This is a delightful romping adventure through a supernatural San Francisco with a (mildly annoying) teenage girl protagonist -- but the thing that got me most was EIGHTEEN MONTH OLD EGG SALAD IN A FRIDGE, AND THEY CLEANED IT OUT ENOUGH TO START USING IT AGAIN THE SAME DAY? REALLY?!?! ( )

3.5 stars
This took me too long to finish, but it was decent. I got a bit frustrated when Micheline talked about telling the truth but kept lying by omission to her friends. ( )

OK. OK. "Shutter" is really amazing. I can't believe this is Alameda's first book, etc etc etc. WOW.

The writing is solid and atmospheric and the main group of protagonists is extremely likeable. Micheline, our narrator, is both a bad-ass slayer of the undead and an emotionally complex, PTSD-suffering teenage girl. I had one issue with her, and that was that she wasn't catching onto Dracula's identity quickly enough. I know she's grown up thinking vampires don't have souls, making the enemy's identity implausible, but with ALL THE CLUES, good lord MICHELINE. Other than that, she didn't suffer from a case of character dumbs, so all is forgiven and she was an enjoyable (if messed up) head to be inside. The boys were all fun to get to know as well. Jude ended up being more fleshed-out than I was thinking he'd be, Oliver was the nerd-tech-with-the-high-kill-count of my dreams, and, what can I say, Ryder was hot, Australian, and good with a gun. Let there be more secret-badass Bianca in future books, please.

OK, so the atmosphere and world-building was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I admit, I became wary of this book when I noticed the "Van Helsing" connection in the blurb (big shoes to fill, etc). It could have gone so wrong, but instead it went so right and HOORAH for including THE SEWARDS. Loved the almost immediate classification of the levels of necrotics. (WHAT IS A GLASGOW GIRL IN THIS WORLD BTW PLEASE BE IN FUTURE BOOKS). Though with the inclusion of vampires, and the disturbing/horrifying/bloodcurdling descriptions of every other necrotic in the story, I was hoping Dracula would reveal his "true form" or something at the end. Some unhinged jaw, extreme-Nosferatu-looking thing. And maybe he still will in later books, who knows. I also loved the ghost-hunting technology and the "science" behind it. Capturing ghosts in cameras? COOL. Sapping their energy frame by frame? COOL. Just very different. (Thank you for not wielding a crossbow, Micheline *wipes brow*)

The hospital portion at the beginning really set the atmosphere for the rest of book. Gore, jump scares, AND creep-up-on-you-slow-horror. The poem *shudder*. The ghost RIPPING OUT OF A CORPSE *screams*. And then Micheline's back story *ugly crying/more screaming*. Everything was so well-described and the atmosphere so fully-realized that I felt like I was playing through a top-level survival horror game.

In summary: *standing ovation* ( )

And they lived happily ever after...

Had my life been a movie, like I often wish it was, that would have scrolled across the screen as I flipped the last few pages of this book. Shutter and I started out on rocky terrain. I just wasn't sure we were compatible, and worried we wouldn't go the distance. Then, about halfway through, something magical happened. My eyes were glued to the page. My heart was beating a mile a minute. I was hooked. Redemption!

If you want to know why I chose this book, look no further than the fact that the Helsings and Stokers are involved. Descendants of the vampire elite? Yes please, and thank you. I had visions of stakes flying, havoc being wrought and all manner of creepy baddies appearing as I turned the first page of this book. As it turns out, I was right on all accounts! I'll simply say this: don't give up on this story. The beginning does start out a bit slow, but once things pick up? You'll be holding on for dear life.

I think my favorite piece was that Shutter is a "girl saves the boy" type story. Micheline isn't afraid of things that go bump in the night. She doesn't need anyone to save her, except herself. She does, however, appreciate the way a perfectly synchronized team works. I loved her fire. I was attracted to her strength. What sold me indefinitely though was her willingness to admit when she'd been bested, although not by the creatures she'd assume would ultimately take her down. Cryptic you say? Yes, intentionally. I won't spoil a minute for you.

Although this started slow, I can't give it any less than four stars. The middle, and the ending, were completely brilliant. They caught me up, covered me in necrotic gore, and left me breathless. I'm so happy, I could cry. ( )

Micheline and her father are both still reeling from the deaths of her mother and brothers. Her father handles his grief by completely ignoring her and immersing himself in his job as a reaper and Micheline does everything she can to please her father in the hopes that he will actually notice her. When an unusually vengeful ghost sets its sights on Micheline and her group of reapers, she sees it as the perfect opportunity to gain her father's respect once and for all but she soon finds that she's in way over her head and she's once again in a position to lose everyone she loves.

I'm only mad about 1 thing...where oh where is book 2??!! This isn't a scary story but it is definitely a gory, action-packed, creepy thriller that will keep you guessing, engaged, and hanging on the edge of your seat from start to finish. ( )