ARC Review: “Ruin Road” by Lamar Giles

“Ruin Road” by Lamar Giles

Publishing Date: September 17, 2024

Genre: YA, Fiction, Thriller, Horror

Page Length: 368 pages (paperback review edition)

Synopsis:

Sometimes a little fear is a good thing…

Cade Webster lives between worlds. He’s a standout football star at the right school but lives in the wrong neighborhood–if you let his classmates tell it. Everywhere but home, people are afraid of him for one reason or another. Afraid he’s too big, too fast, too ambitious, too Black.

Then one fateful night, to avoid a dangerous encounter with the police, he ducks into a pawn shop. An impulse purchase and misspoken desire change everything when Cade tells the shopkeeper he wishes people would stop acting so scared around him, and the wish is granted…

At first, it feels like things have taken a turn for the better. But it’s not just Cade that people no longer fear–it’s everything. With Cade spreading this newfound “courage” wherever he goes, anything can happen. Fearless acts of violence begin to escalate in both his neighborhood and at school. Something monstrous is clearly at work and it’s up to Cade to stop it. But just what did he buy and what’s the price to undo the damage? After all, the devil’s in the details.

Review:

Ruin Road is a novel that delivers on the thrills and chills, just from the cover art alone. Following the main character Cade, he wishes for a better life for him and his family. He is determined to always be on his best front on the football field and off, but that doesn’t stop others from being afraid of him. Tired of the stereotypes and fear that surrounds people when they encounter him he decides to make a dangerous wish that seems more sinister that what it is. When things escalate though Cade has to find a way to undo his wish. Or is it already too late?

This novel is based on the concept of “be careful what you wish for” while also discussing topics of race relations, grief, gentrification, and racial profiling. It packs a powerful punch the way that race plays a part in the novel and rips the band-aid off to showing the problems with racial equality and how far we’ve progressed as a society. Many harsh truths are unveiled and Cade’s wish a deep desire not to just belong, but to having people stop living in fear of him.

I felt the the horror and supernatural elements blended well together in this novel. I enjoyed the setting of a ominous, mysterious pawn shop with magical items” and a well-written villain (Skinner) who lurks in the shadows, appearing at any moment. Skinner has managed to put fear in the neighborhood due to destroying everything people care for and just the mention of his name or seeing his car strikes terror into people. The scary part about the horror in the book is that even with the supernatural element it felt so real. The range of emotions I had while reading this novel only added to my reading experience and I could connect to his story deeply as a Black woman.

I appreciated that the novel plays homage to some classic horror stories while Giles putting his own unique experience on it. Some of the scenes were so intense and sent chills down my spine. I kept flipping the pages eagerly but scared of what would happen next. I would love to read more of Giles writing and he has such a way with words that makes this story so timely and engrossing. The concept of the “ruin road” felt fresh and will entice readers to dive straight into this story along with its developed characters. Horror fans are going to add this to your TBR!

Final Verdict: