Say Her Name
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: BUY
Source: Bought from Amazon

When Bobbie and her best friend Naya are dared by their schoolmates to simmon the legendary ghost of Bloody Mary, neither really believes that anything will happen. So they complete the ritual, and chant Mary's name five times in front of a candlelit mirror.

Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary...

And something is called forth that night. Something dark, terrifying, and out of control. She will be there, just out of sight, in the corner of your eye. She will lurk in your nightmares. She will hide in the shadows of your bedroom. She will be waiting in every mirror that you see. She is everywhere. And she wants revenge.




Horror YA is possibly my favourite genre ever, so when I saw the cover of Say Her Name, with the tagline, "In 5 days, she will come", I was beyond excited and this book did not disappoint. It is one of the only books I've read where I've truly been scared. It actually scared me more than when I read The Exorcist, but I'm not sure if that's because I knew what was coming there.

The story focuses on our protagonist Bobbie (who I absolutely adored) and the urban legend Bloody Mary. It is loosely based on the Bloody Mary legend, whereby you say Bloody Mary into a mirror several times and she will appear. However, Juno's version was slightly more harrowing. Mary will appear for you after 5 days of torture and terror and you will simply disappear.

I loved that the book was split into sections and chapters. I found that with it being split into each day and each day ending fast, it increased the tension and horror significantly.

On Halloween night, Bobbie and her friends, Naya and Caine, are dared to recreate the legend and find themselves saying Bloody Mary into a mirror, in the middle of the night, whilst all their friends record the drama unfolding.

They leave the bathroom feeling ridiculous for thinking that anything would happen but then strange things start occurring. Reading this back, it does sound very cliche but Juno has a way of making horror cliches seem utterly terrifying and new.

The trio must discover what's happening to them and how to reverse what damage has already been done...

Caine was my favourite character. I love sarcastic, dry characters and he brought the sarcasm and humour the book needed to keep the horror from completely overpowering the book.

After reading this book, I was unable to look in a mirror, or a bath for a very long time. Once you read the book, you'll understand why. It is utterly gripping and terrifying; a must read for any fan of horror, not just YA.