#BookReview ‘Ouija’ by Zoe-Lee O’Farrell

About the book…

The only thing for certain is the deaths were no accident.

Rayner High School once a prestigious school stands in ruins after such a terrible event.

A year later, a group of friends return to the abandoned school and their nightmare begins.

Something wants to get out and won’t take NO for an answer…

Ouija is Book 2 in a new series brought to you by Question Mark Horror. For fans of Point Horror, Christopher Pike & Nicholas Pine.

Huge thanks to AUTHOR (screams with joy!) Zoe-Lee O’Farrell for the tour invite and Question Mark Press for the gifted e-arc of ‘Ouija’ which is available to download, or buy in paperback now!

What did I enjoy about this book?

Well, pretty much everything!

There are 6 main characters, who all decide that holding a Ouija session, in a school where a yet-to-be-revealed sinister incident has happened, would be a fun way to pass the time. This gives the reader a solid core of friends, and not an over large cast of character names to remember, and the opening chapters give you a good chance to get to know Ben, Caley, Sophie, Simon, Jack and Lara.

Starting with a shocking opener, which is deliberately vague in order to build suspense, whilst also setting the novel’s tone, the ouija board is something most teens have either thought about, or dabbled with, at some point in their lives. And, unlike other novels, the teen characters here have done their research and  at least one of them  has misgivings about what they could be unleashing.

Mixing The Ring‘s race against time to avoid a horrible death, and the ‘The Exorcist’ demon Pazuzu, the kids have to not only put to rest the horrific events which happened in Rayner High School, they have to find levels of resilience and strength that they never knew they had.

The dialogue is so realistic, especially the conversations between parents and their offspring, the plotting is very tight and doesn’t let up to the very, bitter, end.

There is the potential for a sequel, which I really liked (open endings that leave you questioning everything you just read are particular favourites of mine) and I can see that the level of gore and violence is tailored to the target audience, yet they are not talked down to.

With moments of terror that will leave you covered in goosebumps, this would be a perfect Halloween read, and I hope Zoe will be involved in further instalments of the Question Mark horror line! It is a great read for fans of Mark Morris’ novels ‘Toady’ and ‘Stitch’.

About the author…

Zoé O’Farrell grew up in Watford but left the town life to live by the sea down at the White Cliffs of Dover.
She spends her days working with numbers before escaping in the evening to the world of words and movies. Her go-to relaxation is watching a scary movie or reading a terrifying book!

She is a book blogger and tour organiser just to keep her extra busy. When she is not reading or writing, you can usually find her watching Watford FC or at a gig. Failing that she can be found rolling her eyes at her husband as he acts the same age as her spitfire of a Mini-Me whilst separating her two cats.

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