The Sacrifice
1 journaler for this copy...
PAPERBACK ARC.
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An island oasis turns deadly when a terrifying legend threatens to kill off visitors one by one in this haunting novel from the highly acclaimed author of The Girl from the Well and the Bone Witch trilogy.
Pristine beaches, lush greenery, and perfect weather, the island of Kisapmata would be the vacation destination...if not for the curse. The Philippine locals speak of it in hushed voices and refuse to step foot on the island. They know the lives it has claimed. They won't be next.
A Hollywood film crew won't be dissuaded. Legend claims a Dreamer god sleeps, waiting to grant unimaginable powers in exchange for eight sacrifices. The producers are determined to document the evidence. And they convince Alon, a local teen, to be their guide.
Within minutes of their arrival, a giant sinkhole appears, revealing a giant balete tree with a mummified corpse entwined in its gnarled branches. And the crew start seeing strange visions. Alon knows they are falling victim to the island's curse. If Alon can't convince them to leave, there is no telling who will survive. Or how much the Dreamer god will destroy...
--
An island oasis turns deadly when a terrifying legend threatens to kill off visitors one by one in this haunting novel from the highly acclaimed author of The Girl from the Well and the Bone Witch trilogy.
Pristine beaches, lush greenery, and perfect weather, the island of Kisapmata would be the vacation destination...if not for the curse. The Philippine locals speak of it in hushed voices and refuse to step foot on the island. They know the lives it has claimed. They won't be next.
A Hollywood film crew won't be dissuaded. Legend claims a Dreamer god sleeps, waiting to grant unimaginable powers in exchange for eight sacrifices. The producers are determined to document the evidence. And they convince Alon, a local teen, to be their guide.
Within minutes of their arrival, a giant sinkhole appears, revealing a giant balete tree with a mummified corpse entwined in its gnarled branches. And the crew start seeing strange visions. Alon knows they are falling victim to the island's curse. If Alon can't convince them to leave, there is no telling who will survive. Or how much the Dreamer god will destroy...
Started reading a couple of days ago.
Finished last night.
Every time I think I'm done with novels about the production of a fictional reality TV show, I get pulled into another one. It seems to be quite a trend in YA at the moment - I think Sourcebooks has published at least four this year, and that's just one publisher! OK, technically this is a documentary crew and not reality TV, but I would classify it in the same genre. The same tropes apply: difficult Hollywood people, a celebrity with an inflated ego and/or something to prove, interpersonal drama, mysterious mishaps, and a little romance to spice it all up.
The main character, Alon, is non-binary. During the first few chapters, before this was explained in a conversation with Alon's love interest Chase, I thought that Alon was a girl, but later chapters seem to hint that the character is male-presenting. It never becomes a major thread in the story's conflicts, and there was something nice about a world (even if just contained to the island) where a non-binary teen is just accepted for themselves.
The novel is inspired by Filipino mythology. A diwata, as I understand it, is traditionally a sort of dryad or nature spirit; in Chupeco's novel, it's a sleeping god who controls the island of Kisapmata. If the Diwata wakes, the world will be remade, and no one knows exactly what that means. It's a great hook for a horror novel, as unscrupulous individuals have tried again and again to claim the god's power through bloody sacrifice. Will the documentary crew succeed in awakening the god? Can Alon stop them?
From the beginning, it's clear that there is something a little off about Alon. They are known by local villagers but they don't live with them; they are intimately acquainted with the island and able to communicate with its creatures. Even before I'd reached the halfway point, I suspected Alon was some kind of lure, complicit with drawing victims to the island. They just knew too much and seemed too cagey about what they revealed. Ultimately, my hypothesis wasn't right, but I enjoyed the twists as we learned more about them and their family.
The action scenes, especially the ones in the caves and underground, could be a bit chaotic and repetitive. There are only so many ways one can be ensnared by tree roots, I suppose. But overall, it's a fun summer horror novel, perfect for the teens that in my generation would have devoured Fear Street novels.
Every time I think I'm done with novels about the production of a fictional reality TV show, I get pulled into another one. It seems to be quite a trend in YA at the moment - I think Sourcebooks has published at least four this year, and that's just one publisher! OK, technically this is a documentary crew and not reality TV, but I would classify it in the same genre. The same tropes apply: difficult Hollywood people, a celebrity with an inflated ego and/or something to prove, interpersonal drama, mysterious mishaps, and a little romance to spice it all up.
The main character, Alon, is non-binary. During the first few chapters, before this was explained in a conversation with Alon's love interest Chase, I thought that Alon was a girl, but later chapters seem to hint that the character is male-presenting. It never becomes a major thread in the story's conflicts, and there was something nice about a world (even if just contained to the island) where a non-binary teen is just accepted for themselves.
The novel is inspired by Filipino mythology. A diwata, as I understand it, is traditionally a sort of dryad or nature spirit; in Chupeco's novel, it's a sleeping god who controls the island of Kisapmata. If the Diwata wakes, the world will be remade, and no one knows exactly what that means. It's a great hook for a horror novel, as unscrupulous individuals have tried again and again to claim the god's power through bloody sacrifice. Will the documentary crew succeed in awakening the god? Can Alon stop them?
From the beginning, it's clear that there is something a little off about Alon. They are known by local villagers but they don't live with them; they are intimately acquainted with the island and able to communicate with its creatures. Even before I'd reached the halfway point, I suspected Alon was some kind of lure, complicit with drawing victims to the island. They just knew too much and seemed too cagey about what they revealed. Ultimately, my hypothesis wasn't right, but I enjoyed the twists as we learned more about them and their family.
The action scenes, especially the ones in the caves and underground, could be a bit chaotic and repetitive. There are only so many ways one can be ensnared by tree roots, I suppose. But overall, it's a fun summer horror novel, perfect for the teens that in my generation would have devoured Fear Street novels.
