"Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. BLOODY MARY."
I bit my lip and stared at the mirror. Jess claimed there was a right way and a wrong way to summon Bloody Mary. This time we were doing it the right way. ... The candle on the vanity cast eerie shadows, our forms tall and distorted against the walls. Our hands were clenched together so tightly our fingers trembled. This time, it took only seconds for condensation to cover the glass. A thick fog swirled, gray tendrils of smoke spinning in a maelstrom, before a black figure appeared, the vague outline of a woman...
Title: Mary: The Summoning by Hillary Monahan
Genre: Supernatural/Ghosts/Horror
Length: 248 pages
The Peril: A candlelit bathroom. A line of salt under the mirror. Four teen-age girls holding hands. Let the summoning of Bloody Mary begin. It's Jess's idea, but Shauna, Anna, and Kate all agree to the plan. And the thrilling fear of seeing the ghostly Mary through the fog of the mirror is a lot of fun until the ritual goes wrong and Mary gets out. Now she's gotten a taste of Shauna's blood, and she wants more. The girls have to figure out how to get Mary back in the mirror before time runs out.
My Thoughts: I remember playing the Bloody Mary game at sleepovers when I was growing up. None of us actually believed in ghosts, or in the legend of Bloody Mary, but there was always this inch of doubt when it was your turn to stand in front of the mirror. If I'd read this book back then, there's no way I would ever have considered saying Mary's name out loud even in fun. This book is that scary, especially when Mary claws her way out of the mirror and attacks Shauna. I don't recommend reading this book late at night if you're home alone. Mary is genuinely creepy and the absolute last ghost you want following you around in every and any shiny surface (from car windows to shower doors). Monahan does an excellent job of building suspense and I liked the mystery she created around Mary Worth, and how and why she became Bloody Mary in the first place. This is definitely a R.I.P.-ping read (my third!) and a book that will haunt you. I loved it.
Happy Reading!
Yikes - I'm very suggestible and this definitely sounds like one I wouldn't want to read late at night! I remember that teenage game also, but never wanted to play along...
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely a book that will give you the chills. Very creepy. (I didn't read it at night either.)
DeleteOooh, sounds like a perfect R.I.P. read!
ReplyDeleteIt's a great ghost story. Very creepy and suspenseful.
DeleteUm, I think I'll pass on this one! I remember girls doing this in the school bathroom and I never believed it. But, ghost stories aren't my thing!
ReplyDeleteYeah, if creepy ghost stories aren't your thing definitely do not read this book. It's scary. :)
DeleteOk...I am tempted to try this one. I always thought the Bloody Mary game was a bit too creepy for me. Maybe if I read this book on a summer's day on a sunny beach....
ReplyDeleteYeah, don't read it late at night...especially if you're alone in the house.
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