Born Scared by Kevin Brooks
Expected Release: September 11th 2018
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Source: Netgalley
Born Scared Synopsis:
Elliot has lived his first thirteen years confined to his home, incapacitated by fear. Now he’s out of pills, snow is falling, and his only safe person is missing. A terrifying thriller from Carnegie Medalist Kevin Brooks.
From the moment of his birth, Elliot’s life has been governed by fear of almost everything, even of his own fear — a beast that holds him prisoner in his room. The beast is kept at bay, though not eliminated, with a daily regimen of pills. But on Christmas Eve, a mix-up at the pharmacy threatens to unleash the beast full force, and his mother must venture out in a raging snowstorm to a store that should be only minutes away.
Hours later, when she still hasn’t returned, Elliot sees no choice but to push through his terror, leave the house, and hunt for her. What happens if the last of his medication wears off and the beast starts scratching at the doors of his mind? Everyone has a breaking point — will Elliot come to his? With plot twists and turns that keep readers on the edge of their seats, multi-award-winning author Kevin Brooks offers a high-suspense exploration of fear and what it means to truly be afraid.
Review:
A BIG Thank You to Netgalley and Candlewick Press for providing me a copy of “Born Scared” by Kevin Brooks in exchange for my review. I had high expectations for this book! A YA psychological thriller about mental illness, with an awesome cover? I knew I had to read this one! However, it didn’t turn out the way I had hoped.
The main aspect I loved about this book was the dark and eerie atmosphere it creates. The author has beautifully blended the fairy tale fantasies with the horrors of adult life. I felt like I was in a backdrop of a very creepy and dark version of “Twin Peaks”. A town where everyone is a little strange and odd things keep occurring. There are also some terrifying moments that had me to the edge of my seat. I tensed when Elliot stumbled into the house in the woods with the two strange men with gun. Also, I thought that the other two villains dressed as Santa Claus were comical but eerie because I didn’t know how they would react. I also loved Ellamay as the mysterious character, and still don’t know if she is a ghost or a figment of Elliot’s conscious.
However, I had a few problems while reading this novel. The main trouble I had with this story was it was very hard to relate with Elliot. He fears over the most minuscule things, and while it’s interesting to read, it’s difficult to connect with. Also, since Elliot fears everything, it is difficult to digest the transformation that suddenly occurs. It hits the readers the same time it hits Elliot, and I found it very hard to believe. The book also gets repetitive and monotonous at times where we keep hearing how tormented Elliot is over his fears.
Also, I really felt like Gordon’s character and his story-line was completely out of place. I guess he’s acts to be the comic relief in the plot but it didn’t fit right. When the main story-line is so suspenseful, I felt frustrated by the change of mood and setting when Gordon appeared.
Frankly, I enjoyed Kevin Brook’s style of writing and am interested in picking up some of his other novels. I think he is a wonderful storyteller, and this book would have been amazing if the characters were relatable. While I love reading books about psychology and mental illness, I felt that “Born Scared” was a little too out there, especially as a YA Novel. Overall, “Born Scared” was a good read with some suspenseful moments, but it was not what I had expected.
