I am going to ask that all my readers please give me just a tad bit of leeway while I work through my absolute fangirl obsession of Perry Palomino and Dex Foray. You're going to see several reviews of Halle's books over the coming weeks, hope you don't get sick of me spewing about how fabulous her work is.While reading this book I came to two conclusions. One, Karina Halle has become my favorite author. Of all time. It was Anne Rice. Though no one will ever hold a flame to the style I find so dear in Rice's writing, Halle entertains me more than any author before. Two, I could not read any other book until I was completely caught up with this series. Seriously, I spent the week working, reading EIT books and getting very little sleep. I would apologize to my family now for neglecting them...but they are quite used to my random obsessions.Perry and Dex head to Canada for an extended weekend of investigating an isolated island that was once a leper colony. It is now a government run park but it is winter and will have no other guests on it. Just Dex, Perry, a camera and whole heck of a lot of ghosts. Mean ones. Scary ones. Ones that want more than this duo is willing to give, a lot more.The adventure starts before they even reach the island though. There are some moments and events that will begin to shape the relationship these two dysfunctional, yet adorably lovable, people have. Those events don't hold a candle to what happens on the island though and to what the island does to my two favorite fictional friends.One of the things Halle does so well is to subtly worm something so entirely creepy into your head that you don't even realize it is as scary as it is until it's too late and you're running around the room turning more lights on. What she has created on this island lives up to this signature talent. What started out as just a spooky island camping trip turned into bloodcurdling fight for life and sanity.There are things at play on this island that distort reality and Perry and Dex slowly lose trust in each other. Of course this happens after they have already taken their precarious relationship nearly to the point of no return.Let me say, there is a tent scene...and yeah, um...Dex. Dex. Dex. Oh, back to what I was saying... They lose trust in each other and as their communication breaks down, their anger and tension sky rockets.As it typically is when you send these two to film a show, it ends up with them fighting for their lives against some pretty damn horrifying revenants and fighting to hold on to some sort of lucidity and confidence in each other.There is something so entirely special about these two characters. They are defective in so many ways but have this overwhelming appetite to succeed at something profound, to be something they don't believe they can ever really be, to have something they don't think they deserve. The struggle and fight they have within themselves is what I find so utterly addictive. They are their own worst enemies and normally I get frustrated when a character takes to long to "see the light" but not here. Halle has written the turmoil so well that you understand and feel the struggle. It's as much of a turmoil for the reader and at times I felt like maybe I was losing a little of my sanity too. Which of course only invests me further into the series. I think Halle has created something near genius with this series and its combination of terror, love, lust, drama, humor, despair and growth. I am a fan and can't give any greater compliment than to say I can't imagine ever not wanting to read something she has written.
