The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman

The next prompt in my Book Junkie challenge was to read an atmospheric or horror book. I decided to go with The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman for this category after seeing it recommended by several Booktubers I follow. This young adult contemporary fantasy is being compared to Stranger Things, a show that I really like, so I was excited to give it a try. I was also excited to actually read a book in the year it came out. Look at me, on the cutting edge of things!

The plot centers around the small town of Four Paths in upstate New York. Generations ago, the four founders of the town managed to trap a monster that was terrorizing the population in an alternate realm of the town called The Gray. In the process of trapping the monster, the four founders inherited some magical powers, which they used afterwards to keep the monster imprisoned in The Gray and to protect the rest of the townspeople. Over the years, their magical powers and their responsibility of keeping Four Paths safe have been passed down to their descendants. Over the years, however, various members of the founding families have moved away, rivalries have cropped up, and family drama has caused conflict and hurt feelings all around. Making matters worse, the monster has been getting stronger over the years, and has developed the ability to pull people into The Gray to attack them. A series of bodies have been found in the woods, and people are starting to doubt the current batch of Founders' abilities to keep them safe anymore. The mood in Four Paths is uneasy and tense; it feels like matters are at a breaking point.

The story focuses on the most recent generation of Founders, a group of teens struggling to understand what is changing in Four Paths and trying to figure out how to reign the monster back in. Justin and May Hawthorne, whose family powers revolve around reading the future and seeing into the minds of others, are working hard to live up to the image of their mother, who is the town sheriff. Harper Carlisle, who's family powers center around the ability to control stone, is trying to heal after a terrifying ordeal in The Gray that cost her an arm. Isaac Sullivan, whose family's powers involve destruction, is working to adjust to life after a magical ceremony gone wrong caused the death of several family members and the flight of the rest. Rivalries stretching back across generations and more recent conflicts have fractured the group. They do not work well together and don't have much of an interest in trying to do so, despite their shared responsibilities. It takes the introduction of Violet Saunders, a founder moving back to Four Paths with her mother, to start to bring the group together. Everyone, for various reasons, believes that gaining her trust and loyalty will help their own families further their ambitions.

However, Violet is in no condition to be used by anyone. She is still grieving the loss of her older sister, and is completely unaware of any of the supernatural events going on in the town. She also doesn't know anything about her heritage, or even that magic is real. Her mother is only able to give her suspiciously hazy information about the her past, so when she starts to exhibit some curious abilities, she is on her own to figure out what is going on. Before long, she joins up with the other teens to solve the mysteries of her past, a decision which will trigger a chain of events that could lead them all to save Four Paths, or lose it forever to the monster.

The Devouring Gray was a surprisingly good read. The plot was interesting and suspenseful, the characters were well-developed, and the setting was excellently rendered. Four Paths felt alive and creepy, with both the normal town and The Gray maintaining an authentically foreboding atmosphere. The excellent cover design and artwork at the top of each chapter helped contribute to that feeling as well. The mysterious elements of the story were similarly well-handled, with information being revealed at a good pace and surprising twists popping up at the right moments. I was impressed with Christine Lynn Herman's ability to create such a detailed, imaginative world. This story had no trouble keeping my interest and taking me away to another universe.

The narration hopped around to follow the different teen characters frequently, a style which I don't always enjoy. Here, however, I found that each perspective offered unique information to further the story, so I didn't mind it. Each characters' experiences were different enough for me to tell them apart without much trouble, although I sometimes had to flip back a few pages to make sure I was thinking about the right character while reading. Another small point of confusion was sorting out all the connections between past events and the previous generations of founders. There is so much backstory presented throughout the story that it was tough at times to remember everyone's past actions and relationships. On the whole though, the amount of detail was a good thing, as it created a richer reading experience.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Devouring Gray. It's the first book in a duology, and I will definitely be hanging onto this one so I can read it again before the second volume comes out. I can see how others have drawn comparisons between it and Stranger Things, they both share that creepy, contemporary horror/mystery vibe. I'm glad that I decided to give it a shot!


Challenge Tally
Book Junkie Trials (The Hallow Isle - Read an atmospheric or horror book) 15/17
Finally in 2019: 35/6 Books Read - Complete!

Total Books Read in 2019: 53