In order to enjoy this book you have to enjoy horror, mystery, and romance. I only enjoy one of those genres when its done right and only somewhat enjoy the other two when they are done exceptionally well. That being said, I am surprised to say I had a good time going through this book.

The plot starts off in a very typical Romeo and Juliet fashion in which our protagonists, Racer and Arloe, are swept up in a wave of young love but their dreams of being together forever are pressured when Arloe’s father does not approve of her darling boyfriend Racer. Naturally, the youngsters decide to run away and take their chances—as long as they have each other—but their makeshift dreamworld quickly becomes a nightmare when they stumble into the ‘Town from Hell’.

The romantic parts of this book are sweet, gentle, and very wonderfully put together. The creepiness and the dread that soon comes in sort of sours that airy, giddy feeling you get from the beginning of the book but its actually interesting the way the story changes so much. It almost feels like one minute you know exactly how the story will go; it follows the typical patterns of romance almost painfully. But then EVERYTHING changes on a dime. And it changes in a good way!

While I was reading with my head turned to the side thinking, WHAT? I still couldn’t stop myself from turning the pages. This is a shocker, to say the least, but it is done in the oddest and most unexpected way that it remains entertaining and keeps the plot and the characters moving forward. The second half of the book is almost unrecognizable from the first half, save for the characters and the setting. But it has the same flow, pace, and strong writing throughout the entire novel.

As I said before, I am not a huge fan of the three separate genres you will find in this book, but they make a heck of a read when they’re put together in this page-turning novel. I would recommend this to young adult readers who enjoy fiction, especially anyone looking for a heart-pounding romance that is not your run-of-the-mill lovers’ tale. If you can accept a bit of drama, mystery, and violence, then this is something you might want to grab now.