Blood Beast

February 1, 2008
Gr 7-10-Here's another horrific, edge-of-the-seat gore fest that will be in big demand from anyone who has ever whipped through Shan's previous volumes. Grubbs Grady, the protagonist of the first and third novels in this series, returns to learn that he may not have escaped the family cursethe one that turns some of its teenagers into murderous lycanthropesafter all. At first, his life seems to have returned to normal following the horrible deaths of his parents and his sister. He has good friends in school, there's a girl he likes, and he's living comfortably with his magical uncle, Dervish. But he's plagued with nightmares of demons and blood, and when the moon is full, he feels as though there's a beast inside him ready to burst out. Grubbs, his friend Loch, and his half brother Bill-E dig up a spot near Dervish's house where a fabled treasure supposedly lies buried, and the boys soon unearth a cave that seems filled with a frightening power. Once they do, little by little, things get worse. And worse. There are no happy endings hereand that's just what Demonata fans want."Walter Minkel, New York Public Library"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2008
Traumatized teen demon-fighter Grubbs struggles to suppress his lycanthropy and, with a recklessness and credulity that's difficult to swallow, inadvertently enables a demon invasion. Shan's reluctant reader base may be put off by Beast's slower pace and touchy-feely psychological focus, but Apocalypse picks up momentum and finally unites the series' three protagonists. Both volumes spout Shan's signature near-pornographic gore.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)