Vacation of Fear

by J. G. Wilson

[inlibrisveritas]

So lately I’ve been wanting to read super cheesy horror books and Vacation of Fear fits snugly into that category. That’s part of the reason I wanted to feature this review during October, because it’s a a fun and quick read with a creepy factor.

The plot is perfect for one of those C grade movies that you watch in the middle of the week when you want something different to watch and giggle at. It’s not top grade horror and it’s not terribly scary but it’s entertaining and has some great moments. Everything is steeped in very basic lore and while some of it is kind of out there, it’s nothing new to the horror genre. When you think of old-school vampires you think of the blood sucking, garlic avoiding creatures that can turn into bats and mist…and that’s exactly what you get with Vacation of Fear. It’s short, it’s sweet, and it’s a great read for when you want a book that is a bit of cheap thrill…and I do mean that in a good way.

The characters feel like they’ve been pulled from a stereotypical horror cast and plopped into the middle of the perfect story. Malory is the sensible girl who’d rather be studying than partying, Valerie is a bit of an airhead who seems to have a nose for trouble, Luke is intensely creepy, Max is the hot guy who is more trouble than he’s worth, and Colton seems way too good to be true. None of them are all that deep when it comes to being fleshed out but for the type of story it is I didn’t mind at all, I didn’t really need depth and to be honest it probably would have seemed out of place.

So if you are looking for something to past the time while handing out candy on Halloween this would be perfect. It’s a light read that isn’t all that gory and doesn’t have any true horror involved.