Book Review - Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow by Nancy Gray

Title: Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow

Author: Nancy Gray

Genre: Middle Grade, Horror

Release Date: August 31st, 2018

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Eleven-year-old Sophie arrives at her Aunt and Uncle's farm to horrible news: her cousin, Hunt, has gone missing! When Sophie starts searching for clues to where her cousin went, strange things start to happen. THE SCARECROW wanders around the cornfields at night and murders of crows lash out at other animals for no reason at all. An ancient spirit wants revenge! Sophie will have to be both brave and clever in order to save her cousin...and herself!

Goodreads * Amazon

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My Review:

I've read two other novels by Nancy Gray, Empty Eyes and Krampus, so when I read the synopsis of The Scarecrow, I know I had to read it. It sounded really interesting. I was not disappointed.

All of the previous books in the Spine Chillers series have been short, and The Scarecrow was no exception. I love how each book in the series can be read as a standalone.

I found myself enthralled by the plot of The Scarecrow from the very beginning. Once I started reading, I was immediately thrust into all the action. Yes, the plot about a scary scarecrow come to life has been done many times before, but I loved the way Nancy Gray made her story a bit different. There are a couple of plot twists, and there was even one I didn't see coming. The Scarecrow is a scary read, but it's not overly scary for its targeted audience. I found the world building to be believable. It was easy to be transported to Sophie's world with each word I read.

The pacing for The Scarecrow is done fantastically. Not once did it slow down to where it became boring, and it was never too fast paced where I was just left confused. The pacing is spot on, and I found myself wanting to know more about the scarecrow, Hunt, Sophie, and Edward with each page. This was a definite page turner. Luckily The Scarecrow is a short read because I never wanted to stop reading. I had to know how everything would turn out.

I loved the characters in The Scarecrow. I found Sophie to be incredibly brave and sweet the way she was willing to put her life on the line to look for and save her cousin. Edward was an interesting character in a good way. Even the adults in this book were likable as well as believable.

Trigger warnings for The Scarecrow include one minor profanity (one of the characters says "what the hell"), violence, and disobeying adults.

Overall, The Scarecrow is a great read for those that like to be spooked. It has a great story line, interesting characters, and fantastic pacing. I would definitely recommend Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow by Nancy Gray to those aged 11+. Even though this is written for the middle grade age group, I really think adults would enjoy it too.

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About the Author:

Nancy Gray has published a number of works including her young adult fantasy series Blood Rain. Her short story “Chosen” appeared in Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal Author Quest: a Penguin Special from Grosset & Dunlap. Her work also appears in various anthologies.

Nancy Gray has been writing for over ten years. Gray lives in South Carolina with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys books, video games, anime, manga, and horror.

Other Works by Nancy Gray:

Blood Rain

Blood Moon

Blood God

Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow

Spine Chillers: Big Bad Wolf

Spine Chillers: The Beast of Black Pond

Spine Chillers: Empty Eyes

Spine Chillers: The Firefly
Spine Chillers: Krampus