Creed

By Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie

When their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, Dee, her boyfriend Luke, and Luke’s brother, Mike, seek help in the nearby town of Purity Springs. But as they walk the vacant streets, the teens make some disturbing discoveries. The seemingly deserted homes each contain a sinister book with violent instructions on disciplining children. The graveyard is full of unmarked crosses. Worst of all, there’s no way to contact the outside world.

When Purity Springs’ inhabitants suddenly appear, Dee, Luke, and Mike find themselves at the mercy of Elijah Hawkins, the town’s charismatic leader who has his own plans for the three of them. Their only hope for survival is Elijah’s enigmatic son, Joseph. And his game may be just as deadly as his father’s . . .

 

Praise:

"A straight-ahead, cover-your-ears tale of terror that grows more nihilistic and grueling by the page."—BOOKLIST

"A suspenseful and sporadically gory thriller."—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"A dark, distrubing story...[Creed] pulls no punches. A fine choice for a teens who crave horror."—SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

• Language: English
• Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
• Release date: Nov 8, 2014
• ISBN: 9780738741871

Trisha Leaver

Trisha Leaver (Cape Cod, MA) is a freelance editor and member of SCBWI. She graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in Social Work, which she used in the social service field as a child advocate.

Reviews for Creed

[isisunit · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I would like to thank Flux & NetGalley for granting me a copy of this e-book to read in exchange for an honest review. Though I received this e-book for free that in no way impacts my review.Goodreads Teaser:"Three went in. Three came out. None even a shadow of who they once were.When their car breaks down, Dee, her boyfriend Luke, and his brother Mike walk through a winter storm to take refuge in a nearby town called Purity Springs. When they arrive, the emergency sirens are blaring and the small farming town seems abandoned. With no other shelter, they spend the night in an empty house.But they soon discover that not everything in Purity Springs is as it seems. When the town's inhabitants suddenly appear the next morning, Dee, Luke, and Mike find themselves at the mercy of the charismatic leader, Elijah Hawkins, who plans to make Dee his new wife. Elijah's son, Joseph, offers to help them escape . . . but the price of his help may be more than Dee and her friends can bear."This is one hell of a psychological thriller. From the very beginning the story grabs you and pulls you in, much like what happens to the protagonists. Dee is the central character of the story, which is told from her point of view. This adds to her complexity, giving her more depth than Luke and Mike. That's not to say the brothers are lacking, simply that we see them in relation to Dee, and are not privy to their thoughts.Joseph is a strange cross between protagonist and antagonist. Depending upon which character he is interacting with determines which role he fills, yet ultimately he is almost as much a victim of circumstance as the three outsiders. For in Purity Springs, population 149, everyone who isn't a resident is an outsider. In fact the town is pretty much a character itself, for it has a very distinct personality and behavioral patterns just like an individual. However it isn't the nicest of towns, or at least not if you aren't from one of the founding families.After their car runs out of gas on a lonely stretch of road, the three young friends decide they must walk to the nearest town to buy some gas, and maybe find a ride back to their car. The boys try to convince Dee to wait in the car, but she's not having anything to do with being left behind or with the threesome separating. As soon as it is suggested all she can think of is every bad slasher flick her boyfriend Luke has made her sit through with him. Yet as they get closer to the town she begins to rethink the whole plan, wondering if they should have waited in the car for a passing motorist. That's how creepy Purity Springs is. Not only are the emergency sirens blaring with no sign of dangerous weather, but the entire town is eerily deserted. The progression of frightening events keeps building as the story expands, with each event that much more disturbing. That is until things hit the wall of just plain horrific. As the three friends try to navigate their way through the increasingly dangerous situation they've found themselves trapped in they are forced to trust Joseph, though they have every reason not to. Yet Dee finds herself drawn to Joseph, for she alone recognizes something in him that only she can understand. That recognition may well prove to be the downfall of the three friends.The authors did an excellent job of keeping the pacing, the arc of the story, and the characters growth well matched. The story builds to a horrifying crescendo, only to have things inevitably crash to the ground, shattering all that came before. While there are a few details that don't quite fit the premise of Purity Springs, they are small enough and few enough to make virtually no difference to the overall story. In fact they really only come to mind after completing the book, when you might find yourself repeatedly replaying specific scenes. Despite those holes in the tapestry of the story, this is one book you will want to get comfortable before you begin (a cozy seat, a beverage at hand, a box of tissues, etc.), because once you start reading you won't stop until you've reached the end. Even then it will linger with you long after you've finished it. Easily one of the best psychological thrillers I've read all year!

[seasonsoflove_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The first third of this book was exactly what I was hoping it would be. Dee, her boyfriend Luke, and his brother Mike set off on a road trip, heading towards Dee's surprise for her and Luke's anniversary. But when their car runs out of gas, they find themselves forced to hole up in a small, mysterious town.This town has all the makings of a horror movie, a cult, or possibly both. There are identical books in each house full of terrifying rules, sirens that won't stop sounding, and absolutely no sign of another living soul. The graveyard has a freshly dug grave, and there is a stockpile of Welcome to Purity Springs signs where the population number keeps going down by one.Where the book started to lose me was when it was revealed what was happening in the town. The explanation just didn't seem to live up to the build up. And even more than this, was the book's unrelenting bleakness. After the beginning of the book, there was not a single spark of lightness, or even a smile. This made it very difficult to power through and finish the book. I think I only finished it because I was already far enough into it that I felt like I should, and because I was hoping there would be some sort of happiness, even if the resolution was tragic.I wanted to like this book so much more than I did, which is probably another reason I was determined to finish it. I know there are a lot of readers out there who enjoyed it, and I can definitely see why. It's a scary, interesting young adult thriller that is well-written in many parts. If I had known going in just how dark it would be, and how far it would veer from the thriller it began as, I might have liked it more because I would have lacked such high expectations. Then again, had I known, I might not have picked it up at all.

[roses7184_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Chalk it up to my love of horror novels if you must, but Creed just didn't deliver on the creep factor that it promised. I've seen so many rave reviews of this book. Reviews that praised the tension that was built, the gore factor, and even the writing. Now that I've finished reading, I can honestly say that I don't agree with any of them. This was like watching a B-horror movie unfold, except without any of the redeeming qualities that make them fun.

I felt nothing for these three characters. No terror, no remorse, not even the tiniest inkling of emotion. What I did feel, in spades, was frustration. Dee, Luke and Mike were cardboard cutouts of what teens should be. Their flat personalities never allowed me to get close to them at all. Even Dee, who had a horrible childhood and should have felt like a stronger female character to me, felt fake. I kept waiting for her to lash out. To take all her frustration and do something big. It never came to that.

A story like this has so much potential. A city that looks abandoned but holds so many secrets. A fanatical villain who will stop at nothing to keep those secrets. Plus, three teens who have no idea what they're walking into. In a perfect world, I'd eat this story up in a heartbeat. The way it was executed in Creed just left a lot wanting for me. Nothing about this book caught me up. I wasn't connected to it at all. Even the gory parts, the parts that should have made me feel disturbed or sad, they elicited nothing from me.

Now, again, I do read a lot of horror novels. It's distinctly possible that I've reached a point where I am no longer the audience for this book. However, keep in mind that I also wasn't a fan of the writing or the characters either. I'll leave the decision up to you, as to whether Creed takes a spot on your reading list or not. It definitely wasn't for me.

[sensitivemuse · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This one read out like a B movie. Entertaining for the most part, but then you’re left empty and at times it felt like you were cheated out of a potentially good story. It was over so quickly hence why you get the feeling you were cheated. Which is too bad. The plot had promise, but it fell short.It started off well. Just enough to get your attention, the creep factor was all set. A breadcrumb trail was set up and it was good enough to keep the plot going steady. Considering the length of the story, you don’t really have the time to connect with the characters, which is all right. I suppose the same would be said of characters in a horror movie. You’re just there to see their untimely end ;)Despite there being a shocking moment in the book, it wasn’t enough to redeem the plot. There were so many unanswered questions and a rather drab mediocre last third of the book. You wanted to know so much and yet nothing much was produced. I’m not sure if that was meant to be a teaser but it was disappointing. It was a quick read, this could be considered something to read in between books, or a light one to pass the time. Nothing eye opening or any wow factor will redeem this one. You’re not going to miss much if you pass this on.

[Liz Eggeh Flory · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic!

[louis.arata · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

In Creed, three teenagers – Dee, Luke and Mike – on their way to a concert get stranded outside of Purity Springs, an isolationist enclave of Fundamentalist Christians who treat all outsiders as a lesser form of life, perpetually damned to hell. The sinisterly charismatic leader Elijah chooses Dee to be his next wife, going so far as to rename her Rebekah and to create a bogus family history for her. As Dee endeavors to resist, she learns that Luke and Mike are being held hostage against her good behavior. If she doesn’t comply, Elijah insists that it will be their blood on her hands. The only chance she has of escaping is through the aid of Elijah’s son, Joseph, who recognizes his father for the megalomaniac that he is but lacks the backbone to stand up to him. Dee plays along with Elijah’s game as best she can, but it’s only when she realizes that Luke and Mike’s lives are at stake does she manage to fight back.

Co-authors Trisha Lever and Lindsay Currie employ a recognizable template: teens in danger from an unstoppable monster. The too-perfect town with its creepy secrets. Bloodshed and torture, as well as perverted versions of Christianity. We’ve seen this all before.

And that’s where I have a problem with Creed. How do I rate a book that certainly has serviceable writing and a well-paced sense of dread, and yet leaves me craving for the unexpected? The story unfolds pretty much as I expected, and when I got to the end, I thought, yeah, that’s about it. Nothing new, nothing that pushes the imagination.

Here’s the thing: Lever and Currie’s villain is certainly aggravatingly sanctimonious with a good splash of sadism. They keep him offstage until about halfway through the book, but you get the sense of his presence in the town, so the authors’ use of anticipation makes Elijah’s appearance that much more dreadful. And yet, there he is – a sadistic villain on a power trip. Nothing new.

For the most part, Dee has spirit and a healthy dose of defiance. But her helplessness is irritating when it should be eliciting the reader’s sympathy. It seems as though she submits to Elijah’s authority because Joseph keeps warning her that his father is a monster and she should bide her time. I realize that she fears for the safety of Luke and Mike, but I kept expecting her to fight back more.

Not surprisingly, the end is bleak. I can’t decide if that was a choice in storytelling or that the authors couldn’t come up with something more compelling.

In the end, Creed is easily readable and that’s about it.

[roomwithbooks-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you are a lover of horror, this book is for you. But I hope you take my advice and don’t read it for a bedtime story! Just imagine … three went in and three came out, and see how many blind corners you can turn getting to the end! I truly have no idea how anyone can dig into the depths of pure evil and write such a novel. The situation is unspeakable, the characters are indescribable and the writing is absolute brilliance.

What happens in Purity Springs is the stuff of living nightmares and I hope you’ll get your copy and tell me how you feel once you’ve read Creed by Trisha Leaver and Lindsey Currie.

I wish I could rate this higher than five, but five blistering hot cups of the blackest coffee I have available to Creed! (my coffee in a cup is the equivalent of stars)

~ Patricia, Room With Books ~ © Nov 10, 2014

[anuttyquilter · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I don’t know how I feel about this book but I did read it in one day. The pages turned easily as I needed to know what would happen next. I love psychological thriller, horror type books and wanted to love this but something did not quite jell. Was it that the characters themselves didn’t ring true? Or was it the setting? Or was it the writing? Or was it the intended audience? I still don’t know.The plot was okish, but like most horror films or books many of the characters made loads of ill-conceived and illogical choices (a bit like running up the stairs when they should be going out the front door!). However, the town within with they found themselves was really creepy – the most creepy thing of the novel, apart from a certain Elijah who brought me out in goose bumps. He was so creepy yet it is also understated.The main character Dee was a damaged girl whose back story was only partially revealed and when it was, it was done very slowly. Even though readers are supposed to empathise with her I found her unlikeable and was annoyed by her constant dependency on Luke and then her constant terror at the situation. This novel started with a strong idea, ideal setting, some disturbing elements, and had a seriously deranged antagonist, but the characters couldn't close the deal for me; they were fairly flat lacked substance and surely one of them would or should have made better choices throughout this book. Only one character (and a minor one at that) had this reader rooting for them and caring about the potential outcome. I thought the ending was unsatisfactory and left unanswered questions. In short a book that had loads of potential but was eventually a huge let down.Full Disclosure: ARC received from Netgalley for an honest review.