Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
Take one part mythology, one part Michael Crichton's PREY, and one part Stephen King's DESPERATION - and you'll come up with something that resembles SHIMMER, a toned-down horror story for the young adult crowd.
Winter, Colorado is a quiet town that will soon be drawing a huge tourist ski crowd with the opening of Hawthorn Resort. Emma and her mom have moved to Winter for her mom to become the head chef at the new resort. Justin's family has moved there because his father is one of the largest investors in the new place. Betina, Russ, and Kit are life-long residents. Soon, the five of them will come together after a party goes horribly wrong.
Justin's parents have gone out of town, and his father has forbidden him to throw a party. Justin knows that no one will check in on him on a school night, and what better way to make friends in this new town? With a little bit of beer, the cool crowd is mingling with the jocks and the not so cool people. But when the coolest of the cool, Tess, brings out a mysterious box from Justin's father's study, the party loses control.
Tess opens the bizarre box and a weird shimmery cloud flies out. Emma and the others aren't sure what they saw, but before they can figure it out, the cloud is gone. Tess, never a nice person to begin with, begins a strange transformation.
Apparently, what was in the box has entered Tess and has a will of its own. If you've read any of the stories mentioned in the first paragraph, you can start to piece together what happens after the box is opened. Tess starts to infect other people in the town, and Winter becomes a place bent on destruction. It's up to Emma, Justin, Betina, Russ, and Kit to save the town and ultimately themselves.
Now, I read mixed reviews for SHIMMER, but I really enjoyed this one. The chapters were short and the action was fast-paced. There was some gore and violence in the story, but nothing overly graphic that would limit younger readers from maybe giving it a whirl. Aimed at the young adult, the story doesn't have the enhanced plot development and characterization as a book by Crichton or King would have, but for this story it isn't needed. It would probably detract from what the author is trying to convey.
Just be sure you don't pick this up on night when a blizzard is due to hit!
Take one part mythology, one part Michael Crichton's PREY, and one part Stephen King's DESPERATION - and you'll come up with something that resembles SHIMMER, a toned-down horror story for the young adult crowd.
Winter, Colorado is a quiet town that will soon be drawing a huge tourist ski crowd with the opening of Hawthorn Resort. Emma and her mom have moved to Winter for her mom to become the head chef at the new resort. Justin's family has moved there because his father is one of the largest investors in the new place. Betina, Russ, and Kit are life-long residents. Soon, the five of them will come together after a party goes horribly wrong.
Justin's parents have gone out of town, and his father has forbidden him to throw a party. Justin knows that no one will check in on him on a school night, and what better way to make friends in this new town? With a little bit of beer, the cool crowd is mingling with the jocks and the not so cool people. But when the coolest of the cool, Tess, brings out a mysterious box from Justin's father's study, the party loses control.
Tess opens the bizarre box and a weird shimmery cloud flies out. Emma and the others aren't sure what they saw, but before they can figure it out, the cloud is gone. Tess, never a nice person to begin with, begins a strange transformation.
Apparently, what was in the box has entered Tess and has a will of its own. If you've read any of the stories mentioned in the first paragraph, you can start to piece together what happens after the box is opened. Tess starts to infect other people in the town, and Winter becomes a place bent on destruction. It's up to Emma, Justin, Betina, Russ, and Kit to save the town and ultimately themselves.
Now, I read mixed reviews for SHIMMER, but I really enjoyed this one. The chapters were short and the action was fast-paced. There was some gore and violence in the story, but nothing overly graphic that would limit younger readers from maybe giving it a whirl. Aimed at the young adult, the story doesn't have the enhanced plot development and characterization as a book by Crichton or King would have, but for this story it isn't needed. It would probably detract from what the author is trying to convey.
Just be sure you don't pick this up on night when a blizzard is due to hit!
