Grave Matter
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: BUY
Source: Copy from Barrington Stoke

Since the car accident that resulted in the death of his girlfriend Eliza, Samuel is devastated and blames himself for the crash. He is drowning in grief and his overwhelming need to reunite with Eliza drives him to the forces of black magic, in a bid to bring her back to life. But he has difficult choices to make and the terrifying consequences of dark magic are about to raise their head…


I was sent this book by Barrington Stoke and I was absolutely thrilled as Juno Dawson is a really great horror YA author and you guys know how much I adore horror. I'll be honest - as the book is very short (140 pages), I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did. If you're looking for a terrifying read - this isn't the book for you. If you're looking for a dark, twisted, eerie book - this is definitely the book for you.

Barrington Stoke is one of my favourite publishers, for the sheer fact that they make their books as easy to read as possible. I have no trouble reading but Barrington Stoke produces super-readable YA books and the layout, font, style etc, make them my favourite books to read because it's just so easy to get into them.

Our story focuses on Samuel and the aftermath of the death of his girlfriend, Eliza. Samuel refuses to believe that she's dead and vows to find a way to bring her back. He shows the reader that he will do whatever it takes to bring her back - and yes, I do mean anything.

He is overwhelmed with grief and finds himself at his aunt's house, pleading her for help. It's from here that he's lead down a path of Hoodoo and dark magic and finds himself making a pact with the infamous Milk Man.

I really loved the way this book dealt with grief and showed how all consuming it can be, for anyone. I also loved the way it showed the consequences you might face by meddling in things that are best left untouched.

I read this book in around an hour, it's that fast-paced and addictive. I did go into this book expecting thrills and chills, like many of her other books, but this was definitely more dark and extreme. I think that was something that shocked me about this book, some of the things Samuel was willing to do for Eliza, was disturbing and eye-opening.

If you're dipping your toe into the world of YA horror, I think this would be a great book to start with. It's a brilliant read and the illustrations have to get a mention because they are gorgeously creepy and tie into the story perfectly.