Lately I’ve really been enjoying thrillers and books that are a bit spooky. The Mary Shelley Club caught my eye and I have to say that a book about a mysterious club with an obsession for horror definitely had me hooked. I finally had time to sit down and finish this review and want to talk about it today. Keep on reading to find out more!

New York Times –bestselling author Goldy Moldavsky delivers a deliciously twisty YA thriller that’s Scream meets Karen McManus about a mysterious club with an obsession for horror.

New girl Rachel Chavez is eager to make a fresh start at Manchester Prep. But as one of the few scholarship kids, Rachel struggles to fit in, and when she gets caught up in a prank gone awry, she ends up with more enemies than friends.

To her surprise, however, the prank attracts the attention of the Mary Shelley Club, a secret club of students with one objective: come up with the scariest prank to orchestrate real fear. But as the pranks escalate, the competition turns cutthroat and takes on a life of its own.

When the tables are turned and someone targets the club itself, Rachel must track down the real-life monster in their midst . . . even if it means finally confronting the dark secrets from her past.

Review

The Mary Shelley Club definitely caught my attention and I have to say the prologue had me on the edge of my seat. I loved the creepy feeling I got while reading that. From the start I was really curious about what had happened to our main character Rachel. The author’s way of writing had me flying through this book.

I love the concept of a coming together as a group and sharing the love of something and in this case horror movies. I’m not a fan of horror myself, but I loved reading the discussions about the movies or what they loved about it. Loving something and having people who understand why you feel that way is the best in the world.

The fear tests this group had was interesting, but definitely extreme at times. If you didn’t do as were told or participate in one or even wanted to leave the club your worst fear would be shared with everyone. I thought that was rather harsh as well as some of the pranks pulled. That being said I loved the chapters when these pranks were held. I definitely felt the tension and buildup and some were definitely scary. I loved the little details that eventually played a part in being near the end of the book.

That being said, I also had some issues with the story. Let’s start with the side characters. I loved this amazing group and it was fun to get to know them. To me it felt like we didn’t get to know them enough. They played a pretty big part in most of this story and it felt like they mostly stayed at the surface (with a few scenes being an exception with a couple of the characters). With how everything plays out I would’ve liked to have been just a bit more connected.

Also, the ending bothered me. I’m not going to spoil anything, but after everything that happens it just felt kind of easy to me. Halfway through the book I already had two suspects, but was hoping to be wrong. I still enjoyed the story, but the way it played out made the story fall a bit flat for me.

All in all, I thought The Mary Shelley Club was a fast read that definitely had some spooky moments. I definitely will have to check out the author’s other books!

Even though I did have some issues with this book it was still an enjoyable read. I have to say I’m enjoying the darker books that are a bit spooky. So if you have any thriller recommendations, please let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!