Even though it’s the middle of July, Halloween always starts early. So, I decided to pick up a book in the horror genre and found Resonance by Joshua Scribner. This book had a lot to unpack to say the least. Here’s my review:
Stephen is an awkward kid that’s been placed into a dangerous situation. He and his brother have just lost their parents to a fatal accident and are now forced to live with their Uncle Rick, a man who shouldn’t be raising any children even though he has his own son, Luke. His brother, Jonnie, fits right in with the football crowd of his uncle and cousin, but Stephen keeps his distance as his living situation becomes increasingly dangerous.
While dodging his cousin, Stephen finds himself being pulled towards a particular house in his neighborhood. There, he catches the attention of an entity that on the surface appears to be Stephen’s personal guardian angel – that is, until it decides to stay with him.
This book immediately captured my attention with the first few chapters and held it until the very end. It spans over decades following Stephen’s life into adulthood. We learn about Stephen’s terror filled past, his past tragedy in college, and what becomes of him after finally settling down. Overall, Stephen is a rather meek character who endures more pain than anyone should in a lifetime.
I will say that Stephen’s character growth is a little stunted. For being as smart as he claims to be, he does seem slow to catch on to what’s happening to him. Of course, this could be attributed to the fear of the entity speaking to him – one that’s powerful enough to manipulate events around him. But after being around this ghost for so long, you’d think he’d do a little more research on the paranormal.
While the book was fast-paced and easy to read, I got a little lost in the last quarter of the book where the big reveal happens. It felt a little rushed in some places and the explanation for what was happening could have been clearer. All I could think of while reading it was, “hmmm, sounds like you should’ve called Sam and Dean for this.”
Overall, I enjoyed reading it and I could see what the author was going for in the final scenes. As for it being horrifying, I would say the humans Stephen encountered were worse than the ghost. That seems to be a more common theme in horror right now anyway.
If you’re looking for something that’s definitely a page-turner then check this one out! As always, happy reading!
Author Lauren Eason 