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WARNING SPOILERS BELOW!!!! The Enchanted Attic is about a girl named Nicole who's family moves into a new house because her dad got a new job, pretty simple premise so far. The house is clearly decades old, floors are creaky, dust everywhere, gravestones in the backyard, and a locked attic. After Nicole and her sister Casey find the room hidden behind a bookshelf, she starts to hear sad Cello music from the attic at night. The sound is powerful, she feels the pain of the music, bringing her to tears, but it causes great fear in her because she doesn't know who or what is playing the music. She fears two things: a ghost is trying to lure her to the attic, and the possibility that only she hears the music and that she's going crazy. I found this book to be pretty decent, but had a lot of boring moments. Too many parts about Nicole and Casey trying to break into the attic. I understand that they don't have a lot of tools to get in there, but I think Spenser was spending too much time to create suspense. The twist is actually quite well done, it turns out that the sounds in the attic were made from dolls who are the spirits of the Fowler family that lived in the house previously from the Civil War Era. Franklin Fowler, heartstruck at all the deaths in his family, contacted a witch to place a specific curse to put all the family members souls in the dolls. It's never explained why, but the dolls are only able to move at night, which is why one of the dolls is able to play cello whenever Nicole is trying to sleep. There's also a drape or blanket nailed to the one window in the attic to prevent light from coming in. I really like the part in which the dolls seem to grow to adult size in order to make them a real threat. There was good suspense in having Nicole pull the nailed curtain to let the light in, knowing that while the dolls will still be in the attic, they can't wake up anymore. As stated previously, the book has too much filler of Nicole trying to find the attic. Though it's hard to complain much about filler from a book that's only 121 pages long. I really do love the concept of a hidden attic that even the parents can't find access to. The book leans more into Mystery and Fantasy than Horror, and it's possible that could have been Spensers intention for the series, but I haven't read the other books yet to make sure. Spenser is a very talented writer, the writing really conveys the fear that Nicole and Casey feel, I also love the descriptions of how old the house looks and feels. The imagery of a dusty attic with a single locked chest conveys a sense of nostalgia and eeriness. In addition to the more realistic tone (more on that soon), the prose is a little drier than Goosebumps' more humorous wording, which makes me think that Shivers may have been aimed at a little older demographic. Since this is the first Shivers book I've ever read, the parallels to Goosebumps are very clear: a child moves into a new home, and the parents are unaware of the eerie events taking place. However, I quickly noticed quite a few things that stood out. Unlike Goosebumps, the main character mostly gets along with her sibling. Siblings rivalry is a very common Goosebumps trope, so it's strange that it's not copied here. Though possibly the biggest difference seen in this book compared to Goosebumps is the tone. Enchanted Attic has a more grounded and realistic tone as much as a kid's book can have. Throughout the story, there's less jokes and a greater sense of seriousness among the characters. The Fowler family's demise was described in a quite graphic manner, with one of the sons dying after being crushed by a horse. Nicole's psychological anxieties of going insane give rise to an adult fear that is rarely seen in Goosebumps and other children's Horror. Although it's still worth noting that this is still very much kid-friendly, and was meant to the hop on the Goosebumps bandwagon rather than trying to push the boundaries of the genre. Regardless, I do think that Enchanted Attic manages to be a decent story if you're looking for a novel that takes it's time getting to the Horror sections. It makes me want to try out the other entries to see how much the series evolves. Enchanted Attic's cover evokes a genuine sense of mystery and eeriness, sacrificing the typical mix of spooky and cheesiness seen in similar novels. I would give this book a strong 6.5 for providing a creepy atmosphere, slower pacing, fleshed out characters, and a cool cover. << Back to Shivers Reviews |
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