#mollywas

Once on the other side, she is always where she needs to be to find whatever it is that she was looking for. The process takes a large toll on Vic mentally and physically, especially as she has to lie about how she finds things. She eventually travels to an Iowa library where she meets Maggie, a librarian that can use Scrabble tiles to find out where to look for missing items or information. The process also takes a large toll on her, causing a severe stutter. She warns Vic against Manx, whom she can only refer to as "the Wraith" due to her being unable to divine his given name. Vic then begins to travel home, but loses her bike in the process and develops a terrible fever, causing her to fall into a deep sleep for a few days. During this time Manx enlists chemical plant worker Bing in order to gain access to a gingerbread flavoured sevoflurane that the factory produces. Believing that Manx is taking the children to a place called "Christmasland" where nothing bad happens, Bing willingly goes along with Manx's plans and uses the sevoflurane to capture children. Eventually Vic forgets about her bike, grows up and has a child. 

  I could carry on with the plotline but it is a long book and there are many details which I am sure to forget. This novel very cleverly plays on our fears, making the mundane and familiar anything but that. Even a phone ringing can send a chill down your side. The whole concept of Christmas is also given a terrifying twist, Christmasland, home to Charles Manx, is a place of nightmares.

It is clear that a strong protagonist will be needed to go up against Manx and Bing. Vic McQueen, is a flawed, rebellious, troubled and creative heroine. She is believable as a person and I had no trouble investing in her. Because of her flaws and her dysfunction, she is far more endearing and interesting. You really care about Vic and her son, who enjoy a difficult but loving relationship.

A horror novel that tackles mental illness, depression, addiction and loss is very much a human one. This is not your basic good versus evil tale; rather it is about unconditional love overcoming adversity.

I love that the book features a female lead, and that Vic is prickly and strong. Her childhood isn’t exactly happy or normal – she discovers, impossibly, that she can travel over a bridge that doesn’t really exist in time and space, she sees her mother beaten up by her father (before he abandons them), and she faces a truly terrifying monster in Charles Manx and escapes. I love that for all of these things in her past, Vic isn’t just a sum of her mistakes – she’s a character with a painful past, but she’s determined and with every fiber in her being, she alone has the ability and strength to stand against Manx. 

  The only downside of this book is the ending in my opinion. I will not ruin it for those who have not read it, but it did disappoint me slightly and could have been more exciting. Although, saying that, the book is action packed and has many terrific plots throughout. 

  This is a book which I would absolutely recommend to everyone, especially fans of Stephen King and Dean Koontz.