Silvara
Written on Oct 19, 2016
Technically a re-read, but as I haven't read it in 10 years or more and I wanted something spooky for October...
This totally scared the crap out of me as a teenager. It isn't as scary as an adult, but there are a number of spooky moments in the book. Heather is a horrible brat, constantly trying to get her step-siblings in trouble with her father, and trying to split up her Dad's new marriage.
But she is fairly well redeemed in the end, and the reason she was such a little terror is both believable and sad. I liked how Molly kept trying to be a good big sister, even though Heather wanted nothing to do with her. I didn't care for either of the parents though. The step-father was always on Heather's side, and was needlessly cruel to Molly and Michael. Molly's mom wasn't much better. Deciding to move the family into the country with no warning, even though her kids had summer plans already made. And foisting Heather off on them (mostly on Molly) so that she could go paint in peace.
Michael seemed to be a typical boy, interested in bugs and science. And constantly taking off into the woods to explore and avoid watching Heather. He wasn't that supportive of Molly, but then he is a little brother and it was fairly believable for their ages.
I still really like this book, and it will most likely get re-read at least a few more times. But as an adult, it doesn't have the creep-factor I was looking for anymore.
This review was originally posted on Fantasy of the Silver Dragon
