I used AI to create an image, seen at the left, that would be a better representation of what this book is. I dislike the actual cover of the book and am certain that many of my readers, who aren't interested in teen fiction like I am, would ignore this review completely based solely upon the cover.
Perhaps we shouldn't judge books by their covers, but I believe most of us do. We can't help it. I used the AI image on Facebook to draw the attention of series book fans, and I have placed it here for the same reason.
Here is what I put on Facebook on January 19:
I just read Don't Go to Sleep, a 2022 book written by Bryce Moore. I used an AI image to evoke the atmosphere of the book. I believe most of you ignore my YA posts, but this isn't one to ignore. Please don't nitpick the faulty AI image. I dislike the actual cover of the book, and it doesn't at all convey what the book is.
Don't Go to Sleep is an outstanding book. I have no doubt that this book will be a top contender for the best book I read this year. It's that good.
This book is set during late 1918 in New Orleans. The deadly influenza is a looming threat, and an axe murderer is targeting Italian store owners. 17-year-old Gianna's family was attacked by the Axeman seven years before, and now Gianna has a strange psychic connection to him. It's like Harry Potter's mental connection to Voldemort, and it's scary.
I felt like I was reading a series book as I read this book. It reads much like a May Hollis Barton or Blythe Girls book, except that an axe murderer is on the loose. Gianna's family struggles to make ends meet as they worry that they will die of influenza or be killed in their sleep. The book has some violence and murders, obviously, but fortunately, the author doesn't go into detail about the injuries. (Note: I just read some reviews where they say that the gore is "intense," so your mileage may vary. I thought it was fairly tame gore compared to other stuff I've read and nowhere near what it could have been.)
It's 1918, WW1 is in full swing, and a Spanish Influenza outbreak is on the horizon. In the midst of the chaos, families are being terrorized and people are being killed by a lone man with an axe. As Gianna and her friend Enzo investigate the heinous crimes, she realizes she's connected to the killer in a way she could have never imagined.
Gianna is the average seventeen-year-old girl living in 1918 New Orleans. She worries about her family's store, the great war, and a mysterious illness that's about to take hold of the city she loves.
It doesn't help that there also appears to be a mad man on the loose in her neighborhood. The attacks started as burglaries but soon escalate to cold blooded murder. There's a killer out there, and the police can't seem to figure out how to stop him.
Gianna enlists the help of her friend Enzo to investigate. And as they study the crimes, they see a common link between the victims, and Gianna can't help but wonder if it's the same man who attacked her family years before.
As Gianna gets closer to the killer, she discovers a connection between them that she never would have suspected.
I felt a constant sense of foreboding while reading this book. The influenza virus could strike at any moment, and the axe murderer is targeting Italians. It's scary. As I mentioned in my Facebook post, Gianna has a strange psychic connection to the axe murderer which is just like Harry Potter's mental connection to Voldemort. By later in the book, it becomes apparent that the murderer also senses Gianna and is gaining information about her, so it is terrifying whenever Gianna is asleep and experiencing the connection. This is why the book is titled Don't Go to Sleep.
The book has some violence. The climax of the story is harrowing and violent. To me, the violence isn't that bad. The author doesn't go into detail about the injuries, although I cringed at least twice. Even a bare minimum description of an axe injury is gross.
The actual violence isn't the scary part. The fear and horror about what might happen is quite intense. This is a very scary book. Violence is near the lowest level of what you can expect from books like this. I've read some YA zombie books that are far worse than what is in this book.
One reader feels that the violence is inappropriate for teens. The violence is fine for teens—children, not so much. I was sheltered enough as a child that this book would have caused me to have nightmares. It's definitely not a book for young children.
I also noticed a few readers said that the main part of the story is boring. Vintage series books are all boring by modern standards. This book nails the vibe of vintage series books, which I loved. I found every bit of the story to be intensely interesting, and I felt nervous about what would happen as I was reading. I didn't want to put the book down! I had to force myself to go to bed for the night, and then resumed the book the next day.
I love this book.
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