Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Review of Wampus Springs by Wade Faubert

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I really enjoyed Wampus Springs. The characters were likeable (well, most of them) and easy to identify with. Lori is a 16 year old girl who is tormented by nightmares of a wolf attack 4 years prior that left 3 of her best friends dead and a big ugly scar on her neck. Even 4 years later and hundreds of miles away from the attack, Lori is reminded daily that she didn't do anything to save her friends, including her very best friend Cindy. Although the guilt has never gone away and the bad dreams had tapered off to being tolerable, only recently has the severe nightmares come back, and with a vengeance. She starts to feel like she's going crazy and the taunts from her class mates don't help either. Except for her best friend Jessica, no one really bothers with Lori. Even though she and her mother moved to the other side of the country, she's still known as the wolf girl. With the spring dance coming up, Jessica sets Lori up on a date with Josh. Since Lori has never had a real boyfriend before, she's nervous about the dance and scared that Josh will believe the rumors that she's the one that really killed her friends and then turned the knife on herself to make it look like a wolf attack. Reluctantly, Lori goes with Josh to the dance and actually has a good time. After the dance, a bunch of kids decide to go to the beach and have a bonfire, which turns out to be fun until Lori falls asleep in front of the fire and has a nightmare about one of her classmates being attacked and killed by a wolf. Embarrassed, Lori begs Josh to take her home. She's convinced Josh thinks she's as crazy as everyone says but he surprises her by asking her out on another date.

Each day, the nightmares seems to get more intense and Lori even begins sleepwalking, naked. Her senses seems to be heightened and even for a 16 year old girl, her hormones seem to be raging more than normal. A simple touch from Josh has Lori ready to climb the walls. Her gut instinct tells her that this is all connected to the wolf. She's convinced that the wolf that attacked her and her friends has tracked her all the way from Wampus Springs. The nightmare she had on the beach only furthers her suspicions when the girl she had the vision of goes missing. Thankfully she has Jessica and now Josh to support her and they don't think she's crazy. The upcoming weekend camping trip, however has Lori nervous as hell and tries everything to get out of it, but Jessica begs and pleads with Lori to go with her and she eventually caves despite her intense reservations that something bad is going to happen.

Once Lori and Jessica get up to the camp, Lori's visions literally explode. And soon her visions become a reality. Not only did the wolf find her, but it brings with it its minions to do its bidding. It all comes down to Lori and the Beast and not everyone will make it out alive.

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