Book Review #56: The Radleys

Author: Matt Haig.
Format: ARC.
Pages: 366.
Series: Nope.
Source: Publisher.
Publisher: Free Press.
Published Date: December 2010.

Summary:

"Just about everyone knows a family like the Radleys. Many of us grew up next door to one. They are a modern family, averagely content, averagely dysfunctional, living in a staid and quiet suburban English town. Peter is an overworked doctor whose wife, Helen, has become increasingly remote and uncommunicative. Rowan, their teenage son, is being bullied at school, and their anemic daughter, Clara, has recently become a vegan. They are typical, that is, save for one devastating exception: Peter and Helen are vampires and have—for seventeen years—been abstaining by choice from a life of chasing blood in the hope that their children could live normal lives. One night, Clara finds herself driven to commit a shocking—and disturbingly satisfying—act of violence, and her parents are forced to explain their history of shadows and lies. A police investigation is launched that uncovers a richness of vampire history heretofore unknown to the general public. And when the malevolent and alluring Uncle Will, a practicing vampire, arrives to throw the police off Clara’s trail, he winds up throwing the whole house into temptation and turmoil and unleashing a host of dark secrets that threaten the Radleys’ marriage. The Radleys is a moving, thrilling, and radiant domestic novel that explores with daring the lengths a parent will go to protect a child, what it costs you to deny your identity, the undeniable appeal of sin, and the everlasting,..."

Cover:

We all know it's October, and we ALL know what that means; HALLOWEEN! The time of year when you want that spoke factor, you go trick-or-treating, make and eat pumpkin pie, watch scary movies with your friends, and as a blogger, read horror books.

The cover of The Radleys was exactly what I was looking for! It just screams scary, creepy and horror! Giving you that eerie feeling, with not only the black background, the red font, but also the white picket fence, that has blood on it, and "Rowan" carved into it.

Story Line:

What would you do if your parents were vampires? What would you do if your older brother were to be one of those blood suckers? ....What would you do if you were one too?

You're probably thinking, "That would never happen to me!" But I'm sure that's the same thing Clara Radley was thinking, but like her, it could easily happen to you.

The Radleys is a perfect book for the month of Halloween, it isn't too scary, but it does have some romance, and keeps you sitting on the edge of your seat until the very end of the book!

I really enjoyed reading about Rowan, Clara's older brother. When you first get to meet him, he's on the quiet side, doesn't fit in well at school, doesn't have many friends, and can't stand up for himself, when it comes to being bullied. Rowan seems like one of the sweetest guys in the world, who cares a lot about his baby sister.

Rowan, was one of many reasons I loved reading The Radleys. I enjoyed watching him grown, become more confident and learn how to take care of himself. Close to the end of the book Rowan stands up for himself, and finds the confidence to talk to a girl he's really liked.

Matt Haig's writing is amazing, and I can't wait to read more from him(: