So, fun fact! The author of this book, Christy Altenburg, is actually my cousin!
It was the end of last year that I was reading my aunt’s book (we are a family of authors) that I realized I had never read any of her books.
I felt so ashamed! I emailed her and asked her to send me copies of her books, and she did. One of her books, Spooked: Camp Honey River is her most recent published novel, and so far my favorite.
And also, I’m super proud of her.
I’m going to keep this book as unbiased as possible because she is my cousin. But I definitely think this is a book you will enjoy.
Who is Christy Altenburg?
Christy Altenburg is an indie author of young adult sci-fi fantasy. She is most known for her novels Nobody’s Fault, Koldenger: Part 1, and Spooked: Camp Honey River.
She grew up in a small town in Wisconsin, and realized her love of reading and writing at a young age. After winning a writing contest and being featured in a newspaper, Christy knew she wanted to be a writer.
She is still actively writing her novels, but her most recent young adult novel was published in 2020
About Spooked: Camp Honey River
Spooked: Camp Honey River is a detailed story of Lily Stout, who is about to go off to college, but before she does, she is working as a counselor for a new fitness camp on Honey River.
But Camp Honey River has a gruesome past.
Lily is delighted to meet her campers and show them a great summer at camp, but her sunny demeanor doesn’t match the attitude of the other two camp counselors on site. Over the next five days, Lily tries to settle in her role as the cheery camp counselor, but strange things start happening in Honey River.
Things that can’t be explained. Things that are endangering the campers.
Something in Honey River is attacking the campers. What’s worse is Lily has seen what the monster taking the kids, but no one believes her. She now has to convince the camp director, Mr. Bryan, that there is more than just fish in Honey River.
My Thoughts on Spooked: Camp Honey River
Spooked: Camp Honey River starts with a gruesome and alarming beginning showing the monster in all of its horrible glory. It gets you hooked immediately. But it’s not so gruesome it could upset a young adult reader.
It’s shocking enough to wonder what happened or how things would turn out. I loved that about this book.
The monster reappeared enough throughout the book to keep the intrigue alive, all the way up to the end when we see a twist in the story that I certainly did not see coming.
For a young adult novel, this was very good and a very easy read. I enjoyed reading it and couldn’t put it down. Overall, this book was exciting and in various parts, the detail and descriptions were quite wonderful and painted amazing pictures of the world Lily was experiencing. I really enjoyed those parts.
If I could change anything about this book, it would be the cover and the title. The imagery works well, but the text is hard to read on the back cover and doesn’t stick out enough on the front.
As for the title, I think “Camp Honey River” standalone would’ve made it so much stronger.
Who Spooked: Camp Honey River is Suited For
While of course, not all books are meant for everyone, this book is intended for a younger audience. On Amazon, this book has been marked as most enjoyable for the following:
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- Readers ages 9 – 18
- Grades 5th – 12th
- Paranormal suspense lovers
- Action thriller fiction lovers
I think this book could be amongst many other young adult books for students. Think of it sort of like Goosebumps in a way. I highly encourage young readers to give it a read.
Purchase Spooked: Camp Honey River
