Survive The Night by Danielle Vega | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

We're all gonna die down here. . . .   Julie lies dead and disemboweled in a dank, black subway tunnel, red-eyed rats nibbling at her fingers. Her friends think she’s just off with some guy—no one could hear her getting torn apart over the sound of pulsing music.   In a tunnel nearby, Casey regrets coming to Survive the Night, the all-night underground rave in the New York City subway. Her best friend Shana talked her into it, even though Casey just got out of rehab. Alone and lost in the dark, creepy tunnels, Casey doesn’t think Survive the Night could get any worse . . .                 . . . until she comes across Julie’s body, and the party turns deadly.   Desperate for help, Casey and her friends find themselves running through the putrid subway system, searching for a way out. But every manhole is sealed shut, and every noise echoes eerily in the dark, reminding them they’re not alone.   They’re being hunted.                 Trapped underground with someone—or something—out to get them, Casey can’t help but listen to her friend’s terrified refrain: “We’re all gonna die down here. . . .” in this bone-chilling sophmore novel by the acclaimed author of The Merciless.

Do you all remember the early 00s when teen horror movies were all the rage? The era when Scream reigned supreme? Survive The Night by Danielle Vega hearkens back to that era. This pink covered book reads like a horrific thrill ride. Vega’s second book is a quick, engrossing, and creepy read perfect for fans who grew up with RL Stine but are not quite ready yet for Stephen King. Vega’s book is sure to satisfy the teenage fan of horror stories.

Casey has just gotten out of rehab – she was addicted to pain pills, and she thought she wasn’t like those other girls at rehab. She thought she was truly better. Her parents are dropping her off at the slumber party of one of her former best friends – another girl on the soccer team. Casey is fine with this, until her best friend and bad influence Shana shows up driving a beat up car and promising Casey a much more fun night. And so, against her better judgment, Casey goes with Shana as well as two other girls – Julie and Aya.

The girls end up in New York City which is not very far from their Philadelphia suburb. There, they see Casey’s ex boyfriend perform and Casey relives some memories. Hoping to cozy up to him and rekindle the relationship, Casey and the girls end up at this underground rave called Survive The Night, the premise of the rave being that no one gets to leave until dawn. Those of you who have ever seen a horror movie are probably getting premonitions over this. So, anyways, one of the girls, Julie dies in this horrific way and the rest of the group begins to drop one by one, also in horrific ways. Will Casey Survive The Night? You will have to read to find out.

I won’t lie, as I read Survive The Night by Danielle Vega, I could not help but think YOU ARE MAKING BAD LIFE CHOICES in regards to all of the characters. In fact, that is the same reaction I tend to have while watching scary movies. Anyways, the dynamic between Casey and Shana is an interesting one. Shana is the stereotypical bad girl. She’s bad news. She’s into drugs and drinking and adult activities. Casey finds this alluring, she wants to be as dangerous as Shana. While the two girls have this dysfunctional relationship, they also challenge each other to be brave and to do things that scare them. Initially this probably sounds terrible, but honestly, I found it so compelling.

Vega’s book is truly scary. I was reading it at night and someone came over and I was so engrossed that I actually jumped a little when the door opened. Granted, the thing killing everyone is kind of far fetched, this book is fun. I did not get any deeper life meaning, nor did I fold pages over to think about. However, I did enjoy my hours reading Survive The Night. I think that if you’re looking for a book that hearkens back to those scream queens, you’ll enjoy Survive The Night by Danielle Vega.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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