Shadow Grave by Marina Cohen, a Canadian author, takes place in the mysterious town of Livermore, New Hampshire. Our main character, 12-year-old Arlo, along with his mother and sister, Lola end up there after a car crash ruins their plans to spend thanksgiving together at a quaint bed and breakfast. Instead with out cell signal and in need of help for his mother’s broken ankle the trio end up in the small town of Livermore, a town seemingly disconnected from reality with their old-fashioned ways of dressing and lack of electricity. With no other options the trio settle in here, waiting for Arlo’s father who he managed to call with his dying phone battery. However, unsettled from the start, it soon becomes clear to Arlo that something is not quite right in this town, this town holds a secret that it will do anything to protect and none of his family will be safe if they continue to stay here. Arlo might be afraid of most everything, but he’s afraid of losing his family, his mother, the most so he’ll do anything to keep them safe. Though perhaps not all in this town are as intimidating or untrustworthy as they might first appear…

I found this book a wonderful read, with a sense of mystery and horror that keeps you turning the page again and again. Arlo as well is a wonderful protagonist, fearful and anxious –even more so after his mothers battle with an illness that nearly took her life a year prior but he is brave in his own ways, especially when it counts. I found myself connecting with his worries and struggles, the way he manages through his thoughts and anxieties in this new and confusing situation. There is a strong sense of care and heart in the way Arlo is written, Cohen does a great job of making his struggles, both those caused and before the events of the story, feel real and tangible.

If you are looking to read something exciting, with mystery and suspense sprinkled throughout, I think Shadow Grave is a book you would not regret reading! I recommend to all those looking for a little horror and mystery in their lives.

 

— Nathaly (JI142)