​GINGER NUTS OF HORROR:DISSECT THE NOVELS ON THE YA STOKER PRELIMINARY LIST

Few, if any, websites give as much coverage to YA horror/dark fiction as Ginger Nuts of Horror, so it’s time for our annual look at the Preliminary Ballot list of ten books for the YA Bram Stoker Award. This list will eventually be whittled down to five or six books, but we’re reviewing all ten and at the time of writing have no idea how the HWA member voting will shake up the final list.

When the Preliminary Ballot was released, Ginger Nuts had previously reviewed (all positively) six of the ten books, so perhaps those on the YA HWA judging panel have been wisely following our page. We have since read the other four books and rank all ten in order of preference. Overall, this is a very strong list, featuring some excellent novels.

There is the usual, disappointing, balance of a strong bias towards American authors, with nine of the ten coming from America. Considering the next Stoker Annual Convention is in the UK, it would have been nice to have seen more UK novelists featured, especially considering so many very strong novels have been published by British authors.

I have no idea how HWA members vote, or what interest they have in the YA category, but having read all ten books, my list might provide members some pointer on what they might like to explore further before casting their vote.
​
I have been a school librarian since 1994 and the acid test for myself is a simple one; would I want any of these books in my library? The answer is hell yes, I already have the top eight listed and recommend them heavily.

JACQUELINE WEST: LAST THINGS (9.5/10)

Young Adult novels with a musical theme are notoriously tricky to get right and when you throw in heavy metal it becomes even more difficult to avoid the dreaded devil-horn clichés. Amazingly, Jacqueline West superb Last Things avoids these pitfalls in a gripping tale of a tortured teenage musician who believes his success might be because of a strange conversation he can’t get out of his head. The music scenes with Anders truly sizzle, equally his obsession with improving his guitar style and the comedown when the gig is over is completely convincing when he is alone brooding in his bedroom. The story is told via two uniquely different first-person narratives in alternating chapters; ‘Thea’ and ‘Anders’, with all the action taking place in the small Minnesota town of Greenwood. The band are beautifully portrayed as three young men, with dreams of escaping their small town, until the cracks begin to show after Anders makes a few rash big decisions on his own. They are big news and it is easy for the reader to get carried along by their success.
 
Where’s the supernatural angle you might ask? Anders believes, even if he practices for hours every day, he plays better than he should or deserves to. He suspects something dark has happened to make him this good and feels that deep down he is a cheat and does not deserve this success, playing on the old ‘selling your soul for rock and roll’ story.  The blend of atmosphere, the music vibe, the subtle supernatural approach and a host of engaging characters made this one of the best YA supernatural thrillers I have read in a long time. Make sure you’re listening to Rage against the Machine if you’re checking out this book, as the author name checks them as one of the bands which ‘Last Things’ might sound a bit like. Two copies of this novel are now happily in my library. AGE RATING 12+
 
LIANA GARDNER: SPEAK NO EVIL (9/10)

By coincidence Liana Gardner’s outstanding Speak No Evil also has a very strong musical theme. The main story revolves around a sixteen-year-old girl who is in the American care-home system and has not spoken for almost two years. The doctor treating her realises music is very important to her and uses lyrics as a way of breaking down the communication barriers. The reasons for this are revealed very slowly and is told over multiple time periods, going back to when Melody Fisher was five-years-old, with the novel repeatedly jumping across the time periods, but as it progresses the backstory slowly closes in on the Melody who is sixteen. My only gripe with Speak to Evil is to question whether the novel fits the remit for the Stoker Award? It does and it does not, ultimately it is a novel about abuse, overcoming abuse and the resilience of Melody Fisher as she slowly, with a lot of help, turns her life around. I’m not ashamed to say I had a tear in my eye on more than one occasion.
 
Perhaps it is the backdrop of the story which edges it towards dark fiction rather than family drama, as this is very dark indeed. Melody’s parents both attend a church where snake-handling is part of the normal Sunday service, however, Melody’s mother is scared of the snakes, but Melody is gifted with animals and has a beautiful voice which almost has a hypnotic quality, but soon something goes horribly wrong with the snakes. Also, writing this from the UK, I’m not sure whether our teenagers would understand the snake-handling story. Teenage novels which touch on subjects as dark as this, which also features a very unpleasant rape scene, need hope and even though Melody does not talk she does have others fighting in her corner for her. Perhaps in real life she would slip through the cracks of society? But this if fiction and we all need hope. A quite beautiful book and one in which I am very happy to champion by buying it for my library. AGE RATING 14+  
 
AMELINDA BERUBE: HERE THERE ARE MONSTERS (8.5/10)

I was really captivated by this slow-burning YA horror/fantasy novel which genuinely nailed the troubled psyche of a sixteen-year-old girl who is trying to deal with the sudden disappearance of her little sister, aged thirteen. The younger girl Deirdre had issues, which are revealed slowly as the plot moves backwards and forwards through narratives before and after the disappearance. Although Skye was not to blame, she feels guilty and it puts a strain on her relationship with her struggling parents who try not to accuse her. But when they’re so stressed tensions run very high and it is easy to cast stones. 
 
The supernatural aspect is slowly filtered into the book and the haunting aspect of the story is cleverly connected to Skye, her new friends and what lives within the local forest. Or is it something which has followed the sisters throughout their childhood? The compelling friendship dynamics Skye has with her new school friends works very well as she struggles to cope even more as the length of the disappearance stretches. The mystery quickly deepens, and I found this to be an excellent and atmospheric read for teenagers looking for a subtle supernatural slow burner. AGE RATING 13+
 
ANN DAVILA CARDINAL: FIVE MIDNIGHTS (8/10)
​
I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced supernatural thriller set over a few hot and sweaty days in Puerto Rico. An American teenager (who has a Puerto Rican father) who speaks rubbish Spanish visits the island for the summer she gets sucked into a supernatural mystery surrounding the disappearance of her cousin and several of his friends. Luckily her uncle is the chief of police and so she has some insider knowledge on what is going on and inserts herself into a convoluted and brooding mystery.
 
The horror aspect revolves around a Puerto Rican version of the boogieman who is killing teenagers with birthdays whose are very close together and known to Lupe. Has someone activated a curse, or how is this creature targeting its victims? This is all part of the drama Lupe is sucked into.  Seen from multiple points of view, throw in a splash of romance, a musical heartthrob, Lupe is an energetic lead character who is not scared to clash with the tough local women who see her as a ‘gringo’ interloper who needs to be put in her place. A highly entertaining supernatural thriller with a convincing and enlightening culturally different setting.  AGE RATING 13+

 
DAWN KURTAGICH: TEETH IN THE MIDST (8/10)

I am a massive fan of Dawn Kurtagich and we have featured her previous novels The Dead House and Creeper Man on Ginger Nuts. Her latest novel Teeth in the Mist is perhaps even more ambitious and is a complex story, set in a huge mansion in rural Wales, split over three narratives in the present day, 1851 and 1583 with a strong supernatural theme permeating through the story. It was a very chunky book, with different fonts and voices and took a bit of time to get into the flow but it is worthy sticking with. This was the case with both her previous two novels, let us hope teenage readers give it a chance as it is not an easy read and will challenge many, as is the case with all her fiction.
 
Sixteen-year-old photography buff Zoey ends up at Medwyn Mill House and is fascinated with the ruin and after spending the night there with her friend Poulton and is sure they are not alone.  Jumping back to 1851 seventeen-year-old Roan arrives at Mill House as a ward and soon realises she is connected to an ancient secret and must try and escape the house, but that is not as easy as it might sound. However, there is something connecting the three young women, which also includes Hermione who relocates with her husband to the same area in 1583.  This was a very strong blend of mystery, horror and dark fantasy, even if it did not quite unsettle me in the way the magnificent Creeper Man did. But is certainly another highly original read as I have come to expect from this talented writer. AGE RATING 13+
 
SHEA ERNSHAW: WINTERWOOD (8/10)

I was a big fan of Shea Ernshaw’s debut The Wicked Deep and her follow-up Winterwood is another dreamily told dark fantasy, with an enticing taste of the supernatural. Once again, the story features a romance which develops as the story enfolds, this one is slightly different though, as the teenage narrator is a witch. Or is she? This was one of the things I loved about this book, much of what goes on is both vague and subtle, so this will appeal to stronger readers, others may find it a tad slow and frustrating. One part of the story is narrated by Nora Walker, in the remote location where the action is set, the ‘Walker Women’ are famous for being witches and so most folks give them a wide berth. Nora, however, questions her own magical ability, but she certainly has weird gifts and can find things when lost and has a deep connection with the local forest which is dangerous and avoided by many others. She can feel the trees and is very close to nature and for the most part deals in herbs rather than magic. Close to her cottage is a reform school for teenage boys, who most definitely think she is a witch, and from this school she meets Oliver.
 
The second narrative is told in the first person from Oliver’s point of view and as the story moves on the two grow closer, but a mystery develops around the disappearance of a second boy around the same time Nora met Oliver. With Nora believing the two boys were connected in some way. Both voices are very distinct, and I found the lush prose Winterwood used to be rather beautiful and lovely to spend time with. It had an outstanding ending which I never saw coming and every teenager questions their place in the world and Nora, witch or not, is no different. Along the way the story is peppered with short anecdotal stories about earlier generations of the ‘Walker Women’. This one of probably aimed at the female audience and if you have the patience to go with the flow, and are not looking for action or adventure, is a very rewarding and thoughtful read. AGE RATING 13+   
 
SARA FARING: THE TENTH GIRL (7/10)

The Tenth Girl is one of those books which is picking up as much love as it is hate, being polarising in all sorts of ways, in particular, because of the outrageous twist ending. Some readers have undoubtedly loved it, others found it to a load of rubbish. I’m not going to comment which way I swing, as this is one of those occasions where you need to make up your own mind. Also, was this a YA novel? Yes and no. To be frank, an adult could pick it up by mistake and never twig it was predominately aimed at teens. This very twisty gothic thriller is mainly set in an Argentinean boarding school of the 1970s, so it is unique for points of references, making it challenging for a YA audience with the oppressive government dictatorship of that decade lurking in the background. It follows a young teacher beginning at a girl’s boarding school in Patagonia, in a house built by colonizers on land that formerly belonged to the Zapuche, an indigenous people in Argentina.
 
The young woman is attempting to escape the Argentinian government, but it seems that she may have gotten herself into an even more dangerous, disturbing situation as very quickly strange things happen at the boarding school and she is told not, under any circumstances, to go out at night. This book will not be for everyone, but when you do get to the end, some of the more abstract sequences make a lot more sense. Whatever you think, you’ll be shaking your head and will never see the ending coming. Avoid spoilers at all costs. AGE RATING 14+
 
KATE ALICE MARSHALL: RULES FOR VANISHING (7/10)
​
Rules for Vanishing was a very clever, original, and sneaky novel told via transcribes, written testimonies, interviews, exhibits, and video evidence. We know from the beginning that the action kicks off in April 2017 and that police discussions are conducted in May 2017 with Sara being the suspect under the microscope. The story revolves around a local legend; once a year an isolated road is rumoured to magically appear, which leads to the entrance to a supernatural dimension and those who follow the path must follow precise rules or risk being trapped there forever. If Sara’s crazy story is to be believed she was lucky to make it out alive, what we don’t know is which of her friends survived along with her, and so we enjoy a story which is enticingly told out of synch.
 
Why was Sara attempting to enter another dimension you might ask? Exactly a year previously her sister Becca went missing and her parents think that she ran away with her boyfriend, but her sister Sara has another solution to the disappearance and begins to investigate.  Did Becca play the game and became lost in another world? Of course, the world is real before long Sara, on the hunt for Becca, and her friends are attempting to get through the seven gates to complete the challenges and be free to leave. I thought this was a very entertaining novel which was both atmospheric and very cleverly written, almost with a documentary feel to it in which the reader had to solve their own puzzles and conduct their own analysis right to the end. Well worth checking out. AGE RATING 12+

PETER ADAM SALOMOM: EIGHT MINUTES, THIRTY-TWO SECONDS (5/10)

As book titles go Eight Minutes, Thirty-Two Seconds is a stinker for YA audiences, no matter what the title refers to, kids are going to avoid it like the plague. Simply put, it is just too clunky. Neither was I certain this was a YA novel at all, or just a science fiction thriller which is accessible to strong teen readers. It was also one of those books where if you don’t follow the action very closely it is easy to lose the thread, which could happen with teen readers. Once you get your head around it, the opening premise was intriguing; due to some kind of disaster the entire population of the world is dead apart from two people who are known as ‘L’ and ‘M’, neither of which remember what happened. However, there are complications, which is the crux of the novel and the reason for the horrendous title.
 
‘L’ and ‘M’ can access the former lives and memories of six other people from the old world, but only for 8.32 minutes/seconds at a time and to do this they have to take this weird addictive drug which kills them. The AI computer then brings them back to life but they have little memories of what happened, apart from bits and pieces. From these excursions into these lost memories they try to figure out what happened to the world by writing little notes and try and put together the pieces of the jigsaw. It was not a long book I still found it disjoined and grew tired of the character jumping, however, there are some nice plot jumps and twists and the crumbling setting held a lot of intrigue. It will probably be sold as ‘high concept’ but I was not convinced and would be interested to see how genuine teen readers take to this book, rather than adult reviewers. AGE RATING 14+
 
NZONDI: OWARE MOSAIC (3/10)

I really struggled with Oware Mosaic and found large sections made little sense, making it a novel I would not recommend to YA readers. Teenagers get frustrated easily and even though it features some creative ideas, much of it is lost in stilted prose with a voice which is both dull and repetitive. Set in Ghana, some years after a massive war, scientists have developed a technology that stores consciousness on data-orbs called retcons. Through a combination of human characters and a future type of (almost) vampire they end up in a virtual reality via a very advanced computer game. I’m not explaining this very well, mainly because I understood little of it and much of what it presented was hard to visualise and I found myself reading the same piece of text several times to pick up the flow. It’s nice to see the story set almost entirely in Africa, but I failed to connect with it and think teen readers would also struggle. AGE RATING 13+  ​