Book Review: The Ravenous

Title: The Ravenous
Author: Amy Lukavics
Genre: Young Adult | Horror
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: September 26, 2017
Source: ALA
Format: ARC

From the outside, the Cane family looks like they have it all. A successful military father, a loving mother and five beautiful teenage daughters. But on the inside, life isn't quite so idyllic: the Cane sisters can barely stand each other, their father is always away, and their neglectful mother struggles with addiction and depression. 
When their youngest and most beloved sister, Rose, dies in a tragic accident, Mona Cane and her sisters are devastated. And when she is brought back from the dead, they are relieved. But soon they discover that Rose must eat human flesh to survive, and when their mother abandons them, the sisters will find out just how far they'll go to keep their family together (goodreads).
 

The Ravenous was spooky but predictable. 
Plot: I've read other books by Amy Lukavics and I've enjoyed the spooky atmosphere that she creates, but there comes a point when you just want more. The Ravenous sounded like the perfect Halloween read and it definitely hit all of the creepy points, but there was nothing to make me care or continue being interested. The Ravenous played out as expected, but I appreciated that Lukavics left the ending open-ended. 

Characters: Mona, one of the five Cane sisters, was dealing with a fractured family and budding alcohol addiction. From the get-go, Luvakics made it clear that these family had some underlying problems. There was major potential for Luvakics to dive further into the family dynamic and what made each girl tick, but she opted to forgo any of those relationships and write them off as strained. Especially the mother who just knew the perfect spell to bring Rose back from dead and butcher a human, I'd wanted to know more about their mother's background and seedy connections. 

Worldbuilding: As expected, The Ravenous took place in a small town with gossiping neighbors and very little parental oversight. It truly felt like the perfect setting for a family to hide a secret. 

Short N Sweet: While creepy at times, The Ravenous didn't go far enough. 


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