Review: Project 17 by Laurie Faria Stolarz

4.5 stars for Project 17 by Laurie Faria Stolarz.

Project 17. This is one book I set my eyes on right after I have finished reading the Dark House series - book 1 Welcome to the Dark House and book 2 Return to the Dark House - by author Stolarz. For the reason that I so enjoy the Dark House series, I search for and read up on the blurb of all the other books penned by this same author; among which is this book, Project 17, which simply screams at me to be read. And so, I tell myself that the next book by author Stolarz that I shall read will be Project 17. By sharing this review, I am glad to say that I have not let myself down.

In terms of story presentation and way of narration, I will say that Project 17 is very similar to the Dark House series. But as much as similarities go, that is just about it. Project 17 is very much a story on its own with no lack of originality. The first-person narratives – by the six different characters – are well thought-out and take the reader on a journey from Salem High School to a place which is closed down more than ten years ago. Slowly but steadily, the author builds the story towards its climax while at the same time, does a great job keeping the reader deep in suspense. Yes, I get hooked to this spine-tingling story from the moment I start reading.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Six of them; each with a different reason. They go to Danvers State Hospital (DSH), the old abandoned asylum at the peak of a hill, with the intention of spending one night there before the place is demolished to make way for condos and luxury apartments. Little does any of them know how haunting the experience is going to be; how the experience will come to change their lives. Forever. For there is something bigger going on there than just abandoned huge brick buildings with tons of pointed roofs and steeples, and debris.

Credit Roll
Derik LaPlaya LaPointe
Elizabeth Blackwell Miller aka Liza
Miriam aka Mimi aka Halloween
Greta aka Ashley Barbosa
Tony Cassis
Chet

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion; Reprint edition
Publication date: 9 Jun 2009

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High atop Hathorne Hill, near Boston, sits Danvers State Hospital. Built in 1878 and closed in 1992, this abandoned mental institution is rumored to be the birthplace of the lobotomy. Locals have long believed the place to be haunted. They tell stories about the unmarked graves in the back, of the cold spots felt throughout the underground tunnels, and of the treasures found inside: patients' personal items like journals, hair combs, and bars of soap, or even their old medical records, left behind by the state for trespassers to view.

On the eve of the hospital's demolition, six teens break in to spend the night and film a movie about their adventures. For Derik, it's an opportunity to win a filmmaking contest and save himself from a future of flipping burgers at his parents' diner. For the others, it's a chance to be on TV, or a night with no parents. But what starts as a playful dare quickly escalates into a frenzy of nightmarish action. Behind the crumbling walls, down every dark passageway, and in each deserted room, they will unravel the mysteries of those who once lived there and the spirits who still might.

*Blurb from author's website*

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