NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

Title: NOS4A2
Author: Joe Hill
Pages: 704
Published: April 30th 2013 by William Morrow
Source: own
Links: goodreads,

NOS4A2 is a spine-tingling novel of supernatural suspense from master of horror Joe Hill, the New York Times bestselling author of Heart-Shaped Box and Horns. Victoria McQueen has a secret gift for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. On her Raleigh Tuff Burner bike, she makes her way to a rickety covered bridge that, within moments, takes her wherever she needs to go, whether it’s across Massachusetts or across the country. Charles Talent Manx has a way with children. He likes to take them for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the NOS4A2 vanity plate. With his old car, he can slip right out of the everyday world, and onto the hidden roads that transport them to an astonishing – and terrifying – playground of amusements he calls “Christmasland.” Then, one day, Vic goes looking for trouble—and finds Manx. That was a lifetime ago. Now Vic, the only kid to ever escape Manx’s unmitigated evil, is all grown up and desperate to forget. But Charlie Manx never stopped thinking about Victoria McQueen. He’s on the road again and he’s picked up a new passenger: Vic’s own son.

I love Joe Hill so much! I had this book sitting on my shelf forever and I didn't decide to finally read it until the Stephen King Fans group on goodreads (which I moderate) decided to read it for the April book of the month.  I'm so glad I made the time to read it.  It was so good.  When I had finished reading the book I just wanted it to keep going and keep revisiting the characters.  Joe Hill reminds me a lot of his father, Stephen King, in the way they both do a good job on character development.  I just love how they can take an everyday person and make you either love them or hate them.  I noticed some reviews think that 200 pages could've been removed and I'm over here wishing there were more pages!

When you first start reading the book, the chapters will abruptly end out of no where. I really didn't catch on to what was going on with this till halfway through the book.  That is because I'm not a chapter title reader. So I never noticed that when the chapter ended in an incomplete sentence that the since completed itself in the title of the next chapter.  So... I may have missed a few things there.

I love when something fun like Christmas time can be turned in something scary and spooky.  I really wish I would've read this book in the winter.  It would've been perfect. One thing I will highly recommend is that if you do decide to read this book you should for sure pick up the graphic novel Wraith to read right after it.  Joe Hill writes a graphic novel that goes into the back story of the main villain Manx in NOS4A2. There are even neat illustrations of the evil amusement park Christmas Land and it really brings it to life.  It's too bad that picture isn't included in this novel for those who don't enjoy reading graphic novels.

The hard thing about this book is that I love Joe Hill even more and now I need to squeeze his books in to my huge TBR (to be read pile).  I still haven't read all Stephen King's books.  So much reading!