Seventeen-year-old horror fan Cain Shannon thought helping a ghost find her killers would be the supernatural adventure of a lifetime. Now, he just hopes to survive long enough to protect his family and friends from her.A bet between friends goes horribly wrong, resulting in Sarah’s death. When she returns to seek justice against those responsible, Cain agrees to help her. But when he discovers … discovers Sarah has been hijacking his body, he realizes she wants retribution instead of justice.
Terrified of what could have happened when he wasn’t in control, Cain commands Sarah to leave his house – but exorcising her isn’t that easy. She retaliates against her murderers in bloody, horrific ways, each death making her stronger, then sets her sights on Cain. With the help of friends, Cain fights to save himself and his loved ones and searches for a way to stop Sarah before she kills again.
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Sarah is a young adult and supernatural thriller written by Teri Polen. Imagine being in high school when you had to deal with the drama of teenagers and schoolwork. Bad, huh? Not quite as bad as Cain has it… the attic door has started creaking open recently. Drifts of cold and hot air circulate around his bedroom, leaving him sweaty and freezing in all the wrong seasons. But when he feels something touching him at night, he knows it’s no longer imaginary. It’s time to get out. Does he listen? Of course not… and that’s why Polen’s book gives us all the right scares and shocks.
Cain is an admirable character; I dare say he’s kinda sexy… despite dating the wrong girl. He’s falling for another one, but she’s not gonna move in on a cheerleader’s territory unless Cain breaks up with his girlfriend. Good thing he has a best friend on the soccer team who keeps him sane and backs him up when the ghost haunting Cain’s family’s new home starts getting quite mean. Vengeance is important here… someone killed the girl, trapping her in the house. But who and why are key!
Polen definitely created a strong story. I enjoyed the direct and clean writing, intended for young adults but with enough weight to entertain us who might be more the age of Cain’s parents rather than Cain. The chills are present in the atmosphere in this book… both in the words and the actions of all the main players. I got a cross between Poltergeist, Scream, and Beverly Hills 90210… only a more streamlined cast. Classic football vs. soccer themes, taking care of a sister as a way to show Cain’s strength, the underlying emotions of his father’s recent death… all make the book, in my opinion, believable. His intelligent yet still slightly immature sense of self forces him to keep the ghost secret from his mother, yet when it counts, he knows what to do.
The friendships Cain makes are genuine, and I liked his backbone when it came to defending himself from others. I still wanna know what happened under his bed… Polen leaves us guessing, which is a good thing, as some movies have gone too far to show us! Not knowing is sometimes even spookier. Overall, this was a great intro to the author’s work. I devoured the book over a two-day period and will be reading more in the future. Nice job!
Sarah is one of those stories that makes me think. If Sarah was a victim and returned as a ghost, what about her victims. Could they do the same? Things Sarah did to Cain were also penetrative, in a way. I only mention this because making me think is the sign of a good author.
Polen has written this in such a way as to expand the world beyond the characters. This is a sign I was truly invested in the story. That she did it without barrels of blood in this day and age is also a testament to the author’s skill.
Pick up a copy of Sarah. You won’t be disappointed.
Fans of good, old-fashioned ghost stories will love this. There’s the progression of a ghost (from shy and in need of help to murderous and in need of a facial). There’s a teenage reaction to terrifying events. And, of course, there’s a twisted, little twist at the end. It’s a fun read.
Saying it’s a ‘fun read’ may sound strange but this book brought me back to when I was younger, hanging out with friends, watching a horror flick or trying to tell the creepiest story at a sleepover.
The author did a great job with the dialogue and banter between Cain, the MC, and his best friend, Finn. Reminded me a bit of one of the earlier episodes of Supernatural.
This book is young YA (maybe even older MG) and is perfect for that age group. Not to say older readers, like me, won’t enjoy it. Because, clearly, I did. It’s classic teen horror.