How far would you go to escape your own personal teenage hell? Would you run away, break away from everything you know - even your own body?
Alex Robbins, Brooke Saunders and Maryanne Hemlock could not be more different, yet they all have something in common - deep and soul-searing pain. They are also all students at Streep Academy, a boarding school just one step away from juvie, where they've come to complete high school. The three have been relegated to Harvell House, the residence reserved for the hardest cases, the so-called Rejects from Reject Row.
In the forbidden attic of the old Victorian house-turned-residence, the girls discover the diary of Connie Harvell, a young woman who was confined and abused there some 50 years ago. In the end, Connie's attic prison couldn't hold her - not completely. She found a way out. At least a dark part of her did. And after reading her diary, the girls discover they can escape at will, too. A terrifying, thrilling flight from their bodies and their troubles.
But God help them, their pain isn't all they leave behind when they join with the night. And God help anyone who's wronged them...
~ My Thoughts ~
This was such a great story! It's really awesome when you find a book with a plot that's new and interesting, and this was that book for me. The beginning hooked me right away, and the characters began to feel like friends. I thought I knew the way the story was going to go, but it went another direction and left me breathless with anticipation of what was going to happen next.
These three girls, Alex, Maryanne, and Brooke, all have the kind of lives they're desperate to run away from, and when they discover a way to do exactly that, there's no stopping them. On the outside, they couldn't appear to be more different, but once I got to know them better, I could see just how much alike they really were deep down. I could feel how alone they felt with seemingly no one to turn to for comfort and very little coping skills.
I couldn't blame them for wanting out - who hasn't felt like that at one time or another? I know I have, and especially back when I was their age. The problem with the girls' discovery is they always have to come back where their issues are waiting for them, and the momentary relief came at a cost. I tensed up, knowing this temporary freedom would cause casting to become as addictive as a drug. I knew they'd want to want to do it more and more without caring about the long term consequences, and I was on the edge of my seat wondering when they would have to pay the price.
Who wouldn't want to escape his or her life if it wasn't a happy one? But if it meant you'd have to leave your body vulnerable as well as various other consequences, would you still want to do it? Especially if you didn't even know what the price was? I don't think I would - I'd be too afraid of something really awful happening to me or to someone I care about, even if I was desperate to escape my life for a while. In the long run, I'm not sure it would be worth it. On the other hand, the feeling of freedom would call to me, and that would be hard to resist. I'm sure this is why the girls wanted to keep leaving once they had that first taste of becoming one with the night.
I didn't think I'd like Alex and especially not Brooke. Maryanne was easy for me to connect with from the beginning - she seemed the most like me, someone I could really identify with. Surprisingly, Alex and Brooke grew on me, and I ended up identifying with them in ways I couldn't see in the beginning. The secret hurt and guilt this trio carries around is all the more painful because each is carrying her burden alone. There were times when I just wanted to yell at them to share their secrets with each other! I wanted to tell them it would be better to talk it out so maybe they wouldn't feel so alone.
The ending was done in a way that didn't leave you hanging by a thread as to what will happen next, but it also set up perfectly for the next book in the series, making me want to know what Alex, Brooke, and Maryanne will be up to next. I definitely was happy to not be left with a huge cliffhanger! After the intensity of the last part of the book, my heart couldn't have taken one! Read this book, and you'll see what I mean. :)
~ About the Authors ~
NORAH WILSON is a Kindle best-selling author of romantic suspense and paranormal romance. She lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, with her husband, two adult children, dog Chloe, and kitty, Ruckus.
HEATHER DOHERTY fell in love with writing while taking creative writing courses with Athabasca University. Motivated by her university success, and a life-long dream of becoming a novelist, she later enrolled in the Humber School for Writers under the mentorship of David Adams Richards. Her first literary novel was published in 2006. While still writing dark literary (as well as not-so-dark children's lit), she is beyond thrilled to be writing paranormal/horror with Norah. Heather lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick with her family. (No pets, but I swear Norah's dog, Chloe, calls me Aunt Heather).
Together, Heather and Norah write dark, edgy, frightening young adult paranormal/horror.
~ Social Media Links ~
~ Giveaway ~
#1: Five (5) unsigned print copies of Comes the Night sent from CreateSpace - open internationally
#2: Five (5) eBook copies of Comes the Night (Smashwords coupon code) - open internationally
#3: Three (3) $10 gift cards - choice of Amazon, B&N, or Book Depository
