My throat felt like closing the entire time I was reading! Savannah Grey is creepy, dark and an absolutely gripping read! Arc provided through Netgalley. View all 4 comments. Review provided by Black Lagoon Reviews: Truly it was the synopsis that grabbed me as it sounded original and interesting, something filled with paranormal aspects and romance. Two of my favorite things. And yet, it was also so much more then just your average paranormal YA adventure instead leaning more towards horror and suspense.
The premise itself is unique, a girl who has some sort of living weapon in Review provided by Black Lagoon Reviews: The premise itself is unique, a girl who has some sort of living weapon in her throat. At first she is afraid of it, and who wouldn't be? It takes control of her mouth trying to protect itself and anyone who comes near is in danger. This terrifies Savannah more then anything, making her feel more alone then ever. At least until she finds Reece. Apparently he suffers from the same problems, only due to a past tragedy his weapon is rendered mostly useless.
This doesn't alter the feeling of acceptance and togetherness that Savannah feels as she comes to find that there really are monsters in the world. Monsters that are hunting her and that she will have to defeat to save those she loves. Really, the monsters of the story sort of stole the spotlight for me.
At first we are introduced to the Horror. A childlike creature with a unfettered vicious glee. Everything is simply a gruesome game to it as it stalks Savannah, discovering the power she has concealed within her for it's master, the Ocrassa.
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But, for me the Nyktomorph-a creature created by the Ocrassa to serve as it's guardian and protector-was the most intriguing. While the most dangerous of the two, the Nyktomorph has a highly developed intelligence able of telling the difference between right-and-wrong and good-and-evil. It desperately wants to be free of the Ocrassa's vile ways and wants to help Savannah defeat it. However, it's conditioning to serve prevents it from outright betraying the Ocrassa.
It's an interesting predicament and I loved the history given to illustrate the building hate it harbors for it's master. The Ocrassa itself is also quite interesting. An original monster that has lived on Earth for eons, ever evolving and killing. Seeing the world through its eyes shows why it is that nature would revolt against this creature, but the most interesting part of all is how it comes to battle Savannah.
We are always given the impression that it is just a creature, not human, yet as the story progresses we come to find that it can inhabit a human making the danger to Savannah all the more dangerous as we discover that it's someone extremely close to her. The suspense here is masterfully used as it slowly becomes evident to the reader the true scope of the situation. McNish has a real knack for developing the characters within the novel, especially considering how well he created the monsters and their histories, humanizing them for the reader.
Likewise Savannah and Reece have a very fluid quality about them and the spark of romance between the two is nicely evoked. There's such a shy connection between them that I loved to watch develop from a sort of partnership and camaraderie into something more as the two try to protect one another from the dangers that surround them.
It's so simple and sweet, giving a nice contrast to the suspense and horror of the novel and their situations. However, their romance is also quite sad in a way. With both of them housing these mysterious weapons they are unable to even kiss and share a true physical connection though they do find that they can hold hands etc.
Savannah Grey
The only thing that I found truly odd was the lack of a parental figure to Savannah. While she is foster child, we only peripherally see her guardian. Given the obvious odd behavior and the dire discovery of her throat condition I would have expected a care giver to be more involved in her life. The only one with a true parent was Reece, but his relationship with his father was more reversed with him being the guardian of a ill parent.
Even Nina's parent's are missing in action. I certainly would have expected Savannah to at least have fielded a call from the girl's mother after she disappears. This is something that I am not keen on in the YA genre and in this novel particularly I would have thought there would be more as it deals with surgery and a suppose health issue. The overall style of the novel is quite lyrical with a steady rhythm to the writing that lulls the reader in. The voices of the characters are unique and likable and he has a masterful talent of building suspense.
With lots of action and mystery the twists the author throws at the reader are well done. At the moment of these reveals, I could actually see the bigger picture coming together as little things snapped into place. Another aspect that I truly enjoyed was the great detail to which the author went to in his evolutionary tales of the Ocrassa's life. Every time he switched to the history of this monster and all the monsters for that matter, I was enthralled wanting to know more. Savannah Grey is a wonderful breath of fresh air in a genre that is filled with repeating story lines.
I was engrossed and thrilled throughout the novel and stayed up late into the night to finish it. With a wonderful writing style that at times bordered on creepy with it's lyrical depiction of horror and monsters, this tale is one to check out. There is a monster lurking in the shadows Waiting for his chance to strike back. Slowly evolving since the dawn of time.
While this creature takes on many forms, one thing is certain. It is at war. A constant battle is brewing between the monster, and nature itself Savannah Grey as always been a little different. Bouncing from foster home to foster home, always feeling restless. Then something begins to happen with her throat. That's when she meets Reece, who also has something strange go There is a monster lurking in the shadows That's when she meets Reece, who also has something strange going on with his throat. Little does she know that is not the only thing going on here.
Savannah is more than a little different, more like supernatural. Nature's answer for taking down the monster for once and all. Will she be able to accept her fate and BE the deadly weapon that she is destined to be? Well that my friends you'll just have to read for yourself; My thoughts on this book are very torn. So lets start with the most important parts shall we? Cliff McNish is amazing. He has wowed me in his ability to paint a picture in such great detail. Leaving no stone unturned, he walks you through an amazing journey. The things he talks about in this story should leave you a little confused, but the DON'T.
Grey Savannah
He just has a way of making you not only understand everything, but believe it to be real. I fell in love with Savannah right from the start. I like how when she was faced with impossible choices, she did what any teenage girl would do, and made mistakes. It is the way that she handles those mistakes and learns from them that makes you admire her. What can I say he surprised me the most! I don't want to give anything away but by then end of this I was totally hearting him. McNish has a talent for making you love a character one minute, and them hating them the next.
Every time I thought "Oh I see. Now I know whats gonna happen," he pulled the rug out from under me. Keeping me on the edge of my seat, guessing what was going to happen next. It wasn't until the final pages that I finally was able to string it all together, and I assure that was only because McNish decided it was time. While there was some level of well played romance, he didn't flood the pages with it.
This is definitely more of a hold on to the seat of your pants, action packed novel. Now I'll go into why I was torn I'll start by saying that I am a BIG wimp when it comes to all things creepy crawly. Both of the buggy and microscopic variety. I'm a big wuss. I get it I really do. That being said, there was a lot of that in this book. Note that this is not a constant throughout the entire book.
It's mostly just the parts from Ocrassa's point of view. Like I said McNish has a way with words that will leave you with a clear picture of every detail, including the evolution of the monster. Please don't let this keep you from reading this book.
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If me and my trusty bottle of hand sanitizer can make it through it, so can you. All in all, no matter how much it gave me the hee-bee-gee-bee's, this book was worth all of it. I am so glad I found my "big girl" pants and kept going. The ending alone is an amazing twist that will make you squee!!
View all 10 comments. First off, I've never read anything like this before. I'm on the fence about this one; I didn't dislike it, but I didn't love it either. Savannah is this teenage girl with a strange throat affliction. It starts with a sore throat, then her foster mother informs her that there are strange sounds coming from her mouth when she sleeps. When she visits the hospital for blood test results, she unwillingly lashes out at an attendant trying to look down her throat.
Whatever is in her throat, it makes he First off, I've never read anything like this before. Whatever is in her throat, it makes her assault a nurse, almost kill her best friend, and prevents her from kissing anyone ever. Savannah gets the feeling that the throat 'weapon' is there to protect her. Multiple times she comes to the conclusion that she's meant to fight a monster because she saw it in her dreams. This was the major peeve for me. Savannah was surprisingly calm and majorly intuitive as to the strange ability of hers. She came to conclusions way too easily. Strange things in my throat?
Must be to fight a monster. See a strange creature running out of your house in the middle of the night? Go after it of course! With the disturbing imagery and the mystery surrounding what exactly is in Savannah's throat and its purpose, I thought she moved into her role as 'monster hunter' way too easily. It just didn't come off as very realistic to me.
She's 15 yet transitions into something like a superhero in a very short amount of time. Every few chapters or so, we go to the viewpoint of the Ocrassa, this being that has existed, well, since the beginnings of life. It goes from an organism and is able to actively evolve. It exists as an amoeba, lives with the dinosaurs, the plants, in the ocean, and its main goal of its existence is to be the ultimate creature.
It dominates everything else and is seemingly indestructible until nature came along and made Savannah Grey. It has to kill her to regain its place at the top of the food chain. It was interesting being in the Ocrassa's one track mind and even more interesting as it 'created' itself; molded legs and arms or extra eyes.
It was creepy to witness its steely, emotionless demeanor.
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Bottom Line I'm not sure how to classify this book. It's sort of sci-fi but it also has some morbid undertones that made me cringe a bit to imagine. It was strange but held my attention long enough to wonder what was going to happen next, though it did end quite suddenly. If you're a fan of horror books or just want to read something completely different, you might like this. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. But she doesn't know how deadly she is.
Her throat seems to be connected to the mystery; strange noises are heard at night coming from her neck and she is overprotective of her throat. She can't get close to anyone without warning vibrations and becoming violent; so boys and a love life is out of the question, even when Reece appears in her life-cute geeky and totally Savannah's type.
And he has the same odd behaviour and a curious scar on his throat. Both 15 year old Savannah Grey is a weapon. Both feel they were meatn to meet; both dream of a monster surrounded by leaves and they believe they are meant to stop it. But there are creatures who want to prevent Savannah's weaopin becoming fully operational. Teh Horror stalks Savannah at night, coming into her room whilst she's sleeping and evaluates her progress, reporting to his master - the creature known as the Ocrassa.
Teh Ocrassa is waiting for the opportunity to kill her, to ensure its survival, and he has a plan, a plan that will have you guessing to the last second. Cliff McNish has this canny ability to be intense when writing, but its very subtle. Similar to that of Angel.
I also felt a bit annoyed about the whole I love Reece, I. But by the concluding chapters, when the story is coming together and the book reaching its climax I was on the edge of my seat eager to know the outcome. Cliff McNish throwa bits here and there to twist and confuse you making you try to grab onto something, and idea-plausible-that could explain what would happen next.
The characters were likeable, if not overly developed - except for the obivous main characters Reece, Savannah and the creatures. I also liked the change of narrator - the Ocrassa had chapters dedicated to itself so the reader knew the origin of the creature and why Svannah Grey was what she was. It was a very unique, well written story which showed me once again that Cliff McNish is a very creative andimpressive author.
Not to mention the moral of the story - love conquers all!?!? Read itm it might seem confusing and odd but it really does satiate the hunger for something unique. She's moved from foster family to foster family, never really able to settle down and fit in. She doesn't know why she always has to be on the move or why she keeps her distance from everyone around her. But, when a strange attraction to the new boy, Reece brings her to realise that there's something growing in her throat that has great supernatural powers, she discovers that she has to protect it and learn how to harness it b 15 year old Savannah Grey is just trying to find a place she belongs.
But, when a strange attraction to the new boy, Reece brings her to realise that there's something growing in her throat that has great supernatural powers, she discovers that she has to protect it and learn how to harness it before the evil creature that's hunting her catches up and destroys her. When the time comes, will Savannah be able to harness the power within her to save herself and all the ones she cares about? Or will she do anything to give it up and just be normal? Chris McNish has created a unique horror story in Savannah Grey.
It started off slowly, but by the time the true evil had made itself known it was into a captivating story that was probably rushing a bit to much to reach the end. Savannah Grey is a guarded character. She doesn't like anyone to get close to her, especially with the unconscious need to protect whatever it is that's growing inside of her throat.
But she does have a big heart and care a lot about her best friend Nina and her foster mother, this is the character that I really loved. Too bad she was full of a lot of insecurities that nearly overshadowed the caring heroine. I loved the monsters that McNish created.
They were full of originality and personality yes, even the monsters had personalities and they were definitely what made this story interesting. Also I have to say that the romance created between Savannah and Reece was fantastic. He was a character created who gave her strength and also provided obstacles which gave the story plenty of twists and turns. This doesn't mean that I didn't like Savannah Grey.
It was an interesting story, and definitely an original take on the monster story. The one thing that I felt was a let down was the pace with it being either too slow or too quick, I found myself having to re-read parts to see if I missed parts. Besides from that, Savannah Grey is definitely a novel for anyone that loves horror and dark paranormal. There was nothing exceptionally wrong with it, but little things here and there made me like it less than I expected too.
I feel like the story progressed at little to quickly at times and the characters reacted and began feeling certain ways too soon. I liked the plotline. The idea itself is compeletly unique and out of the ordinary; I've never seen or read something like this before. I feel like the author had a really great idea; and yet it fell a tad short.
I think I was expecting something a bit better than what I got. There was nothing all too great about Savannah. Like when Nina was kidnapped. She acted a bit too so, so Also the whole situation in fact seemed to be not such a big deal to her. She accepted monsters and stuff way to easily, and I would have liked to see her question things more and act more shocked and afraid. I do however think the author threw a great twist in with Reece being possessed by the Ocrassa the entire time.
All in all, not too great. I was bored at times and wanted things to be over sooner rather than later. First of all, Savannah Grey is not some weakling girl who needs to be saved by the brave, strong hero. She is her own heroin, and the world's. I loved that about this story. She, through evolution, gets to be strong and save humanity from the destruction the Ocrassa has been looking forward to inflicting since it was created. That gets me to my next point. Evolution ends up being a sort of character all in itself.
Through it, the Ocrassa is able to learn and change so that it can defe First of all, Savannah Grey is not some weakling girl who needs to be saved by the brave, strong hero. Through it, the Ocrassa is able to learn and change so that it can defeat enemy after enemy.
Evolution also gives us Savannah Grey and her powerful abilities. So, evolution has given the human race the battle of life and death. And, nature is helping the life side through its constant aiding of Savannah. In the end, what really matters isn't super-human abilities, infiltration of every lifeform, or planning that took centuries or more. In the end, what matters is love. The love that Savannah has for her friend, Nina, and, even more so, the love she shares with Reece. It is this love that gives her the ability to overpower the Ocrassa and his lifetime without love seals her power.
I really enjoyed this book. I seriously hope that there is a second because I felt a little disappointed in the ending. Yes, she finally overpowered this great threat, but for what. What was the point of beating the Ocrassa if there isn't a single joyful moment seen in the aftermath. I am so glad that she found her strength, but she did so by finding what humanity is really great at: I just want to see her love fulfilled in even a small way.
As a sidenote, I loved the section where Savannah arrives at Dulwich Wood. It reminded me of the scene in "Shrek 2" where Snow White uses her woodland friends and her voice to defeat the evil witch. I found myself really excited to read this book. For one the synopsis really captured me. I really wanted to like this book, but alas I could not. I found that plot did not capture me at all.
Savannah Grey by Cliff McNish
While the characters were great, the story was lacking. Savannah though she was normal when all of sudden she made weird noises at night. She found herself wondering around, think she was dreaming but she was actually doing something else. She discovers something different or wrong with her throat. There is I found myself really excited to read this book. There is something in there that doesn't look right. And the Orcrassa wants her dead because of it. First off, what gripe me about this book was how slow it took the plot to thicken. While I enjoyed meeting Savannah and learning about her, it took a while to see what is going on.
Also it need a lot more explaining. I had a hard time grasping the plot and found myself re-reading parts just to understand. Finally after a good amount a pages in, I understood but I was still somewhat confused as to how Savannah got that way in the first place.
The love interest was surprisingly good. I like seeing Savannah have someone to lean on after what she found out. Reece is just like her. I like how the reader got to see them explore their findings as to what is going on. They were their for each other and didn't push each other into anything. I like seeing how easy it was to be with each other. Well I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book. I have to say I was delightedly surprised. Savannah's tale was one that kept you wanting to turn the page to see what was going to happen next, to find out what the heck is in her throat and what it's use is.
You find yourself pulling for her, hoping that she just might be able to defeat the evil and save her friends. I do have to say the one downside I found with this books is I feel the background on the evil monsters that Savannah is Well I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book. I do have to say the one downside I found with this books is I feel the background on the evil monsters that Savannah is up against was a little too detailed.
I feel the story would have flowed just a s well if not better with about half of what we were given. I did find it a bit hard to read at times with the chapters switching back and forth between Savannah's story and the history of the Orcassa the main monster she has to defeat and the ending leaves you going I would have liked to see one more small chapter telling us how things turned out after that final fight, a bit of closer as I am not much for cliffhangers. It does leave me wanting more and because of that if the author comes out with a sequel I will most definitely be reading it, if simply to find out who made it through!
Over all I enjoyed the plot but found it a bit hard to sit and read in one shot. These guys really do have a great eye for titles that are not only readable, but don't fall into the normal cliches of YA fiction. As a heavy reader of YA, I can say that there's a lot of titles that tend to follow the same formulas. It's well mixed in to the point where many readers might not even notice it, which is the sign that it is also done well.
This isn't that type of book. Want a sneak peek? You can read an excerpt of Savannah Grey at McNish's website! ARC provided by netgalley While the concept of this book is original, the execution of the plot was spotty at best. Savannah, a British foster teen, has a problem with her throat. She knows something isn't right, but she feels protective of the odd thing growing there. She visits a doctor, but nearly kills the the doc when he approaches her mouth to diagnose her. It is revealed that she has supernatural powers manifested in her throat, which have also given her amazing speed, super strength and an odd connection with nat While the concept of this book is original, the execution of the plot was spotty at best.
It is revealed that she has supernatural powers manifested in her throat, which have also given her amazing speed, super strength and an odd connection with nature. Soon she meets a new boy in town who also has a similar throat problem, and both of them are stalked by the Ocrassa, a creature from outer space that seeks to use their powers for it's own gain. This book was similar in tone to Darren Shan's "Demonata" series, I would recommend it to fans of that series. I struggle with McNish because I've read a few of his books before and this has the same characteristics of the other novels: I keep expecting more from this author but he fails to deliver.
His pacing is uneven although, like I mentioned, his plot is a wild ride. The characters are flat and do not behave in any sort of logical manner. McNish gives them a path and then keeps yanking them Weird. McNish gives them a path and then keeps yanking them off of it. Rather than demonstrating depth of character, it makes them seem like they all have multiple personality disorder and it's simply irritating.
I'm frustrated because I feel it's too harsh to say the book was terrible but it falls far short of "good. A weird, twisted, poorly characterized enigma. Where was the tying up of the loose ends like Reese and his family and Nina was she ok.
I feel very cheated after such a great story. It feels like the author just couldn't be bothered once the monster was dead. The ending puts a five star book in a three star placing, and it's a real shame as the story is worth the five stars but for the unfulfilling ending. Had the story concluded rather then just ended I would be raving about how wonderful this book was rather then ranting about the end. I liked the idea of this book more than the actual book. It had the potential to be a really good and interesting book.
I really liked the chapters that weren't in Savannah's point of view. Seeing the perspective of the Monster and the Ocrassa were really interesting and different. However the writing just seemed too rushed. The plot progression went too fast to let the reader understand things. The rushing of the plot also made some of the events in the story seem too unlikely. I think that thi I liked the idea of this book more than the actual book. I think that this book could have been a really good read if the author just spent some more time adding to Savannah's chapters.
The fourth star is for originality, the basic outline of the plot is very good indeed. I wasn't glued to this enough to merit a 5 star review, as I felt something was lacking - the premise was so promising that this could have been even better. The ending though is fantastic. What an incredible girl!! I guess I'm so used to reading Young Adult Series and Trilogies that I was somewhat unprepared and surprised with the pace of this novel. It's a true testament to Cliff McNish that he has written such an amazingly powerful and involved story in just pages.
I made the final page after an evening's breathless reading, and put down the book with a real sense of regret that it was all over. A monster's out there Only one girl can stop it. But will love get in the way? It's a difficult time for fifteen-year-old Savannah Grey - she's settled into her latest foster placement, but her body is acting oddly. Then other strange things begin to happen. Birds behave erratically; gusts of wind blow leaves so fiercely they seem to lure people away. And Savannah discovers she has supernatural powers. Only new boy Reece Gandolfo thinks Savannah's powers are a special gift.
No wonder she's attracted to him. But there's another force that wants to lure Savannah from safety into danger If I were to condense Savannah Grey into one central idea it would be: To kill a monster, do you have to become one? Nothing wrong with those things, but it seems to me that when you're up against real monsters with big claws you probably need sizeable claws of your own to compete. Either that, or you'd better have a more lethal and subtle surprise up your sleeve. In this novel the teenagers confront true monsters which are - like all respectable monsters should be - exceptionally hard to kill.
Three monsters, in fact: