The Devouring

The Devouring: Sorry Night, by Simon Holt is a teen horror novel. The story revolves around a demonic race called the Vours (rhymes with ‘sour' rather than ‘moor') who once a year, on the night of the winter solstice (or ‘sorry night') can use the fears of humans to steal their souls and take over their bodies.

Reggie Halloway loves horror stories, so when an old journal that appears to be an unpublished horror novel arrives at the used bookshop where she works, she borrows it without telling the owner. She reads a few chapters to her younger brother as a bedtime story, unwittingly fueling his fears and making him a prime target for the Vours.

This is a novel calculated to creap out both children and adults. It's recommended for 12 and up, and given some of the nightmare images found at the end of the book kids younger than this may want to give it a pass. The novel shows the importance of acknowledging and facing fears - of all kinds - without being at all preachy about it.

Good writing, realistic teens, a tight plot and enough scares to make it a fun, quick read.