If you liked "Attack the Block", you'll love this! The narrator's voice is strong and true from the start. You'll either recognise it or it'll be new to you, but give it time to settle and soon you'll be whizzing your way up and down "the Finger" (the tower black where the hero-narrator, 15-year-old Marshall, lives) with your eyes watching every surface for new, super-sized bedbugs. There are plenty of good action scenes, suspense and horror, as Marshall and his friends (Mustapha and Sis) see terrible things yet find no one believes them. But there's humour and heart, too, as Marshall, Mustapha and Sis rally and banter (and a scene involving spray paint and super bugs that I'll never forget). And some hard earned reconciliation, as Marshall and his worried mother come to terms with the emergency and each other.
My one criticism is that the ending felt a bit understated. I applaud stepping back from the traditional, heroic, "action movie" style finish, but things tied up almost too quietly. Still I'm willing to forgive this, if it means that Marshall and co. might come back again in future books! This is top storytelling from Steve Tasane, well-paced, inventive, with characters and scenes you won't forget. Just don't read it last thing at night...
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The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more
Top reviews from other countries
N.J. Hynes
Top storytelling with characters and scenes you won't forget
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2014