Book Review: Scream All Night by Derek Milman

POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Prompt: A book with a time of day in the title. Brief synopsis: Dario hasn't been home in ye...





POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Prompt: A book with a time of day in the title.



Brief synopsis: Dario hasn't been home in years. In fact, he moved into a boy's home at 12 and became emancipated and 14 and hasn't really looked back. But when his brother calls with news about their father's funeral, Dario feels compels to return home. And home just happens to be a B-movie horror film studio. It's definitely as intriguing as it sounds. When Dario returns, he feels like he has to choose his future soon, but thoughts of the past keep haunting him. Can he overcome the things he experienced as a child, and can he forgive his family to move forward?




Look, I loved Scream All Night so much. It was within a similar realm as Undead Girl Gang, which I definitely really loved as well. This novel is honestly super funny - like laugh out loud funny. It's also haunting, a bit creepy at times, and ultimately does what every good YA does - it makes it think about growing up and how your experiences and those you interact with can influence you and shape who you are. Geez, I really enjoyed this book. My one complaint is that I wanted more, though more what I'm not quiet sure. I just felt like something, however minuscule, was missing. And I needed that piece to being totally satisfied after reading it. I hate that I can't seem to put my finger on it. I think it may have do with Dario's older brother Oren, who I have too many questions about.

Anyways, I love that Dario and his roommate, Jude, have such a supporting relationship - and that Dario, as a teenage boy, doesn't feel weirded out by Jude's nudity habit. It shows a lot of vulnerability in their characters and I really appreciated that. I also really appreciated Hayley really being such an integral part of the story, and not just as a love interest, like so many female characters tend to be.





There is some slight gore in relation to the films created at Moldavia Studies, but I think there are other things within the book that are much more haunting. This isn't quite a horror novel - it's more of a quirky coming-of-age story with moderate creepiness. 

I honestly really connected with the entire novel. It was full of laughs, weirdly eccentric, and also incredibly deeper than it appeared at first. It tackles different issues ranging from child abuse, mental illness, thoughts of past and future. I would certainly urge readers to be aware that these topics arise, as they may trigger certain individuals.

Overall, I thought Scream All Night was incredibly original, fun, fairly deep, and quirky. A bit Clue, definitely some Rocky Horror, and throw in some Elvira (who absolutely had to have been inspiration for Mistress Moonshadow), this book is definitely enjoyable. I was unable to put it down, and I would seriously recommend it.














I received a digital copy of this book free in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

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