"Savannah Grey" is an entertaining and creepy YA horror-romance-science-fiction featuring Lovecraftian monsters, plot twists and a fast-paced storyline. The protagonist Savannah is "not like the other girls" in that she has something painful, alien and possibly alive down her throat, something that speaks to itself while she sleeps and won't let anyone else come anywhere near her. However, she feels instinctively sure that the thing down her throat is good and was put in place to protect her from something far more horrible. Things become complicated when she meets a boy her own age who also has an alien throat-thing. Their relationship is not just a romantic sub-plot. "Savannah Grey" explores different kinds of love, including not just teenage romance but also friendship and bonds between families, especially love's potential to redeem or destroy. This theme comes across with surprising compared to most YA novels I have encountered. And there are monsters. Three vividly imagined, distinct, grotesque monsters, whose nature and origins are told in fairy-tale like alternate chapters that hold many a twist. 'Savannah Grey' was far more than what I expected! And that’s saying a lot when reading another of Cliff McNish’s creative tales! I’ve been an avid fan of McNish for quite a few years now after I first read Angel, and since then, his consistent, beautiful prose, and the way he explores the chemistry between his dark imaginings and his marvellous, teenage protagonists has always engaged me in ways that a lot of books fail to measure. His alternation between first-person and third-person narrative in this book gave great contrast between Savannah and the wider scope of the story, as well as making for a huge – and perfectly timed - revelation before the epic finale. With his creative breed of monsters, his fascinating backstories of their origins and his wonderful teenage characters, McNish certainly grants the world with yet another story that can be enjoyed by a substantial age bracket.I applaud another riveting read! 4½ stars.
What do You think about Savannah Grey. Cliff McNish (2011)?
Very good, very crazy. Would be good for guys, not as much focus on the romantic stuff.
—Viv570
This book is the reason or one of the reasons I really like Cliff McNish's writing.
—cara
