy-Fy channel.
I wish this book had been written from the perspective of the law enforcement and not the Sheltons. Not only are they boring but they’re so stupid. Why would they stay in town if they’re children are in danger? Why would they risk their kids lives? Why?
The writing was really great though so there’s that. I’d read other books by the authors.
The main thing that killed this book for me is how freakin’ boring it became. It’s written in real time, which I think was a big mistake, so a lot of nothing happens. To be honest, 90% of this book is a lot of nothing.
I think the concept of this book could have been a little better but that’s just my opinion. The GoodReads synopsis says “domestic drama, a study of fear, and a love story featuring an eldest son and a young ghost that will charm.” I wish all of that wasn’t in this book. The “love story” made me want to punch myself in the face. This book is only 250 pages and it was super boring with a lot of crap. The first 10% made my whole week though. That first 10%… So good. I’d reread the first 10%.
Anyway, I just didn’t like this book. It was not what I was expecting and not what I look for in the the horror genre. This book put me in such a reading slump (that I’m still stuck in, by the way) and whenever I think of some parts, I still want to punch myself in the face. However! I pretty sure this book has made a lasting impression on me, which is not easy to do. So that’s something.
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