Please tell me I’m not the only one who didn’t expect a horror novel after reading that synopsis? I normally don’t read horror books, it’s not at all my genre, but I did enjoy reading this one (surprisingly)! The story is about Sep (whose name is actually September), he’s lonely, has no friends and wants to move from the island he lives to the mainland to go to school there and become an engineer. The story is set in the 1980’s but there are flashbacks to what happened before the main storyline.

“They spoke the words–the rules of the sacrifice.
‘Never come to the box alone,’ they said, hands unmoving.
‘Never open it after dark,’ they said, fingers joined together.
‘Never take back your sacrifice,’ they finished–then let go.”

What I really liked about this book was the dark, gruesome and very atmospheric writing. It was so well-written and vivid! I loved that it gave the story more atmosphere. It wasn’t really scary, but I’m not sure it is supposed to be (like I said, I don’t normally read horror), but it was engrossing and made me keep reading! I was really invested in how it was going to end and whether it all was going get a happy ending or not!

A thing that annoyed me, which was not really anything that was wrong, was how there were so many nicknames used in the story! All the teens in the group of main characters use both their real name, last name and nicknames and it was so confusing! I couldn’t tell them apart and that really annoyed me because that way all the character depth and development was lost to me. At one point there was someone named Daniels and for the sake of me, I do not know who the hell this character was.

"Yesterday he’d woken up with his world in order: his mum was well, his exams were over, his boarding school application was nearly complete. No obstacles. Everything he’d work for.
And now what?
His mum was getting sick again.
He was bunking off school with the others.
And his teddy bear was trying to kill him."

As a sidenote, I was scrolling through some reviews on goodreads and some mentioned that the book was too gruesome for the YA age range and all of those reviews were written by adults (judging by profile pictures)… I am no teen myself, but as a 21-year old, I think it’s fair to say I think teens and young adults are used to more gore than they (these adults) think. Anyway, if you cannot stand reading about blood, killing of animals or gore, this might not be for you.

“‘We’re all little miracles,’ she said, ‘everything about us: all our stupid habits and our jokes and our weird faces, on a spinning ball that’s a perfect distance from the sun. And now here we are, you and me, sitting on top of a million years of history.'”

I am giving this book 3.5-4 stars because despite that it was completely not as I expected it to be, I really enjoyed the book! The characters were a bit lost to me, but that might just be my quirk. I think you would really like this if you love Stranger Things and horror movies or books!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of The Sacrifice Box in exchange for an honest review!

The Sacrifice Box was one of the many ARCs I managed to get my hands on all the way back at Deptcon3 and ever since it's basically been staring at me from my TBR pile, begging to be read. The premise of the book sounded super interesting so I was always going to get to it sooner rather than later, but I'm so glad that I decided to read this because it was so so so good!

I'll start with how well the atmosphere of the book was crafted. There was an eerie sense threaded throughout which worked really well for the nature of the book. I thought the idea of this sacrifice box that was coming back years later and haunting the five ex-friends was really creepy but super interesting at the same time.

I loved each of the characters and how they differentiated from each other too. Sep was a brilliant narrator, and I loved seeing how his relationship with Hadley, Lamb, Arkle, Mack and even Mario developed. The scenes with the dolls and stuff coming back to life and attacking the five friends were written so well and I found it really hard to put this book down. I would definitely recommend this for fans of Stephen King because it gave me a real It vibe to it, as well as a Stranger Things one. If I had to describe this book in three words it would be: mesmerising, unique and compelling.

Not really what I was expecting. As in the story was pretty much as billed but I was hoping for a bit more depth. I think this is by and large me rather than the book. I imagine this would be right up someone else's street. Good but not great.

Stranger Things meets Salem’s Lot in this gripping horror. Five friends make a pact one summer’s day, when they find an old stone box in the woods. Several years later, one of them breaks the rules and dark forces are unleashed, including a killer teddy bear, zombie crows and a demonic puppet. The five must put aside their differences and come together to appease the box before it’s too late. Aimed at teens and young adults, The Sacrifice Box is a winning blend of coming of age drama and supernatural horror.

I didn’t really know what to expect from this book but I really enjoyed it. 
I felt a real connection to all the characters, especially Sep and Hadley. 
The story goes back to 1986 when the group of friends each place something into the sacrifice box but then a while later one of them breaks the rules and chaos erupts through the small town. 
This book has a horror element to it and at times turns your stomach as it’s quite gory but it’s a good mystery thriller. 
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for sending me a copy to read or review.

I got an ARC of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Okay, I have to admit it. This is the first book in a very long time that I did not finish. The Sacrifice Box sounded very good on paper, but in reality it just read like a poor man's Stephen King. It was set in the 80's, about a group of friends who feel a bit like outsiders. The key to everything seems to be about the bond of friendship, and the monster that stalks them takes the shape of the thing that scares them most. Oh, and there's a kid who bullies everyone. Now, am  I talking about IT or The Sacrifice Box? And there are way too many characters. The book tries to be clever, switching points of view and using outside characters. But it just doesn't work. It's difficult to follow, and I just didn't care enough about the characters to keep going. I ended up getting 50 percent through, and by then nothing much had happened, and all I could think of is how much better off I would have been if I'd re-read IT. Sorry, but I can't recommend this.

I received a free ecopy of this book in return for an honest review. Many thanks to Netgalley and and the publisher for the opportunity.

Flipping mostly between 1982 and 1986, this book is a horror story about a group of schoolchildren, Sep, Mack, Arkle, Lamb and Hadley. In 1982, thrown together by circumstances not particularly well explained, the friends find a box, unearthed by a storm and agree to each place a sacrifice in it. A set of rules comes to Sep, ‘never come to the box alone, never open the box after dark, never take back your sacrifice’. It is clear that Sep, a loner till then hoped the sacrifice would bind them together, but the return of other friends makes them drift apart. In 1986, it becomes clear that someone has broken the rules. Further flashbacks reveal that this group of friends are not the first to place sacrifices in the box and adults are also suffering from its undoing.

As a horror story this works. It’s got zombie animals galore, and a few zombie people thrown in. The gore is graphic. However it had the potential for so much more that it didn’t fulfill. It was set in the eighties but other than a bit of icon dropping such as Walkmans, skateboards and Morrisey, it failed to capture the eighties mood. The group was meant to have been bound together by their 1982 experiences but their drawing together wasn’t emotionally explored so they never really felt bound. Consequently the reader doesn’t feel invested in their reunion. To be honest I felt more interested in the older group who actually seemed like genuine friends. The story also never attempted to explore the origins of the box and provided only the bluntest explanation for its current power boost.

If you are looking for a deep and meaningful story that will stimulate your emotions and thought you may well be disappointed with this story, but if you don’t care about that and you want guts, gore, fighting and destruction at a brisk pace then you should give this one a whirl.

I’m not one to give up on a book but this one was a struggle. Billed as for fans of the Goonies and Stranger Things I was really looking forward to reading this but was disappointed. 

Firstly I couldn’t even work out where this book was supposed to be set. They’re on an island and can see the mainland but where. It mentions Blue Peter so I assumed it was set in the UK but then it mentions Guidance Counsellors so is it USA?

Secondly there are too many characters and not enough time spent exploring the back story of the main characters with the exception of Sep.

I found the plot line confusing as I felt you were pulled in too many directions and with all the characters it felt quite disjointed. Sorry but this book was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House and the author for the chance to review.

"They spoke the words--the rules of the sacrifice. 
'Never come to the box alone,' they said, hands unmoving. 
'Never open it after dark,' they said, fingers joined together. 
'Never take back your sacrifice,' they finished--then let go."

Five friends reuniting after four years, having broken the three vows they made to each other. Two timelines of children called by the sacrifice box, and one curse that threatens to destroy them all. This is a chilling, creepy and atmospheric thriller. It takes a while to build up, but once it does, it's hard to put down. The Sacrifice Box may be a supernatural horror novel, but what it sets apart from B-movie territory is Martin Stewart's commitment to writing a story that is really about the power of friendship.

At the heart of the story is the strongest squad goals I've read in a couple months. Seriously, the band of misfits forced together by circumstance has rarely had such dynamic chemistry as they do in The Sacrifice Box. I get a few Breakfast Club vibes from the group; in fact, you could easily pitch the whole book as One of Us Is Lying meets Stranger Things. Not only do they have catchy and fitting nicknames, Sep, Hadley, Mack, Arkle and Lamb are bloody awesome when they stop the bickering long enough to work together. (Looks like having to fight for your lives against crazy reanimated dolls can break the barriers of high school hierarchy after all.)

I'll start with Sep. September "Sep" Hope is my spirit animal--your standard nerdy outcast who's also deaf in one ear, until he's not. Sep is the good kid with bright academic prospects who's going to head off his small town island to engineering college, but he's also just sweet in general. I couldn't dislike him if I tried, especially not with everything that he goes through in the book. Lamb is a badass field hockey player and the practical tactician of the group, the closest thing you'll get to an action hero(ine). Arkle's obliviousness doesn't stop him from being endearing. Mack, I swear, will never stop teasing Sep about Hadley's geek-on for him. And Hadley is just lowkey awesome as the quiet smart girl with a backbone of steel. 

Can you tell that I adore them all? Because I really do. They're 15-year-olds thrown into a nightmare situation, and every one of them learns something from going through the ordeal. Their personalities are so lucidly filled out, it feels like the squad could be real people. I'm not saying that all the deadly curse stuff was good, but my favourite horror novels are those where the protagonist(s) walk through the fire figuratively and emerge as better people. The Sacrifice Box, well, ticks that box. 

There's a sweet romance in both senses of the word; it's a lovely coming-of-age relationship that doesn't extend past one perfectly timed kiss. Nonetheless, it manages to be more interesting and have more chemistry than a good deal of considerably more graphic YA novels, which again reflects the strength of the characters. Honestly, the violence in this book is more mature. I freely admit that I would probably pass out a few times, and hence get killed, if I were subjected to the near-death experiences that Sep and his friends are. They clearly have higher pain thresholds than I do.

Stewart handles the POV switches fairly well--most of the novel is narrated from Sep's perspective, but this being a horror book with the usual trappings of the genre, there are a fair few cut aways to peripheral characters, almost always ending in some sort of jump scare and/or fade to black. There are quite a few such ambiguous scenes that leave the fate of certain characters up in the air until they next appear or their body is found (yes, there are deaths in this book). The large size of the cast occasionally creates confusion--you'll need a good memory to keep track of who's who at all times--but for the most part it sorts itself out a couple paragraphs later.

A last awesome thing is the 80s vibe. It's strong, and it's good stuff. We've got Chernobyl, the Cold War, Halley's Comet and Bowie mixtapes, the whole deal. The 80s is a setting that works for The Sacrifice Box, much better than I suspect the present day would. Stewart capitalises fully on the cultural atmosphere to strike a great balance between uncertainty and hope.

I just couldn't get into it. 
Lots going on at the start of the novel, lots of characters being introduced and not much of it made sense to me.
Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind for this novel.

Although this was a fast read which I really needed I was left confused and a little disappointed. I didn't know what level of intensity to expect but after finishing this I think I needed more and a little darker. Even though it wasn't a light book, I felt like this was missing something.

Gory, scary and mysterious. It's a book about the importance of friendship, particularly the friendships that you form as a teenager, and valuing those friendships. Thrown into the mix we have nightmares brought to life (killer dolls, zombie teddy bears), bullying, adolescent angst and an immense amount of dead animals. 
It's a fast paced read with some genuinely creepy moments that veers into slight silliness in parts, particularly towards the end. 

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the arc in return for an honest review.

I can definitely see why The Sacrifice Box was marketed as similar to Stranger Things - the children are just as funny and diverse. The plot was unique and enjoyable; something fans of Stranger Things might enjoy.

Enjoyed this book, following the 5 friends dealing with the consequences of not following the rules of the sacrifice box.
If reminded me of Stephen King and James Herbert dramatic, spooky and gripping. Thought the characters were well thought out and easily bringing to life their different personalities. 

Thank you netgalley, Penguin and Martin Stewart for allowing me to read and review this book.

A solid horror that wasn't bad but wasn't great either.
A bunch of school kids decide to do a little friendship ritual which unknown to them is way more serious then it first seems.
Rules are broken and things start to happen.
Creepy and atmospheric, speckled with humour and a bit of irony, I just couldn't bring myself to care much about the characters and couldn't quite get into the book fully, possibly because of the slow pace and how it jumped about a bit, despite some well written gruesome scenes.
All in all, it's worth a read but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it.

This is a dark and atmospheric supernatural horror thriller set in the 1980s. The actual location is left mysteriously unclear although we do know that it is an island. It is 1982 and the main character, September 'Sep' Hope and teens Arkle, Mack, Lamb and Hadley have spent the summer together. In the forest they find an ancient stone box to which they each consign important sacrifices to cement their recent friendships. They promise to agree a number of things, including to never return and remove any contents. The disparate friends are no longer together in 1986 but reconnect when it becomes clear one of them has gone behind their backs and broken their pact. Despite their efforts to rectify their mistakes, events begin to slide desperately out of their control as horrific repercussions begin to play out. This is a tense and menacing story with many of the requisite horror tropes of crows, zombies, wicked dolls, and so much more. It touches on the issues of the nature of friendship amongst the young. A creepy and sinister read, ideal for those who enjoy horror. Many thanks to Penguin for an ARC.

Well this was different, it had a kinda the goonies/stand by me/stranger things theme going on!?

One summer in the 70’s 5 friends decide to do a pact and make the sacrifice box, they all ask for something and give something to the box as a sacrifice. There’s rules though, never come to the box alone, never open the box after dark and never take back your sacrifice.

One of them breaks the rules and all hell breaks loose!!!!!

It was a great little read to be honest and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the book, it was quite fast paced and the characters were great. It’s about friendship and been young (and stupid sometimes) and pretty creepy too, I jumped a fair few times!

Loved it wish there were more books out there like this one.

I really wanted to like this book- the premise sounded very interesting and I could see great potential in some of the writing. But on the whole, I found the structure of the novel to  be pretty messy. I like a story with a brisk pace but from the very first pages we were thrown into a world with a number of characters with little to no introduction or explanation. Add some confusing time jumps and I was lost. I felt then, having been expected to keep track of who was who at various stages, the pacing then slowed to a crawl. Nothing seemed to happen for pages and by the time it picked up again, I was both bored and lost. I definitely feel like there was a cracking tale in here trying to get out but as it was told, it didn't work for me.

I thought The Sacrifice Box was a cracking read. 

It’s been ages since I read a proper horror novel and this book ticks all the boxes. It’s like something Stephen King would have written; friendship, ancient evil, creepy woods and things coming to life.

I liked the way the novel is structured, moving back and forth between the present events, the past when Sep and his friends made the sacrifice and further into the past when similar friends made the same sacrifice.

The Sacrifice Box has some unsettling moments. I really don’t like reading about teddy bears coming to life and getting all axe-murderer-happy. Some events made me the utter creeps. And some get me started on the crows or what happened with the stag.

The Sacrifice Box is a great horror novel. Well worth a read.

Goodness me! this was a strange mix of a book - part coming of age, part horror, totally alluring. I loved the mix of literary language with teen-speak, and odd moments of comic-horror (a rampantly murderous teddy bear has 'puffy little paws...' ). To be recommended if you kinda like horror, but don't want to be TOO scared to go out at night...