After reading The Shoe Creeper, I’ll never look at a stray shoe in the same way again! A superbly dark, spine-tingling horror adventure: a perfect spooky season treat!
Twelve-year-old Ethan Halston has grown up on stories of The Shoe Creeper shared with him by his beloved gran. Of course, he doesn’t believe the stories despite his gran’s assurances that they are true. After all, there’s no way stories of a terrifying monster, who catches his victims by sniffing out their malodorous shoes, before feasting on their fear and taking their toes, can be real – can they?
As Halloween nears, life is changing for Ethan. His gran is moving in as she is becoming increasingly confused due to her deteriorating memory; his parents’ arguments are increasing and worsening; and, his best friend, Sam, has a secret …
When the local news reports that there has been an attempted kidnapping of a child in Ethan’s year, gran is convinced that the shoe creeper has returned and is seeking another victim …
And so begins a deliciously dark, tension-filled and creepy adventure as Ethan finds himself in a battle to save Seaton from the monstrous machinations of a creature intent on leaving nothing behind but the shoe of his victim … Will Ethan and his friends be able to defeat this monster before it takes someone from the town? Could Ethan’s gran know more about why the shoe creeper has returned than she is willing to share with her grandson?
I really enjoyed this horror adventure which definitely brings spine-tingling, scary moments, but there’s also plenty of warmth and hope, that makes it perfect for its middle-grade audience – and beyond. I loved the cliffhanger chapter endings that make it a ‘just-one-more-chapter’ book as well as some unexpected twists and turns that were just perfect!
I really liked both Ethan and Sam who have a wonderfully, strong, supportive and caring friendship as they team up to attempt to defeat both bullies and the shoe creeper. Ethan is such a courageous young boy who fears what is happening to his gran more than facing the shoe creeper. Ethan has a lot of changes to cope with but shows real maturity and sensitivity when dealing with these and shows himself to be kind-hearted and empathetic towards others who are also facing change.
A chilling, creepy read, with family and friendship at its heart, perfect for spooky season and young readers of 9+.
Thank you to the author, Ian Hunter, for inviting me to be part of this Blog Tour and for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Do check out the other stops on the Blog Tour:
Book Craic 
This sounds a great horror read! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
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