Review: Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant

Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant
Released: 1st September 2014
Series: Messenger of Fear #1
Published by: Hardie Grant Egmont
Genre: YA Supernatural
Source: Publisher
Pages: 308
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
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I remembered my name, Mara. But, standing in that ghostly place, faced with the solemn young man in the black coat with silver skulls for buttons, I could recall nothing else about myself.

And then the games began. The Messenger sees the darkness in young hearts, and the damage it inflicts upon the world. If they go unpunished, he offers the wicked a game. Win, and they can go free. Lose, and they will live out their greatest fear.

But what does any of this have to do with Mara? She is about to find out...

Thank you to Hardie Grant Egmont Australia for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This is my first book from Michael Grant, and I do have to say that it was really impressive. It takes on a whole new twist on deciding what is 'right' and 'wrong', with the aid of a few supernatural and mythological twists. From the get-go you're thrown into a story that oozes mystery and an intensity that is impossible to ignore. The different storylines woven into the book itself gave it extra depth and dimension, and all the characters were well developed.

What first piqued my interest was the writing style. As soon as I started the book the pages seemed to just fly by effortlessly. Michael Grant I think really managed to reflect the nature of the story itself in how he wrote it all. It's not 'overwritten', concise and gives some pretty confronting descriptions at times. This is a novel that doesn't shy away from a tragedy, violence, or even gore in some places. Basically, if you're looking for a gritty story to break up the fluffy contemporaries you've been reading then this is it.

Mara was an intriguing character from the beginning. She doesn't know what she's doing or where she is when she is first confronted by the 'Messenger of Fear'. Her character became more complex as the story progressed, where as the Messenger's protege she was forced to deduce what was right or wrong in particular situations and decide if a price had to be paid. There was a message about morality running through this book, which I found to be quite an interesting concept to explore in this manner. The Messenger of course took centre stage and was the most enigmatic of all. The combination of these two characters plus some others along the way and their experiences made this book something that was hard to put down.

FINAL THOUGHTS

After reading 'Messenger of Fear' I'm excited to read Michael Grant's 'Gone' series. His writing style and fascinating plot-line impressed me in this novel and I'm looking forward to seeing more from him in the future.