Review: Vesper by Jeff Sampson

Vesper by Jeff Sampson

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Balzer + Bray (January 25, 2011)

Goodreads Description:

Emily Webb is a geek. And she’s happy that way. Content hiding under hoodies and curling up to watch old horror flicks, she’s never been the kind of girl who sneaks out for midnight parties. And she’s definitely not the kind of girl who starts fights or flirts with other girls’ boyfriends. Until one night Emily finds herself doing exactly that . . . the same night one of her classmates—also named Emily—is found mysteriously murdered.

The thing is, Emily doesn’t know why she’s doing any of this. By day, she’s the same old boring Emily, but by night, she turns into a thrill seeker. With every nightfall, Emily gets wilder until it’s no longer just her personality that changes. Her body can do things it never could before: Emily is now strong, fast, and utterly fearless. And soon Emily realizes that she’s not just coming out of her shell . . . there’s something much bigger going on. Is she bewitched by the soul of the other, murdered Emily? Or is Emily Webb becoming something else entirely— something not human?

As Emily hunts for answers, she finds out that she’s not the only one this is happening to—some of her classmates are changing as well. Who is turning these teens into monsters—and how many people will they kill to get what they want?

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I was floored by this book. I didn't really know what to expect because the blurb is kind of vague. My initial thought was that maybe it would be like a paranormal version of The Lying Game by Sara Shepard. That was so far off base. There were some very unexpected twists that made me eager to keep reading more. I just could not put this book down. I don't want to give away any of the plot twists so I can't really get into any of the specifics about the book. The main character Emily Webb is someone I could really identify with. She is kind of nerdy, lacking self confidence, and just sort of blends in with the background. She is the "sidekick" kind of girl who is there to listen to and support her friend without bringing any attention to herself. When she starts to change at night her personality does a 180. She has confidence (maybe even too much) and she does what she wants. Her daytime self and nighttime self are two separate entities but eventually it seems like they sort of merge. This change in Emily as she comes into herself is fascinating. With the way the books ends you know that this is just the beginning. It feels like the surface has only been scratched and I am so excited to delve further into what is going on and learn WHY this is going on.

5/5

I received this book from the publisher to review. Any opinions expressed are my own.