Monday, October 27, 2014

Review & Giveaway: Creed by Trisha Leaver & Lindsay Currie

17720829Release date: November 8th 2014
Publisher: Flux
Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis via Goodreads:
Three went in. Three came out. None even a shadow of who they once were.

When their car breaks down, Dee, her boyfriend Luke, and his brother Mike walk through a winter storm to take refuge in a nearby town called Purity Springs. When they arrive, the emergency sirens are blaring and the small farming town seems abandoned. With no other shelter, they spend the night in an empty house.

But they soon discover that not everything in Purity Springs is as it seems. When the town's inhabitants suddenly appear the next morning, Dee, Luke, and Mike find themselves at the mercy of the charismatic leader, Elijah Hawkins, who plans to make Dee his new wife. Elijah's son, Joseph, offers to help them escape . . . but the price of his help may be more than Dee and her friends can bear.

*Approved via Netgalley.





Creed was many things, but I wouldn't call it horror. Suspenseful is the word for the opening chapters, while the rest played on the psychologically messed up. I didn't read the summary prior to going into the story because I didn't want any expectations only an open mind. And I must say I felt intrigued from start. Three teens on a road trip end up stranded and this weird town comes into view. The blaring alarm and emptiness stirred up my curiosity and I started to feel like I was reading a Stephen King novel. I thought maybe a mysterious entity passed through the town and took everyone with it. I mean, that would explain the emergency alarm, abandoned cars, vacant diner, and overall empty town. Not a soul in sight. So, Mike, Dee, and Luke, along with readers are taken on a ride of okay, what's going on here? Where is everybody? 

I was spooked when they found the cemetery and the number of deaths, etc. But then when they went inside of the house and found those books and creepy stuff, I was like no, this is weird. They should just leave. But, leaving Purity Springs was hard because it was freezing out, not to mention snowing, and their car was dead. I wasn't expecting the story to take the turn that it did when they came in contact with Joseph. But after that, I wanted to see how they would get out of it. 

Regarding the plot, I haven't read many books having to do with closed community and lunatic leaders after Gated, but I'm interested in reading more into the genre, so I didn't mind the route the story went into. My skin crawled at the intention that Elijah had for Dee, not to mention the rules he had about purifying people. Elijah was a grade A sicko and I actually wished they'd dealt with him the opposite of how they left him.

Character wise, I didn't really connect with any of them, but I did sympathize with Dee, having to go through such a turmoil before coming to Purity Springs, and close to facing it again. Also, when she found Luke, I felt her emotions, along with Mike's. Their reaction was just and real. I actually wanted to shed a tear with them. 

Joseph rubbed me the wrong way from start. I never trusted him, and when I realized what he'd done, I disliked him even more and wanted to slap the hell out of him. He really messed with my emotions throughout the story because of the problem he'd placed them in, and then the fact that he didn't stick around at the end pissed me off even more. 


***SPOILER ALERT***

Oh yes, the ending. That was my main issue. As angry as I was with Joseph throughout the story, I would have loved to know what happened to him, if he was brought back to Purity Springs, or if he took off before his father's people found him at the hospital. I also wish Elijah had paid for what he'd done, not only to Luke, Dee, and Mike, but also for everyone else he's inflicted suffering on throughout the years. I just feel that the ending didn't bring about a lot of clarity and I wouldn't mind a sequel. Regardless, with lucid writing and a creepy plot, Creed was an interesting read overall.


About the Authors
Trisha LeaverTrisha Leaver lives on Cape Cod with her husband, three children, and one rather excitable black lab. (He is actually half dalmation so that could explain a bit of the excitablility.) She's spent most of her childhood living inside her own mind, creating characters and stories that only a child's imagination could dream up. Trisha now spends her days breathing life into those characters, writing realistic fiction for young adults.


Lindsay CurrieLindsay Currie lives in Chicago, Illinois with one incredibly patient hubby, three amazing kids, and one adorable, but irreverent Bullmastiff named Sam. She graduated from Knox College in the heart of the Midwest and has been writing for as long as she can remember.
Today, Lindsay is an author of young adult and middle grade fiction. She is a proud member of SCBWI, The Horror Writers Association, The YA Scream Queens and OneFourKidLit, a community of authors with debuts upcoming in 2014. Her debut novel, CREED (co-authored with Trisha Leaver), releases from Flux on November 8, 2014. Her second co-authored novel, HARDWIRED, releases from Flux in Fall of 2015. She is represented by Kathleen Rushall, of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. Any inquiries regarding her work should be sent to her attention.







4 comments:

  1. I am so jealous that you had the opportunity to read Creed! I so wish it was being released in time for Halloween! But at least it's coming soon. It's too bad that you wouldn't consider it to be horror, but it sounds like the book was still incredibly creepy! I cannot wait to read it!!

    Tracy @ Cornerfolds

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    1. Hey, Tracy! I guess I can see how some would call it horror, but I have a different mindset of what horror is. To me, it involves ghosts, not a live person terrorizing others. So that's why I call it more of a suspense or thriller. I hope you like it when you get the chance to read it. Thanks for stopping by.

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  2. I don't really read horror/suspense a lot, but I used to. Other than the ending, Creed sounds like an enjoyable read. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. Oooh, this sounds like a good suspenseful read. I love when I get emotional about characters and at times wanna slap them! Great review Shane!

    Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace

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