Ouija by Zoé-Lee O'Farrell

I realise I've been quiet of late - sorry, just life and stuff, you know how it goes sometimes. But I'm back today for my stop on the Question Mark Horror tour for Camp Death by Jim Ody and Ouija by Zoé-Lee O'Farrell, which is what I'm reviewing here. I don't tend to read horror, or YA but I've got to know Zoé a little over the last wee while and couldn't miss out on a chance to review her debut novel! 

The Blurb

The only thing for certain is the deaths were no accident.

Rayner High School once a prestigious school stands in ruins after such a terrible event.

A year later, a group of friends return to the abandoned school and their nightmare begins.

Something wants to get out and won’t take NO for an answer…

Ouija is Book 2 in a new series brought to you by Question Mark Horror. For fans of Point Horror, Christopher Pike & Nicholas Pine.

Purchase Links

Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0997CPK3J/

Amazon US - https://www.amazon.com/Ouija-Zo%C3%A9-Lee-OFarrell-ebook/dp/B0997CPK3J

 

My Review

I am such a wuss. As mentioned above, I don't tend to read horror books because they scare the bejeezus out of me. Seriously, I'm spooked by the smallest thing. So I was slightly hesitant going into Ouija. It's a slim volume, coming in at just over 150 pages, and took me a couple of hours to read. I foolishly started it lying in my bed at night. I got to, I think, 17% of the way through when I knew I needed to read the rest in the daytime. Wuss. 

The book opens with an horrific, and graphic, scene in a high school - one of those scenes when you forget to breathe. We then jump forward twelve months and meet a group of six teenage friends who decide to visit the now abandoned school at night. With a ouija board. Almost immediately things begin to get dark. And seriously creepy. 

There is a lot going on in these 150 odd pages. We jump between the present day and the terrible events of a year previously so little by little we start to understand what might have happened then and now. It's fair to say the teenagers open a Pandora's Box of nightmares which will affect them for the rest of their lives. O'Farrell is not scared to be explicit with the horror aspect of the story and fair packs a punch. But there is plenty of subtlety too - the relationships between the teenagers are handled well. 

I had my heart in my mouth from that terrifying opening scene right up until the frightening and heartbreaking final scenes. I'm not going to tell you what happens in between, that's for you to discover, if you're brave enough! I will say though that it's a warning that we really shouldn't mess with what we don't understand. And I'll never look at porcelain dolls the same way again! A great debut novel from O'Farrell. 
 

The Author

Zoé O’Farrell grew up in Watford but left the town life to live by the sea down at the White Cliffs of Dover. She spends her days working with numbers before escaping in the evening to the world of words and movies. Her go-to relaxation is watching a scary movie or reading a terrifying book!

She is a book blogger and tour organiser just to keep her extra busy. When she is not reading or writing, you can usually find her watching Watford FC or at a gig. Failing that she can be found rolling her eyes at her husband as he acts the same age as her spitfire of a Mini-Me whilst separating her two cats.

Ouija is her debut novel.


Author Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zoelee.anthony
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zooloosbookdiary/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/zooloo2008
Website: https://zooloosbookdiary.co.uk/


Check out Book 1 in the series, Camp Death by Jim Ody

Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Camp-Death-Question-Mark-Horror-ebook/dp/B0999JVT1F

Amazon US - https://www.amazon.com/Camp-Death-Question-Mark-Horror-ebook/dp/B0999JVT1F/