Jessica (HDB)

Chalk it up to my love of horror novels if you must, but Creed just didn't deliver on the creep factor that it promised. I've seen so many rave reviews of this book. Reviews that praised the tension that was built, the gore factor, and even the writing. Now that I've finished reading, I can honestly say that I don't agree with any of them. This was like watching a B-horror movie unfold, except without any of the redeeming qualities that make them fun.

I felt nothing for these three characters. No terror, no remorse, not even the tiniest inkling of emotion. What I did feel, in spades, was frustration. Dee, Luke and Mike were cardboard cutouts of what teens should be. Their flat personalities never allowed me to get close to them at all. Even Dee, who had a horrible childhood and should have felt like a stronger female character to me, felt fake. I kept waiting for her to lash out. To take all her frustration and do something big. It never came to that.

A story like this has so much potential. A city that looks abandoned but holds so many secrets. A fanatical villain who will stop at nothing to keep those secrets. Plus, three teens who have no idea what they're walking into. In a perfect world, I'd eat this story up in a heartbeat. The way it was executed in Creed just left a lot wanting for me. Nothing about this book caught me up. I wasn't connected to it at all. Even the gory parts, the parts that should have made me feel disturbed or sad, they elicited nothing from me. 

Now, again, I do read a lot of horror novels. It's distinctly possible that I've reached a point where I am no longer the audience for this book. However, keep in mind that I also wasn't a fan of the writing or the characters either. I'll leave the decision up to you, as to whether Creed takes a spot on your reading list or not. It definitely wasn't for me.