Fearscape by Nenia Campbell

Horrorscape #1. Amazon Digital Services (Nov. 2012) Own

He followed her because he wanted to own her. She trusted him because she wanted excitement. There's a saying that curiosity can kill … but Valerian Kimble is beginning to learn that satisfaction might just be worse.
Fourteen-year-old Valerian lives in an age where antiheroes and bad boys are portrayed as the romantic ideal, and good guys are passe and boring. So when Gavin Mecozzi, the school's brilliant but twisted loner, begins to show an interest in her after a chance meeting in a pet store, Val is intrigued. He's charming and poetic and makes her feel things that she thought were only possible in books--
Fear.
Because somebody is stalking Val. Somebody who wants to hurt her. Own her. Possess her. Maybe even kill her.
As her meetings with Gavin unravel into a more complex and frightening relationship, Val can't help but wonder if the new boy in her life is her depraved and obsessive stalker.
And whether he's capable of murder.
Time is running out.

I don't know why but I went in search for serial killer/stalker young adult books. I wanted something thrilling to read next like I've been reading lately. I wanted action, mystery, and to be on the edge of my seat. That is exactly what I got from Fearscape and so much more. I regret finding this book not because there was anything wrong with it, other than some few flaws, but because after settling down after reading this heart pounding book I became truly disgusted with the villain, Gavin.

There's no discussion, Gavin is the stalker in this story. You learn about that fact five seconds after you meet him. I had no doubt in my mind that he was the bad guy. What I didn't think was how completely creepy he was going to be. I know. He's a stalker so of course he is but seeing him through the eyes of the innocent 14 year old protagonist Valerian, he didn't appear like he was going to go as far as he did in this book.

I understand Val was very naive however, I understand why she was. She's a kid who gets attention by this handsome, muscular, older guy who is enraptured by her presence. The kind of charm he exuded to her clouded her judgment. It's very terrifying if a man like that becomes a threat. If you've ever been approached by a strange man than you know exactly what I mean. So I understood completely how she was feeling especially her confliction since she considered him to be hot. 

I think it's a very bad choice to make stalkers in books good looking. It sends the message that it's okay for a guy to want to own you like Gavin wants to with Val. I've read a lot of reviews where people want them to have a happy ending when this sick person tries to rape her. What are you thinking? He's crazy!!! He's pure evil but because he's hot that's okay? Then, because I wanted to know what to expect in the next books I find out some deeply disturbing things that are going to happen in the third book. With the culmination of that reveal and all the reviews I was looking at I started feeling nauseated. I really liked the story while reading it. It was thrilling and terrifying but I am thinking back now at what Gavin was saying and I just became truly scared about this character. I haven't been so scared of a character since I read Kindred back in High School. 

I still think Fearscape deserves a high rating because it felt so real and elicited great emotions from me. But, Gavin was too much of a good villain that I couldn't possibly finish this series. I'm happy that the author doesn't see this as a romance like so many readers do. She sees Gavin as a sick, horrible person. She is trying to show the dark side of the real world. How people like this are out there and it's a very terrifying, real thing. So she doesn't condone this stalker behavior which is a relief because so many readers seem like they do. If you don't mind very intense, disturbing scenes you might want to try this book out. It is really good and provides a great scare even if it was too dark for me. If you keep all I had in mind as well as it being more of an adult book even if it set in high school and you think you'll like it - go for it.