Oh holy crap this book. Gave me the creeps and when I finished it, I immediately started the next one. I think I will have them all finished by this afternoon because I have to know how this ends. ( )

I don't know why but I went in search for serial killer/stalker young adult books. I wanted something thrilling to read next like I've been reading lately. I wanted action, mystery, and to be on the edge of my seat. That is exactly what I got from Fearscape and so much more. I regret finding this book not because there was anything wrong with it, other than some few flaws, but because after settling down after reading this heart pounding book I became truly disgusted with the villain, Gavin.

There's no discussion, Gavin is the stalker in this story. You learn about that fact five seconds after you meet him. I had no doubt in my mind that he was the bad guy. What I didn't think was how completely creepy he was going to be. I know. He's a stalker so of course he is but seeing him through the eyes of the innocent 14 year old protagonist Valerian, he didn't appear like he was going to go as far as he did in this book.

I understand Val was very naive however, I understand why she was. She's a kid who gets attention by this handsome, muscular, older guy who is enraptured by her presence. The kind of charm he exuded to her clouded her judgment. It's very terrifying if a man like that becomes a threat. If you've ever been approached by a strange man than you know exactly what I mean. So I understood completely how she was feeling especially her confliction since she considered him to be hot.

I think it's a very bad choice to make stalkers in books good looking. It sends the message that it's okay for a guy to want to own you like Gavin wants to with Val. I've read a lot of reviews where people want them to have a happy ending when this sick person tries to rape her. What are you thinking? He's crazy!!! He's pure evil but because he's hot that's okay? Then, because I wanted to know what to expect in the next books I find out some deeply disturbing things that are going to happen in the third book. With the culmination of that reveal and all the reviews I was looking at I started feeling nauseated. I really liked the story while reading it. It was thrilling and terrifying but I am thinking back now at what Gavin was saying and I just became truly scared about this character. I haven't been so scared of a character since I read Kindred back in High School.

I still think Fearscape deserves a high rating because it felt so real and elicited great emotions from me. But, Gavin was too much of a good villain that I couldn't possibly finish this series. I'm happy that the author doesn't see this as a romance like so many readers do. She sees Gavin as a sick, horrible person. She is trying to show the dark side of the real world. How people like this are out there and it's a very terrifying, real thing. So she doesn't condone this stalker behavior which is a relief because so many readers seem like they do. If you don't mind very intense, disturbing scenes you might want to try this book out. It is really good and provides a great scare even if it was too dark for me. If you keep all I had in mind as well as it being more of an adult book even if it set in high school and you think you'll like it - go for it. ( )

I know without a doubt in my mind why some people hate this book. Although it's classed as an YA novel, the subject breached was far from it.

Campbell dives in obsession with such force it leaves the reader stunned. The need to possess, the need to control, while tempting the mind with the one true fantasy. A love so strong that will warp your perception of the world. A love so powerful it will endure the tests of time and separation. A love so focused that nobody will ever compare to that person that makes your heart beat faster.

Why did I compare it to the one true fantasy? Simple, human nature.

The term 'Alpha Male' says it all. We all know it. How many times did we pick up a book, that promises a dominant, strong, doesn't take no for an answer, powerful male that swoops in and shatters all control the female has over her life, to exert his own? To need her to that extent, the very thought of losing her makes him want to take on the world?

It's tempting to a human mind, to become someone's everything. To be so valued, special, distinguished from the rest.

So the answer is simple. Many, many times.

The only difference between books that sends masses gushing and this one? Packaging. The ingredients stay the same. It becomes so easy for us to entertain ourselves with dominance and submission, as long the edges are more sharply defined. If our Alpha Male had a clean cut job, and was in the process of saving the girl from some baddies? I don't think it would be as shocking as a young man who we don't know much about. Lurking in the dark. We do tent to gravitate to clear moral simplicity. The yin and yang. The black and white. All the while forgetting the well known truth - that life is very rarely defined in such a way. I love the ballsiness of swimming in darker waters, knowing full well you will face criticism. I love the ballsines of succeeding to get to the other side...

The main factor of controversy in this novel is Val's age. She is only fourteen. That fact alone made many give up on this particular novel, saying it glorifies child abuse. Would they feel slightly different if she was perhaps ten years older? The thing is, if we turn our backs on something, it doesn't make it less real. The true need to own or possess a human being is not a product of a sound mind. It never was. This is only a novel, a novel doesn't scare me. What scares me is that there are people out there in the real world, that know exactly who Gavin is, because they feel the same urges themselves.

Haunting, disturbing, chilling, creepy....Those are only some of the words describing this novel, and they are all correct.

Campbell has a way of rattling the hornet's nest. Brave enough to touch the subjects that we all know are out there, but not discuss in general unless with the selected few. Raw emotional desire, need for sexual conquest, first stirrings of lust in that delicate age between a child and an adult.

I have read a few of her works and seen that she seeks to unsettle, rather then soothe the reader. Challenge you out of your comfort zone. She writes multiple genres, and they all have the unique way of inviting you further into her world. Love it or hate it, I have no doubt in my mind we are witnessing the rise of a master. ( )

EDIT 05/10/2014: Will be doing a re-read, now that I have the entire trilogy. Woo, go Nenia!


Disclaimer: I won this book on Booklikes. However this did not taint my perception of the book. Also thank you, Nenia!

"People only picked the pretty, sweet-smelling flowers. The ones with thorns were left alone."

Valerian Kimble is fourteen years old. She's an artist, a dedicated runner and is too nice for her own good. For some odd reason, she catches the attention of Gavin Mecozzi -- and he weaves a trap she can't escape.

I absolutely adored Val's character. She might be a bit of a Mary Sue, but the fact that she's fourteen gives her leeway to be so. She's still chid-like and naive, traits you shouldn't forget or overestimate whilst reading this book.

Ms Campbell has weaved a story of deception, of betrayal and romance gone wrong so well that I finished this book in one sitting and look forward to reading the next one. The only slight problem I had with the story was Val's age -- a fourteen year old dating an eighteen year old just seems wrong, but I quickly understood why she had to be so young and in the end it worked incredibly well.

The story kept me on my toes the entire time and everything Val felt, I did too. She's an incredibly easy character to like and sympathise with and I saw a lot of my fourteen year old self in her. The emotions I felt were the same I would feel if my younger sister was in the same position.

Gavin Mecozzi, YOU'RE A FREAK.

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Find this review and more at http://www.thereadingobsession.blogspot.com

Spoilers for the series abound, because, seriously, you can't review this series without spoilers.

Do you know that feeling when you read an amazing book, and you're like, "I must get the other one or else I'll die."? But at the same time, you're terrified that the next book won't be as good? That's basically how I felt when I finished Fearscape, the first book in this trilogy. However, being the serial-killer-obsessed person I am, I went and bought the next book. And it was even better. Around that time, I thought all the books had come out, so I went to try and buy the next one. But noooooo, people had to be mean and not release it yet.

Then I realized Nenia always updated her status on how far in a book she had written, and I went and stalked that for a while. All this time, I was getting more and more excited for the conclusion that had to be epic. It turns out that Nenia finished writing and editing it a few months earlier and released it, and that meant I could buy it.

There's a quote from Terrorscape, book three of the trilogy, that accurately describes the entire series:

“Once upon a time, there was a naïve and innocent girl who thought she could tame the beast and live happily ever after. But the beast did not want to be tamed, for he was a beast and beasts care not for such things, and the girl died along with her dreams.

From childhood's grave sprang a young woman, jaded before her years, who knew that beasts could wear the skins of men, and that evil could exist in sunlight, as well as darkness."




The Horrorscape Trilogy is about a girl who starts out very sweet, innocent, and ordinary, but meets a guy. He acts like all the other YA novel love interests, so she doesn't see anything wrong. Slowly, she realizes that the boyfriends of books shouldn't be real in life. The ones that are real are dangerous. This begins a game of cat and mouse, where Val is the rodent.




In the first book, Val is full of life and hope. In the second, she becomes scared and terrified. This is a true reaction to what would happen if a psychopath became obsessed with you. In the third, she's still scared, but she fights back.




Gavin also experiences character development, but it is not for the better. Instead, he hones his ability to kill and generally becomes more terrifying.




Unlike so many of the YA novels, this series is written in third person. Sometimes, third person will take away the terror of suspenseful books, but this one doesn't.




Nenia has this gift of being an amazing writer. Her descriptions are so detailed, and yet not boring as to take away from the overall impact. The downside to this is that a lot of her descriptions sound like the places I'm often at, and I'm scared whenever I think of them.




There is so much suspense in these three novels that it made me freak out whenever I heard a noise. And since people have terrible timing, they'd walk in right at the terrifying part.




In Terrorscape, there's a mention of a Vivaldi ringtone. When I read, I play music on my computer. Guess what just happened to play when I started that page? I swear, I started screaming. Meanwhile, my dog just sits there confused.




And guess what? There's something called research in this book. Why do I know this? Because occasionally, I'll look up strange things, say for example, "serial killers" or "stalkers".




The first book is when Val is still fourteen. What annoys fourteen-year-olds? Parents. And yes, there are parents here. They're actually a major part, unlike so many other books.




As the series progresses, the parts of Val's parents shrink, just like what happens when a teen grow up. However, they're still an active role in the story.




There's something I dubbed "nenianism". Whenever you read a book by Nenia Campbell, there's going to be references to a cat. It's just something I noticed.




Endings of series and books are very difficult to write. However, Nenia makes it seem effortless.




This trilogy is phenomenal. It's utterly brilliant and ingenious. I will read anything Nenia writes now. And she'd better write more. Or else I'll bring Gavin back to life and set him on her.




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