The Women In The Walls

What caught my attention first was the wonderfully creepy cover. Having a need to fill my need for a Gretchen McNeil type book, I instantly gravitated to The Women in the Walls.

What I liked best:
The Women in the Walls hooks the reader instantly. Amy Lukavics does a fantastic job creating the feeling of suspense and overall creepy tone. There is always that feeling that something is lurking right on the next page. It has everything that makes a great YA horror story, a creepy background, complicated characters with torturous pasts, family secrets, paranormal elements, and surprises around every corner.

The Women in the Walls is a page-turning mystery that can make some readers want to keep the lights on at night. . It is a really fast read and the vividness of the gore can be intense.

What left me wanting more: At times I wanted more of an emotional connection to the characters. But at times I was glad that I could keep my distance and get more involved with the mystery in the story. Overall, the plot twists and tone overcame that small detail.

Add this book to your creepy fall or Friday the 13th read, or when you are in the mood for a good scare.

Do the women in your family keep disappearing? It's probably because you have a psychopath living in the walls.

The Women in the Walls is a disturbing, thrilling piece of work that keeps you entertained. Not only is there a mysterious aspect of why the women are disappearing and people dying, there's also the horror of how they die and who -or what- is killing them. Lucy struggles with the recent disappearance of her aunt and the grief that seems to be driving her cousin insane. Does she try to talk to Margaret and risk making things worse or does she let her be? Does she question the specifics of the search for her aunt or does she trust her father? Nothing is as it appears to be and Lucy figures that out the hard way, being deceived and tricked more times than is healthy. Mystery, murder, obsession, and mental illness are all infused to create a thrilling, disturbing read bound to give you chills with its cold tone.

CHARACTERS
The detached, unemotional feeling we get from these characters helps the story keep up it's disturbing, odd aspects. While it does make them seem rather flat and dull, it fleshed out the tone of the story to give you chills just from the images you're bound to create from the descriptions, even if you find you don't care about the character being harmed.

Lucy: Near the end, Lucy is complimented over and over again about how strong she is. Don't get me wrong, she can be, but the majority of the time she was wallowing in grief and self pity, backing down from arguments even if they could've saved a life, and she still never changed or grew. She kept making the same mistakes, or saying screw it why does it matter anymore. She has no passion or dimension. Her "mental-illness" is hardly descriptive and explored, as we only get to hit the surface of why she does it and what she thinks about that drives her to it.

Margaret: We don't have much of her, but from what we read, she is also selfish and rather uncaring. Lucy is the only person she seems to connect with and be nice to. And even then, she grew distant and rude, not that she could help it. She was driven mad by voices in the walls and eventually she couldn't take it anymore. Her struggle with being alone and not having even Lucy to lean on was intriguing to read about. The deterioration of her mind was a rather quick process, though she did have her moments of clarity.

Felix: Yes, Lucy's father. He is rather unemotional and selfish. Does he care that Margaret is going off the deep end? No. he just wants to cover it up so there's no risk of tarnishing his reputation. I find he and Lucy are alike however. They both are selfish and uncaring, believe if they are strong and know what's right.

WRITING
I will admit that it feels lacking. There's not much emotion to it. I enjoyed reading this book, especially the ending (that isn't even really an ending), but even so the slow pace in the first half of the book and the lack of emotional connection made the reading experience itself rather dull. What makes that up for me however, is that this really helps keep the tone creepy and that gives readers a lovely experience with the dark and thrilling aspects of the story.

PLOT
This book makes me feel like I should've seen the twists coming, but I really didn't. I enjoyed the surprises and it definitely helped make my reading experience more enjoyable. It is rather repetitive though, with all the big dinners and Lucy's search for answers in all the same places.

OVERALL
This is an enjoyable, dark read full of mystery. Murder and deceit are two great combinations.

The Women in the Walls is a perfect book to sink into on a dark fall night as the wind howls outside - but maybe leave the lights on of this one!

In the character of Lucy we find a child for whom life has become very isolated. Having lost her mother at a young age, her entire life revolves around her father, aunt Penelope, cousin Margaret and the sprawling estate in which they live. When Penelope disappears and Lucy's father becomes even more obsessed with planning the lavish parties that seem to be their sole responsibility, she watches as her cousin and only friend becomes more and more distant. As the days stretch on with no sign of Penelope, Margaret's condition worsens and she confesses to hearing voices within the walls. Lucy is soon faced with the reality that there may be more to the family home than she ever dared think and that the spirits of the dead are not only restless, but lonely as well.

Amy Lukavics has mastered the art of horror and the thrill of the unknown. She creates some truly terrifying imagery that left me wishing I hadn't started reading while home alone! There are some truly gruesome scenes that are not for the faint of heart of weak of stomach but that will excite those true horror fans who want a little blood and gore with their fright. While there are some issues around characterization and a true depth of feeling for the outcome of their plight, these are easily forgotten in the rush to find out what hides within the walls of the Acosta mansion.

While nothing appears to indicate that this is part of a duology or series, the door is certainly left open to revisit this story and there are still many questions left to be answered if Lukavics chooses to walk these halls once more.

Creepy old mansion with strange, curious people makes the perfect mix for a chilling YA Horror story......

The Women In The Walls is the perfect read for the fall and in preparation for Halloween. The Women In The Walls is intensely creepy, deeply disturbing, and the perfect psychological thriller. The whole setting of the book is dark and mysterious and just when you think you know what is happening....Be ready...because you don't.


and that cover....SERIOUSLY! How creepily awesome is that cover? An old mansion sitting back in the fog with The Women In The Walls written as though it is dripping with blood....Ummmm YES!!!!!!!

Lucy Acosta lives with her family in the Acosta mansion. Her mother passed away at a young age and she has been raised by her father and aunt. She has an cousin named Margaret that also lives with them and Lucy has grown up with her and thinks of her as a sister. Lucy and Margaret have never ventured far from home. Both girls are home-schooled and when they are not doing school work they play within the old mansion or out in the grounds of the land.

"The girl lives in a beautiful dollhouse made of stone, I wrote one time in my diary when I was young, my handwriting shaky but sure. But underneath her shining plastic smile, there are only screams."

One afternoon Lucy watches her Aunt Penelope walk into the woods late at night and never come back. This odd occurrence begins a series of strange events among the Acosta house. From this point on Lucy experiences changes with the people she loves and realizes that something dark and evil is happening within their home. Lucy must figure out the truth behind what is really going on in her home before it is too late and the evil takes over.....

"Some of us die afraid, my mind whispers, shaky at the knowledge, desperate for release from it. Some of us die in awful, unexpected ways."

The Women In The Walls is not for the faint of heart and at times can be very gruesome and horrifying... I recommend this book to true Horror genre fans who aren't afraid of a little blood and evil apparitions. Amy Lukavics really knows how to dig into the heart of a story and take the reader on a horrific journey that will stay with you long after reading the last page. Her writing is emotional, deep, and yet very thought provoking. I love that her characters all seem to have scars and yet by the end of the story are able to overcome their issues and truly....face ...their...fears.....