Summary: The Savage family is like any other family. Three kids. Two loving parents. Teenage drama. Oh, and they’re cannibals. But besides that, totally normal! The family will go to any length to keep their family secret a secret. However, the walls are closing in on them from prying eyes all around.
Review: Cannibalism is an automatically interesting plot element. I mean, I can’t say that I have read many other books about it, so at the very least, it’s definitely unique. Any other books even remotely about cannibalism (that I’ve encountered) also include vampires, and to top it off, this book is even written for middle school audiences, so it was perfect for what I wanted it for.
With that being said, the plot itself was a bit dull at times. With the synopsis really highlighting their cannibalistic tendencies, I had expected a bit more human-hunting and a bit less teen-romance-drama. There were a LITTLE bit of the cannibal-related action, but most of the story felt more like a mystery focused on keeping their secret safe. The final few chapters really contained the bulk of the action which may sorely disappoint younger, more impatient readers.
I did appreciate the bits of comedy in this story, though! The entire premise was silly to begin with. Just a kooky family of cannibals trying to kill a vegetarian. Additionally, the detective (Vernon) was a bumbling goof. It made that plot line (that I hadn’t expected going into the book) much more enjoyable.
The comedy and the overall writing style really increased my enjoyment a lot as well. There were short short short sections in each chapter (multiple little chunks per chapters) dedicated to different characters. I LOVE when authors do this because, for me, it makes the reading go by so much faster, and there wasn’t a ton of unnecessary description of things. For me, it was the perfect amount.
I also appreciated the writing of the family. They all had some clearly-defined unique personalities that kept them as unique individuals within the larger familial unit. Dad was overprotective, Mom was a shopping addict, the son was bloodthirsty, and the daughter was exploring vegetarianism. With this, they all had their own personal conflicts to deal with which kept the story bouncing around quickly.
In the end, I’m glad that the family ended up killing Jack. He was incredibly annoying and pretentious. I mean, that was obviously the point, but it was still a very satisfying end for him and his awfulness.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Recommended reader: Anyone who likes:
- Horror
- Cannibalism
- Stories about family
- Elements of romance
- Detective stories
- Funny stories
- The Addams Family
Discussion Questions:
- Why was Titus so concerned about Sasha’s eating habits? Why wasn’t he okay with her being vegetarian? What does food (specifically meat) symbolize to Titus?
- How does Jack change Sasha? How does Sasha feel about the changes? How do her feelings about Jack change and grow through the story? In the end, what are her feelings about him? Why?
- How does Ivan feel about himself? What are some of his insecurities? How does he attempt to overcome them in the story? Do you feel that Ivan has grown as a person by the end of the story or not? Explain your thinking.
Specifics of the book:
- Genre: Horror
- Lexile Level: N/A
- Accelerated Reader Level: N/A
- Content Level: 7th
- Pages: 280
- Controversial Issues: Mild sexual content
Young Adult Lit Reviews 