The Haunted Mall (2023)
2023
103 pages
Children's Books
Illustrated
13+ years
Friends Floki and Patti sneak under the cover of darkness into a closed construction site, where a huge shopping centre is being built. Suddenly, Patti is gone, as if the darkness has swallowed him. After this night, nothing will be the same. A year later, Lotta is with her friends in the newly opened mall when suddenly she starts running and they lose her. What really happened to her? Stories about hauntings in the shopping centre increase, some people see mysterious creatures, a boy and a girl, and on October 10th every year, on the anniversary of the shopping centre, something strange happens...
Reviews
"... weaves together the heritage of folklore and the modern world in a creepy yet also entertaining ghost story… This narrative style works very well. We see some characters mature and grow, while others do not, and the suspense is maintained by occasionally providing insights into the minds of the ghosts… Another well-executed aspect of this book is that the horror is rarely described directly or stated explicitly, but rather implied that something has happened, whether it's ghostly activities or the events and fates of the characters. ... The illustrations by Elias Runi enhance the depth of the story and the eerie atmosphere, breaking up the text... skillfully written and well-executed modern version of the ghost stories that for generations made our ancestors, both children and adults, shiver as autumn approached and darkness fell."
BRYNHILDUR BJORNSDOTTIR, HEIMILDIN WEEKLY