Review - Annie96 is Typing

Annie96 is Typing
by Pascal Chatterjee
Date: 2014
Publisher: n/a
Reading level: YA
Book type: text chat
Messages: 116
Format: website
Source: stories for your screen

(find more information at Goodreads)

Well, this was different. It's a short story, told in a series of text messages. Even the way you read it is interesting: you have to click the screen or press "Enter" to get the next message. At first the lax grammar (i.e., textspeak) annoyed me, but I figured that was just part of the format.

Two teenagers named Annie and David are chatting when Annie hears something strange and looks out the window. From there, it's kind of a "There's a weird man in my yard! Now he's in my house! Now he's coming up the stairs!" sort of horror story, like the kind my friends and I used to tell each other in elementary school. It was a bit silly, and I was never really scared while reading this (but, full disclosure, I tend to laugh during horror movies rather than scream; I just can't take many of them that seriously).

However, the twist at the end was pretty clever. I thought about this one for a while after I finished reading it, and it's always good when your reading material makes you do that. We don't get all of our questions answered, but that's part of what makes you keep thinking about it. So while it wasn't the most mind-blowing example of horror fiction I've ever read, it entertained me for a few minutes. I like the title, too (it will make sense after you read the story).

I just wish there was a cover to go along with this one.

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Pace: 4/5
Writing & Editing: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.14 out of 5