Alone

by Cyn Balog Narrated by Emma Lysy

Overview

You're never really alone?



This must-read for lovers of Stephen King's The Shining will leave readers breathless as Seda and her family find themselves at the mercy of a murderer in an isolated and snowbound hotel. Get ready for what Kirkus calls, "A bloody, wonderfully creepy scare ride."



When her mom inherits an old, crumbling mansion, Seda's almost excited to spend the summer there. The grounds are beautiful and it's fun to explore the sprawling house with its creepy rooms and secret passages. Except now her mom wants to renovate, rather than sell the estate-which means they're not going back to the city . . . or Seda's friends and school.



As the days grow shorter, Seda is filled with dread. They're about to be cut off from the outside world, and she's not sure she can handle the solitude or the darkness it brings out in her.



Then a group of teens get stranded near the mansion during a blizzard. Seda has no choice but to offer them shelter, even though she knows danger lurks in the dilapidated mansion-and in herself. And as the snow continues to fall, what Seda fears most is about to become her reality . . .

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"A bloody, wonderfully creepy scare ride" — Kirkus Reviews

"Even careful readers will be caught off guard by twists and unexpected but divine surprises. This first-rate thriller delivers everything a thriller should, and adds more. With a wink and a nod to Stephen King’s The Shining, Balog provides a shocker for the young adult crowd." — VOYA Magazine, VOYA Perfect Ten

"This is the perfect premise for a chilling tale, and Balog fills every inch with classic horror references, red herrings, and uncertain motivations. As Balog gradually builds tension and paranoia, she manipulates reader expectations to set up several possible endings, yet still manages to end with a shocker. This is fantastically creepy psychological horror." — Booklist

"The realistic character development will leave readers on the edge of their seats until the nail-biting conclusion. Fans of Stephen King’s and R.L. Stine’s novels will enjoy this entry." — School Library Journal

"Hints of both The Shining and The Turn of the Screw haunt this tense thriller." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"Masterfully paced, the tension builds to greater and greater heights. Just when the reader can barely stand it, a series of incredible plot twists bring the tale to an ambiguous conclusion that will leave readers begging for a sequel. " — School Library Connection

"Intense and creepy, Balog’s latest novel grabs the reader by the throat in the opening page and refuses to let go... " — IndiePicks Magazine

"An imaginative and thrilling mystery novel. Readers can be sure to enjoy while they immerse themselves in this enigmatic novel. " — VOYA’s Teen Perspectives

School Library Journal

11/01/2017
Gr 9 Up—Sixteen-year-old Seda and her four younger siblings are trapped by their mother's wishes to renovate an old mansion in the middle of nowhere. At first, exploring the grounds is an exciting adventure. Eventually, Seda is eager to return to school and her friends, but her mother has other plans. Without contact with the outside world, Seda's struggles with the house and believes it is haunted. When four teens become stranded on the property due to a blizzard, Seda begins to make friends. Besides the protagonist's feelings for the house, she also grapples with a voice in her head named Sawyer. Not one, but many plot twists await readers in this young adult thriller. The realistic character development will leave readers on the edge of their seats until the nail-biting conclusion. Fans of Stephen King's and R.L. Stine's novels will enjoy this entry. VERDICT A dark, suspenseful book for any library where horror is popular.—Tracie Marshall, Xavier High School, Cedar Rapids, IA

Kirkus Reviews

2017-08-27
A thriller in a decrepit, isolated mansion—and in the double-occupancy mind of a teen girl.When Seda's professor mother, a horror-film scholar, inherits the crumbling remains of what was once a rural hotel used to host murder-mystery events, the family's supposed to have a quick summer to tidy it up for sale. But her mom stalls and vetoes any prospective buyer who doesn't want to run it as-is, leaving her and her children (Seda and two sets of younger twins, each a boy-girl pair, ages 6 and 4) stuck on the mountain come fall. Seda wishes she could be more alone in her own head, though—she's plagued by her lifelong imaginary friend, Sawyer, who tells her to hurt herself and others. Seda suspects he was her own twin, absorbed in the womb. Sawyer knows it's a bad idea to let the teens stranded by a snowstorm into the house, but Heath, their spokesman, is cute, and Seda's mom insists, roping everyone into a murder-mystery game she's written for Seda's birthday celebration. Just when readers are lulled into a false sense of security—and even Seda notes Sawyer's silence—the elaborate game heats up. Each new bit of information builds, and in a house full of potential victims, readers will be compelled to rush and unravel the twisted mystery. Aside from one Chinese character, the cast is white; at one point Heath playacts Robert E. Lee. A bloody, wonderfully creepy scare ride. (Horror. 12-adult)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171100773
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	10/30/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged

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