Jessica (HDB)

My brain went into nostalgia mode the moment I started this story. We meet Jimmy as he's navigating a precarious set of obstacles to keep off of his floor which, as you might expect, has turned to lava. You know the game. The one where anything you can step on is fair game, as long as you don't end up ankle deep in lava? Ah, memories. I'm fairly certain we got yelled at for playing that game more than anything else when I was little.

Before I go off on a tangent, my whole point here is that I was immediately able to settle into Jimmy's mind. To remind myself of what it was to be a kid. Carefree, unblemished, and totally psyched for a sleep over with friends. Leave it to Lorn to have me so connected to these little boys, after only a few pages. I watched as they ate way too much sugar, listened to (in my opinion) amazing music, and just enjoyed being young. It can't be easy to write characters that are that vivid, in that short a time, but this story proves that it's possible. I caught myself sighing, laughing, and remembering.

Then, all hell broke loose. I can't really say too much because I wouldn't dare take this adventure away from you. I will only say that the title is very apt, and that I didn't expect to feel so terrified. By horror standards, this isn't too over the top. It's not bloody, or overly violent. However, something about that made it that much more visceral for me. When a child is scared? I'm scared. I was scared. 

The point I'm trying to make? This story is just over 30 pages, and The Morning Dew brought out more feelings in me than most of the full length books I've read this month. Kudos, sir. More, please?

A note that may make the author laugh, since I know he'll see this review? My husband glanced over my shoulder while I was reading this and thought the title was The Mountain Dew. As in, soda. And, go.