The Light by DJ MacHale

Pages: 352

Publisher: Aladdin

Perspective: First Person

Age Group: Young Adult

Challenges: 350 Page Challenge

Release Date: April 20, 2010

Marshall Seaver is being haunted. In the first installment of this chillingly compelling trilogy, sixteen-year-old Marshall discovers that something beyond our world is after him. The eerie clues pile up quickly, and when people start dying, it’s clear whatever this isit’s huge. 

Marshall has no idea what’s happening to him, but he’s soon convinced that it has something to do with his best friend Cooper, who’s been missing for over a week. Together with Coop’s sister, Marsh searches for the truth about what happened to his friend, ultimately uncovering something bigger than he could ever have imagined.

Stars: 5/5

Cover: A-

Plot:

Have you ever read the Pendragon series? It's a ten-book series by DJ MacHale, and they used to be my all-time favorite books. When I found out he'd started a new series, I bought the first book immediately. And it sat on my shelf for over a year.

Um, can you say HUGE regret? Though, one thing I don't regret about waiting to read it is that I got to read it around Halloween time. This book is so creepy that it totally got me into the Halloween spirits.

It was extremely fast-paced and the whole story behind the plot kept twisting and turning. I loved the whole premise, and I loved that this book wasn't your average Haunted house ghost story.

Characters:

The Light focused mainly around the main character, Marshall. He was the narrator, and also the center of everything that was happening. The supporting characters, though, such as his best friend, Cooper, and his best friend's older sister, Sydney (love interest, anyone?), helped the plot progress along, also. There was a ton of mystery in the whereabouts of Cooper, and Sydney started being haunted once she got involved. 

The bad guy, known as the "Gravedigger", was perfect for a villain. He could go anywhere he wanted, multiply himself, make people hallucinate, and also possess people into doing things he wants them to do. Um, that's pretty scary if I do say so myself.

SOMETHING THAT'S SO SUPER COOL I FREAKED OUT WHEN I SAW IT: There was reference to Mark Dimond, one of the characters in the Pendragon series. SO. COOL.

Writing:

I had pretty high expectations due to DJ MacHale's other series, and this book met them far and beyond. Let's just say the Pendragon series has some competition. 

I can't even begin to describe how awesome it was to read this book in the middle of the night. I was completely freaked out, and I LOVED IT. 

The suspense scenes in this book were so intense. I felt like I couldn't read the book fast enough. 

The Ending:

Holy crap! I thought the book couldn't get any better, but, OH YES, it did. The last twenty pages changed everything you thought you knew about why the haunting was happening. I'm pretty sure my jaw was on the floor. Now I absolutely cannot wait to buy and read the second book in the series.

The Cover:

Usually, I feel like freaky books like this one's covers are not scary enough to represent the book truthfully.

I'm happy to say, this cover does not fall under that category. It's just so creepy! The red tones in it remind me of blood, and the Gravedigger (the guy on the cover) is so scary-looking!

The Final Verdict:

Part mystery, mary suspense/thriller, The Light needs to be in your hands, NOW. Add it to your list of books to read when it's raining and dreary outside, because (personally) I think scary books like this one are perfect for winter time.

FTC: Bought.