172 Hours on the Moon
Three teenagers win NASA’s contest to join professional astronauts on a trip to the moon. But the moon holds a horrifying secret, and when you’re hunted in space, nobody can hear you scream. What sounded like a cheesy science fiction plot line turned into one of the most chilling books I have ever read. Besides introducing an uncommon and terrifying paranormal creature, Harstad weaves Japanese urban legends into the story. After reading this book, I pulled an all-nighter because I was too frightened to sleep! While it is scary, I must admit that this book start slowly and the characters are hard to root for. It also leaves a dozen of questions unanswered. But the moments of suspense and dread make up for the flatness in some parts of the story. 172 Hours on the Moon is not a science fiction novel. It’s a horror story that takes place on the moon.
Vicious
Vicious plays out a superhuman fight between good and evil. This may seem like the classic hero story, but it’s not. In Vicious, just like in the real world, there is no clear line dividing good from evil. Victor and Eli meet in school, where they are absorbed in a project about ExtraOrdinaries – humans with supernatural powers. When they discover how to become ExtraOrdinaries, their friendship breaks. Eli is convinced he’s the hero and Victor is his nemesis. The only problem is that Victor believes just the opposite – he thinks that Eli is the villian. Now, 10 years later, they’re on a vengeful hunt for each other. Vicious is a brilliantly crafted story about power, ambition, and jealousy. It’s dark and twisted, and will leave you questioning people’s underlying motives. The sidekicks and allies are also well developed, each presenting their own little quirks. There’s no good guy in the battle between evil and evil, so who really deserves to win?