Book Reviews
Title: The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray
Author: Chris Wooding
# of Pages: 292
Year And Publisher: Scholastic 2005
Age Appeal: 14+
Plot: Thaniel, just seventeen, is a wych-hunter. Together, he and Cathaline - his friend and mentor - track down the fearful creatures that lurk in the Old Quarter of London. It is on one of these hunts that he first encounters Alaizabel Cray. Whatever dreadful entity has entered her soul has turned her into a strange and unearthly magnet - attracting evil from every dark corner.
Ratings
Cover: 8/10
Interesting, but nothing special.
Characters: 8/10
The characters that were developed, were awesome. The characters that were thrown in, and were not developed and had no background, were not. Wooding could have easily given them background, story, make us connect, but preferred to keep his book short. What a waste.
Story: 10/10
oh my fricken god, this is a good book. Haunting, creepy, dark, twisted, and fully enthralling. I stayed up until 2 to finish it, then couldn't sleep for the fear the book was steeped in made it's way into my imagination. My only trouble is it divulges a little too much into description of places, and not enough character depth. The creatures, however, were phenomenal. All ranges of dark things, and different attributes, all hunger for the living. Here is one passage of when the wych-kin have over run the city:
"In her bed in Chelsea, the copywriter's wife Claris Banbury woke with a shriek to see her husband rising from beneath the sheets of his own bed, lifting silently into the air. As the white shroud feel free, she saw in terror that his eyes were closed, that he was lying perfectly straight in sleep. Still shrieking, she saw the think lurking in the shadows of the corner of the room, visible only in the murk of sleep-fogged eyes. Naked, twisted, and old old crone with her long straggly hair cloaking her bent body, she crouched on all fours with hooves for feet and a long tail twitching behind her. Claris's heart had always been weak; it sopped altogether at the site of the Night Mare taking her husband, and she sighed and layed back in her bed as if returning to slumber. She did not see her husband continue his smooth rise to the ceiling, dreaming of flying, until her was swallowed by the shadows up there. She was spared the slow, steady droplets of blood that began to spatter the beds, drip, drip, drip, painting the white sheets in shocked flowers of red."
Ending: 9/10
Could have been better, could have come to a solution. But it works if the writer plans to have other stories set in this twisted London. But it definitely ends in a bang, with very little aftermath.....leave it all mysterious.
Overall Thoughts 10/10
This book had me creeped out and captivated until the very end. It is an awesome book for those who want something dark, and something short. I'd definitely recommend it, in fact, I think Phy would really like this one.