The Boy in the Cemetery by Sebastian Gregory

The Boy in the Cemetery
Sebastian Gregory
Publisher: Carina
Kindle Edition, 122 pages

About the Book:

This is the story of a girl who didn’t want to live…

Carrie Anne is desperately unhappy. Tangled in a web of abuse, she seeks solace in the cemetery that backs onto her garden. But something creeps between the gravestones. Carrie Anne is not alone…

…and a boy who cannot die.

The cemetery is home to a boy. He has guarded these forgotten bones since meeting a gruesome end two hundred years ago. Neither dead nor alive, he has been watching for a long time. And now, he finally has the visitor he’s been waiting for…

My Thoughts:

There is a boy that goes by the name Boy because he cannot remember his name, was an abused child from the 1800's that ended up alone and then went to a graveyard to find the dead's secrets.

In present day, there is a girl, Carrie Anne, who is an abused child that wants to sleep in death. Her family moves to a new town with a graveyard behind their home. As she tries to hide her family secrets, her macrabe fascination shines through and makes her stand out and she becomes a target.

This story is creepy, macrabe and downright gross at times and should please any reader that enjoys that kind of a story. This story is not full of fun and games but takes on some serious issues like child abuse, attempted suicide and sexual abuse. With those issues, I'm not sure how to approach where to categorize the genre. It has a child main character so I would lean that way, but at the same time the abuse and suicide issue is touchy. I would suggest an adult read this book before handing it to their child to make sure they are mature enough for the subjects.

With that said, I was entranced by the whole story and enjoyed it throughout. The ending was one that I didn't totally see coming but looking back it made sense and seems there would be nothing that would be more appropriate. I love the characters and wanted to rescue both and became quite involved with the story because of this.

This is one story that I won't be forgetting for quite a while. I recommend it to all that love horror and enjoy children as main characters. This is truly perfect for those that like Tim Burton's and possibly even Neil Gaiman's style. Not sure I'd recommend it for young adults because of the subject matter and feel that it needs to be a parental decision.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley courtesy of the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, but instead, one that gives my honest opinion.