I’m a sucker for a good “there is something horribly wrong with this kid” story.  Terrifying children; it’s a sub genre I know and I love.  I highly appreciated that in this case, the antagonistic kid was a female.  That was bold and brazen, and ultimately it worked wonders.  Cass is a character you will love to hate.  I’m going to be honest, even upon hearing her disturbing (albeit expected,) backstory, I still detested her.  She seems to be the portrait of a truly murderous sociopath- know this going into the story.  

This story, might I add, pulls no punches.  You are clued in to just how deranged this sixteen year old girl can become almost immediately, and the influence she has on eighth graders Seb and Baker makes for a terrifying concoction of adolescence gone wrong.  Baker, in particular, has moved around an awful lot in his life.  He’s changed locations so much, that all he really yearns for is a steady home and a solid couple of friends.  He’s your average, intelligent, and generally good kid.  Which is why it is so alarming and devastating to those around him when he ends up getting “mixed in” with the “wrong crowd.”

I devoured this book.  I could not put it down, and until it’s thrilling conclusion I spent most of the time that I could not open it back up anxiously awaiting the moment that I would be able to.  The amount of depth and tension explored in a mere 150 or so pages is incredible and rare for a novella.  If you’re looking for a tale that sucks you right in and won’t spit you out in one piece, take this walk onto Wormwood Circle, and explode the depths of a vandalized, abandoned house which is now the holder of unclean minds.

This brings “teenagers scare the living shit out of me” to a whole new level.