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Book Reviews of Dread Locks (Dark Fusion, Bk 1)

Dread Locks (Dark Fusion, Bk 1)
Dread Locks - Dark Fusion, Bk 1
Author: Neal Shusterman
ISBN-13: 9780525475545
ISBN-10: 0525475540
Publication Date: 5/5/2005
Pages: 176
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 4

3.8 stars, based on 4 ratings
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Book Type: Hardcover
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

2 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

abbykt avatar reviewed Dread Locks (Dark Fusion, Bk 1) on + 113 more book reviews
I really enjoy Neal Shusterman's books. This book was not as insightful as some that I have read but it was a good quick read. The conflict was well laid out and I am glad that it was not wrapped up in a pretty little bow. It made the flaw of the narrator more pronounced as he sacrificed everything because of his flaw.
GeniusJen avatar reviewed Dread Locks (Dark Fusion, Bk 1) on + 5322 more book reviews
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

In Neal Shusterman's new DARK FUSION Series, the author takes myths, legends, and fairy tales, mixes them up with modern-day tales of teen angst and horror, and comes up with an entertaining read. In DREAD LOCKS, we get a whole stew pot full of retold stories--GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS, MEDUSA, KING MIDAS. They're all there, and the finished product is a quick, fun, and sometimes depressing read.

Parker Baer is the type of fifteen-year old I both love and hate. He's always been given everything he's ever wanted, due to the fact that his parents are wealthy. He has an obnoxious older brother, Garrett, and an irritable little sister, Katrina. For his birthday, his brother bought him a motocross bike, and his parents gave him a statue. Yes, the teenaged Parker is now memorialized in bronze.

Then Parker meets his new next-door neighbor, Tara Herpecheveux, in the most surprising way--she's sleeping in his bed. But Tara's strangeness, and undeniable attractability, is a hodge-podge of attributes--she's exotically beautiful, has the strangest blond dread locks, always wears mirrored sunglasses, and has an aversion to the belief of personal property.

As Parker gets more and more entangled in the strangeness that is Tara, he begins to notice the ever-increasing weird behavior of the students in his school. Odd cravings, incessantly strange behavior, and a general weirdness pervade the halls of the private school for the rich. Once Parker finally accepts the truth of what's happening, it's too late.

The ending, although slightly predictable in some ways, was a surprise overall. It left me feeling sad, but then again, most fairy tales have one or more tear-inducing scenes in them. DREAD LOCKS is an interesting retelling of some notable myths, and if you're into horror stories, this one should definitely do the trick!