Malicia

April 1, 2024
On Halloween weekend, four friends embark on a nightmarish adventure at an abandoned horror theme park on an island near the Dominican Republic. Years ago, the theme park Malicia became the infamous site of a massacre that claimed many lives, including those of Raymundo's mother and older brother. Unbeknownst to those who accompany him to the derelict spot, Ray is planning a ritual to summon his dead brother. Anxiety-ridden Joaquin dreads the trip for another reason: He's desperate to save his own soul from the demon El Bac�, but in order to do so, he must sacrifice his best friend, Ray, on Halloween night--despite the feelings he has for him. Isabella, meanwhile, comes to the island ready to exploit her friends and the theme park's blood-soaked history for a documentary she hopes will secure her college dreams and filmmaking future. Aspiring pre-med student Sofia joins in just to lend support--but she loses hold of herself shortly after their arrival. Then a hurricane hits the island, and death follows. The friends plunge deep into Malicia's darkness while a hostile evil lurks among the shadows. The author skillfully weaves a tale out of the leads' dueling perspectives, slipping in revelations and motivations to key up the twists and turns with aplomb. Heavy on the gore, the story includes a nice mix of Dominican folklore elements before lurching toward an increasingly nonsensical ending and an unearned emotional payoff. Promising spookiness that ultimately falls flat. (map) (Horror. 14-18)

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April 15, 2024
Grades 9-12 What should be a fun Halloween weekend for the Quisqueya Club members turns into a living nightmare. As a last expedition before they graduate high school, Raymundo invites his friends Isabella, Sofia (also his ex), and Joaquin (his love interest) to Malicia Island, his family's abandoned theme park, where a massacre took place. Things go awry when Carlos, the foreman at Malicia, begins to attack the four teens, only to set himself on fire. As Hurricane Edgar prevents their escape, the group treks the haunted island in search of help--but the circumstances may make them question how well they really know one another. With a lack of adult supervision and consciences running high, these friends are left vulnerable to possible demonic doom. Dos Santos (The Torch Keeper trilogy) delves into more chilling themes in this YA horror in which each character gets a chance to tell their perspective. Readers will enjoy the Dominican folkloric themes of Malicia (Los Biembiens, el bac�, and more). A thrilling read for those who aren't afraid of a terrifying adventure.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2024

Gr 9 Up-Malicia, a horror-themed amusement park on an island near the Dominican Republic, was the center of the world's attention when dozens of parkgoers were murdered in a mysterious mass killing. Now, 13 years later, Raymundo-whose mother and brother were killed that day-is making a documentary about the killings in the hopes of finding out the truth behind that tragic day. Ray travels to the abandoned island along with his three best friends: nervous Joaquin, ex-girlfriend Sofia, and budding filmmaker Isabella. However, what the quartet doesn't know is that each member of the self-styled Quisqueya Club has their own self-serving reason for traveling to Malicia. Blood and guts hit the floor soon after the group lands on the island, and as a hurricane bears down on them, so do the shadows and monsters of the island and its past. Storylines, corpses, and demons all collide in Malicia-itself an atmospheric and creepy locale-to create a chaotic, frenzied, but ultimately lackluster novel. While each of the four main characters have interesting reasons for being on the island, the characters themselves are not interesting or fleshed-out enough to carry their storylines. Every chapter-each told from a different character's point-of-view-is soaked in gore, but that might not be enough to keep most readers engaged. VERDICT High-energy but decidedly disappointing. Only recommended if readers are looking to scratch that spooky amusement park itch.-Tyler Hixson

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