Review: The Mary Shelley Club
The Mary Shelley Club
Goldy Moldavsky
Synopsis: Rachel Chaves is the “New Girl” at Manchester Prep, and is anxious for a new beginning. But her fresh start doesn’t work out the way she hoped. Eventually, she stumbles upon a secret club that she seems destined to be a part of: The Mary Shelley Club. A group of horror loving teens who pull pranks on other students. But soon things stop going according to plan, and it’s no longer just a game.
Rating: PG-13 Some violence. Obviously, given that this is a THRILLER, it could be scary to some.
Sensitivity Warning: Home Invasion
When it comes to thrillers, I am a walking contradiction. I like thrillers. I want to be a bit scared, but not so scared that I can’t go to sleep at night. If this also sounds like you, I highly recommend The Mary Shelley Club.
The Mary Shelley Club has just enough thrills and intrigue to keep you engaged and on your toes, and isn’t overly graphic. It gets pretty creepy, without completely scaring the pants off you.
There is a lot of build up in the story, but it’s not a slow build. Moldavsky holds your interest well. Rachel trying to uncover the club almost feels like a novella within a novel. The tension is there right from the beginning.
The main characters are all incredibly well written and realistic. I found Rachel particularly captivating– which I suppose is a good thing, since she is the main character. She is very multifaceted. Her peers think she is just the weird new girl; her mom sees her as a girl healing from trauma; she sees herself as a monster. The thing that fascinates me about her though, is that at different points of the book, I think Rachel is any one and all of those things. She really is a dynamic character.
I absolutely loved everything about this book. The pacing was spot on; the characters are fantastic. I had to force myself to put the book down and get some sleep, because unfortunately, real life does not wait for me to finish a great book.
The Mary Shelley Club is creepy (in the best way), fast paced, and captivating. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend making this your next read!