Campfire

When 16-year-old Maddie Davenport heads into the Colorado wilderness to camp for a week with family and friends, her biggest fear is looking like a fool in front of their hunky guide, Caleb. She laughs off the scary stories that her aunt and brother tell around the campfire, until Caleb tells a truly terrifying tale about the Mountain People—a community of feral men, women, and children who prey on hunters and hikers and carve antlers into their victims’ foreheads. Caleb assures Maddie that it’s fiction, but the next morning, the group finds antlers emblazoned in red on the side of one of their tents. Shortly thereafter, people begin turning up dead, forcing Maddie and company to question whether the legend is real or if there’s a killer in their midst. After an intriguing start, this gory teen horror novel from debut author Sarles succumbs to broadly drawn characters, manufactured drama, and improbable acts of cartoon violence. Unearned twists fuel a plot that feels hastily sketched, and a lack of stakes undercuts the action-packed, blood-soaked conclusion. Ages 15–up. [em](July) [/em]