Say Her Name: James Dawson

Say Her Name: James Dawson

Bobbie Rowe is not the kind of person who believes in ghosts or urban legends. A Halloween dare at her ridiculously spooky boarding school is no big deal, especially when her best friend Naya and cute boy Caine agree to join in on the fun. They are dared to summon the legendary ghost of 'Bloody Mary': say her name five times in front of a candlelit mirror, and she shall appear. When nothing happens the kids think they are in the clear... or are they?
The following morning Bobbie finds a message written on the bathroom mirror. "Five days" is all it says. Things get increasingly weird and more terrifying for Bobbie, Naya, and Caine as they soon realize that Mary is coming to get them and she's no Casper. They are now in a race against time before their five days are up and Mary comes for them. 

Say Her Name is definitely a top Halloween pick, even without being overly scary. SHN will more than likely appeal to a younger audience but will work for anyone who is looking a good quick thriller as well. I also think it would fit really well for book clubs as well. I enjoyed that Dawson did a thriller that was also very comical. This new spin on an old classic really was a nice break from the mundane. It’s really brilliant to read a story about a childhood game that I used to participate in myself. The fact that Dawson had it written so that Bobbie actually felt some compassion for the ghost and investigates who Mary was and the events that trapped her in the mirrors. Speaking of mirrors this book will probably keep you from looking to hard at one for a few days. As far as the setting goes Piper's Hall being a boarding school in my opinion is the perfect setting for a YA horror novel. This novel keeps a nice and fast pace through out the whole book. The end of the book was also fantastic. The whole plot came together in a really clever way

No doubt this book will be compared to The grudge and The Ring. It didn't scare me to the point where I couldn't sleep but it had more than its fair share of eerie.